Summer doings

I apologize for my lack of posting recently. Not that I've always been such a stellar blogger but I've been even more of a slacker and the reason is we've been busy enjoying the summer.

We spent a few days in Laughlin, Nevada which was nice. While there, we took a riverboat cruise so I got to cross that off my bucket list. Yahoo!

Apparently camping or RV-ing is a big thing there because each hotel had a section for RVs. This of course prompted us to quote Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation. "That there Clark, is an RV."

On our way out of Laughlin we stopped at a newer hotel/casino built by Indians. It was pretty and way out in the middle of nowhere, which can be cool if you're one to totally get away from it all, or if you're on the lam. Anyway, we passed some farmland and bales of hay prompting Bill to yell "Hay! (Hey)." Hilarious, I know, but it amused our kid. Okay, it amused me, too. I wanted to get out and take a picture of one of the bales but thought it would look weird or arouse suspicion from the guys nearby in the big farm machinery thing they were driving especially if the crops they were tending were non-legalized marijuana. Don't worry, guys, I'm from NJ; I didn't see nothin'.  

I've still got some other pics to upload for future posts and I need to sort my thoughts out so I can write more coherently (yeah, right). In the meantime, hope you are enjoying your summer!

  

Follow the Exit signs, if you can find them

We were swimming at a local hotel this past Sunday. It was a beautiful day and the water in the pool was perfect but that's not what this post is about.

As we were leaving the room my brother had stayed in for the weekend (a mini staycation of sorts) and walking down the hall to the elevator I saw some exit signs. Nothing unusual, right? Well, these were on their sides and on the bottom of the wall.

Way to go Exit Sign installer.

This struck me as both weird and curious. What the hell with these Exit signs, I thought out loud. Then Bill said, It's so the drunk people when they fall down on the floor, they can find the exits easier. Hmm, seems logical. And considerate, too. Nicely done, Hotel.

The last. . . A list of stuff I did

I thought I would share a little about myself in the context of the last whatever I did. I'm sure this will only serve to further indicate how cool/boring/unstable I am. I mean, seriously any of these descriptions apply. So here's a peek at some of the things I've enjoyed recently.

The Last. . .


Movie I saw
In theaters - The Avengers - Age of Ultron
At home - The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies


Book I read
A Tale of Two Vampires by Katie Macalister. I've been wanting to read her books for a long time now and I finally picked this one up last weekend at the library. Also, the hot guy on the cover might have influenced my decision.



Website I was on
Pinterest to see what people are reading, then Barnes & Noble to look up information about the books I saw on Pinterest and followed by a stop at the Las Vegas library site to see if any of the books were available. I'm not usually this detailed about my reading. It was a slow night here because of bad weather. Perhaps I'll just ogle book covers and base my decision on that. Hey, it worked last time.


Item I bought
Ibuprofen PM. Helps me to fall asleep at night so I'm not up at all hours making stupid lists in my head. Not entirely unlike this one.


Person I called/texted
Bill. It started out with simple texts and moved on to a phone call when clarification and lengthy explanations were needed. Between his auto-correct mishaps and my finger stuttering our texts sometimes resemble a secret language.


Thing I ate
A bomb-pop and doritos. Not at the same time because yuck! Plus the dorito crumbs might get stuck on my bomb-pop when I licked it and it just sounds very unnecessarily messy. Also, no one wants to waste a perfectly good ice pop. Or doritos.


Thing I googled
The word lustig, which incidentally has nothing to do with lust. It's German for humorous, funny; and I only looked it up because it was used to describe a friend of mine on Facebook and no one knew what it meant.


So, what was the last whatever you did?

The book that smelled like cat

On my last visit to the library I was by myself which means there was more time for me to browse the shelves . I came away with 3 books to read. And some dvds for the guys (and me) to watch.

Anyway, when I came home I put the two paperbacks on my nightstand and the hardcover on the floor next to my nightstand. Then I started to smell cat. Not an actual cat but cat-like products, like food. I sniffed all around my room. I couldn't place it. I checked the one paperback. Nothing. Then I picked up the one hardcover book and sniffed. There it was! The source of the smell. Whoever took this book out last must have had a cat. Or, maybe a cat read the book? They are allegedly very smart creatures.

Of course, all the while, Bill thought I was crazy. I gave him the book, and he reluctantly took a whiff and told me it smells like some kind of perfume. Yeah, cat cologne, Bill!

Just in case anyone was wondering, I have nothing against cats. I have a sensitive nose, though. And to me the scent reminds me of cat. Also, I am not crazy. Not entirely, at least. I have not yet read the the odorous book which I have affectionately dubbed, The Cat Book.

I've never been to Paris but my hair feels like it has. Sort of.

I love getting packages in the mail. I even do a little happy dance, much to my son's eye-rolling and head-shaking dismay. A few weeks ago I received a box of samples of the L'oreal Paris Ultimate Straight haircare, which included shampoo, pre-conditioner, conditioner and balm.

I don't usually put that much effort into my hair and I don't use a lot of product but I thought I would  give this a try. Living out here in the desert can take its toll on my hair, especially in the brutal heat of summer. Between the sun, the dry heat and the chlorine in the pools (Gotta keep cool!) my hair can get dry and icky.

The first thing I noticed when I tried these L'oreal products is that they smell amazing. I'm not talking some Yankee Candle fragrance, just this clean, pleasant aroma. The shampoo lathers really well. I just use a little in the palm of my hand. The conditioner and pre-conditioner come out like bottled silk. Also, they don't leave behind any sticky residue like some conditioners. The balm helps lock in the straightening and works similar to a mousse.

Basically you just shampoo, and rinse, then pre-condition and condition and rinse. Apply the balm to towel dried hair and then use a hair dryer. It's that simple. And I do love simple, uncomplicated things.

After using the L'oreal haircare system my hair is shinier and healthier and makes me want to toss my head and whip my tresses in a Gee-your-hair-smells-terrific kind of way. My hair is already straight but more on the unruly side and that's where the straightening part helps. These products give me that sleek straightness without feeling weighted down and cruddy from too much hair goop.




Disclosure: These products were received complimentary of Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Love that stormy weather

There's been quite a few thunderstorms around here lately. This makes me so happy and also somewhat of an oddity because it seems most people don't like or, fear lightning. I find those people weird but that's me.

Sadly though these storms don't last long and are a bit weak by New Jersey standards. I'm used to lightning that lights up a dark room like a disco globe and thunder that literally shakes the house.  However, the scenery here is better. Watching lightning bolts and flashes with the mountain as a backdrop is beautiful and awe-inspiring. 

Anyway, I don't mind the rain so long as there's thunder and lightning.  I mean, if I'm going to get wet then I want to at least be entertained.

My fictional character role models

At dinner the other day we were discussing the differences between when Bill and I were kids and our kid today. Christopher's eyes nearly popped out of his head when we told him we would play outside all day during the summer because there was no computers.

I remember days spent riding my bike, roller skating and playing ball. The neighborhood kids and I pretended to be secret agents, super heroes, and whatever else our imaginations could dream up.

Later that night I got to thinking about my fictional character role models and I decided to what else... make a list! Because that's what you do when you have trouble falling asleep.

So here is who I wanted to be when I was a little scribe:


A Pink Lady - Grease was my favorite movie when I was a kid and who was cooler than the Pink Ladies?

One of Charlie's Angels - Work for a mystery man, catch the bad guys and look gorgeous while doing so? Hell, yeah!

Lois Lane - I kind of succeeded in this when I was a reporter, although my assignments were sometimes boring and Superman didn't come to my rescue on the few that were borderline dangerous.

Wonder Woman - Mainly just because I wanted to fly an invisible jet.

The Fonz from Happy Days- Yes, he's a guy but I really wanted to bang my fist on the jukebox and have it play music. And to wear a leather jacket. I think this is where my love of leather came into play.

As I got older my role models changed and included more literary types. These days I still admire strong, edgy females like Black Widow from The Avengers (and not just because of her super-cool leather outfit or because she gets to fight alongside cuties like Thor). I also want to be like the ladies from Sex & The City, or Lucky Santangelo from Jackie Collins' book series, or even Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's. The list is long and changes based on my mood, and what I've read, watched, or eaten.

So who did you want to be when you were younger? Who do you want to be now?

He didn't do it to be cool but cool just comes naturally to him

I really like those commercials for the Lincoln MKC with Matthew McConaughey. Whoever came up with the idea to feature him in their car ads should get a raise and free cookies for life. Seriously.

Not only is he so damn handsome but he has an amazing voice. I mean I could listen to him read the phone book. If I knew nothing about this car (and if I hadn't just bought a newer one) I would go out and buy a Lincoln just because of these ads. If that's the marketing company's plan then I say, good one.

I think he makes a great spokesperson for just about anything and not just because he's super-cool. You know how some people are just born salesmen? Well Matthew McConaughey could sell anything with that voice. It mesmerizes.

Imagine a frozen tundra with snow and ice all around. He walks up to the natives and says in that laid-back, cool way, Alright, alright alright. I know you got a lot of snow around but I think you could use some more. And just like that they buy more snow. Because he said so.

Now if the Lincoln Motor Company could fix it so that McConaughey comes with the car, I would convince Bill that we need to buy an MKC.

Not another Vacation movie

Oh Hollywood. Is there so little material out there that we have to re-visit movies that were a hit and still remain a fan favorite today? For example, Vacation. This movie and its sequels were great and made The Griswolds a household name.

And now there is another Vacation movie? I do not agree with this, movie makers. At all. In fact...

Then I did some checking and come to find out this isn't a re-make of the original but a sequel with Rusty attempting to take his family to Wally World just like his father did in the first film.

And now I feel much better. And I might actually go see this movie. Also, I'm keeping the Beldar Conehead meme for those times when something is unacceptable.