An aside:  While getting ready to do this shoot, X said, "The style of this dress combined with the embellishments make me look like a member of Liberace's polygamist cult."

(More photos from series HERE.)

This time, last year (via Photojojo's Time Capsule).  Please note:  The peonies are nowhere near ready to bloom, much less falling over from their own weight as in the photo above, because the weather has been entirely different this spring.

I haven't had anything cohesive to blog about, so I leave you with random thoughts from X ...

• Did you tap the matrix that is life? Did you use a cheat code? HOW did you get a FOURTH piece of bacon?!!!?!
• We need to trim Nef's claws. Notice that I said 'we' and not 'I', and by 'we', I mean you.
• I have come up with several titles for myself, most recently "Master of the Audible Question Mark".
• Ack!! Those evil Irish dancers will be there ... my NEMESES!!!
• Tim Gunn is crying because YOU DIDN'T ... MAKE IT WORK.

I had a girls' day with my sister.  I took her to Sundance Cinema (her first time) to see Sex and the City, which was her favorite show on television.  Afterward, we went to Hubbard Avenue Diner, where I always get the seared tuna sandwich with feta-dill sauce.  I'm going to attempt to recreate that at home.  Yum. 

X had a girls' day with her cousin.  I don't know what they did here at the house other than game, game, game.  Geek minds think alike. 

“Deaths in the Bible. God: 2,270,365 not including the victims of Noah’s flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, or the many plagues, famines, fiery serpents, etc. because no specific numbers were given. Satan: 10.” (Anonymous)

“The inspiration of the bible depends on the ignorance of the person who reads it.” (Robert G. Ingersoll)

A lengthy photo post ... because I feel like it.  Have a good weekend! 

I've been shopping around for some new camera lenses and, last week, Soule Mama blogged about renting a lens from www.ziplens.com.  Bingo!  I have decided to try out several lenses before making the purchases.  Very cool.

Today's product recommendations come straight from X.  I noticed that four out of five contain mint, and that three out of five have rosemary in them as well.  That said, this is what she's liking these days ...

• Aveda Rosemary Mint Shampoo -- Like me, she is a fan of all things Aveda. 
• Aveda Rosemary Mint Conditioner 
• Aura Cacia Pure Aromatherapy Love Potion -- She refuses to comment on this product, but heartily recommends it.
• Alba Botanica Terra Tints -- Her favorite shade is called 'Dawn'.  Very subtle. 
• Earth Science Rosemary Mint Deoderent -- I use this kind too.  Good stuff. 

" ... Theirs had been a life different from that of other families.  Jack might be gone for three days, home two, and that schedule would continue for two or three months.  And then, the next month, he might have four days off, six days on, and Mattie and Kathryn would adjust to that rhythm.  They didn't live by routine, as other families did -- they lived in segments.  Bits of time when Jack was home, longer bits of time when Jack was gone.  And when he was gone, the house would seem to deflate a bit, settle quietly in on itself.  And no matter how much attention Kathryn paid to Mattie or how much they enjoyed each other's company, it always seemed to Kathryn that they were suspended -- waiting for real life to begin again, for Jack to walk back in the door."

 -- Anita Shreve, The Pilot's Wife