The Amazing World of Cuddly

Winter in Tahoe

Cuddly — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 03:54:02 +0000

I’ve had a hectic year travelling with Craig, Teresa and Isabel. We have been to Paris, New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Lake Tahoe this year. I have come back to Tahoe for the winter season. I have found a really nice warm fireplace to sit next too, although some have said that I am a polar bear and should be happy to spend my winter outside in the snow. I would love to go and play out in the snow, but there has been no snow in Tahoe this December. Last year, they had 15 inches of snow and if I went outside I would disappear in the snow.

Lost

Cuddly — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 01:48:47 +0000

I was given the boxset for the tv series Lost for Christmas. I started watching it, and noticed that whilst the discs normally show pictures of the characters on them, the second disc for the second season had a picture of a teddy bear on it. I guess this was a missing character from the series whose story ended up on the cutting room floor, so we never got to see how they survived on the island against the polar bears.

49ers

Cuddly — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:49:00 +0000

I know I haven’t blogged recently, but today I got to do something really cool. I had a field pass for the San Francisco 49ers game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. They were up against the Titans, but sadly in the 4th quarter the game completely fell apart, and the niners completely lost it.

We arrived at the game several hours before the start and were able to take lots of pictures on the field of the players practicing and when the game started we got some great action shots. It was funny watching the hundreds of photographers the NFL has, moving around the field, trying to get the best shots possible. It was just shame, that the niners lost.

http://www.49ers.com/

New York

Cuddly — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:11:00 +0000

I am back in the US, and this time I am in New York. This is the third time that I have visited New York. I am having a great time and today we went to Liberty Island, where the lower levels are now open. I visited once before, but you could only go around the outside and visit Ellis island. The last time I visited, it was also raining, today was a really nice day which started hazy and ended clear.

I am looking forward to seeing more things with Isabel, particularly the Central Park Zoo and FAO Schartz, although I am not too sure whether they are now FAO anymore.

Kyoto, Japan

Cuddly — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:38:00 +0000

I am visiting Japan once again. I have already been to Tokyo on this trip and shall be returning in a few days, but we have travelled east to the city of Kyoto which was the capital for many years. The city is full of history as during the war it was not bombed as it was known to be a city of historical significance and was not a military target.

In the picture you can see the Kyoto tower which one of the best visual landmarks in the city and a great way to see the city. It also looks awesome at night.

We travelled to the city by the bullet train which is awesome despite its age. I can’t believe it first opened in 1964. You can travel at 200mph!

I have thoroughly enjoyed my second trip to Japan and I am looking forward to all the other sights we are going to see in Japan before we leave. I also hope to go shopping for some interesting gadgets and toys before we leave.

Port of Limassol

Cuddly — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:21:00 +0000

We had visited Cyprus several years ago, so on the cruise we got to visit once more. I was fasinated to watch the cargo containers being stacked and loaded onto lorries. It is done so quickly. I can’t imagine what are in all the containers, but there were certainly lots of containers.

Marmaris

Cuddly — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:14:00 +0000

We were cruising around Europe. After visiting Italy, Turkey and Greece we were on our way to the Greek island of Rhodes, but due to the wind and ran we couldn’t dock there so they headed on for another two hours to the port of Marmaris which is a port in the southwest of Turkey. It was a nice little village. The village thrives on the tourism so at this time of the year it is really quiet. I can imagine in the summer it must be really hectic.

Christmas

Cuddly — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:54:00 +0000

I had a very good Christmas. We had all Craig and Teresa’s family with us for Christmas. Teresa cooked the meal with the assistance of Craig’s Dad. It was very good.

I got the coolest gift, a video camera which can be attached to anything, a bit like the cameras they use for sporting events, so we are going to experiment with what I can do with it. I am keen to try out putting it on a train or a radio controlled car.

Teresa got a very nice Digital SLR camera so I am hoping she will take some good pictures of me because I am starting to look very old now.

Pier 39

Cuddly — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 23:08:00 +0000

Once again we are in San Francisco at Pier 39. I haven’t blogged much in the last year as everything has been so hectic with a new home and a new addition to our family, so I thought I would take the opportunity whilst we are here to write a blog entry.

It is a little different visiting at this time of year; not only do they have a giant Christmas tree but it is far quieter on the pier with not that many tourists visiting San Francisco at this time of the year.

Happy Birthday Harry

Cuddly — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:51:00 +0000

It was Harry’s 7th birthday today. We got a really nice sponge cake for him which had a teddy bear on top of it, although we ate some of the cake, we didn’t touch the bear. We thought that would be wrong for a bear to eat another bear.

Eiffel Tower

Cuddly — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:39:00 +0000

We were crossing the bridge across the Seine when we had this opportunity to take a picture of the Efifel Tower at night lit up. It looks really impressive at night when lit up, either with the flood lights or with twinkling lights. It doesn’t look as amazing during the day because the painted iron doesn’t look as good.

Paws

Cuddly — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 02:25:00 +0000

Whilst on the 1st floor of the Eiffel Tower I came across these paws on the floor. It looks like a large bear had been up there at some point. I think in reality they are paw prints for children to follow around the tower. A great idea!

Notre Dame

Cuddly — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:48:00 +0000

I had visited the Notre Dame in Paris before, but last time it was cloudy and overcast. This time the weather was far better, chilly but clear and sunny.

The Cathedral is amazing. It is so large. If you look at the photo you can see in the distance the doors to go inside and the people going through the doors. This can give you the kind of scale and size of the cathedral. They certainly didn’t decide to build a small building when they built the Notre Dame.

Metro

Cuddly — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:20:00 +0000

I must apologise for not blogging. We have all been very busy and I have been neglecting my blog. I have so much to blog and for my pour paws it can be very tiring work. I promise that I will get around to blogging about everything which has been happening, including our trip to Japan. In the meantime, we recently went to Paris for a short trip.

I took the opportunity whilst on the Metro in Paris to take a blurry picture of both a train arriving and one at the opposite station. The Metro trains scare me slightly because the door is operated by the individual by the door, so when you get to the station you can operate the door and open it. This can all occur whilst the train is still moving, which is why it is scary.

Tokyo Shinjuku

Cuddly — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 04:57:00 +0000

After a 10 hour flight from London we have arrived in Japan. We are doing a tour of the country so I will have lots and lots to blog at the end of the trip.

The view from our room is amazing. We can see all of the Shinjuku region of Tokyo. We are going to go out shortly and see the National Gardens, Kabukicho and Electric Street.

No Parking

Cuddly — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 04:44:00 +0000

On the day when the local newspapers were reporting that car owners will be given a grace period before they are clamped (booted) I thought it was very ironic that right beside a sign which says “No Parking” that there were two cars parked illegally. Whilst I was taking the picture someone came along who lived in the mews and they didn’t seem very happy either.

1st Birthday Party

Cuddly — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 03:02:00 +0000

Sorry, It’s been a really long time since I have blogged anything. I have been travelling the world for the last few months. I have been to Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas in the United States of America, Tahiti-Nui and Bora Bora in Tahiti, and were about to be head off to Japan tomorrow. I have thousands of photos so when I get the opportunity then I will upload them.

The above is a picture for Ryleigh’s 1st birthday party. She is Maleyna’s little sister. I got to see my brother, Mr Hyde at the party. His clothes were a little too big so I gave him my clothes so that they fitted perfectly and shared clothes with Harry. I signed the teddy bear which we got for Ryleigh.

Surprise!

Cuddly — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 20:03:00 +0000

We had a wonderful surprise arrive in the post this morning. Maleyna had built a bear from a kit from build a bear and sent it to us. She is a cheerleader bear, so we decided to call her Cheery. She is a very happy bear and keeps doing chants spelling out the teddy bear names. She is a very welcomed addition to our home and we would like thank Maleyna for creating her.

A Letter from America

Cuddly — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:30:00 +0000

I was delighted to receive an email from my brother today:

“Hi Cuddly:

I am sorry it has taken me so long to write since I left. It was a bit of a travel to my new home. I now live in the United States. In Concord, California, with Maleyna. She is really nice. You should meet her sometime. Then we can spend time together. I miss you. This city I live in is where Teresa use to live. Her mom still lives here. Maybe I could go see her sometime.
So far since I have been here I have gone over to Maleyna’s nannies house a few times, that is her grandma. I have been to the dentist with Maleyna too. She had to have some teeth pulled. I hope I dont ever have to have teeth pulled. I have been to the Doctors Office too, because Maleyna’s cousin Gabby had to get checked, she has an ear infection. I have also been out of the city, to another city, Pittsburg, that is where Gabby and her family lives.
Maleyna’s nick name is Meena, Meena Bug, or Bug, isn’t that cute. She named me Mr. Hyde, after Hyde Park there back at home. Teresa also sent her another teddy bear, Meena named her London. She is a bit bigger then me, but really nice and we are good friends. We get to sleep with Meena every night.
Meena and I made something special for Teresa, that is getting mailed to her tomorrow. Let me know how she likes it.
Well Cuddly, it is late, and it is Meena’s bedtime, and mine too. So we need to go brush our teeth and go to sleep. Meena has school tomorrow, she is in the 5th grade. I will stay with her mom while she is in school, till she gets home.
I will email you pictures soon, once her mom puts them on the computer from her camera.
Please give Teresa hugs from me, and kisses from Meena. I will email you again. I do not get computer time all the time, mostly on the weekends, so I will try and email you later this week.

Love You,
Mr. Hyde”

I can’t wait to see pictures of my brother and his new friends. It sounds like he is happy living in the United States.

Goodbye

Cuddly — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 09:46:00 +0000

I said ‘Goodbye’ to my brother today. He volunteered to go to the United States to live with a little girl named Maleyna. As he was going to the United States he wore a wooly jumper with a US flag. The US flag is also known as the ‘Old Glory’.

We sent him with a journal and candy. The candy was for Maleyna, so I hope that he didn’t eat it en route. We packed him safely in the box as we didn’t want him having a bumpy journey. I hope to see him when I visit this summer.

Herts24 Web Awards Winner!

Cuddly — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 14:53:00 +0000

I won the Herts24 Web Award for Personal / Family / Blog Website. I couldn’t believe it when in the ceremony it got to the category and I was announced as the winner.

I would like to thank everyone who voted for me, the judges who selected me from the final five, and to Teresa and Craig who look after me, take me on travels around the world and who help me to put together my blog. I don’t think it would be possible without them.

If you would like to watch the ceremony then you can on the Herts24 website.

www.herts24.co.uk/webawards

The Simpsons

Cuddly — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:10:00 +0000

I don’t know whether I have mentioned this before, but one of my favourite tv programmes to sit down and watch every night is The Simpsons. The characters are great. The entire town of Springfield is just awesome. I have some particular favourite moments like when Moe ran into the backroom and let free the pandas, when Homer caused a nuclear meltdown in the testing van when the van didn’t contain any nuclear material, and Homer skiing down the mountain out of control.

The reason for mentioning this was because I came across a blog about the best Simpsons character, it suggested Ralph Wiggum and I have to agree. He has come out with some classic quotes like ‘I bent my wookie‘ and ‘Miss Hoover, I ate my crayon’. It is worth reading if you like the Simpsons.

http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/blogs/thebest/0023/

Nigel Mansell

Cuddly — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 15:02:00 +0000

The London Half Marathon at Silverstone had as race starter, the former Formula 1 World Champion Nigel Mansell. He ran the race together with his two sons. The announcer was concerned that something had happened to Nigel whilst running the half marathon, he wondered if he had a flat tyre. When a race marshall indicated that Nigel was on the last curve they played “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac. He ran to the finish with the music blaring.

London Half Marathon

Cuddly — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 15:00:00 +0000

Teresa ran the London Half Marathon at Silverstone today. The weather was horrendous, one moment it was sunny and clear, the next it was heavy sleet and hail. The wind remained very strong the entire duration of the marathon and the temperature was very cold. The wind chill contributed to the cold temperature. I was frozen by the end of the marathon and I had wished that I bought some mittens along for the marathon. They gave every finisher a great medal. The runner who finished first probably wanted to finish it as quickly as possible due to it being so cold.

Final Shortlist for the Herts24 Web Awards

Cuddly — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 00:16:00 +0000

I would like to thank everyone who voted for me in the Herts24 Web Awards. I have reached the final five. The shortlisted websites will be graded by a panel of judges and the overall winners will be announced at an online awards ceremony hosted by the virtual newsreader Miranda Fox. The awards ceremony will be available to view on the Herts24 Web Awards website from 12pm on March 30, 2007 onwards. Thank you again.

http://www.herts24.co.uk/webawards/default.aspx

Travelling Rucksack

Cuddly — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 20:44:00 +0000

We went on a day trip to Brighton today. I don’t normally show a picture of my rucksack, but here I am travelling rucksack class. I get to have my own water, pillow and bag of sweets (just in case I get peckish on the journey). I don’t always travel rucksack class, but when the weather is wet and damp then I prefer to travel inside my warm and dry rucksack.

Comfy Bed

Cuddly — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 20:43:00 +0000

We stayed at the Hilton in Derby. The hotel was really nice. I was impressed that for energy conservation you need to put your key into a card slot near the door and the lights will then be enabled. I thought this was a great way of ensuring that lights are not left on when you leave the room.

I got to have my own bed. The pillows and the duvet were really comfy. I snuggled up warm and cosy under the duvet and slept really well.

http://www.hilton.co.uk/eastmidlandsairport

Sims 2 Pets

Cuddly — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 13:22:00 +0000

We had to go on a short journey to Derby, so I brought along my Sony PSP. I normally play games like the Midway Treasures, but I recently got Sims 2 Pets for the PSP. I enjoyed playing the Sims 2 on the PS2 with Craig and Teresa, so I thought I would really like Sims 2 Pets. I was disappointed that I was unable to create a teddy bear, but I was able to model Craig, Teresa and our dog Star in the game. If I were to rate the game then I would give it four and half paws out of five.

http://www.thesims2.co.uk/

Voting for the Herts24 Web Awards

Cuddly — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:53:00 +0000

I have been nominated and accepted for the Herts24 Web Awards. This is going to be a great opportunity for me to be seen by as many people as possible, and maybe one day when buying donuts someone might recognise me.

If you would like to vote for me then click on the link below, for voting you could win yourself a pair of virgin balloon tickets or a website in a wallet. I wouldn’t mind winning a balloon ride, I’ve never been in a hot air balloon. Vote today and make a pint-sized teddy bear very happy.

http://www.herts24.co.uk/webawards/voting/personal/cuddly

London Underground

Cuddly — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 14:53:00 +0000

I had to navigate the London Underground today by myself. I was able to travel from A to B without any problems. I will look at the journey planner next time to ensure that I know the quickest route.

There is a Guinness World Record for travelling around the 275 stations in the fastest time possible. I can’t imagine where you would start looking at the map, but apparently the record stands at 18 hours 25 minutes and 3 seconds. It must be really frustrating if the northern line train is going to High Barnet when you want to go to Edgware.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube/

Primrose Hill

Cuddly — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 14:37:00 +0000

Primrose Hill is a park on the north side of Regent’s Park in North London. It has been a couple of years since I visited the park. The hill has a wonderful view of central London. It overlooks Regent’s Park and London Zoo.

The aviary for London Zoo can be seen in foreground of the picture beyond the path. Centerpoint on Tottenham Court Rd., London Telecom Tower (formally BT Telecom Tower) on Cleveland St., and the Millenium Eye on the South Bank can be seen in the distance.

You might recognise the park. It was in the films Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason and Maybe Baby.

Wag the tail

Cuddly — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:58:00 +0000

David Marshall, who developed the Bodydoctor Fitness programme has developed an excellent programme for children which help stem the problem of unhealthy and obese children. The exercises don’t require any exercise equipment other than a soft floor or mat. The exercises include wagging the tail, a baby crawl and dry land swimming. I am going to try this programme as for a small bear like me these exercises would be ideal.

Barrow Hill primary school in London is the first school to hold Bodydoctor classes and was trialled with year 5 children. They are now teaching the programme to the rest of the teachers in order to roll it out to the rest of the school. I hope that the programme gets adopted around the country.

http://www.bodydoctor.com/

Sling

Cuddly — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:43:00 +0000

The personal session was really difficult. It might be that I am out of shape. I have been eating too many donuts. I have started eating healthy and have cut down eating donuts to only once a week.

I did weight work, lunges, and exercises with the ab-roller and the sling. The sling helps you to exercise the ab muscles, but I think that might have been too advanced for me. I was afraid of falling, so suspending from the sling was very scary.

http://www.bodydoctor.com/

Rowing

Cuddly — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:28:00 +0000

I was able to find one cardiovascular exercise which I was able to do, the rowing machine. It was very tiring for me as I am only a small bear. It takes far more effort than it would for anyone else. I might try the treadmill next time as that has got to be far easier for a small teddy. I had to complete my cardio before proceeding to my session with my personal trainer.

There are so many different exercise machines; the x-bike looks really cool, the strider looks scary and the never ending stairs looks dangerous. I will have to try some others next time.

http://www.bodydoctor.com/

Leg Lifts

Cuddly — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:20:00 +0000

I was having problems finding a exercise machine to do my cardiovascular exercise. I attempted to do leg lifts, but with me having very shortly legs I couldn’t even get my legs into place. I have to do at least 45 minutes of cardiovascular of work and 60 minutes of weight work. The weight work includes using the ab-roller and lunges.

http://www.bodydoctor.com/

Exercise Bike

Cuddly — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:17:00 +0000

I started my training today for the Bay to Breakers. I went to Bodydoctor Fitness. The Bodydoctor specialise in sensible exercise programmes that everyone can do at home or in the gym. I have been eating too many donuts recently so having a personal trainer will really help get me into shape. I had to start the session with cardiovascular exercise, but I was having problems trying to find an exercise machine small enough.

http://www.bodydoctor.com/

Drew Barrymore

Cuddly — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 23:59:00 +0000

I was reading an article on elle.com, they have an interview with Drew Barrymore. She is in one of my favourite films, The Wedding Singer. I have to say that I like her even more after reading about her teddy bears, ‘An aubergine-color teddy bear, a gift from a hotel in Paris, is peeking out from her soft suede Foley + Corinna satchel. “I love him sooo much,” says the star, meaning the toy, as she reverts to a six-year-old. “Feel him!” she urges, fondling it, then rolls her eyes ceilingward. “Clearly, I’m a little girl. I used to have a blankie and when my mom had to wash it, I would sit outside the dryer and watch it go round and round, and cry.”‘.

I would also like to wish her a happy birthday.

http://www.elle.com/coverstory/9441/drew-barrymore.html

Time to get running

Cuddly — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 23:56:00 +0000

Teresa has raised £2,444 for charity in the last year by running two 5km races, two 10km races and a 7km race in a gorilla costume. I was there supporting her for all of the races. She helped 3 charities, Cancer Research UK, Grove House Hospice, and The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. She has been training over the winter and will be starting the season with a half marathon on March 18th, 2007 at Silverstone.

The Silverstone London Half Marathon is going to be running around the race track, thankfully there won’t be any formula 1 racing cars at the same time. It might be a bit windy and wet, but I am going to be there cheering Teresa on. The race will be in aid of The Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign.

The next run after Silverstone will be The London Marathon on April 22nd, 2007. The marathon is 26.2 miles around London finishing on the mall. I am going to be cheering from wherever I can get to on the route. We are hoping to be able to catch her at numerous points along the route. The marathon will be in aid of Cancer Research UK.

The third run which we will all be participating in, will be the ING Bay to Breakers in San Francisco on May 20th, 2007. I have started training for this race already because one section of the run is a 11.5% incline. It is going to be very tough for my paws. We are running in aid of The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation which is the only charity in the world dedicated to fighting lung cancer.

If you would like to donate to any of the runs then please click on the justgiving pages below. Thank you in advance.

http://www.justgiving.com/LondonHalfMarathon07

http://www.justgiving.com/LondonMarathon07

http://www.justgiving.com/BayToBreakers

Tales of a Globetrotting Teddy Bear

Cuddly — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 20:28:00 +0000

I am in our local newspaper, The Herts Advertiser. I had Aimee Brannen from the newspaper contact me last week asking several questions. I didn’t expect the article to be in the newspaper so quickly, but when I was reading the newspaper earlier I suddenly noticed that an article was about me.

Its a great story. If you would like to read the article then click on the link below.

Yes, yes, yes. Eddie we all know that its you in the picture in Venice. I wasn’t allowed to go because I might have fallen into the water.

http://www.hertsad.co.uk/content/herts/news/story.aspx?
brand=HADOnline&category;=News&
tBrand=herts24&tCategory;=newshadnew&
itemid=WEED22%20Feb%202007%2011%3A58%3A37%3A033

Inside a balloon

Cuddly — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 19:23:00 +0000

Teresa gave a wonderful gift to Craig for Valentines Day, a Gund bear inside a big balloon with smaller heart balloons. The bear was desperate to get out of the balloon, we eventually popped the balloon and he sat there quietly on the floor deafened by the bang. His name is Barnaby. He is very fascinated by the world outside the balloon so tends to spend his time looking around him.

Make Your Own Cuddly Bear

Cuddly — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:15:00 +0000

I went into WHSmiths earlier and I couldn’t believe it when I saw a box on the shelf for ‘Make Your Own Cuddly Bear’. The teddy bear on the box doesn’t even look like me. The bear is still very cute, so if you see one of these then you have to get one, make your own cuddly bear and it will be just so huggable like me.

Penélope Cruz

Cuddly — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 13:57:00 +0000

I went to the BAFTAs last night. I stayed at the Grovenor House hotel in the executive suite and was pleased to meet Penélope Cruz in the lounge. I didn’t get a photo with her because I didn’t want to impose. She was there with Pedro Almodóvar as Volver was nominated for Best Film not in the English Language and Penélope was nominated for Best Actress. They sadly didn’t win a BAFTA for either which I think was unfortunate. I really thought that it would win for Best Film not in the English Language category.

The red carpet had quite a few major film stars grace it, besides Penélope Cruz there was Dame Helen Miren, Daniel Craig, Forrest Whitaker, Dame Judi Dench, James McAvoy, Leslie Phillips, Abigail Breslin, Toni Collette, Sienna Miller and the wonderful Kate Winslet. There weren’t any fashion disasters this year and Sienna Miller actually remembered to wear a complete outfit, although at the end of the night she had appeared to damage her dress.

http://www.imdb.com/features/rto/2007/baftas

Hours of work

Cuddly — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:58:00 +0000

I was going to say that I built the polar bear on my own, but it is obvious that I am too small. I needed a little help. I am hoping that the weather stays cold enough so that he stays around for a while. They are saying that the wheather should be around 2c tomorrow. The snow continues to fall which is promising.

Polar Bear

Cuddly — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:55:00 +0000

There was so much snow in the garden that we grabbed two buckets and built a polar bear out of snow. He borrowed a scarf and we gave him coins for a nose and eyes. There is so much snow left in the garden that we might go and build something else later.

Deep Snow

Cuddly — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:52:00 +0000

I am not a very big bear, so when I started to walk in the snow I fell deep into it. I couldn’t move my legs and had to get pulled out of the snow. If I hadn’t got pulled out then before not too long I could have been a small snow man.

Snow Day

Cuddly — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:45:00 +0000

We had a small amount of snow a few weeks ago, not enough to make a snowman or to play in. I wasn’t expecting anymore snow this year, but they had predicted snow for today and late last night it started snowing. When I woke this morning there was a wonderful blanket of snow. There are now several inches of snow. The garden is covered and the streets look really pretty. There are children playing outside in the snow, so I am guessing that they closed the school for the day. I have even seen people getting around on skis.

The Snoop Next Door

Cuddly — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 19:56:00 +0000

The WSJ reported on Friday 12th January 2007 “Bad Parking, loud talking – no transgression is too trivial to document online.”

“Last Month, Eva Burgess was eating breakfast at the Rose Cafe in Venice, Calif., when she remembered she needed to make an appointment with her eye doctor. So the New York theater director got on her cellphone and booked a date.”

“Almost immediately, she started receiving ‘weird and creepy’ calls directing her to a blog. There, under the posting ‘Eva Burgess Is Getting Glasses!’ her name, cellphone number and other details mentioned in her call to the doctor’s office were posted, along with the admonition, ‘next time, you might take your business outside.’ The offended blogger had been sitting next to Ms. Burgess in the cafe.”

“It used to be the worst you could get for a petty wrong in public was a rude look. Now it’s not just brutal police officers, panty-free celebrities and wayward politicians who are being outed online. The most trivial missteps by ordinary folks are increasingly ripe for exposure as well. There is a proliferation of new sites dedicated to condemning offenses ranging from bad parking (Caughtya.org) and leering (HollaBackNYC.com) to littering (LitterButt.com) and general bad behavior (RudePeople.com). One site documents locations where people have failed to pick up after their dogs. Capturing newspaper-stealing neighbors on video is also an emerging genre.”

It seems that anyone can be vigilante and strive to make their community a better place, although I disagree with snooping on calls to a doctor and I think a stern look would be far more appropriate then posting their private details on a blog.

Something ate my mail

Cuddly — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 17:14:00 +0000

Whilst we were in Florida, I sent a postcard home to the teddies who weren’t able to join us. I was a little upset when it arrived today because it looked as if something had taken a bite out of the corner. We were surprised that it arrived as part of the address has gone. The postcode was missing and only United was left of the country United Kingdom.

Red Planet

Cuddly — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 17:35:00 +0000

I was browsing through the Google Labs projects earlier today and came across a collaboration between NASA and Google, Google Mars. They have mapped the planet Mars similar to how they have mapped Earth. It is really neat; you can see where all spacecraft have landed or crashed, and read all the stories related to the red planet. I did wonder whether it is the precursor to setting up a colony on the planet and Google being the only website to have a map.

http://www.google.com/mars/

Marisol Espinoza

Cuddly — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 17:53:00 +0000

I don’t normally do this but I think it’s great that my good friend MARISOL ESPINOZA has been nominated in an online poll for the Best Elected Official Staffer (in Los Angeles). You can vote for her even if you don’t live in L.A. The link is below.

Marisol is the sweetest, most friendly and genuine person I have ever met, and I have met a lot of different types of people in my world travels. She travelled with us around the Mediterranean earlier in the year. The picture is of us in Savona, Italy. Even if she doesn’t win it would be great to see a lot of votes under her name! She deserves it!

Thank you!

http://www.polldaddy.com/poll.asp?p=15296