Survivor Starts on Sept 15!

Survivor: Guatemala!!!

All you Survivor Fans out there get ready because the 11th Season is about to start! And this year they are playing in Guatemala, South America. Should be a good cast and they are saying the most competitive Survivor yet! Thursday nights are back to being the best night of the week. Check out www.cbs.com for more details and to read up on the players.

Washingon, DC or Bust

I am headed to Washington, DC tonight for the National Conference of Volunteering and Service. http://www.volunteeringandservice.org/. I hopefully will get to meet some fun and interesting folks and get some sightseeing is as well. It takes place at the Washington Convention Center www.dcconvention.com, which is supposed to be state of the art.

wish me luck.

BBQ in Vermont!!

What: The Fifth Annual Harpoon New England Barbecue Championships
When: Saturday, July 23 - 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm (entrance closes at 6:30 pm)
Sunday, July 24 - 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm (entrance closes at 3:30 pm)
Where: The Harpoon Brewery, Windsor, Vermont
Cost: $5 per person.

• 40 BBQ Teams from all over will be competing for prize money & trophies
• Good food to sample!! Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream for dessert.
• Great live music provided by the hottest local bands from Vermont
• Brewery tours offered through out the weekend
• Bring your camp chair or blanket to relax on the grass and enjoy the company.

Doob and have gone for three years in a row and plan on attending this year as well. At least for one of the days. The food is great and the music is usually enjoyable as well. Hope to see you there.

Harry Potter Book Six!!

When the clock strikes midnight
all kids and adults will be out of site!

The new Harry Potter book will hit stores,
and we will all read all day & night and let go of our chores.

What will the pages hold?
What magical and wonderous storeis will be told?

Harry and his friends will soon be the talk of the town
and whoever reads it first can't shout or let out a sound!!!

Bastille Day in France

Today, July 14th, is a National Holiday in France. Bastille Day, much like our Independence Day on July 4th. And much like our 4th of July celebration Bastille day was the end of the French Revolution and the people finally had say over how they wanted their country run. No more kinds and queens!! Just the fun fact for the day!

Space Shutte Discovery Launch TODAY 7/13

Liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery on NASA's Return to Flight Mission is scheduled for 3:51 p.m. EST today July 13th. Check out the link below for the launch clock count down and other facts and figures. Hope you can all sneak away and see it launch on TV!

http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main/index.html?skipIntro=1

Post Vacation Exercise

Okay - I am feeling a tad bit guilty about all of the treats I allowed myself this past week while on vacation. I assume I am not the only one out there that is feeling this way. Here are a few ideas for getting back those few pounds that may have crept onto to our waist lines!

YOGA: Yoga improves posture, increases the intake of oxygen, and enhances the functioning of the respiratory, digestive, endocrine, reproductive, and elimination systems. Its effects on the emotions are equally beneficial: calming the mind, attuning us to the environment, and diminishing insomnia caused by mental restlessness. Yoga is highly recommended for people in competitive, stressful working environments, for those who suffer from headaches, back and shoulder aches, allergies, and asthma; and for anyone over the age of 40 (although the younger, the better). Yoga also works to unite the split between the mind and the body. Find a yoga studio near you. http://www.yogafinder.com/

Stomach crunches: Lie on the floor -- you may want to use a mat or blanket -- with your knees slightly bent and your hands gently resting behind your head, elbows pointing out. Using your stomach muscles only, slowly lift your chest toward the ceiling, keeping your feet on the floor and your chin pointed toward the ceiling. Lower your head until your shoulder blades hit the floor -- but do not completely relax. Repeat.

Push-ups: Get down on your hands and knees. Rest all your weight on your extended arms, and keep your body straight. Slowly lower your chest toward the floor, keeping your chin up, and then raise until your arms are straight again. (You can keep your knees on the floor, but you should eventually try to use just your toes.) Repeat.

Aerobic exercise: Spend at least 5 minutes warming up/stretching; then speed walk, jog, do an aerobics or strenuous yoga class, jump on a stairclimber, go biking, jump rope -- anything that will get your heart rate up. Then spend at least 5 minutes warming down/stretching. Ideally, you should alternate your aerobic activity so you don't get bored.

Buy from Local Markets and Framers!!

Check out this great website about locally grown food. You can use their easy to use map to locate farmers' markets, resturatnts, or farms. This time of year is the best time to get out there and search out food grown by your neighbors, rather then stuff imported from other countries or stuff grown with chemicals & hormones!

http://www.localharvest.org/ - "The freshest, healthiest, most flavorful organic food is what's grown closest to you. Use our website to find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies."

Breakfast Smoothies!

Try this when you need just a little somthing sweet at breakfast along with your eggs and toast. I have it as a snack sometimes too or when those bannas are too ripe to eat anymore. You can freeze the bananas too to make it all a little thicker! Try adding any other kind of fruit - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or pineapples.

1 banana, peeled, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1 cup plain or vanilla yogart

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pout into a nice glass and enjoy!!

There are MANY other receipes for smoothies on www.foodtv.com if you simply search for "smoothies".

Moon in the desert 

Summer Solstice and Full Moon tonight!

So rehersals for the Masque are every night this week until 9pm! Last night was not too bad because it was a beautiful summer night and there was the almost full moon that rose over the tall pine trees at Saint-Gaudens like a watchful eye in the sky checking out our play.

Tonight is the Summer Solstice! Longest day in the year and hopefully a clear night to see the full moon of June! So if you are feeling a little off kilter today...just blame it on the energy and force of the moon high up there in the sky!
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Masque of the Golden Bowl - Performed at Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site
Friday, 6/24 & Saturday, 6/25 - 6:00 P.M. - Sunday, 6/26 - 2:00 P.M.
Admission to the performances will be FREE and there will be lawn seating – bring blankets and/or lawn chairs.

The event celebrates the 100th anniversary of a pageant (or play) held to honor sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The original pageant performed in 1905, “A Masque of ‘Ours’ or the Gods and the Golden Bowl” was written by Louis Evan Shipman with the prologue by Percy Mackaye, both of the Cornish Colony. The performance will be on the original pageant location by the “Temple” in the meadow below “Aspet”, Saint-Gaudens’ home.

Fridy afternoon Blues

As my first blog entry I thought I would share my feelings on Friday afternoons. They are tricy things to deal with sometimes. Yes there is work to be done and yes it is just another work day, but getting things accomplished after 3pm on a Friday is almost impossible.

This holds true when most everyone else you work with "has left the buidling"!!

Does anyone else have this problem?