Trina's Blog

Top Sites Tuesday #75 – Two Thoughts on Tuesday

Trina — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:58:15 +0000

As I sit here waiting for the morning delivery truck to bring the laminate for our counter top job today and enjoy my morning coffee, I can't help but think about how Summer is finally ending.

The wineries will start harvesting soon, a lot of them have already starting bottling last years reds. I can't wait for a chance to hop in the car and head back to the Virginia mountains and watch the leaves turn from the balcony of an amazing winery with and even more amazing view. I can almost see the glass of wine in my hand and the plate of bread and cheese that I'll be sharing with friends sitting on a bistro table in front of us. I think that this year's leaf colors should be amazing (not sure why, but I can dream) And I think about taking that hike up the mountain to the summit that over looks a gorgeous valley and having a picnic while relaxing and taking in the view.

Yep, the end of Summer is a welcome thought.

My second thought for the day comes from the new series on Showtime, The Big C. If you haven't seen it yet you should - I found the first episode on YouTube:

Laura Linney plays Cathy, a lady with Stage 4 Melanoma and she plays the part perfectly. I love her "I'm gonna do what I want when I want" outlook in the show and so far, every episode has gotten better than the last. I really enjoy shows where they give women the strong role and the men are whiners (sorry guys) - Oliver Platt was an excellent choice to play the role of her husband, he's funny and dopey.

I really enjoyed the part when Cathy is at dinner with her husband and tells the waitress that she's only having liquor and desserts... I'm thinking that would make for an amazing night out, don't we all normally skip the desserts when we go to dinner?

I don't mean to plug showtime, but this series has been the highlight of my Monday Nights for the last few weeks. I can't wait for the witty comments and realistic family issues. I totally think they should do well in the Emmys!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

--Trina

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Top Sites Tuesday #74 – What’s on My Fridge

Trina — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:53:00 +0000

Well I suppose a picture is worth a thousand words

It's funny how things that are put on our fridge tend to stay for a long time. The fish magnet was on someone's birthday cake 6 years ago LOL. The Square magnet is my favorite though, it says:

"When in Doubt Add More WINE!"

In the upper right corner there is a picture of one of the boys from Scout camp - he joined the military three or four years ago and his mother sent out a card and his picture to everyone. She was proud of her son and asked that we keep him in our prayers. There were a few boys that went to the armed services that year, but for some reason his picture went on the fridge and none of us ever remove it. For me the picture is a constant reminder that there are people fighting for our country everyday and his picture just puts a real face to things I see in the news.

In the top Left corner is a picture of Wolfbernz and his newborn grandson. It was a marvelous day and it was a great picture. Under that there's a picture of one of the boys when they were in 11th grade - so cute! Then there's a picture of Irene when she was a senior.

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

--Trina

Top Sites Tuesday #73 – Two Thoughts on Tuesday

Trina — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:53:09 +0000

Thought #1:

Well, as Summer ends I find myself enjoying the cooler weather. The humidity is still high, but at least it's not 100+ degrees outside. I took a good look at my vegetable plants yesterday and ended up deciding to pull my yellow squash - they weren't looking so hot and had no sign of squash or squash flower. My tomatoes will probably be pulled soon, I'm just waiting on a few green tomatoes to ripen.

My mums are out of control again, despite my splitting them and creating 8 plants out of the two I had. Instead of two incredibly large plants I have 8 incredibly large plants... I must have gotten a large variety by accident. Once I've cleaned my veggies and herbs out of the flower beds the mums are really going to look awesome, they're even starting to bloom already!

Anyone have any hints or suggestions as to what other plants to put in the flowerbeds that will make it through fall and winter (and not pansies, they really look shabby in the winter)

Thought #2:

Dog Day Cicadas. Those noisy things are everywhere around the farm. When I was younger I don't remember them being so loud - then again we were in Texas and the cicadas were usually higher up in the big trees and not right beside me in a young pine. From a distance the noises they make are relaxing. But up close it's loud and obnoxious! This year I think they came out in force too. Where usually we might have one or two, I can count ten noise-makers in the trees around the house!

I checked them out on Wikipedia - and they live underground feeding on tree roots for two or three years before they come out. They are also known as: locust, dog day cicada, harvest fly, August dry bird, jar fly, and bush cicada. So that's a little bit of trivia for you

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

--Trina

Top Sites Tuesday #72

Trina — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:27:50 +0000

This week on Top Sites Tuesday the theme is: How does Music influence lives? Do you apply certain songs to a part of your life?

While the question may require a book to explain, I suppose it depends on the music you are listening to. Most music is a positive influence, but some songs like the hardcore hate/gangsta rap can be encouraging the wrong things. Then again that's just my opinion, most people would say that Marilyn Manson is a bad influence but it's all about being who you are and having fun - it's entertainment GEEZ!

The story of my life can be done with music lol!

When I was little (under 6) my aunts were total Madonna freaks. I had the boots, gloves, headbands, fluffy hair... yeah no pictures for anyone to see thanks. I remember singing the songs and jammin' I remember that going hand in hand with Prince and Cindy Lauper. Girls just wanna have fun right?

Then came my fixation with the Top 40 in elementary which no longer included Madonna. She was replaced with the New Kids on the Block, Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli and MC Hammer. Yeah, my clothes changed. I went from heeled boots to MC Hammer pants. I never did get the MC Hammer Dance down very well, but then again it wasn't much more than a weird running in place movement.

In Junior High I started to discover rock. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were big - who could not love a band that would perform in their underwear? LOL But I was into more of the Ballads, stuff we sang in choir - Bette Midler being in top place followed closely by Whitney Houston and Micheal Jackson (he wasn't considered an atrocity and you weren't embarrassed by listening to "Black or White") I lived in the between world - you know between cool and total geeks. It was acceptable and the music was decent to most adults LOL

Then in High School I discovered Alice in Chains and my rock side took over. I grunged out with hippy jeans, torn plaid shirts, messy hair and the general I don't care attitude toward everything but my music. Bands like Limp Bizkit, Bush, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, The Offspring, Rage Against the Machine, Korn, White Zombie and Metallica ruled my everyday. I couldn't wait to get to a radio to hear them and they drowned out every teenage issue I thought I had.

In the twelve years since I graduated I've grown a little more broad in my music choices. I listen to a little bit of country and a smidge of the Pop. Rock still rules and sometimes the louder it is the more relaxed I am. I love jamming to Bob Marley and Bob Dillian and relaxing to Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin and the Eagles.

Top Sites Tuesday #71 – Two Thoughts on Tuesday

Trina — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:12:40 +0000

Thought #1 & 2 (a bit of a rambling thought): We went to the Delaware State Fair last week. It's always a super hot (as in temperature) event with not really that much to see. Sure there are arts and crafts, farming displays and tons of sheep, pigs, goats, cows, and horses. But other than that there isn't much more to the fair than food. Food vendors are everywhere. A simple bottled water costs $2 and if you want something to eat be prepared to spend $10.

Every year I ask myself why I go, this years answer was easy. Lynyrd Skynyrd. Yep we went to see them at the fair. It probably wasn't one of the best concerts I went to, but they were good. It's funny, my idea of a good rock and roll concert is people on their feet singing and dancing but a good deal of the people there just wanted to sit and watch the show. From the entertainers point, they probably thought they sucked that night, he kept yelling "Stand up" and trying to rally the crowd. I suppose you'd have to be from here to understand that most of the people that went to the concert were there for the oldies and didn't remember that Skynyrd songs tend to last a while and so thought the show was better from a seated position!

I did have fun though! Of course I was on my feet from the time they hit the stage. I rocked, sang, danced... lost time while clapping but it's ok so did many other people!

The crowd did give one last moment showing that they were alive yelling and chanting "Free Bird" until they came back out for the final song.

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

--Trina

BlogDumps 4th Birthday Party!

Trina — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:26:18 +0000

I can't believe we've been working on BlogDumps for four years now! It's crazy, I feel like just yesterday we were playing around, trying to figure out how this whole building a website thing would work.

We started in basic HTML with a black and red layout and basic graphics. Then we grew as we learned! You can checkout our progress through the WayBack Machine Sometimes I check it out to see how far we have progressed LOL!

I love the friends I've made and the things I've learned while visiting their blogs. From different cultures to political perspectives and random thoughts and rants - no matter how short or long the posts everyone is a lesson learned.

Sometimes I compare site designs and layouts, trying to use everything I see.

Sometimes I am flabbergasted by the things I see or read and other times I am amazed at the creativity and talent of others.

Without BlogDumps I wouldn't have had the pleasure of visiting, reading, and viewing most of your blogs! You probably would have never visited me either come to think of it...

But after four years want to know the biggest lesson I've learned?

Evolve.

Everyday is something new. Sometimes although we are scared of change it happens and we have to change to move. There's nothing wrong with changing a layout or design, sometimes as your site grows and as the world turns a new layout or new colors are important.

If you see something you like on the web, try to incorporate it into your site - if you like it so will other people.

Sometimes just simplifying things is the change you need. If your site loads slow, get rid of some of the extra unnecessary things on your site. If your colors are everywhere, try lightening the mood LOL

I am so happy that BlogDumps has Lasted for so long - four years doesn't seem like much, but in the virtual world, it's a lifetime LOL

Happy Birthday BlogDumps!

--Trina

Top Sites Tuesday #69 – What are You Doing to Stay Cool this Summer?

Trina — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:39:59 +0000

I grew up in the South, just outside of Houston, Texas, and while I know that it's hot here in Delaware now, I am thankful that it won't last long. Summers here tend to be short and hot. The temperatures seen to be unbearable for only a few day and then a front come through and cools everything off for a few days and then the temperatures skyrocket again - it seems to only get amazing hot though for a couple months. I remember that in the South even night-time didn't bring any relief.

So What am I Doing to Stay Cool?

#1 -- Avoiding the Sun. I am one of those really fair skinned people who get burned really easy so I tend to stick to the shade and if I'm going to be out a while I actually use SPF 75! I've had enough sunburns in my life to know that I don't EVER want another one!

#2 -- Cool Showers. After a long day in the heat of the shop nothing is more satisfying than a nice cool shower.

#3 -- Air Conditioning. On really hot days if we want to do something we make sure that something has an air conditioner! Things like shopping or walking around a museum are amazing because I am not the one paying the AC bill to keep everything so cold! Gosh I can imagine my meter spinning now just thinking of keeping my house at 70 degrees.

#4 -- Go to the beach. There is always a nice cool breeze at the beach and if there's not one cool enough just get in the water!

#5 -- Sleeping with Fans. I used to keep the house at 68 degrees at night, but in an effort to save energy I have upped the night time temperature to 73 and pointed a fan right at my bed! It's amazing! The lull of the fan puts me right out and I'm ice cold all night. I switched from my comforter to just a sheet too, that made a huge difference!

Stay cool everyone!
--Trina

Top Sites Tuesday #68 – Two Thoughts on Tuesday

Trina — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:56:20 +0000

Thought #1: While Mondays are normally amazingly annoying I must say that yesterday was no exception. It started Sunday Night. Knowing that I had to be up and in a town and hour and a half away by 8:45 AM I could not fall asleep. Yep, I stayed awake, staring at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to come... it finally did around 2 am. So, yeah, I got all of 3 hours sleep. Then first thing in the morning we had to play the banking game.

I'm sure your familiar with it - you know when a company you order from charges you twice and overdraws an account. That's always so much fun to do on a Monday Morning! You gotta wait for the banks to open, then you gotta wait for the company you ordered from to open because they just happen to be in another time zone! Then you have to argues with both the bank and that company until they all realize that YOU are correct at which time they finally decide to reimburse you! WOO HOO!

After the banking game we were notified by Google that one of our bloggers was violating terms of service and they were going to close our Adwords account if it was not made compliant. So after reviewing the site they said was violating terms I discovered that it was not the blogger, but the spammers. Yep, the SPAM comments were destroying the site. They set every comment to approve and did not activate their SPAM catcher, so after deleting 13,000 spam comments (20 at a time) I finally had the site in compliance. I activated a SPAM catcher and set comments to have to be approved. I notified the blogger who thanked me, they didn't know what to do and their blog had gotten so over-run that they were overwhelmed.

By 3 in the afternoon, the day got better. We weere called and asked if we wanted to take a short trip to Sam's Club in Salisbury and then dinner at the mall. Sam's was great. We picked up a nice cake for Wolfbernz (Strawberry and Key Lime) Chai tea for me and formula for Baby Jacob... very productive! Then dinner at the mall, the Japanese teriaki place (Oh so good!) I love how they cook everything right in front of you!

While eating dinner I couldn't but help watching the girl at the pretzel place digging in her nose... seriously I thought she was going for gold! She didn't even wash her hands when some people walked up and bought food from her YUCK!! I will never eat pretzels from there... ever!

Thought #2: Thank god Monday is over!

Have a wonderful Tuesday Everyone!

--Trina

Top Sites Tuesday #67 – How did You Celebrate the Fourth of July

Trina — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 04:25:45 +0000

It's crazy! Used to be around here the fourth of July was insane. All the small towns put on fireworks displays and had parades and festivals in the parks... not anymore. You can see the economic crunch took a toll on more than just the housing market. Once grand displays of pride, the remaining local parades had little to show. Once 2 or more hours long they were only 30 minutes. I know it's not because people are less patriotic - but even attendance dropped.

We partied with friends on the farm. Here's the run-down:

Everyone set up a slip-n-slide and a volleyball net, cleaned the pool, and made a nice fire ring to control a small bonfire for after the fireworks.

The slip-n-side was great. Being the adults they've become the guys decided that if you add baby oil to the plastic slide, apply more water, and take a running leap you can slide about 50 feet. The bruises I saw later on the bodies of those that decided to go for the whole 50 feet made me feel good about avoiding that particular part of the party.

I spent most of the day playing volleyball. I'm not good at it but it was a beautiful day here and there were plenty of people around to keep the games interesting!

After about 6 hours of baby oil and sun block covered people swimming in the pool, I started to think they had re-created the oil spill in the Gulf! There was so much grease in the pool it was funky! Thank goodness for good filters and pool shock!

I know, we're not allowed to have any really serious fireworks anymore. We did however find some really exciting roman candles, fire crackers, hand grenades, and someone mysteriously set of a few dazzling mortar displays LOL.

And finally after the fireworks were all set up around the campfire playing a little music, talking about the days events and reminiscing about old times with friends that hadn't been seen in a while. The evening was cool, the fire was warm and the company was great!

God Bless the USA!
--Trina

Top Sites Tuesday #66 – Two Thoughts on Tuesday

Trina — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:14:15 +0000

Thought #1: I think there's some kind of force field preventing the rain from landing on the farm. Yesterday there was a huge thunderstorm that dropped tons of rain on the city right next to us. It was like the storm split in half to go around the farm... it's a conspiracy I tell you! I am destined to water the grapes and the flowers all summer long.

Thinking of grapes, a couple of our Merlot grapes battled with a couple extra large orange-peachy colored caterpillars and almost lost. My goodness those things can do some damage before you know it! Guess those will have to be nursed back to health LOL.

Pretty awesome caterpillar HUH?

Thought #2: I'm confused about something. Why are so many people getting tattooed? I'm not one of those who think it's acceptable to have your entire arm, back, neck, and hands tattooed. I don't see the reason for it. I've seen many people (old young and in between) with meaningless tattoos that strike me as well... Gross. I understand if you were in the military and you have your unit or insignia tattooed on you, I understand that if you have a loss and you want to make sure you never forget them with a simple tattoo, but seriously? What do knuckles tattooed on your head mean? That you're a moron? Or women who get the "Tramp Stamp" of butterflies, stars, or flowers on their lower backs. I just don't understand.

I suppose I was raised a little less tolerant of the weird. When I see tattooed and pierced people I want to walk the other way. I understand the rules and policies that many large companies have against tattoos being visible. If I want to walk the other way, how much business is lost because people are off-put or intimidated by an employees appearance?

I was at a party this weekend and overhead some of the younger people complaining about how they work so hard but will not be given a raise or put out in the showroom because of their extensive tattoos. These guys had both arms covered (and that's just what I could see!) They wanted more tolerance from their bosses because they believe that their appearance is more accepted and tolerated... But is it really that accepted?

I know that when my sister-in-law got a tattoo I immediately thought less of her decision making skills. She works at a bank now and because of her tattooing she can't wear her hair up on a hot day and she can't wear sleeveless shirts. She could actually loose her job if she got too short of a hair cut. Was that ink worth it?

So, what are your thoughts? Am I just being a prude? Am I the only one who thinks that people are going overboard with ink these days?

--Trina