5.3.08

More confessions on this Leaping Thought Wednesday


Gypsyatheart Dictionary Unabridged (v 1.1)
blog hop . per
[blog hop-er]
noun

1.a person that hops from blog to blog.
2.Informal. a person who skips frequently from one blog or on-line diary to another.

1. That's me, I'm a blog hopper. Depending on how I'm doing for time daily, I dedicate about an hour of my everyday on-line time budget to visiting and discovering other people's blogs. Over the last year or so, I've amassed quite a collection of favorites under a variety of different interests. Many of the ones I frequent you will find on the left hand column of this blog under labeled headings. Nevertheless, I have to confess that I have been holding out on you. There are some blogs I enjoy so much that up until now, I've been unable to share. I'm the Silas Marner of found blogs... would you go figure? What's the motivation? They're my secret indulgences. Still, in an act of sheer generosity I will feature from now on in every Leaping Thought Wednesday, one blog from my secret stash. The stash that I've labeled under a folder that I titled Visit Again. I call it so because I have visited again, over and over again. Perhaps you will too once you get to know them.

First up is a blog named Heading East by blogger Raul Gutierrez. He is a professional photographer (as you will immediately ascertain) and writes with true heart. The stunning photography (his own and other's) is an extra draw. Take a look at the very first post of Raul's that I ever saw. And here's another one for good measure.

2. I am a Costco addict. I've been a member since 1995. First through my parents and then on my own. That place is like Ali Baba's cave for me. I love going there. When I used to live in DC, I had to cross over into the state of Virginia to get to one. Over here in Houston, I have a Costco only 5 minutes away from my home. That's the reason you can find me there almost every second day. Sometimes I walk out with just some organic eggs or milk in hand. Others with a cart-full of goodies. I can lose a good hour walking up and down its aisles whenever I go. Costco is my secret vice. My husband hates the place. He's Mr. Exclusive and Mr. Unique. To him, Costco is the Toys R' Us of food and housewares. Nothing exclusive or unique about a Costco experience for him. He also dislikes how big it is and the eternal crowds. No cart-jostling for the hubby. Now me, I thrive on that. I'm the master of polite jostling. Out of my way.

Photo by Michael Shattuck

3. I discovered my kid practicing crying faces in front of a mirror the other day. He would scrunch up his eyes and curl up his lips until he looked sufficiently pitiful and then he would wail a bit. All fake mind you. I came up on him silently and was thus able to observe my miniature Olivier in action. You should have seen him! He was phenomenal. Every second or two he would stop, take stock of the previous attempt and then modify for greater effect. I left him to his own devices and backed out quietly from the room. In a twisted kind of way, I'm sort of proud of him. What an enterprising little fellow. I don't think I'll ever forget it. The husband laughed and laughed when I told him about it.

4. The following pretty much answers the question of whether people look like their dogs or if dogs look like their people?


5. I get a professional manicure and pedicure every twelve to 14 days. It is the kind of indulgence I don't think I will ever give up. Frivolous I know but I'd rather do without other things than forgo this vain pleasure.

6. Handshakes are a defining action for me. I invariably end up disliking people who plop their hand into mine expecting me to carry its weight. A firm but gentle squeeze, preferably no clamminess to distract from the shake's value and then you let go. How you handshake says a lot about you.

7. As I am on a roll with the body extremities here, I'll also admit to paying much attention to people's hands. Short-clipped and clean nails. I've often found this is a hallmark of bodily neatness. Not always an achievable state for me, especially as we are currently into sculpting with Play-do at my house, but I do try.

8. I believe Legos and puzzles are superb toys for children. They teach patience, they show that you get tangible rewards for your efforts, foment critical and spatial thinking, and engage the imagination. I hope my son loves both as much as I do. He's getting to the age where we can start moving into some more complicated Lego constructs and puzzles with smaller pieces.

Photo by Tomeppy

9. The one household cleaning item I cannot do without: Paper towels. Some environmentalist will probably have my hide for admitting this but I go through a roll every two days. I've tried to quit using so much but have found it impossible. Any good ideas from those of you who manage without it?

10. Lastly, I found this photograph on the internet and have decided to post it in honor of Hillary's near swan dive but successfully choreographed comeback in the Texas and Ohio primaries. Great bit of Photoshop work was done on this one (too bad I didn't do it myself).


Goodbye and until the next post everyone. I'm headed off to Costco.

9 comments:

  1. My Better Half and I share your marital disagreement about Costco, though I'm the one who hates the place and my husband could pretty much move in.

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  2. Like I say to my own better half. Too hoity toity for your own good. Would you like to swap spouses? (only for Costco related outings mind you).

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  3. I've never been to Costco. (gasp) But I kind of want to go. I hear about it like it's the promised land.

    Yes, about the handshake. I'm proud of mine. And the mani/pedi. I'm a week behind now, and it's killing me.

    My daughter practices expressions, too. I don't stand a chance.

    This was a great post.

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  4. I'm afraid I'm with your husband on this one. I detest Costco. My husband? Loves the place...

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  5. Ok, so no one mentioned Paper towels??? I go through a roll a day.. chalk it up to having 3 year old twins and a 2 year old..

    Seriously, a roll a day. Costco rocks.

    Great blog, I am loving it!

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  6. Number four is hysterical!

    Number eight -- I couldn't agree more.

    And nine? Me, too. Sigh. I've started using the towels that are perforated, so that you can divide them into three parts. Very often I can get away with using only a third of a towel.

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  7. lovin' #4

    and the Hillary pick is a riot.

    I dustbust everything i can... all the food and crumbs the kids leave everywhere + then i use paper towels. So I end up using a lot less of the towels.

    I tried the earth friendly paper towels but I found they just didn't absorb anything (which really is the purpose of a paper towel)

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  8. Jennifer: It is one of those places you either love or hate. Now you know on which side of the pendulum I swing. I'd love to hear where you will fall once you do go. Come and visit me and I SHALL show you the promised land.

    Melissa: Oh how could you? and here I thought we'd stand proud in this one together. First Cce and now you. I shall never recover from the shock.

    Dear Baby Island: Hi. I'm liking your blog too. Can you believe it? No ONE mentioned the paper towels. I was sure someone would lambast me for that one. And you have 3 kids! Well now you see, I'm utterly sure I'd be going through 3 a day like that. One per child.

    Slouching Mom: I thought the people and dog matches were wonderful too. These were obviously worked on to find this tight fit but they are pretty true to what I've always thought. Those three perforation towels sound like a great idea but they don't work for me. I invariably end up using more BECAUSE of the perforations.

    Mama bird: That photo of Hillary completely cracked me up. And is that Jim Carrey in the spandex? I wasn't too sure. What do you think?
    I'm a freak at cleaning floors but the dustbuster is not one of my favorite household items. Don't know why. I'm a sweeper and a mopper kind of gal. Earth friendly towels like the ones they sell at Whole Foods don't work for diddley. I used up a whole roll in half a day once. Never bought it again. AND, it has a thin quality to it that is just not pleasurable when trying to swipe something clean. Absorbency is key here.

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