Weekly Challenge - Purple

Purple Orchid - Nikon D40 with 55 mm lens

Well, I missed this week's list post on Tuesday, but at least I finally did a challenge. Woohoo for mediocre blog posting! Sorry, guys. Real life gets in the way of my online life. My online life is way more fun.

Lists: Desserts

Cheesecake Cups - Sony Cybershot

Here is one of my favorite lists of all time. Because I'm a girl who loves her sweets.

1. Brownies: Nothing better than Ghirardelli double chocolate brownies. These are best right out of the oven, so the chocolate chips are still melty.

2. Homemade chocolate chip cookies: I recently switched to Alice's recipe, after using the Toll House one for twenty years. This new one blows Toll House away. Warm chocolate chip cookies are a basic food group in my house.

3. Apple crisp: Must be made with Pink Lady apples, and Ina Garten's recipe. Will not last more than two days, even though it's huge. Trust me.

4. Blackberry cobbler: I use jarred blackberries from Cracker Barrel and a simple, almost plain topping I found online fifteen years ago. Heaven.

5. Cheesecake cups: Simple and delicious. See the photo above. I use jarred cherries from Cracker Barrel. Their country store has some awesome foodstuffs. And the key to the lightness of the cheesecake here is to beat the cream cheese and egg mixture for at least five minutes.

So what sort of sugarplum sweet dance in your dreams?

Lists: Guitar Gods

Look At That Blue - Nikon D40 with 55mm lens

I am a music lover. I can't play an instrument or sing to save my life, but I've got good ears and I love a blistering guitar solo. So here's my list of Guitar Gods, in order of worship.

1. Eric Clapton - The greatest guitar player ever. His solo on the original version of "Layla" pretty much says it all. Slowhand is a virtuoso, made even more interesting my his willingness to try new styles, while always paying tribute to the blues he loves most.

Favorite song: It's In The Way That You Use It

2. Eddie Van Halen - Come on, I was an impressionable little music fan in the 80's. Of course I am going to pick him! The things he can do with a guitar will blow your mind.

Favorite song: Jump

3. Vince Gill - If you're not a fan of country music you might not even recognize this artist. If you are I don't need to tell you why he's amazing. I have all his CDs (from back when we still bought CDs). What he does with a guitar is complex, but he makes it look so easy.

Favorite Song: Tryin' To Get Over You

4. Jimi Hendrix - He may not have invented the electric guitar, but he showed everybody else how to play it. He was the original innovator. Who knows what he would have done, had his demons not conquered him.

Favorite Song: All Along The Watchtower

5. Pete Townsend - I certainly don't like every song The Who ever recorded. But the guitar in "Baba O'Reilly" (better known as "Teenage Wasteland") is practically supernatural. Add in Keith Moon's lunatic drums and you've got a virtually perfect rock song.

Favorite Song: Baba O'Riley

6. Stevie Ray Vaughn - I am no expert on Texas boogie-rock, but I love damn near everything this man recorded in his short career. "The House Is Rockin" might be the single most fun song I've ever heard.

Favorite Song: Pride and Joy

So tell me I'm wrong, or tell me I'm right. Let's talk about music, kids.

(Click the Favorite Song titles to hear some of the greatest guitar ever played.)

Things I Love

Rubens Gallery, Ringling Museum - Nikon D40 with 55mm lens

Oh how I love an art museum. The wood, the art, the quiet, the cool - did I mention the art? This is the Peter Paul Ruebens gallery at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, FL. Those paintings on the wall are gigantic. And 500 years old. How does something that large survive that long? I really can't wrap my head around it.

List: Things On My Desk

Colorful Roses - Nikon D40 with 55 mm lens

I have to confess, I secretly love reading about or seeing things on people's desks. I like to see how others create their space, what they use to inspire them, if they are totally utilitarian or incorporate more whimsy. I think I'm a little of both. So here is what's on my desk (In no particular order):

1. Cordless keyboard and mouse, 24" monitor, HP printer, Altec Lansing computer speakers.

2. Bright pink and blue sticky notes, lined index cards, pink, blue and purple binder clips.

3. Two retractable ball point pens and teal, fuchsia and lavender Sharpies.

4. Blue iPod Nano.

5. Alarm clock, Aveeno lotion, bottle of water (my desk is right next to my bed, so it also functions as a nightstand).

6. Calculator, double-sided tape, stapler.

7. A 2GB flash drive and a card-reader for my camera memory cards.

7. "Balance", my word of the year, handwritten on an index card.

8. A small metal sign that says CREATE.

So who wants to share what's on their desk?