Thursday, December 28, 2006

A Christmas Miracle!!!



Applesauce was diagnosed with diabetes this past June. The vet told us that in very rare cases cats can recover from the disease after several years, but that we shouldn't expect or even hope for that to happen.

But guess what! After just 6 months of twice daily shots of insulin and a special diet, Applesauce's glucose levels are normal! We're keeping him on a special diet, and it's possible that he may develop diabetes again later in life, but as of right now he's no longer diabetic.

I feel so lucky. And I'm sure that Saucey does, too.

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Cat TV



Applesauce came with me for a visit to my parents' house and he was awed by my dad's fish tank. Applesauce was a good boy and he didn't try to chase the fish or stick his paw in the tank and catch them. He just sat down and watched "Cat TV" as the fish swam back and forth.


Friday, December 22, 2006

Snuggle Bunnies



Radar and Applesauce

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Mary's Late Night Diner



A raccoon family lives somewhere behind our house and visits our front porch on an almost nightly basis. The raccoons are basically unconcerned with the people or cats that might also be on the porch as they scrounge for any leftover cat food that they can find. I took this picture a few nights ago, when the mommy raccoon came for a visit. She let me take lots of pictures of her, unlike the outside cats, who reacted like I was trying to steal their souls when I pointed the camera in their direction.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Friday Night







Elliot and I had a perfectly beautiful Friday, December 15th with our families at the Ritz in Sarasota. It will be a night to remember.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Happy Hanukkah!

Hanukkah begins at sundown today. To learn about the Festival of Lights, click here.


Thursday, December 14, 2006

Palm Trees and Blue Sky





I thought I'd share this old picture I just found. It was taken in October of 2004, when Elliot and I went back home to Sarasota for our friends' (Chris and Jen's) wedding. Palm trees and blue sky... I love south Florida.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

1/2 Way Done With Law School!

I've finished all my finals this semester! Another year and 1/2 to go. It's gone by really quickly and even though I've taken a lot of classes and written a couple thousand pages worth of notes/outlines/case briefs/attack sheets/memos/etc I still don't know anything about being a lawyer. The more I learn, the less I know.



Elliot took this picture while I was trying to study for my Alternative Dispute Resolution final. Yoink came over to snuggle me because he knew I needed a break, and Elliot snapped this photo of us together. Elliot also made a short movie of me petting Yoink, and you can hear him purring. How cute! Now Yoink can have all of the hugs and kisses he wants because I have almost a whole month off school.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

I went to a holiday sweater party.

And here is my sweater.

I am whistling in this picture.



Turns out I had the wrong idea about the party. I was told it was going to be a cheesy holiday sweater party and it ended up being a wear the most Christmasy outfit you can party, and then act like it's the fifties. I didn't exactly fit in 100% but I had fun none the less.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

A Death In My Family

John Bolt, my step-father, passed away earlier this month(November). It was completely unexpected.

He is survived by his two children and my mother. He was a great father and a fantastic husband. I have never seen my mother as happy as she was when she was with him. Since their marriage earlier this year, their time together was one long honeymoon. They were best friends and true soul mates. Everyone is very sad about it.

I just felt that I should let everyone know.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving!

I couldn't go home for Thanksgiving this year. Not only are finals coming up, but Applesauce needs his insulin shot twice a day and Mr. Tickles is sick and he needs medicine twice each day, too. Sara and Elliot left town last night to go celebrate with family, and I stayed at our house to study and play nurse. SOOOOOOO... I decided not to let this ruin my day, and to celebrate Thanksgiving with my fur babies instead. I had a Tofurky sandwich and the kitties had turkey-flavored cat food.





Friday, November 10, 2006

A Fair to Remember



Elliot and I went to the county fair tonight. What fun! Click on the image to view our awesome photo album.

Hamster Whisperer

Congratulations to my littlest sister, Laura, on getting her first job. Yay!

When Laura was younger she would tell everyone that she wants to be a zoologist when she grows up. Then she was bitten by a ferociously angry hamster and she changed her mind. I guess she figured there were too many hazards to a career that works with animals. But she just couldn't escape her true nature. She's working at pet store!

So, Laura, here is some advice from our sister Sara. Next time you are bitten by an animal, just show them who's boss and bite them right back. (Please see instructional photograph, below.)


Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Radar



Meet Radar. She's lived with me for almost 3 years. My sister Sara and I adopted Radar from an animal shelter because Applesauce needed a companion when our cat Ruebella was diagnosed with cancer. Applesauce wanted to play and Ruebella was too tired entertain Applesauce. So we brought Radar home, and Applesauce and Radar have become great friends.

At first Radar didn't know much about living in a house since she had lived at a shelter for so long. She was afraid of the noises that the dishwasher made, and she didn't know how to push doors open with her nose. It took her a little while to get adjusted.

The best thing about Radar is that she has lots of love to give. She licks Applesauce like he's her little baby (even though he's twice as big as she is) and Radar loves to climb up into people's laps. We got very lucky when we picked her.


Sunday, November 05, 2006

W3Series beta is now complete!

Although clunky, W3Series.com is fully functional and it is now version 1.0 beta.

In other news, Applesauce's surgery went fine and he is A-OK.

Monday, October 30, 2006

The City of New Orleans



(click on image to view album)

In honor of our 4th anniversary, Elliot and I went to New Orleans with our friends Jessica and Brandon. We spent last weekend enjoying Voodoo Fest (a two day concert that New Orleans hosts every fall) and sightseeing in the French Quarter.

The concert was held in City Park and it lasted all day Saturday and Sunday. Elliot and I saw performances by Drive-By Truckers, Yerba Buena, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Juvenile, and The Flaming Lips. All of the bands were outstanding.

This was Elliot's first trip to New Orleans. Fortunately, the French Quarter didn't seem to have been hit too badly by Hurricane Katrina. There were a few businesses that hadn't reopened and some signs of damage here and there, but the area that we stayed in seems to have mostly recovered. We had a wonderful weekend and can't wait to go back.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Yoink



This was Yoink's Halloween costume last year!

Yoink is our youngest cat- he's 1.5 years old and we got him when he was just a little kitten. Now he's a great big 16 lb cat who dominates our other two inside cats, Applesauce and Radar. Yoink loves water, and he especially enjoys watching the toilet flush. He's really friendly, too, and he's always the first to run and investigate a noise or meet a new person.


Sunday, October 22, 2006

We have finished the closet of our master bathroom

Here are some pics.


This is before.








These two are after.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Applesauce

This is our kitty Applesauce. He's lived with me for about 6 years now. Applesauce was a stray cat that adopted me when I lived in Sarasota. He was living outside until he got really sick one day and I had to bring him inside. Well, I didn't HAVE to bring him inside, but once you invest a certain amount of money in an animal, it seems such a shame to let them run off or get hit by a car. He's basically my indentured servant now, required to pay me back with love and affection. But he'll never earn his freedom again because he is constantly running up a vet bill.

Poor Applesauce has been through a lot. He lost his kitty-cat friend Ruebella about a year and 1/2 ago, when we had to put her to sleep. Everyone was sad about that. Then this summer, Applesauce was diagnosed with diabetes. He's doing really well, though, and the vet says that he's their "best diabetic patient" because he's so stable and otherwise healthy.

Just yesterday, we found out that Applesauce has to have one of his teeth pulled. He goes in for surgery next Monday, October 30th. I'm sure he'll do just fine during the procedure, but please think good thoughts for him during the day.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Local Artist



I've been volunteering about 2 hours every week at a local preschool since February. I love it. The kids make me laugh non-stop. And whenever I walk in the door, they all yell "Miss Mary!" and run over to me and hug my legs. It makes me feel very special.

If I'm wearing my Batman t-shirt (which I make a point of wearing about once a month) then everyone spends the next 30 minutes telling me who their favorite superheroes are. We've all had the same conversation at least 5 or 6 times, but the kids are no less enthusiastic each time I wear the shirt. Eventually they start making up superheroes. At least, I'm pretty sure that there are no Mister Crazyhead comic books. I could be wrong, though.

Last week when I walked in, one of the little girls named Paxton ran over with a drawing she'd made and said "Miss Mary, I made this for you! It's me and my house." I can only assume that her house is the black box and that she herself is represented by the yellow outline of her hand. Very cute. So now it's hanging on my fridge. And posted on my blog. :)

Friday, October 13, 2006

Wii Pre-order secured!

For all of you that don't know, the Wii is the new videogame console from Nintendo. It comes out on Nov 19th. So, I had originally planned to camp out "all" night to get my Nintendo Wii preorder, which guarantees that I will get one as soon as possible. Then I thought better of it. Later I set my alarm for 5:30, just in case, and thought that if no-one was there then I would just go to work early. Well when I showed up at the EB Games store little before 6 there were already 24 people in line, some having been there since 1:00AM. "Oh no!" I thought. I quickly parked and got out my book, breakfast and folding stool and proceeded to sign the list as number 25. At this point I had no idea how many Wii would be available for preorder. Each store is only allowed to take a certain number of preorders. I did realize that I had stepped in pig poop on the way to the car though and began to stink the place up somthing fierce. I felt bad for the guy who was sleeping next to my feet. Everyone was college age or older. There were only 2 girls in line, though one guy's girlfriend did come by later. Two guys had trendy zip up Nintendo jackets: one plain Nintendo, one Zelda. Another had a 1up mushroom shirt. Rock on.

I have never waited outside very long for anything before and was fairly excited to do so. An industrious, slightly chubby dork had run an extension cord about 50 yards away to Publix and set up a TV, a GameCube and a dvd player, which was playing the classic Nintendo movie "Wizzard" as I walked up. I got there literaly just in time to hear the line, "It's so bad." That is a famous line that you can find a clip of on Youtube.com if you look. Somewhere between 8 and 12 people had brought their Nintendo DS's and I was sad that I hadn't brought mine. I had foolishly believed that I was going to be the only one there.

Two trips to the Publix bathroom to clean my shoe later, to no avail I might add, I overhear the guy whose sleeping head my feet were near say "Jeez those birds stink!" He wes referring to some pigeons that had landed about 20 feet away. It wasn't them it was me. "Yeah," I said. "P U."

Anyway, eventually the sun comes up and someone decides that we should probably get in an actual line, based on our sign up number. He calls out names and puts everyone in their place which is a gesture that I really appreciate. The question on everyone's mind is "how many preorders are available?" The one at the mall only has 14! Oh no! Someone mentions that this store should have "about thirty" cause those were the exact words that the manager had told them. Pheew. But wait! Someone else says, "yeah but employees are allowed to order 6 for themselves, I read it online." Oh no again! Anyway the manager comes out and says 32. Phew again! So then we all wait our turn patiently, preorder and leave. At least 12 people left the line because they couldn't get a secured pre-order. Then 15 more probably arrived after that. Some of those left, some stayed. A dad and his two young kids were urged to not waste their time. Boo hoo. An employee from my work showed up at 9:30. No one who showed up after sunrise was going to be able to get one so I waved and smiled at him. He left, eventually, after learning the truth. Some people drove by asking us what we were waiting for. "The nintendo Wii!" someone shouted, then they asked again while snickering and poeple stopped saying "Wii."

In the end I got my Wii preorder and Zelda TTP preorder, which I already had but now paid in full and one Wii-mote and nunchuck atachment. The total geek fest 2007 was "so bad."

Monday, October 09, 2006

Fun Friends

October 2006: Friends
Oct 9, 2006 - 15 Photos


Click on the image to view our photo album. You will see pictures from this past Saturday and Sunday when our friends Randy, Abbi, Chris, and Jen were all in town.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Sandhill Cranes


(click to enlarge)

Elliot and I saw these sandhill cranes walking thorough a parking lot in Tampa, Florida in January 2005. Aren't they beautiful? Cranes are such elegant birds, and sadly, the sandhill crane is one of the only species of crane that is still common. I just looked on the Threatened and Endangered Species List and there are currently 8 species of crane that are classified as endangered. There are only 15 species of crane in the whole world!

According to the International Crane Foundation (click for link): "Because of development and habitat loss, many species that once thrived in much broader ranges... are now restricted to fragments of protected land in parks, sanctuaries, even demilitarized zones between hostile nations." Seeing sandhill cranes (birds that are suited to wetlands) walking through a parking lot seems to speak to that fact.

Did I mention that I plan to go into environmental law?

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Over and Under

Well, as long as Elliot is sharing our pictures taken beneath Tennessee in the caverns, I might as well show you the pictures we took flying over Tennessee. While we were on vacation this June we took a helicopter ride and oh, man! It was fun!







(l-r: Laura, Mary, Elliot, Me)

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Once upon a time, underneath the Smokies

Yes, underneath the beautiful Smoky Mountains in Tennessee there is at least one underground cavern. Mary and I visited one once in June of this year (2006). The one we visited is called Tuckaleechee Caverns and it was neat. The caverns are 58 Degrees farenheit all year round and the family that has owned the land for years employs humorous people to give amusing and educational tours. Also they sold very tasty fudge. Here are some pictures we took while inside the caverns.



A neat waterfall


From left to right: Ashley Mary's cousin, Laura Mary's Sister and Mary (yes another Mary) Mary's cousin

Friday, September 29, 2006

Ice, Ice Baby

Look at this pretty picture that Elliot took in Georgia in January 2005:

(click to enlarge... it's even more impressive close up)

Monday, September 25, 2006

Penny's from Heaven

I realized the other day that my turtle Penny and I have been living together for over 7 years. So it's about time that I introduce her to everyone.



This is Penny. She's a box turtle. She eats worms and bananas and strawberries and tomatoes. She doesn't bite. Penny lives in an aquarium in our computer room and she's very happy there because she can watch Elliot play video games. Penny is the best turtle in the world.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Wee Lad



What a handsome young man! This is a picture of Elliot when he was in elementary school.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

W3Series.com is almost out of beta.

www.W3Series.com is a lightweight baseball management simulator built in PHP. It is sort of a videogame. I made it with my friend Jonathan. We have done a lot of work on it and it is playable as of this moment. We will be fixing and adding and tweaking things on it over the next couple of weeks/months until we can finaly say that it is out of beta. We may never enhance or support it depending on what we are doing after it so play it before it goes away. The goal is to be on top of the leaderboard/rankings. Good Luck.

-Elliot

Butterfly in the Sky

Here are some old pictures that Elliot and I probably forgot to share with everyone when we took them. These are from almost 2 years ago, when we went to the butterfly garden in Gainesville, Florida.

(click to enlarge)







I'm glad that some bugs are pretty.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Guess what?

Mary and I just finished reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. That makes 8 books total we have read out loud to each other.
The other seven are:
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
Even Cowgirls Get The Blues by Tom Robbins
This Simian World by Clarence Day
The Witches by Roald Dahl
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling
God Bless You Dr. Kevorkian by Kurt Vonnegut
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl


Reading is fun!

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Bear is married!!! Yay!!!

My adored and much loved cousin David (a.k.a. Bear) got married this August! If you'd like to see the proofs you can go to www.dinsmorestudio.com, click on the "online proofs" button, and enter the code "51783". Everyone looks sooooo beautiful.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

I Can't Wait to Go Back

Just thought I'd share a picture with you all from when I was in Ireland this past July...

(click picture to enlarge)



pretty, huh?

Monday, September 11, 2006

We went down to Sarasota and had a good time.

While staying at my Dad's house last weekend, Mary and I visited with my sister Katie a good deal and also my Mom and stepdad John. On Saturday, Mary and I visited Mary's friend (and my Mom's ex coworker), Shana and on Friday night we had a lovely dinner with Mary's family. Here are some pics!


John, Elliot, Katie and Mom.



Elliot, John, Katie and Mary.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Mary's New Car

It was raining when I got out of class today and walked to the school parking lot. Of course, I didn't have an umbrella with me. And I had no idea which car was mine.

Of all the talents I possess, being able to recognize the model of an automobile by sight is NOT one of them. I walked to the parking lot, proud of myself for remembering "1994 Toyota Camry", but that did me absolutely no good once I got there. It's white. I knew that much. Finally, I recognized my license plate number. But I was already soaked by then.

(click pictures to enlarge)






And while I have your attention, please let me introduce you to one of the local stray cats that has adopted us and pretty much moved in to our front yard. This is Mr. Jason Tickles. Mr. Tickles is friends with the pot bellied pig that lives across the street.

Monday, September 04, 2006

Happiness

A picture of Elliot and me taken Saturday night:

Saturday, September 02, 2006

2nd Year of Law School

Well, I've finished the first week of my second year at FSU Law School (click for link) and everything seems to be running smoothly so far. I'm taking 4 courses this semester: Gratuitous Transfers [a.k.a. Wills, Trusts, and Estates], Alternative Dispute Resolution [a.k.a. Mediation and Arbitration], Professional Responsibility [a.k.a. Ethics], and Constitutional Law II. Two of my professors are judges from the First District Court of Appeals (click for link), and my other two professors are both very popular and highly regarded professors at the law school. So I have a pretty good line-up of classes this semester.

I'm also assisting my Legal Writing professor from last year with her new class of first year students. It's a part-time job and lots of fun because the professor is really cool. I get to have "office hours"!

Here's a picture of Elliot and me at the Tampa Airport the day I left for FSU Law School's study abroad program in Oxford this summer: