It brings me great joy...

The August Challenge really has me thinking. If I have so many things that make me happy that it makes me wonder why I'm not happier. Is it through looking for things like this that I realize that there are a lot of little things, maybe insignificant things that have made me smile and brought me happiness.

People have brought me happiness. Places have brought me happiness. Things have brought me happiness.

I think today I should say that my happiness has come from the books that I read, that take me away from my problems, when I can't take myself away. I know one thing, Janet Evanovich has brought me so much happiness in the last few months. So has Sheryl Anderson. Their books have made me smile and laugh and have taken me away from life for a few hours, and for that I'm happy.

BTW...this book is awesome!



And it's bringing me great joy right now.

And if you want something that will tug at your heartstrings...



I'm reading this one right now too, and it's a real tearjerker. It is however bringing me joy too, because it's so very well written and real.

Just not in the mood

Today is one of those uninspired kind of days. The kind of day that no matter what you want to accomplish, it's just not going to get done. I'm going to blame it on the heat, because the heat can't fight back and the heat has taken all my energy all my motivation and a host of other things and just trod on them.

Yesterday was moderately tolerable because we had some showers in the morning. Today the humidity is back, and as most of you know, it's the kind of humidity that just seems to jump on your back and pushes you to the ground.

Things that used to take short periods of time now seem to take forever.

The only thing I've managed to do today is take a series of pictures of our baby birds.



It's a little cutie, isn't it?

Now I feel totally drained, can I go back to bed please?

Happiness is...

No, I didn't forget the August Challenge today...

Happiness is a baby bird.



Like this one that was sitting under our old pine tree today. Baby birds bring me happiness.

Monday already?

What the hell is up with that? I was sure 24 hours was longer than that? Give me back my time!!

This is usually the way I feel after a really nice day, and that pretty much sums up my Sunday.

My car run well, on probably the longest road trip of its life. Getting to the Palace of Gold is quite a jaunt, especially when you take what you think is going to be a short cut! We went from Wheeling Island, so I knew the direction said take 250 South at some point, so I got on 250 right outside the Wheeling Tunnel.

Bad move.

I think it added an extra half hour to the drive.

And lordy the road were like curly fries winding all over the damn place. It was enough to make you sick to your stomach!

But it was all worth it. The Palace of Gold and the rose gardens were absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. I have pictures of the the palace posted on the photoblog. I'll be posting pictures of the rose garden later today. I have so many gorgeous pictures that it's going to be hard to pick and choose. I might just have to upload all of them to my flikr acount.

Let me know what you think of the shots, m'kay.

Random 10

It was a really good weekend. Quite fun and the music was a mix of what I heard around the casino in Wheeling and in my car as I drove about WV.

The Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin (Believe it or not this was playing at Wheeling Island while we ate!)
Elvis Costello - Less Than Zero (Dallas Version)
Elvis Costello - Alibi
Elvis Costello - Jack Of All Parades (These three tracks were on a Costello mix CD I listened to in the car)
Keri Noble - Talk To Me (I listen to this song much too much)
Diana Krall - Frim Fram Sauce (My absolute favorite Diana Krall song)
Justin Hayward - Shame (I was suffering Moodies/Hayward withdrawal and this was the first song that I heard on the drive back from Wheeling)
George Harrison - My Sweet Lord (You can't commune with Hari Krisnas without some George Harrison tunes)
Blondie - Good Boys (Another mix cd song)
The Beatles - If I Needed Someone (the first George Harrison/Beatles song my winamp player pulled up tonight)


And the picture to go with all of this: The Palace of Gold!

It's worth a thousand words.....

It's about time I whore my photoblog to the world. I try to update it as often as possible. This week I've been busy playing with photoshop, so it has been updated every day.

Here are some of the things you'll find there.

The Quarter at the Tropicana

The beautiful Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City

Flowers and such from my visit to Trax Farms.

The Moody Blues as seen at the Borgata on 7/16/05

And a vast majority of them are of Justin Hayward.

Oh and of course there are pictures of the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.

So go on, take a look. Because my camera is my answer to the August Challenge today. Both Easy Shares have brought me so much happiness and have kept so many memories alive that it had to be included somewhere this month.

Moody Beauty

I was using my other computer today and I decided to scan some photos of The Moody Blues that were given to me by a friend in CA, who was in a disscusion group that I belonged to a few years back.

She took some lovely shots of the band in the 90's and of Justin on his solo tour. I'm going to share a few of them now, just because.

August Challenge

So this month is all about remembering the things that make me happy. So far I've covered music, Atlantic City, Wheeling Island, The Moody Blues and Elvis Costello.

I think I've been a bad bad girl in neglecting one person that's been responsible for me getting to and from all that happiness....thus becoming a part of that happiness.

Ooops. Bad me.

Today's happiness is Lady Starlight, my sister, in case ya didn't know that already.

Because after all, most of my family makes me happy. (Kinda sorta!)

Making Plans

Last night I spent a few hours looking up hotels in the general area of the Aronoff Theater in Cincinnati. I've come to the conclusion that if we go see the Moody Blues there in Oct (And it's looking that way) I'm definitely staying at the Westin.

Go ahead, click the link! The place looks simply beautiful and it overlooks Fountain Square.

Ok, anyone that knows me, knows I love fountains! So this was a pretty easy decision to make, plus the room is $139.00 for the night, which isn't as expensive as I thought it would be.

I'm so excited. Everything looks so beautiful, and I really want to see Fountain Square, and well it doesn't need to be mentioned that I want to see the Moodies. (Even though I've already seen them twice this year)

But in case you think I'm nuts for getting so excited about a fountain..here it is.



Impressive isn't it? Almost as impressive as this

Required Reading

I've really been doing a lot of reading in my spare time. I'm big on romance, I write it, I read it, I wish I could live it, but I can't and anymore I'm finding I need more when it comes to my reading material.

So these are some of the books that I've found at the local library that have kept me amused over the past few weeks.

First one is called Rosie Dunne



This was a cute book. By no means is it stellar reading, but good when you're sitting by the pool or in the yard tanning. The characters are very lovable and you can definitely indentify with their situations, but in some instances they can be a bit frustrating. The story is told through a series of emails, letters and IM's. Very easy reading.

3 out of 5 stars

Next up is Killer Heels by Sheryl Anderson



Do you like Janet Evanovich? If you do, you don't want to pass this book up. It's written in a very similar style. I laughed out loud at several points in this one. The heroine, Molly isn't quite the train wreck Stephanie Plum is, but she's just as lovable and so are her friends.

It's also the first in a series. I have the second book out from the library, I just haven't opened it yet.

5 out of 5 stars

What am I reading now?

Janet Evanovich's Metro Girl



I can't wait to curl up in bed with this one tonight! Oh yeah, my life is oh so exciting.

Top Five On Friday

Go on friends and other bloggers, and play this week's Music Memoirs Top Five!

It's all about the moon! And there are so many moon songs out there!

Top 5 "moon" songs

The first one is my very favorite:

Penumbra Moon - Justin Hayward

Which can be found on this CD



This is Justin Hayward being totally lovable and cheesy. I adore this album for just that reason.

Here Comes The Moon - George Harrison

Which is his answer to Here Comes The Sun, it appears on his self titled solo album from 1979, if my memory serves me well



This is one of Harrison's best solo records. I generally have a preferrance for his work during the dark horse years, but really all albums considered, this one is worth having.

Moonlight Shadow - Annie Haslam

This is an absolutely beautiful song written by Mike Oldfield. Of all the versions of this song I've heard, I like Annie's best.

Sadly the album is out of print and you have to hunt it down on EBay or Half.com.

It's also the album that contains Justin Hayward's The Angels Cry.

Mr. Moonlight - The Beatles

My first album was The Beatles '65 and this song was on it. The UK album was Beatles For Sale.



This is probably The Beatles CD closest to my heart.

As Long As The Moon Can Shine - Justin Hayward



It's funny that both of the songs I picked by Justin Hayward weren't written by him, but I love them both. It's most likely his voice that makes them so endearing and so wonderful. If you can get your hands on a copy of Classic Blue, it's really worth your money.

Honorable Mentions go to Diana Krall and Tierney Sutton for their renditions of Fly Me To The Moon, CCR's Bad Moon Rising, Duran Duran's New Moon On Monday and of course, The Moody Blues' Under Moonshine

Now it's time for the August Challenge.

What's another thing that's brought me happiness?

Well if you haven't guessed music, well, you don't know me very well!

B-I-T-C-H

I have a bad case of the crankies and even the hunks that surface on hump day aren't making it better

Not even him:



and more surprisingly not even him:



A few reasons why I'm so cranky....

1. I'm not built to endure extremes in temperature. If I wanted to live somewhere where the temperature exceeded 90 degrees, I would have moved to Florida or Texas or somewhere else in the realm of the Red States.

2. I don't think I forgot to mention that the part for Bernie the Beretta was more expensive than I was quoted and now I have no money for the rest of the week. Thank God payday is tomorrow! (Only it has to go to pay bills)

3. Cincinnati is looking like it's going to happen, which shouldn't be something to make me cranky, but crikey! The whole Fall 2005 Tour schedule has just pissed me off beyond belief. I'd like to kick some serious Moody Blues butt. Who can I kick first? I'll start with band members and save the serious kicking for the idiot who arranges their tours.

Why can't these guys tour like normal bands?

No, I don't want an answer to that, it might scare me.

4. My job, that I kinda like is making me nuts. Why? Because our business was sold, but I was told I was keeping my job and kinda of getting a promotion. Truth be told, I don't have good feelings about this. Everything has been too hush hush and now the day for the new owners to take over has come and gone and nothing has happened. So I have to say, I'm visiting the classified more often than I was a few weeks ago.

5. Speaking of jobs and things that make me cranky, my other boss from that weird job I worked at for 2 years on again off again, just called. WTF? He had disappeared for a month, leaving me in the lurch and now he's trying to get in touch with me?

No, I didn't answer. He doesn't owe me money this time, so I'm not answering just yet. I don't need that kind of aggravation in my life.

God, I need to go to my happy place!

Speaking of happy places..I'll stop bitching for a few moments to do the August challenge:

My happiness today is Atlantic City. I'm not saying I don't like to gamble but there are so many other things to do there, that gambling is secondary. Such a beautiful city...with a beautiful boardwalk and ocean to keep me amused for days and days and days.

Oh it also has my favorite casino!

Getting over the hump

~ Remember Bernie, my car that was getting fixed? Well, it was supposed to be a $30.00 dollar job. I say supposed to because when it was finished it ended up being $110.00! ARGH! I would now like to kick my car!

~ This weekend we're going to try to go the Palace of Gold, which is near Wheeling. I can't believe something like that was built in West Virginia. I fully intend to take lots of pictures.

~ Today I'm going to Trax Frams. It's an absolutely gorgeous country store type place. Yes, my camera is coming with me, just in case there's something that I just have to take a picture of. (Like a peach or a jar of salsa!)

~ It's hump the hunk day! (I only wish!) And as always I have to find pictures of my hunks to share with you.



This is one of my sister's pictures of the Hunk Hayward

~ Now it's time for the August Challenge:

Wheeling Island has brought me happiness this year. It hasn't brought me any money! Damn those slot machines for being more like video games than money dispensers! But it has also brought me the endless joy that only a place with chocolate fountains can!!

Tuesday Stuff

~ My car is finally out at the ole fix it shop getting the turn signal sensor put on! Woot for that! I might be able to drive Bernie without worry by the end of the day.

~ Still pondering going to Cincinnati in October. I really wish the Moodies wouldn't have crept this close this tour, so I wouldn't have these kinds of decisions to make. It's a given that I'd sell off family members to go. It's just really a case of what I really should do, which is save my damn money.

~ Thanks to a friend on LiveJournal I've discovered a live version of the song The Phantom of the Opera done by Heather Nova and Midge Ure. I think I've died and gone to heaven. Now if only Justin Hayward would sing Music Of The Night!

~ Tonight's the Duran Duran concert that I'm not attending. I was doing so well trying to forget this, until I looked at the magazine section of today's paper! Grrrr! Have I not mentioned that I love Duran Duran. And no, my musical taste doesn't make any sense!!

Now it's time for Take Me Back Tuesday

1. Name three songs with numbers in the title.
One - Three Dog Night
Apollo 9 - Adam Ant
One More Time To Live - The Moody Blues

2. Name three groups or artists with numbers in their names.
Matchbox Twenty
5th Dimension
10,000 Maniacs

3. Name three albums with numbers in the titles.

Duran Duran - 7 and the Ragged Tiger



Nick Lowe - 16 All Time Lowe's (Very Punny Nick!!)



Traveling Wilbury's - Volume 1



And lastly, today's happiness for the August challenge

The Moody Blues have brought me lots of happiness! Especially this year!

26 Things

I finished the July installment of 26 Things.

These photo scavanger hunts are never easy. I'm just glad I had so many photos from vacation to use this month.

So go on over to my photoblog and take a look at my interpretation of this list.

discarded
sunday
sleep
round
light up
important
profile
unkept
impressive
layers
eat
celebrate
clear
baby
six
stamp
faux
photographer
publication
storage
floppy
parking sign
entertainment
mixed bag
aged
down the street

And So This Is August

WTF! Where did July go? Where did my vacation go? Where did my Moody Blues concerts go? Where did my summer go? Why isn't there more?

I'm still pondering another Moody Blues concert. It seems Cincinnati might not be such a hard thing, except it's on a Saturday and it requires juggling my work schedule as well as my sister's. (Because I'm her Lord and Master and if I say we're going to see the Moodies, she must listen)

Ehem.

I doubt we're going to see the Moodies. Even though it's only a 4.5 hour drive.

I really need to focus on something else.

Like the fact that this is August and the year is already half gone and my job situation is still unchanged. (And it should be changing very soon, damn it!)

Karen posted a suggestion that just might help me on her blog, which she found from someone else's blog and so on and so on...so here it is.

The challenge: every day in August, blog at least one thing that has brought happiness to you

Oh that's easy!



Elvis has brought happiness to me many times. The last time he brought me happiness it was in the form of a hug. Mmmmm Elvis hugs are always happiness bringers.

There now, that made me feel a little better, but I still want to know what happened to July!