What made you smile today?

Lightning bugs. Summer nights are so much prettier because of them ...

lot's of them this summer up our way love sitting on the deck at night watching them

We have a lightning bug jar that sits on the screened porch. Only to catch for a few moments to watch them flicker then released before bed. My boys are fascinated with them.

Sounds lovely... the afternoon on the back porch part, anyway! (Not too sure about the getting up at 8 and waiting for a plumber who never comes part ... I hate that. But you gotta give some to get some I guess!

Oh, and what kind of business?!

My weekend was all over the place, but some of it belongs here, and it comes as a package.

Saturday I got up early to head out on a train to the Slovak border. For the 4th of July, you see. Yes, that makes no sense. But we had a little party in a small village near the provincial border town of Komarno, which included a bunch of people who were connected together in a bizarre combination of ways.

There was the host, the Slovak husband of my American boss (of sorts, we're kind of an anarchist program right now), who herself was absent. Then there was a woman I'd gotten to know when she worked for our organisation on another floor but who went back to the States, like, two years ago. She came back to the region, however, to live with her girlfriend, a Slovak woman who owned a restaurant in ... Komarno. So they settled in the same village as my boss.

Then there was -- well -- Dagmaraka. Because while I may know Dag through a2k, she also happened, way back when, to be a classmate of my current boss's husband. Yeah.

Said husband, by the way, actually applied, four years ago, for the same job I ended up getting. Bizarre, huh?

There was also our host's father, and an American friend of Dag's. Who used to work in Kosovo round the same time and for the same organisation as the host.

Anyway, that part was fun. We had lots of lovely food, and the hosts took us to their vinery up on the hill, which came with a wonderful old house.

Umm, now I have to go. So I guess the weekend didnt come as a package anyway.

Thanks, y'all, for the warm welcome! I'm still the crazy workaholic I've always been, so I don't often find the time for fahtin' around on the web....Gonna' have to start putting that on my to do list......

George! I haven't been to N'awlins since Katrina. How's the Quarter looking these days?

I'm finally putting one of my endless hobbies to work...designing and selling jewelry. My goal is to have at least 50 products uploaded by the end of the week. With your gracious ((batting eyelashes)) permission, I'll post a link to the site here later.

As some of you know, I go for my coffee every morning (most) to meet with friends and to read my newspaper. The regulars are pretty steady customers, and show up at least once a week. A Japanese couple have been coming for years, but I've never talked to them. I learned today that the man is Filipino and the wife is Japanese.

Since I had a dental appointment to have my teeth cleaned today, I told my Filipina dentist about this. That was worth a smile.

So much for erroneous perceptions.

realizing i get to spend the summer with my daughter instead of busting my hump and working.

Ok, now I'm smiling at that lovely picture.

I had dinner with Thomas. How can I not be smiling?

Totally precious.

Beautiful!

Shewolf's pic made me smile.

My new business cards arrived about half an hour ago!!!!!

Love that picture. Very Annie Leibovitz!

How's this for a pleasant surprise?

I order a lot of products from China that arrive in packages small enough to be delivered by my regular mail carrier. About 25% of these items are sent registered mail. Normally, if I don't answer the door (for whatever reason), the mail carrier leaves a slip for me to sign, picks up the slip the following day (I leave it taped to the mailbox for her), and delivers it on the third day. I never have to go to the post office.

Yesterday morning was one of those that I didn't answer the door (I slept WAY in). I left the slip on the mailbox as usual. This morning I received a different package that came on the big truck. The mail carrier (different one) saw the slip on my mailbox and said to me, "I'll get this for you." I assumed he meant he would drop it off at the post office so I would receive the packages with tomorrow's delivery. Two hours after he left my house, he came back with the two registered packages!

Way to spread good karma! He made my day.

A Ms Doolittle sighting made me smile!

My daughter giving me her favorite stuffed toy for my birthday present.

I gotta give it back to her tomorrow though , since tomorrow isnt my birthday. Only today .