Cleveland's Springtime Sunset

I was cleaning out random pictures on my phone and came across this one I took Friday evening while outside the House of Blues downtown.

I snapped it on Euclid Avenue, obviously facing west, toward Public Square. I love the pink sky filling the space behind the Soliders & Sailors Monument.

A perfect spring evening in Cleveland.

Something to remember after such a long winter.

The Real Doogie Howser

Doogie Howser, MD, first broadcast in 1989. Everytime my mom watched that show, she commented on how much Doogie (aka actor Neil Patrick Harris) looked just like my childhood friend, Steve.

Apparently I'm not the only one. On Saturday, during lunch at Johnny Mango, Steve pointed out the ad for latest Harold and Kumar movie. The ad features Neil Patrick Harris riding on a unicorn. Apparently Steve's partner, Jarvis, agrees with my mom. And I have to admit...they're both right.

It's uncanny.

Oh...and by the way, Steve's an...you guessed it...MD.

Cosmic Thing...

Friday night, I went to see the Mega 80s show at the House of Blues with my friend, Brenda.

Before the show, they entertained the crowd by showing all sorts of 80s videos...a musical blast from the past.

I started messing around with the good ol' camera phone.

This shot was my favorite of the evening.

What Not to Wear...

What might be one of the world's ugliest handbags.

Photo courtesy of guest photographer, Spice.

I'm not going to say THE ugliest...I'm sure there are uglier.

But this one caught our eye immediately.

Mustard yellow. And ruffled. Not sure which is worse.

Perhaps it's just the entire package.

Not good. Not good at all.

And I bet the owner paid a fortune for it, too.

Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful

Or at least feebly attempt to be...

As I did this a.m. during my every 8-to-10 week visit to Katy at ColorNation.

Doesn't this look soooooooo fun?

But it doesn't stay that way...

The foil comes off...And my hair is revived for another couple of months.

Mini Me?

Ever since Evan was born nearly 9 years ago, Scott and I have had a raging debate over whether he looks more like me or him.

Word on the street these days is that I'm winning out.

I'll let you folks judge for yourselves.

Went for Snacks...Found a Flower Instead

At work, if you're craving chocolate, Finance Sue's office is the place to go.

If you're craving something salty...again...Finance Sue.

I found myself wandering in there today to scam a few peanut butter-filled pretzels from the large jug of them on her desk.

Instead, I came across this solitary tulip in a vase.

My favorite flower...and it looked so cool.

I just HAD to take a picture.

Look out, Georgia O'Keefe!

Wheel...of....Robin!

Is this not the coolest mirror you have ever seen?

I totally dig it.

Too bad it's hanging on the wall in the ladies' room at the Crocker Park Champps.

Spring has Sprung?

Three 70-degree days in a row?

Flowers blooming?

Daffodils dotting the landscape?

Trees blossoming?

Forsythia flourishing?

Could it be true?

Could winter finally be over?
When I see my lilacs bursting forth with color, I'll finally believe it.

Until then...

I remain a SKEPTIC!

There's a Moon over Cleveland Town

I have a soft spot for a brightly shining full moon on a clear calm night.

There's just something in it's magic and beauty that always sets off a bout of childlike wonder.

So...tonight I thought I'd put my lame little Katana camera phone to the test.

I'm pleasantly surprised by the end result.

From Marching Bands to Reggae in One Day

Yesterday, shortly before 5 p.m. in downtown Cleveland, my coworker, Jamie, announced she could hear a marching band outside somwhere 15 stories below. She couldn't see one, but when we all went in there, we could hear it too. Distinctly. We pondered for few moments why on earth a marching band would be playing downtown at the start of rush hour...and then went back to work.

Shortly thereafter, Kate, (who has been in this blog before. Check the archives.) and I headed down to our cars in the Tower City Parking Garge. We heard it again. The marching band...the Shaw High School marching band...and it was literally coming right at us. We nearly walked into it.

Turns out they had just finished a concert on the Avenue at Tower City as the kickoff for the Tri-C Jazz Fest. Gotta say these kids really seemed to have a great time and put on a fun show as they marched back out through the mall toward Public Square. Definitely caught a lot of people off guard, seeing that a high school marching band in full uniform is a bit of a non-sequitar in a downtown mall at the end of a business day, to say the least.

Later that evening, I went with Ty and Spice to see a different sort of live band. Carlos Jones and the Plus Band at McCarthy's in Lakewood. One of our favorite live shows, Carlos and the guys always deliver a great evening of reggae. Over the past year or so, we've struck up a friendship with Plus Band guitarist Dan Shramo, on the right of the picture and Carlos' left. Awesome guitar player...and banjo picker.

I took this final shot...my attempt at camera phone artsyness... through the front window of McCarthy's from the sidewalk as we were heading out. Needless to say, the band played on.

At Sunrise

Another from the guest photographer series...taken on my friend Ty's Razr camera phone down by the lake at Lakewood Park early this morning.

And who says Cleveland is the "mistake on the lake?"

They obviously never saw such a beautiful sunrise like this one showcasing the city.

Moving on to a Bigger Stage

Each year since starting elementary school, Evan has managed to wangle a speaking part or at least a "character" role in his school's spring concerts. This year, sadly, he missed the winter concert in which he was to perform...courtesy of a nasty stomach flu. ( I can attest it was nasty. I had it, too.)

This weekend, he made his debut on a somewhat more public stage...one outside his familiar elementary school. Our church each year puts on youth musical. Kids in grades 6-12 get starring roles. The younger ones, grades 2-5, participate as a chorus. This year's show -- Godspell. Always bit of funky, Biblical fun.

Evan didn't want to be in it, but Scott and I encouraged him to do it (ok...rather pushed him into it). After much consternation on his part and frustration on ours, he reluctantly attended chorus practices. After the first dress rehearsal, he started to admit it was fun. By the time the curtain closed on opening night this evening, the theater bug hit him full force. He's hooked. He didn't want to leave.

Guess I'd better brush up on my stage mother skills. I think they're a bit lacking.

I Have Mud on My Jeans...

And on my boots. And in my car. And all over my kid. And so goes the typical Saturday morning of a Cleveland-area soccer mom.
Our spring rec soccer season kicked off this a.m. after being postponed from last week because the fields were too WET.

Umm...you might want to check this out: This was enroute to Evan's playing field this morning. I'd call that pretty wet.
And this, too. Look! My feet are SUBMERGED in the grassy muck, messing up my sassy rainboots. But then again, I guess that's what they
are for, right?

The kids seemed not to mind. Evan's team, The Allstars, coached by his dad, won 4-1, despite the drizzling rain and the uber-irrigated fields.

It's Here!

My brand-spankin' new spring green Dell Inspiron 1525 Laptop!!! My trusty old Toshiba laptop has become seriously ill. Our friend, Lou, who is an IT guru is going to take a look at it when he gets a chance to see if it can be revived. But...seeing that I was going to upgrade this year anyhow, I held my breath, took the plunge and bought a new one. That said confidently, I will confess I had dire buyer's remorse in the past week since hitting the "submit order" button until it's arrival on Wednesday. The expense. The fact I do love my Toshiba. The enormity of the expenditure and the fear of Windows Vista.

All fears have been put aside. I'm loving my new toy...er...um...work tool.

The End is in Sight

For some reason, this winter has seemed to be interminable.

Even after the first day of spring came and went, winter decided to linger on.

But the signs of spring are emerging...and it gives me hope.

And great delight that winter soon will be a cold, blustery memory.

Bring on the blue, sunny skies and spring breezes!

I am SO over winter.

Kilroy Was Here

No. It's not an alien nor some rare nearly extinct animal.

It's just my friend Spice's cat, Sid, checking out her new camera phone.

Another guest photographer is born.

On a side note, postings have been slim this week as I am having issues with my beloved laptop. I've got it up and running temporarily, but it is in need of major surgery.

So much so that I took the plunge and ordered myself a new one. It should be here in no more than a couple of weeks.

I seem to be jinxed when it comes to all things electric lately. But that's a story for another time.