Heads or tails?

Okay, everyone is talking about the cost of the penny. How much it costs, and how worthless it is. I am all in favor of the elimination of the coin. I would take it one step further and make all things round numbers. One dollar, ten dollars, fifty dollars but not eighteen dollars and thirty seven cents. Ugh, I hate coins. I have jars of coins. Imagine this, all separated by their classification. Then at odd times of the year, I will make a visit to my friends at Star Financial Bank and cash them in for real money. I can not be alone when I say that if a penny cost one and one third pennies to make, something is really wrong. Too bad things were not all like that...for example. I go to Dairy Queen, order a blizzard and get blizzard and a third! Or buy one case of soda, and I get a case and a third. But it would be a mess if I got a tank of gas and got a third more. I think we should do an unscientific poll. If you are reading this blog, flip a coin: heads we keep the penny and tails we stop producing them. Your response will be tabulated. All answers will be kept confidential. Or not. Anyway -- flip away!

I had a dream...

Last night a group of friends joined to celebrate nothing but friendship. We shared life stories about dreams and nightmares, we talked about worst and best of many things. What we learned was that friendships are very important, good food and fine (albeit cheap) wine is tasty. We sat nestled on a wood floor surrounded by flowers and glass and mirrors. Shoulder to shoulder, butt to butt, glass to glass, we toasted what makes us tick. Over the years, I have cherished this type of celebration, the one where no matter how you look at it, people came - celebrated - and left a bit happier than they did when they walked in. There was a recent movie called "Sideways". A great wine/vineyard movie and from the dozen plus bottles of wine we cracked open, I think I understand why the movie may have been called "sideways". Cheers!

Pick a Peck

Barr Street Market opens Saturday - 8am! I will be on hand to sign your bags of purchased fresh produce, breads and artsy-craftsy thingy dabobs. The Fort Wayne tradition is back and ready for you to peruse! Life does not get better than fresh flowers, fun interactive activities and much much more. Over the next couple months the market will be in full swing, and you should sample some of Fort Wayne's finest!

Let the Music Play...

Somewhere in my veins is an addiction to concerts, or musicians or the chance to meet them live and add them to the wall of fame! Most recently, I saw Lee Ann Womack in concert. She dug me, oh yeah! I have been to some most amazing concerts in my life: Anne Murray, Dolly Parton, Chicago, Celine Dion, Tina Turner, Phil Vassar, Martina McBride, Rob Thomas, Jim Brickman/Anne Cochran, Fleetwood Mac. I have also been sadden to see Air Supply, who were higher than their voices. Or, Spyro Gyra, which I fell asleep at and nearly knocked myself out when I hit my head on the chair in front of me. Perhaps, the mini show Aretha Franklin put on because something got stuck up her big ... you know. She stormed off the stage after less than 20 minutes. B.J. Thomas, who I had wanted to see for about twenty years was disappointing. He had no life, he seemed sober but maybe he should have been drinking. Sheryl Crow was so loud, that I had to keep sopping up the blood from my ears. Some of the best sleep I have had is with our own Fort Wayne Philharmonic. What makes a good concert? Well, primo seats makes it all the more enjoyable. But, I must say the ability to sing to the audience like it is the first time rather than the sixth time that week. Sincerity rather than, "My favorite city in the world is ... ah, Fort ... ah Wayne, yeah! Fort Wayne. All in all, my mind is always running tunes non stop and a concert just puts a vision to accompany the sounds. I say, let the music play! Go see a concert and enjoy life.

Past meets Present look toward the future.

The wonderful thing about having parents who are married, still, after all these years, is that I had the opportunity to shower them with a surprise party. Debrand's Chocolate was the backdrop for a wonderful event surrounded by wonderful friends and family. With the help of dynmo superwoman, Heather Eracleous, the special events coordinator for Northeast Indiana...The leader of Legendary Event Design, the event came full circle with lip smacking food from Catablu. This may shock someone who is reading this, but I am kind of a control freak. Perhaps, I did not shock anyone! The idea of turning over control of such an important event was tough. Circumstances in my life forced me to realize that I could not do it all. My cape was at the cleaners, I guess... Anyway, with Heather's expertise, the event went off polished like a shiny new penny (which may be rarer than you can imagine, if the penny police get their way). My parents celebrated forty years of wonderful times, great memories and perfection. Well, at least that is what the Hallmark cards say, and would they lie? Someday, I hope to have a milestone like this. Forty years! I will settle for five marriages of eight years each, I guess. Oye!

What in the world...

Through the years, we have grown accustomed to many things, many people, many traditions. Television has brought us into thinking we know or knew, could relate or understand, a new set of circumstances. I grew up with Zoom, Sesame Street, the Electric Company and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. Wonder if research could show that some of the Public Broadcasting System may have sent me down this wild path of life I live? What I do believe, though, it was because of those shows, the need for a sense of imagination, that allowed to me think outside the box. I think it is that same infatuation with other people's problems and situation that has made me a bit more compassionate. More understanding. More tolerable to things perhaps I do not understand. Education will never be my favorite topic. Not much of the academia could I even wrap my arms around. But I did find great comfort in the people, students etc. I pause today to remember that if I had not been tuned into Bert and Ernie, what in the world may I being doing today. Some television shapes us. Speaking of different eras, wonder what would have happened if I grew up watching Saved By The Bell or Punky Brewster. And now you know...the rest of the story!

Now...that is art.

Between the massive amounts of sweat, the abundance of new ideas for fashion (or not), elbow to elbow crowds and oh, a variety of art, I have spent the past couple days making my way through the storms, the people and the booths to realize my FEET HURT. Okay, did you think I would not complain? The temperature may have been under 100 on Thursday but the heat was far from a "dry heat".

I have been able to find some awesome new pieces of art for the bedroom and the sitting room. I think anyone who may see my house, may say that I did well. My additions include a copper wall hanging, a ceramic wall hanging, a metal set of musical score/notes and a picture of ancient Rome. All and all, the art was very good quality, sometimes lofty in price, but good bargains can be found if you have any bit of luck.

I had the opportunity to have fun walking the show with friends and family. Great meals and good conversations. Ate at the Little Brown Jug, Palio, Jimmy Johns, Good Time Charlies, a few street vendors and an awesome local ice cream shop. This was just in the first day..... haha, just joking. I found this time away from work and life enjoyable, relaxing and you know what a vacation should be is relaxing...now that is an art.

Manly and alluring...

My profile may allude that I have quirks. I think it must be therapeutic to be able to self-diagnosis this psychosis without feeling odd or weird. But I have a fetish or a predisposition to purchase cologne. I have thirty one different types of cologne which I rotate each day so I won't "vibe" the same. My favorite is Xeryus which I normally can find at a "going out of business" internet special. Not sure what that says about me. The Givenchy brand cologne began in 1986, the year I graduated from High School, Carroll that is... So perhaps I just was not well educated, but it has been a staple on my silver tray for many many years. Of course, I tried Polo, Passion, Old Spice (just for kicks). I am not one who is drawn to the celebrity du'jour styles. Mark Spitz or Michael Jordan or Captain Kangaroo may all have nice brands or kick-ass bottles but I am more for a style than a name. With that said, of course I am addicted to Kenneth Cole signature, but that would be a given. The thing I enjoy about my cologne smorgasboard, is someone normally finds the scent appeal, though I have been told I smelt like a French whore. I assume that is bad, but then I thought, well most French are whores, so an entire country can't be all that bad, can it? Perhaps it is the descriptions or the advertisements that draw me, like Xeryus is citrus, violet and jasmine, spices, musk and amber, a manly, alluring scent. Who wouldn't want to be manly and alluring.

Like a puzzle, but no picture is clear....

As the day starts, I reflect on many things... These random thoughts make up my normal every day thought process.... Lets look inside.

Here are a few songs that I enjoy listening to, and you may as well, "What if it all means something" by Chantal Kreviazuk. "Streetcorner Symphony" by Rob Thomas, "Broken Wing" by Martina McBride. "Baby Steps" Bacon Brothers. Tina Turner's "Dancing in my dreams". My all time favorite song is "Piano in the Dark" by Brenda Russell. "

I am subscribing to thirty magazines. I guess I am not too damn concerned about the trees, but I do recycle my magazines by giving them to another person to read. Many of the mags are music related like Billboard, Country Weekly, Blender, Spin, Rolling Stone. Many are food related like Everday with Rachel Ray, Bon Appetite, Gourmet, La Cucina. Some are informative like Time (the night time so you can rest medicine). Others are whimsical like Entertainment Weekly. I have one sports magazine, The Wolverine. All and all, my goal is to whittle down the list to twenty, so I wonder if I will not be able to cook or pick good music with my whittling process. Stay tuned to find out. Book wise, I always enjoy starting a new book, but the idea of finishing it just never occurs. So, my Flat Top High Top Table book of the month is the "Little Red book of Sales". Anyone who has asked me about my ability to sell knows I would be the first lemonade stand to fold before it opened. The heat! The asking for the sale! Flying bugs! Ants! Paper cups! Anyway, this is like a puzzle to me. I read what it says, but the picture is not clear. Perhaps if I finished the book, I could sell you on this book. Check back on progress.

Last post was size matters... Guess what - Part Two

Who said there is nothing on TV anymore? I got hooked on a special on Oxygen...Mo'nique's FAT Chance. Now don't tell me why or how but just know that I did. I will repent later for my sin .... A two hour special that allowed me to watch thousands of ladies compete to be named Miss F.A.T (Fabulous And Thick) but I am sure you know this because I am certain I was not the only on who caught this (second) annual event. I must admit, I did not know of the first year, the first winner nor the good deeds this person accomplished. Anyway, the long and short of the deal, ten ladies got to be a "celebrity" of their choice, they had the chance to wear lingerie, gowns, ride horses, salsa dancing and even jeans by the sponsor. Okay, I sound like I took notes, but I didn't. Now the person I was rooting for, did not make it beyond the top five. So back to cupboard to make sure she can compete next year! The winner won $50,000 cash plus thousands of dollars in make up and other glamour products. If you missed this show, watch it throughout the year or just take my word...it was one interesting look into a window that I never thought I would be peaking into....

Size does matter...

"Goodness, I am shocked! Leave it Fort Wayne to strive to not offend anyone. Exclusion is a bad thing, so I am sure great strides were made forward when a local strip club, called Shangrla, featured Midget Strippers. I am sure it was a big out cry in our community that people who are under four foot tall felt that they were not able to compete with the taller "dancers". As I was driving home from a meeting, I saw the big sign that promoted the chance to see the tiny ladies in action. It made me wonder, how many other things have been pushed back decades like Midget rights! I am certain that the term 'midget' is not even permitted. Perhaps undersized person, or intensely vertically challenged. Whatever the new term is, we must understand that size does matter. Special days should not be created to help midgets or dwarfs or amazons, they should be able to strip every day. Help keep Fort Wayne working. Support this new underground movement.

The little things...

Listening to a song by Keith Urban, "Tonight I wanna cry" always seems to slow me down and think a bit harder about the little things in my life that mean so much. First and foremost, Clyde (to the right) is always a constant joy. He makes me realize that someone actually does need me...all the time. Some how that is comforting. I have this really cool candle that I burn when I get melancholy. I find so much joy listening to sad songs, which may be a bad thing haha. More little things, like knowing that I have a great group of friends, a loving family and a pretty comfortable home. Sometimes the little things are not so small. I have realized that the small details actually close the deal. Makes things come clear. Sometimes that clarity never becomes understood until they are gone. Sometimes the littlest thing like forgetting to say the right thing at the right time or just the opposite can alter many courses of action. Since this blog is a not a cry fest or a lashing of the emotions, I encourage to live a little and don't let things get in your way of seeking set goals. Oh, and one of my favorite quotes from the movie Airplane captures the best little thing..."There's no reason to become alarmed, and we hope you'll enjoy the rest of your flight. By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?"

Making music better or worse?

If you are hoping to learn something about me, well you picked a good day to take a peak into my blog. I am always trying to uncover new music, new artists, or rediscover an artist. So yesterday was Tuesday, or Best Buy day! This is when new music is released to the public to purchase. It has been slim pickings, well that is also an artist, but not one I jam to on my IPOD. What I have found lately is that country music is getting better. I have uncovered that independent music is really hitting the groove. Some times it is good to go out on a limb and try an unknown artist and find out how to lose $15.00 bucks quickly. Take for example Trombocombo. Dang, this was awesome. Well worth the cost of the cd. Or how about KT Tunstall's latest? Another good purchase. How about someone that is tried and true? Rascal Flats? Rather Flat should be their name. Nothing to write home about nor sing about. I encourage the following CD's for your listening pleasure: MUST HAVE Anne Cochran "Cover Girl". Bananarama "Drama". Chicago XXX. So... there are a few to give a spin if you are up to finding out if artists are making music better or worse....

Mystery of Fort Wayne

Wandering through the "food alley" at the Three Rivers Festival last evening, I am always puzzled by the number of people who I have never seen in public before. It is shocking to see the latest trends in fashion, and tats and public displays of affection.

As a couple of my friends and I made our way from option A to option B, none of us were stopped with the "Oh my! Have not seen you since blah blah blah". Rather we peacefully ate some greekish dish and topped off with elephant ears, funnel cakes or the "healthy" alternative pumpkin roll.

The music at the festival had a nice thump thump boom chaka thump sound to it. Not the kind of music you might sing, unless you were Ike Turner on a flashback with a backbeat.

The pizza on a stick trailer did not seem to be drawing the people as one might think. And the elderly lady hocking caramel apples and bagged cotton candy seemed to have aged a few years standing in her lineless trailer. The temperature in the alley rose to at least 108 degrees and the breeze disappeared faster than the guy taking my money for the food. All and all, the festival still remains a mystery as to where the patrons reside. I also wonder, should I have tried the pizza on a stick just to say that I did have a bit of adventure? Festival runs through Sunday, so who knows, you may see me there and then you WILL know someone at the festival.

Not all planes are the same...

Hello again, this time from sunny, balmy and celebrating Three Rivers Festival with great pride, Fort Wayne! Arriving at the airport after a two hour car ride through the corn patches of America, sitting at the Rochester Airport for a couple more hours, to board a plane headed to Chicago. Greeted by a kid, not more than 8, to help deplane my friend who was not able to walk. He wanted to know if I wanted to use the special contraption to get her off. Now, if he would have said, "want to ride up with the pilot?" that I could have seen as an option, but for the untrained person to work the special motion board, I am thinking NOT. But this was where I could have done a better job. American Airlines has the next pinball champion working for them, as this punk was able to hit every side panel in the plane and the tunnel walls. My poor friend was frazzled, in great pain and he (punk-boy) was just trying to keep his pants from falling down. Now, anyone who knows me is well aware I am not the most skilled when it comes to mechanics. However, I was well aware that when you have a person sitting on a small seat, and it is stuck, the first thing you do not do is push it onto its side. Well, American Airlines has not informed the staff of this, as my friend nearly landed upside down when the next punk nearly pushed her over. Flying home from Chicago to Fort Wayne is always a challenge for anyone. This was no different. I am glad to be home. Our corn is not as tall as Iowa's, our gas is more expensive than in Iowa. Plain and simple, this trip has taught me, not all planes are the same! Moral of this trip: Live life to its fullest - Ear today, gone tomorrow.

Have some cake and eat it too...

The wedding in Iowa was last night. Everything was perfect. No, I mean it was perfect. The bride was stunning ... standing tall, thin, beautiful beaded veil with a super wedding dress. The flowers were aromatic. The bridesmaids made Heather Locklear appear to be gigantic. They were four of the most stunning women in Iowa. The ceremony was flawless. The tossing of the rose pedals, the bubble-good luck and the entrance into a brand new car to make the way to the reception could not have been executed any better. At the reception, the food lines were getting long, so the food was also brought table to table by wait staff. The couples song was something I had never heard before, and it was perfect. The beer was free..endless. I walked away from this event thinking, good gracious I should never eat again. Nearly everyone was short, medium or tall but they all were thin. As I waddled back to my room, I wish I had a chance to give a toast to the new couple, to the on-lookers who were there to wish them well... I would have said, "today begins a new chapter in your life. Surround yourself with great friends and start your own traditions. Be good to one another. Talk out your problems with each other first before talking to anyone else. Finally, I want everyone in this room to have some cake...and eat it too." Well, my next post will come from Fort Wayne. I am leaving Iowa this afternoon.

What is green and yellow all over

Well let's cut to the chase, it is sunny and clear skied. The people have been so friendly. I have been called 'honey' and 'darling' and I know it is not because I have on my special erotica cologne. Have heard one comment that tells me diversity training has not hit Iowa: "He was as black as Daffy Duck without a bill." Though, I must admit I have not seen anyone who wasn't as white as a porcelain dish. I have only stumbled across one not so nice person, though we do not know who this individual is but we know that this person is not nice. Here is the story: a vibrant, fun and witty woman who is in her 80's went from her hotel room to have breakfast. What she is not is Sophie from the Golden Girls, because she did not carry her purse with her to the kitchen table. She had a danish, a cup of coffee and some delightful conversation. Upon her return and later in discovery found that $60 dollars was taken from her purse. Another hotel guest found this same situation occurred in their room. Though our vibrant and witty woman wanted to line up the maid service, or press charges or I think lynching was another idea, the matter just remains a hot topic. So today as we all head down for the free breakfast (this is how it can be free, the maid staff extracts a nominal breakfast fee) we all plan to bring our luggage, personal belongings and dirty clothes down to the kitchen table. So, the cowardly maid is now richer. If anyone asks, she took the green and is yellow all over... that coward. And you thought I had another corn story!

Can you hear me now?

Greetings from Iowa. Today I am in Iowa to be with a friend as her son gets married. The trip has been uneventful so far, but then again, did I tell you I was in Iowa? What I have found so far is that John Deere is a legend in this here parts. I think the state can be called the "the hear me state" contrasting from it's cousin state " the sooner state". Why? Because I drove through two hours of corn fields. All those ears of corn. I ate dinner last night at the Pizza Barn or Pizza Ranch or something just as exciting. I am at the Sleep Inn. Quaint hotel with an indoor pool, plenty of parking and right across the street from the Kmart. I did find a grocery store not far and there is a hardware store, a Dairy Queen (which I ate at also) and a subway, rather a Subway, (the blimpie alternative) no fast rail through this village. I am on vacation today, I have no duties or projects. I do not have anything pending or up in the air. I am a slave to my computer today, or the television because I am just waiting on pins and needles to find out who is sitting in today for Star Jones on the View. I missed Big Brother last night, I did not watch any television. I spent two hours getting the computer to connect to the FREE high speed wireless internet. Oh, modern technology. I have my IPOD and boy I feel like my only life line has been called. Well, my friends, I told you nothing new today but here is the song of the day: Home by Michael Bubble. That is where I wish I was, cuz I miss my buddy (Clyde). Woof.

Oh... Now this was worth reading...

Good day America. Today is the start of a brand new day. Carbo will have a blog! I am sure there are things I am just excited to tell everyone. Though, as I start to type, I wonder what I will say that will give anyone a reason to check back. I am thinking that I should be able to discuss all the great things that are happening, perhaps all the fun events in Fort Wayne. Talk about my class reunion, or the Carbozo celebration this winter. I am sure everyone is eager to know what is happening with Clyde or how the house renovation have come along. It would not surprise me that interest would be high to know what music I am listening to, or not listening to this time around. With over 20 different types of tea on my counter in the kitchen, you must wonder which one strikes the creative cord. [I think the one I am drinking is NOT the one.] What I can guarantee is that this blog will be very self-centered. It will talk about me, or my friends, or my music, my home, my dog, my life, my dating (okay, you may not see much on this topic), my parties or my volunteer projects. What you will not see is me solving missile crisis(s), interpretations of modern dance or how to discover the next Disney world in Iowa (ah, foreshadowing)...... Oh, now this is worth reading....