Mystery Photo #170

The mystery photo game is like a workout.  It exercises your brain to keep it healthy.  Plus it’s a hell of a lot of fun that helps me get through that last icky day of the work week :).  However, sometimes my blogging buddies get a little bit discouraged if they can’t figure out what the mystery photo is.  Take last week for instance.  I don’t like to name names but one follower (Bu**y) said he wouldn’t play with me anymore because I had stopped being nice and another (L*uA*n) said I was mean and actually demanded an easy mystery photo for this week.  Because I don’t like to see my friends cry, and I was a little worried about the burning smell coming out of all of your ears, I have decided to give you a break this week.  Now having said that, it’s going to be pretty awkward if nobody guesses correctly LOL.

I’ll even give you a hint.  It’s round and contains my favourite food.  If you don’t get it now, we’re going to have a big problem.  Ok, ready, set, go….

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Mystery Photo #169

There is still snow on the ground, and it’s pretty damn cold out, but I feel “it”.  There is something in the air, and I like to hope it’s Spring.  Where I live, we could very easily get another storm or two before we can expect to lose the snow completely and enjoy some warm temperatures, but I have been able to wear shoes instead of boots the last few days which makes me very happy, and I actually saw Canada geese flying in formation last weekend.  I was so excited that I rolled down the car window and yelled out “WELCOME BACK!!!”.  Mike thought I had lost my marbles :).

As I patiently wait for Spring to settle in, let’s play the mystery photo game.  I know the answer was on the tips of your tongues last week and you wanted to kick yourselves when you saw the answer.  How about this one?  Does it look familiar?  Ok, ready, set, go….

Mystery Photo #168

Have you ever planned a huge surprise for someone?  It is such an amazing feeling :). I’ve planned little ones before, but last weekend my hubby and I pulled off the best surprise ever.  My oldest son is in his final year at college, and he has built up a fairly sizable debt over the last three years.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t afford to pay for his schooling, but we have helped him in any other ways that we could, and honestly, I think it has been a really good learning experience for him not having the money just handed to him.

He has been driving the same older car for the last three years, and it has been a reliable car, but over the last six months or so it has started to fall apart, and the repairs were really adding up.  Then about a month ago, our mechanic told us about a car that was for sale.  It is older as well, but it’s in really good shape.  Bryan will be finishing his electrician’s course in a couple of months and then will be looking for an apprenticeship. We thought that if this car could get him through until he gets settled in an apprenticeship, it would be one thing he wouldn’t have to worry about.  So, we bought the car and showed up at his apartment last Saturday to surprise him.  The look on his face was priceless, and the hug he gave his dad as I videotaped his reaction brought tears to my eyes.  Surprises are the best :).

Now let’s have some blogging fun.  It’s Friday and time for the mystery photo game.  I think this one is fairly hard but definitely not as hard as last week.  Are you feeling smart this week?  Let’s see what you’ve got.  Ok, ready, set, go….

Mystery Photo #167

I’m still alive, and I didn’t fall off the face of the earth, but I do apologize for not posting a mystery photo last week.  You probably thought that I was being a bad sport because you smarty pants guessed my impossible mystery photo the week before, but I was actually busy concentrating on being able to breathe.

I had taken myself to the hospital earlier that week thinking that I was having an asthma attack because of the extreme cold temperatures we have been having (which are still not letting up by the way).  I had suffered for about three days with the feeling that I had a tight rubber band around my chest and decided it was time to get some help.  The doctor who examined me agreed that it was probably my asthma because I had no other symptoms that would signify something more serious like pneumonia or bronchitis. They gave me Ventolin mask treatments and a prescription for two days of steroids, and after a couple of days the pressure in my chest had decreased.  However, the coughing and wheezing continued, and by Thursday night I was exhausted, and the mystery photo was the last thing on my mind.

The funny thing is that a couple of days later Daniel and Mike started wheezing and feeling crappy, so this must be some type of virus, and boy does it last a long time.  Oh well, slow and stead wins the race, and it is getting a little bit better every day :).  All I need now is some sunshine and hot temperatures to eradicate this beast completely. While waiting for Mother Nature to smarten up, it’s time to play the mystery photo game.  Mwah ha ha, it’s a really tough one this week!!  Ok, ready, set, go….

Since I couldn’t figure out how to put a photo in the comments, here’s a full shot of the head on the voodoo stick so you can see where the closeup of the teeth came from.  He’s totally creepy, and that’s why I love him :).

 

 

 

Mystery Photo #166

I am very determined this week!  When I started my Mystery Photo Fridays over three years ago, it was quite easy to stump all of you.  However, I have noticed that you are all getting smarter by the week, and I have challenged myself to find a mystery photo that none of you can guess.  Mwah ha ha :).  I think this one might be the one.  Hit me with everything you’ve got.

While I’m waiting for your guesses, I’m going to go and put on my fifty layers of clothing, plus mitts, hatt, and scarf, and get ready to turn into a human popsicle when I step out my front door and head to work.  It’s -31C this morning (not including the windchill), and I’m really starting to think that I will never feel warm again!  It could always be worse though right?  At least we have power and heat, and I keep telling myself that Spring is coming.  Hopefully….

Mystery Photo #165

Happy Friday the 13th everyone!!  Yes, it is Mystery Photo Friday as well, but before we get to that I want to show you a funny photo that actually won me an autographed book this week.  Last summer I attended The Word on the Street book festival in Toronto.  I spent a fantastic day with a good friend of mine listening to authors speak and exploring table after table of wonderful books.  One of the most fascinating authors I met that day was Andrew Pyper, whose latest novel, The Damned, was just released this week.  I read it greedily and found it deliciously creepy, so when I saw on Facebook that Andrew Pyper was doing a contest to win an autographed copy, I jumped at the chance!  To enter, I had to submit a photo of myself reading The Damned.  Since it is a creepy book about a near death experience and a psychopathic ghost, I decided a creepy photo was the only way to go.  Here is my entry which I’m excited to say was chosen as one of the five winners:

Pretty cool eh?  Now I just have to wait for my autographed copy of the book to arrive in the mail.  I’m so excited!!  And now on to the mystery photo.  It’s a tough one.  I tried it out on both my hubby and my son, Daniel, and neither one of them even came close, so let’s see what you can do.   Ok, ready, set, go….

Mystery Photo #164

Last Friday was like Christmas all over again.  It always feels like Christmas when new books arrive in the mail.  Yayyyy!!!!  I pre-ordered four books at the end of December and chose the “wait to ship until the last one is released so you get free shipping” option, which meant that they all arrived on the same day.  The funny thing is that the last one was supposed to come out on February 10th and it arrived over a week early.  Score!  I thought I would share my book haul with you (along with the synopses from Goodreads) because some of you may enjoy these authors as much as I do:

1)  The Damned by Andrew Pyper – Danny Orchard wrote a bestselling memoir about his near-death experience in a fire that claimed the life of his twin sister, Ashleigh, but despite the resulting fame and fortune he’s never been able to enjoy his second chance at life. Ash won’t let him.  In life, Danny’s charming and magnetic twin had been a budding psychopath who privately terrorized her family—and death hasn’t changed her wicked ways. Ash has haunted Danny for twenty years and now, just when he’s met the love of his life and has a chance at real happiness, she wants more than ever to punish him for being alive—so she sets her sights on Danny’s new wife and stepson.  Danny knows what Ash really wants is him, and he’s prepared to sacrifice himself in order to save the ones he loves. The question is: will he make it back this time?

2)  The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon  (Book 2 of the Bone Season series) -Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal prison camp of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the survivors are missing and she is the most wanted person in London.  As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on the dreamwalker, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city’s gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take centre stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner. Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided.

3)  The Deep by Nick Cutter – A strange plague called the ’Gets is decimating humanity on a global scale. It causes people to forget—small things at first, like where they left their keys…then the not-so-small things like how to drive, or the letters of the alphabet. Then their bodies forget how to function involuntarily…and there is no cure. But now, far below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, deep in the Marianas Trench, an heretofore unknown substance hailed as “ambrosia” has been discovered—a universal healer, from initial reports. It may just be the key to a universal cure. In order to study this phenomenon, a special research lab, the Trieste, has been built eight miles under the sea’s surface. But now the station is incommunicado, and it’s up to a brave few to descend through the lightless fathoms in hopes of unraveling the mysteries lurking at those crushing depths…and perhaps to encounter an evil blacker than anything one could possibly imagine.

4)  Golden Son by Pierce Brown (Book 2 of The Red Rising Trilogy) – Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within.  A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart.

I dove into The Damned right away and finished it in just a few sittings, and it was totally creepy and awesome like I knew it would be.  Andrew Pyper is an incredibly talented author, and I’m also proud to say he’s Canadian!  Then I immediately lost myself in The Mime Order, and I am even more impressed with this new young author than I was when I read her first book.  This is a series that I can easily lose myself in.  The world building is incredible.

My wonderful books are calling, so let’s get on with the matter at hand.  It’s mystery photo day.  Show me what you’ve got, oh smart ones.  Ok, ready, set, go….

Mystery Photo #163

Do you know what the absolute best moment of my week was?  It was the moment that my boss crossed over the border from Canada to the USA and couldn’t use his cell phone anymore!!  His vacation started yesterday, and before he left he made our lives a living hell.  Everything was left until the last minute, and I mean everything, and then suddenly he thought that all his employees had turned into machines and that each of us could do the work of 10 people. He’s gone now though (phew!), and it’s time to start methodically cleaning up the mess.

I’m not very often at a loss for words (ask my husband LOL), but that’s about all I have to say about this week, probably because I’m simply exhausted.  Bring on the weekend!!!  Now, let’s see how smart you are.  Can you figure out this tricky mystery photo?  Ok, ready, set, go…..

 

P.S.  I’m 2/3 of the way through my 30 day exercise program, and I’m feeling great :).  I have kind of stalled at 7 pounds in my weight loss, but I’m not giving up!

Mystery Photo #162

It’s Friday.  Yahoooooo!!!!!!!  This has been a very long and busy week at work, and I am really looking forward to the weekend because I’m feeling kind of brain dead at the moment.  I think a little fun and relaxation are in order, don’t you?

After watching the Golden Globe Awards recently and then hearing the Oscar nominations, we are hoping to catch a couple of movies over the weekend, specifically American Sniper and The Imitation Game, which will both appeal to my guys. Have any of you seen either one?  I also plan to enjoy some reading time, and my son, Daniel, and I are going to make it official and accept his offer of admission to Wilfred Laurier University and start his application for residence.  It is a very exciting time for him!!

Now before we let our brains recharge, it’s Mystery Photo time.  Give it your best shot.  Ok, ready, set, go……

Mystery Photo #161

So, how is everyone doing with their New Year’s resolutions?  Did you make any?  I don’t usually bother with them much, but this year I overindulged well before the holiday season, during the holiday season, and even afterwards.  I stepped on the scales and realized that enough is enough.  Not only do I love food far too much, but my addiction to reading and electronics, along with my desk job, means that I also sit on my butt for far too many hours each day.

I recently started reading a book called Aging Backwards by Miranda Esmonde-White which is all about a form of exercise called Essentrics.   According to the website, “Essentrics is a dynamic workout that simultaneously lengthens and strengthens every muscle in the body, resulting in greater joint mobility and lean, long muscles”.  Miranda explains that aging happens in our cells and shows how to maintain and repair those cells and roll back joint pain and muscle loss at any age.  So, I started a 30 day challenge on her website, doing one of her 30 minute Classical Stretch workouts every day, and even though the workouts look really easy and gentle, I am exhausted (in a good way) by the time I’m done.  I’m also using an app on my iPhone to count calories, and I have really made an effort to cut out the crap and make healthier choices.  It has now been 10 days, and I have lost 6 pounds and I feel great.  Here’s hoping I can keep it up!

Now that I’m done talking about resolutions, let’s get to the mystery photo.  I will give you a hint – it has nothing to do with chocolate because of course I’m trying to stay away from that evil substance for the time being :).  Let’s see what you can do.  Ok, ready, set, go…..