TEXT MESSAGE LINGO.....I DON'T GET IT!

Okay....anyone who knows me knows that I am on my phone pretty much 90% of the time.  I do prefer to text instead of talking on the phone.  (Yes...I'm one of THOSE people!) But of course the younger generation has their own way of communicating these days with abbreviations.  

I see some of them on Facebook or with my younger friends and nieces when we text message.  First I think to myself what does that mean...then I have to "Google it" so I know what the heck they are talking about.  Then I reply back like they think I knew what they were saying in the first place.  HA HA HA HA!!!!

But here is a list of ones that I didn't know about but found funny:

Coo = Cool ( When I think of that word I think of a bird "cooing")
Gerd = Oh my God (What happened to OMG?)
HMU = Hit me up (Makes sense to me)
WBU = What about you
KK = OK (What too lazy to type an O?)
KMSL = Killing myself laughing
LOLZ = Laughing out loud (Another version)
TBH = To be honest (I just was wondering what this meant today)
W/E = Whatever
BISLY = But I still love you
O RLY = Oh really
MEGO = My eyes glaze over (There were times I could have used this one!)
MTFBWY = May the force be with you (People actually use this?????)
TTT = To the top 
YMMV = Your mileage may vary (Okay.....is this what childhood predators use in chat rooms?)

So there you have it....hopefully this helps you having more knowledge about abbreviated texts and if you are embarrassed to ask.  And if there is anything else that you are questioning here is a link http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/internetglossary/tp/The-Top-Text-Message-Acronyms-of-2011.htm it will help you alot.

Well until next time....

SEE ME, HEAR ME AND SPEAK

Am I blind?
I don't think so
I see what you see but
I see things differently

Does that make me wrong?
NO
Does that make you wrong?
NO
We just see things differently

Am I deaf?
I don't think so
I hear what you hear but
I just hear different words

Does that make me wrong?
NO
Does that make you wrong?
NO
We just heard thing differently

Am I mute?
I don't think so
I speak what's on my mind
And you speak yours

Does that make me wrong?
NO
Does that make you wrong?
NO
We just express ourselves differently

We are different
The world is made up of different people
Different views
Different minds
Different words

Embrace all
Hear, see and speak

Hear me, see me and speak

Stephenie Birmingham~ 2013

Well until next time....

FROST ICE BAR - BOSTON

So look at what we have coming to the Boston area....an ice bar.  Now I've heard of ice bars before and thought it was a nifty concept.  The first time I have ever heard about this was when Norweigan Cruise Lines debuted their newest cruise ship called Epic in 2010.  I remember thinking wow...what a neat thing...your drink will NEVER get warm!

Now on a cruise ship it might be a novelty...but in Boston where we tend to have some pretty harsh winters?  This may be something tourists may want to do which this is good in the summer...but Boston does not have a lot of tourists in the winter.  But here are some of the features of this new location:

• General admission:  $18.99
• Alcoholic drinks:  $ 11.00  (with no garnishes)
• Non-alcoholic drinks: $ 6.00
• Insulated capes and gloves provided
• Amazing ice sculptures and furniture

When you first walk in you will be in a room where the temperature is 38 degrees.  This then prepares you when you actually enter the bar at a temperature of 21 degrees.  Brrrrrrrr!!!!  

So this is neat but the there are two negative things...in my opinion which are:

• Groups are taken in every 15 minutes and can only say 45 minutes
• NOOOOOOO FOOOOOOOD!!!!!

Okay I can understand the time limit of you having to be in there since it is so cold.  I mean honestly I would not be able to stay the 45 minutes.  But there is no food!  You know how many foodies there are out there?  Well this is NOT the place for you if you want to eat.  But I can also understand that because everything would probably freeze.  

The bar is located in Faneuil Hall Marketplace...and for the foodies, there is plenty of food around that area so you will be just fine.  Would I go here....probably just for the experience but I would be curious to see how this bar does during the winter months here.

Well until next time....

I'M NOT DOING THE SAFETY BOUNCE ON THE T!

Watch this video.....I have nothing else to say.

Well until next time....

DNA TESTING ON YOUR DOG POOP?????

Okay....so this past week I saw this article in the Metro.  I'm all for people being fined if they don't pick up after their dog.  But there is this condominium community where all dogs have their poop tested for their DNA.  That way if an owner doesn't pick up after their dog, they send it to this company to find out what the DNA is and which dog this poop belongs to.  Then the owner gets fined....are you kidding me??????

What this place needs to do is hire a company that picks up and removes dog poop that is not picked up.  Then any owner needs to pay a small fee that would cover the service per month.  That way you don't have to go through all of this.  

I don't know about anyone else but I would seriously think about moving into a place that does this. And boy do I feel sorry for the people who own the condo and are stuck. I mean we always pick up after our dog here but really? Dog poop DNA????  Wow!

Well until next time....

I AM ME!

I normally don't write poetry because my brother has always been the poet and writer in the family.  But for some reason these words have been rumbling through my head so I decided to write them down.  This is rough so it's not perfect.

So here we go...

I AM ME

I am me
I can only be me because I am who I am
I cannot be who or how you want me to be
Because I am me

I tried to conform or do things 
as people expect them to be
But in the end I am still me
Thinking being like someone else
Trying to live their life
Want their things and do what they do
But I can't
Because I am me

I'm not perfect and never claimed to be
But I know I have a good heart, mind and soul
Because I am me
There are only a few things I can do
Exactly like others
Breathe, feel and bleed
But other than that
I am me

Just let me be who I am
Embrace who I am
Live my life to the fullest
Do the best I can
I can be happy doing the one thing I know how
and that is being me
I cannot and will not change
So let me be
I am me....I am me....I am me!

Stephenie Birmingham ~2013

Well until next time....

POO-POURRI - SPRITZ THE BOWL BEFORE YOU GO AND NO ONE ELSE WILL EVER KNOW!!!

Okay....now I found out about this product that I saw in an advertisement in a magazine.  I thought to myself this really can't be true, it has to be a joke.  Well my friends.....it is not a joke.  And I found the website where you can purchase this lovely product.  Their website is www.poopourri.com which I know that you all are VERY excited to view their products. Apparently you can "deodorize" your toilet bowl water before you proceed with evacuating your bowels.  (I could say other things but I'm trying to keep it nice here.)  And they have a lovely catchy motto:

I actually ventured to their shop now link and saw they have a line of products with catchy names like, Sh*ttn' Pretty, Party Pooper, Poo-Tonium, Dr. Potts, etc.  They are different scents and come in various sizes as small as able to fit into your purse or big enough to sit on the back of your toilet. The prices range from $6.95 - 29.95 and they also have shoe deodorizer and breath spray.  The breath spray is called Potty Mouth...I LOVE IT!!!!!  As humorous as this is...it is a a little too pricey for my wallet, so I think I will stick with good ol Glade for less than $2.00 for a can.

My question is how do people come up with something like this and make money?  And my next question is...who buys this stuff?????  Last question is....does it REALLY work????? I mean it makes a great gag gift I will say.

Soooooo....have fun with this great find of the day!

Well until next time....

I'M A RADIO CELEBRITY!!!! WELL.....SORT OF!

Well my day started out pretty exciting. I listen to the Karson & Kennedy morning show on a radio station here in Boston called Mix 104.1.  By the way, they are awesome morning radio show so listen to them sometime if you can. Kennedy was talking about a wedding she attended where the couple met at an odd place. So they had people call in to talk about their odd experiences on how they met their spouses.

So I was thinking I could call and tell my story on how I met my husband and I got through!!! So I explained that both my husband and I were from Dallas Texas and lived fairly close at one point but never crossed paths.

One day on the train after I moved here (and I was homesick), I hear this guy talking about how much he misses Dallas even though Boston is nice and all. So I was sitting a few seats down and I said "Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt your conversation,  but I understand what you mean I just moved here a few months ago and I really miss Dallas". So we started talking about where we lived in Dallas and other small talk. He got off at his stop and I didn't think I would see him again.

Well just a few weeks later I saw him walking through the train station and I couldn't remember his name exactly.  But I called out the one I thought it was. And it was right as he turned around when I called him. He didn't even remember me at first so I had to jog his memory a little bit and we started talking and got on the train. As we were approaching his stop, he asked me for my phone number and asked if I would like to go out for coffee sometime. So I said sure. He ended up calling me that evening to ask me out for dinner the next night.  I wasn't expecting anything to come of it, I just figured I was new in Boston, he seemed like a nice guy and I didn't know many people yet so why not.

So you never know where you are going to meet the one for you. If someone would have told me ten years ago that I was going to meet my future husband on the subway, I would have thought they were crazy. But I did on the MBTA Red Line but my husband jokes and calls it the LOVE line! Gotta love him!

So it is always neat to tell the story of how we met to people but it was even more neat to tell thousands maybe even millions of people on the radio our story!  It was fun to be on the radio maybe that's a job for me to be on a radio talk show? Oh wow me get paid to talk for a living???? That would be genius. Let me start working on promotional photos like below! This mind is turning LOL!

Well until next time....

SHAME, SHAME, SHAME......SHAME ON YOU!!!!

I was born and raised in New Jersey and our local news station had a segment called Shame On You. And it basically was focusing on people doing some odd things, shameful things. Alot of the times it focused on politicians, police officers, people in the legal system and people who had the power to take advantage of people.

When I read The Metro (a local newspaper in Boston), I see stories like this all the time. But this one takes the cake. I mean now people are taking advantage of the One Fund and putting in false claims. So far there was one man who put in a claim for his mother who has been dead for 10 years. Now this woman???  Thankfully they both have been caught!

I'm glad they are really looking into who they give money to because I would never think that people would take advantage of something like this. But once again people surprise me. It all boils down to greed....I cannot stand greedy people and people who are taking advantage of a bad situation. And then trying to steal from the One Fund who has been amazing with helping many bombing victims.

I'm sure I'm going to see more stories like these and I think I'm gonna start blogging about them but Shame On You AUDREA GAUSE!!!!

Well until next time....

EASY HOMEMADE DOG BISCUITS!!!

Well it has been awhile since I have blogged anything.  Things have been hectic and getting used to married life.  So every time I make these dog biscuits and I post pictures of it on Google+ or Facebook I always have people ask me about the recipe.  So I figured I would blog about it.

A friend of mine gave me this Doggy Bone Cookbook by Michele Bledsoe and let me tell you it has saved me some bucks:

The recipes are simple exact and if you have kids this is a fun activity for you to do with them.  Not only does this book have very simple recipes it includes a small cookie cutter in the shape of a bone:

Now this of course is a SMALL dog cookie cutter so if you use a larger one the recipe will make less than what I can get out of this recipe.  Zoey is about 15 pounds so if your dog is the same size you can get an idea of how many you will have.

PAW LICK'N CHICK'N

3 cups white flour

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup chicken broth (I used a packet of Goya Chicken Seasoning and made my own broth.  1 packet dissolved in 2 cups hot water and you got chicken broth!)

4 tablespoons softened margarine (I used salted butter)

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine flour, cornmeal, chicken broth and margarine (butter).  Knead dough for 3 minutes.  You may think you need to add more liquid but you don't and your dough should look like this:

Apply a light layer of flour to rolling surface and rolling pin.  Roll dough to 1/4" thickness 

Stamp out with cookie cutter.  Beat egg and milk together and apply to top of biscuits with brush

Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet.  I baked mine for about 40 minutes...don't wait for them to become brown because you are using white flour.  They will be hard like a dog biscuits you buy in the store.  The recipe says it makes 4 dozen but if you are smart about it you can get more.  I got 5 dozen with this recipe.

And you know what?????  It's Zoey approved!

So far I have tried the Bark-B-Q, Paw Lick'n Chick'n and Yappy Birthday.  Which Zoey have liked all of them.  The next one I want to try is the Garlick & Cheese but don't worry folks it does not have garlic in it as we know that garlic is not good for dogs. 

I hope this helps people who are looking for a healthier alternative for their dogs and it is really simple, AND it is a cost saver compared to the price of dog treats these days.  Just take 2 hours out of your day and you will have enough to last for at least a month.

Well until next time....

MIGRAINES AND REMEDIES

So in my lifetime I have had my fill of migraines and let me tell you they are not fun.  I have many friends who deal with migraines and one in particular who deals with them on a daily basis.  And I feel for her because it is to the point that they are debilitating and if she has 1 day where she has no migraine that is a miracle.  And even when she has a good day her body is so exhausted from being in pain for days at a time that this one day she tries to enjoy the few hours she has without pain but she is recuperating for the next time when the migraine comes back. 

So today during my commute in as I'm reading the Boston metro http://www.metro.us/boston I come across this article by Joy Bauer (Health and Wellness expert for the Today show) and it is about 5 Healing Foods To Help Combat Your Next Migraine.  So I read it because I want to pass this information onto my friend but then I thought I will write a blog about it because I have several friends who deal with migraines and they might find this helpful.

So here is some things that she suggested that may be helpful:

1.  Ginger tea:  Ginger can help prevent migraines and can help relieve pain after you have one.  You can either buy the tea bags or make your own by taking thinly sliced pieces of fresh ginger and steep in boiling water for 5 minutes.

2.  Quinoa:  Now this I was surprised to see on the list but it is a great source of magnesium.  You can either cook it and eat it warm with herbs and spices or take left over quinoa and top it with Greek yogurt and chopped fruit and you have a "Breakfast Quinoa Parfait"!

3.  Eggs

4.  Spinach

5.  Mushrooms

The last three are excellent sources of riboflavin and it's necessary for the body.  I was definitely surprised to see these on the list as well.

But hopefully this will help some people who are looking to ease pain of these terrible migraines.

If you want to read more things from Joy Bauer here are her links:

www.joybauer.com , www.facebook.com/joylbauer, www.pintrest.com/joybauerhealth, and you can even follow her on twitter @joybauer. 

Well until next time....

THERE STILL ARE GOOD PEOPLE OUT THERE

So Tuesday the day after the bombing at the Boston Marathon every one was suspicious about everybody.  You could just tell just by the way people walked around.  So after I got off of work I went to the Milton Fruit Marketplace (which is becoming my new favorite place) for some produce on my way home. 

Well after I finish shopping I had way more grocery bags than I planned....you know go in for a few things and come out with 50! I considered calling a cab but I figured I'm so close to home that it's not worth it to waste the money on a cab so I decide to take the bus.  

As I'm waiting for the bus a car goes past, stops and backs up.  The window rolls down and the woman in the car asked me if I needed a ride somewhere.  I politely declined and said that my bus will be coming shortly.  She then said, "Look....everyone is really on edge with what happened yesterday but I just want to give you a ride home.  It is cold and you really have a lot of bags so please let me give you a ride home."  Reluctantly I said okay and proceeded to put my bags in her car and get in.  When I get in the car I could hear her cousin through her headset screaming "WHAT ARE YOU CRAZY????  YOU DON'T KNOW WHO SHE IS!!!!"  With that she answered her cousin in a calm tone telling her that there was no way she could go past me when she was willing and able to give me a ride home.  And then she told her that if I even tried anything she would open up the door, push me out and take my groceries!  HA HA HA!  She continued to take me home, asked me if I needed anything else and introduced herself to me as Tamela and told me to take care.

So many of you are probably thinking I'm crazy for getting in that car and why did I do it.  Well was I nervous, scared and skeptical?  Of course I was, but I tell you what I did feel that she was okay.  So this lesson is yes there are still genuinely nice people out there who really are just being nice and do not expect anything in return.

So to Tamela wherever you are, I know that good things will happen for you because for someone to help another when not asked is the most genuine thing a person can do.  I will never know you personally, but know that you must be a pretty awesome person.  

She may never see this and I will probably will never see her again but I thanked her and felt like devoting this blog to her today.

Well until next time....

RANDOM POST - QUITTING A JOB WITH A CAKE?

So I came across an article today and saw a random article about a guy who quit his job with a cake that he baked.  Apparently he was an aspiring baker and had a cake business on the side.  And his business was growing so he quit his job and quit with cake in hand like this:

How awesome is it to not only quit, but to tell your former employer that if they need your service they can contact you.  Now....if I ever quit my job I wanna do it like this!  Or if I don't become a baker, then whatever else I decide to do.

Well until next time....

RANDOM POST - JUICY PORK CHOP MEAT

Most of you may think this is a stupid blog and some may think it is funny.  But my thought is if you don't want to read anything stupid then stop reading now because it is random and kind of like WHAT????

So as I was eating lunch today, (my husband made the best pork chops) I get down to the meat near the bone and I'm thinking wow...this meat is so tasty, juicy and so good!  Then it makes me wonder.....why is the meat near the bone so juicy, tender and flavorful?  Well whatever it is it made me enjoy my lunch even more!

Now if you are still reading this, when are you going to learn your lesson?  I just stole approximately 42 seconds of your time.  Are you mad?  If so, sucks to be you!  HA HA!!!!

Well until next time....

THE ULTIMATE EMBARRASSMENT FOR WOMEN!

Okay I promised after my last blog that I was going to try to write about something a little more upbeat.  So this is going to be a blog that will probably make you laugh and then think "Oh, I hope that doesn't happen to me" or "Yup, that has happened to me". 

Since I have changed the bus I ride in the morning I ride the bus with three other women I met on the bus and they are just so nice.  So today is just like any other day and when we get to the train station we are speed walking to get to the train.

Well unbeknownst to me, my feminine products fly out and hit the ground.  One was in front of me and then the one behind me says says "I'm assuming these are yours since your purse is open!" and starts laughing.  Meanwhile a few other people were laughing and don't even get me started on my friend she was laughing soooooooo hard.  I'm thinking "HOW EMBARRASSING!!!"  My first thought was to just keep walking and say "Nope not mine!"  Meanwhile, everyone behind me probably saw what happened.

Then when we get to the platform and we are waiting for the train, she is still laughing hysterically (as was I ha ha!) and the.one who was in front of me is in the dark asking what happened.  So I tell her and you would think she would be a little sympathetic but responded "Oh man...if I saw that I would have guffawed!"  And then she starts laughing now as well....nice real nice!

So ladies, please tell me that this has happened or almost happened to you as well.  Otherwise I would feel pretty dumb....or I need to stop carrying this cute purse that I have grown to love.  But after the events from yesterday, I guess it was nice to see people laughing and smiling even though it was at my expense.  LOL!!!

Well until next time....

BOSTON MARATHON TRAGEDY - A SAD DAY IN BOSTON INDEED

It has been quite some time since my last blog that I write this with a heavy heart due to the tragic events that happened here.  Everyday here in Boston we get this local newpaper which talks about all of the happenings that goes on, the good the bad and the ugly.  Well yesterday at the Boston Marathon, the ugly happened.  And boy did it happen. 

Fortunately I work in the Financial District, which is closer to the North End area of Boston and the location of the explosions was on Boylston Street, in the South End.  Now that doesn't mean that we were far away but within 1-1.5 miles from there which in my opinion is too close to home.  As a matter of fact we didn't feel the explosion, we didn't even hear it and the only reason why I found out was because I got a text message from my brother Darryl asking if I was okay.  Then I had to ask him what is going on....go figure.  But shortly after he sent me a text, then we could hear sirens in the area, then all the rumors started which half of them were not true. 

My husband wanted me to come home immediately but I chose to stay at the office and wait because I figured that the later I for things to die down then it would be easier for me to get home.  He also suggested that I take a cab home instead of Mass Transit because there were so many things unknown that it would probably be the safest mode of transportation even though no one was safe.  So there were two of us left in the office and after we heard that the trains downtown "might" be shut down we figured we better leave and get home. 

When we left the office it was a weird feeling outside....there were people walking around and cars driving around (not as many as normal) but it was a very eerie feeling.  It was quiet....not the type of quiet that makes you relax but the quiet that makes you VERY nervous.  I was trying to explain it to my friend on the phone last night and it reminded me of when it first snows and you wake up and before the snow plows come through or people are out it is very quiet.  So I look across the street at the cab stand that normally has at least 8 cabs sitting there waiting and there are NONE!!!  I try to hail a cab and they all drive by with people in them or some had no people but they must have been driving to pick someone up.  At this point my co-worker decided she was going to try her luck with the train and go home.  People were kind of wandering around in the streets looking around as if they didn't know what to do and it was really making me nervous because this person or these people involved could have placed more bombs anywhere in the city.  It was kind of like a feeling of a ghost town or a scene in a zombie movie where there were people around but it was like time was standing still

Three girls left the building the same time as me and they asked if I would split a cab with them because we were kind of going to the same area so I said it was fine and as we are standing there waiting they were talking and then finally I said I need to get home...my husband is already worried.  They were telling me that they heard and were told to stay off the train that one of the lines could be a target.  I told them I couldn't wait any longer and would take my chances with the train.  Before I went to the train station, I checked out one more cab stand and there were a bunch of people waiting there with NO cabs...I was thinking this is ridiculous.  Another person in our office building was walking with me and suggested I walk with her to Downtown Crossing to get a cab but I didn't want to take my chances because if I didn't get a cab there I would have to walk back to South Station since the train was not stopping at Downtown Crossing.  The 2 years that I have been here, I have never seen those stands with no cabs around so I continue on to South Station to get my train.

Surprisingly, my commute home wasn't bad at all.  There were no delays and it was a smooth ride.  Even everyone on the train was quiet except this woman talking to her husband about the chaos that was going on in South End.  She said she never saw so many people with the look of terror on their faces, she kept telling him over and over how awful it was and she was so glad they weren't in the immediate area.  So when they heard the noise and then the screaming her and her friends got out of their and quick!

Was this a terrorist attack?  It most likely was regardless if it was domestic or international there is a person or a group of people that feel it is necessary to terrorize people who don't even know what is going to happen to them.  A friend of mine posted on Facebook today that it is so ironic that the last mile of the marathon was dedicated to the people of Newtown CT and here there is a bomb at the finish line of the annual Boston Marathon.  This is so sad and a shame indeed....

There are many theories as to why this happened, it was Patriots' Day here in Boston yesterday and alot of other terrorist attacks were done during this same week in earlier years.  What is wrong with people???  I am glad to announce that all of the people I know as well as their family members are safe and sound.  My co-worker who was at home was really close to the site and his building that he lives in actually shook when the explosions happened.  He said it was chaotic there but he is fine as well.  Thank goodness!!!

I wish I could report that things are back to normal here in Boston but they aren't.  Well maybe sort of, but of course there is still fear in everyone wether you are on the train, bus or walking around downtown.  You can see the look on the faces of people, and you can tell that we are trying to be more aware of our surrondings when we walk.  There is alot of military personnel some of the heavily traveled train stations here.  I get off at South Station every day and there were armed military there with machine guns, undercover police officers as well as uniformed police officers.  I also saw a few from the U.S. Coast Guard there as well.  They will be stopping anyone and everyone who have a large bag or backpack and aren't gripping them tight.  So pretty much if you look weird and suspicious you WILL be stopped!  Which I don't mind at all....part of me is not sure if I should be scared or safe but in the end I just need to be more aware of what goes on around me.  Report suspicious looking people, bags and items etc.

The Boston community is talking about what we saw, heard, and feel.
This will be a time that will be talked about quite often, a time that people will fear every year when it used to be a time that people couldn't wait for.  I am starting to wonder how this event will affect the marathon next year, will it be canceled?  Will people even want to participate in it?  How is what happened going to affect the New York marathon this year?  So many questions and no answers to them.  I know this isn't my normal upbeat blog but I just felt like I had to write this today.  The next one will be better.

Well until next time....