You like bacon? How much do you like bacon?

Quite long overdue, I realize it, but here it is, the story of the bacon lollipop that was.

Once upon a time, back in the days before a new job took away her daytime internet use, yours truly was doing a bit of blog-hopping, and she came across this post. In that post, The Ex shared he misfortune at winning a contest, and receiving a couple of Bacon Lollipops for her efforts. After hating said lollipop as much as her benefactor, she decided she would continue the trend, and give away the second, unopened lollipop to one of her readers to try.

Well, I've never been one to shy away from trying strange foods, so I, of course, entered the contest. Now, as fate would have it, I, who NEVER win a damn thing...won the damn contest.

So then, a bit of time went by, and I sort of forgot about my fantastic prize. Until the day it arrived in the mail.

Here it was...my long awaited bacon lollipop.

But, as much as I wanted to try this thing, and share my thoughts about it with you...I couldn't very well be selfish and keep it all to myself, could I? Of course not. Misery loves company, after all. UH, I mean...candy is meant to be shared, right?

So, I held off on digging in, and took the lollipop with me when our small group gathered together for our monthly "Community Kitchen" volunteering. Gather a group of over eager teenage boys and girls (and some not so "teenage" brave souls), break a lollipop into a million little pieces, and distribute.

So, the reactions? (The teenage girls were smart enough to hide from the camera with their reactions, but all of them agreed the lollipop was disgusting). The boys?

"Okay, let's try this...not bad" My brother (on the left) thought it was "pretty good" at first. The brave soul on the right said "yeah, not bad".

This kid was thinking about it:

Brainiac didn't love it:

The consensus seemed to be that at first, it didn't taste so bad, but it had a killer after taste. But the problem came later, when you realized that whatever it was that the lollipop was made of, completely stuck to your teeth in the most obnoxious of ways. My brother would kill me for this photo, but he doesn't read my blog:

Yeah, they'll be picking that out of their teeth for hours. Did we mention the aftertaste?

And yours trully? I did try it as well, but I was holding the camera (I'm a smart cookie that way), so there is no photographic evidence of my reaction. Let's just say that next time I win a blog prize, I don't want it to have anything to do with bacon OR lollipops. Two words that should never again be used in the same sentence together. Really, who thinks of these things?

In closing, I'd like to thank my fellow taste testers, for being brave enough (or is that foolish enough) to try this delicassy out with me. I'd also like to thank the postmaster for not losing this prize somewhere between the Ex's house and mine. No, really, I thank you for that! And finally, I'd like to thank the Ex for hosting the giveaway of giveaways, because really, if you're going to win a blog prize, it should be something worth blogging about, right?

It's Party Time!

Hello, hello, welcome. Come on in, grab a drink, have a bite to eat. Today we are celebrating the official "launch" of my new blog design.

Take a look around, what do you think? Personally, I think this new blog design screams "Candid Karina" and I couldn't be happier. I owe it all to my blog buddy "lissa", who has just launched "Just Design Blogs". She offered the redesign as a means for her to practice launching her design blog, how could I refuse? I sent her a few ideas, some color choices, and some photos, and she created what you see here today. How fabulous is she?

And all this she did with no request for payment, except that we promise to pay it forward.

So, I decided that a Launch Party was in order. Before we go any further, won't you have some ice cream cake? What's that? Oh right, the recipe. Certainly.

Oreo & Fudge Ice Cream "Cake"

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fudge ice cream topping, warmed (as you can see above, I use Hershey's syrup instead and it works just fine)

1 tub (8 oz.) cool whip whipped topping, thawed, divided (I used chocolate flavored cool whip this time)

1 pkg. (4-serving size) Jell-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling

8 Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

12 vanilla ice cream sandwiches

Prep time: 10 minutes - Total time: 4 hours 10 Mins. (including freezing).

Pour the fudge topping into a medium bowl. Stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping with a wire whisk until it's well blended. Add in the dry pudding mix; stir 2 min. or until well blended. The consistency of fudge topping ca vary depending on what brand you purchase. If your fudge topping mixture is too thick to spread easily, stir in 1/2 cup milk.

Chop the Oreo cookies roughly into chunks. (I just break them with my hands over the bowl into random sized bits). Stir them into the pudding mixture.

Arrange 4 of the ice cream sandwiches, side by side, on a 24x12-inch piece of foil; top with half of the pudding mixture. Repeat the layers.

Top the pudding mixture with the remaining 4 ice cream sandwiches. The layers create a neat striped effect when sliced.

Frost the top and sides with the remaining whipped topping, it doesn't have to look perfect.

Bring up the foil sides. Double fold top and ends to loosely seal the packet. Freeze at least 4 hours before serving. Let stand at room temperature to soften slightly before serving.

Makes 12 servings. Enjoy!

And there you have it. Easy and tasty ice cream cake.

But, what's a party without party gifts? I'm paying it forward by giving a few little things away.

Here are the prizes: A cute little stuffed teddy (about 6 inches high):

DVD of the movie "Labyrinth" (still in plastic wrap):

Special Collector's Edition DVD of Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Still in plastic wrap):And few consolation prizes:

Three different winners will win a set of "ear buds":And one more will win this fun little Colby "earpiece" to use with your cell phone.

Yes, I know, it's a random mix of things, but I wanted to give away more than one prize, so I dug around and found all these fun little bits and pieces.

So, how do you win? That's easy, just leave me a comment telling me what you think of the new design. You can also tell me which prize you'd rather win...I will see what I can do about you getting your choice.

Okay, that's it, I'll let you mingle and converse amongst yourselves...I have to get to my second day at my new job anyway. Come on back tomorrow and I'll tell you all about how my first two days have been.

We're Having A Party - Sticky Post Scroll Down for Newer Entries

Well, here it is ladies and gents...my new blog design! All thanks to the fabulous lissa of Just Design Blogs.

I couldn't let another day go by without acknowledging all her hard work and just plain fabulousness. lissa, I LOVE the new design, you took my "ideas" and translated them beautifully. It feels very "me".

I think a fabulous new design such as this one deserves a "launch party" don't you all? Plus, lissa's only request for payment was that I "pay it forward" in some way.

Therefore, I'm having a party here, on Wednesday, to officially launch the new design, and tell you all how I plan on paying it forward. And guess what? That means prizes folks. Yes, PRIZES as in plural, more than one.

And maybe, just maybe, that also means Ice Cream Cake and the recipe I've been promissing for weeks...with photos. Make sure you come back on Wednesday!

Trip to NYC and Meeting the Blog Queen

As most of you know, I spent this past weekend in New York. My good friend Mrs. B, who I met via the internet about 7 years ago, lives in Queens, and we try to visit each other a few times a year. This trip spawned out of an idea of Mrs. B, that we should camp out and wait for the New Kids On The Block to perform on the Today Show this past Friday. However, as time drew nearer, Mrs. B realized she wouldn't be able take the day off work, and realized that by myself, it would be no fun to camp out. Still, the idea for the trip was in motion, and I'm not currentl working, so I decided what the heck, a trip to New York would do me good.

In the meantime, one of my favorite bloggers ever happen to live right in NYC, so I figured it would be a good opportunity to meet up with her for lunch. So, the trip was on.

I arrived in New York on Thursday evening via GreyHound bus, and Mrs. B met me in Manhattan, where we had a fantastic dinner at an Ethiopian diner. I'd never had Ethiopian food, so I was excited to experiment. I'm happy to tell you that the food was fabulous, but even more fabulous was the Ethiopian Honey Wine we ordered. Mrs. B and I polished off an entire bottle during dinner. YUM.

Friday Morning I decided to head back into Manhattan, but decided against going in super early for the NKOTB concert. The evening before I'd learned that people were already camping out (in the rain no less), and I just knew I wouldn't get anywhere near the concert, so I decided against it. By the time I made it into the city, the show was over, and there were still hundreds of crazy New Kids fans fleeting around. Just walking around a bit and seeing the barricades, the cops, the blocked off doors, etc., I knew I'd made the right call not going in early, I wouldn't have made it anywhere near the show.

Still, I hung out with the crazy fans for a bit, reminiscing about the old days, and in the process, got to see American Idol winner Taylor Hicks as he walked past us and into the Today Show building. Hmm...Taylor Hicks v. Donnie Wahlberg? Okay, not much of consolation prize there. Anyway, I will say this, the camera really does add 10 pounds, at least. Because Taylor Hicks looked much better in person than on the show, bits of which I caught on my Tivo.

As for the New Kids? This is about as close as I got to them:


Ah well, there's always the concert in September.

So, I did a bit of sightseeing, and then it was time to meet up with my blog buddy Frances. Frances, she of a thousand blogs. Okay, not exactly a thousand, but even she doesn't know how many she has, so don't ask me! ;-) Frances, the fearless leader of SheWhoBlogs. Frances has been on of my favorite bloggers since the first time I stumbled upon one of her blogs, so I was certainly excited to finally meet her in person.

Because I was drifting around Times Square, and it was pouring rain out, we met at Applebee's for lunch. Not one of Frances' usual "off the beaten path" haunts, but we've already agreed that in my next trip out, we'll hit that path instead.

I arrived at the restaurant, and we immediately knew each other. From the moment I sat down, it was nonstop conversation, laughter and fun. We got along as fabulouslyas I knew we would have. Two mochatinis and about 3 1/2 hours later we had gone from being blog buddies, to being friends.

I could tell you all the silly things we chatted about, but really, it was 3 1/2 hours of non-stop chatter, and I have to run out in a few minutes. I can, however, tell you we had an absolute blast.

I could show you photos of our meeting, but if you visit any of Frances' blogs you will see that she does not post photos of herself, so I respect that privacy, so there will be no photos of us. However, I do have a photo for you.

See, we had the FUNNEST waiter. His name was Ike, but his coworkers call him "Ikeypoo". And he wears that name proudly on his nametag. You've got to love it, right? Ikeypoo was a fantastic waiter, lots of fun, and we just loved him. And he was kind enough to pose for a photo:


Frances got a close-up of the nametag, so I'm sure she'll share that one with you on one of her blogs. I'm sure there is more I could tell you about my meeting with Frances, but it all escapes me now. I can't wait until the next time I'm in NY and we get to hang out again.

Frances, I had a blast, you are absolutely fantastic!

Isn't the blogosphere wonderful?

It's a Boy!!

Swampy is hosting a Virtual Baby Shower for Karmyn over at Dreaming What Ifs, who is due to have her baby boy on May 23rd. I'm mostly a lurker over at Karmyn's blog, but I love reading her posts, and thought, what better time to "out" myself then at her baby shower?

The thing is, I don't have any kids. Therefore, I'm the "cool auntie" sort. You know, the one who shows up to the birthday parties and give the kid the drumset, or the super duper talking robot, or any other noise making or completely inappropriate toy. Because I can. Because I figure whenever it comes time for me to have my baby, they'll all have forgotten the torture I inflicted upon them. (Yeah, I know, probably not, but hey, it's fun now).

So, I figured, why not keep my streak going with this shower?

First of all, every baby should have a VIP shirt, don't you think? (Click on the photos for additional information on any of these gifts)

Then, what's a VIP baby without a nice pair of shoes?And of course, every baby needs a ride:
And for those moments when baby isn't all smiles:

YOU REALLY must click on that photo...just as incentive, this is the "Baby Shiloh 3 Carat White Diamond Pacifier" - Price tag: $17,000. Thank goodness this is just a virtual shower.

Karmyn, I hope you and the baby enjoy all the blingy gifts. But more importantly I just want to wish you and your family all the best with this new baby boy. Congratulations!!!

A hug in a box.

My Ultimate Blog Party Post is here.

We live in a messed up world, full of crime, and hatred, negativity and misery, and it is sometimes easy to overlook the good, and focus solely on the bad. But every once in a while a fellow human being does something that re-affirms your faith in the beauty of humanity. With a simple gesture or two, some people can help restore the balance in the world, simply by thinking of others.


You're getting all this rhetoric, simply because on Saturday night I received a hug in a box. Something that brought tears to my eyes for the the pure thoughtfulness of the gesture.


I arrived home from my day at the casino right around midnight, and was thrilled to find a box near my mailbox. When all you ever receive in the mail are bills and junk mail, getting anything that doesn't fit into those two categories immediately brings a smile to your face. Because it was my birthday, I'd been getting birthday cards in the mail all week, but this was the first (and only) package. I read the return address, and was confused, and excited. Bella Bags. I had an idea what this was, but from whom, I couldn't begin to guess.


So, imagine my surprise when I open up the box to find this:





Pretty ain't it? I absolutely love it, and the colors and style couldn't be more fitting for me (they even match my living room). But the best part? The little tag hanging there (which I tried to photograph, but after about 15 attempts and no luck, gave up) said "Happy Birthday Candid Karina, with much blog love from Sognatrice". My blog buddy from Italy completely surprised me, and absolutely made my night (weekend).


Thank you again Sognatrice, I really was touched and am extremely grateful. I have no doubt that if we didn't live on separate sides of the ocean, we'd be hanging out regularly. As it is, I'm so glad we get to be blog-buddies, you are one of a kind.


Just another wonderful way the blogosphere has blessed me.


Do yourselves a favor, and head on over to check out Sognatrice's blog, it'll become one of your favorite places to visit, I promise. Also, (edited to add) do check out Bella Bags by Marcia, where Sognatrice got that lovely bag from, they have some fantastic stuff!

And don't forget to stop by Cafe Karina for this week's recap of American Idol.

Forget the Oscars, it's all about the Candids

A while back I hosted an impromtu contest, and some of my unsuspecting readers and commenters were entered without even knowing it. Because the results were pretty much inconclusive, I decided to award all six entrants with a prize. I was going to merely do a post about why I love visiting each of the blogs belonging to the nominees, but after much thought, I realized that all six have one main thing in common, and that is that all of their blogs are honest, open, frank, sincere, outspoken...in a word "Candid" representations of who they are and what they think. So, I've decided to create my own Blog Award, the Candid Blogger Award, given to those bloggers I believe represent themselves in a refreshing and honest way.

And the Candid Goes to:

Frigga - Because she's not afraid to state her opinions on everything from what music is crap to what she thought of a particular movie, to her political beliefs. I may not always agree with her, but I fully respect that she is a woman unafraid to speak (or blog) her mind, and has passion for everything she says. Besides, she loves Christian Slater, so how could I not love her?

Lil'Mouse - For posts like this one, where she managed to keep her civility (and that inherent niceness I like so much about her) even though the situation called for much stronger and angrier language (well, for me it would have that's for sure). And really, simply because the last line in the post made me laugh out loud.

Ana - Because in posts such as this one, she lays it all out there for us to see, and yet, does it in such a poetic way that you read every word with anticipation of the next. And then there are the times she makes me laugh out loud with how easily she can turn the most mundane of situations into an art form, like here.

Lisa - Just her photography alone gives you a glimpse into what a beautiful person she must be to capture such beauty with her eye. And then you learn more about her and her amazing family, and you can't help but be impressed. She is the true definition of candid and honest on her blog, and I am constantly amazed by her strength.

Joy T - I'm not going to lie to you, Joy's is one of my favorite blogs to visit on my grumpy mornings, because as much as she tries to deny it, she is one of the funniest women I've "met", even when she's just telling you about her day. And she'll try to tell you otherwise, she'll also try to tell you she's grumpy and mean, but that's all a facade! Just ask Mushu. But I do love how she's going to tell it like it is, and if you don't like it, TOUGH, it's her blog!

Pamela - who leaves me the greatest comments, and has the BEST blog header and name out there. With posts such as this one about her childhood, you get to learn about the Pamela of her youth, and with posts like this, about her grandkids, you get to laugh right along with the Rockin' Grandma Pamela.

Enjoy it ladies, it's well deserved. And don't pass this one on, this one is just for you to hold onto and display proudly on your mantles...uh...sidebars. I wish I could do something fancy like give you html code so you could post the photo to your sidebar with a link back to my blog, but I have no idea how to post that information within a post without making it actual html code, so uh...yeah, whatever, just display it as a picture if you want to. ;-)

For the rest of you, don't be jealous, I just might bestow a Candid upon you when you least expect it.

Follow-Up Friday - Live from Winter Wonderland

Boy, what a few week's it's been in these here parts, with about 20 inches of snow delivered in the last week and half. We will certainly be having a White Christmas like we haven't had in years.


I've said it before, and I'll say it again, snow may make for beautiful postcard like scenery (and truly, my drive to and from work has never been more beautiful than it was this morning), but man is it ever a pain in the ass.


Anyway, onto the follow up. Fun Monday this week was all about the history of our homes. I read some fascinating stories traipsing through other's posts, but didn't really have much history to speak of about my little condo. So I just gave you the history of my life in the condo instead. Thank you all for your lovely compliments on the work I've done to the place, I really am proud of how it all came out. I got quite a few comments on how lovely the view is from my balcony, and it truly is a great view. I'm lucky with the location of my particular unit, some of the others in the building have a nice view of a wall or the parking lot. I took even more pictures of the snowy "hill" yesterday, I'll post those maybe this weekend. By the way, Willowtree commented on my use of the word "Unit" to describe my apartment being unusual in the states. To be honest, it's not widely used around here, but that is how it is listed on my deed, and I much prefer it to "apartment" because that makes it sound like I rent, and I prefer it to "condo" because that just sounds snotty ;-).


On Tuesday I reflected a bit about the spirit of Christmas. I'm still feeling it, even more so today, because as soon as I leave work I'll be on vacation until Wednesday. A nice long Christmas break makes for even more of the "Holiday" spirit.


Now, Wordless Wednesday is the post I'm sure most of you were waiting for my follow-up on (okay, maybe two of you), so here it is...the story behind the house featured in those pictures. Normally, I would agree with those who commented that the "light display" was overkill, because truly, well...it is. But this house does it on purpose. It's one of those houses that people come from far and wide to see. And the owners stand out there and take collections for various charities from the folks who drive by to check it out. It's a local Christmas "phenomenon" and the owner is a well known guy in the town where I work. The pictures don't even capture the magnitued of the light display, because the day I chose to go take the pictures was after our ice storm, and the road this house is on was beyond treacherous, so I took a few shots, but wanted to get the heck out of there before someone crashed into something (namely me). The next door neighbor has actually gotten in on the act, and so the display extends a bit into his property as well. It would appear "garish", but it's actually just really kind of cool and festive. And I'm lucky enough to drive by that road every night, and see the house as I go by.


All that said, I still wouldn't want to live next door to them! ;-) Oh, and I definitely wouldn't want to pay the light bill, which he also gets donations from local businesses, etc. for.


And finally yesterday I opted out of Thursday Thirteen and instead did a mini-tribute to my brother in honor of his birthday. I actually took yesterday off work so I could run some last minute "Christmas" errands, and we got a walloping 10 inches of snow, so that made for an interesting time trying to get around to run those errands. I'm happy to report I managed to get at least 80% of what I needed to do done, and with no major incidents to speak of. It did, however, take me twice as long to get just about everywhere, and we won't even speak of the nightmare getting around parking lots was. Still, all my Christmas Shopping is done, and I'm presently wearing my new eyeglasses.

What eyeglasses you ask? OH, see, it's become a personal Christmas tradition (or end of year tradition) that I go shopping for new eyeglasses around this time. This is because I participate in the pre-tax dollar program that's offered as a benefit through my job. But through this program, if you don't use the money by the end of the year, you lose it. And I always end up with extra money left over, and the money needs to be used on "medical" type things (or daycare, or other things that don't apply to me). So, I go buy eyeglasses. Several years ago I developed some major issues with my eyes, and had to stop wearing contacts full time. I can still wear them from time to time, but my eyes are extra sensitive and after a few hours of wearing contacts, they get very red and irritated. So, I now wear glasses full time. Therefore, I figure that if I have to wear them full time, I might as well make them a stylish part of my outfit. After my visit yesterday I now own 6 pairs of eye glasses and two pairs of prescription sunglasses. And two of the pairs I bought yesterday? Channel and Burberry. Yep, I'm cool like that.

I'll share pictures of my eyeglasses in a future post, cuz I'm silly that way and I want you to see them.

Also, dinner with the family last night for "Shortstuff's" birthday was a nice time. We ate, we chatted, we laughed and we all acted like complete fools playing with Diamond, the puppy. Funny how a puppy can turn five grown humans into babbling idiots! She's the cutest thing and we are all in love with her.

Today I am at work, but I can't honestly say I'm "working"...I'm just going through the motions, waiting for clock-out time, so I can begin my Christmas weekend. I am off to help "Shopaholic" finish her Christmas shopping tonight, then my friend "Traveler" is flying in from Florida today, and we are going to a Boston Bruins game tomorrow afternoon. Sunday I will probably help mom with baking and preparations for Christmas, and Monday is our family's big day, as we celebrate on Christmas Eve.

I will definitely post again before Christmas, but in case I miss you, have a WONDERFUL Christmas Everyone!!!

Friday Follow-Up - the two week edition

Last week I was too busy braving the crowds and getting some killer bargains to do my "Friday Follow-Up". I apologize for this, but as we've discussed here, it was the shopping Olympics people! I train all year for this event, I'm not going to just sit at home and let it pass me by.


But, not to worry, we'll just go back in time and review all the stuff I missed.


We'll start with Saturday, November 17th. If you missed it, this is where I shared the story of my first kiss. Remember all the romance, the love, the perfectness of it all? You do? Well, then obviously you didn't read my post...there was none of that involved folks. Kissing didn't get any of those things for me until much later in my dating career. Qualcosa di Bello commented: "i wonder, as a mom to an 18 yr old & 19 yr. old ~ both beautiful girls...should i really be reading your stuff??" Worry not QDB, my stuff really is mild at best, at least until we get to the post college relationships. And the guys, for the most part? Harmless. Besides, if they're your daughter, from what I know of you so far, then they've been raised right and have a good head on their shoulders, so they'll be just fine!


Sunday, November 18th, I stuck with some silly "blogthings" quizzes and we found out I am 44% cynical, I am "Big Black Boots", "Wedge Sandals", and "Very Happy Being Single". I could have told you the last one without a quiz! The cynical thing? I guess that's accurate. But the big black boots and wedge sandals? Both a little too "bulky" for me, I like my shoes more slim and sexy...but, then, the quizzes weren't really about shoes, were they. haha. Oh, and Frigga, no wonder we get along so well, we're practically twins! Or not. haha


Fun Monday on November 19th was a fun one. Okay, they all are, that's why we call them Fun Mondays after all, right? Still, it was fun taking a trip down memory lane and sharing some of the family stories that are repeated time after time within our families. I had so much fun reading everyone else's tales. Tiggerlane said: "Too cute! And your mom - she is beautiful in those photos.Now I want to know the word for "ashtray!" - First off, mom thanks you. She really was a beautiful woman (still is), and I love old pictures of her. I'll share more in the future. And as Willowtree said in his comment (smart guy he is looking it up on the web) the Portuguese word for ashtray is "cinzeiro", I, in my four year old voice, used to call it "cinzello". Oh and WT...stubbing cigarettes out in mashed potatoes? GROSS.


Tuesday, the 20th, I answered some of the questions posed to me by you, my lovely readers. I picked the silly ones for this particular post and had so much fun answering them. I'm glad everyone agreed with my coffee, chocolate and Johnny Depp choices. I mean, really, how could you go wrong?


Wednesday, the 21st, I posted pony pictures for Wordless Wednesday. Frigga, no, I do not have a pony of my own, but boy, it would be fun, wouldn't it? The title was indeed a reference to the toys of our youth. I had "Megan and Sundance", and I still sing that song from the commercial every time I hear the words "My Little Pony"....if only our memories held IMPORTANT stuff this long. Julia said "I'm so glad you seem to have your camera at the ready, Karina. I miss a lot of shots that way". I never leave my house without my camera for that reason exactly Julia, because you never know what you're going to drive past, you know?


Thursday Thirteen on Thanksgiving Day was, not surprisingly, all about giving thanks. I want to thank everyone who commented on that particular post, because you all had such nice things to say, so a little moment of "link-love" here: Adelle, Mom on the Go, jayedee, damozel, Linda R. Moore, Nicholas, and Qualcosa di Bello who said "you are blessed for sure & you are a blessing as well...especially to all your readers :D" How sweet is she? I truly am blessed though, in so many ways.


As we all know, I crapped out on Follow-Up Friday last week, because I was shopping. In keeping with NaBloPoMo, I posted, but it was just a short "here's what I'm doing today" post, besides, I think everyone was in turkey comas that day, there wasn't much blog traffic on Friday in these parts.


Saturday I spent with my friend "The Traveler" who was visiting from Florida, so not much blogging was done that day either. I posted, it's NaBloPoMo, so I had to post, but...really, nothing to see here folks.


And Sunday wasn't any less busy this past weekend, so you all got a fun little youtube video to entertain you. Haven't seen it yet? Check it out.


And we're back to Fun Monday again. This week it was all about our unfinished projects. Of course, after posting mine, I remembered a MAJOR unfinished project in my house that I didn't share, but by then I was at work and couldn't take photos, and well...you don't really need to know about the wall in my living room that still needs some kind of crown molding or something to hide the quite obvious unfinished paint line against the ceiling, do you? Nope, didn't think so. Now, I know Susan was trying to make me feel better by telling me that my kitchen wallpaper was "vintagey" and all, but uh....didn't work. I still hate it. ;-)

Tuesday I answered some more of your questions to me. This time I went with some of the more introspective ones. Turns out Frances shares my "head under water" phobia, and although I shouldn't be happy about this, I kind of was giddy at the thought that someone else understood how I feel. I know it's irrational, but phobias are irrational fears after all, aren't they? It was also interesting to see how others could relate to the whole phobia thing in general. Unless you have a "TRUE" phobia, there is no way you can understand it though. That "panic" feeling is unlike anything else...so strange.

In my Wordless Wednesday this week I shared with you some drinks. These were drinks from dinner with "The Traveller" Saturday night. I had the Espresso Martini (oh yum) and she had some fruity concoction. The picture was taken with my new cell phone camera, and I'm impressed it turned out as decent as it did. Not bad. Lissa said: "I'm wondering is this what you're going to do when you finish NaNo and NaBlo."...Yeah, I didn't wait, I did that on Saturday. I'll celebrate again this weekend. ;-) Jannis recognized the place immediately by the glassware, saying: "before I saw the beverage napkin. I am a part time server at Applebees. ps I hope you had good service...." I actually had exceptional service Jannis. Our waitress was a real sweetie. In fact, in all my years of eating at Applebees, I've never had bad service at one.

On Wednesday I also shared my rejection story. Okay, technically I wasn't rejected, as I didn't really "put myself out there" to be rejected. Again, you were all so sweet with your comments...y'all make me feel so loved! Lissa said "Sounds to me like you're better off - I mean an ex-girlfriend stalking him?" This could in fact be true...but then again, not entirely his fault that he has a psycho ex, right? Frigga said "Oh, and as for being a *new* girlfriend, it could be that he's the one for you and you'll just have to wait until the timing is better." and Lisa said: "Damn - you waited this long and . . . well, maybe she'll be a temp, you should check back with him next year. :)" --- Good point ladies. After all, we've played the "once a year" game for 4 years now, what's another year? hahaha

By the way, I've decided that just in case this "new girlfriend" is really new, and in the option of it not working out (not that I'm wishing that on anyone, but hey, these things don't always work out, right?)...next time I have to send a complaint to the condo association (and it will happen as soon as we have a snowstorm, I'm sure), I'm going to send him a cc and include my phone number, you know, in case he needs to follow up with me or something...because he might have questions or something...WHAT? I'm just sayin'... ;-)

Yesterday, my Thursday Thirteen was a reflection back on the month of November. And what a month it has been.

So, this is it...NaBloPoMo - COMPLETED, and successfully accomplished. NaNoWriMo...not so much.

See you all in December!

I'd like to thank the Blogosphere...

I've been a bad bad blogger! Over the last few weeks (perhaps even months) a few of my fellow bluddies (blog+buddies=bluddies) have presented me with various awards and tokens of their appreciation for me as a fellow blogger. And I may have appeared ungrateful to them all, because I have not acknowledge these awards. Let it be known that I am absolutely grateful to each and every one of them for each and every one of these. I've had a draft "thank you" post going for a while, and yet kept getting sidetracked. But without furhter ado, I give you my awards, and the wonderful people who've nominated me. As well as some nominees of my own:

My girl JennieBoo (who has been away from her blog for a while due to an injury...I miss you Jennie and hope you are well and back soon!) awared me with this one. It is the You Make Me Smile Award. The creator of this award said: "the thing that I love most about blogging is that I learn so much about a person just by reading their blog. I have met MANY wonderful people with wonderful stories to tell, and I am grateful every day for each person that I have the pleasure of crossing paths in life with. I wanted to create something special for the top ten people who have inspired me through their blogging; the stories they tell, and the lives that they lead with grace and dignity. I visit their blogs for inspiration and encouragement. Please grab your badge and wear it(with a smile) proudly, and pass it on because you inspire and encourage me, thank you. So, now it is my turn to pass it on." And Jennie said: "Thanks ladies, for your sweet, honest, wonderful "blogginess"! I am honored to be in the company of such great ladies...." Thank YOU Jennie, you have a heart as big as they come!

I'm going to hand this one off to the following bloggers:

Susan at A Slice of Life - Because her posts always make me smile. Read this for example...see what I mean?

Wicked H at Avert your Eyes - Because not only does she make me smile...she makes me outright laugh most days. Check out this post and you'll see what I mean.

Beckie at Give it a Try - One Day at a Time - because I love her blog and posts like this one, and also because whenever she comments on any of my posts, she makes me smile.

I also was once again awarded with the "Nice Matters" award by the fabulous Frigga! (Jennieboo had previously presented me with this one as well).

"This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world.”

Frigga went on to say about me that "This woman has a heart bigger than her shoe collection - and that's pretty darn big!" Besides making me laugh out loud, it mad me all verklempt...Aww Shucks!

I'm passing this one on to:

Qualcosa Di Bello at Piacere, It is a Pleasure - because I just think she's a nice person who totally deserves a "Nice Matters" award. If you read any of her posts, you'll see exactly what I mean. Try this one for starters: Pretty in Pink

Also a while back I was also awarded this one:

by my buddie Literary Feline. At the time I promised to pass this one on in the future, but have yet to do so...today is that day, and it goes to:

Sognatrice at Bleeding Espresso - because of posts like this, and this and then ones like this...because not only does she think of others and what is going on in society around us, but then she gets us all involved in thinking about it (and discussing it) as well.

Also a while back, the lovely and wonderful Julia awarded me with a "Blogging Star" award.

"This award is for bloggers who shine their light throughout the Blogoshere. Some do it with humor, others with creativity, and others with their kind and thoughtful natures. We all know more than a few of them so why not give them some recognition?"

About me Julia said: "Karina is a two-blogger gal who posts her thoughts, photos and commentary on Candid Karina, and fiction on Creative Karina. Her poetry is fresh and unexpected, and her delight with shoes is quite contagious. Her Wordless Wednesdays got me started with a weekly feature I truly love. Shine on, Karina!"

About Julia I say: YOU JUST MUST visit her. Start with this post where she accepted her own awards, and handed them off to others, for just a peek at her creativity, and then stay and browse around. You'll love her.

So, I'm handing off the Blogging Star award to:

Frances - because nobody deserves it more. Talk about a blogging star...not only does this lady have...umm...wait let me count them...SIX blogs of her own (I may be missing some here), but she also is our fearless leader in the She Who Blogs yahoo group, and heads up our She Who Blogs BLOG. And she does it all with such grace and finesse. She's a SuperStar in my eyes.

Mushu at A Spot of T - Hey, this is the first time I'm giving an award to a blogging pet...but Mushu is such a superstar he deserves it...and he totally should have his own blog. Hopefully mom won't be too jealous of his award, I wanted to give her the "Fabulous Award" but she just gave that one to me...so...

Last, but definitely not least, Joy T just awarded myself (and all my fellow SheWhoBloggers) with this one:

As I said above, I'm totally handing this one back to her, so Joy, consider yourself re-awarded.

I'm also going to give one to:

Julia at A Piece of My Mind - Because she is totally fabulous.

I could give many many more of these away, but I should totally get some work done now and stop playing around in the blogosphere.

This is not about quantity folks, it's about quality, and all of the above are some QUALITY bloggers. Be sure to visit them, and tell them I sent ya!

Thank you EVERYONE for the lovely awards. I really love them and feel special for getting them!

Also, if you have also presented me with an award and I missed you, I SUCK I'm sorry, and please let me know so that I can properly thank you. (This goes for any memes you may have tagged me for that I have yet to respond to...please give me a gentle (GENTLE I SAID) reminder and I promise to respond.

Follow Up Friday - Comcast still sucks.

Bitter me? Not at all...

Let's get to it, shall we?

Fun Monday this week was an opportunity to share how you met your significant other. As I currently have no significant other, I chose to tell you about my meeting with an ex. I'm actually really glad I did, because most of you seem to have enjoyed my tale. Beckie wanted to know if I plan on writing a romance. You know, I've never considered it, but you never know. If I do, I'll definitely hire you out as "proofreader" haha. And yes Susan, you can help too. Qualcosa di Bello wanted to know where the name "Cognac" came from. Ah, but this tale could possibly divulge too much of his real name. We'll keep it as vague as possible. His real name lends itself to an alcohol related nickname. It is a nickname he's gone by most of his life, and everyone (except for me) addresses him by that nickname. In fact, he introduced himself to me using that nickname. Once I found out his real name, that was the only name I would use for him, never the nickname. When looking for an alias for him here on the blog, I decided to go with a different brand of alcohol. Cognac seemed to fit him even better than the original nickname. Pamela made me laugh out loud with this comment: "Meet cute or cute meat, therein lies the subject of your story". As did Willowtree with this one: "well, at least you got to try him out". Wait till you read the rest of the story WT! ;-) And Jill, I consider myself to be an equal opportunity dater. I've never discriminated who I date based on race or skin tone. That said, there was a time period where white guys just didn't pay ANY attention to me at all, while the black guys were all about me....who am I to argue at that point? ;-) Even now, working in a predominantly white town, most of the flirtatious attention I do get comes from the few black men who's paths I cross. Go figure. Anyway, I promise all more Cognac stories to come.

On to Tuesday: On Tuesday I gave you my second Interview, this time conducted by Ms. Frou Frou. This is where I admit that I'm really clueless sometimes. Frigga commented "Before the internet came along I never once wondered about another persons toilet paper preparation... ;-0" and I said "OH...so that's what that question was about!" Yep, clueless. Lisa and Qualcosa di Bello both were reminded that they have memes to complete...take your time ladies, it's always fun to discover these later lying around in your drafts! There's no other follow up because noone else read that post it seems. (this is me pouting now)...

Okay, I'm over it. My Wordless Wednesday this week will illustrate how much being a blogger has infiltrated my "real" life. First of all, if you haven't seen the picture yet, you must go look. Go ahead, click on the link in this paragraph. I'll wait...

...

...Back? Okay. So, Sunday afternoon and mom and I go shopping. We make a quick stop at a Wal-Mart plaza, and pop into a Payless Shoes. Walking from Payless to Wal-Mart and we see the doll. "Aww, that's so sad" says mom. "OMG, that would make a great picture!" say I. "You should put it on your blog". Says mom, who, by the way, is not the most tech savy person out there. Too funny. Even funnier? Blue Momma's comment. "Is that one of Britney's kids?". Seriously, you had me laughing all the way home on that one.

Also on Wednesday I finally answered a meme that had been sitting in my drafts for quite a while. In this Me Meme, I improvised and gave you five things I'd never done. I was glad I wasn't completely strange and some people (okay, only Beckie really) identified with me. Everyone else seemed baffled, but hey, I got myself an invitation for grilled cheese and skiing from Jill, and a fishing trip from QDB...I'm so in! And Jannis has already answered her tag, so be sure to head on over and visit her for me!

My Thursday Thirteen was one of good will this week. So, I'm just going to ask that if you haven't already done so, please check it out, and help where you can. Thanks!

AND then there was Comcast. If you were wondering where that heading for today's post came from, read this: COMCAST SUCKS and then come on back. So, the update? There is no update. Comcast seems to be even worse at follow through than LawBoy. Except today, if you were to call my home number, instead of receiving endless ringing on your own (which resulted in NO ringing on mine), you would hear this "The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected". Great, now I look like a deadbeat who doesn't pay her bills. LOVELY. Yes, I've called again today. No, they haven't done a damn thing to help me. And yes, I'm pretty damn close to going shopping for a hammer at lunchtime. (Thanks Lisa for telling me about that story, it actually made me laugh, which I really needed this morning).

The saga continues...but my bad P.R. for the company has only just begun.

Thanks for reading me this week. Come back later, I'll try to post something fun.

Me Meme - Well, I never...

Wordless Wednesday is right below this post.

Quite a while ago my buddy JennieBoo tagged me with this meme. In the ME Meme, I'm supposed to give you 5 things about myself that I have never told you before. Because I was in the midst of doing my "200 things about me" posts, I thought I'd be all out of "me" things to give you, so I held off on the meme.

But the other morning on the radio there was this discussion being had about things you had never done that most people have done. I thought I'd incorporate this discussion and instead of just telling you 5 things about myself, I'll tell you five things I've NEVER done, that the average person (at least in the U.S.A.) probably has:


1. I've never eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. EVER. Yes, I know that is a very strange thing, but I was allergic to peanut butter until recently (I've always had strange allergies that come and go), so peanut butter is a new food group for me, and I'm just beginning to expirement with it. In fact, I've also never had a "Butterfinger" but the other day I had a Butterfinger Ice Cream...YUM. I just bought some raspberry jelly this weekend, I just need to get some sandwich bread and the "never" will be deleted from this list pretty soon.


2. Keeping with the food stuffs, I've never had a traditional "grilled cheese" sandwich. By traditional I mean made in a frying pan. I've had paninis, and my own version of grilled cheese, made on a grill or electric sandwich maker, but never a "frying pan" kind.


3. I've never been skiing or ice skating. This may not be so unusual in the warmer parts of the country, but around these parts, I'm an oddity. Everyone around here has done at least one of the two.


4. I've never watched ANY of the Star Wars movies. I know, I know, sacrilege and all that, but I've just never had an interest in them. I don't think I've watched more than 5 minutes of the original, and not even that much of any of the prequels or whatever they were. If I were to elaborate on this, I could tell you I've also never seen Jaws (again, no interest), The Godfather films (there is no excuse for this one, I love gangster movies, and I even bought the box set for my ex Cognac at one point), or even a full episode of the tv show "Cheers" (which as a Bostonian is not something I should be admitting)...and a whole slew of other movies that "everyone" has seen.


5. I've never been fishing. Maybe this isn't that unusual, but I am Portuguese, so really, fishing should come naturally to me, shouldn't it? But, I've never done it.

It was actually a lot harder to come up with these than I thought it would be. I don't really know how many people I'm supposed to tag, so I'm going with 3.

Julia - Because I love this lady and want to learn more about her.

Ms. Frou Frou - Because I know she's been really busy with work and hasn't really had a chance to blog much lately, so I'm hoping to give her some fodder for when she has a chance to get back to it.

and

Janis - Because I love reading her stories of her time in Asturias, so I'm greedily asking for five more things I don't know.

Ladies, you don't have to do a "I've never" like I did, it's just a 5 things we don't know about you post. Have fun with it.

Interview with a Blogger - The Second

It's been so long that you may not remember, but a while ago I was interviewed by my fellow blogger Frigga. You can read that interview HERE.
In a fun new meme going around the blogosphere another blogger asks you five questions, you post them on your blog, and offer to interview any of your readers. The rules can be found in the original interview post.

Per the meme, a few bloggers asked to be interviewed by yours truly, so I set to asking the really tough questions.

Here are some of the interviews I've done that have been answered, please do go check them out:

1. Ms. Frou Frou
2. Joy T
3. Annie
4. JennieBoo
5. Frances

There is also one more coming, but I'm not saying anything about Lisa not having been able to do hers yet, because yours truly is LONG overdue on responding to one herself.

See, after Ms. Frou Frou answered my questions, I decided to request that I be interviewed once again, by her this time. She sent me the questions quite a while back, and I just couldn't find the time to answer them. But here I am, answering them finally.

1. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? And what happened to that aspiration?

As a child I think I was about as "all over the place" as I am now, therefore, there were several different things I wanted to be. The first thing I remember was that I wanted to be a ballerina. Seriously, how cute was I?? I took ballet as a very young girl, and really wanted nothing more than to be in the pretty tutus dancing around to Swan Lake. When we moved to an area where there were no local ballet classes, mom signed me up for gymnastics. Look at those lines! A new love was born, and now I wanted to be a gymnast when I grew up. With dance recitals and all that stuff, I just knew one day I'd be a dancer. Look at how serious I am!

At one point I also remember thinking/saying I wanted to be a doctor. The sight of blood, and the fact that I was NOT a fan of that sight quickly set me straight on that aspiration.

Yet another move, this time to the U.S., and the fact that my parents couldn't afford to send me to gymnastics or ballett, also put an end to that dream. But the dream of being a dancer was one I would carry with me forever.

As I got older, my dreams became a bit more realistic, and my love for the written word took over. I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. I even majored in Communication and Journalism in college with the idea that this would be what I would do for a living...write.

Unfortunately, jobs are scarce and low paying in the writing field, so I had to find other options, and that is why I ended up in the legal field instead.

As far as what happened to those childhood aspirations? I still want to be a dancer, I'll always want to be a dancer, but I realize that one will always be a pipe dream. I still want to be a writer, and that, I've been focusing my energy on a bit more. I have no interest in ever being a doctor, however.

2. Who was your first crush, or the first crush you're comfortable sharing?

Wow, for this I have to go back...way back...back into time. ;-) Who was my first crush? I'm sure I had little crushes in elementary school in Portugal, but none stand out for me. The first one that really stands out in my mind was my crush when I first arrived in the U.S., in the middle of the year in 4th grade. Coming into a new country, with a new language I wasn't at all versed in, I attended a bi-lingual school for that last half of 4th grade. I was "partnered up" with a boy who was to help me acclimate. His name was Julio. Julio was adorable, and nice, and really helpful to me in this brand new world I was in. Julio sat next to me in class, and translated what the english speaking teacher would say. He was also the class hottie that all the girls liked, so I felt sort of special that he was "my" class partner. The following year we went to a secondary school, and Julio and I would again be in the same class. But this time, it would be me who was helping him with his school work. (What can I say, I was a pretty smart kid). Julio and I were always friends, and flirtatious, but he never moved past the "crush" stage. Years later, while in high school, I would run into Julio again, and he was still a hottie, but the spark fizzled out soon after, we had nothing in common. Still, I'll always remember Julio with a fondness reserved only for those first crushes. I wish I had a picture for this one, but searches through old photo albums found me nothing! Alas!

3. If you didn't need to earn a living, and could do whatever you wanted to do, regardless of income, what would it be?

Well, some of this was answered in question one, but I'd love to dance professionally in some form (and not in a stripper pole sort of form, just for the record). I'd also be able to just write full time. If income wasn't an issue, I could spend my days writing out all the things my mind is constantly telling me about. I'd love to travel the world, writing about what I see, photographing what I see, and just experiencing all the sites. Also, if earning a living wasn't a worry, I'm pretty sure I'd be ready to adopt a child or two, and provide a loving home to someone who does not have one. Expand upon what I've been able to do through Big Brother Big Sister, and make a difference in a child's life, by bringing them into mine.

4. If they were going to make a movie of your life, who would you cast as you, and why? You can cast other people as well if you want to!

OOOOh, this is such a fun question! Believe it or not, I've never actually thought this one out. Let's see...if we're going on appearances sake, I really don't know, because I don't think there's any particular "actress" out there that I look like. However, I decided to go to Myheritage.com and find out what they said. This is what I came up with:

Not a bad cast of characters! I think I'd choose either Christina Ricci, because I think she could nail my sarcasm and wit, or Elizabeth Shue, because watching Adventures in Babysitting, I always wanted to be her. "Don't F$#% with the babysitter!" (okay, I realize that when I post this, Elizabeth Shue gets cut out, but I don't know how to fix it, and I'm at work and don't really have the time to try and figure it out...so...just trust me on this! haha)

Casting other people could be fun...but I'd probably get carried away and never finish this post, so I'm going to save that for another time, I think.

5. Silly one to finish... are you a scruncher or a folder?

I'm a roller.

This was fun! Do go check out the interviews linked above and tell them I sent you!

Follow-Up Friday

Lot's to follow-up on today, especially since I missed Follow-Up Friday last week...so let's just get right into it, shall we?

We will start with Fun Monday - A pinch of Salt, where we shared some of our favorite recipes. It appears that my martini recipe is well on the way to becoming everyone's favorite. I'm very glad I shared it then. I will also tell you that this past Friday I made the same martinis for a friend of mine, and they were a huge success. Also, Min asked "You can do that? You can just throw food together and it's edible?" - Yes, I'm just good like that! haha...no, but seriously, I can. It's definitely something I learned from my mom, who learned it from her mom. Or maybe it's just passed down in our genes in some mystery DNA code, but I can pretty much dig out a bunch of random ingredients and create something that works well together and actually tastes pretty darn good. The only problem with this approach is that I can NEVER recreate a dish, because I don't keep track of what I put in it, and therefore, the next time I try to make it, it's completely different.

Moving on to "Oh What a Night - Or Five". This was a meme I was tagged for by my friend JennieBoo. As I said in that post, it was really hard to pick which nights I'd use for this meme, as there are so many others I could have picked from. Qualcosa di Bello asked that I elaborate on my first night in the U.S. and maybe do a whole post on that one. I've noted that down, and one of these days, I promise to do so. Frigga commented on the NKOTB concert...Hey Frigga, you'll love this, my cousin M&M, (who went to that concert with me) called me this past Wednesday night squealing in delight because she was a local "fair" and Jordan Knight was performing. She said it was sort of sad, because there were like 6 people watching, everyone else was just walking by, not even noticing him. How far they fall, right? OH, and about Pandora radio, I actually listen to it as well. LOVE IT.

Now, about my Wordless Wednesday post of that week. "Make No Bones About it". I wish I could take credit for the creative "front lawn" display, but this guy actually resides, year round as far as I can tell, outside of a little gift shop at Weirs Beach near Laconia, NH. I took the shot on my mini-vacay a few weeks ago. It just struck me as so odd, outside of a gift shop.

My Thursday Thirteen last week featured 13 additional pictures I took on my mini-vacay. April Elizabeth said: "you are a fabulous photographer! Those pictures are so beautiful.we are practically neighbors, I am from boston. I love that lake. Where else in NH do you go, have you ever been to Pittsburg, nh? I think that place is heaven on earth." Thank you! I've only just begun with this photography business, and had no idea how much I would love it. I've really taken an interest in it, however, and appreciate the compliment, because it encourages me to do more. As far as where else in NH I go, mostly, unless you count shopping in the Salem or Nashua area, that's about it. I do travel up to the White Mountains once in a while, but not as much lately as I used to. Thank you to everyone else who said such nice things about my photos!

Friday of last week I began my 200 Things About Me list, in honor of my 200th post. Most comments to my first 50 were asking for the next 50...boy you guys are an impatient bunch! Of course, then I got sick over the weekend, and didn't exactly deliver on time. I apologize for that.

I was going to skip Fun Monday this week, due to feeling under the weather, but then Robin goes and asks to see our shoes! Well then. So I showed you some pictures, and although I know my shoes ROCK, what I didn't expect was all the compliments I received on my legs. THANKS Pamela, Beckie, Robinella, and WillowTree (and for the record, WT, I am short, at 5'2" so yes, that is part of the reason I wear heels so much, but I'm glad you approve! ;-). And thanks to Blue Momma about my toes, would you believe I had such a complex about toes that I didn't start wearing sandals until I was in college? Anyway, you all had me blushing with your compliments! And Kaytabug, I will post more photos of shoes in the future, you can count on that!

Tuesday I finally delivered Part 2 of the 200 Things About Me list. Julia said "I'm glad you feel you'd like to adopt, whether you're married, single, ready to be a mother, not ready to be a mother... somewhere your child will find you!" Thanks Julia, I believe that too. Terra said "You sound like you are doing really well... I admire you..." wow, thanks...that's a nice thing to hear.

Wednesday I gave you Part 3 of the 200 Things List. Beckie said: "Wow! I think you need to start dating more often. I can't wait to hear the stories!" Yeah, me too Beckie...any ideas how I start this dating thing? haha...

I know I still owe you all Part 4...I'm working on it, I swear!

My Thursday Thirteen this week was pretty random...just random thoughts I had throughout the week. Most of you commented on Britney...I honestly have a mix of feelings when it comes to her, and could go on and on about those. I feel badly for her because I think she's a product of the industry she's in, I think she really does need help, and I don't believe she's a bad person, just in a BAD situation. But at the same time, there are plenty of other women in the industry her age, who went in different directions (Christina Aguilera for one), so we can't blame the industry per se, can we? Should they leave her alone? Perhaps. Will they? Of course not. There are so many other things I could say, but I'll leave it with this...I hope she gets the help she needs before it's too late.

My comments on Kid Nation, on the other hand, got my friend Frigga all riled up. Well, not so much my comments, as the show itself. She said: Oh, and Kid Nation is an absolutely horrifying social expiriment meant to make yet another attack on families. They want to prove that families don't really matter - that the state is just as capable and parents aren't important. Please don't buy into all that propaganda. Every parent who let their kid participate should be charged with neglect for neglecting to have proper supervision for their minor for an entire month or however long it was. Ugh - that whole show gets me so mad." But how do you really feel Frigga? ;-) Seriously though, I see and appreciate your point. And I also don't entirely disagree with it. But I also don't entirely agree with it. I think as a concept, the show has both negative and positive connotations, and different people are going to take away different things from it. I don't necessarily see it so much as this social "experiment" or even as an "abuse" type of situation. I can see why others would, but from the beginning I looked at it from the kids' points of view, and all I could think was wow, I would have LOVED to have been a part of something like this when I was a kid...how freakin' cool. To run a town? With no adults? Talk about "playing house" to the max. And if you take the television cameras away, I don't see how this is all that different than sending kids away to summer camp. So, it's the cameras that make it objectionable. The "exploiting" of the kids, for a profit, I guess. Again, I don't see how that's all that different from allowing your child to be a child actor. I've read enough background on the show and the families involved to know there was an extensive background process that went into these kids being selected and the parents allowoing them to go on the show. There ARE adults present every day, they're just not on camera. I don't know, I guess I just have a lighter view of the thing. I do understand why others have stronger views against it. And I'm sure if I allowed myself to examine every aspect, I might share some of those views...but then, I might not. But overall, I see most of these kids benefitting from this experience. Guess we'll have to see.

And that about wraps up my week (two actually). Thank you ALL for the well wishes. I'm still hacking up a lung, but other than that, I seem to be doing much better, so hopefully, after a long weekend of some rest, I should be back to normal soon.

Next week I'll give you my last 50 on the list of 2oo, tell you all about "Forever Plaid", the Musical I'm going to Saturday night with mom, and acknowledge some awards I've been given from fellow bloggers. And maybe, just maybe, I'll share a story or two about my ex boyfriends. You know you want to hear those!

Follow-Up Friday - I'm BAAACK

Well, I'm back from my little getaway, did y'all miss me? I'm actually off work today as well, and have spent the early part of the day relaxing, watching television, sitting on my balcony enjoying some sunshine, and just being plain lazy.

But I promissed a Friday post, so a Friday post you shall have. So, without further ado, let's dig into my new "segment" of Follow-Up Friday, and see what you all had to say in the comments this past week. Again, as a disclaimer, if I don't reply to your comment specifically and/or individually, please don't take it personally, I read and appreciated each and every comment. Each Friday I'll be following up on just some of the comments left here, so look at it as part of the fun...will your comment be one of the ones in this post? But I do visit everyone who comments on here, and I do thank you for stopping by.

We'll start with a quick reply to the comments in last week's Follow-Up Friday. I'm glad you all enjoyed this feature, I definitely did too, so yes, it will become a regular feature. I also love that I get to share some link-love while I do these recaps, because everyone loves some blog-love.

Now moving on to this week:

It all started with Fun Monday, where we were asked to showcase some art pieces throughout our house. I went mostly with some unconventional pieces and everyone seemed to agree with me that my coffee table was quite the work of art. For those who missed it, here's a photo:


And while yes, I broke the rules by listing things that in no way could I carry out in case of a fire, rules were made to be broken, right? The response I received to the table was immense. Therefore, I figured I should elaborate on the story of how this table came to be the centerpiece of my living room. This table is most definitely my most prized piece of furniture. When I bought my condo, most of my furniture came to me courtesy of Wal-Mart. Having just spent most of my savings on closing costs, and now having a mortgage where I didn't even have rent, I needed to furnish an entire apartment on some meager funds. Therefore, build-it-yourself fake wood furniture was pretty much all I could afford. However, in my search for unique pieces I came across an Asian Furniture store that was having a going out of business sale. In the midst of several pieces, that even on clearance, were well outside of my budget, I found this table. It is solid mahogany, and in decent shape, but it has quite a few "marks" that kept it from being a "new" piece. Most of the little stools that fit underneath the table are cracked in places. It also no longer had a glass top. I also found the wine cabinet (which can be see in the Fun Monday post) in the same store. That piece is in pretty decent shape, but a bit wobbly in the legs. Due to these and other barely noticeable imperfections, both pieces were significantly marked down. Due to some additional haggling on my part, I managed to purchase both pieces for $300 TOTAL. For the record, I've seen this very table (in perfect shape) at furniture stores for over $1500. Quite the deal, wouldn't you say? Anyway, the table sat in my living room without a glass top for at least a year, and then, about $50 later, it was complete, glass top and all. So there you have it, the tale of a table.

Now, for some of the indvidual comments: In reference to my comment that there was noone else living with me to question about art, therefore the choices would be made by me, myself and I, Allisonwonderland said: "the three of you did a very fine job of choosing art! it's a good thing you'll have six hands to carry all those neat things out of the house!" This one made me laugh out loud. Thanks for that laugh!!

Qualcosa di bello commented on the caricature. Namely, she wanted to know who the "dude oggling" me was in that picture. That "dude" in the picture was a cause for many jokes amongst my friends and I that evening. I'm not reall sure who he was supposed to be, but we all figured it meant the caricature artist was representing himself in that piece. haha...See, it's a true testament to what a head turner I used to be in my prime. HA! Okay, I'm kidding.

Everyone else, thank you for your kind words about my art, especially those who said I did a good job on my pottery pieces...I'm pretty proud of those! As for the martini glass, I just bought a floating candle in the shape of an olive this weekend to put in that glass...how cool is that?

Also on Monday I posted an update to the Interiew with a Blogger, with a link to Ms. Frou Frou's response to my interview questions. I told you all that interviews would be forthcoming from both Joy T and Annie. I was excited to see that a few more of you asked to be interviewed. So to Lisa, Frances and JennieBoo, I'll be working on your questions this weekend, and will send them to you sometime next week.

Look for more posts in the future as these interviews go live on their own websites. OH, and this just in...ANNIE'S is up! Please go check it out.

And finally, in response to "Where in the World is Candid Karina", everyone had well wishes for my mini-vacation. I'm glad to report that I had a wonderful and relaxing time, which did in fact involve plenty of girl-talk and martini expirements. I'll have pictures and more later on (including some new martini recipes...stay tuned).

Jannis wanted to talk martinis. She asked "What is your favorite? what is the worst you have ever tried? Gin or Vodka?" Well Janis, I've rarely met a martini I didn't like. To be honest though, I'm much more a fan of the flavored martini vs. the regular plain martini. My all time favorite is a Godivatini, which is a specialty of a local billiards place I used to frequent. There is also a raspberry chocolate martini that a local restaurant serves up that is TO DIE FOR. The worst I've ever had, was, ironically enough, a chocolate martini, ordered several years ago at Fire & Ice in Harvard Square in Cambridge. I'm not sure if it was made with cheap versions of liquor, or what exactly the issue was, but it just wasn't pallatable and I was unable to finish it. Oh, and I'd say vodka over gin, all the way.

Oh, and Annie, I'm glad you enjoyed Ms. Frou Frou's interview, she's a load of fun, you'll be hooked now, I tell ya! And I am sorry I left you to yourselves for two whole days, I can only imagine the trouble you've all been up to! Actually, I'll be sure to do some bloghopping this weekend and check it out for myself. For now, I'm off to enjoy the rest of my afternoon off work.
Thank you all for your comments, I'm really enjoying getting to know you all through them.

Candidly Yours,

Karina

Candid Karina asks the questions

Fun Monday is below this post.

A while back I was interviewed by my fellow blogger Frigga. You can read that interview HERE. It is a fun new meme going around the blogosphere, and a great way to get to know other blogggers just a little bit better.

Per the meme, a few bloggers asked to be interviewed by yours truly, so I set to asking the really tough questions.

Please visit Ms. Frou Frou for the first of my interviews.

Hopefully coming soon will also be interviews with Joy T and Annie. Stay tuned.

Also, if you'd like to be interviewed, I'm still taking volunteers...let me know.