5th picture from the end

I found this at Boys Rule My Life and thought it was cute. There's one of two things to do. Either pick the 5th picture from the end of your March 2008 folder, or if you don't have one, then your 10th folder. THIS is my 5th picture from the end of my 10th folder (which was taken on April 17, 2005)



It's a bad picture taken of me on a swing! :-)

Following the crowd

I realize there's a slew of spring pictures around these days, and as much as I was refusing to post one, I just love tree buds....



So I'm one of the crowd again. :-) I really don't try to be and I never was a "cool" kid in school. Yet somehow, I seem to do what everyone else is doing. Well, maybe I do or maybe I don't. I'm rambling this morning, don't mind me....

Now I know my ABCs

I placed an order for pick up at a local seafood placed called Land 'N' Sea. It was around 5:45 on a Friday afternoon, so naturally, the place was "a**hole to bellybutton" (as my father likes to say). II know it's going to be busy, so that's why I call ahead. The first couple of times I call, the line is busy. When it finally starts ringing, it takes a good 8 rings before someone picks up. I place my order, repeat myself a couple of times because it's ridiculously busy there and I'm talking on a cell phone headset (and we all know how reliable those are!) When she asks for my name, I say Kim. She repeats, Tim?

I'm used to this. I have a brother named Tim. Actually, his name is Timmy, and my name is Kimberly. Family wise, this is how we were always called. That is, until I started school, and people started calling me Kimmy. From then on, whenever friends would call for one of us, half the time the wrong person would get the phone. If it was a boy calling, my mother naturally assumed that it was for Timmy. Not always the case. Usually it would be Timmy realizing that he didn't know the kid on the other end and get me.

So for some reason, when the Land N Sea girl repeats Tim, I say, "Kim, K as in Kat."

I'm smart.

Who would even think?

To put hot ashes in a recycle bin?

Some random pictures

Seaweed on rocks

Old train tracks

Ground train tracks!

Going to the Bruins game!

Car Friends

Extreme wind

Blurry full moon

Cactus close up

Bored at work

Very bored at work!

Just a little difference

Flash:

No flash

The light is one of my camera batteries charging. You can't even tell it's on in the first one. I really like using no flash, but I can never get my subjects in focus. I really want a DSLR, but currently do not have the funds. That would help me to get a nice fast lens that would allow as much light in as possible. Oh well, I'll get it eventually!

One picture

Three different camera settings:

"Snapshot"

"Dusk/Dawn"

"Sunset"

It was sunset at the time. I'm not sure which one I like better.

Olive Garden

Villapardo and I love the Olive Garden. The breadsticks....ohh, the breadsticks...........hmm? What was that? Oh yeah, right sorry.

Leaving those deliciously warm, cheesy and salty breadsticks alone, dining there has always been an experience. Whether it be from a waitress who really didn't want to be there and stared at us for those extra two seconds too long, or the time we received frozen tiramisu for dessert. Regardless of the way we got the food, it was always incredibly delicious and warm (well, except for the tiramisu.....) and fast.

So we decided to risk it, and dine there today. It started off innocently enough. It was a very rainy Saturday afternoon, and what better to do on a day like that but got out to eat? A lot of people thought the same way we did and when we got there, I thought we were going to have to wait a while, since there were so many people. However, we were told ten or fifteen minutes. Awesome, not bad at all. So after around 15 minutes, our little buzzer thing starts buzzing. I heard it buzzing from Villapardo's jacket pocket. Now, I usually have horrible hearing, but I guess
A) I was really hungry,
B) I randomly hear vibrating objects (like cell phones, silly!)
C) Villapardo has a very thick jacket and can't feel buzzing.
We head into the building and give the she-male greeter our buzzer (seriously, we didn't know if it was a girl or a boy). S/he tells us to stand in the hall, someone will seat us shortly. We get into a heated conversation (about the people I work with) and realize that we've been standing there for 10 more minutes, and they've taken a good 5 other people in. Villa checks in at the desk and "oops", I thought you were seated already." No matter though, since we were taken in right after that.

We get to our table and our waiter comes over and asks us if we want something to drink. I order a water with lemon (my staple drink. Boring, I know) and Vill orders a Sam Adams White Ale. Waiter (Jose) doesn't know if they have it, but will check. He comes back a few minutes later and tells Vill that they have Sam Seasonal, but not sure what kind. Whatever. Jose comes back 10 minutes later with our drinks, mine, minus the lemon. I ask him if I could have a lemon (I'm usually not picky, and will NOT ask for something that has been forgotten, but I really wanted the lemon!) He comes back after a bit with our appetizer and a cup of limes. Vill and I share a look, Jose sees it and asks what's wrong. I said " I wanted lemons."

"What, the yellow ones?"

*Scratches head* Yes.

"OK, I'll be back"

............

Now, I don't know about you, but how do you NOT know what a lemon is? Has your lemonade been green?

Anyway. At this point, it's still not bad. It gets worse. Jose comes back with my lemons, and we ask if our meals come with a salad. He says "yes", we say, "great! Can we get it with no onions? "
"No onions?" he repeats?
"Right"

Vill and I always do this. Or rather, always want to do this, but always forget to ask for the no onions. So being very happy that we finally remember to ask for no onions, we forget about our waiter and lapse into conversation.

Jose comes back, waiting on us and another table. He puts the salad bowl onto the table, goes to his other table and walks away. We look and see. Oh. There are onions. Not wanting to create a fuss, we deal, pick out the onions and move on. Jose comes back, asks if we want more salad. Vill says "yes". (we really like food, no matter what kind. Except don't give me olives. or yogurt. or raisins in anything *shudders*). Apparently, the other table he was waiting on, we'll call this #2, also wanted more salad. So Jose again appears with two salad bowls. He puts down ours and specifically says,

"No onions, right?"

Way to go, Jose!

Jose leaves, Vill mixes the salad and realize that there's no dressing on it. Sigh.

Our meals and #2s meals come out at the same time. The server mixes up the tables, but it's quickly resolved.

Food is excellent! Jose comes and checks on us and Vill asks for a club soda, and he'll use the limes that are on the table.
10 minutes later Jose comes and checks on us again. Vill reminds him about the club soda.
Jose comes back 2 minutes later with the soda and a dish of lemons. Just in case, you know......

We finish dinner and of course, it's time for dessert. Yummy tiramisu time!! We order one tiramisu and two coffees.
We pray he gets the order right.
Jose comes back with two coffees and one tiramisu! Wahoo!
"Do you have any cream?"

"Oh, you want cream, too?"

Double sigh.

Cream arrives. Coffee is good (Vill thinks it's weak).
Check arrives.



It seems that young Jose got confused and started ringing #2's meals on our bill. We have two meals that are not ours added and then voided out on the check. We study it, everything adds up correctly. We pay.

We did call the manager up after we leave, just so she has a heads up on Jose. She basically told us that we should have said something before we left and she would have taken care of our tab. Nice to know.

Thank god the food is good!


(Sorry if the post is crazy and doesn't make sense. I kept having to stop and collect my thoughts about the experience, so this is basically a rough draft. Fresh out as I see it. :-) )

Kim needs...

I found this on someone's blog (Frabjous Days) and thought it was really cute. What you do is basically type your name followed by "needs"into Google and see the results. I took the first 10 from mine:

1. Kim Needs to Take Off the Gloves
but my hands get really cold!

2. Kim needs some Guinea pigs
...true, I guess

3. Kim Needs to Talk
Well if THAT one isn't true!

4. Kim needs to shut up
I thought I needed to talk! I'm so confused!!

5. Kim Needs Some Hints
For life or The Phantom Hourglass?

6. Kim needs to focus on her kid
well, I would if I had one!

7. Kim needs a stylist
but I liked the poofed up bang look!

8. Kim needs to be thanked
For getting rid of the poofed up bang look?

9. Kim needs to get over it
:-(

10. Kim Needs Your Attention
I'm done! :-)

I knew it was special

I remember driving to my old job, and marveling that right in the middle of this beautiful tree lined, suburban neighborhood, there was an office park. I realized that when my office closed, I probably wouldn't be treated to this natural beauty while a couple hundred yards away from work.
I miss being able to look out of the window in my office and see that. For those of you who don't know what it is, that's the Hood blimp. Hood is a major milk company here in the East Coast. I used to see that in the air during the summer. It's used to video tape Red Sox games and the Boston Fourth of July concert. My office park was situated right next to a municipal airport, and the Hood blimp would be there for a majority of the summer. Also during the day, local and national news helicopters would fly to the airport and fill up on gas and then whomp away again.


There was a good patch of grass and shrubbery ("you must bring me.....another shrubbery!") between my office parking lot and the airport. I'm one of those crazy people that park at the furthest possible spot, so I would park right next to the fence that separated the lot from the airport. There was so much wildlife in the area surrounding my car. Between birds and insects and squirrels to geese and cranes, it was unbelievable. I was coming out of work one day, and a family was in the parking lot, looking at the ground. Amazingly, they found newly hatched snap turtles crawling out of their holes!I am so glad I appreciated the environment around me while I was there. While I still have "trees" and grass at my new job, it's not the same atmosphere. It's all too sterile for my taste.

Median walking

I've recently noticed people walking down the road in the middle of the median strip. Do they just not want to finish walking across the street? Maybe it's just me, but I find that a bit odd.

On another note:

Food is yummy!

Caitlyn's 10 months old today!