SNL kick butt web video

This was an article in our paper today.
Lazy Sunday

I Hat New York

We went to New York City for the first two days of our Christmas holiday trip. I should let you know that I never, no matter where I go on vacay, buy anything for myself. Ok, I rarely buy anything for others either, but usually come home from a trip with nothing to show but memories, a few pics and some ticket stubs.



Christy found this cool fur hat with connected neck wrap. I love it on her. She was laughing all the way to the the icebox. It was so cold that night and Christy was baking.

This trip is/was different. The newest trend that we spotted was big, warm hats! It was our first night in NYC and we were leaving the hotel and I said to my fiance,"should I bring my hat?" and she said "which hat?", and I said, "my I love snow hat." She said, 'uh, no, you don't need a hat today." So I went hatless into the wild cold city. About our first hour into our trek from 56th and 7th to SOHO, we spotted a woman wearing this cool fur hat. Then we saw a few random guys wearing these big fur "Russian looking" hats with flaps. My grandfather used to wear one that was similar to this, but more businessman-like. Anyway, we walked all over the city, down to SOHO and almost back, to Union Square to buy this specific hat. It is SO warm and cozy and a cross between Davey Crocket and a Russian cossack.

This a pic of my good friend Pete. Pete hired me on Nantucket for the art director position. We met up at Molly's on 3rd between 21 & 22nd.




Make fun if you want, but guess who will be toasty when winter really hits this season.

Merry Christmas everyone. Happy Hannakah too.

A Connecticut Christmas

We are here. We just spent two days in NYC which was completely wonderful. We stayed at the Park Central hotel. I am a little embarrassed we did not take in a museum but we did do alot of shopping and I actually bought some things which never happens. I come home from a vacay with nothing to show but empty bank account.

More to come, but we just arrived in CT and are unpacking and readying for Candlelight Christmas Service and then home to drink coffee and listen to Christmas music.

For your enjoyment, please help your kids track Santa.

Merry Christmas everyone.

FINALLY! A STANDUP GUY!

So, when I finally decided it was time to be a man, I had to come up with a plan. A secret stealth plan that she would not ever suspect a thing. So I started brainstorming, for about 10 minutes, producing a clever proposal. We had scheduled our holiday party for the 17th of December. I got online and did a search for "carolers + denver". It produced the Yuletide Carolers. The night was to go something like this: The party would be in full progress. At around 9:15PM the doorbell would ring and in would come the 4 professionally trained carolers dressed in full pilgrim caroler costumes. They would be "just going around the neighborhood singing carols" and wanted to sing a few songs. They would first do Jingle Bells. Then they would begin singing " We Wish You A Merry Christmas, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.... Will Marry Me Christy Allbee, Will Marry Me Christy Allbee,Will Marry Me Christy Allbee, and a Happy New Year." One of the carolers would hold up a sign that said " Marry Me Christy" just so there was no confusion. Here is what really happened.

Movies for the Holidays

This year, I have been paying more attention to what motivates me, movie-wise, for the holidays.
I have made a list of my favorite Christmastime movies. Here they are in no real order of preferance, but I highly recommend all of them to keep you in the spirit of snow and happiness.

• Home Alone
  
• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
  
• Curley Sue (another John Hughes)
  
• Groundhog Day
  
• Grumpy Old Men
  
• Beautiful Girls
  
• Mystery Alaska
  
• Any Northern Exposure episode
  
• Trading Places
  
• Fargo
  
• Die Hard
  
• Die Hard 2 (a bit intense but still a "snow" movie)
  
• Elf
  

I would love to hear your suggestions too. I certainly have not spent enough atHalf.com yet, so let your titles fly. thanks and happy holidays.

Happy Birthday To Me.

Boy, do I feel old. 38 today baby! Christy totally helped though, by giving me a new Canon 5 Mpx A610 Digital Camera with 4X optical zoom. Awesome. Tonight we are all going to 17th Avenue Grill, my favorite restaurant and also my birthday tradition for 5 years now. I love the place for it's ambiance, white table cloths, service, and food. It is reliable and fun.
I wish I had some wise words of wisdom in my old age, but I cannot come up with anything. I do know this. That birthdays should be cherished and relished no matter what age you are.

Freelance tree widdling down to close: 2 launches.

For the past 8 months, I have been overwhelmed with freelance. I am not complaining, but it is with welcomed relief that I will almost have completed three major new website projects by the time we head for NYC. I say almost, because I stil have one left but am close to finishing. One needs to be uploaded to their server but is complete, the other is done. Please take a look at my latest work. Thank you Erin for your help on this as well.

Marnie Ward

Double Your Revenue.com

Southeast South Dakota Tourism is very close to be completed.

Here is my freelance site: Studio Hampton Design

It actually feels weird sitting at home now and NOT have a site nagging me to come work on it. It will almost be a day since I have not worked on a site, and actually, I miss it. So, if anyone needs a website redesign or new website, plese feel free to contact me.

Thanks and bring on Rockefeller Center!

Jingle Bells

Erica, despite her hangover, was able to join me for the Jingle Bell on Saturday. I was recovering from not so good 3 days of sickness, so my pace was not up to par, but we managed to finish our 5K (3.6 miles) in under 30 minutes ( 29:47 ). It was a good day for a run, crisp but sunny and fine, but I have to admit that I would much rather run in overcast slight snowfall, than sun. It creates more of an aura and mood about running in overcast skies. I have never run a race in snow but will cherish the day that a few inches blesses the air around Wash Park.

This guy rocks!

Can you believe that there is someone out there MORE into Christmas music than me? He even has his own Christmas Radio blog continuously playing sounds of the season. Way to go Dale. Here is a big Yuletide shoutout.

sick.

ok, i am sick. this stinks. don't get this bug. going back to bed. i miss the outside world.

I Scents that There are Many Smells for the Holiday

I don't know if marketing has changed, or if I am more aware of them, or if I just want to enhance and create a sense of Christmas in and around me, but this year especially, i have found numerous fir and pine smells in different applications for the house to keep me comforted around the holidays. ( whew, that was one drawn out sentence, that almost says nothing)
anyway, starting two years ago, I found some Suave seasonal shampoo with the scent of Garland and Fir. It is amazing. I thought it would be a coveted item so I bought 12 sets of shampoo and conditioner. Then Suave discontinued it. I am not sure why, maybe no one but me liked it. But I still have about 5 sets left and break one out every year. Just got this set out a few weeks ago. It really does make you think of Christmas wreaths and trees.
This year, I have found more. Caldrea has this wonderful White Spruce in various forms. I got the White Spruce dishwashing liquid, which has a very strong but unique and true pine scent-not Pinesol-y. I am mixing it with my regular hand dish soap. I highly recommend their hand wash too.

Next, I found at Restoration Hardware, some Winter Pine hand soap and lotion together in a wire holder. It is nice, the smell is grand, but I would not recommend it. Stick with the Caldrea for hand lotion and hand wash. I couldn't find a link to it, so no more info.

I have also been scouting around for essential oils to mix to try my own hand at making the perfect holiday scent. Mountain Rose seems to be the most complete, courteous and prompt company for these oils. I bought a bunch, such as white fir, pine, bayberry, pumpkin spice, and more. I will be trying my hand at small candlemaking as well. Getting into the spirit, yeah!

I Like The Winter Weather

oh yeah, we just got our first Winter snowfall. not much, but i will take what we can get.
it is gorgeous out though.

Well, at least you know I stretched.

As many of you know, I ran the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. I ran my best time too, of 36:34. But what you might not know is that they have a photo company that takes pics of runners participating in the race. Well, every year, my bib number is either obstructed, so I have to sift through 50 pages of pictures to try and find me, OR there are just no pictures of said runner. Well, this year, they got me. But only stretching. Kinda funny. I guess I shouldn't expect them to be able to capture all 10,000 participants individually, so maybe I will consider myself lucky. Yes, that is what I will do. Happy Holidays.

Window Washer's Nightmare-Denver, USA

Yesterday my friend Kelley caught this on tape across from her builing.
Here is also her account of what she saw:

"The wind caught a couple of window washers in the building across from
me a little bit ago. Their basket started blowing and crashing into the
building across the street. I'm on the 18th floor. So they were blowing
around pretty high.

It was aweful. I just got interviewed by 9News too. They wanted to hear
how horrific it was to watch. Apparently the guys were on their way to
the roof b/c of the wind...they were just too late. That thing was
swinging like mad.

The basket continued to hit the building and bust through windows right at people's desks. Papers got sucked out of the building. Glass went crashing down and broke windshields of cards on the street. Super scary. Both guys were rescued
by the fire fighters through a window.
Yeah...they were really impressed with the image quality b/c my little
Cannon is 5 Megapix and I was holding still ; )"
--
Here's her video on 9 news. They bought it from her. And MSNBC called too.
It'll be on the national news tonight:
View her video


Someone also submitted video to 9News. Theirs is much longer and show
the drop and more slamming against the building:
This is from the ground