BEACH HOUSE

Check out that beach. This is the view we had at lunch yesterday from our awesome spot under the cabana at the Beach House. The pic is from my phone - believe it or not. (I'm impressed actually) Like a dumby, I forgot to take the camera yesterday. doh!

So things are really buzzing today in Balikpapan - getting ready for the Xmas Bazaar tomorrow. And another B Day event tonight, and a darts thing tomorrow and a dinner party. I think we need more days in a week here . More days in the weekend would help too.

My friend is off to Singapore today. Don't forget the M-A-G-I-C (broom).

TODAY: Go! Go! Go! Notice I italicized that to put some emphasize the busy-ness I/we have going on here today.

Not sure where's the sun's at today, but at least it's not raining. Not yet - anyways. And I'm sure hoping it stays that way. Makes the Go! Go! Go! a whole bunch easier.

Ok, driver's waiting - I gotta go.

Good to Go!

MARKET STUFF

I promised myself I was going to do this today. Before lunch. ....... and I'm doing it. Yeah! I'm actually home this morning for the first time this week. This has definitely been one of my busiest weeks.

So, yesterday was a market day. The place you get to utilize your bargaining skills. At the market - bargaining is a must.

Above - Pasir Inpres and some beaded purses plus + plus* that you can buy in this market. The bead work on these things is absolutely amazing. And, I'm sure hours and hours have gone into these. Those are traditional Kaltim designs. Kal = Kalimantan, our propinsi (as in state or province). Tim = Timor or east. You see it on almost every T-shirt here. And there are loads and loads of this stuff here. Plus all the other stuff. Including 3 humongous pineapples for $3. I love the market.

*PLUS + PLUS is pretty common phrase around here. Almost everything involves a bit of the plus + plus.

TODAY: Sun's out. And the girls are having a fortnight Happy Birthday lunch. Good day to go hang out at the Beach House. ..... at least for a little while today. Sure looks to me like it's shaping up to be a pretty good day.

Good to Go!

OOOPS

OOOPS. Yeah, I know - so much for getting a post out every day. I had good intentions though - and I've got some pretty good (?) excuses too. It's been a darn busy week so far, and yesterday was the Melbourne Cup. ...... and we did have a load of fun at the Melbourne Cup yesterday. Yes we did, the whole bunch of us - hats and all. (and we started at 9:30 a.m. by the way)

The BIWA Xmas Bazaar is happening this weekend (Saturday) and has a whole lot of people pretty busy and buzzing around here these days. Seems very strange to be having Christmas already. And, it definitely takes a bit more effort to get into the Christmas thing living here. Like it's 33c outside. (most days anyways) And there's no snow, or much for Christmas trees, lights and all the other seasonal stuff. Ace Hardware has a few decorations out (mostly tacky dollar store kind of stuff and some very expensive Christmas trees) - but that's pretty much it around here.

So, the BIWA Xmas Bazaar ........ is going to work out just right. Shopping, shopping, shopping and mulled wine and minced pies (I know lots of you folks like that stuff - but for me, that's a big YUCK), Christmas carols and Santa and Elves. Certainly sounds like Christmas to me.

Special Note: In reply to an email I recently received, regarding those M-A-G-I-C brooms that were parked out front of the house the other day. Very funny (?) Oh my dear friend - looks like you and me are busted. Oh well, guess now they know how we manage to do all the shopping we can do in one day.

Special, Special Note: Those M-A-G-I-C brooms are of the special fold-up type and fit very nicely in a couple of suitcases, especially handy when going on extended shopping trips (Christmas) to places like say SURABAYA or SINGAPORE. Go Brooms Go!

TODAY: Another one of those days that we pretty much just buzzed right through. This and that and all kinds of stuff. Did manage to find time to get to my favorite market (Pasir Inpres) in the later part of the day though. And, I actually didn't even buy anything - but my friend did. I love the market!

Ok, it's pretty much the end of the day-light part of the day here (that's about 6:30 p.m.) the other Me has just walked in and is giving me a really bad time about a missing post yesterday and what he assumes is going to happen again here real soon today. I'm on it. Sudah! Already. Done.

Good to Go!

I HEART MONDAY

Hello Monday! My favorite day of the week. I know most people prefer Fridays or Saturdays or even Hump Day Wednesdays. But for for me, Monday is the one. Monday is, by far, the best day of the week.

Just think. A new beginning and a whole new fresh start. It's a little like having a New Years every week. Complete with resolutions if you like. So my resolution this week - is to actually do a blog post every day this week. And today, well, here's number 1 for the week - we'll just have to wait and see come Saturday how well I actually do.

So yesterday was the end of the F1 season. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. And a "Pit Crew" afternoon - which turned into evening and so on and so on. We had fun. Sebastian Vettel won the race and finished the year off in second place. Right behind Brawn's Jenson Button who is this year's Number One. It's been a great season and we (me and the other me) sure enjoyed our F1 Sundays and afternoons. Thanks Pit Crew.

Note: Grown men racing through the house on wheelie chairs ........ you guys are so silly. Too much fun.

TODAY: Almost half done. And I'm on a roll today. I'm getting all sorts of stuff done. .............. and if I can keep it up. Later this afternoon I just might get a massage and my hair done.

...... and then there is the pic of the day. Not a very good one. Better get out there and get some more pics today too.

Happy Monday! Good to Go!

TODAY IS

BELIEVE IT OR NOT

Believe it or not - this is about 20 minutes from my house. Nice isn't it? Balikpapan does have some special spots.

Busy time in Balikpapan. All kinds of stuff going on. Of course Halloween this weekend. And for a place that doesn't actually even acknowledge this, you'd hardly even know it. And it's not just the kids that are having fun either. I should point out - there are no Halloween treats (candy), store bought costumes or BIG orange Pumpkins here. You pretty much have to improvise for almost all of it.

Tuesday coming up is the Melbourne Cup. (Aussie horse race) And that's a big deal (*hat) day too. And next weekend is the BIWA Christmas Bazaar. (hard to believe we're at that point already) Not hard to be busy around here.

*hat - I'll explain the hat part come Tuesday.

YESTERDAY: Lunched with the girls. It has been a long time since we did that. A very long time in fact. And it was really nice. Really enjoyed that.

TODAY: Clean-up time in the office. What a mess! Sheesh. A Birthday Cake gathering this afternoon. Some things I should have done yesterday and a Halloween Party at Yuli's tonight.

I'M HERE

Are these not the coolest flowers? Ever? I have no idea what these are - but they are so cool. ..... and definitely not in Balikpapan.

I'm still doing the all over the map sort-of thing, but for the moment - I'm here.

TODAY: Whew! Been a busy one. And, pretty much done.

ALL OVER THE MAP

Couldn't decide what pic I wanted to use today. Day or night? Day or night? Oh, what the heck ........ why not just use both? Right?

By the way - it's not raining in the day-time pic. It's called smog. Jakarta Smog. And it really isn't even that bad. (least not for Jakarta, anyway) And just so you know, in Balikpapan if it's not raining - the sky is blue. There's definitely a lot to be said for a small place.

Ok, so about the all over the map bit. Well, here's the deal. I am going to be all over the map for the next couple of weeks. Doing all kinds of stuff. So ............ the Blog as you will soon see, is going to take a backseat to all the rest. That doesn't mean I'm calling it quits or anything like that. It just means I might not be very consistent over the next little bit. (just trying to give you a little heads-up about that)

Question of the day? What's the heck is up with Garuda these days? Why are all their planes late? Hours and hours late in fact! Nothing like sitting in and waiting in the airport.

TODAY: Drink lots of green tea in between all the other stuff I need to do.

Ok, Good to Go!

AWAY

TODAY: I'm not actually here today. Still away with the other Me.

Have a great day!

Good to Go!

SMILE

Whew! We had a great day yesterday. And a very big thank you to everyone that came along and helped us with the festivities. It was a good day. We had fun. Now if we can just figure out how to get the *Bocce Ball (jack) off the roof of our house. (and replace a flowerpot)

*Bocce Ball: Never did manage to find or get some made here. These we brought back from North American with us.

TODAY: Big sunshine day around here today.

And I'm tagging along with the other Me today. Going to the big city.

Good to Go!

SWEET & GREEN

SWEET: Some really good friends I have here and some very special gifts they gave me yesterday. One of which is now hanging at the front door. And another one, on my wrist. Sweet! You guys rock! (least last night you sure did [new band playing at Yuli's Pizza House] along with a whole lot of other folks too)

GREEN: My second attempt at home grown lettuce here. The first try was a wash. The garden flooded out in the rain and I suspect all those little seeds ended up down the got (sewer) and washed out to sea. So far so good this time round - this time we're trying it in a flowerpot. Time will tell I guess. We'll see.

CURIOSITY: NASA - shooting the moon. (?) More like messing with the moon perhaps. (?) What do the rest of you think about that?

TODAY: Organize. Track down a few items I need for some festivities we're having tomorrow. Make pie. (2) Put on long sleeves. I know I can't believe it either - it's raining and it's 25°. (It's cold today) That's about 10 degrees less than what we're normally used to.

......... and just because it's the weekend. Here's some items off the YOU KNOW YOU'VE BEEN IN ASIA TOO LONG IF list, that showed up in my In Box this week.

:: You own a rice cooker.

:: You find it saves time to stand and retrieve your cabin baggage while the plane is on final approach.

:: A bathroom with four attendants is so disgustingly filthy that you wouldn't step into it back home ........ and one of those attendants sole job is to hand you flimsy, single-ply toilet paper to dry your hands with.

:: You're willing to pay to use a toilet you wouldn't go to within a kilometer of at home.

:: The footprints on the toilet seat are your own.

:: You can shake your hands almost perfectly dry before wiping them on your pants.

Good to Go!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

IT'S FRIDAY! ......... and the day is almost done and I'm now, just getting around to doing today's post. It has been a busy one. As is quite often the case on a Friday.

Today's photo - just a little street scene I happened to get a photo of yesterday. We actually pulled over just so we could a good pic of these guys going by. (the driver, I'm sure, thinks I'm a little bit nuts. But that's Ok, by now I think, he's pretty much gotten used to me) They were running - out getting some exercise. I'm not entirely sure what BRIMOB stands for. (?) Police? Military? Or perhaps, something in between. Maybe one of you guys out there knows?

TODAY: No rain today. A full day of sun. That's a bit of treat.

Ok, that's it, have a great weekend everyone.

Good to Go!

OH YA - I FORGOT

The gardeners got me so pee-ed off this morning, I forgot to to tell you all, explain, why I deleted that comment that showed up yesterday in the COMMENT SPOT.

This is MY Blog. And this is an AD FREE blog. So please don't try and advertise the sale of your NFL T-shirts or anything else here.

Anyways, check this out. Supertramp rocks. And so does this video. (thanks Robyn)



......... by the way - if I was to Take the Long Way Home - it probably would involve flying past the North Pole. And just so you know, I don't think penguins actually live there.

Good to Go!

CHASING DRAGONS

Alright - here we go. The tail-gone-missing-mini-dragon post. I don't know about the rest of you. But it sure looks like a dragon to me. The cat thought so too. What else could it be? To say the least - it's one of the weirdest looking things I've ever seen.

And about the tail (?) Gone missing perhaps (?) No idea - maybe the cat knows something about that.

This just in!!!! Just happened to look out the side door and see ............ the dam gardeners have chopped down all my flowers. AGAIN!!! For @#$! sakes! I thought I asked you not to do that anymore. (?) (?) @#$! I don't normally get too upset about stupid things - but geeze ................. Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to get them to look like that?

We now have little sticks ..... where all the flowers had been. And there isn't a single solitary bloom left out there anymore! And hardly even a single leaf left in what I used to refer to as the hedge. I'm sure you all (gardens) think you're saving yourself a whole bunch of work - like not having to come back over here for a long time again. Ahhhhhhhhhh....................

TODAY: I'm attempting bread. Making some. Maybe. We'll see

We finally have a little reprieve from the rain today. Perhaps (?) Never know - cloud filled sky this morning - never know about that around here. Maybe we'll be back to more rain come this afternoon. Anyways - it's all a good thing. Things are looking green. Scatch that out, scratch out GREEN - at my house all we have left is twigs!

If I had more time I'd post a pic of what those darn gardeners just did. Maybe tomorrow. Ok, Sorry - I've had enough of this for today.

Gotta Go!

MORE:KAMBING:LAGI

Strange but true. Only in Balikpapan - this truly is an interesting place.

Sometimes - the funniest and weirdest things happen around here. By coincidence. Yesterday, as I was patiently (yes, I can do patient*) waiting for the internet/blogger to load the daily post - I caught something out of the corner of my eye peeking in the window, looking in at me. And although that wouldn't exactly be all that uncommon around here - this time it was. This time it was not a person, it was Billy. Billy the goat in fact. A kambing.

Checking in on yesterday's photo of his bar-b-qued cousin perhaps?

So my first thought was to run and get the camera - cause, nobody's ever going to believe this. By now - I'm sure you're all thinking that I made this whole thing up. As I myself would do. And as I thought (think) all of you might too. So - by the time I ran and got the camera, ran and got new batteries for it, and then had to run and get a camera card for it too, I pretty much blew that photo op. By the time I got my you know what straightened out - Billy had already run around the house and was hiding out the back. Chewing up all trees. (see photo above)

I think he was a little freaked out perhaps. As I would be too. After seeing that shocking photo, of the terrible fate that awaits him.

Strange but true. A few interesting things I should point out about all of the above.

#1 - I know nothing about goats. Except that they make great cheese and in Indonesia they're called kambing.

#2 - How in the heck did Billy find his way in? Snuck past the security gate (?) jumped the 2 meter high fence (?) Hmmmmm.

#3 - I swear, I have not made any of this up. (except for the part about his name and the part about him actually seeing the photo of his kin) Enough stuff happens around here, that you never need to make stories up. Strange but true.

* Patient. Patience is a virtue here. You have to do patient to live here.

TODAY: The other Me is away for the day. Up the road in fact. And I sure hope you took your duck suit with you. It's raining today. It's really raining today.

Today, a little bit of Illustrator and a bit of Photoshop. Tomorrow, I'll finally get to the "tail-gone-missing-mini-dragon". So make sure and check back. Thanks for reading.

Good to Go!

KAMBING:GOAT

Ok, so, me and the other Me were at an afternoon Garden Party this past weekend. The above was on the menu. I had fish. This is kambing (goat). Sorry - it was kambing. I had fish. The other Me ate fruit. Not sure what possessed me to take a picture of it. Not sure why it was on display for everyone to see. (right next to our table) And not really sure why they left if there like that - with a knife stuck in it.

Needless to say - neither me or the other Me could bring ourselves to actually eating it. Did I mention I had fish? Oh well, at least they had cold beer.

This morning I noticed a couple of guys over at the *Martha/Joy's empty-in-the-morning parking lot. With metal detectors in hand - you know the type you look for buried treasure with. Somebody, must have lost their keys last night. (?)

On an entirely different note - and just so you know I don't really do a whole lot of web surfing, pretty much can't because of our wonderful internet that mostly works like crap. But, I did come across this, Days With My Father. This is a project, done by photographer Philip Toledano - it's the story of a father/son relationship. Anyways, it's pretty cool, with beautiful photography - at least that's what I think.

*Martha's and Joy's are like [world] famous Balikpapan drinking spots. And been here forever I think too.

TODAY: Home-made soup for lunch. Is there any other kind? Not in Balikpapan at least. Unless you like Campbells tomato. (about $2 a can)

It's raining today - a wee bit. A Balikpapan style of a wee bit anyways. And the temperature +28c. No dripping in the house just yet.

Please note: that the dripping sound we hear up in the roof at our house (almost all the time) - will never stop. And will never be really fully fixed. Around here, as long as it (the rain) does not come in - then considered fixed. Good enough.

Good to Go!

HOUSEPLANTS GALORE

So over the weekend, I happened across a few interesting photo opportunities of which I shall share over the next couple of days. Including a close up of the "tail-gone-missing-mini-dragon" that we (me and the cat) spotted lolly-gagging around in our little garden yesterday. Be sure to stop back later this week and check them out.

Today - instead. I'm just going to vent a little bit. About houseplants and such. About a little issue I've been having trying to keep the houseplants in and the non ones out. You see (above) I'm having a bit of a struggle with this lately.

The above is not an in-door houseplant nor is it even in a flower pot. So - to the dear house keeper (who we do love a lot) please stop. Please stop bringing in (trading out-door for in-door) flower pots with earthworms and other creepy crawly things in them that wiggle themselves out of these pots in the wee hours of the night and commit suicide on the cold tile floors.

Yes, I know this is a rather trivial thing. And by now I'm sure you're all thinking "spoilt". Yes I am and trust me ever time I see an earthworm crawling across the floor - I know it.

TODAY: Meeting in the morning. And. Meeting in the afternoon.

Replace the said extension cord we use each and every morning to plug in the coffee pot. (?) Perhaps a bit of a power surge over the weekend that has pretty much melted it and done it in.

Try and super-glue into place all the remaining flower pots.

Good to Go!

TYPHOONS, TSUNAMIS AND EARTHQUAKES

TYPHOONS, TSUNAMIS AND EARTHQUAKES - this week. This side of the world has certainly had enough.

The earthquakes in Indonesia this week have been devastating to say the very least. You should all see what we're seeing on our TV. Not quite the same as on BBC or CNN. And so happy we live in our little place in Balikpapan where not much happens - least nothing like this.

Yesterday - was not one of my better days. It happens. Frustrated with some stuff I'm suppose to be getting done. I was grumpy I guess. I was very grumpy in fact. Not to worry though, that was the first part of the day - it got much better after that.

TODAY: The other Me decided I needed a sleep-in this morning. And I did. I think the other Me is the one that actually needed the sleep-in - and I don't doubt he's wishing it could have been him.

This weekend in Balikpapan is the SPE Weekend. The SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) golf tournament thing is happening in town this weekend. And pretty much anybody and everyone will be at that. Golf today and the big banquet tonight.

Tomorrow another F1 Sunday. The F1 people are trying to mess with us I think. Firstly it hasn't been the customary every 2nd weekend and this time the race is at 1 p.m. Hmmmm - still trying to sort out how we're going to do that. (?) This is going to be a very exciting race. My Jensen Button - might just finish things up for the season and take first place. All he need to do is come in at least fourth in this race. Go Button!

Have a happy weekend. Good to Go!

BATIK

Sorry people - only time for a quick photo and a wee bit today. I shall just use the word B-U-S-Y and it's Friday! 2 perfect things today.

TODAY: As declared by UNESCO a world heritage - today is BATIK INDONESIA Day.

Have a good one. Gotta go.

Good to Go!

HELLO OCTOBER

Hello October. Wholly - Molely! (I'm not even sure how to spell that) What a bunch of days it's been. No boredom around here - I can certainly tell you that.

Let's start with the very busy weekend we had, and most of it - without internet. We had a big darts night. (loads of fun) A very big farewell party. (100 people +) A great F1 Sunday. (best race to date I think so far) and a rush to get some plane tickets and to pack-up a suitcase.

A quick trip to the big city for the first part of this week. Jakarta. Yes Jakarta is BIG. I'm not really certain how many people live there 17 or 19 million perhaps. I can't imagine how anyone would even be able to keep track. What ever the case, in a lot of other places in the world - that would be the size of a whole country in fact. This was not really an unplanned event, but true to Balikpapan style - it was a bit last minute. Anyways - great trip. And now I'm safely back.

.... and then of course. Completely, and totally missed the BLOGOVERSARY yesterday. Imagine. (?) And I even had great stuff planned for that. Like Celebrate! So for those of you who don't know what a Blogoversary is; it means I've been at this Blog thing for 1 whole year. And this - from a person who really doesn't have much talent or even the ambition to write. Even I have a hard time imagining that.

TODAY: Not sure where to begin. Need to do little bit of catching-up on things first I think.

This morning I'm sorting through what seems like a million emails and what I need to/should do and don't need to do. Quite possibly, if had a real job - I'd actually have less to do I think. Wholly - Molely!

......... and a big welcome back to my friend today too. I think it's time for a fortnight lunch pretty soon - don't you think?

Ok, better get a go on. Good to Go!

IT'S A FRIDAY THING

Off to a great start this sunny Balikpapan Friday. Have done all my reading this morning; emails, blogs, 2 newspapers* (scroll down and I'll explain about that), and I've even managed a chapter in the book club book.

About the white envelope mission yesterday. No, that didn't quite work out - least not in the way I had initially thought. But, when in Indonesia - do as the Indonesian do. Find another way. So I did just that. All good in fact. ........... and I just know in about another month or so from now - every darn envelope in town will end up being the colour white. (today every shop I went to will be ordering white envelopes in the off chance the bule [me] comes back) All good.

Gulash: Toronto asks, "How is it that you are from North America but you know good old fashioned Gulyas. Isn't that Hungarian dish?"

It's actually my mother-in-law's recipe. (Thank you Mother) Hungarian? I have no idea about that. She's not Hungarian. And as far as I know - all recipes in North America come from somewhere else. Except for maybe beef jerky, poutine, ceasars or bannok. And then there's my Aunt Margaret's recipe for "Baked Gopher". I actually think she was joking about that (I hope) - but she did submit it into the family cookbook. Page 42 in fact. And I can assure you - I have never, nor will I ever; try that.

*2 newspapers - in one day. Ok, well first off the English language newspaper we have here come from Jakarta (The Jakarta Globe). Delivered on a plane that comes in at 4 o'clock (p.m.) and then raced over to our house via motorcycle by the newspaper man. Not sure what happened yesterday. Either (A) he took Wednesday off. Or (B) they didn't fly the paper in that day. Anyways, yesterday he delivered both of them as he has never missed a day. ...... and now I have 2 crossword puzzles for today.

TODAY: I'm not exactly certain how I'll spend the rest of this day, except for the Darts Open the Season event that's happening later tonight. This will be one of those wide open days. I might just carry on doing the same thing I've been doing all morning in fact.

I might even manage to do those 2 (two) crossword puzzles from those newspapers today. I'm actually stuck (crossword puzzle #1) on 8 Across - a five letter word for an epicurean event. Hmmmmm.

Oh yeah. TAMBAL means patch. Bet you can figure out what they do at that little shop.

Have a great Friday.

Good to Go!

TOKO AMPLOP

Ok, life has returned to Balikpapan. Back to normal. Almost - or at least close enough anyways. The stores (above), restaurants, bars, cafes, etc., etc. are opening up. Driver is back. And we are on track to do a whole lot of things today. And gear-up for the very busy and full weekend we have ahead of us. Darts night - a farewell - and an F1 Sunday. Busy, busy.

Wined and dined at the BBC last night. First time we've been there in quite a bit. And so it seems to be the trend here these days, (change) the BBC is not without a few changes of it's own too. They are manager-less. And some of the old staff are back. And I think they're gearing up for a few more changes too. Anyways, last night; good drinks (buy 2 get 1 free) - good company - good food.

TODAY: Failing miserably on my first attempts at today's tasks. Blogger or the internet or both are working like crap. And ...... you'd think buying a white envelope in this town (city) would be an easy thing to accomplish. Not. There must be a million colours of paper out there but every single darn envelope - brown. What's with that? But, I have not given up. Not yet. And on the plus I have learned - an AMPLOP is the same as an envelope. (who'd ever guess that?)

Still have loads of day left and lots of things I'd to do.

Good to Go!

BE A WALK

Check out this guy. He was lurking around out the kitchen window the other morning. His name is BIAWAK. Pronounced: BE-A-WALK. Usually he's pretty shy, lying in wait in the gutters out front, but with all the quietness around here over the long weekend he must have decided it was safe to venture out. As mean as he looks - he's pretty harmless and mostly scared of anything and everything that moves.

It's still feeling a little bit like the weekend around here. A lot of people took the whole week off. In fact a number of local businesses have pretty much closed up shop until after next weekend too. These guys know how have a holiday I think.

TODAY: Yeah! The housekeeper is back. Nice surprise this morning when we saw the full coffee pot. (We are spoiled - aren't we?)

Very much a raining off and on all morning with a mix of some intense sun around here today. And for a change that's a good thing. The perfect weather day. Even the trees are enjoying it.

I have a full day of hanging in the office with a bunch of stuff to do. The Things To Do list - is getting attacked. Well, slowly. Starting to put a few check marks on some of the things listed there. It's setting up to be a pretty good day I think.

Good to Go!

HAPPY TUESDAY

Hi Tuesday. Ok - holiday weekend is over (sort-of) at least for us. So. Better get back at things here and write. What a great weekend, it was (is) good. And I'm certain today will be too.

I'm even braving that funny looking thing called a washing machine today. Woo-hoo. With complete success. Still staff-less. ......... and yes we're surviving without - just fine thanks. Thanks for the coffee this morning other Me too.

Note: AYAM = chicken. pronunciation = I am.

TODAY: Empty house. The other Me's at the office. The staff are still away. Think I'm just going to turn up the music real loud and rearrange a bunch of stuff in this house today.

More later.

Good to Go!

A LONG WEEKEND TOO!

....... as promised - the Furniture Salesman out selling his wares.

Ahhhh - Friday at last. And a long weekend too. Long as in L-O-N-G. Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and possibly Wednesday too. Not exactly sure when it starts or ends. There is the official version (government) and then there's the Muslim version (which correlates with the fazes of the moon). For some people though - it started today at noon.

Anyways, a long weekend ahead of us and sure looking forward to it. Starting tomorrow, possibly in the p.m. - we're giving the staff a whole bunch of days off. That means no driver (everything's closed anyways) and no housekeeper* too.

Why (?) you ask would one be looking forward to that? As much as I/we do love having them here with us (and they are the best) sometimes you just need a rest. Every once in awhile it's nice to step out of the shower without the bucket of cleaning supplies waiting on the other side of the door beckoning you to hurry your little (big) butt up and get dressed. Sometimes, you need to wash your own clothes. (not really) And sometimes you need to cook your own food. (yes!) And sometimes you just need to clean up your own mess.

Now that being said - in a couple of days I'll probably need to come back here and re-read that last paragraph I just wrote. Did I ever tell you the story about the one and only time I attempted to wash a load of laundry in that very strange looking washing machine we have here, all by myself .............. (?)

*housekeeper - more commonly known as the house manager around here.

TODAY: Ok, so like the dumbie (doh) that I am ................. this morning, I took on another one of those help-the-world-projects. Actually it's a very, very small thing if you're measuring it on the world scale. But. For a very good reason and I just know if I don't step up to the plate on this one and do what I do .............. well whatever, at least I'll be doing something that I love to do.

Pretty much the whole day has whizzed past already. Already way into the afternoon. I have a couple things left to get finished and do. Like wish a special someone a very BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! (love you) and then I'm off. Promised I'd buy a friend a beer - you know, the one disguised in a coffee cup.

It's hot out and I'm thirsty too. Happy Friday!

Good to Go!

TRAFFIC

TRAFFIC .......... and this would be the reason things took such a long time yesterday. For an appointment that took all of about 10 minutes. (yuck)

.... and I should tell you, just so you know (but it can be) - the traffic isn't always like this. Although there are a lot of motorcycles here. This week however is the big build-up to Idul Fitri next week. Kind of like joining the masses at the mall the week before Christmas. On the plus side, the stores are all stocked up. The down side, everyone in town is there, hence the whole lot of traffic. I should mention this is not at the mall but very near the market. ....... and in typical Balikpapan fashion - everything is always left to the very last possible minute.

A pretty uneventful day yesterday aside from the morning thunder, lightning, wind (should have added that in there yesterday) and rain storm and my trip into the mega traffic zone. And my afternoon nap. However, as always, no day ever takes place around here without something that makes a person smile. (at least a little bit) Like the Sponge Bob Square Pants caught up in the power lines and floating in the air high above the traditional market. Guess you have to be here to appreciate things like that, somewhat surreal in fact. A 21st Century Sponge Bob floating around a market that probably hasn't changed much from the past.

.......... and then there was the traveling (motorcycle) furniture salesman that we passed. Tomorrow I'll post a picture of that.

TODAY: Clean up the IN box and everything else in here. (the office - my favorite room in the house in fact - hence the interminable need for always having to clean it up)

Brave the masses and head over to the mall. Need to get to the grocery store before the holidays when everything will be closed-up. I'm still not exactly certain how many days this holiday will take - there's a few different versions out there. Long story, but it looks like 3 red calendar days coming up.

Tonight Ladies' Night at Blue Sky ....................

Good to Go!

RAIN DAY

Good Day all! Good early morning is more like it.

So, not sure of the reason for it, but - pick any one (or two) or all of the following.....

A) ..... last night, asleep and in my bed by 8 o'clock.

B) ..... the thunder, lightning, pouring rain storm that rolled through here in the wee hours of the morning. (yeah for rain - we're in the middle of the dry season)

OR

C) ..... the early morning call to mosque.

...... this morning - I've been wide awake since 5 o'clock. And have pretty much already emptied the coffee pot.

So this is the first real rain we've had in a long time around here. Things are pretty dry here these days. (even the 1 cm. high grass - I'll never understand that) A welcomed rain I guess - and trust me this morning everything and anything around here is pretty much soaking wet. An then there's that insistent dripping in the roof (ceiling) above my bed (hey - maybe that's what woke me up [?]) and everywhere else in the house that seems to never stop. I'm just waiting - for any time now a new hole or holes is/are going to open up. Yeah for the maintenance men. Better keep an eye on that.

Q and A: Regarding PMC - turns out I just happen to have a picture of that. Have a number of friends that live there too. Send me your email address and I'll hook you up with someone who can help you out with that.

TODAY: I have things to. An appointment this morning (and no, of course I'm not ready or organized for that), way on the other side of town. Not that way on the other side is really all that far, but - sometimes it takes a bit to get all the way over there and then back. Need to seriously get some new photos and by this afternoon - I'm sure I'll be ready for a nap.

Good to Go!

KELAPA

KELAPA, aka coconuts. At least these are the Balikpapan type. Yes I know they don't look anything like the outrageously over priced sort you see in the North American supermarket. But these are what you get here, and right now there are truck loads of them and piles alongside the roads all over the place. Fresh by the way - and they really do taste great. Oh yeah - these are about a dollar each. In season I guess. Just in time for Ramadan.

Something else I should point out is the popularity of fireworks and fire crackers around here these days. Including the ones someone decided to set off (fire crackers) in the middle of the pizza house the other night. Every night - and I do mean every night, starting just around 7 p.m. all the fireworks comes out. Just in time with Ramadan too. .......... a 30 day build up to the big night. Idul Fitri is next week in fact.

BIWA Coffee Morning day here today. At the brand new Arts & Culture Center. Which as it turns out, is a really nice place and with an awesome view. First coffee morning I've been to in quite a long time in fact. Good to see all the familiar faces that have come back (holidays) and a whole lot of new ones too. Welcome to Balikpapan everyone - hope you enjoy your time here as much as I do.

TODAY: aka THIS AFTERNOON. I think we need to get some pool time in. Tomorrow is shaping up to be a busy day - think I'm going to head over and enjoy the sun while I have the chance.

Good to Go!

THE BAD BLOGGER

The Bad, Bad, Blogger. Yup. I know. And I am. And I can't even come up with a good excuse for it. I'll try a little harder this week.

A very full and eventful weekend it was for us. A BIG birthday (not mine) party. A BLACK & WHITE bar-b-que. And of course the F1 Sunday event. ....... and WOW, what an exciting end there was to that. Imagine spinning out and loosing control on your last lap. Ooooo. Poor Mr. Hamilton.

So, I'm sure by now you all know about the electrical supply issues we have around here. And this morning of course was no exception to that. It wasn't that we didn't have any - just only in half the house. And it took the better part of 2 hours for myself and 2 maintenance men to figure it out. DOH!

NOTE TO SOMEONE ELSE: When watering plants in the early a.m. - do not, do not spray with the garden hose, copious amounts of water onto the outside wall with the electrical outlet on it.

So now for a a little about the brand new E-Walk. (photo above) The new mall. Ok, if you're here in town - you best go check this place out. Wholly, Balikpapan - we are moving up. And believe it or not - there's really, really going to be a Starbucks! And about 6 other brand new coffee shops. Figure that out.

TODAY: Bills to pay. Emails to read/write and catch up. Today is all about the go.

Good to Go!

HELL PLANT

Let's start with HELL PLANT shall we. Don't worry, there's been some good parts in the last couple of days too - just thought I'd tell you this bit first and get it out of the way. So this thing has to rank up there as one of the nastiest of the nasty plants. Check out the spikes on that thing. I have no idea what kind of plant this is. (?) Cactaceous anyway. Bears spines. Has leaves and bright flowers. (?)

Anyways HELL PLANT pretty much died while we were away. And yesterday just happened to be a pretty good day to something about it. Like throw it away. (Somehow though, it ended up in another pot [rescue mission perhaps] that I still have to deal with another day.)

So here's how it went:

:: Discovered that my still brand-new, no-thorns-will-ever-poke-through-these gardening gloves that I've probably only worn 5 times have somehow managed to get themselves worn out and thrown in the trash. (?)

:: Trained in the art of using balled up old newspapers in the palm of your hands instead. (?) Whatever - it worked.

:: Got stung by a bee (twice) same bee possibly. Discovered that my Auntie Olga's remedy of holding a stainless steel knife on top of the said stung spot or spots for a few seconds to draw the stinger out - WORKS! (?)

:: ........ and I had a helper in all of that. Hence the rescue mission and the transfer to a new pot.

.... To be continued another day.

TODAY: Trying very hard to get this post done, but that's not really working out today. Spending too much time sitting out and drinking iced coffee today. Must try and make up for yesterday.

Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend too.

Good to Go!

09.09.09

NINE. NINE. NINE.
Days. Months. Years (actually 2,009 of those). I'm told this is a lucky day over here. I wonder if 10.10.10 will be too? Hmmm

Anyways, on to something new. Check this out (photo above). We have new money. Just when most countries are trying to rid themselves of denominations - the opposite is happening here.

I think this is a prelude of what's to come. I'm going to guess - the price of parking is going up. Rather the price of backing up. Now, instead of handing the usual 1,oooRp note out the car window to the guy (or her - but only once) with the annoying whistle that helps you back your car up - we're going to be giving him a nice brand new crispy one of these instead.

Note: 2,000Rp = 20 cents US today. (Rp = Rupiah)

TODAY: Wide open. Think we'll just let this day happen and unfold all by itself. Who knows. (?)

Good to Go!

TUESDAY

Exciting news for all us Balikpapan-ites! On 09.09.09 (tomorrow) a new place is opening up. The E-Walk at Balikpapan Superblok. Not exactly sure what an E-Walk is. (?) (interesting name) And certainly won't be going by there tomorrow to find out. We'll wait a few days and let the crowd thin out before we try that.

But just the same ............... the sign out front - has the Starbucks on it. And a Dunkin Donuts too! Wholly - can this possibly be true?

Side Note: The future home of the Jolly Rogers, still way in the future I guess. Not a thing has happen there in the past year - just a few more vines and climby plants to cover everything up.

TODAY: New wheels - as in tires (roda). The whole entire afternoon to myself (nice) and Book Group get together later tonight (even nicer yet).

Have a good one. Good to Go!

MONDAY

AHHHH. Hi Monday. It was a lovely weekend. Not a long one (unlike some other people we know had) but it was nice just the same. How was yours?

I've decided I must be building up to something BIG. Not sure what BIG is just yet. ....... but BIG usually comes after I get over the clean-up, sort out and organize all things around and about me. Hmmm (?) Will let you know.

TODAY: Sun is shinning and it's hot out. Good day for a nice iced mocha latte I think. Yup. And maybe even a bit of Yuli's Special pizza later tonight.

Good to Go!

100% OF FULL

100% of full today. Maybe that explains today's shitty internet. (?) Probably not I guess. But I can assure you I AM struggling with it.

SATURDAY + BALIKPAPAN + INTERNET = PROBLEM LOADING PAGE (Hopeless)

Good day to go do something else I guess.

TODAY: Anything that doesn't involve the internet. Have a great weekend everyone!

Good to Go!

GAME ON!

Ok, I'm back. I'm officially back. Holiday done and finished. Yes, I am over it. And wholly crap - that went by way toooo fast.

......... and looks like I took a little bit* of a Blogger hiatus. I can honestly say - I did not look at, read or even contemplate writing any Blogs for the whole entire time in fact. Sometimes, a person (me) has just got to do that.

So! A Blog photo of the day? NOT. Sorry but haven't managed to get around to that. Today, this is as good as it gets. And I had to dig way deep for this one. A badly scanned photo I had from way back. (circa 1999 perhaps) A place called Pangandaran. Not very far from Wednesday's earthquake. 7.3 or 7.4 - depends on where you get your information from I guess. (and, no we didn't feel it here - we're way too far away for that) Yes, toured all those places that did feel it though. Can't even begin to imagine what's left.

Anyways - life is (has gotten)(suitcases unpacked) pretty much back to normal. Aside from the earthquake and the fact that we're smack in the middle (almost middle) of Ramadan around here. Back to the usual electric outages, tea water (that's what I call it - water that looks the colour of tea), shitty internet and the best nasi goreng (fried rice) on the planet. Good to back.

Fish 1 and Fish 3 are alive and well and swimming a million of laps. They've doubled in size in fact. (I think) Should've put more effort into figuring out how to put a grow chart on that tank. If this keeps up - I just know I'm going to end up buying another little fish tank. Man-O-Man. And here I thought they were going to be cute little fish.

* Actually a bit more than a little bit. WINK. WINK.

TODAY/TONIGHT: All the usual Friday stuff. And tonight, head over to our favorite spot where everyone meets up. For an added twist, tonight we'll all be drinking beer/spirits out of coffee cups. Yup, that's the way you do things here. During Ramadan. Disguise the alcohol. Yup, tonight we're all drinking iced cappuccino, lattes and ginger tea I think. WINK. WINK. Cheers everyone.

Good to Go!

SOON!

I don't usually do this - post pictures of people I know. But what the heck - once in while it's OK I guess.

See you soon boys. I'm on my way!

Good to Go!

GO

Ok, here we GO. With any luck I'm actually on the plane now. Waiting for take off. Hopefully not too long - but you know how that goes.

I should be settling into my seat right now. Seat 49K. (gotta love Cathy Pacific - checked in yesterday over the internet) And hopefully there's no really really big person seating in the seat next me, encroaching on MY space. Or worse yet - some smelly person, someone who likes to talk a lot or a crying baby. Let's hope not. (?)

Anyways, have books, crossword puzzles, need to a pit stop in Hong Kong and many miles to go. Ok, guess I'm ready.

Good to Go!

HI MONDAY

Hi Monday! Cute isn't it?

Ok, back to business around here today - even though it is sort of suppose to be a holiday. Oh, that's just the way things go. We had a great weekend here though.

TODAY: Well, surprising even myself today. Didn't think I'd have time for this. Didn't I'd find time to post. I truly thought I'd be going at a rather quick pace. Today is packing day. Today is the start of the long haul.

12,726 kilometers or 7,908 miles or 6,872 nautical miles to go! Hmmmmm. Thinking this just might take awhile.

Ok well guess it's time to go.

Good to Go!

WHY

A very sad day yesterday. "Kenapa" or "why" - that pretty much was the reaction to the news yesterday. "tidak mengerti" "no understand"............. (?) neither do I. A lot of hearts were broken in this country yesterday. This is not what this country needed. Yesterday was a very sad day.

Everyone I know that is/was in Jakarta yesterday - are all accounted for and fine. And a big thanks for that.

The Jakarta Post

The Jakarta Globe

TODAY: Get ready - time to organize and pack. Today is a full day.

.......... and looking forward to the big Birthday Bash tonight, too.

Enjoy the weekend.

Good to Go!

HARI JU'MAT

A big fat ZERO on the posting thing yesterday. (sorry about that) That's just the kind of day it was. Too many other things to do. Anyways, I would just have had to brag about the big prawn fest I went to the other night. Oooo. Look at that. Just happened to get it in there anyways in fact.

..... and tell you about the new massage place my friend took me to. Yup, I made time for that.

Officially, today I will get the suitcase(s) out. Or at least figure out what kind of size I'm going to need for next week. Yup - I'm out of here next week. Me and a whole lot of other people too. This year - so it seems, August would be the time to go. (sure hope it's warm over there)

........ and probably good timing too. As the drinking water supply (aqua) in Balikpapan has almost run out. We're down to using the little bottles now. At least gotta have water for the morning coffee pot. I didn't realize up until now (never actually even thought about it), but all the Aqua we get here is shipped in. And the sea is just too rough right now (the past week +) for that to happen. Oh well, no worries, pretty soon - I'll be drinking water from the tap. Wholly, imagine the novelty of that.

Just realized this morning that the 1 year Blogoversay is coming up. 76 days in fact. And including today's that makes 182 posts. Wholly - hard to believe I've managed that. I think that puts it on or about October 1st. I wonder where we'll actually be around about then? Sure would be nice if we could do that from here - but. Never know about that. We crossed the 2 year mark a few months back - and well, hey never know, maybe by then our time here - will be up. Or not. (?) Hmmmm - guess it's time to start thinking about that.

TODAY: Out and about to do a pre-stock-up. Need to get stocked up in advance of coming back. Balikpapan will be full into Ramadan when we get back. And there's a lot of things we need to do in advance of that. Like buy beer and a whole bunch of other very-limited-during-Ramadan stuff. Every year it changes - and you just never know what the (new) rules are going to be.

Ok, lots to do - let's get at it.

Good to Go!

LIFE'S A BEACH

This could just turn out to be another short on words day, we'll see. We'll see how much rambling I can do in a short bit of time.

Had the most wonderful lunch yesterday with a whole bunch of girls. Sitting outside, under the trees enjoying the breeze. This is what living in the tropics is suppose to be all about. Love it.

Also have some of the itchiest ever in the world bug bits after my time at the pool the other day. Not mosquitoes - but these tiny little things called AGUS. Let me tell you. They are the nastiest *annoyingliest things ever. Just like No-see-ems, they are so small you don't even know they're there but wholly when they bite - the itch is incredible. And lasts forever so it seems. And would be another one of those what living in the tropics is all about. But sure don't love it.

Anyways, in my desperation for the perfect anti-itch stuff - I'm trying a local remedy. Putting Tiger Balm on it. And believe it or not. It works in fact. I also didn't realize Tiger Balm comes in HOT and NOT SO HOT. Interesting.

*annoyingliest - I'm quite certain I just invented that word. Perhaps. (?)

TODAY: First thing this morning they've turned our water off. Pipe maintenance again. Seems they're always working on that. Sure makes a person appreciate running water. Hopefully they'll get it turned back on some time this afternoon.

Taking a trip to one of my favorite spots in Balikpapan this morning. Off to see Mr. Blue Sapphire. Need to go see what's new over there. One just never knows.

And a whole bunch of other stuff. I think this might just turn into a full day perhaps.

Ok, that's it for this post.

Good to Go!

BASTILLE DAY

Ahhhh. So now we know where all the French wine went. Not very often you get the perfect op to post up a picture like this. Except for today. Two things you can always count on when it comes to the French. Good wine and awesome cheese, and lots of it. To all my French friends. Happy Bastille Day - Fete National. Enjoy your day!

TODAY: Let's just go with lots! Lots and lots. Good thing I had a time out at the pool yesterday.

Light on words today. It's one of those kind of days. Gotta Go.

Good to Go!

MIDDLE OF MONDAY: AND + AND

No particular reason for this photo today - except that I just happen to like it.

Celebrated Bastille Day (July 14th) here on Saturday night. Both of us, Me and the other Me awoke yesterday morning to pretty horrible headaches. Ooooo. Probably all I need to say about that.

F1 Sunday was Australia Day at the German Grand Prix. First win ever for Webber (Aussie) in fact. And we know someone who was more than happy about that. (apparently they only played the first verse of the Australian national anthem though) It was a good race last night. I think everyone enjoyed it. Too bad my guy Jensen Button didn't do so well though. But hey - he's already got loads of points. He can afford a little bit of a break from that.

Special Note to the MIA part of the *Pit Crew: Don't worry we all missed you.

*Pit Crew. Not my words - but I like it and have so decided I'm going to go with that.

TODAY: Already Middle of Monday so I'll just do a quick re-cap.

Video-Skyped with almost the whole group called family on the other side of the planet this morn. And that was certainly nice. Very cool. Until the laptop on the other side decided to call it quits for the rest of their night. Worked out quite alright anyways though as I ended up having to rush like mad person to get to one of those rare occasions when I actually have a morning meeting here.

And then, I managed to embarrass the heck out of myself trying to purchase freshly-baked-this-morning bread too. Ooops, forgot to take some money with me. Ended up having to put almost all of it back. No option here to pay for it with debit. And no-one here is going to let you put 36,000Rp ($3.51) on your credit card. Ooops.

And I've been hard at it trying to sort out and finish off a bunch of computer/office pre-trip sort of stuff.

And even though Blogger says I'm saving this. This is like my third attempt at posting and re-writing this. Grrrrrr.

And I think this is the perfect time for me to give up and go to the pool.

Good to Go!

GOOD TO GO!

Interesting - isn't it? I'll just say this - "Thank God (?) there wasn't a person riding in it." and if there was, I wouldn't even be surprised by that. LOL. Gotta love it.

So here it is the weekend again. And not long before it's time to embark on the big trip. We (Me and the other Me) have decided that since we're passing through it, we might as well stop in Hong Kong for a bit and go and have a little look see. But not until we're on the way back. Have decided, we need to do this and that. Pretty cool. Isn't it?

The Polar Pacer Project: So - Big Sis & Brother-In-Law have had this in the works for quite some time now. (reality: quite some time means, they've been working their butts off towards this) Officially - they are now really doing it. (and a big huge congrats to the both of them too) Not so long ago they kicked the habit of going to work, sold almost everything - including the house, packed up the rest and moved onto their boat* The Polar Pacer. And in the not so distant future they will be making their way towards the Atlantic. But, not before they drive all the way west, through Canada and the U.S., sell the car and fly all the way back. So starting now, from the other side of the planet - I am going to attempt to (stalk) keep track of them. Kinda like GPS. (scroll down to the bottom of this post - eventually I'll get it in the side bar - but need to write some HTML before we can do that)

*boat - I'm quite certain Brother-In-Law would not exactly describe it like that. It's not just a boat. There's actually way more to it than that. ............ and if Brother-In-Law would like, he can always add some comments in here about that.

TODAY: Getting ready for the Wake-less F1 Sunday tomorrow afternoon/evening. Which means I need to go out and do a little bit of shopping (the hunter/gatherer thing) this afternoon.

Alright have a good one. I'm out of here.

Good to Go!

The Polar Pacer Project
Current Location: Unknown
Last Known Location: Enjoying the comforts of a hotel room some place west of Chicago, Il. U.S.
Last Known Direction: West
Current Direction: Hopefully west.

HI HO HI HO

Good day all. Good Friday to you!

Well, not sure what happened to me this morning, but ......... seems I forgot to get out of the bed this morning. The other Me managed to sneak, actually, not really sure if he was sneaking, but in any event he got out of the house this morning before I managed to get myself up. And it looks like he most likely saved my sorry a** and took a whole bunch of those peanut butter cookies with him like I promised people he would. Thank you, thank you.

Tough life I live here - isn't it?

So you've probably noticed over the last couple/three days I've posted a bunch of photos from all over town. Thought it might be nice to show all you that in Balikpapan - we really do have some nice stuff.

I have officially decided that Skype is one of the best things going right now on the Internet. This morning I video-conferenced with Big Sis on the other side of the planet. And I can certainly see where we're going to be doing this a lot. So, Big Sis and Brother-in-law are embarking on Part 1 of living the dream. From here on in, I shall refer to it as the Polar Pacer Project. And over the next little bit I'll tell you all about it. Right now though - at this particular moment - they're nicely nestled in a hotel room somewhere in the vicinity of Chicago.

TODAY: The maintenance guys are up to their weird stuff again. This morning there is (was)(?) a slight drip in the laundry room tap. They fixed it. Are fixing it. With crazy glue in fact? Where in the world do they come up with this stuff? You never know - it just might work. (?)

This morning there are tiny little ants walking all over the desk. Great. Guess I better do something about that.

The weekend is upon us. That means I need to go out and do all the regular Friday stuff. And prepare for a Wakeless F1 Sunday coming up. And the Bastille Day celebration tomorrow night. And. And. And. Gonna be a busy one.

Good to Go!

ALL OVER THE PLACE

Ok, prepare yourself - today, I just might ramble a bit. I can feel it.

Election over. And all back to norm again. Looks like the old Pres. (SBY) is now the new Pres. With a new Vice President. Officially the vote counting will most likely take until the end of the month - but so far, he's got 60% of the counted votes - looks like he's in again. I don't think this comes as any big surprise to most. Things pretty much went the way most people were predicting it.

Being President here, is a five year term. Can you imagine doing the same thing for 5 years? And then signing up to do it all over again. I certainly can't. But looks like he's pretty much ready to do just that. I couldn't do it. Not the same thing over again. Change is a good thing for me I guess.

Seriously time for me to get my you know what sorted out before the big trip across the pond that most people refer to as the Pacific. Long trip ahead of me. Like 25+ hours plus a lot of waiting and waiting in airports. (gotta love airports) Going to try a new route this time. Like I even have a choice with that? The options these days (credit crunch) are getting less and less. One real noticeable difference - is that the prices sure have come down - and lots.

You probably noticed by now that I've ditched the FEEDJIT gadget. Firstly, the thing hardly even works at the best of times. Possible due to our ever so reliable internet. Secondly - I've decided it's kind of like stalking. In reverse. Yes, I'll admit - it's kinda nice looking at the map and seeing where everyone is from. But. Is it worth it? Probably not. Anyways, I think it just slows down my internet. So, for now at least I'm ditching it.

TODAY: I hate to admit, but, I had myself some pretty awesome peanut-butter-chocolate-chip cookies for breakfast this morning. They are the best by the way.

Sometimes, (like yesterday) unless you're really in the mood for surprises (off and on I guess) - you need to grab the recipe out of your one and only cookbook (quietly) and see if you can actually handle it all by yourself. I did quite alright with the quietly part until I had to get the mixer out. However, less than 2 minutes into it - I relinquished. (surprise)(I don't think the housekeeper thinks I can even do it) And she was suppose to be having a day off. Hmmmmm. (?)

Ok, I've rambled enough for one day. Time to get on with it.

Good to Go!