December

In honor of tomorrow being the first of December I have updated my colors to be more Christmasy. Go me.

Cold Cabin Weekend

A couple of weekends ago Chris, Matty, Kara and I went out to Anderson Island for a weekend of fishing and cards. It POURED down rain and was really windy so mostly we just played cards and danced to the Victrola. However there was a brief break in the weather Saturday afternoon and we fished for a bit. No one caught anything. Here are some photos from the adventure.

Chris at the mouth of Amsterdam Bay.

Kara trying out her new fly rod!

Chris and I during game playing.

Matty and Kara.

Courtney fishing the mouth of Amsterdam Bay on Sunday morning. Still no luck.

Matty's dog Coco enjoying the fresh salt water!

Oh, and here is a funny video I took of Kara showing us a weird nose twitch she has.
Kara's Nose Twitch

I Love Wii

I've updated my Amazon wishlist with all of the games I want to acquire for the Wii. I'm dying to get Dance Dance Revolution - Hottest Party. I read a review where one guy played it for 8 hours straight....naked. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but I really want to dance! Sadly, it is out of stock everywhere. Chris keeps walking around saying "Hottest Party" in this Wii type voice. It is quite entertaining.

I'm actually sitting on a conference call with India right now but all I want to do is go downstairs and play Guitar Hero III. Or maybe Super Mario Galaxy. Or even Wii Sports Tennis. I'm addicted. Yes, I know.....

Cramped Hands

So yes, we got a Wii, and no we didn't wrap it and put it under the tree like we should have, and yes we played it all evening (Chris actually had already played it all afternoon but I was out shopping with Lisa). This morning my left hand is sore, cramped and tired. The first of what I'm sure will be many Guitar Hero III injuries. But oh my gosh, that game is the bomb! If you have a gaming system get thee to the store and get Guitar Hero III. I'm still playing gigs at a backyard party but I hope today will find me playing at a dive bar!

Merry Christmas to Wii

Yep, Chris and I just got back from braving the Black Friday crowds and are the proud owners of a new Nintendo Wii! Oh yeah and Guitar Hero III and Super Mario Galaxy. Oh and an extra controller and nunchuck. Apparently in our family you go out shopping for yourselves on Black Friday.

Time to play!

Happy Thanksgiving

From the House's house.

What I Am Thankful For

In honor of the upcoming holiday, here is my list of things I am thankful for:

• My Husband
• My Family
• My Kitties
• My Friends
• My Health
• Haribo Gummy Bears

Brrr

The cold weather is here. My office is FREEZING. Currently there is a man here trying to fix that for me, but for now I am wearing my coat and drinking tea. A minute ago I swear I saw snow outside my window, now it is just rain. Another Seattle winter.

Tonight is the annual Argosy Cruises Christmas party. I carried my fancy party dress with me on the bus this morning and my shoes, makeup and nylons are in my backpack. Argosy always throws a great party. First there is a cocktail hour from 6 to 7. Next we eat a wonderful meal from 7 to 8. Then we sit as they give out an array of prizes to the captains and crew from 8 to 9. Lastly we dance the night away from 9 until our feet give out. This year they are hosting it at the Fairmont Olympic hotel. I've never actually been inside the Fairmont so I'm very excited! I inquired about getting a room there for tonight but the cheapest was $350. Probably worth it, but not to me.

Last night Chris and I sat down on the couch and planned out our dinner for Thanksgiving. We will be traveling south to Olympia (Lacey actually) to the Grandparent's house to cook the meal for his family. Our menu includes the following:

• Turkey (duh!) - done in Williams Sonoma 2007 Turkey Brine
• Italian Sausage Corn Bread Stuffing
• Pear Cranberry Chutney
• Sweat Potato Casserole
• Baked Mashed Potatoes
• Broccoli and Feta Cheese Salad
• Apple Pie
• Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Rolls

The Holidays are upon us.

Skiing is coming! Skiing is coming!

Ski areas in British Columbia, our neighbors to the north, are scheduled to open this weekend! My favorite ski area, Mission Ridge, is scheduled to open the Friday after Thanksgiving! I can't wait to hit the slopes but my new ski pants are still in the mail. So, rather than shooting down the slopes on fluffy happy white wonderfulness we will be out fishing in the rain and cold. Boy, I can't wait!

Half.com Update

So far I've made three sales. Not only did I sell For Women Only I also sold For Men Only shortly after. Then yesterday someone bought my copy of Stitch 'N Bitch. I've made two trips to the post office! I only have 3 books left of the original 6 I posted. I'm dying to go home and scour our shelves for more things to post. I've actually found myself at work looking around my office for things to post. Bad. Christy calls this the Half.com disease. Yes, I have it. I already blew through all of my profits before they were even deposited into my account. Not a huge surprise.

First Sale!

I've already made my first sale on Half.com. Someone bought my copy of "For Women Only". If you are dying to buy my copy of "For Men Only" you'd better act fast, I think it will sell soon! I can't wait to post more stuff tonight!

Clearing Out The Clutter

Inspired by my friend Christy I have begun the process of clearing out our media clutter at home. Last night I opened a half.com store to sell some of our books, cds, dvds, and perhaps video games. I only got around to listing 6 books last night, but I hope to get more on there tonight. And, hopefully some DVDs we never watch, and maybe all of our XBox games. The purpose of selling those would be to buy a new system. Maybe a Nintendo Wii? If we could find one......

1 Step Forward - 2 Steps Back

Today I arrived at my gym to find that they had replaced all of the ancient strength training equipment in the women's only section with new equipment. I was excited, new equipment! So I jumped on the elliptical to complete the cardio portion of my workout and then headed over to the new strength equipment. I was excited, until I sat down at the first machine and realized I had no idea how to use it. *sigh* So, I proceeded to walk from machine to machine reading the instructions and testing out the weight/seat/handles/etc. It will probably take me about 3 weeks to get settle in properly. Oh, and now my arms hurt. Apparently 50lbs on the old machines does not equal 50lbs on these. But hey, new equipment! *grumble*

Nancy's 75th B'day

Last weekend my parents were over for a visit with my Aunt Judy to attend our Cousin Nancy's 75th birthday party on Bainbridge Island. It was a really fun afternoon, catching up with family we hadn't seen for a while and dancing to "Nancy's Band", a group of guys that got together in honor of the event. On drums was my Cousin Yorck and Cousin Tommy and on trumpet was my Cousin Ron. Here are some photos from the event:

Stylish ladies on the ferry

Ron on the trumpet

Mom and Chris on the porch

The Cousins Roberts (Tommy, Ron, Judy, Nancy, Allen (my dad!), Ike and Frankie


Dad and Chris on the porch

Dad and Aunt Judy

Dad and Mom (I love this picture)

Dad and Judy dancing - Ron in the background

Nancy and her grandkids (Reason & Hayden)


Oh, and I took a couple of videos during the dancing (mainly to blackmail my family later!).
Nancy's B'day


Nancy's B'day

Sad News

Reposting this email from my friend Camille out into cyberspace in case anyone can help out. I also went to school with Jenny, Amy, Jason and Camille. Very sad news indeed.

I received news last night that is weighing VERY heavy on my heart today. Amy Ochs (Eldred) called me last night to let me know that Jenny Ochs (Matthews) is losing her battle with cancer. For those of you that don't know, I grew up going to school with them and playing sports with them. She has been fighting the cancer for 7 years now. Just a few days ago, Jenny was told that the cancer is now in her soft tissues and there is no treatment. The timeline she was given was anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months. Jenny and her husband Jason have decided to take a trip to Hawaii next week. That is what Jenny really wanted to do. They don't have a lot of money because Jenny has not been able to work for a long time, and Jason has had to take a lot of time off from work. Amy (and her family) are trying to raise enough money to pay for all of their trip, so that they don't have to worry about the money. I am asking you if you would consider helping Jenny live out her dream of going to Hawaii. If we all just give a little bit, it will help them a lot. Thank you so much. Keep Jenny in your thoughts and prayers.
Camille
P.S. You can send any donations to me, and I will get them to Amy ASAP. My address is 20 Brandi Lane, Wenatchee, WA 98801

Really? You just spit in front of me?

I hate spit. Not the kind of necessary spit that you encounter at home in the privacy of the bathroom, but the kind of spit that lands unnecessarily in your path on the sidewalk.

I remember when I was in grade school and we figured out that we could spit, that we could "hock a loogie", and that Cindy could hock them farther than any of the boys. That was cool, that was playground discovery. But, here I am a 30 something professional in downtown Seattle and people still are spitting all over the street?

I'm not sure why exactly it bothers me so much. I understand that it is a natural occurrence. But does it have to happen in front of me? And especially by people who I'm sure are carrying something that shouldn't be released on the unknowing public! It also seems that the people that spit in front of you are also the people that look like they'd snatch your purse or knock an old lady down. It really bothers me!

How To Find remjones.blogspot.com

I find this interesting. I have a blog tracker for this page that tracks how people find my site. I've pasted the statistics for the past 6 months below. As you can see, I get the most hits from people looking for information on their O2 Optix recalled contacts. Oh, and people that know the name of my blog but don't know how to type it in the address bar. Fun times.

Keyword	Visits	Percent
O2 optix recall	24	4.72%
02 optix recall	18	3.54%
remjones blogspot	17	3.34%
remjones blog	16	3.14%
o2 optics recall	10	1.96%
warming hut hotties	10	1.96%
remjones	7	1.38%
dermot mulroney	6	1.18%
beer launch	6	1.18%
kikiriki turkey	4	0.79%
huling brothers	3	0.59%
02 optix contacts recall	3	0.59%
optix and recall	3	0.59%
optix recall	3	0.59%
"anderson island"	3	0.59%
o2 optix recalled	3	0.59%
o2 optix backorder	3	0.59%
"o2 optix recall"	3	0.59%
jules maes saloon	3	0.59%
"rat city"	3	0.59%
wenatchee hotties	3	0.59%
i8flan	3	0.59%
besta enon	3	0.59%
fear of holes	3	0.59%
Huling Brothers arrest	2	0.39%
huling brothers scandal	2	0.39%
Huling Brothers dealership in West Seattle.	2	0.39%
o2 optix	2	0.39%
Chuck a puck	2	0.39%
Hypo-allergenic Flowers	2	0.39%
dentist crowns	2	0.39%
seattle fly fishing film tour	2	0.39%
technica Attiva Flame boots size 24	2	0.39%
Argosy booze cruise	2	0.39%
kikiriki clothes	2	0.39%
costco o2 optics	2	0.39%
paddy coynes irish pub	2	0.39%
o2 optix recall money back	2	0.39%
02 optix contact recall	2	0.39%
o2 optic recall	2	0.39%
ODE TO A KEG	2	0.39%
fishing kayaks	2	0.39%
3-day	2	0.39%
kikiriki	2	0.39%
Seattle, new "Kayaks"	2	0.39%
how many steps are you supposed to walk in a day?	2	0.39%
alpental cinco de mayo 2007	2	0.39%
&hl=en	2	0.39%
Christy Varonfakis	2	0.39%
The Paperboys University Village Sounds of Summer	2	0.39%