Here again, I lean toward spy dramas and military thrillers, but I do have a romantic side which comes out every once in awhile. Murphy's Romance is my favorite romantic oldie and The Notebook is my favorite newer cinema delight. But my heart lies in the action movies and on my list of favorites would be The Bourne Identity serials, Spy Game, the Mission Impossible Trio, anything with Michael Douglas (please keep him in your prayers), and anything with Tom Hanks. I enjoy being scared out of my wits also and The Haunting is one of those movies that not only is scary but psychologically un-nerving as well. And unlike a scary book, I can even watch scary movies in the dark.

Music is the window to the soul and my favorite, hands down, is smooth jazz. I adore Boney James and in the ten years that I have been buying his CD's, I have never grown tired of him. My love for the saxaphone and piano is unlimited, and smooth jazz is such a relaxing way to unwind after a busy day or just enjoy the music for what it is...soothing and beautiful. Phil Collins, Train, Earth Wind and Fire, Sade, Stevie Nicks, and Anita Baker are on my list of top ten also, and I am partial to the music of the '70's. No matter who sang it. I think the '70's had the best music of any decade, before or afterwards.

I have always enjoyed reading, especially during the cold, winter months when I can't get outside and work in my gardens. I enjoy spy thrillers and military action novels, probably due to the fact that I am a Navy brat and grew up on Naval bases where I sometimes had some Marine Corps influences as well, especially at Quantico. My favorite authors are Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum, but I am not limited to CIA/spy paperbacks. A good Dean Koontz story late at night is also a fun way to spend the evening curled up in the recliner with my blanket and all the lights on.

My most favorite color has always been blue. Not so much the darker hues, but alot of the lighter shades. My eyes are blue, so maybe that was my inspiration. But as I have grown older, I've come to enjoy other colors and welcome them into my home decor. Blue is beautiful, but there comes a time when even I can grow tired of the same old, same old. I have discovered purples and lavenders these past several years and they seem to be what I gravitate towards now. Mixing teal and lavender is very pretty and it has become my favorite combo. I mix pinks and greens and grays and browns also.

My favorite food? That's like asking a woman who her favorite child is. Well, maybe not that dramatic. If I have to choose, I guess I would have to go with pizza, followed by barbecued ribs and then Mexican, preferably nachos, followed by tacos. When I eat healthy, which probably isn't as often as I should, I love salads, especially Cesear salads and Chef salads... and I try to eat bananas, apples and grapes through the week. Gotta get those fruit servings in!

I have a Twitter account, but I haven't been there in over a week. I just don't have the time to be there as often as I thought I would. Actually, it was Jimmy Fallon who gave me the idea in the first place. Occasionally, on his late night show, he'll start a Twitter hash tag and invite his audience to take part in the replies. It was fun at first, but I can't always keep up with it. I think I had more free time when I worked 70 hours a week as a nurse than I do at semi-retirement due to a disability!

I find myself typing the same info to each one of you who asks for my friendship so this could be a good space to type it one more time and then it is done. My name is Burnieta, I was named after my maternal grandmother and it is pronounced
Bur-nee-da. As a child growing up with this name, I heard every version possible. I was called Burnietta, Bernadette, and Betty....to name a few. And I won't even go into how the spelling of my name was massacred and sacrificed at the hands of teachers, neighbors, and even my friends. It was a nuisance that I accepted as a part of life and just figured that's how it would always be. Enter my fresman year at high school...One day while standing on the corner waiting for the bus, one of my friends called me "Bert" right out of the blue. He said that it was a whole lot easier to remember and the spelling wasn't too hard either. I got on the bus that day with my new name and it has remained the same all these years. Even my mom calls me Bert. And yes, the joke later on was always, "Where's Ernie?", to which I always replied, "At home with the kids!" But forty years have passed since my nickname was born and the name still sticks. Please call me Bert. All my friends do.

About me? How long do I have to write all this out, and will I get a pop up telling me that time has expired? In a condensed version, I am a pretty laid back individual. I don't stress out over the small stuff anymore and I don't try to fix what isn't broken. I am a mother of two grown children, one dog and one cat. My daughter will be a Physician's Assistant in two more years and my son will be in law enforcement some day. He has his sights set on the FBI. I collect windchimes, angels, hummingbirds and crystal figurines and I am a true believer of treating others the same way you would like to be treated. I am unassuming and non-judgmental, and I try to find the good in all people, which is easier said than done sometimes. But if you look deep enough, everyone has something good about them stored inside. You just need a good pair of binoculars sometimes to see it, that's all.

I like people with a sense of humor. Laughter is truly the best medicine and everyone should laugh out loud several times a day. It relieves tension, anxieties, and cures the weary soul. Autumn is my favorite season and although there are a hundred reasons not to like it, I love snow. Watching it fall to the ground is so relaxing, just like watching the leaves fall in autumn. I also enjoy listening to thunderstorms and hearing the rain fall on the roof top. Not anything severe, just a nice, summer thunderstorm with all the trimmings. My tastes are very simple and I don't need a whole lot to be happy. I make my own happiness as I go along and find the fun and adventure in the simple things in life.

I do not like liver and onions. I don't care how it is cooked or who cooks it, it all goes into the napkin in my lap, piece by piece, and then directly into the garbage can. I was in my thirties before I told my mother I never ate her liver and onions. Who knew? If I had to pick personal traits of other people, I guess at the top of my list would be liars and people who cheat. I don't have the patience for either group, and the quickest way to lose my respect is to be caught doing either one.

I love to garden and grow beautiful flowers and yummy tomatoes and green peppers. I also enjoy cross stitching, making my own sun catchers, and lighting scented candles at night and watching good movies or something fun on TV. I work crossword puzzles occasionally and I really enjoy putting 1500+ piece jigsaw puzzles together. Sure keeps me out of trouble, and that's a good thing.
I also enjoy sports...football and hockey being my favorites. I'm a great armchair quarterback and my Sundays and Monday nights are usually set aside for my most favorite sport during the winter. My Red Wings carry me into the spring and then it's time to plant the gardens again. And the cycle repeats itself........ :-)