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News Archives

Fair Entries

July 14, 2010

Rather than entering pickles and preserves at the fair this year, I decided to enter products from my newest hobby-stained glass.  We were allowed to enter two per category, so I entered these two in Beginning Stained Glass, and my ship in a bottle in the regular 'foil' Stained glass category.


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Rectangle of Sun

June 27, 2010

I guess summer is here - today Oreo was chasing his rectangle of sun cast by the hall skylight.  It's hot here today - 94 degrees. 


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Spring Fever

March 14, 2010

Spring is in the air!  We went to the old house and got the last of our things that we are taking.  We just have the shelving in the garage and the rest, the bank can deal with!  So now we're getting our new back yard ready for spring!


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Christmas Newsletter

December 22, 2009

I went to print my Christmas Newsletter and ran out of ink - and the cartridges are "in a box someplace" as is a lot of stuff I am looking for.


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Moving on

November 24, 2009

About this time last year, I posted a message about All I want for Christmas is to save my house.  Well, it didn't happen.  The mortgage co went back on me.  So I came out of mydarkness, put the house on the market, and found this beautiful rental home.


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Count Oreo

October 31, 2009

We were at the dollar store and, well, I couldn't resist.  What would look better on my little, shiny Tuxedo Cat?  He tolerates bow ties off and on - he has his everday red tie, black tie for New Years Eve and a Red and Green tartan for Christmas...


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Next bike???

October 15, 2009

My mom's fiance, Bill, got a 2010 Ultra Classic LImited Edition.  I got the opportunity and privelege to take it aroundthe block!   It is has a beautiful paint job - black ice - which looks blue sometimes, purple sometimes, black sometimes.  It handled very well too - which surprised me.  It was a 300 pound jump from my bike!


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Messin\' Around with Photoshop Again

October 9, 2009

Remember the time we went camping with Guy Fieri?


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Then and Now

July 27, 2009

Years ago, my father shot a picture of me up at Tahoe riding a moped, and later gave it to me, framed, calling me a free spirit.  We went to Tahoe and decided to shoot the picture - 30 years later.


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ABCs of Touring

June 28, 2009

This weekend, for the first time, I did the ABCs of Touring in a day.  What it is is you go to a city or county, for each letter inthe alphabet, get your photo taken in front of a sign with your bike, holding an issue of HOG Enthusiast magazine.  We started at 5:45 am and got to Quincy at 5:35 pm.  What a DAY...and then we came back...


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A new skin for Spacerock

June 25, 2009

Every now and then I like to change up my website...and I was inspired to do so.  I was really trying to revamp my commercial site, came up with something that decidely works better here...


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Homespun

June 13, 2009

I've watched this lady out at the Alameda County Fair for years -- she spins.  It's fascinated me for about 10 years that I've been going out there and visiting the building with the old machinery and have often thought "I have a LOT of cat hair....why not spin it?"


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I Got a Free TV - Yes, Really

May 17, 2009

I love Fremont Freecycle!  In case you are going "huh?" what Freecycle is is a bunch of location-specific Yahoo Groups where you can literally offer something you are giving away - or if you are looking for something, you can put "WANTED: such and such."  You have to act quickly if you find something you want though.  Such was the case on Friday night when i saw OFFER:  26" Flat TV.  I jumped on it.


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Sushi Tonight?

April 26, 2009

I recently brought the aquarium in from the office - since I am working fulltime I no longer have the luxury of working from home from my Garden Retreat, and that's where the fish tank was. 


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The 2009 Garden is In

April 19, 2009

Yesterday I headed over to Regan's Nursery to get some tomatoes - they have everything, so I was able to get some unusual varieties.  4 cuke plants - 1 of them is Lemon Cucumbers, and this year I put in canteloupe and strawberries.


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Bomber

April 13, 2009

Bomber loves to play in the cat tree and I caught him dangling the kitty.  This reminded me of the Michael Jackson Incident where he dangled one of his kids over the edge of a balcony.


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Oreo and Canteloupe

March 15, 2009

Oreo is strange; this is an established fact...he is showng here eating cantelopue.  Believe it or not, Oreo is not my first cat who loves this melon...


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Kitchen is getting Reborn

March 1, 2009

The kitchen has recently gotten some nice little upgrades - nothing major like new cabinets or anything, but a fresh coat of paint, a new refrigerator, stenciling and cabinet knobs.


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My last day of Unemployment...

February 23, 2009

So I get to start a new job where I get to do all kinds of web geek stuff - my kind of fun.  You know what they say - "Do something you love and you'll never work another day in your life."  Yep.   So, on my last day of being nemployed, I put together an organizer for my belly rings.  It's amazing how many I've collected since I took the dare and got it done 6 months ago.  (I just changed it for the first time days ago)...


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The Grammys - Viva La Vida

February 10, 2009

It's been more than 20 years since I gave a rat's posterior about the Grammys or any awards....but then again I had an unusual year and got back into listening to music - and found there is good music still out there even for old people like me.  I was driving home from a craft class one night and heard this most unusual song come on...and I was hooked...


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A Purrfect Fit

January 21, 2009

Cats are such funny creaures.  One afternoon I came in from my office and noticed that Simone was in a basket on my kitchen table fast asleep.  She fit perfectly as you can see.


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Merry Christmas

December 24, 2008

Simone was definitely not thrilled to wear a Santa Hat...wishing all of my web visitors a Merry Christmas.

My Christmas Newsletter


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All I wanted for Christmas was to Keep My House

December 14, 2008

So finally...I got my house situation settled and the good news is that I get to keep it.  It's been scary - lenders not even wanting to talk to you until you're in default...or worse.  I was afraid to do anything - even a deep cleaning - until I knew my fate.


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Spacerock Gets Some Upgrades

December 3, 2008

I've been learning a lot of new web tricks lately and realized I'm not showcasing them where I should be - on my website which I show potential employers/clients!  Take a look around - there are more coming. 


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Whole Lotta Redneck Fun

October 23, 2008

Every year at the Altamont Raceway Park, the season culminates with the Pumpkin Smash event.  Fans arrive to the track and there are pumpkins all over it.  What for, you ask?  So that way the fans can come down and smash them onto the track - and then a truck will come by with soapy water and then what--there's a race!  Or is it a demolition derby?  Or both?


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Late Season Camping Trip

September 23, 2008

With cold weather right around the corner, my gent friend, Eddie and I decided to slip in a late season camping trip to my favorite spot, Huntington Lake. 


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Where has the Summer Gone?

July 31, 2008

I can't believe it is July 31st.  What HAPPENED?  It seems like it was just Spring.   I had a promising summer building (that crashed and burned with the loss of my job and the breakup of what I thought was a relationship with a lot of hope in it).  Now I'm finding myself going into August and what happened?


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Unlucky at Relationships

July 28, 2008

I guess I really suck at relationships.  I've never been lucky in love, or in this case, like.  I thought things were going really well and then things started to feel weird; communication broke down and the affection began to wane (I'm super affectionate), I found myself being spoken to rudely, and well, it just fell apart.


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New Addition

July 23, 2008

My new additionA long time ago, I had my nose pierced.  I took it out several years ago and have been thinking for about a year I ought to do it again.  So today was the day.  What the heck - I am making changes so I had this place called Body Exotic in San Jose recommended to me as being hospital-like clean, so off i went.


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Mammoth Lakes

July 17, 2008

So I had my second 'overnighter' trip with my HOG group - and it was a blast.  We went to Mammoth Lakes and I had my first look at Yosemite.  I know, I know.  I was raised in the Bay Area and had never been to Yosemite - well I can't say that now.


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Death Valley Road Trip

April 30, 2008

My first long trip was at the end of March to Death Valley.  I rode a different bike (which had a handlebar I had to reach for - agony) on Friday to Ridgecrest - 380 miles.  I was in pain so Bob offered to take me 2 up on Saturday.  It was a new experience to ride 2-up!


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Cool Place Where I work

December 21, 2007

Don't tell me I've gone to the "Dark Side" or start calling me "Darth Marian."  It's true; I'm working for Microsoft now (as a contractor) in Mountain View on their Windows Live Agents team.  It's a very cool place to work!
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Charcoal the Borg

November 30, 2007

So I came home from work and Charcoal came in as he sometimes does.  It was dark...he had dinner then sat on the living room coffee table - a slick spot on his forehead.  Oh great...so I whisked him off to the vet and he came home today looking like this...  
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Come back, TV Writers!

November 10, 2007

Argh!  Just as the 2007 TV season got underway, the TV writers have gone on strike.  I don't blame them for wanting some of the royalties from DVD sales and such.  I say PAY EM THEY DESERVE IT and "we want you guys back!"  
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New Feature: Kitchen Cabinet Recipes

November 3, 2007

This was a flea market find - a recipe book from Sunset called Sunset's New Kitchen Cabinet Cook Book.  The inside cover proclaims "Now for the first time, SUNSET'S NEW KITCHEN CABINET COOK BOOK gives you all of the recipes published over a period of nearly 10 years - from February , 1929 to June 1938!"  WIth scary sounding titles like "Bacon Delight" and "Nest Egg Supper Plate" I will be featuring recipes here.  So hold on to your fork and get ready to measure your cholesterol levels!
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A Bigger Bike in the Future?

September 19, 2007

This was during the Open House at our Fremont Harley-Davidson Dealership.  They were having demo rides, so I decided to try out a Heritage Softail.  What a ride!
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You Might be a Redneck...

September 4, 2007

...if you have your washing machine outside in your front yard hooked to the hose and have a load going...yes, we really did.  A homeowner's nightmare happened and we tested the washer to make sure it wasn't the washer...
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George and I as Simpsons Characters

July 30, 2007

This came out of simpsonizeme.com to promote their new movie.  Hilarious...
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The Outlaws

July 23, 2007

Outlaw bikers gather before the Fremont 4th of July parade...pictured here is Marian "Webmistress" Briones, left, and Joel "Unix" K on the far right....  
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Gary Rides Again

July 19, 2007

Yes, it was the 4th of July and we were in Newark, CA where safe and sane fireworks are legal.  This was pretty darn funny to say the least, and this year we have VIDEO!  
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A Trip Down Memory Lane

July 1, 2007

I was in San Jose today for a HOG function today and decided to take a trip down Memory Lane (more specifically Nomark Court) and headed to see the house I grew up in.  It looks NOTHING like it used to!!!
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My Winning Fair Exhibit

June 24, 2007

For many years, I have attended our Alameda County Fair and have always been delighted by the Hobby Exhibits.  I decided to finally do my own, and guess what, it won!
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Don\'t you hate it when the earth swallows you Whole?

June 16, 2007

I spotted this photo in my local paper of a golfer named Phil Mickelson who was having  a bad day.  Apparently, the golf course opened up and swallowed him whole....Photo by Chris O'Meara - Associated Press.
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Head out on the Highway!

June 4, 2007

I was heading out on a chapter ride with my mom's Bill right behind me - we were heading to our Chapter Picnic in Pleasanton.  Did I mention the route was Pleasanton by way of Tracy? If you are needing directions to get somewhere quick, never ask a biker!
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A Goodbye to E.C. (Extra Cat)

May 29, 2007

This cat arrived at about the same time Ariel did; summer of 2003.  He used to be so afraid of us that he would run away if we even came to the window.  Finally, he got so I could get within 4' of him, but never closer.  He showed up about 10 days ago with a broken front leg, hobbling.  Of course we couldn't catch him or help him.  He succumbed under my office.  I feel sad that he would never let us take care of him properly.  So long, E.C.  See you at the Rainbow Bridge!
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13,000 miles

May 19, 2007

On Mother's Day this year, I rolled 13,000 miles.  It means I've ridden 12,000 since my bike had 1000 miles on it when I got it.
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You don\'t see something like this often

April 15, 2007

Whoa!  I was on an early morning grocery run this morning and on my way back, I came upon this scene!  It happened around 5am or so, the police said.     
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Ready for a Summer of Riding

March 18, 2007

Well I've got new tires, new brakes and an engine protection bar with highway pegs--I'm ready to rock n' roll!

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My Craft Room

January 28, 2007



I FINALLY got around to cleaning out what used to be my office.  I spent the better part of yesterday in there, throwing stuff out, recycling, and putting some things in a 'spring garage sale' box.  It's about TIME I tackled this room; I had made it a new years resolution.

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Getting ready for the New Year: Condiments R Us

December 30, 2006


I cleaned out my pantry and the amount of condiments I found was something else.  Sauces, marinades, mustards - you name it!
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10000 Miles and counting

October 12, 2006


Well, I have managed to cross the 10,000 mile mark on the bike!  The bike had 1027 miles on it when I bought it; I put 9000 more.  The speedometer is actually 61 miles short of its actual mileage as I had it replaced (it got scratched) and we had to guess now many miles would be on it by the time it came in.  I know, I'm so AR....
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Big Head Joins the Family

August 25, 2006

Remember Big Head?  Well, his owner had a life change, moving in with his fiance who is a really nice lady who has a bunny rabbit.  She is also allergic to kitties, although she loves Big Head (aka Frank) and his mom.  They were able to take 'Frank's' mom as she likes to stay outdoors only and is gentle, but Big Head is a big aggressive and plus he likes to be indoors as well as outdoors.
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Do NOT Try This at Home!!!!!

July 5, 2006


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Cycle Center Loses its Sign!

June 1, 2006

 

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Wore out the keyboard

April 12, 2006


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Photo for Thought: Harley Limo

April 6, 2006


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Snow in Fremont, CA

March 11, 2006


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First the Harley, now the Tats...

February 28, 2006


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Charcoal, my Dysfunctional Kitty

February 1, 2006


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January Gloom

January 19, 2006


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Creepy Christmas Card

January 1, 2006


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Tis' the Season to Use Enormous Cookware

December 19, 2005


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Lifetime Ban from the Pirates of Emerson

October 30, 2005

Well, my biker life continues...my Fremont H.O.G. group does this annual Haunted Hog Run on Halloween weekend, and this year was my first. One of our stops was the locally popular Pirates of Emerson haunted house. Now this is one where you are walking in almost pitch black conditions and guys are leaping out at you making you practically wet your pants. My husband has been teaching me martial arts for 2 years. In short, I popped a pirate in the face...


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Like Daughter Like Mother

August 29, 2005


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Weight Reduction is Showing

August 22, 2005


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Our Loss and Gain

July 23, 2005

This was a sad week for us...we lost Kimba to our busy road. She decided to get off the frontage road and venture out into the main thoroughfare...very sad. So, we now have a little orange guy. I've never had an orange cat before. The photo shows Oreo's acceptance after only 30 minutes of acquaintance. That's Oreo for you...


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4th Of July Weekend

July 5, 2005

Wow, what a time we had...there is this annual Freedom Rally in Hollister where, as my friend puts it, 100,000 Harley riders descend like locusts. It occurs on 4th of July weekend. Read about how George literally met 3 couples on the side of the road, befriended them, and we hung out the rest of the weekend...I think this was one of the more memorable 4th of July's I've experienced!


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Born to be Wild (or something...)

May 31, 2005

What a Memorial Day Weekend! We rode to my mom's which is about 60 miles away and I got my first taste of freeway speeds and gusty winds. We did get to go down some wonderful country roads and wound up leading a group of other riders which was fun. We did our safety class (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) last week and passed our test. We sure are having a lot of fun!


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The Scooter? It Grew Up

May 1, 2005

Never is an awfully long time. I may have thought about owning/riding a motorcycle in my youth but after losing some friends and family to motorcycle accidents, I said no way. Well, the scooter started it, and now I have a Harley Sportser 883. It is very powerful!


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What Should I Name It?

March 28, 2005

My new wheelsGas prices have gone waaaaaaay up...going over $2.50 a gallon nationwide, but in California in particular. Our Grand Am was in the shop for MAJOR engine work. For a few months I've been poking around with idea of getting something little an easy on gas to do little errands around town....I wound up with this little scooter....


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Watch the Garden Grow

March 6, 2005

Here in California, we are blessed with the ability to start our veggie gardens early. I've decided to log my garden this year, in geeky fashion.


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A New Look for Spacerock.com

February 11, 2005

It's been about 3 years since I have redone this site, and it was time.


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Happy New Year 2005

January 1, 2005


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Big Head Returns

December 15, 2004

Quite a difference in girth between the last time we saw him (June) and now...


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Big Head's Return

December 12, 2004

Bighead showed up after a 6 month absence! Home for the holidays, I guess...


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Oreo the Stylist

October 1, 2004

Oreo has taken to styling hair...


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Marian Goes to Washington

June 20, 2004

I got to fly to Washington DC and do a 4 mile power walk throughour nation\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s capital.


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Oreo Loves HoMedics Massage Sessions

May 6, 2004

Oreo is weird. I think he is weirder than Squeak ever was, or else Squeak has come back dressed in a tux this time around...


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Photo For Thought: Cattle at Niles

April 18, 2004


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The Story of Big Head

January 10, 2004


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Happy New Year - 2004

January 1, 2004


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Motherhood Becomes Oreo

December 1, 2003


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The Biggest and the Smallest

October 5, 2001


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Up Up Up to the Heavyside Layer...

August 31, 2001


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Meet Kimba

July 11, 2001


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Road Trip!

May 11, 2001


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Marian Gets Lasik Surgery

January 17, 2001

I went from 20-150 to 20-15 in one day. Wow...


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Goodbye Contact Lenses & Glasses!

January 17, 2001


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Meet Sosa

December 11, 2000


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The Boat

October 11, 2000


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Back to Excite!

September 11, 2000


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Chameleon Explosion

August 11, 2000


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Cisco Kid

August 1, 2000


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Employment

July 11, 2000


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Eddie the Chameleon

June 11, 2000


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Fitness

April 1, 2000


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The Zoo

March 12, 2000


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My Septoplasty

February 4, 2000


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Happy New Year - 2000

January 1, 2000


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Re-employment

November 12, 1999


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Shool Daze

September 1, 1999


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Just an update

July 12, 1999


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Marianbuilt Computer

July 2, 1999


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Our Trip to the Indy 500

June 1, 1999


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Every Home Should Have a Bottle of This

August 16, 2008

I'm one of those who loves hot sauce so much, I am usually 'packing Tabasco sauce' in my purse.  Once at the County Fair, I visited The Hot Sauce Guy and he gave me the hottest stuff he had and it didn' t make me run laps around the hall or anything. 


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Craft Room - Reloaded

January 18, 2010

The craft room is set up  It came together very quickly and it also packed up that way - thanks to the organization of my supplies in the drawer units, bins, etc.


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