Big Leather Couch: Celebration

Showing posts with label Celebration. Show all posts

Let Us Celebrate Together...

Sparks Of Insanity By Vinny "Bond" Marini Wednesday, December 17, 2008 19 Of Your Sparks

Yesterday our friend MATT-MAN from "Bagwine Ruminations" posted about two women who spent money for billboards reminding people to 'keep Christ In Christmas'...

Now, if they really wanted to do so, they should have taken that money and used it for those who will be without Christmas this year. If someone tells me 'Happy Holidays', I do not launch into a HECK-A-DOODLE fit and blow a few grand on some billboards that will soon be covered with smog and dirty snow...I drop some money into a Salvation Army pot at the store, or buy a toy for a child to donate to Toys For Tots.

Blowing cash on a billboard...hell no.

While reading the story over at Bagwine...I was reminded that there is one special holiday for 'the rest of us'...yup...you got it folks...

The one and only FESTIVUS!

Originally created by writer Dan O'Keefe and introduced into popular culture by his son Daniel, a scriptwriter for the TV show Seinfeld, FESTIVUS is celebrated around the world.

Although the original FESTIVUS took place in February 1966 as a celebration of O'Keefe's first date with his wife, Deborah, many people now celebrate the holiday on December 23, as depicted on the December 18, 1997 Seinfeld episode "The Strike".

According to O'Keefe, the name Festivus "just popped into my head."

Now, you think you might know the customs of FESTIVUS, but those you know are the ones used on the TV program.

The real FESTIVUS - as enjoyed by the O'Keefe Family - is celebrated with family and friends huddled around a table by candlelight, eating and drinking too much, singing in German about a black pig, bitching about people who didn't like them into a barely functional tape recorder, and displaying obscene,

hand-scrawled signs of a political nature.

You can find those customs and more in the book by Daniel O'Keefe entitled "THE REAL FESTIVUS".

There is also a book, written by Allen Salkin which traces the modern observances of FESTIVUS, entitled "FESTIVUS: the Holiday For The Rest Of Us".

Rituals of FESTIVUS from the real holiday and from the show include:

The placing of the FESTIVUS POLE (show) - The Festivus Pole is displayed unadorned. The

pole was chosen apparently in opposition to the commercialization of highly decorated Christmas trees, because it is "very low-maintenance", and also because the holiday's patron, Frank Costanza, finds tinsel "distracting". Erected on a lawn, balanced in a coffee can near a photocopier, stuck in a pail of rocks in the living room or suspended from fishing line on the front porch. the pole symbolizes nothing.

THE FESTIVUS DINNER (show & real)- the on-air meal appeared to be meat loaf or spaghetti in a red sauce. The original holiday dinner in the O'Keefe household featured turkey or ham followed by a Pepperidge Farm cake decorated with M&M's. In Allen Salkin's book, modern observances of FESTIVUS tend to feature heavy drinking, including beer, rum, bourbon, or wine.

THE AIRING OF GRIEVANCES which takes place immediately after the FESTIVUS dinner has been served. It consists of lashing out at others and the world about how one has been disappointed in the past year. When all who care to have taken a turn griping, there is no required hugging or making up.

FEATS OF STRENGTH (show) - Traditionally, the head of the household selects one person

at the FESTIVUS celebration and challenges that person to a wrestling match. The person may decline if they have something else to do, such as pull a double shift at work. Tradition states that FESTIVUS is not over until the head of the household is pinned in a wrestling match. According to the Salkin book, "While there is an undeniable classic elegance to this, real world Festivus practitioners have developed other cathartic methods of discharging pent-up energy against one's fellows, including thumb wrestling and washer tossing."

Of course there are the FESTIVUS Miracles which can occur at any time and must be acknowledged by the shouting of "It's A FESTIVUS Miracle!"

This year, to celebrate FESTIVUS - A Holiday For The Rest Of Us...I will be making donations in each of your names to The Human Fund, the official charity for FESTIVUS

And everyone that joins in the celebration will be invited to partake in the eating of the FESTIVUS Dessert...

Well today I get to do my most favoritest thing in the world...GO TO THE DENTIST!!!!!

Since the Dentist I went to last time no longer takes my Dental Insurance, I had to find someone new...well as it is the end of the year and I have not used any of my benefits this year, I get to have...

TWO ROOT CANALS TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Double HECK-A-AM-I-CRAZY??-DOODLE

So, tomorrow's post will - most likely - be a repeat of my last big Dentist visit...

Mom Joan and Dad Vince come in on Thursday...will be great to see them...

Pretty much wrapped up the Christmas Shopping yesterday. I do so much on-line it is not funny and all the kids are getting...ummm...can't say here...

But all done with Nancy...which is a grand thing.

We mucked up yesterday and did not post a CHRISTMAS/HANUKKAH/KWANZAA/HOLIDAY/FESTIVUS song, so today, we give you two...

First the standard by which all CHRISTMAS/HANUKKAH/KWANZAA/HOLIDAY/FESTIVUS songs are measured..."White Christmas" by Mr. Bing Crosby...whistle away Bing!

Then an off-beat CHRISTMAS/HANUKKAH/KWANZAA/HOLIDAY/FESTIVUS song...the whimsical "Christmas Island", by Mr. Jimmy Buffett

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78, 700 & Tuneage Tutelage New Music Monday...

Sparks Of Insanity By Vinny "Bond" Marini Monday, November 17, 2008 29 Of Your Sparks

If your purpose is ONLY the New Music Monday & Music News Post, then scroll on down...

If you would like some reading that is NOT minutia..then keep it here...

A HUGE BIRTHDAY MESSAGE
OF LOVE TO DAD VINCE
AS HE CELEBRATES TODAY!
Dad...I love you so
Here is my wish for you to celebrate
today, tomorrow and for many years to come!

Thanks to all of you for your loyalty
for 2+ years and 700 posts!
Wow...time flies when you are having fun!

For our first new artist today, I present you Kelly Richey. This woman knows her way around an ax. She has fingers that, at times, must burst into flames , while at other times they sensually trace along the fretboard of her guitar.

She has the performance pedigree to be sure having opened for James Brown, Johnny and Edgar Winter, and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown. As one journalist put it, “Imagine a cross between Bonnie Raitt and Ruth Brown and you’ve only begun to get the picture.”

On the album featured, CARRY THE LIGHT, Richey is backed by Josh Seurkamp - drums and percussion; Amos Heller - Bass; Bill Brandenburgh - Keyboards; Andrea Allmen & Kelly Richey.

In her adopted hometown of Cincinnati, OH, Richey and her band have won multiple awards including Best Blues/RB Band, Best Rock Band, Best Musician and Best Band.

From her Bio: “Stevie Ray Vaughn trapped in a woman's body with Janis Joplin screaming to get out.” This is how one critic describes Kelly Richey, a blues-based rock virtuoso. Buoyed by critical praise and fiercely loyal fans, The Kelly Richey Band tours extensively bringing their electric live experience to venues throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. The attention centers around this Kentucky native’s guitar playing; Richey’s proficiency has earned her comparisons to Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan while gaining her a place on stage with blues legends, Albert King and Lonnie Mack.

You can find out more at her website HERE

In my opinion, Ms. Richey is an excellent guitarist. Is she deserving of being named in the same sentence as SRV, Jimi, Albert and the rest? I am not totally convinced yet, but y'll give her a listen and tell us what you think.

The two songs from Kelly are "Time For A Change" and "Carry The Light". The CD CARRY THE LIGHT is available to one of you...use the comments.

NEW PLAYERS...there are two songs on each player.
One automatically follows the other.

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In the last two weeks I received the new DVD by a band called Boys Like Girls. Honestly, I had no clue who these guys were and was curious to see what the deal was.

SO, I pop the DVD into the iMac and away we went...

Concert footage out of the box..and then interviews with the band members about how they all came together. Seem like cool dudes.

The band is from the Boston area (OK, so we will not hold that against them)and consists of Martin Johnson - vocals, guitars; Paul DiGiovanni - lead guitar, vocals; Bryan Donahue - bass guitar, vocals; John Keefe - drums, percussion.

The music is not bad actually. They all play their instruments proficiently. The two guitarists play well together. I did like the song Hero/Heroine.

Honestly, I guess I expected 'boy-band' and I got 'ROCK BAND' with a hard edged beat.

The camera work on the DVD is excellent. The concert footage is fast paced without being nerve-wrackingly jitterish.

The off-stage footage which follows the band on it's Soundtrack Of Your Summer Tour can be slow at times for a non-fan, but for someone who is a follower, the DVD is definitely a keeper.

Each of the band members gets their own segment where you learn more about them as a person. Of course the other band members are the main sources of information...again, a real fan would appreciate this.

You can watch the entire documentary with concert footage, or just watch the concert footage without the interviews that also include questions from concert winners held on the band's myspace page.

There is a Photo Gallery section which is just that, a slide show of candid shots of the boys and their fans, just being young and having fun.

The packaging is basic and does not add anything to the experience, but will keep your DVD safe as it is sturdy.

Overall a pleasant experience for someone who knew nothing of the band...but as I said earlier, if Boys Like Girls are on your play list, then the DVD READ BETWEEN THE LINES is for you!

OK I have a copy of this DVD for one of you, my wonderful guests here on The Couch.

You know the drill...leave me a comment...let me know.

Our second featured New Artist today is Ryan Calhoun.

From his bio:
Ryan Calhoun just wants to write amazing music. After moving back home to southern California from New York City, Ryan quickly established himself as one of the most promising young artists emerging from the Hotel Café singer songwriter scene in Los Angeles.

After sharing the stage with the likes of Switchfoot, Cary Brothers and Jack’s Mannequin, Ryan teamed up with fellow singer songwriter and producer Greg Laswell to record his debut LP What Are We Doing Here? This collection of emotive, inspirational rock lead to Ryan’s acceptance of the prestigious Los Angeles Music Award for best new male artist in 2007.

When talking of his newest release, EVERYTHING THAT I'M NOT, Ryan says, “I’m not trying to save the world. I’m just trying to make music that matters to me and finds a place in other people’s lives. I draw from my experiences in life, my relationships, fears, struggles, faith and everything that surrounds me.”

You can find out more on his myspace page HERE.

Ryan has a nice voice. His music is enthusiastic. It borders between pop and rock, in that Bryan Adams zone. The two songs we have from the new CD are "Everything" and "Undone" - listen and then let Ryan and me know what you think.

And let me know if you would like a copy of Ryan's CD Everything That I'm Not...

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CELEBRATE THE U.S.A.

Sparks Of Insanity By Vinny "Bond" Marini Thursday, July 03, 2008 42 Of Your Sparks

Is the post pushed down below the sidebars for you? Is the post centered or aligned to the left? I am getting complaints and can not figure out why this is happening. Please let me know. AND tell me the browser you are using. This is really making me crazy! (Well crazier than I normally am!)

The last two years, I have posted a history of the
Declaration of Independence...

If you have not read it you can find it HERE

This year...we are going to just ask you all to be safe...

to have a wonderful time with friends and family

and to remember that this day is truly about remembering

we are all here and allowed to live our lives
because a group of men gathered and

wrote a document which gives us the freedoms
we all sometimes take for granted

Sometimes it feels as if these freedoms are
not there but if we all stay as one,
they will be for generations to come...

May our men and women who are in danger

around the world all come home safely,
so that next year they too can celebrate

with their loved ones

ALL PHOTOS CAN BE ENLARGED

SEE ALL Y'ALL ON MONDAY........

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Green Beer & A Second Year Party...

Sparks Of Insanity By Vinny "Bond" Marini Monday, March 17, 2008 24 Of Your Sparks

TIME TO DONATE SOME RICE TODAY!
<-----------------------------------------------
Build your vocabulary, feed the hungry...
22,741,713,950 grains donated at this point!

We have much to do...It is funny how three occasions all just collided in the universe two years ago.

Yesterday, March 16th, we celebrated Mom Joan & Dad Vince reaching 56 years of wedded bliss...

Again...congrats Mom and Dad...Love you so!

Today, March 17th, we celebrate the "Wearin' O The Green" with all of our truly Irish and wanna-bee for the day Irish friends...

Today, we also celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of The Big Leather Couch here on Blogger...

Not sure we ever thought about the fact that our first ever post was also on the 54th Anniversary of Mom and Dad's Wedding.

This post just kinda of grew as we began working on it, so we will leave it up for two days...that way you can take your time and enjoy all we have gathered...

The Party Is About To Begin...

The bar is open...we have a special guest back there, pouring your favorite libations...

Funny guy, he dyed his robes, beard and face green for the day...and we will be serving some traditional Irish fare for this part of the journey...Looks good for a guy who is 1623 and died 1547 years...Guinness will preserve ya ---

"When Irish Eyes Are Smiling"
Bing Crosby

We wanted to share with you some party facts about St. Patrick's Day around the world...

The St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin, Ireland is part of a five-day festival; over 500,000 people attended the 2006 parade.

The biggest celebrations on the island of Ireland outside Dublin are in

Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, where Saint Patrick was buried following his death on March 17, 461

In Argentina, and specially in Buenos Aires, all-night long parties are celebrated in designated streets, since the weather is comfortably warm in March. People dance and drink only beer throughout the night, until seven or eight in the morning

The longest-running Saint Patrick's Day parade in Canada occurs each year in Montreal, Québec. The parades have been held in continuity since 1824; however, St. Patrick's Day itself has been celebrated in Montreal as far back as 1759 by Irish soldiers in the

Montreal Garrison following the British conquest of New France

In Canada, Saint Patrick's Day is an official holiday only in the province of Newfoundland and

Labrador.

Manchester, England hosts a two week Irish festival in the weeks prior to St Patrick's Day, the city claims the largest Irish population in Great Britain outside of London.

Munich is the only German city that holds a St. Patrick's Day parade due to the considerably large Irish community. The parade is organized by the German-Irish Society of Bavaria and has been held every year since 1996.

The tiny island of Montserrat, known as "Emerald Island of the Caribbean" due to its foundation by Irish refugees from Saint Kitts and Nevis, is the only place in the world apart from the Republic of Ireland and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador in which St Patrick's Day is a public holiday.

The first civic and public celebration of Saint Patrick's Day in the 13 colonies took place in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737

The New York parade has become the largest Saint Patrick's Day parade in the world.

In 2006 more than 150,000 marchers participated in it, including bands, firefighters, military and police groups, county associations, emigrant societies, and social and cultural clubs, and it was watched by close to 2 million spectators lining the streets.

The Chicago River is dyed green each year in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

So, be safe, have fun...enjoy your friends and family...this one is for our good bud Matt-Man...just feel like this is one of those songs he and the brothers all sing at the end of a long St. Patrick's Day celebration...

We're as stubborn as mules
With our blood on fire
When we ain't at Sunday mass
We'll look any man straight in his eyes and say
Kiss my Irish ass!
You better kiss my Irish ass!

Now...on to our next celebration...On March 16th, 2006 we began a new adventure in our life. Bond's Big Leather Couch was born on that day. Prior to that day, we had maintained a blog to doing reviews of American Idol - Season 5 over on their website.

After some 'situations' occurred - we had to find a new home and we came across blogger.com...

Our intent was to post the reviews and recaps of AI, but also, we found there was a need to put

words to paper. We truly did not know what to expect when we began this adventure.

Sure, we had a faded pencil outline on a soiled cocktail napkin in our mind - but how it would develop, or if it would even continue more than the length of that season's shows...we stepped out off the cliff of silence into the air of words...

We thought about this post and have already warned you once it is going to be long.

If you take the next two days to read, that is wonderful...if you get to the wonderful video you are about to see and decide to close the window and wait for Wednesday's post, then that is fine also - really...like who would know anyway???

This video began as an idea we had for a song and we asked our friend Matt-Man to sing and film it for us...Well, that became a situation - and Matt-Man felt he could not do what we were looking for justice - so he told us to "Just relax and let me take care of it".

Of course this conjured up images of ritualistic torture and animal abuse and a totally meatless vision from a man who needs meat to survive...BUT we did...and this is the result...

Matt-Man...Sir you are a special person and we thank you so very much...if you were here right now, we would give you a man-hug and even a kiss on your cheek (very manly of course)...

This is the first post we ever did...short and to the point:

March 16, 2006

Well... welcome to the BIG LEATHER COUCH... this will be my place to open the top of my head and let all that information up there spill out.

It will take the form of stream of conscienceness and rants and raves...but it will also be well thought out and concise (yeah like I ever do anything concise!)

I am hoping you will bookmark me and come and visit.

The plan is to post daily, but that might not always happen...so be patient...

Like what you see? Want to help contribute to my piggy bank? We will be looking for advertising along the way and hope you join the COUCH in that way also...

Like we said - short and to the point...

Yes, that is me and my alter-ego...The life-sized stand-up was given to us when we left our job in Boston, MA back in 1997. Our face was pasted over the face that was on the actual piece.

Sometime back in the late '90's a lawsuit was brought against Hooters, as the did not hire

male wait-staff...This life-size piece was created as a joke, with the hairy guy, given breasts...

My friends got a picture of me and had it laminated on the head...still have this...if you ever come to Casa Marini-Memphis, you can check it out for yourself...

Of course it is the season of the politicos, and whenever they hear of a party...a gathering of more than 10 folks - they come out in droves to 'pump up the votes'.

Please endure - as they have offered to cover the costs of some of the libations...

We found it funny reading our 100th post...blogger problems - have we ever truly lost them? Do not get us wrong...there are other sites to host - or you can host your own domain - but for overall ease...blogger does rule...

We had not begun to add music to The Couch at this point...but we did discuss this Tuneage near the end of the post...so we added it here.

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
Sting & Jeff Beck

100th Post
August 16th, 2006
"Blogger, Apologies, Blogs & Music"

Welcome To THE COUCH...Sit on Down and Get Comfy...

I am getting frustrated by blogger. As of last week, all of a sudden, I need to do a verification before I can post my blog.

I received the following message:
Blogger's spam-prevention robots have detected that your blog has characteristics of a spam blog. (What's a spam blog?) Since you're an actual person reading this, your blog is probably not a spam blog. Automated spam detection is inherently fuzzy, and we sincerely apologize for this false positive. Before we can turn off mandatory word verification on your posts we'll need to have a human review your blog and verify that it is not a spam blog. Please fill out the form below to get a review.Well, so far, I have filled out the form every day (7 times) and still, no word from the "powers that be".Do I look like Spam? Gosh, I have never even eaten Spam.

Well at least these incredible words of wisdom get posted, but what a PITA!

I send a slight apology for yesterday's posting. Not for all of it, but for the ramblings about credit cards and the like. My situation is such small potatoes compared to what some of my friends are going through. Diana's father (Diana's Journal - linked on the front page), and her daily struggle to care for him is so much more important and critical...

My friend Donna, who lives here is going through treatment for breast cancer...

My niece Candice and her ordeal...Another friend who is going through problems at home with an abusive spouse...(this one makes my blood boil, but she has become strong and he currently resides behind bars as he should)...The soldiers who are overseas fighting an unwinnable war and losing their lives over it...

My friend who is dealing with health issues with BOTH her mom and dad and needs to care for them as much as possible...And my wife's struggle with her chronic pain and now a benign tumor on her spine...

There is also good news out there...Gary's recovery from his scare with cancer...It appears he is on the road to recovery...Another friend who just completed her treatment for a rare form of cancer on her breast...And she is recovering nicely...Fred, just celebrating his 20th with the Missus...Matt is healthy...Mom is still in total recovery from her cancer of three years ago...

So, I need to focus on the positives more then the negatives in my life. I am the type that has always put my issues aside to focus on my friend's situations, and it bothers me that I have let my minor problems become the focus here once again.

That will stop my friends.. It is all good....

OK...Also linked on this site is the blog my brother Richard writes for the San Antonio Express-News MySA.com website called FAVORITE OFFICE TIME WASTERS. I have mentioned this many times before and will continue to do so, because - if you have not been there- you are missing out.

You MUST check out his link called "BUT DOES DIRK KNOW" on the site right now. Personally, I am upset it did not come with a warning label like they use on CD's and TV programs, that your eyes may spontaneously combust when looking at the site it links to.

I am also very very curious how many of my readers will get the context of the title "But Does Dirk Know" and ask you to tell me in the comments section if you did or did not get it.

I have to admit, it took me a few seconds, once I had seen the site, to get the connection, but when I did.. I laughed so hard a tear came to my eye.

Rich...Your sense of humor has always had a certain warp to it that I love!

If you go over to Fred's World, you will see his latest post about his 20th Anniversary and some nice shots from the wedding...Oh..Rich is the guy just to the right of the Missus in the group shot (your right not theirs)...His legs are no where near as nice as mine though!

Another site that, I think, I had previously recommended is the OCEANGRAM.COM site where you can write a message, put it into a bottle and hoist it into the virtual ocean. Then you can wait for messages to come back to you (YES, I got this one from Rich's FOTW site also...)

But I must insist that, if your boss catches you on his site or on links you got from his site, that you don't blame him! LOL

I have also been spending some time going through my music collection...reaquainting myself with some of my all time favorite songs.

Still, to this day, Jackie Wilson's "Higher & Higher" makes me smile like a teenage boy in love for the first time.

Derek and the Dominos doing "Bell Bottom Blues" is another incredible song and another is Aretha Franklin doing "The Weight" (yes THE BAND song) with Duane Allman doing the slide guitar.

I also did some searching on Limewire the other night and found the most incredible live version of Sting with Jeff Beck doing the George Harrison song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Jeff Beck is one of the more unrated guitar players of our time, IMHO.

FYI ... My opinion is - if I have already purchased the song in analog (vinyl) I have no qualms about downloading a digital version, and any music that is live and not available on CD, well that is fair game also. I will not hurt an artist by downloading music I have not previously owned.

Just my opinion and I am sure there are those who will disagree...But please don't call the RIAA police on me...Rock on....

Thanks for sitting on THE COUCH, hope you enjoyed your stay.

Remember .. Nets For Malaria - UNFoundation.org/malaria - find the big SI's Nothing But Net logo ... Or call 202.887.9040. Every cent goes to buying nets to place over the beds of children in Africa to stomp out Malaria. PLEASE HELP.

Keep that spark of insanity kids...It helps keep you an individual.

Please welcome the Republican candidate for President, as he speaks about The Couch...

The other Democratic candidate takes time away from his busy schedule to speak to you...

Bored yet?

SO much has happened in our life since we began this two years ago. Back then, we were not really working....we were living in NJ...we had Matt with us all the time as he lived at home as he went to college. Money was real tight...our life did not have a lot of personal happiness.

The appearence of Taylor Hicks on AI had introduced us to some incredible people. Some we have even gotten the opportunity to meet - and some we still only know through the cyberwaves.

The Couch has been the one constant as we have a great job...now live in Memphis...Matt is

900 miles away and is missed so...Money is still tight, but we are now finding personal happiness in our life.

We have met so many new friends because of The Couch...We get to live their (your) lives with you every day...and you get to live ours (gee....sorry, never thought of that...poor you!)

When we first began this, we thought of posting more "Landmark" posts here...We will spare you that looooooong read....

IF you are interested...
Post 300 is HERE - Wednesday, April 25, 2007. At least one of these ended up being a piece of fiction. The story is called "Dangerous Lines"

Post 400 is HERE - September 4, 2007 - it was titled "Tuesday Thoughts & Thanks" was a collection of bling given to us...a wish for Labor Day and a little party for #400.

When reviewing the posts done over the last two years, there are some we remember with fondness. They were fun to write. They made us giggle.

We have truly enjoyed sharing our fiction during MONDAY MATINEE...and also sharing musical knowledge with the TUNEAGE TUTELAGE...

But there are a couple of posts that have been labors of love. Those that live inside of us and are one of the reasons we did begin this adventure afterall.

We did a post for Matt on April 3, 2007 for his 20th birthday. You can find it HERE.

Way back on June 22, 2006, we did the post "The Rise & Fall Of FEMA" and their inability to coordinate a true response to Katrina and Rita - found HERE.

There was the post on October 19, 2007 about Jason Kendall Ray, the brave young man, whose selflessness helped save lives. The post was entitled "Do You Know?" and can be found HERE

The post that got more comments than any other was one entitled "Where Are We Going", published on August 30, 2007. It revolved around the state of our children and how parents are shielding them from the real word. It can be found HERE.

Now on some sites, this might have had 100's of comments....On our little home, it received 43...a HUGE number for us....and one more than this final post for you today...

One that, coincidentally had been posted the week prior, on August 17, 2007. It is a comedic post about a very stressful day...hope you enjoy it HERE

Thank you for allowing us to overload your senses today. We certainly hope to continue to spend time with all y'all here, five days a week for a long time to come...

Sure this was a pretentious post...but is that not the nature of our blogs? A place for we, as individuals, to be semi-dictorial and decide what will appear? Of course, if people stop coming to visit, then you might as well just fire up your word processing software and put your thoughts there where only you can read them.

Hope you had enough to eat and drink and enjoyed the desserts...

Be back on Wednesday to start our THIRD year with you all...and we will be introducing a new way to be a Couch-Sitter then...

Grab some Champagne as you leave...