Happy Halloween!

Gill the lovely blogger from Gills Jottings has awarded me this sweet treat!
The point of this treat is to pass them out to new, random visitors on your blog to make new friends. So in following these guidelines, I would love to pass the 'sweet treat' on to sweet Kimberly at Red Moon, Sweet Jen at Jens Humble Opinion and Sweet Deb at Jane Poe-Nevermore.
I've enjoyed sharing comments and emails with these new 'sweet' women and hope the friendships continue. Hope you will Check out their blogs because they are all intelligent and interesting. Thanks so much Gill! I enjoy your emails and comments and I love reading your witty, humorous blog. ( Anyone else... Please feel free to pass on the treat to your new visitors.)
Hope everyone has a sweet Halloween! I'm dressing up as a 50's waitress ( only 'cause I already have the dress) I guess I need to go buy some blue eyeshadow and lots of hairspray! If you're wearing a costume this year... Let me know who you will be!

haunted eve

Tip toe barefoot undaunted by the night
darkened house lit only by Angel-light
Dry needles tinsel on faux pads of white snow
Cling to tip toes tip toes as she creeps down real low

Haunted by whispered naughtiness, she should be asleep in bed
Shhhh! Haunted by inquisitiveness, she must first peep instead

Quiet as can be, embellished surprises get a gentle shake
rustling sounds of papers echo however others do not wake
Not quite believing nonetheless conceiving this evenings magical delight
Tip toes, toes cold, tips back under warm covers finally asleep till first light


*When I was a little girl I could never sleep on Christmas Eve.
I remember being haunted by guilt for my secretive spying.
That is what sprung to mind with writers islands appropriate halloween prompt...
My holiday is off, but hope you liked the poem anyway.
for more haunted thoughts visit
writers island

What dog are you?

What Breed of Dog Are You?

My Result: Chihuahua

No bones about it, you're an energetic, devoted Chihuahua. For your breed, size definitely doesn't matter. After all, sometimes the best things (diamonds, car keys, Godiva truffles) come in small packages. Honest and straightforward, you're never afraid to speak up for what you believe in, especially if it's a cause near and dear to your heart. Having such a passionate personality can come with a few drawbacks, though. You can be moody at times, and people often find it hard to live up to your high standards. But once you make a friend, it's for life. Saucy and intense, your energy and unfailing loyalty make you a great companion. Woof!

Take this test >

Hospital Clean

The Sunday Scribblings prompt this week is Hospital.
Many things come to mind...The stories of my children being born, our many emergency visits, going to visit my step-dad in the hospital and being told he had passed... yet I choose- how germaphobic I get when visiting a hospital. I don't know why this topic hits me, but it does. I am conscious of germs in most places. The sneezers & coughers who don't cover their mouths. Telephone receivers. The bottom of every purse. Hotel bedspreads and remotes. Those shopping cart handles! I am tempted to wear my disposable hair coloring gloves while food shopping. After I've visited any store, before I reach for my seatbelt, I pump my anti-bacterial gel which I keep in a giant bottle in my car-doors cup holder. ( small one in my purse)
When my kids were little, I would pack up their little healthy lunches and ALWAYS include an individually wrapped handi-nap. (Remember those?) My husband thought they would get beat up at recess for washing up before lunch!
But... Hospitals... oh my! I don't touch Anything in there. I open doors with my shirt sleeve, and push it further with my foot. I use my elbow in ways god never intended us to. ( It's amazing how flexible our elbows are, mine can turn the paper towel dispensers handle! )
It's true what they say... muscle has memory, from my past years of doing kickboxing... I can balance on one foot while I either open or close a toilet seat lid and flush with my foot while in a round house position. (Sometimes quite a challenge in a teeny tiny stall). Those same muscles allow me to squat hovering over the germs for as long as eh eh hem it takes. Of course this beneficial technique is not limited to hospitals, but in hospitals... I stand on my toes first to get even further away from the porcelain de germs.
Okay... So now you aren't guessing anymore.. You are convinced I'm a wacko. It's okay. I'm aware that this all may be viewed as a little bit over the top. It is a fact however, that hospitals have more staff and bacterial infections than anywhere else! Too many times my boys have been in the ER. Broken bones and stitches seem to go hand and hand with boys. Too many times, I've been freaked out by how filthy this place is. Dried blood on my sons hospital bed and on the floor. People vomiting with only a curtain separating us from their airborne viruses. Splatters of Everything imaginable in the bathroom. It is a germaphobes nightmare! I truly think if you aren't sick when you go there, you will be when you leave. I think they should hand out plastic gloves and particle masks at the door.( If everyone wore those I wouldn't look like a nut wearing mine!)
Years ago, weren't hospitals known for cleanliness? Wasn't there even an expression "hospital clean"? I am happy to report my house is not hospital clean. When did this lack of cleanliness in hospitals happen? Probably the same time as HMOs.
There isn't enough time and money to hire enough people to keep hospitals "hospital clean". The last baby I had, it was my husband who had to empty my overflowing garbage bag everyday. Once I did see the janitor he and his big dirty gray mop. I think he was adding More germs to the filthy place. In my opinion, they should have Vats of bleach and have bus loads of janitors in those cdc space suits. Wouldn't you pay a little more for a clean hospital stay? I feel sorry for hospital workers who are exposed to these "super" germs daily. In general, I think our world is dirtier than it was when I was younger. This recent news of the deadly MRSA infectionis proof. ( notice steps 1& 2? How wacko am I? )
When I heard of an outbreak in a long Island school, I immediately told my son to bring home his gym clothes so I could wash them again. ( I know my family thought I was being a nut). The next day I received an email and a call from our district saying ALL kids should bring home their gym clothes and empty lockers. They are disinfecting the schools. ( How wacko am I? ) Many years ago I did substitute duty in the lunch room of an elementary school. After each lunch period I was handed a spray bottle and a few of those brown bathroom paper towels and told to wash down my 2 tables. I asked what was in the spray bottle. Do you know what they were cleaning those filthy germy tables with? WATER. NO Bleach. NO disinfectant. When I questioned this.. The head lunch lady said "The kids don't like the smell of the bleach" How wacko am I? after that I told my boys... If your food falls on the table... pretend it fell on the floor... Throw it away! There too... the same janitor the same dirty pail of water and gray mop. What can we do to make sure these essential institutions clean up their acts? What if we speak up when we think standards are substandard? Let's hear your views scribblers.... Hope a lot of you are wacko too.

* <3 Happy 27th Anniversary Honey <3

The stranger

We visit and chat and email this and that
Connections that bond us- we develop a fondness.
Share and confess as friendships progress
Comfort sets in, so we confide within... the web of others.
Ignoring indigenous warnings of our cautious mothers
Lions & Tigers & Bears- OH MY!
Virex & Norton & Spyware-WE BUY!
Implanted alarm -- peril, risk and monstrous dangers
by placing trust in the clutches of strangers.
Strangers! Don't talk to them. Don't give out information.
Yet in cyber space we invest in intimate conversation.
Exposed, genuine, authentic emotion with no regret
To invisible faces & places we've met on the internet
So why do we reach out, support and confide
To the strangers we've met in this web world wide?
Against raw instincts and knowledgeable advisers statistics
Because People believe in good people and are hopeful & optimistic.


read more about strangers at writers island

Lulu's Young Frankenstein Review

33 years ago, My then best friend Linda and I went to see the movie Young Frankenstein. We were 15 years old. We instantly fell in love with this film and HAD to see it again. The next day we asked our parents if we could pleeeaassseeee have money to go again. They thought that was wasteful and silly since we had just seen it. So, we rolled our eyes( as teenagers are known to do) and Instead we asked if we could go bowling. This began our winter of love for eh-eh-hem "bowling". Each weekend we asked for bowling money. Each weekend we were dropped off and picked up at the bowling alley, which was conveniently located next door to the movie theater! As soon as they would drive away, we would walk next door, buy our movie tickets and laugh for 106 minutes! We knew all the lines and spoke them constantly disregarding the chance that our parents may wonder... "How would you remember all that from seeing a movie One time?" Seems a bit naughty and disrespectful, but considering what other 15 year olds were lying about... This was innocent misbehaving. After many lying weekends... We were caught! when my friends father arrived early to bowl a few games with us.
With that history in mind, can you imagine my excitement and delight when I heard Mel was bringing my beloved childhood movie to life on the broadway stage?! We paid the exorbitant ticket price and went to see the play in previews last week for ironically my sons 15th birthday. 15 Seems to be the definitive age to be introduced to this story. When he wasn't laughing out loud, He was smiling real big!
We ALL were NOT disappointed! The show was hysterically funny. The sets were magically elaborate. The cast was exceptionally talented. The musical numbers were creative and brought another dimension to the kooky characters.
Megan Mullally( from Will and Grace) was perfectly cast as "Elizabeth". In the movie The role was played brilliantly by the talented Madeline Kahn. It's so sad that she passed away so young. In fact, Peter Boyle & Marty Feldman also passed away too young. This show is such a tribute to their memorable, acclaimed roles. Hearing the buzz of talking before and after the show, it was apparent that I wasn't the only one that had seen the film over and over. Everyone waited on their favorite lines...
Like ...walk this way, NO this way.. and Pardon me boy, Is this the transylvania station? WHAT HUMP?! One of my favorite parts was the spectacular performance of the monster doing- "Puttin on the Ritz"... That alone was worth the ticket price!
I was so happy to see my sons big smile the whole time we watched the play! It was a perfect outing for his birthday. If you have young kids just know that There were a lot of sexual innuendoes and I don't think it's appropriate for kids under 12. But for the young teen and the young at heart.... It was amazingly entertaining and nostalgically magical!
Puttin' on the Ritz (Peter Boyle and Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein) on Transbuddha

need a laugh?

I want to direct Everyone to one of the funniest posts I've ever read.... Please visit Mr. Myrtle Beached Whale... It's like visiting a top notch comedy club.....
Let me know what you think!

Queen Lucy the first

"My first act as Queen/ King of the World will be..."

Sunday Scribblings claims they are lightening things up this week with this prompt. I disagree! This seems like THE most serious prompt so far... I mean think of the possibilities! If I was given the power of a Queen and could implement an act that could change peoples lives.... Geeez ... It's staggering. Where does a queen begin? Immediately, I though I Must end world hunger... But.... With war raging on and lives being destroyed... I must first bring Peace to the world. Peace... made me think of terrorism and racism..... I must fight hatred in our world.... Then I thought of the world, We must save the planet... But save made me think of Children... We must Save our children and protect their rights. Children made me think of schools... We must bring quality education to everyone! Quality.... brought quality health care to mind.....Everyone should be entitled to being healthy. Everyone... made me think of our pets... We must open more shelters and take care of all animals. Animals... makes me think of criminals... We must have steeper penalties to discourage crime. Penalties.... made me think of taxes....I demand Lower taxes for every worker and home owner! Home owner..... made me think of housing.... we all deserve contentment & affordable housing. .. Contentment... makes me think of cookies... Again we are back to world hunger... So I guess my first royal act would be delivering food (even cookies) to every hungry animal and human-being everywhere.
( I bet you're happy I'm an indecisive hairdresser instead)

What Lifetime movie star would you be?

Today one of my clients jokingly told me she wants to write a lifetime movie about the drama going on in her life.
She asked me..... "So, Who do you want to play YOU in my movie?" Her cute question made me want to share it with my blog world.
I can't think of what lifetime celebrity I can see portraying me.... I guess it may be because I'm not too familiar with who stars on the lifetime channel! It's usually Jaclyn Smith, right? I DEFINITELY don't see that match. ( I Wish I did) If I could pick ANY actress to portray me in this girls Lifetime movie ( or my own!)..... I think I pick Sally Field...( unless you can think of someone else??) I think she would be able to capture me perfectly. She is short, older and seems like someone people like to talk to.
You know how much I love reading what YOU have to say... So put on your thinking caps... WHO do you See playing YOU if they made a movie of your life?

Cryptogram SOLUTION

Back on October 4th I presented a cryptogram puzzle
Congrats to Giggles who was the first one to get it right!
Here is the solution....

A V T U / H / F Z / B Z / B V T / N T R P B J/
W H E N/ I / GO/ T O / T H E / B E A U T Y/

E R Y X Z P Y ,/ H / R X A R J K / P K T / B V T/
P A R L O U R,/ I / A L W A YS / U S E / T H E/

T C T Y F T U I J / T U B Y R U I T . / K Z C T B H C T K /
E M E R G E N CY/ E N T R A N C E./ S O M E T I M E S/

H / S P K B / F Z / W Z Y / R U/ T K B H C R B T ./
I / J U S T/ G O / F O R/ A N/ E S T I M A T E./

(author)- E V J X X H K / M H X X T Y
P H Y L L I S / D I L L E R

Once upon a time...

First Job, Worst Job, Dream Job...... Wow Sunday Scribblings this made me have to stop, think and try to remember!
(my 2nd attempt at poetry blog rhyming)

Back when I was in beauty school, only seventeen and learning my trade
My mom hooked me up in a beauty parlor, working on the gray brigade
Roller sets, blue hair rinse, teasing and lots of cans of hairspray
condescending boss and workers making me feel uncomfortable each day
Large dome dryers a buzz, teasing gray hair into tall balls of fuzz
Sweeping, shampooing, perming and horrendous comb outs
Wishing I was doing cool cuts and the newest blow outs.
First job jitters makes this my worst job as well
Finally get the nerve to quit after a very short spell.

Shortly after this job I actually developed the nerve
to apply to the well renowned salon and school Of Mr.P. J
I was Young, lacking experience but had plenty of verve
He took me under his wing and taught me his way
advanced cutting and perming and client rapport
The atmosphere was happy my coworkers I adored
I learned professionalism, confidence and much, much more.

Dream Job realistically wouldn't be too much of a stray
from what I am doing each hairdressing day....
Instead of me performing miracles on someone's head
I'd be performing them on a Broadway stage instead!
The only way my dream could ever materialize
Is if I win The lottery and talent is the prize.!

The kindness of strangers

Recently while my husband was working, A large produce truck backed into his parked car and then drove off! Luckily two construction workers who were working on a store across the street witnessed the accident. They quickly read the phone number off the side of the truck and called the company. They told whomever answered that they were calling the police and the workers had better come back to the scene.
They then noticed that the truck turned into a gas station a little way up the street. These 2 good Samaritans ran to the gas station and confronted the driver. He claimed they WERE going to go back, but they needed to get gas first. ( HOW LAME of a Lie is that one??) Then the 2 good eggs went into several businesses till they found the owner of the car. By the time the police arrived the truck drivers were back at the scene, so they weren't ticketed for a hit and run. My husbands boss rewarded the 2 noble men with generous gift certificates to the salon. I am so happy they were rewarded. It seems like lately most people don't go out of their way for strangers. Some people may have taken the phone number down and left it on my husbands car, But to actually take off running after the truck, urging him to return to the scene? How great was that? The workers told my husband that they couldn't believe how damaged the car was especially because one produce man was actually standing on the curb, guiding his buddy So he Wouldn't hit the car! Talk about Lame!
One of my own kindness stories- once while driving near my home, I saw an older woman walking in the street but looking confused and turning one way then the other. I pulled over and asked if she was Okay. She said "I walk up to the stores everyday, but today I'm afraid I'm forgetting which way to go". I showed her the direction but asked "would you like a ride?" She was grateful and I gave her my hand and helped pull her up into my passenger seat. It felt so good to help a total stranger. Later on, I was thinking I hope it was a good deed, 'cause what if she wasn't able to find her way back home!?!

Let's hear your kindness stories... Have you stood up and witnessed an accident or crime? Have you helped a stranger in anyway that you care to share? Goodness is contagious, If you've demonstrated acts of kindness, I think you can be sure those people payed it forward. I also think what goes around comes around, So you are sure to have kindness come to you.

fly away home

This weeks prompt for writers island is 'Renewal'. One way to translate renewal is as "A time of change" and "times they are a changin" in our home. I don't remember if I ever wrote about my oldest sons return to the nest. After living on his own during and after college, He decided to return to his home base. Frankly, It was quite a shock to us. He seemed to be enjoying his independence, and his visits home always seemed to end with him looking like he couldn't wait to get away from us! Remember when YOU were 23?
Too much time with your parents was... Torture! After all, What do WE know? We are TOO clean. We work TOO hard. We party TOO infrequently. We have TOO many rules. We spend our down time semi-comatose time.... (Don't get scared) WATCHING THE T.V.!! ( horror music please.) My son hates television. He enjoys music & very LOUD music. He is in a band that plays 'noise music' ( it makes heavy metal sound like easy listening). He enjoys chess, painting, cooking & yoga. He enjoys bicycling and living life to it's fullest. He is a free spirit. He doesn't want the traditional life that we live. He is hoping to go west next year, maybe California, maybe Oregon. He has visited these states and enjoyed them much more than NY. Much, MUCH more than Long Island. " Long Island is a strip Mall". I've heard that one... more than a few times.
So, even though it is mostly great....It has been an adjustment, a change.... having our baby back in the nest, For him as well as us. It is great to be able to hug him everyday. I had really missed him. I love that my 3 boys are hanging out together. I love the long talks we have, I Love that he appreciates my home cooking! I love that He plays scrabble with me without me having to beg! I love spending time with him.
I love when he comes home from work and tells me the cute things that happened during the day. He is working in an elementary school as a One on One Para to a Kindergardener with Autism. This cute story for example....He was helping another child unpack his lunchbox and all that was in it was a block of cheese! No drink, no bread. Cheese. A Big Block of Cheese! He got the child a bagel and he sliced some cheese and made him a sandwich! I'm so happy that he loves doing this job. I'm hoping it will help him make the decision to go on to grad school and pursue a teaching career. I think he would be an amazing teacher. He is the most tolerant, patient person I know. He is caring and kind. He is compassionate. I think he would be the type of teacher that kids would treasure. He is also a passionate artist, so he is debating if an Art teacher would be a better choice. I told him he could teach any subject or grade and still incorporate Art into the curriculum. He could be known as the teacher who lets you Paint your alphabet or draw the history of the world.
Wherever he ends up, geographically or career wise, I hope he will always know our home is his home. Home base. Here for him to fly to, whether his life is full of home runs or strike outs. We are here when he needs to re-group, re-think, renew.

Mom Overture

A Senior moment

"They don't make them like they used to." That statement is true for many things, but it can also apply to people.
Last week, during my sons homecoming band performance, his trumpet broke. The little piece of metal that holds the Lyre broke off. He temporarily held the Lyre in place with duct tape. When we got home from the high school I called our local music store. They told me if I brought it down, it would take about 5 days to repair. They didn't say how much the repair would be, but I'm sure I was looking at at least 50.00. I didn't take it in to the store. I waited for my husband to come home... he can usually fix anything, but not in this case. Saturday slipped away and so did the trumpet problem from my pre-occupied mind. On Sunday evening, My son reminded me that he needed the trumpet for monday at school. I remembered my friend at homecoming mentioning if I had a problem getting it fixed to call her... she may know someone..... So enters Mannie Gotleeb. ( How great is that name?)
I gave him a call about 5:00 pm sunday, apologizing for bothering him on the weekend... He sounded about 105 years old! He kindly told me to come right on over, but then in a crusty tone said.. " I may not be able to do it today!". I told him I wouldn't expect him to and that I so I appreciated him letting us drop it off on a sunday. He only lives about 5 minutes away from me. He answered the door before we were out of the car and was very friendly. He also MAY have been about 90. He invited my son and I to go downstairs to his "work shop". Mrs. Gotleeb was also very old, but busy chopping vegetables. They were adorable. In the workshop Mannie explained several problems he saw with the trumpet and was coaxing us to let him "fix it all up".. I was ready to say 'do whatever needs to be done' but I thought, maybe I should ask how much that would be. He replies.... "Well, it wouldn't be any more than 10 dollars." I told him how reasonable that was and left him the trumpet. He walked us to the door..... ( do you remember how Tim Conway walked as that old man character in the Carol Burnett show??) YeaH! That is an accurate image... As we walked he again said in a suddenly crotchety tone... "NOW, I'm not sure when I will get to this". (me)- "No problem Mr. Gotleeb, we so appreciate you doing this". Well, at 6:45 p.m. that same night Mr. Gotleeb calls and says " It's all ready... make sure you bring the trumpet player back with you". Again, he wants us to walk ( ever SO slowly) with him downstairs to the workshop. He looked so proud of his handy work. My son played him a quick tune. He did charge only $10. I insisted I had to give him a $10. tip as well for doing it so quickly. At first he said No,No! When I expressed how pleased we were to find him and how happy my son was to have his trumpet ready for Monday, he gave in and shyly smiled looking excited to receive the $20.00. He enthusiastically retrieved his business cards from the workbench shelf, and told me to tell my friends. That is just what I'm doing. Telling my friends, that kindness, honesty & superior work ethics can still be found today, Especially when we look to our sensational seniors.

Lulu's Book Club

I am so excited that a few of my friends and I have started a book club! We had our first meeting at my house. We plan on rotating homes every 6 weeks when we meet. There were only 7 of us, but we hope to add a few more members. The first book we discussed was " A thousand splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini. As I mentioned in another post, This book was extremely touching and well written. Our next selection is "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. I think I will be very Oprah-esque and Invite my blogging community to join my book club. Every 6 weeks or so when we choose a new book, I will post the title and hope that you read along. Then, I will welcome your book comments and discussions. I don't think I have enough readers out there to get a big turnout, but what the hell... let's see what happens. watch Oprah today to see the author and hear more about her book.

Since Laini and Meg need a well deserved break from Sunday Scribblings this week, I would like to take this opportunity
to share my book club idea with my fellow scribblers.

Puzzle Journey

How many of you will come on my puzzle journey? I love all word puzzles.... Crosswords, word searches, jumbles... my favorite however is by far the Cryptogram. While the whole world is into the Sudoku number craze... I still enjoy letters.
Each morning while I drink my morning coffee... I do the Newsday Cryptoquote. (hint Figuring out the authors name is sometimes helpful in solving the puzzle) Thought it would be fun to give you a puzzle and see how you do.... If you can print it out, it will be easier .... I will reveal the answer in a few days. There are hints on doing a Cryptogram at the end.. Good Luck, Hope you'll enjoy taking this journey into my cryptic world.

A V T U / H / F Z / B Z / B V T / N T R P B J/


E R Y X Z P Y ,/ H / R X A R J K / P K T / B V T/


T C T Y F T U I J / T U B Y R U I T . / K Z C T B H C T K /


H / S P K B / F Z / W Z Y / R U/ T K B H C R B T ./

(author)- E V J X X H K / M H X X T Y

Hints for Solving Cryptograms:
*One letter stands for another-
example A X Y D L A A X R is L O N G F E L L O W
( A is used for the three L's, X for the two O's, etc..)
*Single letter words will be " I " or " A "
*Frequent use of the same 3 letter word may indicate the word " the "
*An apostrophe is usually followed by a " t " as in contractions (don't) or an " S " as in possessives ( dog's tail)
*A question mark at the end of a quotation tells you the first word is likely- Who, what, when, where, how or why
*Certain consonants occur together, such as "th", "wh", "sh", and "ch"
*Also the position of letters at the end of a word may indicate common endings such as "tion","ent",or "ant", "ing" or "ed"
*In a two letter word, one letter must be a vowel.

Middle Name Meme

I was tagged by my buddy Sherrie to do a middle name Meme. The object of the middle name game is to list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name.

My middle name is Anne.
A It was a toss up between the Artist (haircutting ability) or the Arbitrator. In my family I seem to be the middleman in every dispute between each child or my husband. Peacemaker would have been more apropos ( if my name was say... Pam.)
N Nice.
N Nice again. I am too nice. Sometimes it is a fault. Sometimes being So nice means sacrificing my own happiness. Okay that was cheating the truth is I have another N word- NEUROTIC. I can get a little OCD and I do get quite anxious over nothing.
( Actually, Nutcase may have been more appropriate.)
E Expressive. I had a difficult time picking a word for E- I like to talk and am usually pretty animated. I guess expressive is the right word. Although, Eating would probably be more relevant to my life. I really Like eating. So there you have it...
The Meme game also says- At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name and tag them too. Instead I would like to say... If you would Like to do this Meme... Please.... just do it. It was fun.