Thursday, March 29, 2007

Finally this week, the heat returned to NY - yay! Today is a little chilly, but I'm starting to get that feeling in my gut; the same one that appeared when school was almost out for summer. OK I admit it - the same one I get when I hear DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Summertime ;-) I know come September I'll be praying for snow, but I'm just going to sit here a little longer and enjoy the tease that is Springtime in the City.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

It is 701 years today since one of the greatest Scottish warriors was crowned King of Scotland. I grew up in Dumfriesshire, famous for amongst other things, the cave where after suffering defeat, Robert the Bruce went into hiding in 1313. He spent three months living a solitary existence at a time when The Wars of Independence were at their bleakest for the Scots, While evading capture by Edward Longshanks the first of England. Whilst in the cave and at the depths of despair, King Robert happened to watch a spider attempting to build a web - the spider would spin then fall, get up and spin again and again relentlessly until it eventually made the web. This gave Robert heart and is reputed to be the birth of the saying - If at first you don't succeed try, try and try again. King Robert then went forth from the cave on Cove estate, raised an army and won the Historic Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 - even though he was outnumbered ten to one. He established his claim to the throne and thus the beginning of freedom for Scotland. This photo is of the beautiful Loch Linnhe. There's something amazing about the sunsets in Scotland, and they're even better while drinking a cocktail such as the Scottish Sunset! Mix 4oz OJ, 1/2 Orange liqueur, 1 oz coconut rum, 1 oz grenadine, 1 oz scotch, add slices of lime and orange, and enjoy.
I watched “300” on IMAX two weeks ago, with my good friend Dino, a real Spartan no less! Tonight, I watched it again. There’s something about Spartans and Highlanders , I relate - we are one. Warriors. I immediately recognized the lead actor as being Scottish. There was something about the way he said “down’ and ‘done”( and if your Scottish, you'll know what I mean) - it reminded me of my elder brother, Ross, who has lived in Paisley, Scotland for the past 14 years. As soon as I got home from watching the movie, I googled the lead, and found out that sure enough, he is Paisley-bred. I feel complete. Somehow being able to recognize your own, makes you feel “one” with it all. Some of the greatest movie quotes of all time are now part of the history of this film, - “Spartans, tonight, we dine in hell!”, - “Give them nothing! But take from them everything!”, “Then we will fight in the shade.”, and my personal favorite “Madness? This is Sparta!” You can use this everyday – if you can’t be on time – “I’M LATE? - >:-O THIS IS SPARTA!”, or “I FORGOT YOUR BIRTHDAY? – “>:-O THIS IS SPARTA”, I promise.. it will work. Oh and to all who are interested, I have three brothers who all bare a striking resemblance to Gerard Butler ;-)

Friday, March 23, 2007

And you thought today was just another day? Today in history : 1513 - Don Juan Ponce de Leon, a former governor of Puerto Rico, discovered Florida. He claimed the land for Spain; 1657 - France and England formed an alliance against Spain; 1794 - Josiah G. Pierson patented a rivet machine; 1808 - Napoleon's brother Joseph took the throne of Spain; 1836 - The coin press was invented by Franklin Beale; 1840-The first successful photo of the Moon was taken; 1857 - Elisha Otis installed the first modern passenger elevator in a public building. It was at the corner of Broome Street and Broadway in New York City; 1858 - Eleazer A. Gardner patented the cable streetcar; 1861 - London's first tramcars began operations; 1868-The University of California was founded in Oakland, CA; 1881 - The Boers and Britain signed a peace accord ending the first Boer war; 1889 - U.S. President Harrison opened Oklahoma for white colonization, 1901 - Dame Nellie Melba, revealed the secret of her now famous toast; 1903 - The Wright brothers obtained an airplane patent; 1909 - British Lt. Shackleton found the magnetic South Pole; 1912 - The Dixie Cup was invented; 1918 - Lithuania proclaimed independence; 1919 - Benito Mussolini founded his Fascist political movement in Milan, Italy; 1951 - U.S. paratroopers descended from flying boxcars in a surprise attack in Korea; 1957 - The U.S. Army sold the last of its homing pigeons; 1965 - America's first two-person space flight took off from Cape Kennedy with astronauts Virgil I. Grissom and John W. Young aboard. The craft was the Gemini 3; 1972 - Evel Knievel broke 93 bones after successfully jumping 35 cars; 1983 - U.S. President Reagan first proposed development of technology to intercept enemy missiles. The proposal became known as the Strategic Defense Initiative and "Star Wars; 1989 - A 1,000-foot diameter asteroid missed Earth by 500,000 miles; 1989 - Two electrochemists, Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischman, announced that they had created nuclear fusion in a test tube at room temperature. Wow, no ordinary day (according to www.on-this-day.com)

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Sometimes I feel so happy about my life that I squeal. Not even just inside, actually out loud. Frightening! I think it’s so important to find happiness in the small things. Things that happen everyday. Like when I see the woodpecker on the tree, or the possum at night. I even got excited about having two raccoons fighting in my garden earlier this week. In the middle of Brooklyn no less! Children are the easiest examples in the pursuit of everyday happiness. The way my 1 yr old daughter’s nose wrinkles when she grins. My 2yr old boy’s “joker” smile, ear to ear. My eldest daughters loud hearty laugh – I glow inside. The way the first extra dark Swiss chocolate truffle just melts, when it touches my tongue, and the fact that despite my addiction to the above I still have a body shaped like a fender. Then there’s the fact that after 3 years of marriage and two babies in two years - my husband still can’t keep his hands off me, not that I’d ever want to stop him. That’s another thing – the feeling of unbridled passion and a love so deep you feel it in every move he makes; every single time I catch a glimpse of him. Just now I am completely absorbed in my boutique. Planning color schemes, furniture, and searching for the perfect things to sell, is just so exciting. All in all, the kind of happiness I have right now gives me that sick feeling in my gut, that drives me on, and no matter what I’m dealt, I can handle it. I believe if everyone looks at the small things and takes pleasure in them, life can be sweeter. Pass it on.