Zach Finds His Rhythm

This weekend Sara and I traveled to Lancaster, Ohio to be a part of my great friend Zach Levy's graduation party. Zach earned his BFA from the University of Ohio with a major in Biology. Although some of his final exams were pretty hairy, he powered his way through them all and finished strong with his name on the Dean's List.

His whole family made the trek out to their home for two fabulous dinners expertly hosted from his wife Susan as well as a great lunch from Susan's parents on Saturday. The event was topped off by an incredible gift from his family of a Martin Co guitar which sounded as
beautiful as it looked.

Zach and Susan have both grabbed new jobs as teachers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where they will be moving this summer with their two dogs Nigel (a four year old Black lab) and Ruby (a one year old Yellow Lab). With some luck we will be able to see them again soon and
soak up some sun in the process.

Great job, Zach. You proved just how dedicated you were to doing well and showed us all how you could excel in the face of difficultly. We are all really proud of you.

Back by Popular Demand AGAIN

Since Rowley's arrival, we haven't been doing the best job updating the blog. One thing we have been doing is taking plenty of candids of our 4-Legged Friend. Before to many more questions come our way regarding why we haven't posted any photos, we thought it would be best to share them. Enjoy the slide show below.

Rowley May, 30 2008

Back by Popular Demand

Since many of you have asked to see more photos of Rowley, we thought we ought to post some now considering how quickly she has been growing. If you click on the small photo below, you will be able to see a new portfolio of her and her mighty, mighty paws.

Rowley 12 - 13 Weeks

Standing Tall

We were a little caught off guard when Rowley's ears started standing on their own. The kennel told us they would be standing tall by 6 mo. It being the beginning of her 11th week, she seems to be ahead of schedule. We have included our second slide show of Rowley below. Please click on the thumbnail to view the album. More photos to come soon.

Rowley: 10 - 11 Weeks Old

The Bark

Rowley just got her first piece of mail today! Paul and Sheila were kind enough to send a funky magazine we have yet to stumbled upon, called The Bark, our way. Once Rowley drifts off to sleep I can't wait to spend some time flipping through the pages. I'm already in love with some of the funky dog beds pictured on the inside cover! Maybe we could figure out a way to make a Popsicle Pants Parker dog bed in our free time! We will keep our fingers crossed. Thanks Paul and Sheila. Rowley loved the surprise!

Congratulations Mom!

This week couldn't have been better.

After much anticipation Mom sold and bought a house! We couldn't be more pleased for her.

Although it is strange saying goodbye to the house I grew-up in, I'm so excited for Mom. She has found an amazing place in Medfield that she gets to build a condo from scratch.

Hopefully I can repay her for looking through all those wedding magazines a few years ago by looking through architecture and interior design magazine in the months to come. It looks as if this spring and summer will be busy since she moves at the end of August.

Congratulations Mom!

Rowley's Arrival

Rowley has arrived! After much work "dog-proofing" our house (the place hasn't been this clean since we moved in), purchasing crates, toys, and treats we were ready to head to Maine to pick-up our new pup.

Last weekend we made the trip to Warren, Maine for the newest member of our family. It's hard to believe we have had this little German Shepard for a week. We swear she has already grown. Fortunately, she has started to sleep though the night. It took us a while getting use to waking up every 2 hours at night to let her out -- sleep is something we haven't had much of until trading off who looks after her this weekend. Managing on a few hours of shut-eye each day is the least of our troubles considering how rewarding every other minute is with her by our side.

Fortunately, Rowley doesn't mind us sticking a camera in her face. We'll try our hardest not to post too many photos of her -- it's not easy considering how cute she is!

Here is the first of many slide shows: (Click on the thumbnail below to start the slide show).

Rowley
March 22 - 29 2008

Rowley's Arrival

And the Winner is...Emily

Every Easter my Mom's side of the family has their annual Egg Crack. I have no idea how the tradition started, but we have been keeping the tradition alive with success. Since explaining how the Egg Crack works would take up much of your patience anyone interested in learning more should send $3.00 to the address below. Please allow 12-16 weeks for delivery.

This year Emily won the egg crack (a first in 26 years). Emily's winning egg (aka "The Crusher") pummelled the competition -- the sweet looking teddy bear/bunny rabbit painted facade won't fool us again next year. This couldn't be a better surprise for all since Easter happens to be her favorite holiday and she traveled the furthest to be there.

Here are a few images from the exciting afternoon.

Welcome Home Emily!

Welcome home Emily! I'm not exactly sure when Emily, my Mom, and I just took a little time to hang out together. Since Emily is home for Easter Mom and her decided to stop by for an impromptu visit. It's been good to hear how her classes are progressing. Fortunately, Jay was able to sneak a camera and snap a casual photo of all of us. I believe that last time a candid group shot was taken of all of us together Emily and I must have been in grade school. Although none of us like having our photo taken, it's nice to finally have a recent image of all of us together.

Back from the Bahamas

I just returned from a wonderful and restful vacation with my Mom, my aunt Anne, and cousin Victoria. Mom was kind enough to invite me to travel to the Bahamas with the rest of the crew for 8 days. The weather was a much needed change from the bitter cold. Nothing beats lying in the sun all day, not having to cook one meal, and of course time with your family. Mom, thank you for a wonderful trip. I love you.

Husband of the Year

After much procrastinating, today was the day to pack for the Bahamas. My Mom has been kind enough to invite me along with the girls (my Aunt Anne and cousin Victoria) for a week in the sun.

The most dreaded part of preparing for a last minute trip to the sun, has to be trying on last year's bikinis. I confronted my fears late last night and instantly had plans for today -- find at least 2 bikinis. After 5 hours and 7 stores later the mission was complete.

Not being a fan of shopping, especially when hunting for necessities needed the next day (it seems to be a common occurrence for me), I was so pleased when Jay offered to spend the day with me. I don't know how he managed to withstand dressing room after dressing room. If there is a husband of the year award drifting out there it has his name on it.

The day wouldn't have been the same without him. Between watching him pull out the most absurd outfits for himself at Filene's Basement and then finding a smile still on his face after I returned from 45 minutes of trying on different suits (I managed to snag 13 - 15 different bikinis at once -- I was desperate) he couldn't have amazed me more.

Jay, I don't know where I found you...but thank you for making the day a blast. I promise you won't have to return to any of those stores again soon -- you know I'm not in any rush. I love you.

Mark Jenkins: Street Installations

I know very little about installation artist, Mark Jenkins. After recently coming across some of his work, I couldn't resist sharing it. All of the photos I've included of his pieces were displayed in one of three locations: Washington, DC, LA, or NYC in 2006 or 2007. Since some of you live in these areas, please let us know if you have seen any of his work or have any additional information about him (as of now his website doesn't include a bio). If you are as intrigued by the photos of his work (he kindly let me "borrow" them from his website -- not exactly-- but hopefully he won't mind the free publicity) check out the other projects he is working on.

Here Comes Hiroko

Last year we asked our friend, Gary Demercurio, for some pictures of the dog he rescued - Hiroko - a very young and very adorable Akita. Hiroko (generous child in Japanese) and Gary lived for a few months together in their North End apartment seeing the sites and selectively marking their own territories. Then Gary took a job in Connecticut at Sikorski, the helicopter manufacturer. Now they have plenty of room to lounge about suburbia. It only took about a few hundred days to get Gary to send us some photos of Hiroko but we've finally got them to share. Hopefully he'll keep us updated with more photos before the next leap year returns.

What Did You Stumble Upon?

Before I begin let me just say I'm sure I'm behind in the times. One of my co-workers sent me a link from a site search website (I'm sure there is a more technical term some one has derived) that I thought was worth sharing. If you haven't taken some time roaming through StumbleUpon give it a whirl. The site is the equivalent of an "Intellectual YouTube." Don't let my typecasting make you run away. It really is worth taking some time to stumble through.

Here is just one site you may find among the millions: (remember, we went to Art School)

Living My Life Faster: Oct. 1, 1998-2006
8 Years of JK's
Daily Photo Project
(yes, it is suppose to open in YouTube)

Lensbabies

If you haven't tried using one of Lensbabies selective focus SLR lenses and are struggling from "artist's block" this may be the solution for you. Just the way the 3G lens is constructive becomes a conversation piece -- my description won't do it justice (check out Lensbabies website if you are curious. You will also find some interesting portfolios of work). After years behind a view camera, having the option to experiment with a lens "with bellows" recently was a blast. I look forward to the next time I'm able to look at the world from a baby's perspective -- that might be a bit too extreme, but I'll roll with the thought for now.

Willow 2000 - 2008

When it rains it pours. At least that seems to be the best way to explain the current absence of any 4 legged friends living at 59 Winthrop Street.

On Monday, we decided to put Willow down. Although we are still recovering from Sydney leaving us, Willow's unpredictable behavior was getting too risky for us or guests to be around. While he may have been missing a few marbles, it doesn't make it easy to say goodbye. Fortunately, I was able to take a good number of photos of the little guy this weekend. He certainly was a gorgeous cat. I loved his slate blue/gray coat and bright yellow eyes. Thankfully, he always was a good model.

1Ds Mark II

After my digital camera broke this summer, we have been saving our pennies for a new/used camera. While working through this situation, I've been using the school's Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi. The time and energy I have been taking trying to salvage what I have shot has worn me out.

This past weekend I had to shoot the school's annual silent auction. Since I knew the event would require 5 hours of shooting in a poorly lit gym full of too many people to count huddled over cocktails and dancing, I decided to treat myself to a new camera and lenses -- at least for the weekend. For the first time I was able to rent one of Canon's "high end" digital camera's. Their 1Ds Mark II (now replaced by a newer model) was enough to convince me that I was still a competent photographer. The 3 lenses I got my hands on made the situation all the more better.

Aside from driving home in the snow Saturday morning, enjoying dinner at 2:00 am, being exhausted the next day, and feeling as if I had lifted weights all day (the camera, lenses, and flash weighed approximately 6 pounds); I fell in love with a digital camera -- something I never thought I would ever say. Never say never...

Bezanson's Bakery

When Nicole sent us this photo of a cake she recently made for a friend's baby shower we were amazed. The combination of colors, polka-dots, and of course the green baby carriage couldn't have looked more like the invitation to the event (pictured next to the cake). We are just waiting to see what Nicole pulls off next in the kitchen. Since her whoopee pies are to die for, we know anything she bakes will have us coming back for more. No matter what sweets enter the scene next we are always willing to be on call as taste testers!

Cell Phone Trivia

How much do you know about your cell phone? I learned a thing or two today about the many advantages to having a cell phone after receiving an email from a co-worker outlining 5 things any cell phone owner may find useful. I couldn't resist sharing this list. We are still testing #2 on

the list. Please let us know if you get any results!

#1 Emergency Phone Number

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of
the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and
the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number
for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is
locked. Try it out.

#2 Have you locked your keys in the car?

Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good
reason to own a cell phone. If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys
are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold
your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home
press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car
will unlock. This will save someone from having to drive your keys to you.
Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach
someone who has the other 'remote' for your car, you can unlock the doors (or
the trunk).

#3 Hidden Battery Power

Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys: *3370# Your
cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase
in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.

#4 How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?

To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your
phone: *#06# (or on a Treo or Smartphone, while at the Dial Pad, press the Menu
Button and the letter "I"). A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This
number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When
your phone gets stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this
code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes
the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your
phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it
either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing
mobile phones.

#5 Free Directory Service for Cells

Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information
calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in
our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to
use the 411 information option, simply dial: 800-FREE-411 (800- 373-3411)
without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.
(Yellow Pages is also FREE 800-935-5697).

Sukee Kennels

After we had to say goodbye to Sydney, Jay and I were eager to find a kennel that may have a litter of German Shepherds available this spring or summer. As luck would have it Sukee Kennels in Warren, Maine has a litter of shepherds that will be looking for new homes on March 22nd.

After doing some research, we decided to put down a deposit for one of their puppies. It looks as if we will be heading to Warren on the 22nd to pick-up our new female puppy -- we have decided to name her Rowley.

Today Sukee Kennels sent us these photos of the litter. Since the "interviewing" process is fairly complicated we have yet to be "assigned" a particular puppy. Even though we don't know what puppy pictured below will be ours we had to give you a sneak peak.

Happy Birthday Jason!

Happy Birthday Jay! I couldn't resist posting this photo of Jay in honor of his 29th birthday. I'm not sure exactly how old Jay may have been when this photo was taken on Belmont Street (6 or 7?) -- hopefully someone will fill us in this week. One thing is for sure -- I've never seen a more stylish baseball player/rock star/string-bean as him!

Newburyport, MA

Today Julie was gracious to toss me the keys to her Audi A4 when we headed out to lunch in Newburyport, MA with my Father and Sheila. Julie, Sara, and I grabbed a sweet parking spot on Main Street and strolled down to Not Your Average Joe’s for some delicious grub and much needed laughs.

Sheila surprised us with some hilarious cupcakes that will probably create much ado upon my upcoming trip to the dentist. And for the non-sweets section – a plethora of Rao's pasta sauce – she truly knows the way to my heart.

It was a little too cold to leisurely wander the incredible downtown area but we hope to return this summer for some walk about time.

Sheila and Dad, thank you so much for taking us out for a great time and cheering me on into my 29th birthday.

Chuggington

As most of you know, Jay has been busy creating storyboards for a new animated series geared towards pre-schoolers called Chuggington. Although we won't be able to see any of the fifty-two 10 minute episodes until 2009, at least the Chuggington homepage is jam packed with information. I love the promotional animation they included. If you're interested in learning what all those trains Jay speaks of look like and do check out the site.