To end 2004 I give you a moment from one of my favorite movies:
Harry: My whole life I have never known what this song means.
Sally: I know exactly what you mean.
Harry: I mean, should old acquaintance be forgot. Does that mean we should forget old acquaintances, or does it mean if we do happen to forget them, we should remember them, which is not possible because we forgot them in the first place--
Sally: Maybe you're just supposed to remember you forgot them or something -- anyway, it's about old friends.
To old friends and new friends and everyone in between.
Happy New Year to Everyone!
(your regularly schedualed blogger should be back shortly.....thanks for having me!)
**The quote was from when Harry Met Sally, 1989, MGA/UA studios....none of that came from my head***
December 31, 2004
December 30, 2004
Needed: Some downtime
Does anyone else who has to work this week feel slightly gyped?
Show of hands.
Why does the world have to go on in the week between Christmas and New Years? Can't America use all those saved up siestas that it doesn't use every afternoon like other countries and just take the week off. Everything just stop. No work for anyone. Time to decompress from Christmas and all the family goings on, and a little time to just get a little excited about the change of the year. Time to actually enjoy the company of those who have come into town for the holidays. To enjoy the Christmas presents sitting in a box in the corner of the bedroom, still unpacked for lack of time.
Or perhaps it's just me.
Show of hands.
Why does the world have to go on in the week between Christmas and New Years? Can't America use all those saved up siestas that it doesn't use every afternoon like other countries and just take the week off. Everything just stop. No work for anyone. Time to decompress from Christmas and all the family goings on, and a little time to just get a little excited about the change of the year. Time to actually enjoy the company of those who have come into town for the holidays. To enjoy the Christmas presents sitting in a box in the corner of the bedroom, still unpacked for lack of time.
Or perhaps it's just me.
December 29, 2004
I want to lick myself
I just slathered on some of the Vanilla Bean Body Cream from B&BW that I got for Christmas and I smell like frosting. I normally don't like scented lotions and such, but this one is not offensive.
Mmmmmm...frosting.
No funny comments about sticking fingers in me, mmmkay?
Mmmmmm...frosting.
No funny comments about sticking fingers in me, mmmkay?
December 28, 2004
Never trust a skinny cook
I'm now going to share the brief version of the story of how I met the resplendent Casey.
Are you ready?
Many moons ago (4 years?) we were both posting on an iVillage message board called the "20-Something Hangout" There were some real characters on that board [cue Dwayne and his melonball] and some really, really cool chicas. After about a year or so of daily posting and getting to know one another, about 20 of us migrated over to our own little Yahoo! Group, so we could continue our own message board and not have to deal with a revolving door of new people or a bunch of trolls. That group is still going strong and we've become a pretty close group of friends.
3 years ago, we started to do a Secret Santa and this year my Santa was Casey! Lucky me! She sent me a really cool book of incredible holiday cake decorating ideas and promised that something else would be coming in the mail. It came while I was in Ohio, so I just opened it last night. Her brother-in-law made this wooden sign that was red (my favorite color) and said "Never Trust a Skinny Cook" on it. Heh. Absolutely perfect for me. I've already got a spot in the kitchen picked out for it.
Thanks, Casey.
Are you ready?
Many moons ago (4 years?) we were both posting on an iVillage message board called the "20-Something Hangout" There were some real characters on that board [cue Dwayne and his melonball] and some really, really cool chicas. After about a year or so of daily posting and getting to know one another, about 20 of us migrated over to our own little Yahoo! Group, so we could continue our own message board and not have to deal with a revolving door of new people or a bunch of trolls. That group is still going strong and we've become a pretty close group of friends.
3 years ago, we started to do a Secret Santa and this year my Santa was Casey! Lucky me! She sent me a really cool book of incredible holiday cake decorating ideas and promised that something else would be coming in the mail. It came while I was in Ohio, so I just opened it last night. Her brother-in-law made this wooden sign that was red (my favorite color) and said "Never Trust a Skinny Cook" on it. Heh. Absolutely perfect for me. I've already got a spot in the kitchen picked out for it.
Thanks, Casey.
December 27, 2004
Gift Giving
Have we all surfaced from the sea of turkey and wrapping paper?
No holiday casulties I hope.
Did you get everything you wanted? Yea me neither (but then the brand new 4-runner was reaching a little..heh). But then I don't have high expectations so whatever I get I am plesantly surprised by. Actually this was the first year that I actually had more gifts under the tree than anyone else in a long long time (yes I do count, and so do you, just admit it already). Hehe.
Usually my baby sister takes that title. But as my parents are footing the bill for her trip to the UK next summer.....I racked up this year. Yes.
I'm never really upset by not getting the most pressies. My parents tend to come through when I really need them during the year so at Christmas time I am happy to get whatever they feel like buying me. I think we've all turned the sock/underwear corner. You know...when you were a kid getting socks was lame....now it's a great gift ...cuz that means less of that necessity that you have to actually buy with your own hard earned money.
I love getting things that I can actually use.
I love giving presents that people can actually use.
But I have to wonder at some of my family members. The same family members that I have been related to for the last 25 years that I have been on this earth. Some of them know me better than others. But all of them have access to me. How hard is it to shoot me an email, call my phone (either one), or come by my house. Hell, if you can get a carrier pigion to me I'll respond to that too. All you have to do is ask and I will gladly give you a long list of very moderatly priced things that I can always use. Some of this don't actually cost anything, from several of my family members I would gladly take a promise of time spent together as a gift. If you don't want to ask me, my mother is always available also. And let me tell you, if there is another person on this earth (that I don't live with) who knows me, it is that woman.
So to the unspecified family member who got me the set of hot pink eye makeup with matching nail polishes, Thank you. I really do love the thought. I am completely baffeled that you saw hot pink and thought of me but you did. And, as they say, it is the thought that counts.
No holiday casulties I hope.
Did you get everything you wanted? Yea me neither (but then the brand new 4-runner was reaching a little..heh). But then I don't have high expectations so whatever I get I am plesantly surprised by. Actually this was the first year that I actually had more gifts under the tree than anyone else in a long long time (yes I do count, and so do you, just admit it already). Hehe.
Usually my baby sister takes that title. But as my parents are footing the bill for her trip to the UK next summer.....I racked up this year. Yes.
I'm never really upset by not getting the most pressies. My parents tend to come through when I really need them during the year so at Christmas time I am happy to get whatever they feel like buying me. I think we've all turned the sock/underwear corner. You know...when you were a kid getting socks was lame....now it's a great gift ...cuz that means less of that necessity that you have to actually buy with your own hard earned money.
I love getting things that I can actually use.
I love giving presents that people can actually use.
But I have to wonder at some of my family members. The same family members that I have been related to for the last 25 years that I have been on this earth. Some of them know me better than others. But all of them have access to me. How hard is it to shoot me an email, call my phone (either one), or come by my house. Hell, if you can get a carrier pigion to me I'll respond to that too. All you have to do is ask and I will gladly give you a long list of very moderatly priced things that I can always use. Some of this don't actually cost anything, from several of my family members I would gladly take a promise of time spent together as a gift. If you don't want to ask me, my mother is always available also. And let me tell you, if there is another person on this earth (that I don't live with) who knows me, it is that woman.
So to the unspecified family member who got me the set of hot pink eye makeup with matching nail polishes, Thank you. I really do love the thought. I am completely baffeled that you saw hot pink and thought of me but you did. And, as they say, it is the thought that counts.
December 26, 2004
Sheesh!
I haven't had internet access since I've been in Ohio (the horror!). I finally got rid of a bunch of viruses on my mom's computer and installed a firewall and some virus protection software, so I can at least get online for a few minutes. Sorry I've been neglecting my blogsitting duties, Casey. At least the plants aren't dead.
I've got a ton of running around to do yet today, so I probably won't be online again until I get back to NYC tomorrow night. I'll have some fun things chat about then. No really.
Hope everyone is having a good after-Christmas.
I've got a ton of running around to do yet today, so I probably won't be online again until I get back to NYC tomorrow night. I'll have some fun things chat about then. No really.
Hope everyone is having a good after-Christmas.
December 25, 2004
And to all a good night
Merry Christmas folks.
Hope you ate too much turkey, drank just enough wine, got caught under the mistletoe at least once, and spent the day in the company of those you love.
And if you didn't get everything you wanted, do not despair. The after Christmas sales start tomorrow.
Hope you ate too much turkey, drank just enough wine, got caught under the mistletoe at least once, and spent the day in the company of those you love.
And if you didn't get everything you wanted, do not despair. The after Christmas sales start tomorrow.
December 23, 2004
What is Going on Here?!?!
Heh. Kidding. I just thought I'd throw in a harsh comment as a title to see if I could get anyone to confess to any mischief. I have to say, I'm totally impressed by the number of comments Sherri and LaCasey are generating. You girls are rockin' da house!
Things are good on vacation so far. I think I have probably gained a few pounds already. I'm not eating well, but I am eating a lot.
Anyway, just a quick note to check in and wish everyone a happy Christmas Eve Eve!
Things are good on vacation so far. I think I have probably gained a few pounds already. I'm not eating well, but I am eating a lot.
Anyway, just a quick note to check in and wish everyone a happy Christmas Eve Eve!
December 22, 2004
Ok 2 days til Christmas....
and I have all my shopping done except for one person. And of course that one person happens to be my best friend T. Why have I not gone shopping for her yet you might ask? Good Question. Well you see I have done all my shopping online this year. Everything everyone else wanted was readily available by means of the internet. Everyone except T.
Because T asked for socks.
Now I have asked for things in Christmas' past and have been readily ignored and been given things I neither want nor need. So you see, I am a strong believer in getting someone whatever they ask for.
Have you ever g**gled for socks?
Not a pretty picture, I assure you.
Plus part of the wonderful thing about socks is how they feel. How can you possably buy someone socks without taking into account how those socks feel? So since feel-o-internet has not been invented yet, I have to go to a real store and actually find some socks.
Ugh.
And the next day I will have free is Christmas Eve. Shopping for socks. On Christmas Eve.
This could get messy.
Because T asked for socks.
Now I have asked for things in Christmas' past and have been readily ignored and been given things I neither want nor need. So you see, I am a strong believer in getting someone whatever they ask for.
Have you ever g**gled for socks?
Not a pretty picture, I assure you.
Plus part of the wonderful thing about socks is how they feel. How can you possably buy someone socks without taking into account how those socks feel? So since feel-o-internet has not been invented yet, I have to go to a real store and actually find some socks.
Ugh.
And the next day I will have free is Christmas Eve. Shopping for socks. On Christmas Eve.
This could get messy.
Bad Blogsitter
I have been a very bad blogsitter. Three whole days without posting. Good thing Sherri is here to take up the slack that my sorry butt has left in it's wake. Thanks hun.
No doubt Casey will give me a good talking to when she gets back and take away my keys.
But on to my excuses for being such a horrable blogsitter:
1) Family stuff that includes a very sad boyfriend...who needed taking care of.
2) Coming down with a major case of the crud...so that very sad boyfriend actually ended up taking care of me.
3) Major case of the crud resulting in visit to the Dr's office, lots of medication, and me being in a comatose state for the last 24 hours or so.
4) Even if I hadn't been in comatose state for the last day or so the amount of medication I was taking made me so loopy that any posts that might have been written would have made absolutly no sense what so ever.
So please forgive my slacking.....I will try to do better from here on out. Promise.
No doubt Casey will give me a good talking to when she gets back and take away my keys.
But on to my excuses for being such a horrable blogsitter:
1) Family stuff that includes a very sad boyfriend...who needed taking care of.
2) Coming down with a major case of the crud...so that very sad boyfriend actually ended up taking care of me.
3) Major case of the crud resulting in visit to the Dr's office, lots of medication, and me being in a comatose state for the last 24 hours or so.
4) Even if I hadn't been in comatose state for the last day or so the amount of medication I was taking made me so loopy that any posts that might have been written would have made absolutly no sense what so ever.
So please forgive my slacking.....I will try to do better from here on out. Promise.
December 21, 2004
Swans and Ugly Ducklings
Did anyone happen to catch the Swan pageant last night? I have to admit, I'm strangely obsessed with that show. Most of the time, the ladies end up looking like drag queens, and I can't help but wonder who the hell gussies them up for their "unveilings" -- Beetlejuice? But once in a blue moon, there will be one who is actually semi-attractive.
And she is the one who won the pageant last night.
I can't get over the veneers that Sherri, the dentist lady, puts on all of the women. They look hideous, never seem to fit the mouths they're put in and cause the ladies to lisp as if they're wearing retainers. Ick! And they're some unnatural, nuclear shade of white that probably glows in the dark and emits radiation.
Watching a show like that sure turns me off of plastic surgery of any kind. The women never really look "good" after their procedures, just slightly less bad.
Anyhow, I'm already anxiously awaiting the next season. It's like the ultimate train wreck/car crash that I just can't peel myself away from.
Anyone else?
And she is the one who won the pageant last night.
I can't get over the veneers that Sherri, the dentist lady, puts on all of the women. They look hideous, never seem to fit the mouths they're put in and cause the ladies to lisp as if they're wearing retainers. Ick! And they're some unnatural, nuclear shade of white that probably glows in the dark and emits radiation.
Watching a show like that sure turns me off of plastic surgery of any kind. The women never really look "good" after their procedures, just slightly less bad.
Anyhow, I'm already anxiously awaiting the next season. It's like the ultimate train wreck/car crash that I just can't peel myself away from.
Anyone else?
December 20, 2004
How cold is it where YOU are?
NYC saw its first little bit of snow last night, as well as its first hit of single digit temperatures. It finally feels like Christmas. We have a cloudless and sunny sky, which almost makes up for the bitter temperature. Almost.
What's the weather like in your neck of the woods? Are you parading around in fleece and mittens or shorts and sunglasses?
What's the weather like in your neck of the woods? Are you parading around in fleece and mittens or shorts and sunglasses?
December 18, 2004
Blogging on the weekend
So I'm here sitting at work. It's slow cuz everyone is out having Christmasy fun with family and friends. Everyone except me. But I'm not here to play the poor pitamus me game.
I get to go be Christmasy this evening.
A friend of mine is turning 30 in a few days so instead of having the usual Christmas/Birthday party his wife decided to throw him a back to the 80's party. All 80's all the time.
We even have to dress up in 80's clothes. Not the revampted ultra retro 80's stuff that is so chic right now. We are talking acid wash ripped jeans with high heels and socks. You know the really tacky stuff that was all the rage back in the day. Do I remeber any of this? Yea, that would be a no. I was wearing red cords and Strawberry Shortcake stuff back then. I think I was all of 10 when the 80's were ending. So what do I have to go by? I mean besides the endless hours of VH1's I love the 80's that have killed so many of my brain cells. Well all those awesome 80's teen movies that I adored through out the 90's of course.
I wanted to go with the grungy look of Lili Taylor In Say Anything (yes it was 89 but that's still the 80's darn it). Unfortunatly, the thrift store was not obliging and grungy, angsty, black jeans with black band shirt and ill fitting black balzer just wasn't going to happen. It was going to be such a neat outfit.
What did i choose instead?
I will be the mean preppy girl complete with pretty soft pink sweater wrapped around the shoulders, pleated khakis (pleats why oh why the pleats?), and a lavender belt.
I am so not good at this.
Who would you go as?
I get to go be Christmasy this evening.
A friend of mine is turning 30 in a few days so instead of having the usual Christmas/Birthday party his wife decided to throw him a back to the 80's party. All 80's all the time.
We even have to dress up in 80's clothes. Not the revampted ultra retro 80's stuff that is so chic right now. We are talking acid wash ripped jeans with high heels and socks. You know the really tacky stuff that was all the rage back in the day. Do I remeber any of this? Yea, that would be a no. I was wearing red cords and Strawberry Shortcake stuff back then. I think I was all of 10 when the 80's were ending. So what do I have to go by? I mean besides the endless hours of VH1's I love the 80's that have killed so many of my brain cells. Well all those awesome 80's teen movies that I adored through out the 90's of course.
I wanted to go with the grungy look of Lili Taylor In Say Anything (yes it was 89 but that's still the 80's darn it). Unfortunatly, the thrift store was not obliging and grungy, angsty, black jeans with black band shirt and ill fitting black balzer just wasn't going to happen. It was going to be such a neat outfit.
What did i choose instead?
I will be the mean preppy girl complete with pretty soft pink sweater wrapped around the shoulders, pleated khakis (pleats why oh why the pleats?), and a lavender belt.
I am so not good at this.
Who would you go as?
December 17, 2004
Blogsitter #2
Casey sure is brave, turning her blog over to the likes of me. I suppose LaCasey will help keep me in check though.
Just though I'd pop in and say hello. I'm waiting for the pizza guy to get here so I can chow down and watch Office Space and Shrek 2 tonight. Woo-hoo, what an exciting evening. I might try to finish up my holiday cards too, but I wouldn't want to go and over-extend myself or anything.
I hope Casey's having a great start to her trip, and I hope you guys like having me and LaCasey around for the next couple of weeks.
Is there a plant I'm supposed to be watering or a pet I'm supposed to be feeding around here?
Just though I'd pop in and say hello. I'm waiting for the pizza guy to get here so I can chow down and watch Office Space and Shrek 2 tonight. Woo-hoo, what an exciting evening. I might try to finish up my holiday cards too, but I wouldn't want to go and over-extend myself or anything.
I hope Casey's having a great start to her trip, and I hope you guys like having me and LaCasey around for the next couple of weeks.
Is there a plant I'm supposed to be watering or a pet I'm supposed to be feeding around here?
Blogsitting
Well, here I am.
Normally you can find me here. But Casey is such an awesome person that she is actually letting me and Sherri blog sit. How cool is that. I've never blog sat before. I mean I house sat a couple of times during college but that wasn't really hard plus you could eat anything in the fridge. And as any college (or ex-college) student knows free food is what life is all about (or free anything else for that matter....but I digress).
Unfortunately, no free food with this gig. However the digs are still pretty cool and I get to hang out with you guys until the new year.
I know that Casey has this cool habit of finding neato things on the web to talk about. I don't usually do that over at my place but I'll keep an eye out for that sorta thing for here.
And on that note I will take my leave for the day.
Please, if you have any suggestions for someone new to this whole blog sitting thing, leave me a comment and I will do my very best to give it a go. Unless of course that comment includes anything about nude pictures (of myself or anyone else) then I ....ummm I don't know what I'll do......but I'll definately tell Casey when she gets back and you will so be in trouble. Hehe.
Normally you can find me here. But Casey is such an awesome person that she is actually letting me and Sherri blog sit. How cool is that. I've never blog sat before. I mean I house sat a couple of times during college but that wasn't really hard plus you could eat anything in the fridge. And as any college (or ex-college) student knows free food is what life is all about (or free anything else for that matter....but I digress).
Unfortunately, no free food with this gig. However the digs are still pretty cool and I get to hang out with you guys until the new year.
I know that Casey has this cool habit of finding neato things on the web to talk about. I don't usually do that over at my place but I'll keep an eye out for that sorta thing for here.
And on that note I will take my leave for the day.
Please, if you have any suggestions for someone new to this whole blog sitting thing, leave me a comment and I will do my very best to give it a go. Unless of course that comment includes anything about nude pictures (of myself or anyone else) then I ....ummm I don't know what I'll do......but I'll definately tell Casey when she gets back and you will so be in trouble. Hehe.
December 16, 2004
Annnnnd...We're Off!
We're leaving in the morning on our long trip halfway across the country. My eldest brother, John, is graduating from college for the second time tomorrow, and we'll be attending the ceremony at Boise State University. We've got some errands and junk to run in the afternoon, and then will celebrate the holidays with my family at John's house that night.
We leave from Boise on Saturday morning and travel to eastern Idaho to visit my next-eldest brother, Jason. And then we head to Denver on Sunday to spend a day or two with Matt's sister, Michele. It's very nice to have relatives spaced out along the route. It cuts down on the amount of money we spend on hotel rooms.
Matt's family lives in the Milwaukee area, and I'm sure we'll spend lots of quality time visiting with his six brothers and sisters, most of whom (with the exception of the aforementioned sister) will be in the same area.
We're also planning a jaunt into Chicago to see some of the great museums and maybe a gallery or an aquarium. We'll be back after the first of the year, and hopefully life will return to what passes for normal around here.
I recently scraped together another several weeks of work, so I will not be stepping directly into unemployment upon our return home. This is good, because it means I can squander more money on vacation.
I'm happy that my site will be left in responsible and capable hands. Thanks to my guest bloggers. Everyone have a very happy Christmahanukwanzakah. I'll miss you all!
We leave from Boise on Saturday morning and travel to eastern Idaho to visit my next-eldest brother, Jason. And then we head to Denver on Sunday to spend a day or two with Matt's sister, Michele. It's very nice to have relatives spaced out along the route. It cuts down on the amount of money we spend on hotel rooms.
Matt's family lives in the Milwaukee area, and I'm sure we'll spend lots of quality time visiting with his six brothers and sisters, most of whom (with the exception of the aforementioned sister) will be in the same area.
We're also planning a jaunt into Chicago to see some of the great museums and maybe a gallery or an aquarium. We'll be back after the first of the year, and hopefully life will return to what passes for normal around here.
I recently scraped together another several weeks of work, so I will not be stepping directly into unemployment upon our return home. This is good, because it means I can squander more money on vacation.
I'm happy that my site will be left in responsible and capable hands. Thanks to my guest bloggers. Everyone have a very happy Christmahanukwanzakah. I'll miss you all!
December 15, 2004
Arrrrgh!!!!
I spent an hour last night and two hours tonight working on a job application. I finally finished up the self-evaluation criteria a few minutes ago. It's lengthy--there are all these different tasks that you rate your ability to perform in, then you prepare a narrative to support your own rating. I wound all that up and went to the online application website to submit my information.
Guess what?
The website said the vacancy announcement was closed by management sometime today. I can't figure out what the heck is going on. I contacted the supervisor of this position at about 2:00 today, and she didn't say anything about having a problem with the vacancy and not being able to fill it. I guess it's possible that there was a glitch on the application website. But seriously! I spent three hours out of my life working on this. Oh, and? Even if they reopen it tomorrow, that gives me tomorrow night to get all the information input to the site, since we're leaving on vacation Friday and I won't have reliable internet access until after the first of the year. Arrrrgh!!!
Guess what?
The website said the vacancy announcement was closed by management sometime today. I can't figure out what the heck is going on. I contacted the supervisor of this position at about 2:00 today, and she didn't say anything about having a problem with the vacancy and not being able to fill it. I guess it's possible that there was a glitch on the application website. But seriously! I spent three hours out of my life working on this. Oh, and? Even if they reopen it tomorrow, that gives me tomorrow night to get all the information input to the site, since we're leaving on vacation Friday and I won't have reliable internet access until after the first of the year. Arrrrgh!!!
Don't Throw it All Away!
Have you guys checked out Freecycle yet? It's a site similar to Craigslist, in that it is divided by communities and you can find some interesting stuff on it.
The premise is that there are people out there who would take some of the stuff that you might otherwise throw away. This saves space in the landfills, and if someone wants your stuff, they'll come get it and you don't have to waste your time on a boring trip to the dump. There's no charge, and people don't charge for their items. They just post a message about what they've got and whoever wants it posts a message saying they would like it.
The premise is that there are people out there who would take some of the stuff that you might otherwise throw away. This saves space in the landfills, and if someone wants your stuff, they'll come get it and you don't have to waste your time on a boring trip to the dump. There's no charge, and people don't charge for their items. They just post a message about what they've got and whoever wants it posts a message saying they would like it.
Random Act of Kindness
I had something kind of cute happen this afternoon. I went into the post office and recognized an older lady from town. I don't know her well, so I just made eye contact and gave her a smile.
She stopped in her tracks and said, "You look so cute. What a nice smile!"
I thought that was awfully sweet and it's given me a warm glow.
She stopped in her tracks and said, "You look so cute. What a nice smile!"
I thought that was awfully sweet and it's given me a warm glow.
December 14, 2004
Up, Down. Up, Down.
Today was kind of a roller coaster. I've been waiting to hear on a possible job in Boise. The intent was to sort of create this job with me in mind, and I'd be managing an area I used to work in years ago. I found out today that the funding fell through, and it looks like the job is a no-go.
Shortly afterward, I received a job announcement to do what I've always said I wanted to do when I grew up. (It has to do with public affairs and media work. And web design!) It sounds wonderful, plus it has some excellent promotion potential. I'm very excited about it and have started politicking aggressively for it.
I've been excited for the last week because my office holiday potluck was tonight. I should really know better than to get excited. But I can't really help it; I'm social, dammit! Sadly, quite a few of my co-workers are not. It was a pretty dead party.
Sigh... Oh, to answer Tami's question, things are going pretty slowly with the moving plans. I called our realtor yesterday and did the panicked home-seller thing for a while. "Should we drop the price?" (No.) "Can we advertise more?" (Not really.) "What about putting it on Craigslist? (What the heck is that?) She went on to say that this has been an extremely slow month for sales due to the holiday, and that things will pick up in January. Also, we should be tickled pink that we've had people come to look at it, despite the fact that no one has made us an offer on the place. So...I'll try to be patient. I'm not the kind of person who does well with waiting.
Shortly afterward, I received a job announcement to do what I've always said I wanted to do when I grew up. (It has to do with public affairs and media work. And web design!) It sounds wonderful, plus it has some excellent promotion potential. I'm very excited about it and have started politicking aggressively for it.
I've been excited for the last week because my office holiday potluck was tonight. I should really know better than to get excited. But I can't really help it; I'm social, dammit! Sadly, quite a few of my co-workers are not. It was a pretty dead party.
Sigh... Oh, to answer Tami's question, things are going pretty slowly with the moving plans. I called our realtor yesterday and did the panicked home-seller thing for a while. "Should we drop the price?" (No.) "Can we advertise more?" (Not really.) "What about putting it on Craigslist? (What the heck is that?) She went on to say that this has been an extremely slow month for sales due to the holiday, and that things will pick up in January. Also, we should be tickled pink that we've had people come to look at it, despite the fact that no one has made us an offer on the place. So...I'll try to be patient. I'm not the kind of person who does well with waiting.
Such Good News
I got some really great news today. I have a friend who lives several hours away from here and I don't see her very often. We met through work and bonded because we have some very similar infertility issues. She and her husband had decided to go through the process to adopt an infant.
They were chosen by a birth mother who delivered a baby boy in October. They took the baby home and had him for the weekend as their own. But the baby's father decided that he didn't want to give up his parental rights, and my friend had to give the baby back. She and her husband were utterly devastated. In fact, they went to counseling for a while to learn how to deal with the fact that they were parents so briefly.
They were chosen by yet another birth mother several weeks ago. The baby was delivered by c-section last week, they took her home, and the mother signed over parental rights today. The father is scheduled to do it tomorrow, but even if he stalls on it, his rights are very limited now that the mother has gone through the legal procedure. They don't think he'll back out anyway.
So, I'm happy to share a picture of Abby Olivia with you. I am just so happy for my friends!
Abby Olivia
They were chosen by a birth mother who delivered a baby boy in October. They took the baby home and had him for the weekend as their own. But the baby's father decided that he didn't want to give up his parental rights, and my friend had to give the baby back. She and her husband were utterly devastated. In fact, they went to counseling for a while to learn how to deal with the fact that they were parents so briefly.
They were chosen by yet another birth mother several weeks ago. The baby was delivered by c-section last week, they took her home, and the mother signed over parental rights today. The father is scheduled to do it tomorrow, but even if he stalls on it, his rights are very limited now that the mother has gone through the legal procedure. They don't think he'll back out anyway.
So, I'm happy to share a picture of Abby Olivia with you. I am just so happy for my friends!
Abby Olivia
December 13, 2004
Jerks!
I don't know if "Entertainment Books" are an Idaho thing or not, but I just got one last week. It's a book of coupons you can buy that gets you two-for-one dinners and lunches and places all over the area, and they're kind of fun.
So Matt had some errands to run up in McCall tonight and we decided to use one of the coupons at the McCall Brew Pub. We ordered some high dollar food, but figured, "Hey, it's two-for one!" Ha. Halfway through dinner I mentioned to our server that we had a coupon and he was like, "Ohhh, we don't honor those anymore." Me: "Huh?" Him: "We changed management and the new management won't honor the coupons. I'm sooooo sorry."
What makes it worse is that, not only was dinner expensive, but it was AWFUL! I had a seafood fetuccine entree with prawns, crab and salmon. You'd think it would be good, right? Wrong. It wasn't Send It Back to the Cook bad, but it was Jeez, I Wish We'd Gone for Chinese Instead bad.
Talk about adding insult to injury. Anyway, my retribution is getting to slag on them over the internet. And just for anyone doing a Google search for the place, it is now called the McCall Brewing Company, and their food is CRAP! And they're jerks!
So Matt had some errands to run up in McCall tonight and we decided to use one of the coupons at the McCall Brew Pub. We ordered some high dollar food, but figured, "Hey, it's two-for one!" Ha. Halfway through dinner I mentioned to our server that we had a coupon and he was like, "Ohhh, we don't honor those anymore." Me: "Huh?" Him: "We changed management and the new management won't honor the coupons. I'm sooooo sorry."
What makes it worse is that, not only was dinner expensive, but it was AWFUL! I had a seafood fetuccine entree with prawns, crab and salmon. You'd think it would be good, right? Wrong. It wasn't Send It Back to the Cook bad, but it was Jeez, I Wish We'd Gone for Chinese Instead bad.
Talk about adding insult to injury. Anyway, my retribution is getting to slag on them over the internet. And just for anyone doing a Google search for the place, it is now called the McCall Brewing Company, and their food is CRAP! And they're jerks!
Thoughts? Opinions?
Calif. Jury Urges Death Penalty for Scott Peterson
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (Reuters) - A California jury on Monday recommended the death sentence for Scott Peterson for killing his wife and unborn son following a sensational trial that riveted much of the country.
The jury of six men and six women, who found Peterson guilty on Nov. 12, deliberated for about 12 hours before deciding that he should be executed for the murders of his 27-year-old wife, Laci, and unborn son, Conner.
I'm actually a little surprised. I wasn't sure a California jury would give him the death penalty. I mean, you can get the death penalty in Idaho for insulting someone's Confederate lineage (I keed, I keed), but isn't California supposed to be a hot-bed of flaming liberals who don't approve of the death penalty? I'm allowed to say that, speaking as a flaming liberal myself, you know.
Anyway, anyone have any thoughts about it all?
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (Reuters) - A California jury on Monday recommended the death sentence for Scott Peterson for killing his wife and unborn son following a sensational trial that riveted much of the country.
The jury of six men and six women, who found Peterson guilty on Nov. 12, deliberated for about 12 hours before deciding that he should be executed for the murders of his 27-year-old wife, Laci, and unborn son, Conner.
I'm actually a little surprised. I wasn't sure a California jury would give him the death penalty. I mean, you can get the death penalty in Idaho for insulting someone's Confederate lineage (I keed, I keed), but isn't California supposed to be a hot-bed of flaming liberals who don't approve of the death penalty? I'm allowed to say that, speaking as a flaming liberal myself, you know.
Anyway, anyone have any thoughts about it all?
Major Score!
I've been a member of a certain message board for something like five years now. We're all women who were in our twenties (okay, there's a guy, but most of us don't care much for him) at the time, and we just kind of bonded. So we've been doing a Secret Santa exchange for a few years, and I just got my present today.
Now before you jump on me about not being able to wait, which is technically true but not the point, I should mention that the rules of our exchange say that you MUST open your presents upon delivery so that you can tell the rest of the board who your Santa was and what you got.
My friend Tea, who is from Keller, Texas, got me the coolest, nicest, most loveliest Calphalon 12-inch skillet.
I can not wait to go cook something at a high temperature. Thanks, Tea!
Now before you jump on me about not being able to wait, which is technically true but not the point, I should mention that the rules of our exchange say that you MUST open your presents upon delivery so that you can tell the rest of the board who your Santa was and what you got.
My friend Tea, who is from Keller, Texas, got me the coolest, nicest, most loveliest Calphalon 12-inch skillet.
I can not wait to go cook something at a high temperature. Thanks, Tea!
December 12, 2004
Comedy v. Tragedy
Have any of you guys seen Group Hug? It's a webpage where people can go to anonymously confess whatever is in their hearts. Some of it is very sad, and some people are just sick f*cks.
What would I confess? That I am so danged sick of waiting for the football game to get over with that I just started clicking the >>Next Blog button at the top of my page. And clicked. And clicked. God, it really is phenomenal how much rubbish is out there. I don't claim to be the most entertaining person in the world, but I seriously think there needs to be some sort of minimum age and IQ score for blogging.
What would I confess? That I am so danged sick of waiting for the football game to get over with that I just started clicking the >>Next Blog button at the top of my page. And clicked. And clicked. God, it really is phenomenal how much rubbish is out there. I don't claim to be the most entertaining person in the world, but I seriously think there needs to be some sort of minimum age and IQ score for blogging.
Russian History
I just finished reading, "The Kitchen Boy," by Robert Alexander. Kalisah recommended it on her site a while back, and I ordered it from Amazon.
What a touching book. If you remember your world history, Czar Nicholas II of Russia was assasinated in 1918, along with his wife, daughters and son. A brief mention of a kitchen servant that accompanied the Romanov family into exile is made in one of Empress Alexandra's diaries, and the author built a very convincing historical novel around that mention.
The book's website gives a great summary of the book. If you like historical fiction or if you enjoyed "The DaVinci Code", then you'd probably like this one as well.
What a touching book. If you remember your world history, Czar Nicholas II of Russia was assasinated in 1918, along with his wife, daughters and son. A brief mention of a kitchen servant that accompanied the Romanov family into exile is made in one of Empress Alexandra's diaries, and the author built a very convincing historical novel around that mention.
The book's website gives a great summary of the book. If you like historical fiction or if you enjoyed "The DaVinci Code", then you'd probably like this one as well.
Kinda Crabby
This is one of those days where I really wish we were living in Boise. (No bites on the house, by the way.) Matt left for work at about 6:00 this morning. There are cougar hunting seasons going on right now, and those guys like to get an early start.
Anyway, I've been sitting here in my bathrobe, checking blogs and reading e-mail. It dawned on me that I'm trying to be social. I'm trying to interact with people.
I'm just wishing I had a girlfriend nearby that would call and say, "Hey, come over and eat doughnuts with me." And I'd say, "Okay, but I'm driving over in my bathrobe."
That's the kind of thing I'd have done back in the day when I was living down there. But I was single then, so I'd have had to do my hair and makeup, and put on the sexy bathrobe just in case I got pulled over by a cute cop on my way to my girlfriend's house.
Anyway, I've been sitting here in my bathrobe, checking blogs and reading e-mail. It dawned on me that I'm trying to be social. I'm trying to interact with people.
I'm just wishing I had a girlfriend nearby that would call and say, "Hey, come over and eat doughnuts with me." And I'd say, "Okay, but I'm driving over in my bathrobe."
That's the kind of thing I'd have done back in the day when I was living down there. But I was single then, so I'd have had to do my hair and makeup, and put on the sexy bathrobe just in case I got pulled over by a cute cop on my way to my girlfriend's house.
December 11, 2004
Holy Cats!
Cat's Headstone was a £200,000 Piece of Saxon History
A 1,000-year-old stone carving marking a cat's grave sold yesterday for more than £200,000.
Ruth Beeston had no idea of the value of the statue, a memorial to her cat, Winkle, in her garden in Somerset. Her husband, Johnny, who died last year, found the slab in a quarry years ago, and thought it would make a nice headstone.
But, at Sotheby's in London yesterday, a private collector paid a total of £201,600 for the limestone carving of St Peter.
The piece dates from the early 10th century and was spotted by a local potter and amateur historian, Chris Brewchorne.
Alexander Cader of Sotheby's said of Mrs Beeston: "It was like winning the lottery for her. She is going to be thrilled and I think she is planning a trip to Kenya. It is going to have a real impact on her."
Why does this story remind me of Stephen King's "Pet Semetary"?
A 1,000-year-old stone carving marking a cat's grave sold yesterday for more than £200,000.
Ruth Beeston had no idea of the value of the statue, a memorial to her cat, Winkle, in her garden in Somerset. Her husband, Johnny, who died last year, found the slab in a quarry years ago, and thought it would make a nice headstone.
But, at Sotheby's in London yesterday, a private collector paid a total of £201,600 for the limestone carving of St Peter.
The piece dates from the early 10th century and was spotted by a local potter and amateur historian, Chris Brewchorne.
Alexander Cader of Sotheby's said of Mrs Beeston: "It was like winning the lottery for her. She is going to be thrilled and I think she is planning a trip to Kenya. It is going to have a real impact on her."
Why does this story remind me of Stephen King's "Pet Semetary"?
December 10, 2004
I Am Not Making This Up
My latest issue of Budget Living magazine had what I consider to be a friggin' amazing thing in it:
Higher-end cosmetics companies are settling a class action lawsuit and will likely be giving away free make-up and skin care products. I'm just going to quote right from the Budget Living article.
"We're guessing you bought at least one cosmetic product at a department store between May 29, 1994 and July 16, 2003. If so, you may be eligible for $18 to $25 worth of wares...The complaint involves price-fixing (ever notice how department-store makeup never goes on sale?), and after much legal wrangling, the final decision is set to come down on January 11, 2005. If the judge gives the go-ahead, the gratis goods will be available shortly thereafter... Register by logging on to CosmeticsSettlement.com or by calling 877-604-5776. You'll be notified of when and where to collect your share of the swag."
I just went to the website and read the details of the agreement. It's pretty straightforward. Listed brands run from Chanel to Estee' Lauder to MAC to Clarins to Origins, and quite a number of retailers are involved.
Check it out! I command thee! Also, take a look at some of the subscription details on the magazine website. I really enjoy this one--thanks to my friend Tea for getting me a gift subscription a couple of years ago.
Higher-end cosmetics companies are settling a class action lawsuit and will likely be giving away free make-up and skin care products. I'm just going to quote right from the Budget Living article.
"We're guessing you bought at least one cosmetic product at a department store between May 29, 1994 and July 16, 2003. If so, you may be eligible for $18 to $25 worth of wares...The complaint involves price-fixing (ever notice how department-store makeup never goes on sale?), and after much legal wrangling, the final decision is set to come down on January 11, 2005. If the judge gives the go-ahead, the gratis goods will be available shortly thereafter... Register by logging on to CosmeticsSettlement.com or by calling 877-604-5776. You'll be notified of when and where to collect your share of the swag."
I just went to the website and read the details of the agreement. It's pretty straightforward. Listed brands run from Chanel to Estee' Lauder to MAC to Clarins to Origins, and quite a number of retailers are involved.
Check it out! I command thee! Also, take a look at some of the subscription details on the magazine website. I really enjoy this one--thanks to my friend Tea for getting me a gift subscription a couple of years ago.
December 09, 2004
Rambling
I've made a new addition to the list of things I must buy as soon as physically possible: Mighty Leaf Tea. Jessica recommended it on her site, and the Orange Dulce flavor sounds so delicious. I can't recall if I've mentioned my tea fixation here on the blog yet, but I do have something of a habit. It started when I decided to cut down on the amount of coffee I was drinking. Now I have one cuppa joe to get me going in the morning, then I switch to tea once I get to work. I also have a cup at home in the evenings. I love me some tea...
I found a really fun blog called Badger Meets World as I was stalking, I mean, checking my StatCounter account. Yes, I check my stats on a near-daily basis. But this isn't about me, it's about the Badger. The writer has a great, enjoyable attitude and writing style, plus great taste in their Blogroll. Heh.
Erica over at Swirlspice has found love (or something like it). I'm thrilled. I've known Erica from the long-ago when she was *this tall*. Okay, it's been a few years and I couldn't honestly comment on her growth or lack thereof. But it's about time she found herself a nice girl and settled down. And that FlyGirl better look out: if she hurts my girl, I'm gonna whup her ass. (I'm sure that won't be necessary.)
I have been LOVING Snarkywood lately. I stumbled across it through Chris' site, and I can't get enough. It's three very talented bloggers (one of whom hates that word) who basically tear into current pop culture "icons" like Oprah tears into a bag of Fritos. Considering it's Thursday night, check out their most recent post, a searing snark on the men of The Apprentice. (And godammit, I can't tell if that pinged correctly or not--my trackback doesn't seem to be working very well.
Well, I 'spose I've gone on enough for one night. For any of you lurkers out there who check in and never comment, I SEE YOU!!! Seriously, throw me some love and post a comment now and then. I'm glad to have you coming around.
I found a really fun blog called Badger Meets World as I was stalking, I mean, checking my StatCounter account. Yes, I check my stats on a near-daily basis. But this isn't about me, it's about the Badger. The writer has a great, enjoyable attitude and writing style, plus great taste in their Blogroll. Heh.
Erica over at Swirlspice has found love (or something like it). I'm thrilled. I've known Erica from the long-ago when she was *this tall*. Okay, it's been a few years and I couldn't honestly comment on her growth or lack thereof. But it's about time she found herself a nice girl and settled down. And that FlyGirl better look out: if she hurts my girl, I'm gonna whup her ass. (I'm sure that won't be necessary.)
I have been LOVING Snarkywood lately. I stumbled across it through Chris' site, and I can't get enough. It's three very talented bloggers (one of whom hates that word) who basically tear into current pop culture "icons" like Oprah tears into a bag of Fritos. Considering it's Thursday night, check out their most recent post, a searing snark on the men of The Apprentice. (And godammit, I can't tell if that pinged correctly or not--my trackback doesn't seem to be working very well.
Well, I 'spose I've gone on enough for one night. For any of you lurkers out there who check in and never comment, I SEE YOU!!! Seriously, throw me some love and post a comment now and then. I'm glad to have you coming around.
December 08, 2004
Winter Freakin' Wonderland
I've mentioned the recent snow storm, yes? Well, we got an additional 12 inches today. That has us up to about 26 inches since Monday. Monday, people. The County actually quit plowing all east-to-west (and west-to-east by default) streets today. The wind was out of the south, and they flat out couldn't keep the roads open. I told Matt that I can't remember seeing it snow this hard in all my 30 years of being an Idaho resident. If you took the phrase, "Like a cow pissing on a flat rock" as applies to rain and then froze it, you'd have our weather pattern.
I'm proud to announce that I'm pretty much all done with the Christmas presents and cards. I've grown a very "fuck it" attitude about my Christmas card list in the last year or so. If I have sent people a card for more than one year without any reciprocation, they're off the list. No card!
I'm more than a little worried about the crap weather affecting the sale of our house. We don't exactly have the easiest driveway for winter access. It's long and steep. And in a week where we've had two feet of snow...well, it's not so good. However, I don't think many people are out travelling at the moment, so I guess even if we had the greatest driveway in the world, no one is out looking at real estate. If you guys could start sending some sell my house good luck vibes, I'd really appreciate it.
I'm proud to announce that I'm pretty much all done with the Christmas presents and cards. I've grown a very "fuck it" attitude about my Christmas card list in the last year or so. If I have sent people a card for more than one year without any reciprocation, they're off the list. No card!
I'm more than a little worried about the crap weather affecting the sale of our house. We don't exactly have the easiest driveway for winter access. It's long and steep. And in a week where we've had two feet of snow...well, it's not so good. However, I don't think many people are out travelling at the moment, so I guess even if we had the greatest driveway in the world, no one is out looking at real estate. If you guys could start sending some sell my house good luck vibes, I'd really appreciate it.
December 07, 2004
Grumpy Old Man
Here's a sample of the conversation I had with my dad tonight.
Dad: Got much snow?
Me: Yeah, over a foot.
Dad: It was really nice here in Boise today.
Me: Yeah, I know. We were down there for doctors' appointments and it was a big improvement on Cascade.
Dad (long pause): You know how I can tell you hate me?
Me: Huh?
Dad: Do you know how I can tell you hate me?
Me: I do?
Dad: Because you come down here and you don't stop and see me.
Me: We don't always have time to come and see you.
Dad: Because you hate me.
He's turning into his own mother. My grandmother died when I was 13, and I can remember very clearly in the years leading up to her death that my father hated going to see her because she was the Absolute All-Time Mistress of the Guilt Trip. All us kids got to see how well that worked on him, and he's passed his own reaction to that along to us. Aren't genetics and behavioral conditioning wonderful things?
Dad: Got much snow?
Me: Yeah, over a foot.
Dad: It was really nice here in Boise today.
Me: Yeah, I know. We were down there for doctors' appointments and it was a big improvement on Cascade.
Dad (long pause): You know how I can tell you hate me?
Me: Huh?
Dad: Do you know how I can tell you hate me?
Me: I do?
Dad: Because you come down here and you don't stop and see me.
Me: We don't always have time to come and see you.
Dad: Because you hate me.
He's turning into his own mother. My grandmother died when I was 13, and I can remember very clearly in the years leading up to her death that my father hated going to see her because she was the Absolute All-Time Mistress of the Guilt Trip. All us kids got to see how well that worked on him, and he's passed his own reaction to that along to us. Aren't genetics and behavioral conditioning wonderful things?
Doctor, Doctor
It was a day full of doctor visits for Matt and I. After battling through a friggin' blizzard to get to Boise (12 inches of snow overnight), we took Matt back to the Sinus Center. I'm so glad he goes there, rather than seeing one of the general practitioners up here. The folks at the Sinus Center seem to listen and take his symptoms seriously, rather than just doing an internal eye-roll when he says how miserable the sinus infections make him.
After a very disappointing lunch at a place that had been raved over by many (Aubergine, for those in the Boise area), we made a couple of brief stops. Matt is a "bread head," so I took him to the Great Harvest Bread Company so that he could stock up. Then we headed down to The Record Exchange, my favorite music store.
Finally, it was off to see my OB/GYN. I have to go in for a monthly check-up while I'm on Clomid. He checks me out during the first few days of my cycle to make sure my ovaries aren't becoming cystic, which is evidently one of the potential side effects of taking this particular fertility drug. Once again, all was well with my bidness, so I'll be starting round three of the pills in a day or two.
What a whirlwind day.
After a very disappointing lunch at a place that had been raved over by many (Aubergine, for those in the Boise area), we made a couple of brief stops. Matt is a "bread head," so I took him to the Great Harvest Bread Company so that he could stock up. Then we headed down to The Record Exchange, my favorite music store.
Finally, it was off to see my OB/GYN. I have to go in for a monthly check-up while I'm on Clomid. He checks me out during the first few days of my cycle to make sure my ovaries aren't becoming cystic, which is evidently one of the potential side effects of taking this particular fertility drug. Once again, all was well with my bidness, so I'll be starting round three of the pills in a day or two.
What a whirlwind day.
December 06, 2004
Antiques Roadshow
(Totally an aside here, but I just heard a snowmobile driving down the road. We got something like 6 inches of snow in the last 24 hours and winter seems to be settling in.)
Matt was out in the living room watching Antiques Roadshow on Idaho Public Television. I don't know if any of you all tune in to that or not, but the basic premise is that people in large-ish towns come to these big appraisal fairs that the show hosts. They can be in Denver one episode, Savannah the next, and Boston in a third. Antiques experts at the shows check out what you brought in from your attic and tell you what it's worth.
I particularly enjoy the segments where some smug, pampered house-wife shows up with a "priceless silver tea service," that her mother-in-law left her, and she's told it's a fake and utter rubbish. But I'm mean that way.
So tonight's episode was a recap of some of the stuff that was appraised at out of this world values. There were original oil paintings, some by Hudson River School masters, the obligatory silver tea service, two Tiffany lamps, etc. But the final item was a Navajo blanket woven for a chief of the Ute tribe. Kit Carson ended up giving it to a man whose great-great-great grandson (or something like that) brought it in to the show. It was worth a half a million dollars. And if he'd been able to come up with proof of its provenance (the story of Carson gave it to the other guy), then it would be worth something like $700,000. Can you imagine?
Matt was out in the living room watching Antiques Roadshow on Idaho Public Television. I don't know if any of you all tune in to that or not, but the basic premise is that people in large-ish towns come to these big appraisal fairs that the show hosts. They can be in Denver one episode, Savannah the next, and Boston in a third. Antiques experts at the shows check out what you brought in from your attic and tell you what it's worth.
I particularly enjoy the segments where some smug, pampered house-wife shows up with a "priceless silver tea service," that her mother-in-law left her, and she's told it's a fake and utter rubbish. But I'm mean that way.
So tonight's episode was a recap of some of the stuff that was appraised at out of this world values. There were original oil paintings, some by Hudson River School masters, the obligatory silver tea service, two Tiffany lamps, etc. But the final item was a Navajo blanket woven for a chief of the Ute tribe. Kit Carson ended up giving it to a man whose great-great-great grandson (or something like that) brought it in to the show. It was worth a half a million dollars. And if he'd been able to come up with proof of its provenance (the story of Carson gave it to the other guy), then it would be worth something like $700,000. Can you imagine?
Thanks!
I owe big thanks to Sherri and Louisiana Casey, who have agreed to guest blog for me while I'm visiting scenic Wisconsin over the holidays.
I'm hoping to check in and post a time or two while I'm gone, but because I know everyone loves a fresh page, I owe a debt to these guys for taking over for me. Thanks!!!
And you all will just have to visit their respective pages before I leave so that you can get a sneak peek of the fun ahead.
I'm hoping to check in and post a time or two while I'm gone, but because I know everyone loves a fresh page, I owe a debt to these guys for taking over for me. Thanks!!!
And you all will just have to visit their respective pages before I leave so that you can get a sneak peek of the fun ahead.
December 05, 2004
Oh, Joy...
I've been sitting at the computer trying to get my whole basal temperature chart straightened out. It's harder than hell to keep track of all that when you're house-sitting. I tried to keep it all written down in my day planner, but I sort of got lazy taking the temperature after I ovulated (after all, what difference does it make?).
So I finally got that figured out, and I started counting out what the month ahead should hold. If things remain the same as they were last month, I'll start ovulating the day before we leave for Wisconsin. Okay, that's not so bad. But then Aunt Flo should join me on vacation about three days before I get home. Say it with me, ladies...groan!!! I HATE having the Big P while I'm on the road.
I shouldn't complain. I know this. Several months ago, I wasn't even having periods, and I sure as hell wasn't ovulating. Someone smack me for being an ingrate. Thanks.
Oh, while I'm at it, is anyone interested in guest blogging for a couple of weeks while I am gone? I'll be eternally grateful, plus I'll make a donation to the charity of your choice. Seriously. E-mail me if you want to help out.
So I finally got that figured out, and I started counting out what the month ahead should hold. If things remain the same as they were last month, I'll start ovulating the day before we leave for Wisconsin. Okay, that's not so bad. But then Aunt Flo should join me on vacation about three days before I get home. Say it with me, ladies...groan!!! I HATE having the Big P while I'm on the road.
I shouldn't complain. I know this. Several months ago, I wasn't even having periods, and I sure as hell wasn't ovulating. Someone smack me for being an ingrate. Thanks.
Oh, while I'm at it, is anyone interested in guest blogging for a couple of weeks while I am gone? I'll be eternally grateful, plus I'll make a donation to the charity of your choice. Seriously. E-mail me if you want to help out.
Tonight's Menu
Since Matt is battling the sinus infection, I decided to cook a meal tonight that will give him an immunity boost and heat up his sinuses to encourage good drainage. (And if that doesn't make you hungry, I don't know what will.)
Grilled Pork and Pepper Skewers
From, "Eating for Life," by Better Homes & Gardens
12 oz. boneless pork top loin roast
2 medium red sweet peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
1 medium red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 8 oz. (1 cup) carton plain, low-fat yogurt
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped (if you can't find those, use fresh jalapenos)
1 tb. grated fresh ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1. Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into 1-inch pieces. Place meat, sweet peppers and red onion in a medium bowl.
2. For marinade, in a small bowl stir together yogurt, green onions, chipotle peppers, ginger, garlic, sugar, coriander, salt & black pepper. Pour over meat mixture, stirring to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.
3. When assembling the kabobs, wear plastic or rubber gloves to protect your hands from the oils in the hot peppers. (Or wash your hands immediately afterwards.) On eight 6- to 8-inch metal skewers, alternately thread meat, sweet peppers and onion, leaving 1/4 inch between pieces.
4. Grill kabobs on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 12 to 14 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling. If desired, serve with brown rice. Makes 4 servings.
Cheese Straws
From the latest Penzey's Spices catalog
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tb. butter
1/2 to 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4-1/3 cup milk
2 tsp. kosher salt
Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine cheese, flour and butter which has been cut into small chunks. Rub together with your fingers until crumbly. Add the red pepper (use the smaller amount for starters--you can always make the next batch hotter if desired). Using a wooden spoon, mix in as much milk as needed to get the dough to stick together. Lighly flour a table or cutting board and roll the dough out as you would for cookies--between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. Slice into pretzel rod shapes, about 1/4 inch wide and 4 to 6 inches long and carefully place on cookie sheets coated with vegetable oil spray. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10-14 minutes, until golden brown. (Mine took longer, but I may have a weird oven.) Remove from pans right away. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Grilled Pork and Pepper Skewers
From, "Eating for Life," by Better Homes & Gardens
12 oz. boneless pork top loin roast
2 medium red sweet peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
1 medium red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 8 oz. (1 cup) carton plain, low-fat yogurt
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped (if you can't find those, use fresh jalapenos)
1 tb. grated fresh ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1. Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into 1-inch pieces. Place meat, sweet peppers and red onion in a medium bowl.
2. For marinade, in a small bowl stir together yogurt, green onions, chipotle peppers, ginger, garlic, sugar, coriander, salt & black pepper. Pour over meat mixture, stirring to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.
3. When assembling the kabobs, wear plastic or rubber gloves to protect your hands from the oils in the hot peppers. (Or wash your hands immediately afterwards.) On eight 6- to 8-inch metal skewers, alternately thread meat, sweet peppers and onion, leaving 1/4 inch between pieces.
4. Grill kabobs on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 12 to 14 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling. If desired, serve with brown rice. Makes 4 servings.
Cheese Straws
From the latest Penzey's Spices catalog
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tb. butter
1/2 to 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4-1/3 cup milk
2 tsp. kosher salt
Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine cheese, flour and butter which has been cut into small chunks. Rub together with your fingers until crumbly. Add the red pepper (use the smaller amount for starters--you can always make the next batch hotter if desired). Using a wooden spoon, mix in as much milk as needed to get the dough to stick together. Lighly flour a table or cutting board and roll the dough out as you would for cookies--between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. Slice into pretzel rod shapes, about 1/4 inch wide and 4 to 6 inches long and carefully place on cookie sheets coated with vegetable oil spray. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10-14 minutes, until golden brown. (Mine took longer, but I may have a weird oven.) Remove from pans right away. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Can I Have Moratorium on Football?
My beloved, my darling, my angel, my spouse is sitting on the couch watching NFL pre-game stuff. It's 9:05 a.m. I've been up for about a half-hour. He's been up a little longer than that. And he's very sick.
Matt gets chronic sinus infections. In fact, we took him to the Sinus Center in Boise a couple of years ago and he got a CAT scan to see exactly what the bone structure in his sinuses was like. It appears to be highly-sought-after habitat to the sort of bacteria that causes month-long infections. (Of course, now that I have a blog I think back and wonder why I didn't ask for one of the pictures on a disk so I could have shared the inside of my husband's head with you all.)
So he's in the middle of a particularly bad bout. I am wishing I could feel more sympathetic, but it's hard when he turns on football. I hate being subjected to hours and hours of pre-game, game and then post-game.
I think it all boils down to the fact that he was supposed to go to work today and I was going to watch several hours of Buffy Season Five, which has been sitting on my DVR for weeks now.
It's probably good I never entered the medical profession, huh? Speaking of which, is anybody watching "House, M.D." on Fox Monday nights? I. Love. It.
Matt gets chronic sinus infections. In fact, we took him to the Sinus Center in Boise a couple of years ago and he got a CAT scan to see exactly what the bone structure in his sinuses was like. It appears to be highly-sought-after habitat to the sort of bacteria that causes month-long infections. (Of course, now that I have a blog I think back and wonder why I didn't ask for one of the pictures on a disk so I could have shared the inside of my husband's head with you all.)
So he's in the middle of a particularly bad bout. I am wishing I could feel more sympathetic, but it's hard when he turns on football. I hate being subjected to hours and hours of pre-game, game and then post-game.
I think it all boils down to the fact that he was supposed to go to work today and I was going to watch several hours of Buffy Season Five, which has been sitting on my DVR for weeks now.
It's probably good I never entered the medical profession, huh? Speaking of which, is anybody watching "House, M.D." on Fox Monday nights? I. Love. It.
December 04, 2004
(Insert Howard Dean-Style Animal Scream Here)
I GOT TICKETS TO STING!!!! YEAH, BABY!!!!
Is it sick and obsessed that my hands were quivering the tiniest bit with the surges of adrenaline that were coursing through my body? I was thinking desperately to myself, "What if I can't get online? What if my damn dial-up disconnects? What if a meteorite hits the house and crushes me dead before I can get tickets?"
Okay, time to be calm. Deep breathing. Innnnn. Ouuuut. Innnn. Ouuut.
Is it sick and obsessed that my hands were quivering the tiniest bit with the surges of adrenaline that were coursing through my body? I was thinking desperately to myself, "What if I can't get online? What if my damn dial-up disconnects? What if a meteorite hits the house and crushes me dead before I can get tickets?"
Okay, time to be calm. Deep breathing. Innnnn. Ouuuut. Innnn. Ouuut.
December 02, 2004
Chris is a Winnah!
It’s time to announce the truth behind yesterday’s quiz. Chris guessed the right answer. I’d say it was because he knows me so well, but his comments lead me to believe that it was his fiercely competitive spirit and an accurate guess, rather than our close bond. So here’s the history behind your three choices:
1. True. Yep, I really did have a boyfriend leave me and start seeing his first cousin. My then-boyfriend Ron had a younger sister who got married one fine summer day. Lots of his kinfolk (and I use the redneck terminology on purpose) showed up for the ceremony. Due to the fact that most of the family was of the Mormon persuasion there was no alcohol at the reception, a fact that grieved many of us greatly. We all decided to go and party at a bar in Emmett, and two of Ron’s cousins (a boy and a girl) came along with us. On the ride there, Ron’s sister-in-law, who was a major instigator from way back, whispered to me that Ron and his cousin had always been sort of sweet on each other and I should watch my back.
We got to the bar and started enjoying ourselves. Ron was being really chummy with this girl, but I was trying to be blithe about all of it, so I wandered off and drank a beer or two with some logger friends of mine who were in the bar. I came back a while later and Ron and the cousins had tequila shots in front of them. He asked if I wanted to do a shot, and I said, “I don’t know, I’ve never done one before.” The girl cousin smirked and said, “I bet she won’t do one.” Well, that was all it took. Bitch had thrown down the gauntlet, right? Four tequila shots later (on top of four beers), and I was pretty much on the floor.
I ended up sitting on the sidewalk outside the bar with my head in my hands. I was feeling pretty bad. That’s about the time one of my logger buddies (and I should mention that they were all married and we were just friends) came out to check on me and said, “By the way, your boyfriend just drove off and left you. He had that girl with him.” I was 40 miles away from my own vehicle at that time. This friend of mine ended up driving me back to Boise that night, which is where I was living at the time. I later found out that Ron and the cousin had indeed hooked up, and wound up dating for a while.
I’m still hoping that karma catches up to that S.O.B.
2. False. I wasn’t even allowed to attend my Homecoming dance, on account of that crazy religion. I will preen just a skosh and say that I was nominated, but I had to turn the nomination down, also on account of that crazy religion.
3. True. On account of that crazy religion, I was an extremely clean-cut kid. I didn’t drink until I was about 20, and I just never thought cigarettes were all that interesting. I don’t like the smell, and I just never lit up.
And there you have it: the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
1. True. Yep, I really did have a boyfriend leave me and start seeing his first cousin. My then-boyfriend Ron had a younger sister who got married one fine summer day. Lots of his kinfolk (and I use the redneck terminology on purpose) showed up for the ceremony. Due to the fact that most of the family was of the Mormon persuasion there was no alcohol at the reception, a fact that grieved many of us greatly. We all decided to go and party at a bar in Emmett, and two of Ron’s cousins (a boy and a girl) came along with us. On the ride there, Ron’s sister-in-law, who was a major instigator from way back, whispered to me that Ron and his cousin had always been sort of sweet on each other and I should watch my back.
We got to the bar and started enjoying ourselves. Ron was being really chummy with this girl, but I was trying to be blithe about all of it, so I wandered off and drank a beer or two with some logger friends of mine who were in the bar. I came back a while later and Ron and the cousins had tequila shots in front of them. He asked if I wanted to do a shot, and I said, “I don’t know, I’ve never done one before.” The girl cousin smirked and said, “I bet she won’t do one.” Well, that was all it took. Bitch had thrown down the gauntlet, right? Four tequila shots later (on top of four beers), and I was pretty much on the floor.
I ended up sitting on the sidewalk outside the bar with my head in my hands. I was feeling pretty bad. That’s about the time one of my logger buddies (and I should mention that they were all married and we were just friends) came out to check on me and said, “By the way, your boyfriend just drove off and left you. He had that girl with him.” I was 40 miles away from my own vehicle at that time. This friend of mine ended up driving me back to Boise that night, which is where I was living at the time. I later found out that Ron and the cousin had indeed hooked up, and wound up dating for a while.
I’m still hoping that karma catches up to that S.O.B.
2. False. I wasn’t even allowed to attend my Homecoming dance, on account of that crazy religion. I will preen just a skosh and say that I was nominated, but I had to turn the nomination down, also on account of that crazy religion.
3. True. On account of that crazy religion, I was an extremely clean-cut kid. I didn’t drink until I was about 20, and I just never thought cigarettes were all that interesting. I don’t like the smell, and I just never lit up.
And there you have it: the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
December 01, 2004
Squeeeeeal!!!
My life will soon be truly fulfilled: Sting is coming to the Boise area. I. Could. Die.
You will recall that he is on The List, yes? As in, the list of celebraties who, if it is ever offered, I am allowed to sleep with and incur no repurcussions on my marriage. Yeah, like that's going to happen. But, still!
I need to start a countdown until April 9 or something...
You will recall that he is on The List, yes? As in, the list of celebraties who, if it is ever offered, I am allowed to sleep with and incur no repurcussions on my marriage. Yeah, like that's going to happen. But, still!
I need to start a countdown until April 9 or something...
You Think You Know Me?
Here's a little something I shamelessly pilfered from Chris. I'm going to give you three "facts" about me. Two of them are true, one of them is not. Guess which one is not true and post your answer in the comments.
1. I had a boyfriend dump me so that he could date his first cousin.
2. I was the Homecoming Queen my senior year of high school.
3. I have never smoked a cigarette.
You think you know me? Then what's your answer?
1. I had a boyfriend dump me so that he could date his first cousin.
2. I was the Homecoming Queen my senior year of high school.
3. I have never smoked a cigarette.
You think you know me? Then what's your answer?
God Bless Nancy Zerg
That annoying twit who kept winning on Jeopardy!, Ken Jennings, has finally been defeated. Thank God, because I was getting really sick of that guy. Like Kalisah, I used to enjoy watching the show, (excepting Trebek's ridiculous attempts to accent any foreign words), but Jennings ruined it for me.
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