Winter Wonderland

                                      Source: ngm.nationalgeographic.com via Nicole on Pinterest

So, our mild winter in NY has been nice but elsewhere, it seems, winter has hit with a vengeance.  I remember reading several weeks ago about people ice skating on the canals in Amsterdam.  The above photo is from the National Geographic website and was taken in Versoix, Switzerland.  Apparently, it has been so cold and so windy that ice has formed on all the structures. The best are the trees where the ice seems to form free-flowing sculptures.  It's pretty amazing and quite beautiful.

How Fast Has February Flown!

                                                                            Source: camillestyles.com via Nicole on Pinterest

Can you believe how fast February has come and almost gone?  Today is the 26th and so February prepares to wind down.  It has hosted Mardi Gras, the Oscars (tonight) and it's even a leap year!  Wow.  All this fun stuff and I feel like I've worked and slept my way through.

In other news, work continues to hum right along.  We've transitioned quite nicely (well, maybe not as smoothly as I'd like to portray) into hockey from football.  I was all excited to receive my health insurance card, dental card and prescription card.  Holy smokes.  Life as a staffer!  It's been close to13 or 14 years since I've had company provided benefits.  It's all I can do not to go visit every doctor that I'm allowed to!  OK, I'm not that giddy, but close.

After last year's 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge, I'm taking it slow but I thought I'd mention that I just started The Night Circus.  I've been scouting out the library forever and suddenly this week, three copies popped up.  I'll let you know how I like it.

Spring 2012 - Kind of a Fashion-y Post....Kind of Not...

Vogue Gallery

It's been a cool, damp and dreary few days here but spring is on the way!  I know this because Fashion Week has descended on Manhattan; all the latest and greatest of NEXT FALL's fashions are being shown.  Yes, I'm so behind but I can't help it.  I'm looking forward to spring, sunshine, a just a few less layers. Today, while all the blinds were open flooding my apartment with sunshine, I heard birds tweeting and noticed buds on the tree limbs outside the window.  It has been a mild winter (and I love winter and the cold) but I cannot wait for more sunshine, longer days, more fresh veggies at the market...sigh.

So while reading all about Fall / Winter 2012 I decided to look at Spring!  Get some inspiration!  True, I cannot afford Phillip Lim (above) but I can dream about flowy, chartreuse pants and lavender tops.  I can also dream about one day being tan, even though everyone knows that will never happen. I'm decidedly pail and have no desire to burn or get skin cancer.  Sorry, that's just how it is.

Spring...bring it on!

February is Almost Gone!

And I've barely posted.  For that matter, I've been a bad blogger and have not posted much this year.  I guess you can say that work has me burnt out right now.  Thank heaven for a holiday on Monday and a longer weekend.  Seeing as it's the first weekend off in ages, it will seem extra long! Yay!

So upon my return from Indianapolis, my sofa arrived.  Oh, it is a thing of beauty...and comfort! After years of not having real, big girl furniture, I'm on a roll.

It's a lovely natural linen and it's firm but cushy, all at once. It's comfortable to sit on, to lie on, to wallow with a glass of wine while watching TV...all of which I've not really done much of as I've not been around much since it was delivered.  But I have plans!  Big plans full of a few bright and color throw pillows.

I also ordered a rug from Gilt Home and can't wait for it to be delivered.  I believe the Pixie Palace will begin to take shape this year.  I'm not going to rush it, I want to buy only the things that I really love, even if it means waiting.

In the meantime, I'm feeling a bit "hoarder"-ish as I wait for someone to take my old futon off my hands and out of my apartment.  There's hardly room to walk and it must go!  Freecycle seems to be a bust, people want it but they don't want to lug it down from a third floor walk up.  Next up, I will try and see if Goodwill will pick it up.

Weeeeeeeee

Zipline at the fan experience in Indianapolis.

Today, the Super Bowl Host Committee walked over for us to take a look at the zipline as we'll have an on-air person riding it Sunday in the pre-game show.  He asked if we'd like to take a ride as it was Media Day and we all jumped at the chance.  Pretty-flippin-awesome!

Once I was all snug in my harness and helmet, I climbed and climbed and CLIMBED until someone grabbed, locked me in and gave me a push.  Well, not really...they didn't push me, they talked me over the very edge, I squatted down because for some reason I thought THAT would make it better and then picked up my feet.

Next thing you know, I'm like Maxwell the pig, weeeeeee-ing my way over Indianapolis.

Lucas Oil Stadium from the inside.  Pretty cool.

A Winter's Day

                                     Source: shellsonthebeach.tumblr.com via Joni on Pinterest

Ah, yes, winter. This is how I spent my day, hot tea and a few books and magazines while catching up on the laundry and doing some dusting here and there.  A weekday off every now and then is a wonderful thing; it feels more relaxing than a weekend off.  Right now I'm happy about quite a few things...

• My sofa is due to arrive next month.
• I broke out the good stuff and made real hot chocolate (no foil packets).
• Laundry in my building! No more walking a few blocks on cold and rainy days.
• Wool socks that I discovered while cleaning out the dresser.
• New Lucky Brand jeans that are capri length (ankle on me).
• Last night's episode of Downton Abbey.

Can you believe that January is close to being over? Done? Caput? Wow. Before you know it, it'll be February. Then spring.  It's not really been a very bad winter so far, not much snow, very little rain and only recently has it really been cold.  Let's hope summer is as mild.

Hello Duckies!

                                                                              Source: ariannabelle.com via keely on Pinterest

Wow.  Once again, I've been MIA.  We're down to the final push before everyone and everything heads out to Indianapolis for the Super Bowl. The logistics are mind boggling:  over 160 phone lines across five venues, mobile units, generators, up-link trucks, sets, tape stock, cameras, merchandise...all converging on Lucas Oil Stadium in the next few days.

I saw the above photo on Pinterest and I just liked it. Maybe because I'm finally thinking about decorating my place (the sofa is to be shipped February 6th).  Rugs, lamps, paint, decor.  It's all mine and I can do whatever I want to it!  That's nice after years and years of rentals.

At night I fall asleep perusing old issues of House Beautiful.  However, this has the unfortunate effect of too many ideas for too little space. :)  What color should I paint? What color scheme for a rug and throw pillows?  I do love color so I have to reign it in a bit, focus so to speak.

In other good news, after 11+ years as a perma-lancer, I will be made staff in February!  Hello health insurance and 401k and all those other things that grown-ups have!  It's all very exciting.

And finally, my poor Tigers were shut out in the BCS Championship and the Saints lost to the 49'ers this past weekend so it's been a sad sports month for the state of Louisiana.  I promised my 'Bama fan friends in co-workers that I would do this, so if you can't beat 'em, join 'em (at least until next football season):  Roll Tide (and Geaux Tigers!).   ;)

52 Weeks, 52 Books: Week 51

Oh my, I'm late.  I did read the book on time, however, posting here has been problematic.  I spent Christmas in Green Bay for work, flew home and worked the Giants game and just returned from New Orleans after the Wildcard game.  Life and work has been busy but ending the season in New Orleans was amazing.  The Saints won, I ate King's Cake, saw Cowboy Mouth play while on my lunch break and a whole other slew of fun things between work hours.

And so the last book of last year was Borrower of the Night by Elizabeth Peters, the first in the Vicky Bliss series.

I had not read this one before, which is hard to believe as I thought I'd read all of Elizabeth Peters' books.  Sir John Smythe is not in this book or if he is, he was not revealed to the reader as such.  Vicky sets out to find a statue and in doing so tries to beat her co-worker and sort of boyfriend to it.  We meet Herr Schmidt in this book as he's looking for the treasure as well.  It ends nicely with the statue found and Schmidt offering a job to Vicky and thus her move to Germany.

Whew!  52 books in 52 weeks.  It was fun but I don't think I'll be doing that again.

Also, Happy New Year! (Also a bit late.)

And finally I'll end with the most exciting thing to happen in January will happen tonight.  BCS Championship game in New Orleans.

GEAUX TIGERS!!  BEAT BAMA!!!

52 Weeks, 52 Books: Week 51

Week 51! The end is in sight.  This week's book is Skeleton Letters by Laura Childs.

I do like the Tea Shop series a bit more than these but it was a pretty quick and very easy read. Which is exactly what I needed this close to the end of the year and during the holiday season. Woman is murdered in a church in what appears to be a robbery gone wrong.  Many suspects, few valid motives...but of course it all works out in the end.

Speaking of...Merry Christmas to you and yours.  It's been an unusual Christmas, if I do say so myself. I've not really had a traditional Christmas in many years.  Working in television pretty much guarantees that you won't and since moving so far away from the family it's been even less so. But this year I'm in Green Bay and am spending the holiday with my work / road family...all 120 or so of them.