That Mona Lisa Smile

Having a deep and abiding appreciation for all things big and beautiful,

I was very excited to be in the city of Paris - surrounded by some of the biggest and most beautiful pieces of art in the world! Woo-hoo! Here I am being hoisted up by one of my Pair O' Chaperons, Heather, in front of The Louvre! Unfortunately, I was unable to get any pictures inside the Museum...apparently the security guards lacked a sense of humor did not appreciate a big ol' bodacious wise-crackin' bra such as moi hanging around and oogling the Mona Lisa. (But just before Heather shoved me back into her purse, I swear I saw that Mona Lisa smile....)

Fortunately, the atmosphere over at The Museum of Depressionist Art

was much more relaxed and I was able to get a nice shot of this priceless masterpiece...

"The Traveling Padded Brassiere Salesman"
by, Hands von Achin'

(PLEASE click on the painting to view it's details ~ and be sure to visit

The Museum of Depressionist Art to see more wondrous works of art!)

Later that evening, we visited the Paris apartment of our dear blogging buddy, Lisa of OMyWord ~ who, being the oh-so-gracious hostess that she is, promptly opened up a bottle of Champagne and a nice white Bordeaux, set out some luscious cremeaux cheese and pate, pickles and toasted bread.

Voila!...another masterpiece! Bon appetit!!!

And then, much to everyones surprise, Mona stopped by bearing more wine and...a disco ball! I asked her, "Why the disco ball?" Mona just smiled knowingly as she filled my cups with more Champagne and said,

"All things begin and end with disco balls, n'est-ce pas?"

The next thing I remember is waking up to the peculiar feeling of déjà vu creeping over me as I (once again) found myself in a rather awkward position...

Sacré bleu!

But at least now I know the answer to Nat King Cole's immortal question,

"Are you warm, are you real, Mona Lisa? Or just a cold and lonely lovely work of art?" Real. Definitely real.

(Click on this photo for more incredible, hilarious photos of Mona Lisa!)

More Good Press!

Woo-hoo! I just got a nice little boost from this uplifting review! Pro Blog Reviews is a fairly new blog which is fast becoming a great resource for finding other interesting blogs, as well as helpful blogging tips...so go check it out...and maybe you'll see a review of your blog too! (Thanks Pro Blogs Review!)

Hot Off the Press! Look Who Made the Morning Paper!

(If this Slide-Show has stopped, click the arrow in lower left corner to start it again.) So a bra walks into a bar pub....and orders a bottle of beer pint of ale...but the bartender says, "Sorry I can't serve you." "Why not?" asks the bra. And the bartender says, "Because m'dear...you are clearly are out your tits!"
Fortunately the bartender AND the patrons at the Minster Tavern in Ely, England were MUCH MORE accommodating! Unfortunately, the rest of the night is a bit of a blur...but LUCKILY Heather helps fill in the gaps here, or for more information about the Minster Tavern, click here!
*Know any good "A _____ walks into a bar..." jokes? Share 'em here in my comments!

I Saw London....

...and London saw me too!

Here I am in Trafalgar Square with one-half of my Pair O' Chaperons, Heather, and her friend Malinda...

Blimey!...it was nippy! But a little wet weather wasn't gonna stop a professional globe-trotter like moi from checking out the London scene!

As a matter of fact...

As soon as I hooked up with this cute guy atop the famous Lion statue in Trafalgar Square...the clouds parted and sun began to shine!

Rrrr-arrrr!

(This is one of my all-time favorite photos!)

For some reason, Heather thought I'd be better off staying "discreetly tucked away" inside my traveling lingerie bag at the Ely Cathedral (just outside London)...I had to BEG her to let me out, and promised to be ever so reverent for this photo. But then, when I asked if I could visit the confessional...she said "Don't press your luck Olga!" And shoved me back in my bag.

My Pair O' Chaperons risked life and tit to get this picture of me in front of Buckingham Palace! There were some rather snooty Brits who seemed to think two gals holding up a bra whilst everyone else is also trying to get pictures was a "bad idea." We ignored them and took the bloody picture anyway!

After that, we were all pretty thirsty....

so I helped Heather look up the nearest pub in the phone directory....

and....

well....

stay tuned for THAT story!

Ta-Ta! (For now!)

PS: Please check out this post over on my pal Lisa's blog, OMyWord! I also had the pleasure of hanging out with her in Paris for a couple of days during this trip...and she snapped a few photos of me playing with her pussycat.

Pears Pairs PARIS!

I distinctly remember Heather said she was going to take lots of pictures of me with her and April in Paris...

...not with PEARS!

What a PAIR of pranksters! (Har. Har.) Never fear...we really DID make it to to P-A-R-I-S! (And London!) Photos are on the way...so stay tuned!!!

Spring Is Bustin' Out All Over & I'm Feelin' Kinda Nutty!

Before I left for London/Paris last week, my trusty Chico blog-mistress took me

over to the nearby, friendly agricultural community of Durham......to see the acres and acres of almond orchards, with rows and rows of trees

busting out all over with beautiful, pink, fluffy, blossoms!

Their sweet scent filled the air for miles around and....

Ahhhh!...just keep the bees away from me!

California is the only state in the U.S. that grows almonds (over a billion pounds annually)...and out of the over 550,000 acres of almond orchards in California, about 40,000 them are located right here in Butte County.
See?... I told you Chico is where the nuts come from!

Almonds are harvested by this machine called a Shaker.

It takes each almond tree in it's padded grasp and then shakes it like cRaZy

until the tree releases it's nuts and they fall to the ground.

And that is why...

when you're talking nuts 'round here....remember:

It's an "al-mond" if it's still on the tree...

and an "a-mond" (like "salmon") after it's been harvested.

Because...

Those nuts have had the "L" shaken outta them!

For more almond information, recipes, or to buy some REALLY tasty almonds for yourself, check out Maisie Jane's California Sunshine located right here in Chico. I just love her Orange & Spice Almonds...but the Cowboy BBQ, Herb & Garlic, and Tamari almonds are awesome too...oh, and don't even get me started on those Dark Chocolate Almonds...

Hoppy Easter!

Woo-hoo!

The Easter Bunny hopped on by and popped a few goodies in my basket!

That wascally wabbit!

Hangin' Out at Heather's

Phew! After traveling cross country from California to Virginia (thank you FedEx!) I arrived at the home of one of my favoritest bloggers,

Heather of The Wishful Writer...feeling a bit droopy -

but very excited about our upcoming trip to London/Paris!

She wasn't home at the times, so the man-of-the-house let me in!

Not only is Stewart handsome, but very accommodating too!

He let me ride around on his back while giving me a tour of Heather and Ape's lovely home!

Guess I ought to thank my Sweet Georgia Chaperon for forcing converting me from Diet Pepsi to Diet Coke - because there ain't NOTHING else to drink in this house!

And I just HAD to check out the bathroom remodel I've been reading so much about on Heather's blog!...and it is AWESOME! I hung around in the shower just soaking up the ambiance and rehydrating my cups for a while....and then I wander out into the living room where I found Heather's most prized possession in the whole wide world!Yeah, she rocks at Guitar Hero (see here)...but later on...

even though she might tell ya otherwise...

I totally kicked her butt!

Ta-Ta! (for now!)...gotta plane to catch in the morning!

I can hardly wait to see London, to see France....

The Morning After....

Ohhhh...my aching head cups!

Last night's St. Paddy's Day festivities are still a bit of a blur....

ugh...

I musta really tied one on...

I vaguely remember...green beer....Irish music...

Crusty dancing a jig...Speedy in a dress?...

more beer...

something about "Crustettes"???

Drowsey and...

OMG!!!...Meleah's head?!....

MORE beer!!!...

oink?...

and then...

oink?...

I woke up...

HUNG-OVER

THIS FENCE!?!?

Ahhhhh!!!!

Somebody pass the aspirin & get me OUTTA HERE!

Stay tuned....

Olga Go Bra!

I-rish you all a very happy and uplifting St. Patrick's Day!
Here's a little something green to tack on your blog!

The rest of this post now resides on my Blog Overfloweth Page

& can also be read in it's entirety by clicking on ME!

Cool, Clever and a Meme-oir

Click on the picture
to read the original post
and my response to
the Six Word Memoir meme
that Rotus tagged me with!

Click HERE to read the original post about these Cool & Clever Awards which are now residing in my Big Ol' Bodacious TROPHY ROOM!

Meet Frank...

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later...Frank, the Sedentary Jockstrap...distant cousin, twice removed, on my father's side...has reared his ugly head over at my pal, Dorky Dad's blog. You gotta go check this guy out! He's a real pain in the ....!

(This post is also hanging around on my Blog Overfloweth Page.)

I'm Soooo Eeeeevil....

You Are 42% Evil

Click this little (evil?) guy to read the original post on my

Blog Overfloweth Page!

Have Passport ~ Will Travel!

Woo-hoo!

Not only am I the world's 1st (& only) Traveling Bra...

now I'm an official Lalaland National with a passport to prove it!

Click the images above to be whisked away to Lalaland

where you can get your very own passport!

(I hope Heather has her passport ready for our trip to London/Paris!)

This Is My Last Post

...about my trip to Maui!

(tee-hee!)

I had such a great time...whether I was simply hanging out...

...or doing some crazy, awesome things... ...I'd only dreamed doing of before!

Ah yes, the memories will last forever... ...and I think it's safe to say that

I left my mark (or at least quite an impression) on the Island!
Aloha (for now) Maui!

(Blessings to you, Kuanyin ~ I hope to see you next time!)

Now, please excuse me...I have a plane to catch to the East Coast!

Ready or not Heather, April and Lisa...

Here I come!

A Whale of a Good Time!

One of the highlights of my trip to Maui was seeing TONS of whales! Beginning in the fall of each year, North Pacific Humpback Whales migrate to Maui so the females can give birth in the warm, shallow Hawaiian waters. (And away from their only natural predator, the Orca ~ killer whale.) 2008 was a record setting year in Maui, with over 1700 whales counted during the 2008 Great Whale Count. Even though we could see whales easily from land, we wanted a chance to get up close and personal with these magnificent creatures - so we boarded a large catamaran operated by the Pacific Whale Foundation (an awesome non profit organization dedicated to protecting whales and their ocean) at Maalea Harbor (picture above)...and set out to meet the whales!

After only a few minutes, we encountered three whales ~

a mother, her baby, and a male "escort." The curious baby breached again and again right along side our boat ~ ~ and put on quite a show for us! Mama slapped and waved her big ol' tail......and made quite a SPLASH! Even Flipper dropped by to say "hi!"
(Actually, it was more like "Eee-ee-ee-ee-eeee!")

Check this out: Did you know that the adult whales cease to eat during their 4 to 6 months visit to the Hawaiian islands? They live off of their blubber and as a result, can lose up to 1/3 of their body weight. I don't believe any human tourists can EVER claim doing THAT!

Additionally, the mother whales must produce a nutrient rich milk for their growing offspring...who, weighing in at about 1 ton at birth, are steadily gaining about 10 pounds per HOUR! Whoa baby!!!

The male whales spend most of their time following the females around, trying to impress them with their unique singing ability. Hearing the male escort serenade us with his beautiful song was an unexpected treat! (And somehow left me feeling strangely aroused...)

If you listen carefully, you can hear him singing on this video

that was shot by my blog-mistress' son.

(Click here to listen to more live whales singing right now!)

And now...

...how about ending this whale of a day with a little whale humor?...

Two whales, male and female, are swimming happily around in the ocean when they come upon a boat. On seeing the boat, the male says, "Hey, I've got a great idea! Let's swim up under that boat and blowout really hard through our blowholes!"

The female says, "Oh, I don't know..."

"Come on," the male begs, "it'll be fun, come on...just this once!"

The female agrees and they swim up under the boat and blow out, capsizing the boat and sending hapless sailors into the briny blue.

As they are swimming away, the male says, "Wow, that was fun, wasn't it? Hey! I've got another idea! Let's swim back there and eat all the sailors!"

To which the female, exasperated, replies, "Look, I agreed to the blow job, but I'm not swallowing any seamen."

Loin Cloths ~ They're "Not Just for the Islands" Anymore....

Click on this Animal in a Loin Cloth to read the original post

over on My Blog Overfloweth Page

Rrrr-rarrrrrr!

Hangin' With the Big Guys in Maui

Apparently Maui, the sun god, was a bit of a prankster in his youth...here, at the Kahului Airport, he's depicted pulling the sun from the sky because he wanted to slow it down and give his mother more daylight. I'm thinking "Wow-wee Maui! Those are some pretty big...umm, aspirations! How 'bout a loin cloth?" Upon arrival at our Ka'anapali Beach hotel, I was given a traditional flower lei greeting by this friendly native...Ms. Kamanawanaleia

Every time I'd pass by Buddha in the hallway, he'd say; "Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful." After about the hundredth time, I said; "Dood! Lighten up! I'm on vacation here!" Here I am (feeling a bit like a fish out of water) in front of the famous Humpback Whale Statue at Kalama Park in Kihei. Oh, and I saw tons of whales in the ocean too! (Stay tuned for more on that!)

I ran into King Kamehameha I (whose full Hawaiian name is Kalani Paiea Wohi o Kaleikini Keali`ikui Kamehameha o`Iolani i Kaiwikapu kaui Ka Liholiho Kunuiakea) at the Grand Wailea Resort...he's turning 250 years old this year...and his abs are still rock hard! Venus is even older and definitely hotter!

Dang!...don't they believe in clothes over here?! But this is the pretty lady I woke up to every morning in our lovely little beach cottage by the sea ~ isn't she a beauty?

And this is the silly ol' bra'wd I watched the sun set with each evening ~

isn't she a NUT?!