Dog Days of Summer

I'm a beginning surfer and love it. I'd happily paddle out of the way for these pooches.

Friend Art: Annie's Seascapes for Sale

I love my artist friends. The lovely and amazing Annie is selling her seacapes on items sold through CafePress. I'm lucky to have an original hanging on my wall. Now I will need to have a matching totebag and tank top (and how cute are the items for babies?)

Friend Art: Kristine's Nicaragua Photos

On the subject of art by friends, the lovely and amazing Kristine posted photos from a recent trip to Nicaragua, where she offered to shoot photos for a non-profit raising money for schools for the kids in a small town there.

Kid Art: Mermaids, Smiley Faces and Palm Trees

A friend's daughters came to the house for a visit and we gave them paper, crayons and magic markers (oh, and some sweet treats). Our fridge is now filled with their pictures of mermaids. I was especially delighted by 8-year-old Maya's choice of words and images in the bottom pieces.

Deep Fried with a Side of Mashed Potatoes?

Taken in Venice, CA. I like bags with personality but this one might be too much.

Spam Haiku: Stupid Face

I almost passed on writing a haiku for this one, which was so rude it made me laugh out loud. (No, I did not click on "watch."). I left out the word stupid.

Spam subject line: What a stupid face you have here stefmcdonald

My spam haiku:
Face it, it is done
But this moment is all yours
Here--take what you have

Tennis, Anyone?

Wimbeldon starts this week. I'm going to play tennis online.

Get Wet!

Photo taken of a shop on Long Island.

Venice: Come on Down!

I covered the name of the newspaper here. Check out the photo of a woman getting arrested above the headline, "Welcome to Summer in Venice - A Guide for Visitors and Residents." Note to Mom and Dad: It's not that bad!

The Other Henry the VIII

Here's my goldfish, Henry VIII. He's requested an introduction to Wendy B, who has a most excellent "Thursday Book Club" post today on Katherine Swynford that mentions the other Henry the 8th. My Henry is my favorite kind of pet, especially because I don't have to pick up his poop. He was named for the neighbor's goldfish, whose name was Henry Herbert Something-Else (I forgot the third name). That Henry was originally a one-named fish who shared a bowl with two other fish (Herbert and the fish whose name I can't recall), but then Henry ate them and inherited their names. When the neighbors were away last month, we watched Henry Herbert Something-Else and he was the craziest fish I'd ever encountered. Not surprisingly, he was large for a goldfish and he was always hungry. I was sad to give him back and immediately drove to the pet store to get one to keep. I went for the craziest one in the tank and because Henry II seemed too boring a name (I can tell you nothing about Henry II), we skipped several generations and named him after the interesting one. I began to speak to Henry VIII in a British accent but Mr. MVP think he's French and has taken to calling him Henri. He likes long swims around the bowl and hanging out under his rocks and his appetite is as hearty as the neighbor's, although we have not yet given him a chance to off (or eat) anyone else's head.

Definition of the Day: French Shower

I was excited to find "French shower" in the Urban Dictionary. Excited because I uttered the phrase recently (uh, not for the first time) and Mr. MVP suggested I might want to think twice about my choice of words. I thought he meant that I might need to explain myself to someone unfamiliar with the slang, which would mean stating plainly that instead of showering I had simply sprayed on some perfume. Okay, I see his point. But it's in the dictionary! What Mr. MVP went on to say is that I might be offending the French with my use of the words. This made me laugh. If I were French (and I often begin thoughts like that), I think I'd be proud of such a clever way of making do when there's not enough time for a proper bath. And with such lovely perfumes! I often like to dab on perfume later in the day—not to mask any odors but to bask in the scents. My favorite perfumer sells her liquid fragrances in tiny bottles (above) and solid fragrances in silver compacts so you can carry them a makeup bag and I have at least two with me wherever I go. (Aftelier perfumes—they're all-natural, too.) But back to the French shower. The Urban Dictionary definition includes this hilarious example: "Man, I got the freak on last night, woke up late for work so I had to take a French shower to make it in on time." Ooh la la.

Better than Smack(s)

One of my favorite sugary cereals from childhood was Honey Smacks, which I remember fondly as just "Smacks." My mother wasn't quick to buy sugary cereals for us, but this was a special treat cereal that we were allowed to eat when we went on camping trips because it came in those single-serve boxes that were perfect for packing. How could a kid resist its sugary goodness? Or the cute frog on the box and in the commercials? Now I'm always looking for food that's good for you but tastes just as great as what you really want to eat. Latest discovery: Kashi's Go Lean Krunch cereal (Honey Almond Flax flavor) is the better-for-you version of Smacks.

Graffiti: Basketball Fever

Photo of the graffiti wall in Venice, CA. Since seeing it, I've got Kurtis Blow's "Basketball" stuck in my head.

Spam Haiku: Simply Perfect

Subject line of spam message:
10 simple tricks to become more perfect

My spam haiku:
Could it be simple?
Can someone become perfect?
Please teach me your tricks

Just the flax, ma'am

Taken in Venice, CA. The sign in the window reads, "Flax is here."

For the Love of Donuts

It's National Donut Day. What a good holiday, though I would consider changing it to National Jelly Donut Day. My favorite jelly donut on the West Coast comes from 3 Square Bakery in Venice. On the East Coast: Village Bakery in Westhampton Beach (honorable mention goes to Fritzsche's in West Sayville, NY).

Roly Poly Fish Heads

Photo from a visit to Philly. I was surprised by the $1.25 price. And I sang the song for a week.

Road Trip: Shell Beach

See the face on the side of the cliff. It reminds me of the Old Man of the Mountain in New Hampshire (his face has since crumbled).

Sweet Taste of Victory: Guacamole Champ

My DVR is nearly full (and I'm getting that annoying message about it every time I program it to record another show) and I won't erase the shows until I've seen them. That means watching a lot of Tyler and Giada and Ina from Food Network. Thankfully, I'm caught up on "Top Chef." I wouldn't want to have to endure the pressure of those quick-fire challenges, but I found my competitive side came out recently when my friend Kristine said she would be having a guacamole tasting contest for her boyfriend Dan's birthday party barbecue. And my modest side vanished when I won (that's me holding the T-shirt, next to my lovely friend Kristine). Dan wore a blindfold for the judging and he chose my guac, which I had sweetened with blood orange juice, agave nectar and yogurt. It's hard to go wrong with sweet.