Happy New Year 2006!/Gott Nytt År! (in Swedish)

Saying “Happy New Year!” Around the World

Don't forget to watch the 2006 Mummer Parade!

The Mummer's Parade takes place each year on New Year's Day in Philadelphia. It is rooted in tradition from the early 1800's. This new year the parade will march down Market St, heading west and around City Hall counter-clockwise to the judges stand. It runs all day from, 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

The origins of the Mummers Parade can date all the way back to the 1700s and even before. This tradition relates back the Swedish who settled outside of Philadelphia, along the roads of Tinicum and Kingsessing. They brought their tradition of "Second Day Christmas" where they would visit their friends. Eventually this tradition extended to the New Year. Marking the occasion were the loud noises that filled the air. Using their pistols and muskets, bells and other noise makers the Philadelphia locals paraded down the streets. The firing of the guns to welcome in the New Year became associated with the Now Year's Shooters. This is how the tradition evolved.

Read the rest of the History of the Parade.

"Bach on Broad St." Uptown String Band

*Oh and don't forget the cocktails...

• A Mango Bubbly idea that is deliciously sweet.
• A Kissable Chocolate Martini.
• Festive Champagne Freezes.

Meme of 4s

I was tagged by Melissa…

Four jobs you’ve had in your life: I was a phone girl/pizza maker/assistant manager at 16, a paper shuffler for Prudential at 19, a geriatric nurse in my twenties, a medical transcriptionist for a rheumatologist’s office (working for my mom) recently. Currently, I’m a wannabe writer.

Four movies you could watch over and over: I usually don’t like to watch films more than once. However four of my many favorites are Before Sunrise, The Outsiders, The Muppet Movie and Quills.

Four places you’ve lived: I’ve lived in Abington Pennsylvania my entire life, except for about four years, which I spent living an hour away in the country-like-snore northeastern corner of the same county (Montgomery).

Four TV shows you love to watch: I don’t watch TV regularly. I liked Sex and the City, The Sopranos and Desperate Housewives all of which I rented on DVD after the seasons were over. I kind of like watching The View in the morning, but I rarely turn it on as I’m usually at the gym.

Four places you’ve been on vacation: I’ve done very little traveling, which is somewhat embarrassing. I’d like to start traveling more now that my kids are a little older. I was a young mother, so I had no time to explore the world. I have visited the Vermont ski areas and lakes, most of the southern New Jersey shore points (most time spent in Sea Isle and Avalon), Baltimore and Maryland.

Four websites you visit daily: Lately, I don’t visit any sites on a daily basis. I am a regular reader of Leftbanker and The Journal of Doubt and several other blogs. I like to check out Phillies.com during baseball season. I shop at VictoriasSecret.com and many other clothing, shoe and accessory retailers. I love 80stees.com and Dollfacepunk.com for cute gym tees.

Four of your favorite foods: I love junk food! I eat something like this about once a week…a cheeseburger patty melt w/swiss on rye and fries, eggs over medium with hash browns w/ onions and bacon and buttermilk pancakes, lobster tail/shrimp/lump crabmeat/scallops in garlic and butter sauce with a baked potato w/sour cream and butter and a garden salad w/creamy Italian or ranch dressing, and tacos or any Mexican food w/ hot sauce.

Four places you’d rather be: I’d love to by anyplace with a warm, sandy beach and lots of sunny blue sky. I’d also like to visit Sweden, France and Holland.

I’m not in the mood to tag anyone today, but if any of my blog buddies feel like playing along, go for it! Please leave me a note on my tagboard, so I can come and read your answers.

Woman Power

Lately, I have been working out at the gym at least five days per week for up to two hours. I spend at least an hour on the cardio machines and then follow up with resistance training or swimming (Thanks for the cool goggles T-Blue. I love them!) I also started kickboxing with a personal trainer on Tuesday morning. He assessed me during our first session and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I was at an advanced level for my age group (early 30's) as far as fitness and flexibility. My goal is get longer and leaner by June for swimsuit season and for my sister’s wedding next autumn. My husband also tells me that he wants a divorce every time that he gets angry, so I am preparing for single womanhood.

I include kegel exercises in my daily work out routine. I save them for when I get home from the gym. I usually work on them while I’m typing posts like this one on my laptop. Sometimes repeatedly squeezing my pelvic muscles makes my panties wet and then I have to “rub one out” as a friend of mine so eloquently describes masturbation. Orgasms also help strengthen pelvic muscles, but aren't as effective as kegels. I like that this work out can be pleasurable if you treat yourself to a happy ending. It makes the work out more enticing -- and the finale is a crescendo of beautiful muscle spasms which release tension and lust!

Most women neglect their pelvic muscles because they simply don’t think about them. I recommend that all women do kegels regardless of whether they have given birth or have had an active sex life with a man who has a larger than average sexual appendage.

Regular kegel exercises will help prevent urinary incontinence that many women experience after multiple childbirths or after reaching an advanced age. They will also improve your sex life. You will be able to achieve more intense orgasms, as well as provide more pleasure to your lover with increased internal strength.

Here are a sexologist’s instructions on kegel exercises and the reasons for making them a part of your daily routine.

This was a comment I found while reading several sites concerning kegels. It is not worded very well (I fixed the grammar a little), but I liked the idea…

Women who have entered their 30s are the ones who know how to have sex RIGHT! Most women in their late teens and early twenties don't know the first thing about sex. They pretty much know that they're supposed to spread their legs and let a guy put his thing inside their hole. But do they know how to squeeze their internal muscles so that you feel like you're oozing in and out of a slick, tight, pulsating VISE? Do they know how to rapidly oscillate their hips so that they match or surpass the motions of your own hand when you masturbate? Usually, the answer is NO. These are things experienced women know.

-Anonymous

An explicit passage which illustrates a powerful reason for working on core strength…

With a single smooth lunge, she settled herself down on her lover’s perfect package. Her tight vaginal walls clutched and massaged his swollen manhood, and when she consciously applied pressure he groaned. His mouth closed over one erect nipple and he tongued it hungrily, making her moan and groan. They began moving together slowly, liquidly, staring deeply into each other's eyes as they f***ed. She had the ability to tighten her p**** muscles to an almost unbearable level, and keep them that way for as long as she wanted. She loved watching her lover trying to concentrate, trying not to loose control as her slick; impossibly tight c*** took him for the ride of his life. She knew she was an incredible sex partner—which made her feel the essence and true power of her womanhood.

How To Make Her Drunk With Lust and Admiration (or Make Her Sick)

* This post was listed by Philadelphia Weekly under the headline
Blogicized: Don't punch your date in the face.

Ten Things Men Should Say or Do (while trying to establish a sexy relationship)…

1) Whenever you see her give her a warm hug and press your lips gently against hers and tell her that she looks beautiful. Gaze at her with lust in your eyes. The more a man shows his desire, the more hers grows for him.

2) Spend at least fifteen minutes per day trying to get to know her better and be just as willing to share yourself with her. Developing a trusting, warm friendship is the best way to create intimacy that will likely develop into something steamy. Most women love sharing intimacy with someone whom they consider a friend.

3) Open car doors and offer her your arm while walking--and make her feel safe. Good manners are chivalrous and very charming.

4) Give her a flirtatious nickname and say it like you mean it. Adoring nicknames create closeness and make her feel like your treasured pet.

5) Be reliable. Be sincere. Be yourself. If you tell her lies or embellish your occupation or wealth, she will find out eventually and dump you. Honesty shows that you have integrity, which is more important than a fat wallet.

6) Have good hygiene and smell clean all over. (Haircut, shower, shave, clip, trim and brush.) If you look and smell delicious, she will want to taste you.

7) Call her and tell her that you can’t wait to see her again or that you miss her. This makes her feel important, which creates excitement.

8) Make her laugh and touch her affectionately. If you make her giggle and possessively caress her curves, she will probably develop a crush on you.

9) Tell her that she is hot and that you want to lick her all over. This creates intensity. Intensity creates a heady buzz sweeter than champagne’s shimmering bubbles and fresh fruity taste.

10) Tell her and express that you love her often and in various ways. Flowers, cards, holding hands, romantic walks, candle light dinners, sensual massages…

If you establish a great romance it will create a healthy, glowing lust that will enrapture your entire body.

Ten Things Men Shouldn’t Say or Do…

First of all, don’t get involved with her if she is not your type or if you don’t think you would or could fall in love with her. It demeans both of you and makes you a user. Nobody wants to be Miss Right Now. They want to be Miss Right or they want you to LEAVE THEM ALONE!

1) Don’t ever say, “Let’s keep it on the down low.” That statement implies that she is not hot enough for you to claim her as your woman or that you’d like to continue shopping.

2) Don’t tell her, “I’m not into PDAs.” (Public displays of affection.) Most women love to hold hands and share kisses and hugs. This remark would make you appear stuffy and boring or implies the same as above. Effusive affection is a clue that you are a giver in bed.

3) Never mention the term “fuck buddy”. Most women prefer romance and hope to be girlfriend material.

4) Don’t let her see you scamming on (talking with) other attractive, young women. It shows her that you are trying in every direction and that she is not good enough or that you enjoy making her jealous. It also tells her to drop it and find someone else who’s hot.

5) Don’t spend more time talking to another cute woman while you’re on your first date. Duh!

6) Don’t push her head into your lap and expect her to suck your throbbing hard-on before you even kiss her. It’s obviously impatient and lacks romance. Romance is IMPORTANT!

7) Don’t spend brief moments talking to her in person or on the phone and make excuses about why you have to move away or hang up during most of your encounters. It tells her that she’s not important or that you’d like to skip talking and just get to fucking. Women love men who are willing to listen. It creates a warm bond that makes her want to snuggle up next to you and do sensational things to your body.

8) Don’t tell her that she is ONE of the hot women whose sweat you’d like to lick off, which implies that you want to lick every fertile, attractive female you see. Women like to believe that you are selective and that she is special.

9) Don’t try to convince her to have sex with you after you have only had one date. It shows that you aren’t really interested in developing something meaningful both mentally and physically.

10) Don’t ever leave without saying goodbye in an affectionate way. Showing caring respect is provocative.

Focus on finding someone who is right for you. Sex is much sweeter if you share it with someone whom you admire in many ways. Dynamic relationships are like champagne. They are a celebration of elegance and dreams created by nature’s juiciest offerings. Treat her like a vintage doux and she will savor your flavor for as long as possible.

*Recommendation…

If you find someone whom you’d like to kiss under the mistletoe, share a flute of bubbly and then take her out for a drive to view sparkling Christmas decorations and lights. I’m sure she will give you a gift that is much yummier than the chocolate you will find in your Christmas stocking.

*Add your ideas by commenting below....

Christmas Blog Things

Your Elf Name Is...

Candy Mc Flurry

What's Your Elf Name?

You Are Vixen

Sexy and sultry, you're the one all the other reindeer dream about. Why You're Naughty: That fur pulling spat you got into with Dancer over Santa. Why You're Nice: Because even when you're nice, you're still delightfully naughty!

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

You Are a White Christmas Tree

You like to fill your holidays with beautiful designs and classy decorations. When it comes to Christmas, you always expect (and provide) the best.

What Christmas Tree Are You?

My Top Fifteen Favorite Christmas Songs

Trekie asked me to name my favorite Christmas songs. I had to turn off La Vie en Rose, since French music was tuning out Jingle Bells….

1) All Christmas songs by Bing Crosby give me the warm fuzzies.
2) The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)- Nat King Cole
3) Santa Baby-Eartha Kitt
4) Walking In A Winter Wonderland- Trans Siberian Orchestra or Bing Crosby
5) What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve- Harry Connick, Jr. or Count Basie, Lena Horne and Ella Fitzgerald
6) Christmas Time Is Here- A Charlie Brown Christmas
7) Frosty The Snowman, Have A Holly Jolly Christmas, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town- Burl Ives
8) Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas- Frank Sinatra & Bing Crosby, Luther Vandross or Perry Como
9) I Love The Winter Weather/I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm- Billie Holiday
10) Snow Miser/Heat Miser- The Year Without A Santa Claus
11) Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer- Dean Martin or Jewel
12) Away in a Manger since it brings back fond memories of a Sunday School Christmas production performing the song in sign language while wearing a frilly velvet and lace dress.- Martina McBride or The Judds
13) Silent Night- Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole
14) Tomten jag vill ha en Riktig - JULSÅNGER
15) Godnattsang for nissunger- Amalies Jul- Barnesanger

*I know I haven't been posting often lately, but if anyone is still reading shout out your favorite Christmas tunes, please!

Sans Vêtements Avec Le....

...Mozart. I cleaned my house and took a few photos. I think the lights look prettier sans flash.

Five Kinda Weird Habits

TrekMedic tagged me…

1. I go to bed most nights by 9:30 and wake up very early.
2. I work out for at least an hour, seven days per week.
3. I spend a lot of time making my house as clutter free as possible.
4. While lying in bed I think about writing ideas and sometimes I imagine painting the words in the air.
5. Sometimes I am attracted to a guy before I really know him and then I usually realize that I don’t think that he is worthy of my admiration—and I end up feeling disappointed.

What are five of your sorta weird habits?

You're it Melissa, SCH, and Texas Yankee

Christmas Tree 2005

Writing Makes Me Feel Sexy

At his desk the writer worked for an hour. In the end he wrote a book which he called “The Book of the Grotesque.” It was never published, but I saw it once and it left and indelible impression on my mind. The book had one central thought that is very strange and has always remained with me. By remembering it I have been able to understand many people and things that I was never able to understand before. The thought was involved but a simple statement of it would be something like this:

That in the beginning there were a great many thoughts but no such thing as a truth. Man made the truths himself and each truth was a composite of a great many vague thoughts. All about in the world were the truths and they were all beautiful.

The old man listed hundreds of truths in his book. I will not try to tell you all of them. There was the truth of virginity and the truth of passion, the truth of wealth and poverty, of thrift and profligacy, of carelessness and abandon. Hundreds and hundreds were the truths and they all were beautiful.

*Excerpt from a short story called The Book of the Grotesque by Sherwood Anderson

I think of writing as truth of feeling and truth of passion, so when I read this passage I was moved. "All about in the world were the truths and they were all beautiful. Hundreds and hundreds were the truths and they all were beautiful.”

*Painting by William Blake
Mercy and Truth are met together, Righteousness and Peace have kissed each other

Art Inspires Truth and Truth Makes Art

Sometimes I think that I live in an emotional void in which only writing helps me escape. When I meet people and they inquire, “How are you?” I try to be polite. I usually reply with a smile, “I’m well, thank you. How are you?” I paint pages with words to express what I’m really feeling inside. It helps me to tell the truth. It keeps from doing something crazy like running nearly naked from my house one night in a fit of misery. I don’t want to give in to the idea that there will be no romance.

I don’t want this void to be my home. My solitude has become a narcissistic paradise. Maybe a single brush with adult love would break the spell.

*Painting by Claude Monet
Nympheas Effet du Soir

God Jul/Merry Christmas

How to Celebrate a Swedish Christmas

Swedish Christmas

Swedish Christmas Food

Jultomten/Swedish Santa

Christmas Smorgasbord

Christmas Foods of Sweden