Painting

Ok, getting down to it, I am working on a series of 4 paintings based on the Bhagavada gita, right now I am working on one entitled 'Arjuna: facing the waves of battle'. It's ok, for some reason all my colour has turned pink, which at first was annoying, but now it really is starting to form a kind of 'mist' of torment (that I didn't originally envisage' The idea and description for this painting would be, Arjuna's first real sense of the horror of Battle, as he begins to panic and pray at the imminent loss of humanity and his inability to decide on his reasons and motivations to fight. He finally gains a sense of realization and spiritual awakening in the process.

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Hello world! Hello New York! Hello House in Jersey!

As of next week, we'll finally have a phone number. I felt just awful last night when Beth Ann came in and showed me her cell phone, which already was troublesome and costing her too much since it was pay-as-you-go, but then it finally blitzed out last night, and she could no longer actually get it to respond to any button-pushing. As in, she could no longer dial, call, hang up, or turn the phone off. So, 6 months after we move in, and a good, solid, 60 minutes of being passed around various verizon customer service representatives explaining that a previous tenant (probably the one that was housing 5 families of illegal immigrants here) turned our one-family-dwelling into 3 separate floors with 3 seperate phone lines (and it needed to be completely rewired), someone finally told me to start the process over. That was a long sentence. Anyway, after 40 seconds of filling in an internet form, now ya'll can call us as of next week. hoo-rah!

However, we still don't have any doors on our boiler cupboard. Our handyman never showed up yesterday. Well, one thing at a time, in our house in jersey!

Switching gears, I'd just like to say congratulations to Heather Daly and Mike Van Brunt, the cutest couple known to humankind. They had a wonderful wedding last weekend up in Mass., and I managed to keep my cold at bay long enough to play the wedding march for them! Also, just like to shout out to the nice Hornellians we saw up there... Rich Havorka, I've never seen anyone enjoy singing "Sweet Caroline" as much as you. You're the best. Also, excellent to see Paul Brewster, whom I haven't seen in a good 13 years, as well as Matt Oravec and Jason Nield! Rockin'. Everyone seems to be well, except poor Jason Nield (I'm probably slaughtering the spelling of his name), who had a broken hip. Poor guy.

Anyway, Mike and Heather are livin' it up in Hawaii this week, hope they're enjoying themselves. They are probably really sad they're missing out on our gusty, freezing, 26 degree weather.

Okay, with that, signing off...

-Marna Pitarna

Weirdos.

These are the people in which Basil and I entrust our well-being.

Incidentally, this is in ritaliation to that horrifying picture of me in the lamp-shade that was posted earlier in the week.

-Livia

Dual-purpose post

I am posting this for two reasons:

1. To generate a little text to displace the photo of Olivia & me from the tippy-top of the page.
2. To say "yeee-hawwww!!!!" & "congrats, man!!!" & "muchas spankin' good job!!!" to Moray, who led his first class today as a certified yoga instructor. I didn't make it, on account of I have a job, but Maria & Aaron tell me it was relaxing & lovely. I'm relaxed just thinkin' 'bout it.

...and you will know her by the trail of broken things

You know, we leave for ONE weekend to go to Mike Van Brunt's wedding, and we come back to a houseful of party animals with lampshades on their heads!!!

har har har

Tryingin, somethin, new

ok i'm trying to run my blog from another program if it works yay, if it doesn't work boohoo and I'll just have to do it the hard way

Love that iweb

Well, thanks to the new ilife '06, Moray and I have spent the past few days making our websites! There are also some links in the "Our House In Jersey" sidebar now, if our blog readers would like to check them out. Our itty bitty sites are found:

www.moraywatson.com
www.mariadessena.com

Obviously, I have no idea what the hell I'm doing as far as making a web page goes, but at least now every time someone says "yeah, sure you wanna play here, just email us your website" I can now do so. Although they'll probably find it confusing. but I'm working on it.

I would just like to take this time to mention our poor girl Livia was spade today. We took her at 8:00 this morning, through wind and rain, to the vet on 1st street to get her little gibblets removed. When we picked her up tonight, the vet gave us a little plastic cone (a lamp-shade if she were a large dog, would be the equivalent) to keep her from digging her stitches. As soon as we put it on her, she promptly walked into the door, and got stuck. It feels horrible to realize you are laughing at your poor, defenseless, post-op kitten with a plastic lampshade on her head.

But I'm reassured that she'll be all right in a few days.

Also, on a side-note, I'd like to personally thank Beth Ann for sitting in the freezing cold for over 9 hours this weekend (not all in a row) to watch Lord of the Rings trilogy with Moray and I. I truly feel it was a bonding experience for us all. Even if we were bonded by icicles. And as well, I'd like to thank Aaron for sharing the "when i was little I accidentally set my parent's bed on fire" story with us this afternoon at Basic coffee shop. I would have done the same.

And Moray, my sweet husband Moray, whom I lovingly refer to as "Bun", will from this day forward be refered to, by myself, as, "Bun-Jovi".

Just sounds funny!

Oh, and one last thank you to the PSEG man that came to fix our boiler yesterday. YES, you bitched the whole time about the cement-filled sliding doors. YES, you were kind enough to try anyway, although you grunted and sighed continually. YES, you ended up ripping the doors off the wall and cracking the drywall in a fit of gas man rage. But man, you gave us heat. And for that, I am grateful. So thank you for bitching, breaking, and tearing down our doors in the name of heat. Because of you, we are warm.

Goodnight.

Warm. Kind. Funny. Good. Ahhh.

My brother's birthday is next week, and I just got him a really cool gift. I can't say what it is on account of I don't want him to find out before his birthday. (As though my brother, who is currently in Japan, is actually taking time out of his fabulous travel experience to read this blog. I think I'm delusional.) But, trust me, it's really funny. Jonathan, if you do read this, get ready to be highly amused next week.

The best part -- the part I can't stop thinking about -- is that I think my mom would have really gotten a kick out of this gift being sent from one of her wacky children to the other. Tomorrow is her birthday.

In other excellent news, our heat is back on!! All in all, a good day.

If it seems like an exaggeration, it's probably just a temperature-related hallucination.

I took a shower this morning (or, more accurately, during the early afternoon that served as my morning) and, although I was delighted by the hot water for several minutes, I was alarmed when the STEAM FROZE IN MIDAIR, forming miniature pieces of ice that then showered back down onto me. Due to poor ventilation and a malfunctioning boiler, Our House In Jersey now features its own indoor weather system. I'll have to consult my Field Guide to Weather just as soon as I can feel my fingers. My goal right now is to promote circulation in my fingers through typing.

Under normal circumstances, indoor temperatures such as this would inspire me to spend the day at a museum or a coffeehouse or something. But our goal this wkend (Maria's, Moray's, and mine) was to watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy in its entirety. And so, with a determination not unlike Frodo's, we crawled under our blankets (I used four), sipped our tea (many mugs of it), and finished the last film this evening. Oh, sure, we paused occasionally to huddle around the refrigerator for warmth or turn away the research scientists who came 'round to gather data on the effects of extreme temperature on organic matter. But we did it. We finished the trilogy.

But at a price. The cold, it seems, has gone to Maria's head. She just ran by screaming (forgive me if I spell this incorrectly): "AHAHAHRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH! YAHHHAAAARRRRAAAGGHHHH!!!!!!!"

I need help!!!!

This is a picture of the 'Bean' game box, sported by my lovely assistant Basil. He has kindly dedicated his sacred time from cleaning himself to support our new help group, 'BGA' also known as, the 'Bean Gamers Anonymous', a society to help Bean game addict's return to the real world and overcome their addiction, the first step is to be open and honest with yourself, that you actually have an addiction, and to share your problems with others. So here we go, I am coming out and saying, YES, I am addicted to the bean game and I need help!

Thank you Basil for all you support.

Mostly Freezing; H 32, L tbd

Brrrrr.

Motion to rename Our House in Jersey, Our #*%&ing Freezing House in Jersey. (Charming symbols in place of curse words b/c I think it's important to make at least SOME effort to be ladylike.)

Maria just spent 41 minutes on the phone with PSEG: 40 on hold, and one during which the customer service representative explained that nobody can come out to help us until Tuesday. I have the day off tomorrow, and I Have A Dream that I could swap it for a day later in the week, when (theoretically) our heat will be back on and I could comfortably pursue important household activities such as sitting around on my ass. (So much for the effort toward ladylike vocabulary.)

I'm tempted to go for a little run, but I dread the idea of changing into appropriate jogging attire b/c that would mean that I'd have to take off my warm cozy sweater and be EXTRA cold for a few seconds. So my running shoes will stay in the closet and instead I will cave to the opposite temptation that is currently pulling at me: snuggling up under a soft blanket and enjoying some Gruyere & Gouda & water crackers & the second Lord of the Rings movie with Maria & Moray. And a cup of tea. HOT tea.

I am MAD...MAD as NAILS...GRRRRRR

I am not sure how mad nails get, but I can only imagine! I mean just picture it, your life is spent lying around in a crowded plastic box. Then one day out of nowhere two fingers reach in and pluck you from your existential prison. They raise you to the light. You take in a deep breathe of appreciation and think "this is what freedom feels like!" In that instant you imagine the rich life of possibility ahead of you. Then your dreams come to a sudden hault as you notice you are being placed against a large, what appears to be some sort of surface. You are confused, you look up to try and absorb what is going on and then you see it. Before you have time to truly grasp the situation the cold gray darkness is upon you BAM-BAM-BAM...
It is over.

Well, let me tell you...I would be pretty P.O.-ed if that were me. So you now have a greater empathy and insight into the anger a nail truly endures.

This is why I scream "I am MAD...MAD as NAILS!!" because...ummm...let me think...because...Darn, now I forget why I was mad. OH WELL!

ps-I am sure you figured it out but just in case, this is "The Fatal Tale of the Carpenter Nail" and not "The Legend of Lee Press-On"

Flicking the bean

It has been brought to my attention recently, a secretive game, known only as the 'bean game', which was developed and played in secret rooms, coveted only by those from the upstate New York and the lesser known hill of Copdafeel in Canada. This, said game, is a tad on the addictive side. Firstly I should point out this is a card game, not a video game, not board game, not a game involving magic, bean-stalks or even ogres, but a simple game involving colorful (sorry UK people I have finally succumbed to, cough, to the natives Language) bean orientated cards. As a result I have grown a slight unnatural interest to all things 'bean' related, (the game and AA's extra garlic Chili). O' how I now want just one more wax bean card to gain three gold pieces, but I only have 2 stink beans and 1 red bean, O, how the bartering goes on, too and fro with the great skill and with ease of wit, sowing your seeds, in spite and malice. Right up my alley!

anyhoo, I thought I should add a little 'taste' of the house right now, as I have pulled a muscle in my back and am unable to do anything for long periods of time without groaning, moaning and, o, wait..... um that's every day, but now at least I have an excuse, excruciating PAIn. PS: also to Rich, thanks for Dinner, my back gave out and I had to go to bed. Crap (!!)

PS: Livia is in heat and her singing and wanton wails are driving us all up the wall, she will be soon appearing in a slightly off broadway one woman play, a Harry Potter rip off (that's one name drop for those google stat's, snigger) entitled 'Livia Augustus and the Gibblets of fire'

Friday the 13th, good day to post.....................

A very Kids in the Hall Halloween

In other news (aside from kitty rebellion), we've got pics of our house Halloween party back! Check 'em out.


"Would you like some eggs? I made 'em myseeeeeelf"



"It's a FACT! The Queen of England can't remember her ABC's."



"I am here to serve you, master! Aaaaaaaaand Satan!"



Heather as "The Nightmare before Christmas"



Sean as "One of those damn red hat ladies"

Damn you, mother!!

You'll pay for this. When you least expect it. Remember how last night I meowed incessantly from 4 am to 5 am??? Tonight I shall meow even longer!!! MmeeeeeeEEEOOOOOOWWWW!!!! meow meow!!!!!

MEOW!

...and speaking of cute...

Check out this little rascal, Livia.

True love

Oh Basil, you love us and you know it.

-Mommy

Comment Commentary

I logged on with the intention of dashing off some witty and insightful commentary on the important news stories of the day, including Ariel Sharon's stroke, the West Virginia mining tragedy, and Lindsay Lohan's eating disorder. But when the Our House In Jersey page appeared on the screen, my keen eye noticed that somebody left a comment on our last post.

A comment? I was immediately distracted. Could it be that somebody is reading our blog? Is it possible that some cyber-wanderer stumbled upon our humble site, perused our musings, and was so moved by our words that he/she was actually compelled to tell us?

Probably not, I thought. Probably it's one of my housemates adding a little note. (We're our own most loyal readers.)

I clicked.

And to my great surprise, the name at the top of the comment was not Maria. Nor was it Moray. Nor Aaron, nor Basil, nor Olivia. The comment is from somebody calling himself "lior".

I've only ever known one person named Lior. He reminds me of Ewan McGregor, not because he's a good-looking Scottish actor (although I could comfortably argue that he fits that description) but because I saw Trainspotting with him and our friend Rich.

If Lior had left an email address, I'd have dashed off a charming little note that might have gone something like this: "Lior? Dude! How the heck are you? How's your sister? I can't even remember the last time I saw her ... or you, for that matter. How on earth did you find our blog? If you feel like traveling to the Jersey City/NYC area, come visit us! Hope all is well and that you're enjoying 2006 so far. --Liz P.S. Who are the Aqua Teen Hunger Force? Are they near Grove Street?"

You know what I just realized? If people are actually reading our blog, I oughta start spell-checking.