****New and Improved Coming Soon****

I think.

Oh. The blog.

Oh the blog.

Forgot about that.

Some things that have happened since January:

1. I got a job. In December. Its nice to have something to do during the day. And what is more "nice", is to make and save some major moolah.

Ha. Major moolah. What is this? Grandpappy's sing along?

"Annnnnnd...she made some major moolah at her job! A-ha-ha-ha! Second verse, same as the first!"

Durn straight.

2. Started acting classes. Just livin' the dream.

3. Went on a wine tour...

Normally I prefer a dry Riesling but I adored the local Catawba from Freedom Run Wineries. You can totally smell the mint that they claim is in there.

However, the whole trail made for a fabulous afternoon for myself and 3 other young women. The Niagara Wine Trail runs a special wine-tour dealy thing once a month or so. I might have to take a trip back and pick up a bottle of that minty Catawba I liked so much.

4. Went back to North Carolina. Here's what we did:

Sat at Friday's bar, while S. Bear bartended. Helped roll silverware at Friday's. Went out with Friday's people. Played tennis. Went to Walmart. Saw some peeps. Played some poker. Slept. Ate delicious homemade meal. Sat at Friday's bar. Made friends with entire Friday's bar staff. Saw some more peeps. Watched Bear get into verbal sparring match. Pissed off at 6am, we went to eat at Waffle House and discuss. Slept. Starbucks. Got pedicures with my Sare.

All-in-all, a pretty good time.

To be continued...

I'm tired.

-MMP

***It Really Is A WINTER WONDERLAND.***

Season's Greetings to you all.

And what season is that, you might ask? Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year's are over. Kwanzaa is but a thing of the past. "The season", is over.

Well my friend, it is the weird place between Christmas and well...springtime. Or Valentine's Day. Or Saint Patrick's Day. Earth Day? Whichever date melts the ice on your heart, and on the ground. =)

In Buffalo, New York it is a season for all things magical. It truly is, a Winter Wonderland. (If you're high. Otherwise, it's just freakin' cold, so we think of things to distract from frostbite).

Things That Make Me Love Winter:

1. The Winter Classic 2008

Okay, okay. I know the Sabres lost. And NBC was super biased towards Philly in their (lame) coverage of the play-by-play and all accompanying packages. (Way to get input from the Philly players about the movie Slapshot [what the hell was that about anyway?] and not Buffalo, guys. Also, when you broadcast football games, say, in Dallas, I hear the words Dallas, Texas and Cowboy's at least 20 times through a broadcast. But in Buffalo? We might as well have been hosting the most freakin' awesome hockey game ever in a vortex somewhere far, far away).

But still, it was way cool to see Buffalo in the spotlight, and hockey being played outside, in front of all those fans. I would have bitten off someone's leg for a ticket! Okay that's extreme. But definitely a finger.

If you would like to hear the opposing view of the event, check out the thorough, albeit whiny article by Scott Burnside on ESPN.com. Hey Scott, calm down already. Yes, the game was a draw for sponsors and mega-moola for the NHL. (Uh, compare it to any other large sporting-event, btw). Yes, the conditions weren't ideal. Yes, it was cold. But stop being such a Negative Nancy and get over it! At least his quote from Lindy Ruff was good. Check it out, eh?


2. Snowboarding, Snowboarding, Snowboarding.

And skiing, if you dabble there. Me and my hardcore boarding friends went for our first run of the season last Saturday. It was, in a word, spectacular. Okay, so I'm using the word "hardcore" liberally. (I wore pigtail braids). We may have only gone down the mountain 3 times. Of those 3 times, 2 times were full of significant falls. The third was golden.

I hadn't been "boarding" in three years-ish, but it really was like riding a bike. Oh, and it wasn't exactly a mountain. But the ski place we went to did have some hefty hills. I enjoyed the time spent frolicking in the snow, and coming inside with pink cheeks to drink hot cocoa. Actually, I had a slushy. But the others had cocoa. Bruises aside, I look forward to going again!

(That's my friend Katie, ready for the slopes. Oh, and me in the background looking totally cool checking my bindings. Psh.)

Okay so now I'm tired. I'll think of more fun winter things later.

Oooh, Scrabble. That is fun, and we play it in winter. Done.

-Miss Mony Pony

A Little Bit of Everything

Ho-Ho-No

So here we go. First off, let me tell you that the bar-crawl I went to in the last post, although it was fun, was slightly less than perfect due to the fact that I got FOOD POISONING at Jack Astor's the night before. I believe it was due to some undercooked chicken. Needless to say, I wasn't exactly into drinking that night, which normally is fine. However, when a busload of santas (no seriously, 33 of 'em) showed up at one of the bars we were at, I felt like I was drunk, which confused me. It was even scarier when one of the Santas knew my name! It ended up being a kid from highschool, but how awkward is that? A busload of Santas...psh.

Howdy, Ya'll

So I got back from my trip to NC on Saturday. And can I tell you, I had the best time! Sare and I were going non-stop. Like, we seriously didn't get enough sleep! The last night, we went out and I ended up just staying out until my 6AM flight. We did more in 4 days than I do in 4 weeks around here. It really made me stop and evaulate my living/job/social situation. I don't know...Charlotte might be calling to me. We'll see.

Speaking of Voices

As of late, I have noticed a tendency for deja vu and my "ESP" to kick in. It's like, I'll know something is going to happen before it does, or I'll get an image in my mind of a situation before it actually happens. Sometimes the images don't make sense until they happen, and I don't usually say anything about it before the fact, just when it happens. I think that's ESP. I don't know. Maybe its just residual effects from the bad chicken. Whatever.

Okay this post was lacking in substance, but I enjoyed it.

Check ya later!

-Mony P

Hello to All the Happy, Shiny People

And hello to all the sad, dull kids too. I guess.

Things that have made me happy and shiny, as of late:

1. Bar-Crawl, Buffalo Style

Yes, the bar-crawl I went on in Rochester last month was merely a reproduction a much more famous bar-crawl done in Buffalo. Who runs it? I don't know. All I know is that my friend's boyfriend knows 'em and we're starting at 2PM this Saturday. We've also got a hotel, and I love staying in hotels (even thought I know they're secretly crawling with germs). Ice machine relays, anyone?

2. Helio Castroneves won Dancing With The Stars.

Thank the Lord. I wouldn't have minded if Mel B. won, she's good in her own right. But Marie Osmond? What was WITH that wacko rag-doll dance?! I mean, I get the concept, Marie. You're a "world-famous" doll designer. But some things just don't mix, like you and constructive criticism. Dolls don't dance for a reason. They are there to look pretty in their "fancy", overpriced dresses, not to bust a move. Hello, Chucky? Gross. Dancing, moving dolls are scary, bottom line.

Oh, and props to Helio, for not only winning, but for being happy and shiny while doing it. The smiley Brazilian race-car driver took home the super sparkly trophy last night. Mmmm alliteration.

3. North Carolina or BUST!!!

Yes, my pending trip to visit one of my bff's, Little Miss Sexy Sare herself, is less than a week away! I can't wait to spend some time in the south, and I've been watching Paula Dean on The Food Network to prepare. From what I've gathered so far, they eat a lot of butter, are very polite, and have an accent. ;) I can't WAIT to see for myself.

Have a good one, ya'll!

-Mony Pony

Best Thanksgiving Ever...(so far)

Why?

1. I came, I trotted, I conquered.

So, I felt the need to express the fact that it is only 12:00 noon-ish and I am already having the MOST fabulous Thanksgiving Day. Why, you might ask? A little thing we here in Buffalo like to call the Turkey Trot. It's an 8K road race (4.96 miles for all you metric-phobes) and I actually finished it, in 1 hour and 4 minutes. Now, to the unaware passerby, this might not seem so sensational. However, those of you who really know me, know what a freakin' awesome feat this was for me. Correction: it would have been an unattainable feat, a few months back. But not today. Sweatin' it on the good 'ol treadmill paid off. I triumphed, with the help of my dear friend SJ and her mother and brother. I guess there was a reason I am friends with so many runners...I couldn't have done it without their advice and encouragement. I'd also like to thank the Academy. I feel like a million bucks.

2. Life can be so much sweeter than Art.

I would just like to give "Thanks" for being privy to one of the most beautiful moments I've ever witnessed. (I mean, my sister's weddings were good, but that was a long time ago=old news).What happened is that me, SJ, her mom and brother get back to her house after trottin' it. We start to say out goodbyes (and we're already super happy because we did the race, and I am especially ecstatic because it was my first one...I mean, I was high as a kite) and then SJ's sister sticks her head out the door. She says hello to everyone and then says "Monica, come inside for a minute" and I'm like, "Why?!" because I have no idea why she would want me to come inside. I mean, we're friendly but we don't braid each-other's hair or anything. Maybe she wanted to show me a picture or someti- and then it hit me. My ESP totally kicked in and I knew. But you don't, so I'll tell you.

We get inside, and SJ's mom SCREAMS because her eldest son, who is in the Army, surprised them all and flew home for Thanksgiving. I mean, you can watch a million "soldier homecomings" on Good Morning America or whatever, and they totally make you tear up. But this, this was like witnessing a brilliant composition or classic painting being created by a master, before your eyes. Seriously, maybe my endorphins were just on over-load, but it was like a work of art. Her mother's tears were the brush strokes and I won't forget it for the rest of my life. To see such pure joy emanating from a person, without agenda or because someone bought them something, was just thrilling. And after the initial shock and hugs we chatted a bit, I said a few things that didn't make sense and I bid my adieu. However, I am thankful that I got to witness such a display of love and that SJ and her family are truly having a happy Thanksgiving.

3. PIE, without guilt.

Yes, I run/walked 5 miles today. That means I get to eat lots of pie. The anticipation in palatable. ;)

Now, I have to dry my hair and such because we're leaving for my sister's house at 2. I hope everyone has a dynamite Thanksgiving!

Let's Play Catch Up

So here's a recap of "The Best" of the last two weeks.

1.) My 61 year-old Mother Learns the Wii

Yes, at my niece's 7th (I think) birthday party, my mother was invited by her grandchildren to play tennis on the Wii. Always eager to please the kiddies, my mother accepted. If you have never witnessed the hilarity of a computer-bashing baby-boomer, swatting around a Wii controller, you don't know funny. The best part was watching her try to serve, "I don't...what? I AM holding down the button!" Meanwhile, my other niece is screaming, "It's up and over Grandma!! No! UP AND OVER!"

I guess you had to be there.

2.) Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frappucino

Mmm, I just had the pleasure of enjoying a mouth-wateringly delicious, Starbucks Grande Pumpkin Spice Frappucino Light. (Eff the writer's strike, hire me! I even MAKE UP words!) Ahh...Pumpkin Spice time at Starbucks is truly a reason to celebrate the season. However, I think I might have surprised them at the counter this afternoon. For one, the place was packed with people swathed in scarves, huddling over their steaming lattes and green teas, the sound of hot beverages percolating behind the counter. I requested my frapp and the gal who makes the drinks kind of winced at my order. Or maybe she just had a twitch. Either way, yes, I ordered a frozen drink, and it is supposed to SNOW today. What can I say, I'm dangerous. I like a cold beverage, anytime of the year. Do you know what I call those naysayers who switch to hot beverages when the weather turns cold? WEAK.

3.) This Picture I Just Drew:

Yes, that picture is obvious time well-spent. Good job, me.

I think anything I might have added after that picture just wouldn't contend. Some might think those three topics being labeled "The Best" of my last 2 weeks is a sad thing. Me, I think its pretty darn fabulous. So that's all, I'm out.

Keep it cool,

Mony Pony