Winter...Tough On Roxy's Convertible!

It's a chilly night in the Roxiticus Valley, and although I miss our beach house in Bay Head, when I hear the wind howling against my windows, I'm just as glad that we shut our house down for the season after the Bay Head Halloween Parade. I'm afraid my sweet little Bay Head Blog is in for some neglect over the winter, though I will do my best to keep it warmed up from afar.

The good thing about living in a state that experiences all four seasons is that after the harsh winter, April showers bring May flowers and it is time to start the beach season all over again. Next Spring, when we head back down to the beach in Bay Head, I am going to pamper Roxy's little red Celica convertible with a tune-up, buick supercharger style, and the detail work my baby needs after spending the winter cooped up inside my garage.

What's it like in your part of the world right now? Do you celebrate the change in seasons, or is your climate about the same year round?

Will Rex and Roxy (Dressed as Barbie and Ken) Win the Ocean Star Halloween Costume Photo Contest?

By now you've heard about our family's Good Sport trophy in the Bay Head Halloween Parade, and we're wondering if we can add a $100 restaurant gift certificate to our Halloween good fortune. Our daughter, London, snapped the photo on the right of mom and dad dressed up as '70s era Ken and Barbie dolls at the Bay Head Halloween Parade last weekend. A photographer from the Star News Group, publisher of The Ocean Star, saw the two of us in action and suggested that we enter our photo in the First Annual Spooktacular Halloween Photo Contest.

Whether the costume is scary and ghoulish or downright foolish, Star News Group wants to see area residents decked out in full Halloween regalia. Prizes will be awarded to winners named in three categories — adults ages 18 and above, children ages 17 and under and pets. Rex and I will be competing for the adult prize -- a $100 gift certificate to the restaurant of the winner’s choice from the online StarNewsGroup.com Restaurant Guide. For children, the grand prize will be a $50 gift certificate to Quinnderella’s Toys in Manasquan. For pets, the grand prize will be a $25 gift certificate to B.C. Woof in Manasquan. Photos can be submitted via e-mail to contest at starnewsgroup dot com or dropped off in person at either The Ocean Star office, 421 River Avenue in Point Pleasant Beach or The Coast Star office, 13 Broad Street in Manasquan. All photos submitted must be the property of the entrant. Upon submission, all photos become the property of Star News Group and may be published in print and online.

Wish us luck!

Trick or Treat: Democratic and Republican Presidential and Vice-Presidential Hopefuls Greet Supporters at the Bay Head Halloween Parade in Bay Head,

While Rex and the girls and I have been fortunate to take home the Bay Head Halloween Parade's "Good Sport" trophy (for adults who get dressed up to march in the parade with their children) this year and in prior years, one family almost always gets the trophy for the best family, and this year was no exception.

In the photo on the left, Sarah Palin greets the crowd on Mount Street in Bay Head, then on the right she joins, from left to right, a very short Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Bay Head Mayor Bill Curtis, and John McCain to accept the big family trophy.

Music Thursday: Lookin' for Love in All the Wrong Places?

Lady Java, Mariuca's Perfume Gallery, and a bunch of my international blogging buddies have started posting "Music Mondays" and I know it's Thursday, but I'd like to put in my two cents for the week, along with a story about true love, Rex and me. Many of my Bay Head Blog and Roxiticus Desperate Housewives readers know that I've been a country music fan since the early 1990s, and my contribution to Music Thursday is called "Lookin' for Love" and comes from Johnny Lee:

"Well, I spent a lifetime lookin' for you
Single bars and good time lovers were never true
Playin' a fools game, hopin' to win
Tellin' those sweet lies and losin' again

I was lookin' for love in all the wrong places
Lookin' for love in too many faces
Searchin' their eyes, lookin' for traces
Of what I'm dreamin' of
Hopin' to find a friend and a lover
I'll bless the day I discover
Another heart lookin' for love

And I was alone then, no love in site
I did everything I could to get me through the night
I don''t know where it started or where it might end
I'd turn to a stranger just like a friend

'Cause I was lookin' for love
In all the wrong places
Lookin' for love in too many faces
Searchin' their eyes, lookin' for traces
Of what I'm dreamin' of
Hopin' to find a friend and a lover
I'll bless the day I discover
Another heart lookin' for love

And you came a knockin' at my heart's door
You're everything I've been lookin' for
There's no more lookin' for love
In all the wrong places
Lookin' for love in too many faces
Searchin' their eyes
Lookin' for traces
Of what I'm dreamin' of
Now that I found a friend and a lover
God bless the day I discovered you
Oh you, lookin' for love

(Lookin' for love) in all the wrong places
(Lookin' for love) in too many faces
Searchin' their eyes, lookin' for traces
Of what I'm dreamin' of
Now that I've found a friend and a lover
God bless the day I discovered you
Oh you, lookin' for love"

Although I've shared many happy family stories here about my idyllic life with Rex and our two girls, London and Maddie, I feel like I did spend a lifetime looking for love in all the wrong places (Jersey Shore bars, beach parties, and blind dates) before I discovered Rex. I remember the days when I would get dressed up and hopeful to go out with a new guy, only to have the evening turn into nothing more than a humorous (or painful) anecdote to share with my friends. Then, against all odds (take a look at me now...but that's a song for another Music Monday), Rex and I met at work, fell in love, and have lived happily ever after for almost thirteen years.

If you've been looking for love in all the wrong places, why not sign up for free with True.com and search for free for the love of your life. Thousands have already begun their happily ever after...if you check it out and get lucky, please come back and tell Roxy and our readers your fairy tale.

London and Maddie, Rex and Roxy's Big Win at the Bay Head Halloween Parade

We won, we won! While I do try to teach my girls that "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game," it sure feels good to have that trophy in hand. As a family, we won the "Good Sport" award for grown-ups who dress up in the best costumes and march in the parade with their kids. So here we are in costume, from left to right: Maddie (as Sharpay "Golf" from High School Musical) Rex (as Ken), Bay Head Mayor Bill Curtis, Roxy (as Barbie), and London (as Sharpay "End of Year" from High School Musical).

I took an amazing bunch of photos (including a Bay Head appearance by all of the presidential and vice presidential candidates) that I'll be posting over the course of the week, hope you'll enjoy!

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Today's the Day for the Bay Head Halloween Parade

It is eight o'clock on Sunday morning and we are waiting for London and Maddie to wake up at our beach house in Bay Head, NJ and begin the countdown to the 11:45am Bay Head Halloween Parade. Witches, goblins, ghosts and Disney princesses will start gathering on Mount Street in Bay Head, New Jersey, shortly after 11am for the 11:45am parade start.

As my loyal Roxiticus Desperate Housewives readers know, we stayed up north in Mendham on Friday night for the big Joan Jett & the Blackhearts concert at the Mayo Center of the Performing Arts in Morristown, NJ. We waited until late on Saturday afternoon for the drive down, and made it here in time for one of Rex's specialties...the last lobsters of the season. The weather forecast, including howling wind and rain all day yesterday, may have scared some other fair weather residents off, but we were determined to get down here and march in the parade...come hell, Halloween, or high water. Thankfully, the high water on Lake Avenue has gone down overnight to make way for the parade.

London and Maddie decided to go as a pair of Sharpays (the High School Musical character, not the dog breed) -- one Sharpay Golf and one Sharpay End-of-Year Celebration, complete with gold lame (pronounced la-MAY, not sure how you'd spell it differently than adding an accent over the "e") pants.


Rex and I are going as Barbie and Ken, and we're hoping this motley family can win a trophy this year. Rex really looks the part, and London promised to style my hair in Barbie pigtails, but the competition is always tough... we're not the only family in Bay Head that takes Halloween seriously!

Wish us luck...and if the girls' costumes, wigs, and oversized sunglasses turn out to be a suitable disguise, I may even share some photos here on Monday.

Weather or Not, London and Maddie Are Ready for the Bay Head Halloween Parade: Sunday, October 26th, Mount Street to the Firehouse in Bay Head, NJ

Rex read me a grim weather forecast for the weekend from The New York Times earlier this evening, but we're going down to our beach house in Bay Head, NJ, come hell, Halloween, or high water. Right now Weather.com is forecasting rain on Saturday, but sunny and 60 degrees on Sunday for the Bay Head Halloween Parade. Witches, goblins, ghosts and Disney princesses will start gathering on Mount Street in Bay Head, New Jersey, shortly after 11am for the 11:45am parade start.

London and Maddie decided to go as a pair of Sharpays (the High School Musical character, not the dog breed) -- one Sharpay Golf and one Sharpay End-of-Year Celebration, complete with gold lame (pronounced la-MAY, not sure how you'd spell it differently than adding an accent over the "e") pants.


Rex and I are going as Barbie and Ken, and we're hoping this motley family can win a trophy this year. Rex really looks the part, and London promised to style my hair in Barbie pigtails, but the competition is always tough... we're not the only family in Bay Head that takes Halloween seriously!

Dressing Rex Up in a New Suit, but not for Halloween

Many of my recent posts here at the Bay Head Blog have been focused on the upcoming Bay Head Halloween Parade, but today I'm thinking about dressing Rex up not in a costume, but in a new custom suit. With the rollercoaster stock market and the economy in bailout mode, I'm guessing that many of you, like me, would like to look your best while spending a little less. So let me tell you about MySuit, where you can get a made to measure suit starting at $495.

I just checked out the MySuit Experience for Rex, my husband and business partner. Next time we're in New York, we can set up an appointment at their midtown Manhattan location with a consultant, who will determine Rex's body type and fit him with a "Gauge Suit" that accounts for his body type, posture and stance, creating a dimensional context for the most accurate specs possible...they will measure Rex in up to 30 different ways, compared with the 3 measurements Rex would get if we bought "off the rack." Next come the "Elements of Style" where Rex can choose his options to create his own style and fit in his favorite fabric: a 100% wool, navy pinstripe suit featuring a single button jacket and double pleated pants. Technology and fine craftsmanship have come together to create an exciting new process that, with just a two week turnaround time, allows MySuit to manufacture truly Made to measure suits at close to off-the-rack prices.

MySuit is a global company with over 40 years of manufacturing and retail experience, a division of one of the largest suit makers in the world, selling made-to-measure suits at close to off-the-rack prices. You can make an appointment online, then head over to their 1270 Broadway (@33rd Street) location in mid-town Manhattan to get your style and fit in your favorite fabric. So what are you waiting for? Get yourself a made to measure suit starting at $495 at close to off-the-rack prices and help out our local New York City economy.

Countdown to the Bay Head Halloween Parade...3 Weeks To Go and London and Maddie, Rex and Roxy Are Almost Ready!

I know I've told you before, and I'll tell you again...our family takes Halloween very very seriously. Even before London was a glimmer in our eyes, Rex and I would sit out on the porch of our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey, on the Sunday before Halloween, and the crowds of ghosts, goblins, princesses, prom queens and football players would gather in front of the shops on Mount Street for the Bay Head Halloween Parade.

The year Maddie was born, my niece Candy sewed a homemade pumpkin costume for Baby Maddie and a farmer girl costume for London, and London pulled her sister along the parade route from Mount Stree to the Bay Head Firehouse in a hay-filled (aaaahhchoo!) wagon. The girls won a trophy that year.

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Mary Alice Remodels Her Refrigerator to Look Like Roxy's...

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to the fridge we go...just as I was getting ready to blow the whistle on another long work week and head to the fridge for my four o'clock beer, I got an e-mail from Mary Alice, one of our dearest friends who left the Roxiticus Valley and moved out to sunny Palos Verdes, California before the school year started. We miss her and her family terribly, but they seem to be enjoying their new home on the left coast. Turns out that Mary Alice and her husband have decided to remodel their refrigerator in California to look a lot like Roxy's!

Mary Alice gave up her career, at least for the time being, to follow her husband to his new job and location in Califonia, and she's still trying to get used to being a stay at home mom. I'm trying to convince her to add a Roxy's Best Of... Palos Verdes and Roxy's Best Of... Orange County and Roxy's Best Of... Laguna Beach to her list of responsibilities, but she's not ready. She procrastinates, putting me off with questions about the Roxy's Best Of... healthcare plan and other employee benefits. If Mary Alice needs a health care package from Kaiser Permanente California, I may as well look into benefits for my other local bloggers....if Rex's son moves out to Denver or Boulder to work in sports marketing and blog for me on the side, he will be looking for a plan from Kaiser Permanente Colorado and it won't be long before I need one from Kaiser Permanente Georgia for Atlanta Roxy bloggers.

So you're safe for now, Mary Alice.... raise a glass (or a bottle) from your newly remodeled refrigerator, and enjoy those play dates while you can, because it won't be long before Roxy's Best Of... comes to a local area near you!

I Know the Sock Hop Isn't in Bay Head, But I Just Couldn't Resist...

Here's the reason we won't make it down to our beach house in Bay Head until Saturday morning... Rex, London, Maddie and I are going to an old-fashioned sock hop featuring the Alley Cats at Mendham Township Elementary School tonight.

The Mendham Township School District's Cultural Arts Committee invites families to a fun night of 50's music, dancing, and contests. So... put on your poodle skirts, roll up your jeans and join London, Maddie, Rex and Roxy at the Family Sock Hop tonight -- Friday, October 3rd from 7 to 9pm in the Mendham Township Elementary School gym.

The Alley Cats will provide the musical entertainment. $1.00 ice cream sodas and other refreshments will be served by the 8th grade fundraising team.

Please bring donations for the Morris County Food Bank.

We'll see you there!

What Will I Be When I Grow Up?

Just kidding...with my birthday on its way later this month, I'm well aware that I am all grown up. After a day on the phone with a difficult client and the miserable stock market making me sick to my sensitive stomach, though, I was starting to wonder if investment banking is the right career for me. I found a web site that matches people with the right franchise and started to play around with other opportunities for when I really really grow up...or maybe in my next life, since the gray hairs are really coming in this week. I considered automotive repair franchises...not for me. I even dread the conversation with the mechanic at Jim Salerno Automotive when my SUV starts to make a clunkety clunkety sound or the ride just doesn't feel right. How about a blinds franchise... I could call it "The Blind Leading the Blind." Maybe a Moving Franchise is right for me... as long as I don't have to do all the heavy lifting. I still remember the 48 hours when The Padded Wagon spent about 18 hours moving all of our belongings out of New York City, and then I surprised them by opening the door at my Somerset, New Jersey, house the very next day so they could consolidate all of those belongings from my single days into our lovely home in the Roxiticus Valley.

The fact is, for all my frustration on the bad days, I really love being an investment banker, helping people to sell their companies to the highest bidder. Since Rex and I focus on mergers and acquisitions, I don't really spend my day up to my neck in the stock market, and we get to know a nice circle of entrepreneurs. So I'm going to stick with investment banking, until I figure out how to make a living blogging from my boudoir.

Countdown to the Bay Head Halloween Parade...London and Maddie, Rex and Roxy Are Almost Ready!

I know I've told you before, and I'll tell you again...our family takes Halloween very very seriously. Even before London was a glimmer in our eyes, Rex and I would sit out on the porch of our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey, on the Sunday before Halloween, and the crowds of ghosts, goblins, princesses, prom queens and football players would gather in front of the shops on Mount Street for the Bay Head Halloween Parade.

The year Maddie was born, my niece Candy sewed a homemade pumpkin costume for Baby Maddie and a farmer girl costume for London, and London pulled her sister along the parade route from Mount Stree to the Bay Head Firehouse in a hay-filled (aaaahhchoo!) wagon. The girls won a trophy that year.

Last year, we competed as a family...sort of. While you may be familiar with two Disney characters -- Hannah Montana and Sleeping Beauty (Aurora) -- you may not be aware that they were sisters. London wanted to dress up as Hannah Montana, but Maddie had a theme picked out for our family...Maddie as Sleeping Beauty, Rex as her handsome prince, and Roxy as Maleficent, the thirteenth fairy who was not invited to princess Aurora's christening. When Maddie saw her sister's costume, she coveted the blonde wig and microphone and had to have one of her own, and the legend was born: Aurora Montana! The panel of judges smiled upon us and we won a family trophy in the Bay Head Halloween parade last year.

Today, I bought our family's Halloween costumes online...the girls convinced me to be Barbie, and Rex will be Ken, in our coordinating outfits from the Sixties. We'll be rocking the parade route with not one but two Sharpays from High School Musical: Sharpay Golf and Sharpay End of the Year in gold hot pants. Do you think we've got a shot at a trophy this year?

While the Rest of the World Goes Mad, Roxy Goes Shopping

I think I'm going to shut down my Google sidebar so I can't see how the stock market is doing anymore. I thought when the House passed the bailout bill, stocks would bounce back a bit before the weekend, but no such luck. So I've stopped looking at it and I'm doing my bit to help the economy by shopping online. I bought our family's Halloween costumes this afternoon, and now I'm checking out designer clothing online... brands like Loeffler Randall and Madison Marcus.

Gotta run...Maddie's afternoon play date is here. Time for my four o'clock beer (let's make it a Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale). Then, as Hannah Montana would sing, I'll be ready to put on my old blue jeans and head out to the Family Sock Hop at Mendham Township Elementary School.

We'll head down to our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey, on Saturday, in plenty of time for a lunchtime Central Market Sub and some grilled clams from the Crab Shack for dinner. I think London and Maddie are planning to paint some special Halloween and Fall-themed seashells for their seashell stand...

See you at the beach tomorrow!
Roxy

Bay Head Neighbors, We Will See You Tomorrow!

While there are a lot of events in the Roxiticus Valley this weekend competing for our time and attention, wild horses can't drag Rex, London, Maddie and me away from our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey, on what the weathermen are forecasting to be a perfect October weekend. 70 degrees and sunny on the beach means it is time to grab the last of the Indian summer and hope to see all of our beach buddies one last time before we close up our house for the winter after the Bay Head Halloween Parade on Sunday, October 26th. I bought our family's Halloween costumes online today, so we'll all be ready to compete for a trophy this year!

On Sunday, when we head back, we're also planning to pack up the Mermaid Swim Team, the Mermaid Cocktail Party and our Kate Leigh Cutler painting so that we can enjoy them in our Mendham home over the winter. It's fun to share them with our friends up north who don't get to visit us while we're at the beach all summer.

Tonight, we're off to the Family Sock Hop at Mendham Township Elementary School...but we'll try to get down in time for a Central Market sub for lunch...see you tomorrow!

London, Maddie Rex and Roxy

What Do Kids Do These Days Instead of Prank Phone Calls?

Things have changed a lot since I was a kid. I remember getting all the girls together for a slumber party and calling all of my fourth grade crushes on the phone. We'd ask them if their refrigerator was running, or sing the jingle for Enjoli perfume: "I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, but never ever let you forget you're a man, cuz I'm a woman..." Nowadays, CallerID and other modern-day technology give prank call victims all sorts of Phone Number Info so your identity is no secret. If you're a kid, let me know what kind of trouble you get into these days instead of prank calling.

Harvest Time in Bay Head, NJ: Looks Like the Arts & Crafts Festival Is Cancelled

I was just checking out the Fall activities scheduled in Bay Head, NJ, and it looks like the Sixth Annual Arts & Crafts Festival scheduled for Saturday, October 11th, has been cancelled.

If you're looking for something to do that day, why not consider the Bay Head Historical Society House Tour, and snoop around our neighbors' houses from 11am to 3pm.

I'm sure I'll be sorry to have missed the annual Bay Head Dog Walk, also scheduled for October 11th, but I'm sure the dogs will leave something on my lawn to remind me that they stopped by our beach house. You can register your sweet pups in front of Mary Holder Realty, 520 Main Avenue, at 12:30pm, and the walk starts at 1:00 PM. There's a registration fee, but proceeds go to a good cause, the local animal shelter.

During the month of October, you can also see the display of scarecrows around town and vote for your favorite by dropping your ballot in the boxes you'll find in designated stores.

And last, but certainly not least, London and Maddie, Rex and I will all be in Bay Head for the Halloween Parade on Sunday, October 26th. Line up in front of the shops on Mount Street 11:30am and march to the Bay Head Firehouse, where prizes will be given out. Be on the lookout for Barbie, Ken, and a pair of Sharpays from High School Musical!

Calling Lady Java... Can I Get a Pumpkin Spice Latte Over Here?

Did you ever wish there was a National Phone Book? Every now and then, particularly when I'm burning the midnight oil in the blogosphere, I get the urge to pick up the phone and track down Lady Java or Mariuca, but I guess I'd need an international directory for my blogosphere buddies halfway across the world. Anyway, for simpler tasks there's a new site that allows users to search for information on any phone number, both listed and unlisted, in the U.S. That can really come in handy for finding phone numbers to set up London and Maddie's play dates with new friends.

Bay Head Historical Society House Tour Scheduled for October 11, 2008

It's that time of year in Bay Head, New Jersey...time to snoop into the neighbors' homes during the Bay Head Historical Society House Tour. This year, it is scheduled for Saturday, October 11th from 11am to 3pm. For more information call 732-892-0223.

Rex and I love to participate in these events, and we'll usually bring along his mom and get a teenage babysitter to keep London and Maddie entertained...last year, the Bay Head School Foundation hosted a kitchen tour, with a taste of more than ten local area restaurants served up in Bay Head and Mantoloking kitchens.

This year, we'll miss the Bay Head Historical Society House Tour, since we're headed away to Duck, North Carolina for a long weekend. Why don't you go and tell us all about it?

New Local Areas Added to Roxy's Best Of...Red Bank, Morristown, Lambertville and Pluckemin, New Jersey...Still Looking for Local Bloggers in Texas

Every day, I've been trying to add a little more local content to my Roxy's Best Of... WordPress MU community. While late night TV hosts can poke fun of our state with "yo! what exit?" I'm not actually watching late night TV because I'm too busy telling my readers all the great things I've found about New Jersey, from the beach in Bay Head to the greater Roxiticus Valley (Mendham, Bernardsville, and Chester, to name a few of the nearby towns). Over the past few nights, while Rex and the girls have been sleeping soundly, I've added four new blogs to Roxy's Best Of... Red Bank, Morristown, Lambertville, and Pluckemin, NJ. I'm going to add a blog for Santa Fe, New Mexico, since Rex's brother Jake lives about an hour and a half from there and we found many terrific art galleries and restaurants when we visited for Spring Break 2007.

However, I'm running out of friends and relatives who can blog about their local areas. SpicyBug, give that screaming kid a nice frozen teething ring and get to work on Florida! Bloggers, come out of your Round Rock TX homes, take a break from worrying about the Austin real estate market, and tell the world about your favorite restaurants and things to do for fun in Texas!

Please click the "Contact Me" link in my sidebar to sign up for your very own Roxy's Best Of... blog.

Waitin’ on a Rainy Day: London, Maddie, Rex and Roxy Explore The Grove at Shrewsbury, New Jersey

As we headed down to our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey, for most of the month of August, Rex and the girls and I had a few things on our wish lists, but we figured we would save our shopping for a rainy day. Well, this year the weather gods smiled upon us, and that rainy day never came. We didn't see a single movie at the theatre in Brick, NJ, and every sunny day meant the errands would have to wait.

Finally, as Labor Day approached, there were a few clouds in the sky and the forecast offered up "scattered showers," so we jumped into our Chevy Suburban and headed north to The Grove at Shrewsbury. First things first…we were starved, so we enjoyed an outdoor lunch (the showers held off) at Pasta Fresca. Then we shopped till we dropped!

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Not In My Backyard? Better Look It Up Online

I don't know how many of my Bay Head and Mantoloking neighbors were aware that Dateline NBC's "To Catch a Predator" series used a Mantoloking beach house and local young adult decoys for a sex sting operation. In April 2007, twenty-eight (28) men were arrested after coming in from around the country and going to to the oceanfront home with intentions of having sex with a child. Prosecutors said the suspects range in age from 21 to 60 and include a convicted sex offender, an Air Force mechanic, and a school bus driver from Philadelphia. The show highlights the sting operation that catches men who have arranged to meet up in a Mantoloking home for what they think will be a sexual encounter with an underage girl or boy. Instead, Dateline NBC's Chris Hansen is waiting for them, complete with video cameras and police.

When I first heard about the Mantoloking sex sting from one of our friends, it got me thinking about the safety of my children and I looked up the areas surrounding our beach house and our year-round home up north in an online Sex Offender Registry. Thanks to Megan's Law, convicted sex offenders are required to register their whereabouts, and the directories share some of the details of their arrests, preferences, and how they typically lure their victims.

You Get What You Pay For....What's Up with All the New EntreCard Rules??!!

While I am totally not a morning person, I woke up early this morning and started to drop my Roxy's Best Of... and Bay Head Blog EntreCards all over the blogosphere....I was using London and Maddie's Mac, which is so much faster than my Windows Vista notebook, so I wanted to get through as much as I could before the girls woke up and made fun of me.

Over the past few days, there's been a lot about EntreCard in the blogosphere. Other bloggers posted about EntreCard being for sale in the range of $100,000 to one million dollars, but quick as you can say EntreCard they appear to have taken it off the market.

Then came the e-mail from EntreCard about new rules about transferring EntreCard credits. I have to admit, I didn't pay much attention. People who think "these rules don't apply to me" are a source of frustration, but this morning I was one of them. I wanted to transfer 100 EC from my Bay Head Blog to Roxy's Best Of... so I could buy an ad on a site that I otherwise didn't have enough EntreCard credits to afford. Since I hadn't finished my first cup of coffee, I was still groggy as I hit the transfer button and then....THEY CHARGED ME A 12.5% TRANSFER TAX!! For transferring credits between linked blogs! EntreCard, you have got to be kidding me.

As I commented on some of my fellow bloggers' posts about the new EntreCard rules, I guess you get what you pay for...

Hard at Work on Roxy's Best Of... Adding New Local Areas Every Week

With all the new TV network season premieres -- Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Grey's Anatomy, Dirty Sexy Money -- combined with daily blogging, commenting on Other People's Blogs ("OPB"), driving traffic to my various blogs, and starting a back to school fitness program, it is amazing I get any sleep at all. What's been keeping me up at night lately is the effort I'm putting into new content for my Roxy's Best Of... blog. I've been trying to post several times a day about my New Jersey faves, and I've been recruiting new local bloggers to cover their home towns. After all, while Roxy's the expert on the Roxiticus Valley as well as Bay Head and the Jersey Shore, I don't know anything about northern California, where to find the best Atlanta Realtors, or children's ballet lessons in Detroit. I've been learning about Duck, North Carolina in preparation for an upcoming long weekend trip, but I need your help...if you're a local expert who knows a thing or two about realtors in Atlanta or restaurants in Charleston or art and culture in Cincinnati and you're interested in contributing to a Roxy blog, please drop me an e-mail or stop by the site and let me know.

We Got More Mermaids!

Back in May, I posted about the Mermaid Swim Team we bought at the Anchor & Palette Gallery on Mount Street in Bay Head, New Jersey. Artist Wendy McCarthy painted those lovely mermaids as part of her Mermoments trilogy (that turned out to be several more than three). London and Maddie have loved having the Mermaid Swim Team in their bedroom in Bay Head for the summer, and we'll be bringing the painting up north to our home in the Roxiticus Valley when we close up our beach house for the season at the end of October.

When we attended the Mermoments show at the Anchor & Palette in July, we were struck by the Mermaid Cocktail Party (shown on the left). While we don't have any space grand enough to display such a large work of art, we had to have these mermaids in our home, too. Luckily, around Labor Day, Wendy McCarthy completed a set of prints and we just picked up our framed & matted Mermaid Cocktail Party print at the Anchor & Palette in time to bring them home with us for the winter.