I am so excited!!! I got a free turkey today. Every year one a vendor for printers/copy machines has a lunch open house kind of thing where they serve Portillo’s roast beef sandwiches and give everyone a free turkey. Now I can’t wait for Thanksgiving!
I have really been slackin’ on the preparation for Thanksgiving dinner this year. The only thing I know is that we now have a deep fryer, so we won’t be poaching the turkey in oil again this year. Oh, and CuzIL is making all of the potatoes, mashed and sweet. She said she found some recipes that look good, and what is Thanksgiving for but to experiment with food on a whole bunch of unsuspecting guests. That is what I have been doing for the past few years.
Thanksgiving is a great day at the House of Temptation. I have a lot of foodie friends, and everyone pitches in to have a fabulous dinner. Sis makes a killer macaroni and cheese, BroIL does both turkey – one fried and one grilled. BFF host brings the most incredible warm port and cranberry beverage. I am usually loopy and the whole crock pot full of the drink is gone well before most guests even arrive. I guess it pays to get there early and help.
Anyway, I missed getting in the groove for Halloween, but I am starting to feel the spirit for Thanksgiving. I think I will even drag out all of my cornucopias for decoration. Let the fun begin!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Busy in a good way
Wow, this weekend was a busy one. I have some great things going on!!! Ok, here is the rundown. I went and talked to a physicians group a few weeks ago, and was presented with an offer to work in one of their centers one night a week and every other Saturday. This is great!!! It will expand my area, and I will be working in Skokie on Tuesday nights starting in November. Woo Hoo!
Next, this past weekend I went to an open house with RMD at his place of work up in Lake Forest. It is a great place where children with disabilities get much of the therapy they need on horseback. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, etc. I found while I was there that the kids were like different people while up on the horse. They were confident and were able to do things that they otherwise would not have been able to do while increasing their physical abilities. It was great. I am going to start doing Acupuncture there on Sunday’s. I was able to introduce myself to many of the parents and other therapists that work there. I think this will be a great opportunity to introduce NMT as well. All of this is very exciting and it all seems to be coming together at the same time. If you thought I didn’t have free time before…
Next, this past weekend I went to an open house with RMD at his place of work up in Lake Forest. It is a great place where children with disabilities get much of the therapy they need on horseback. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, etc. I found while I was there that the kids were like different people while up on the horse. They were confident and were able to do things that they otherwise would not have been able to do while increasing their physical abilities. It was great. I am going to start doing Acupuncture there on Sunday’s. I was able to introduce myself to many of the parents and other therapists that work there. I think this will be a great opportunity to introduce NMT as well. All of this is very exciting and it all seems to be coming together at the same time. If you thought I didn’t have free time before…
Friday, October 24, 2008
No longer green
As obsessive as I am about seeing people green, alas I am afraid that I will not be green myself for a while. I know how you feel about this devastating news. I feel like my entire social structure is going to fall apart. I will be with you in gray…
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
That was it for my conference. There was so much going on that I had to break it up into a couple of posts. I have already made my reservation for next year. Now I just need to figure out if I want to spend an extra couple of days checking out the area. At the conference, we are in the lecture pretty much from morning ‘til night. The only exploring I did was on the grounds of the hotel.
Upon my return, BFFflorida was in town and kind enough to snag me from the airport and whisk me off for a cocktail or two to discuss my recent adventure. That was great because I got to recap everything from my trip and cement some of the details in my mind. It is one thing to remember to yourself, but it somehow becomes more real when you talk about it out loud.
I got the pleasure of spending an evening with BFFmusic. We went to one of our favorite little restaurants… It is a little Costa Rican place on Milwaukee Ave. They have THE BEST egg sandwiches!!! Every once in a while I get a craving for one of them, and I have to say, they are not nearly as good when I make them at home.
Then the weekend came. I am usually a big fan of weekends, and this would have been great barring the cold that I picked up on Saturday. It pretty much wiped me out through Tuesday. I think that cooking makes me feel better. I made gumbo, split pea soup and dark chocolate brownies. Other than that, no exciting news I am sorry to say.
Upon my return, BFFflorida was in town and kind enough to snag me from the airport and whisk me off for a cocktail or two to discuss my recent adventure. That was great because I got to recap everything from my trip and cement some of the details in my mind. It is one thing to remember to yourself, but it somehow becomes more real when you talk about it out loud.
I got the pleasure of spending an evening with BFFmusic. We went to one of our favorite little restaurants… It is a little Costa Rican place on Milwaukee Ave. They have THE BEST egg sandwiches!!! Every once in a while I get a craving for one of them, and I have to say, they are not nearly as good when I make them at home.
Then the weekend came. I am usually a big fan of weekends, and this would have been great barring the cold that I picked up on Saturday. It pretty much wiped me out through Tuesday. I think that cooking makes me feel better. I made gumbo, split pea soup and dark chocolate brownies. Other than that, no exciting news I am sorry to say.
They say everyone has a twin
The rest of the conference was great. There were a couple of other incidents, I and some others got an interesting talk about the birds and the bees - complete with a positional demonstration in the dining room of the hotel. It was, um, interesting dinner conversation. All in all I got to hang out with some great people. One of them even wanted to adopt me; She actually almost asked if I was coming home for Christmas. I thought it was funny. Those in the know were giving me a hard time about my early morning visitor. We were all having a great time rehashing some of the finer points of the weekend.
They say that everyone has a twin. I met mine. It was an interesting experience. We don’t look alike, but we seem to lead parallel lives. She lives in Vancouver, has an acupuncture practice there, graduated about the same time as I did; And, we talk the same. We were having lunch on the last day and it was the first time that the two of us had a chance to have a conversation. About half was through lunch she said “I know why our conversation is so easy… you talk at the same speed as me!” It was more than that actually, we think alike. It helps to not have to explain… anything. The conversation moves much faster. We ended up hangin’ out for the rest of the time we were there. It was fun. I have a new friend… BFFme.
They say that everyone has a twin. I met mine. It was an interesting experience. We don’t look alike, but we seem to lead parallel lives. She lives in Vancouver, has an acupuncture practice there, graduated about the same time as I did; And, we talk the same. We were having lunch on the last day and it was the first time that the two of us had a chance to have a conversation. About half was through lunch she said “I know why our conversation is so easy… you talk at the same speed as me!” It was more than that actually, we think alike. It helps to not have to explain… anything. The conversation moves much faster. We ended up hangin’ out for the rest of the time we were there. It was fun. I have a new friend… BFFme.
This type of thing happens to everyone... right?
I got to the hotel where they were pretty booked up for the weekend. When I made my reservation they didn’t have any more rooms available, so I booked into the women’s hostel. I have never stayed in a hostel before. I figured it would be… interesting. I was only booked in there for 2 nights, then I would be moved to a single room. Perfect.
I got there and went up to the room. It was nice, clean. It had about 7 bunk beds, and a whole bunch of lockers. I figured it would be fine. I met one of the ladies that would be in the room with me, turns out there were 4 of us staying in there.
After a nice evening with people I didn’t know, I got back to the room and on of the ladies thought it was getting chilly so she headed down to talk to management to see what we could do. Now, let me just say that it got to a low of about 60 in the whole time I was there. But, she was concerned that it would get cold. The hotel being older, apparently doesn’t have heat going into this particular room. At this point she became very concerned about the chill that could overcome us. In the brainstorming process that I was only half listening to she decided that the best bet would be to leave the door open to get some circulation from the hallway. I have to say that this did not sound like the best idea to me. But, on the other hand everyone that I had run into was very friendly, and there is the safety in numbers thing that we had going on in this particular room. So, not wanting to make waves or sound uncooperative, I figured there was safety in numbers so I said ok.
At this point I should mention that there was a wedding going on for the weekend and I am thinking that the rehearsal dinner was going on that Friday night.
The room was an L shape. 2 beds on the wall where you walk in and then turn a corner and there were 5 more beds. I was in the 3rd bed down after the turn. At around 5:30 in the morning this is the conversation that went down:
Cold woman near the door: “This is the woman’s dormitory.”
Drunk guy wearing only a pair of boxers: “I know”.
Stranger proceeded to walk into the room, turn the corner and come directly to my bed side table. As I was staring incredulously, he started fiddling with the table, like he was trying to open the drawer.
Calmly, I ask: “What are you doing?” I thought it was a reasonable question given that my stuff was on the table.
His response… “Shhhh”
Really???? This was not the answer I was expecting. I don’t know what I was expecting exactly.
Me: “No, really, what are you doing?”
His response: “Don’t worry, it’s ok.”
Me: “I don’t really think it's ok. Get out of my stuff”
Him: “Take it easy.”
Me: “Are you kidding??? What are you doing?”
Him: “Shhh. Going to the bathroom.”
Me (loudly, not that I wasn’t before): “Get OUT of here!!”
Him: “really?”
Me: “GET OUT! OUT, OUT, OUT”
Him: “What is your problem?”
Me: “This is a bedroom not a bathroom! Get out!”
He turns to leave, walks back toward the door and looks around before he goes, then slips out. Well, that was interesting. I will say that I don’t think that is my favorite way to wake up.
So, after an hour of tossing and turning, I got up jumped in the shower and got ready for the day. I got back to the room and struck up a conversation with the woman who didn’t want to be cold.
Me: “I am wondering if we should rethink leaving the door open at night.”
Her: “I saw that your friend came in.”
Me: “Excuse me?”
Her: “your friend”
Me: “That was not my friend. He was a complete stranger that came in and thought this room was the bathroom. I have absolutely no idea who he was. He came in because the door was open. Did you hear me yelling at him?”
Her: “oh. Yes, but I didn’t know why”
Me: “I would be more comfortable if we shut the door so strangers do not come into our room.”
Her: “Well, what about the heat?”
Me – dumbfounded: “Well, we will have to think about that won’t we.”
There we go. The safety in numbers really only works if we all participate. This is how my day started.
I got there and went up to the room. It was nice, clean. It had about 7 bunk beds, and a whole bunch of lockers. I figured it would be fine. I met one of the ladies that would be in the room with me, turns out there were 4 of us staying in there.
After a nice evening with people I didn’t know, I got back to the room and on of the ladies thought it was getting chilly so she headed down to talk to management to see what we could do. Now, let me just say that it got to a low of about 60 in the whole time I was there. But, she was concerned that it would get cold. The hotel being older, apparently doesn’t have heat going into this particular room. At this point she became very concerned about the chill that could overcome us. In the brainstorming process that I was only half listening to she decided that the best bet would be to leave the door open to get some circulation from the hallway. I have to say that this did not sound like the best idea to me. But, on the other hand everyone that I had run into was very friendly, and there is the safety in numbers thing that we had going on in this particular room. So, not wanting to make waves or sound uncooperative, I figured there was safety in numbers so I said ok.
At this point I should mention that there was a wedding going on for the weekend and I am thinking that the rehearsal dinner was going on that Friday night.
The room was an L shape. 2 beds on the wall where you walk in and then turn a corner and there were 5 more beds. I was in the 3rd bed down after the turn. At around 5:30 in the morning this is the conversation that went down:
Cold woman near the door: “This is the woman’s dormitory.”
Drunk guy wearing only a pair of boxers: “I know”.
Stranger proceeded to walk into the room, turn the corner and come directly to my bed side table. As I was staring incredulously, he started fiddling with the table, like he was trying to open the drawer.
Calmly, I ask: “What are you doing?” I thought it was a reasonable question given that my stuff was on the table.
His response… “Shhhh”
Really???? This was not the answer I was expecting. I don’t know what I was expecting exactly.
Me: “No, really, what are you doing?”
His response: “Don’t worry, it’s ok.”
Me: “I don’t really think it's ok. Get out of my stuff”
Him: “Take it easy.”
Me: “Are you kidding??? What are you doing?”
Him: “Shhh. Going to the bathroom.”
Me (loudly, not that I wasn’t before): “Get OUT of here!!”
Him: “really?”
Me: “GET OUT! OUT, OUT, OUT”
Him: “What is your problem?”
Me: “This is a bedroom not a bathroom! Get out!”
He turns to leave, walks back toward the door and looks around before he goes, then slips out. Well, that was interesting. I will say that I don’t think that is my favorite way to wake up.
So, after an hour of tossing and turning, I got up jumped in the shower and got ready for the day. I got back to the room and struck up a conversation with the woman who didn’t want to be cold.
Me: “I am wondering if we should rethink leaving the door open at night.”
Her: “I saw that your friend came in.”
Me: “Excuse me?”
Her: “your friend”
Me: “That was not my friend. He was a complete stranger that came in and thought this room was the bathroom. I have absolutely no idea who he was. He came in because the door was open. Did you hear me yelling at him?”
Her: “oh. Yes, but I didn’t know why”
Me: “I would be more comfortable if we shut the door so strangers do not come into our room.”
Her: “Well, what about the heat?”
Me – dumbfounded: “Well, we will have to think about that won’t we.”
There we go. The safety in numbers really only works if we all participate. This is how my day started.
Nice strangers - some of them in a creapy kind of way
I got to the hotel and gave you a brief run down of my travel. So I will pick it up from there. Really, events just got more and more interesting.
I put my things away and headed out to one of the 6 porches with a book to enjoy the rain.
I made it out the door and was making a determination as to the seat that was calling my name when a couple of guys struck up a conversation. Nice enough guys. They were both John’s. Well one Jon and one John. I spent the rest of the afternoon in casual conversation and made some new buddies. About the guys… I thought they had been friends for years based on the conversation, but apparently they had just met on the bus on the way to this hotel. The one John was an interesting character. He said he lived 2 miles away and was just coming up here to have a few drinks. Then decided he wanted to get a room at the hotel so he didn’t have to go home but left his credit card and phone at home. Then he tells us his dog is across the street at the humane society and he has to go get him before it closes at 8. He tells us this at 8:05. He can't drive the dog home because his car was towed and he hadn't gotten it out yet. Apparently the dog was in the car at the time. Then says he wants to get a room and put the dog in there (hotel doesn’t allow pets). By this point he has talked the other Jon into splitting a room to save on cost, Jon and I are looking at each other like this whole dog thing is not a good idea. There was a lot of conversation around this and I, fortunately, was not involved. Everything was straightened out and we decided to head over to one of the many bars on the premises for a cocktail.
The hotel had both a brewery and winery on site. The beer was incredible. The wine was good, but not exceptional. They did however grow their own organic grapes on site. It was really cool to see. As far as I can figure, this place used to be a farm. There are several out buildings, and I think they have a bar in each of them selling their wares.
We headed to the little red cottage. This little building has a really warm fire and holds a total of about 12 people. It was so cute and cozy! While there we met a couple of girls that were having a girls weekend and hung out with them for a while. I was really surprised at how friendly all of these strangers were. I decided to turn in early because the conference started at 8:30 in the am. I wanted to be fresh and ready to go.
As the weekend progressed, I ran into Jon several times and we decided that the other John was a con artist, but wasn't very good at it.
I put my things away and headed out to one of the 6 porches with a book to enjoy the rain.
I made it out the door and was making a determination as to the seat that was calling my name when a couple of guys struck up a conversation. Nice enough guys. They were both John’s. Well one Jon and one John. I spent the rest of the afternoon in casual conversation and made some new buddies. About the guys… I thought they had been friends for years based on the conversation, but apparently they had just met on the bus on the way to this hotel. The one John was an interesting character. He said he lived 2 miles away and was just coming up here to have a few drinks. Then decided he wanted to get a room at the hotel so he didn’t have to go home but left his credit card and phone at home. Then he tells us his dog is across the street at the humane society and he has to go get him before it closes at 8. He tells us this at 8:05. He can't drive the dog home because his car was towed and he hadn't gotten it out yet. Apparently the dog was in the car at the time. Then says he wants to get a room and put the dog in there (hotel doesn’t allow pets). By this point he has talked the other Jon into splitting a room to save on cost, Jon and I are looking at each other like this whole dog thing is not a good idea. There was a lot of conversation around this and I, fortunately, was not involved. Everything was straightened out and we decided to head over to one of the many bars on the premises for a cocktail.
The hotel had both a brewery and winery on site. The beer was incredible. The wine was good, but not exceptional. They did however grow their own organic grapes on site. It was really cool to see. As far as I can figure, this place used to be a farm. There are several out buildings, and I think they have a bar in each of them selling their wares.
We headed to the little red cottage. This little building has a really warm fire and holds a total of about 12 people. It was so cute and cozy! While there we met a couple of girls that were having a girls weekend and hung out with them for a while. I was really surprised at how friendly all of these strangers were. I decided to turn in early because the conference started at 8:30 in the am. I wanted to be fresh and ready to go.
As the weekend progressed, I ran into Jon several times and we decided that the other John was a con artist, but wasn't very good at it.
Friday, October 3, 2008
The big travel day
So, I was up at the crack before dawn today to head out to Portland. I have an NMT conference here this weekend, and I have to say that getting out to Portland has tuned out to be a full travel day. What started out with a direct flight got changed to layovers with no seat assignment. That was interesting. I don't fly Delta much, so it was a new experience for me. Actually, any time I go to a new city… obviously, it is a new experience. This time is no different.
I have been to Portland once before, and it was OK, but I didn't see the hype that I had heard from others. This time, I think I may see why so many people like it. First let me tell you… My flight today started early; I left my house at 5am and I landed in PDX at 12:30 local time which for me would be2:30 so I had been on the road or in the air already for a really long time. But, since my conference doesn't start until tomorrow, I figured I would get to my final destination via public transportation. Portland has a pretty good PT system, so I figured it would be no problem. Well, a train ride and 40 minute bus ride later, I feel like I have been doing the planes/trains/automobiles movie reincarnated. Well, maybe not that bad. But, after a 40 minute bus ride, and me talking to the bus driver most of the way here, he still went past my stop and I ended up walking back a block or 2. In the rain. Up hill. Ha, I just like saying that; but it was raining. And still is as I write this.
I got to the hotel at about 2:30 local time and still hadn't eaten. Don't forget they are no longer serving food on the flights. I take that back, I had crackers. On both flights.
So, this place is really cool. As I sit here, I wanted to share my experience so far. It is not in the city of Portland, but it is out is a more rural area. It is a resort in itself. They have several restaurants, at least 3 bars, and live music tonight. I don't know if I will be able to stay up for it, but how cool is that??? I stopped of at one of the pubs here and had a quick bite, and now I am refreshed as I sit on a huge porch with aderondike chairs and rocking chairs. There is a cool breeze and the rain is coming down softly around me. This is heaven! I think I like this place, and it is just what I needed to get away.
Not sure what my problem has been lately, but the littlest things seem to set me off. This will be a great get away. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not actually on vacation here. I will be in a seminar from 8am until 9pm. For 4 days the other 2 days I am gone are travel days. My relaxing will be done on the travel days. I just needed to clear that up lest anyone think I may have some spare time on my hands. Phhh those of you who know me know better than that.
I have been to Portland once before, and it was OK, but I didn't see the hype that I had heard from others. This time, I think I may see why so many people like it. First let me tell you… My flight today started early; I left my house at 5am and I landed in PDX at 12:30 local time which for me would be2:30 so I had been on the road or in the air already for a really long time. But, since my conference doesn't start until tomorrow, I figured I would get to my final destination via public transportation. Portland has a pretty good PT system, so I figured it would be no problem. Well, a train ride and 40 minute bus ride later, I feel like I have been doing the planes/trains/automobiles movie reincarnated. Well, maybe not that bad. But, after a 40 minute bus ride, and me talking to the bus driver most of the way here, he still went past my stop and I ended up walking back a block or 2. In the rain. Up hill. Ha, I just like saying that; but it was raining. And still is as I write this.
I got to the hotel at about 2:30 local time and still hadn't eaten. Don't forget they are no longer serving food on the flights. I take that back, I had crackers. On both flights.
So, this place is really cool. As I sit here, I wanted to share my experience so far. It is not in the city of Portland, but it is out is a more rural area. It is a resort in itself. They have several restaurants, at least 3 bars, and live music tonight. I don't know if I will be able to stay up for it, but how cool is that??? I stopped of at one of the pubs here and had a quick bite, and now I am refreshed as I sit on a huge porch with aderondike chairs and rocking chairs. There is a cool breeze and the rain is coming down softly around me. This is heaven! I think I like this place, and it is just what I needed to get away.
Not sure what my problem has been lately, but the littlest things seem to set me off. This will be a great get away. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not actually on vacation here. I will be in a seminar from 8am until 9pm. For 4 days the other 2 days I am gone are travel days. My relaxing will be done on the travel days. I just needed to clear that up lest anyone think I may have some spare time on my hands. Phhh those of you who know me know better than that.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
I love country dancing!!!
I truly don’t understand why I don’t go more often. I just love it! Needless to say I went country dancing over the weekend. I went on Saturday and it could not have been more fun. I two stepped, I chatted with friends, I cha chaed, more chatting, I line danced, chat chat chat. There are several things that made the night for me.
I got to hang out with BFFbears
I got to see my old roomies that I haven’t seen in about a year.
I got to dance with BFFDJ
The whole experience is just like walking into a great big hug. I feel so comfortable there. It is a combination of being around some of my favorite people in the whole world and the music and the activity. I was having such a good time that when it was time to leave I almost felt tears welling up. I know, kind of crazy, but I haven’t been going up there much, and it was just that incredible.
I got to hang out with BFFbears
I got to see my old roomies that I haven’t seen in about a year.
I got to dance with BFFDJ
The whole experience is just like walking into a great big hug. I feel so comfortable there. It is a combination of being around some of my favorite people in the whole world and the music and the activity. I was having such a good time that when it was time to leave I almost felt tears welling up. I know, kind of crazy, but I haven’t been going up there much, and it was just that incredible.
Drat
Formatting issues. I don’t seem to know how to add pictures so they look right. I will work on that. In the mean time, I have been improving my formatting since my blue food formatting fiasco (Say that 3 times fast. That that that). Hopefully my posts will look better from here on out.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Blue food
All right, some of these pictures may have gotten out a little earlier than this, their big debute.
Here's my news. I got to wear the blue hair!!! Actually I planned a dinner party around it. At the house we periodically have an in-house iron chef competition. In order to accommodate my lifelong desire, the theme for our latest iron chef was blue. Yes… Blue.
I know, I got that look a lot when I mentioned it. But, it turned out pretty darn good. We all got involved and got those creative food juices flowing. I am so lucky to have friends that love food as much as I do. We had a decent crowd there, the usual suspects if you will. Now, you will get a glimpse at some of the people I talk about regularly.
Here is our gormet line up...
I know, I got that look a lot when I mentioned it. But, it turned out pretty darn good. We all got involved and got those creative food juices flowing. I am so lucky to have friends that love food as much as I do. We had a decent crowd there, the usual suspects if you will. Now, you will get a glimpse at some of the people I talk about regularly.
Here is our gormet line up...
BFFH cornered the meal with savory delights featuring a blue potato salad and blue corn bread
BFFA made a stunning performance with her blueberry cheesecakes (I'm still eating these) and cabage dumplings. Leave it to BFFA to make a blue into an asian delicacy.
BFFhost - The host with the most; who also happens to be an incredible cook brought a libation that had me completely awe struck. It was blue and creamy and minty and sweet. Unfortunately, there is not picture representation of this creamy goodness. This in addition to a fig puree and blue cheese flat bread had our taste buds doing flip flops.
BFFMusic had an inspirational beverage, albeit a little potent (no photo available - it was all gone). He brought blueberry bread with a blueberry blue cheese spread that while it looked sweet, really had a bit of tangy kick to it. Very good.
Ok, I am going to combine RMB and RMD because RMB ended up finishing RMD's dish when he got called in to work. Bummer, but RMB did an awesome job with the Blue raviolli with some help from BFFmusic for the blueberry balsamic reduction sauce.
And RMB's creation was a blue talapia served on blue corn chips. This was like a tuna or crab salad only so good, so fresh and such a delicate flavor... Just look...
Cuz and CuzIL presented a blueberry delight... well, a blueberry crumble, but it's the same thing in my mind. Oh, yummy.
This brings us to our final contestants of the night... The rest of the fam. Sis and BIL and myself. Wow they sure did it up!! Steak and blue, blue eggs and bacon and a killer blueberry stuffed french toast that rocked the dinner. My contribution was the Chicken cordon blue.
And, the aftermath...
Monday, September 15, 2008
It's the look
So, I don’t know why, but I have wanted blue hair for a long time. I know, it’s crazy. I think it started when I was young and the thought just grew until I went to New York a few years ago. When I was there I saw people with all different crazy colors, and it seemed to almost blend in… like there was nothing strange about it. I chickened out. I was there visiting BFFoutlate and I was supposed to meet him for dinner after having the day on the town to myself. I wanted to show up wearing blue hair.
I was so close. I walked by the store where I could have picked up a blue wig about 4 times. I must have looked like I was stalking the store. Not only could I not bring myself to buy it, I couldn’t even get myself to go in the store. Anyway, ever since then I have wanted to wear blue hair.
This is not a random memory coming back to me. I have rhyme behind my reason… I will say this much, I have been satiated.
I was so close. I walked by the store where I could have picked up a blue wig about 4 times. I must have looked like I was stalking the store. Not only could I not bring myself to buy it, I couldn’t even get myself to go in the store. Anyway, ever since then I have wanted to wear blue hair.
This is not a random memory coming back to me. I have rhyme behind my reason… I will say this much, I have been satiated.
Congratulations BFFhost!!!
On Saturday night BFFA, BFFH and I had the pleasure of celebrating with BFFhost the passing of his boards. Congratulations!! We know how hard that is to do. 3+ years of studying consolidated into 4 tests that your future employment depends on. Not much pressure.
It was a special occasion so we went to Glenn’s Café on Montrose and Ravenswood. Wow. It is one of my favorite places, but every time I go there I am in awe all over again. This time I had the Sturgeon with a bacon sherry cream sauce. It was truly incredible.
Ok, someone needs to come up with a reason to go out to celebrate again.
It was a special occasion so we went to Glenn’s Café on Montrose and Ravenswood. Wow. It is one of my favorite places, but every time I go there I am in awe all over again. This time I had the Sturgeon with a bacon sherry cream sauce. It was truly incredible.
Ok, someone needs to come up with a reason to go out to celebrate again.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
A whole new meaning to talking to yourself
My computer project is coming along. My computer now tells me what I have going on for the day and the weather forecast for the day before I leave the house. I am having a little problem with the talking part. I can talk to it, and that is fine, but when it talks back to me it tries to pick up what it is saying and it gets itself all mixed up. It is kind of rediculous really, and I’m not exactly sure how to fix it.
I also need to figure out if I can somehow hook it up to my google calendar. There are so many things to teach it. It's like a pet.
I need to name it. I can't just keep calling it .. it. Any suggestions on what to name a computer? I was thinking something like Gunnar or Burford or Stanbeny or Claymore.
I also need to figure out if I can somehow hook it up to my google calendar. There are so many things to teach it. It's like a pet.
I need to name it. I can't just keep calling it .. it. Any suggestions on what to name a computer? I was thinking something like Gunnar or Burford or Stanbeny or Claymore.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
My world revolves around food
I am posting this a day late. Sorry…
Yesterday, Sunday, as RMDave and I were talking, we decided to make dinner. This was no small endeavor. RMB joined in the fun and we came up with… Spaghetti and bruchetta. We had 2 sauces for the pasta, mozzarella cheese on the side and bruchetta to munch on. This coupled with a few bottles of wine, and it was a dinner for the books. The only thing we didn't make this time around was the bread. If we had started a little earlier, we could have gotten that done too. Next time…
It was an angle hair pasta, aaahhh angel hair pasta. It was fresh. Meaning we made it. Well, RMB made it. It takes a little longer, but it was sooo worth the effort. And when there are 3 people cooking, the timing works out ok. It is simple really, it just takes time. We are going to work on freezing it to see how long we can keep the freshness but still be able to enjoy it on the run.
I made the mozzarella cheese. Yes, we gave it another go and this time it turned out much better. Ok, non chlorinated water and less pasteurized milk does the trick. This time the mozzarella turned out pretty good. It was a little tougher and chewier than I would have liked, but had a wonderfully milky aftertaste. I think I can fix the texture on the next go around. I also need to come up with a new way to kneed the cheese under 185 degree water. It was HOT! Even though we changed out rubber gloves twice I was concerned about severe scaring. Wow, that is a deterrent to making cheese. Good thing RMDave was a surgical nurse for a while. He had the glove changing down to a science. I am quite sure we looked ridiculous soaking the gloves in cold water before plunging them, my hands included, into the scalding water to play with cooked milk. Imagine the sceane: a comedy of errors with RMDave, Sis and I jumping around the kitchen; me because I thought the gloves would sheild the heat better and he and Sis trying to get the gloves off of me and replace them so we didn't loose the mostly finished product. This is the precise moment when the salt should be added. We were side tracked. No salt.
RMB's next project may very well be a you tube reality show about doing things for the first time. It should be interesting. I'll let you know when it hits the internet waves. Back to food...
The pesto – it all started because our patio has been growing basil bushes. We have basil everywhere. It’s a good thing. We have to be careful where we mow, but we were able to get 2 batches of pesto made from the basil growing in the yard. Yippee!! BFFH got me started on the fresh pesto kick. It is incredible!!! Oh, by the way, fresh garlic is the only way to go in the pesto. I tried the stuff out of the jar in one of the batches and it just wasn’t working. Added the fresh, and it was an immediate improvement.
RMDave was our tomato guy. He made everything with tomatoes. I believe I mentioned that our neighbor gave us some fresh tomatoes so we used those for the sauce along with a bit of a spicy pepper from his garden. Truth be told, at this point I had dunked my bread in the sauce so many times I wasn’t really hungry any more.
RMDave also made bruchetta. It's one of those foods that if I were on a deserted island and I could choose one food, that would be it. It was that good. No, that incred…stupend…amaz…these words just don’t do it justice. Obviously I am at a loss as to how to describe this particular gustatory incarnation of heaven. You will just have to take my word for it.
All in all the dinner was very fresh. We made everything from scratch, and tried to use as much from the garden as possible. I couldn’t find my camera or there would be pictures. I love nights like this. Actually… after dinner it got even better.
Yesterday, Sunday, as RMDave and I were talking, we decided to make dinner. This was no small endeavor. RMB joined in the fun and we came up with… Spaghetti and bruchetta. We had 2 sauces for the pasta, mozzarella cheese on the side and bruchetta to munch on. This coupled with a few bottles of wine, and it was a dinner for the books. The only thing we didn't make this time around was the bread. If we had started a little earlier, we could have gotten that done too. Next time…
It was an angle hair pasta, aaahhh angel hair pasta. It was fresh. Meaning we made it. Well, RMB made it. It takes a little longer, but it was sooo worth the effort. And when there are 3 people cooking, the timing works out ok. It is simple really, it just takes time. We are going to work on freezing it to see how long we can keep the freshness but still be able to enjoy it on the run.
I made the mozzarella cheese. Yes, we gave it another go and this time it turned out much better. Ok, non chlorinated water and less pasteurized milk does the trick. This time the mozzarella turned out pretty good. It was a little tougher and chewier than I would have liked, but had a wonderfully milky aftertaste. I think I can fix the texture on the next go around. I also need to come up with a new way to kneed the cheese under 185 degree water. It was HOT! Even though we changed out rubber gloves twice I was concerned about severe scaring. Wow, that is a deterrent to making cheese. Good thing RMDave was a surgical nurse for a while. He had the glove changing down to a science. I am quite sure we looked ridiculous soaking the gloves in cold water before plunging them, my hands included, into the scalding water to play with cooked milk. Imagine the sceane: a comedy of errors with RMDave, Sis and I jumping around the kitchen; me because I thought the gloves would sheild the heat better and he and Sis trying to get the gloves off of me and replace them so we didn't loose the mostly finished product. This is the precise moment when the salt should be added. We were side tracked. No salt.
RMB's next project may very well be a you tube reality show about doing things for the first time. It should be interesting. I'll let you know when it hits the internet waves. Back to food...
The pesto – it all started because our patio has been growing basil bushes. We have basil everywhere. It’s a good thing. We have to be careful where we mow, but we were able to get 2 batches of pesto made from the basil growing in the yard. Yippee!! BFFH got me started on the fresh pesto kick. It is incredible!!! Oh, by the way, fresh garlic is the only way to go in the pesto. I tried the stuff out of the jar in one of the batches and it just wasn’t working. Added the fresh, and it was an immediate improvement.
RMDave was our tomato guy. He made everything with tomatoes. I believe I mentioned that our neighbor gave us some fresh tomatoes so we used those for the sauce along with a bit of a spicy pepper from his garden. Truth be told, at this point I had dunked my bread in the sauce so many times I wasn’t really hungry any more.
RMDave also made bruchetta. It's one of those foods that if I were on a deserted island and I could choose one food, that would be it. It was that good. No, that incred…stupend…amaz…these words just don’t do it justice. Obviously I am at a loss as to how to describe this particular gustatory incarnation of heaven. You will just have to take my word for it.
All in all the dinner was very fresh. We made everything from scratch, and tried to use as much from the garden as possible. I couldn’t find my camera or there would be pictures. I love nights like this. Actually… after dinner it got even better.
Going green
It may not be what you think but some of you will know what I’m talking about. I don’t know if it’s because my sign is Cancer or I am obsessive compulsive or I have control issues or what, but I like when people are green. I feel like I know what is going on and I can be in touch any time. Sometimes it’s the little things that make me happy. (HINT: Gmail)
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Ironic
I have been reading a book called Getting Things Done. I have been reading it for 6 months now, and I'm still not half way through. I don't think it's working.
Long weekends
Ever notice that long weekends are never long enough? But, they are pretty good for having people over to grill out and just chill.
We had a great labor day just hangin’ out around the tiki bar and playing with my new toy (computer). The weather was perfect, and the food was great. Brats, burgers, ribs, chicken wings, watermelon, potato salad…
Some of our potatoes came out of BFFmusic’s sister's garden. He took me over there a few weeks ago and I got to see their elaborate garden layout. Have you ever picked potatoes? It is really interesting. The plants have to be covered with hay or mulch and when they are done it is like an Easter egg hunt. They are just lying on top of the soil and under the hay. The other thing that is really cool is the purple/green beans. I couldn't stop eating them. They tasted great right off the vine! I think I want to plant those next year.
Anyway, the tomatoes are getting ripe, our neighbor donated some to our cause just the other day, so now I need to get back to my cheese making. There is nothing better than tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and some olive oil.
I have pictures of food dancing in my head.
We had a great labor day just hangin’ out around the tiki bar and playing with my new toy (computer). The weather was perfect, and the food was great. Brats, burgers, ribs, chicken wings, watermelon, potato salad…
Some of our potatoes came out of BFFmusic’s sister's garden. He took me over there a few weeks ago and I got to see their elaborate garden layout. Have you ever picked potatoes? It is really interesting. The plants have to be covered with hay or mulch and when they are done it is like an Easter egg hunt. They are just lying on top of the soil and under the hay. The other thing that is really cool is the purple/green beans. I couldn't stop eating them. They tasted great right off the vine! I think I want to plant those next year.
Anyway, the tomatoes are getting ripe, our neighbor donated some to our cause just the other day, so now I need to get back to my cheese making. There is nothing better than tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and some olive oil.
I have pictures of food dancing in my head.
One project started, another project started
Saturday morning I had breakfast with a friend and headed over to home depot for some supplies. Saturday was project day. I bought a saw and some wood and got to work putting up trim in the bathroom. I had tiled my tub surround several months ago, and project finisher that I am not, I didn’t do the detail work. So, I trimmed the rough areas around the tub and also put up new trim around the whole ceiling. It took me a majority of the day, and I got to saw something for the very first time!!! With my new saw! It was fun! The trim looks ok – not spectacular. I still have to finish caulking and then paint it. When I pulled down the old trim I didn’t realize that it would be so different from this trim, so there is some touch up work and now I have to repaint the ceiling. One of these days it will be done. Either that, or BFFH will get irritated looking at it and come over and finish it.
Sunday my Mom came to visit and we had a very pleasant day bummin’ around. Toward the end of the day I decided that I had a little more time to squeeze in another project. I’ve been talking about it, and I finally did it… I got the computer for the kitchen. We ran up to Sam’s Club and now I am getting started with my voice activated computer! It will take a lot of work, no doubt, but it will be really cool when I get it working. I know there are programs out there that are like personal assistants. I just need to do some research.
So, yes, now I have 2 more projects started, and now neither these nor the projects that I have previously initiated are finished. It is kind of like juggling, just keep adding balls to the air… If only I could juggle. Maybe I will work on that next weekend.
Sunday my Mom came to visit and we had a very pleasant day bummin’ around. Toward the end of the day I decided that I had a little more time to squeeze in another project. I’ve been talking about it, and I finally did it… I got the computer for the kitchen. We ran up to Sam’s Club and now I am getting started with my voice activated computer! It will take a lot of work, no doubt, but it will be really cool when I get it working. I know there are programs out there that are like personal assistants. I just need to do some research.
So, yes, now I have 2 more projects started, and now neither these nor the projects that I have previously initiated are finished. It is kind of like juggling, just keep adding balls to the air… If only I could juggle. Maybe I will work on that next weekend.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
A novel idea
This is going to rock my world… I had a friend make a suggestions last night, that could change the course of my business. We were talking about how busy I have been and trying to build up my Acupuncture practice. It has been going well, but really, could be going so much better. I do no advertising, and very little promoting. All new patients come in by word of mouth. Here it is… ya ready… make a business plan.
Duh. I have been doing everything piece meal, and putting together a plan is a great idea. I have been so wrapped up in day to day tasks that I often have not looked at the big picture.
Now, to get started...
Duh. I have been doing everything piece meal, and putting together a plan is a great idea. I have been so wrapped up in day to day tasks that I often have not looked at the big picture.
Now, to get started...
Monday, August 25, 2008
Weekend ramblings
Another weekend has come and gone. It seems like time goes by so quickly these days. This summer is almost over and I haven’t done anything. How is that possible??? I look back at the good ole days and seem to recall that there were times when the weekend lasted a lot longer and I accomplished a lot. That does not seem to be the case lately.
Mom’s birthday was this weekend. Happy Birthday Mom! Cuz’s birthday was yesterday and BIL’s birthday is today. Whew… Lots of birthdays this time of year. It’s obvious that the cold weather of November drives couples indoors.
I wanted to head down to Mom and Dads to work on my sunburn a little more but it was not to be. I am sorry I missed it; I have been having a great time going down there this summer. Bosly and I have been doing some bonding. He is learning to swim and I have learned that his motivating factor for swimming is a female dog.
Sunday was great! For BFFA’s birthday celebration we headed out for an afternoon at the park. I can’t even tell you the last time I just spent a day at the park with friends. There was Frisbee, mini nerf football, sandwiches, cupcakes (back to that in a moment) and beverage. It was a perfect picnic. It felt so freeing having nothing to do but enjoy everyone’s company.
I didn’t want to leave, but these days the temp goes from the 80’s to the 60’s and I didn’t think ahead to bring a sweatshirt.
Ok, so the cupcake dilemma I was having the other day…. Useless. I made cupcakes out of a box and frosting from a plastic jar. How lame!!! I was slacking, what can I say? Next time I will do them the right way with interesting flavor combos discussed earlier. Sometimes I amaze myself with my laziness.
Mom’s birthday was this weekend. Happy Birthday Mom! Cuz’s birthday was yesterday and BIL’s birthday is today. Whew… Lots of birthdays this time of year. It’s obvious that the cold weather of November drives couples indoors.
I wanted to head down to Mom and Dads to work on my sunburn a little more but it was not to be. I am sorry I missed it; I have been having a great time going down there this summer. Bosly and I have been doing some bonding. He is learning to swim and I have learned that his motivating factor for swimming is a female dog.
Sunday was great! For BFFA’s birthday celebration we headed out for an afternoon at the park. I can’t even tell you the last time I just spent a day at the park with friends. There was Frisbee, mini nerf football, sandwiches, cupcakes (back to that in a moment) and beverage. It was a perfect picnic. It felt so freeing having nothing to do but enjoy everyone’s company.
I didn’t want to leave, but these days the temp goes from the 80’s to the 60’s and I didn’t think ahead to bring a sweatshirt.
Ok, so the cupcake dilemma I was having the other day…. Useless. I made cupcakes out of a box and frosting from a plastic jar. How lame!!! I was slacking, what can I say? Next time I will do them the right way with interesting flavor combos discussed earlier. Sometimes I amaze myself with my laziness.
Random meetings
This weekend was good, not what I was expecting, but good. Friday night BIL, RMB and I headed over to Brisku’s to meet a friend of mine for an early evening libation. Then I was off to a rousing ski club kick off party. I ran into a few people I know, and headed out about an hour later. The funny thing is when you go to a party like that sometimes you meet new people, sometimes you chat with people you already know. This particular evening I met some new people, but not how you might think.
I found a great parking spot just outside of the restaurant on the street. I pulled into the spot and realized that I didn’t have much cash on me so I regretfully pulled out of my awesome parking spot and headed out to a cash machine. It wasn’t that far away, and when I returned, I couldn’t believe it… the spot was still there!!! Woo Hoo! That never happens.
As I got out of the car there were some people hangin’ out on the front porch and they commented on how lucky I was. I couldn’t help but agree and told them I would probably be back in about an hour to give it to some other lucky person, you know, one of those pay it forward deals…
It pays to be friendly. When I came back out, I was offered a beer and made some new friends. That’s cool. Now I know more people in my neighborhood! I really like my neighborhood. Where else do you go where random people start talking to you just
because you got a good parking spot??? I just love it!
I found a great parking spot just outside of the restaurant on the street. I pulled into the spot and realized that I didn’t have much cash on me so I regretfully pulled out of my awesome parking spot and headed out to a cash machine. It wasn’t that far away, and when I returned, I couldn’t believe it… the spot was still there!!! Woo Hoo! That never happens.
As I got out of the car there were some people hangin’ out on the front porch and they commented on how lucky I was. I couldn’t help but agree and told them I would probably be back in about an hour to give it to some other lucky person, you know, one of those pay it forward deals…
It pays to be friendly. When I came back out, I was offered a beer and made some new friends. That’s cool. Now I know more people in my neighborhood! I really like my neighborhood. Where else do you go where random people start talking to you just
because you got a good parking spot??? I just love it!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
I'm such a grown up
Yesterday I felt likesuch a grown up. I got dressed up for work, and had plans after… I went to see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. It’s been years since I have gone.
CuzIL had an extra ticket and invited me along. We had a great time! We started out at Macey’s for a few moments and then headed to Atwood Café for dinner. It was perfect because we both work in the loop and we had just the right amount of time to eat and head over to the show with a quick stop off at Nordstrom’s. (It was on the way… what did you expect??)
So, the show… The conductor for the evening was John Williams. Big deal right? Well, I didn’t think so until I found out who he actually is. It seems that this is the gentleman who wrote and conducted the music for Jaws, Indiana Jones, ET and Star Wars among other well known … tunes. It was truly amazing to watch, and the orchestra sounded so perfect that I kept thinking that it was computer generated save the fact that I saw them playing. It is so different to see and hear at the same time than to just hear the music, and that was the most amazing part of the evening for me.
After the first half of the show, Yo Yo Ma comes out on stage. Yo Yo Ma! He is an incredible cello player, and I have some of his music. I am a big fan! The crowd went wild! The somewhat reserved audience had apparently saved up their enthusiasm for his appearance. The music starts and about 3 rows behind us a lady pulls out a piece of hard candy. We know this because she proceeded to play with the wrapper for what seemed like the next 10 minutes. She began this process just as Yo Yo started his first solo piece of the performance. Now, I don’t know about anyone else, but going to a concert is in large part an auditory experience. What are you doing Lady???? CuzIL was so irritated that she shushed her. I almost laughed out loud.
The rest of the performance was spectacular. After 4 or 5 encores the performance was over and everyone left feeling great. How can you not when the music is so uplifting? As we were leaving we noticed that we could see the fireworks being shot off at Navy Pier out one of the windows. We stopped to watch the rest of that show and by the time it was over the crowds had cleared and we strolled out without being squished in the crush.
It was fun. Thanks for the invite CuzIL!
CuzIL had an extra ticket and invited me along. We had a great time! We started out at Macey’s for a few moments and then headed to Atwood Café for dinner. It was perfect because we both work in the loop and we had just the right amount of time to eat and head over to the show with a quick stop off at Nordstrom’s. (It was on the way… what did you expect??)
So, the show… The conductor for the evening was John Williams. Big deal right? Well, I didn’t think so until I found out who he actually is. It seems that this is the gentleman who wrote and conducted the music for Jaws, Indiana Jones, ET and Star Wars among other well known … tunes. It was truly amazing to watch, and the orchestra sounded so perfect that I kept thinking that it was computer generated save the fact that I saw them playing. It is so different to see and hear at the same time than to just hear the music, and that was the most amazing part of the evening for me.
After the first half of the show, Yo Yo Ma comes out on stage. Yo Yo Ma! He is an incredible cello player, and I have some of his music. I am a big fan! The crowd went wild! The somewhat reserved audience had apparently saved up their enthusiasm for his appearance. The music starts and about 3 rows behind us a lady pulls out a piece of hard candy. We know this because she proceeded to play with the wrapper for what seemed like the next 10 minutes. She began this process just as Yo Yo started his first solo piece of the performance. Now, I don’t know about anyone else, but going to a concert is in large part an auditory experience. What are you doing Lady???? CuzIL was so irritated that she shushed her. I almost laughed out loud.
The rest of the performance was spectacular. After 4 or 5 encores the performance was over and everyone left feeling great. How can you not when the music is so uplifting? As we were leaving we noticed that we could see the fireworks being shot off at Navy Pier out one of the windows. We stopped to watch the rest of that show and by the time it was over the crowds had cleared and we strolled out without being squished in the crush.
It was fun. Thanks for the invite CuzIL!
The begining of a project
I had lunch with BFFidea today. Whenever we get together everything just jumps up to the next level of extreme. So, here I am back to my obsession with technology. I have a need and I don’t know if there are programs that will fill it yet. So, we may have to ad hoc some of it to get it up and running. I think my technical friends who are constantly bailing me out of technical difficulty are going to hate me by the time this project is rolling. Here is the deal. I want a computer in my kitchen that is like a central household computer.
I want to be able to talk to it from across the kitchen and have it do what I want. An example would be to say something like… Google search, recipe, banana cake, full screen, scroll down, etc. or Google calendar, Monday 5:00 new appointment, dinner with BFFmusic.
I would like to be able to leave messages for the roomies and have events pop up that we all need to know about like, cleaning lady comes next Tuesday or RMB out of town until Monday.
I would like for the computer to talk to me in a James Bond accent, and my greeting will be “Hello Gorgeous”. Yes, I think that will make me happy every time I walk in. (Roomies can have whatever voice they want to to talk to them.)
I would also like for the computer to recognize each of us when we walk in the house and I would like for it to tell me certain things like… “I’ve been busy while you were out. You have 2 gmail emails, 15 yahoo emails 1 urgent, 2 skype voicemail and BFFH was trying to contact you via IM, but she has signed off. What would you like to check first? Oh, and don’t forget tomorrow is Mom’s birthday, shall I remind you again at a more appropriate time or would you like to send her an ecard now.”
It may be a good idea for it to play theme music for me when I walk in too. I have not decided what that will be yet.
In the morning when it recognizes me before I leave for work it should give me reminders of what not to forget today. “You look spectacular this morning. Make sure you take the resume into the office and the plumber will be here at 3:00 today. You will need to leave the key for him. And finally, Project Runway is on tonight at 8pm. If you are not here on time I will record it for you. Have a wonderful day at the office.”
Eventually I would like to be able to log onto the computer from anywhere to be able to turn on lights, control temp, and maybe even program the coffee maker to start. I wonder if we could get it to empty the old grounds and put in fresh ones. Ok, that may be more Jetsonesque than our time allows, but I am not ruling it out completely.
This may get expensive...
I want to be able to talk to it from across the kitchen and have it do what I want. An example would be to say something like… Google search, recipe, banana cake, full screen, scroll down, etc. or Google calendar, Monday 5:00 new appointment, dinner with BFFmusic.
I would like to be able to leave messages for the roomies and have events pop up that we all need to know about like, cleaning lady comes next Tuesday or RMB out of town until Monday.
I would like for the computer to talk to me in a James Bond accent, and my greeting will be “Hello Gorgeous”. Yes, I think that will make me happy every time I walk in. (Roomies can have whatever voice they want to to talk to them.)
I would also like for the computer to recognize each of us when we walk in the house and I would like for it to tell me certain things like… “I’ve been busy while you were out. You have 2 gmail emails, 15 yahoo emails 1 urgent, 2 skype voicemail and BFFH was trying to contact you via IM, but she has signed off. What would you like to check first? Oh, and don’t forget tomorrow is Mom’s birthday, shall I remind you again at a more appropriate time or would you like to send her an ecard now.”
It may be a good idea for it to play theme music for me when I walk in too. I have not decided what that will be yet.
In the morning when it recognizes me before I leave for work it should give me reminders of what not to forget today. “You look spectacular this morning. Make sure you take the resume into the office and the plumber will be here at 3:00 today. You will need to leave the key for him. And finally, Project Runway is on tonight at 8pm. If you are not here on time I will record it for you. Have a wonderful day at the office.”
Eventually I would like to be able to log onto the computer from anywhere to be able to turn on lights, control temp, and maybe even program the coffee maker to start. I wonder if we could get it to empty the old grounds and put in fresh ones. Ok, that may be more Jetsonesque than our time allows, but I am not ruling it out completely.
This may get expensive...
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The dinner party
No, I didn’t throw it. I was invited to a dinner party last Wednesday. BFFperfectionist was kind enough to include me in his evening. It was a dinner of traditional ethnic foods. Middle Eastern foods have spices that I don’t use in my everyday cooking, so it was a unique experience for me.
I volunteered to help out with some of the cooking. I was very excited because his mom had given him the recipes that we were going to use for the night. All of them are very traditional. Now, normally I am a pretty good cook but this particular day I was more like a comedy of errors! What happened to my normally somewhat organized way of working in the kitchen? I fear I will never know…
Fortunately, I was not the sole participant in the food making adventure and things turned out great in the end. BFFlingere was in charge of the kebbe (sp?). And harassed heartily about it I might add. BFFperfectionist probably called her 5 times to make sure she was making it while the meat was still frozen! I was put in charge of watching the finished product while it was under the broiler for one minute… no more. Those were my instructions. I promptly forgot those instructions and left it there for 5 minutes. It was slightly crisp. Maybe more than slightly. Sorry. Prior to that I scorched the nuts that were to be used on the rice. No one was looking so I just took the burned ones out. What was happening to me? Seriously… Did I morph into some ridiculous version of Carol Burnett? I look back and just shake my head.
Despite my best efforts to char the food, everything turned out very good! The company was great and the evening ended up perfect. I got to hang out with friends and meet some new people. Thanks for the invite!
I volunteered to help out with some of the cooking. I was very excited because his mom had given him the recipes that we were going to use for the night. All of them are very traditional. Now, normally I am a pretty good cook but this particular day I was more like a comedy of errors! What happened to my normally somewhat organized way of working in the kitchen? I fear I will never know…
Fortunately, I was not the sole participant in the food making adventure and things turned out great in the end. BFFlingere was in charge of the kebbe (sp?). And harassed heartily about it I might add. BFFperfectionist probably called her 5 times to make sure she was making it while the meat was still frozen! I was put in charge of watching the finished product while it was under the broiler for one minute… no more. Those were my instructions. I promptly forgot those instructions and left it there for 5 minutes. It was slightly crisp. Maybe more than slightly. Sorry. Prior to that I scorched the nuts that were to be used on the rice. No one was looking so I just took the burned ones out. What was happening to me? Seriously… Did I morph into some ridiculous version of Carol Burnett? I look back and just shake my head.
Despite my best efforts to char the food, everything turned out very good! The company was great and the evening ended up perfect. I got to hang out with friends and meet some new people. Thanks for the invite!
Getting back into energy work
It has been an interesting week for me. I had the first Reiki session that I have done in years the other day. It was kind of fun! I did a practice session at home with X-RMJ and knocked the rust off a bit. Actually, often when I am doing acupuncture the Reiki just kind of slips out, so I guess it isn’t like I haven’t done anything. I just haven’t done a full session in a while. It felt good. I think I may start incorporating that into my practice again. It is good to have a mix of services to offer. As it stands I am doing Acupuncture, Neuro Modulation Technique, and now I will throw Reiki into the mix. The 3 complement each other I think.
It is always interesting that things seem to happen in groups. As I mentioned I did my first Reiki session in a while, and yesterday BFFMadison came to visit. She is very into energy work, and we had a interesting conversation about it and how it has really helped many of her patients as well.
But wait, there's more... today I got an inquiry about teaching Reiki. 3 mentions in one week of something I haven't done in years. Makes ya go hmmm.
Yep, I'm going to start doing it again.
It is always interesting that things seem to happen in groups. As I mentioned I did my first Reiki session in a while, and yesterday BFFMadison came to visit. She is very into energy work, and we had a interesting conversation about it and how it has really helped many of her patients as well.
But wait, there's more... today I got an inquiry about teaching Reiki. 3 mentions in one week of something I haven't done in years. Makes ya go hmmm.
Yep, I'm going to start doing it again.
Important decisions
There are times when you need to drop everything and make some decisions. You can gather all of the information, and probably continue to do that from now until forever, but the decision needs to be made and there is a deadline.
My decision is not an easy one to make. But it has to be done… Maybe some help from anyone reading… What kind of cupcakes to make for BFFA’s birthday picnic.
I’m torn. Here are some options…
Mint Cream Filled Cupcakes with Raspberry Mousse Frosting
Grapefruit Curd Filled Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Thai Ice Tea Cupcake
Blueberry & Raspberry Ricotta Almond Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Tarragon Cupcakes with Tarragon Cream Cheese Frosting
Lime tart cupcakes
You see my dilemma…
I do have to throw out a quick thanks to Cupcake Blog for all of the great ideas and recipes.
My decision is not an easy one to make. But it has to be done… Maybe some help from anyone reading… What kind of cupcakes to make for BFFA’s birthday picnic.
I’m torn. Here are some options…
Mint Cream Filled Cupcakes with Raspberry Mousse Frosting
Grapefruit Curd Filled Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Thai Ice Tea Cupcake
Blueberry & Raspberry Ricotta Almond Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Tarragon Cupcakes with Tarragon Cream Cheese Frosting
Lime tart cupcakes
You see my dilemma…
I do have to throw out a quick thanks to Cupcake Blog for all of the great ideas and recipes.
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Cheese
We made the cheese. I was so excited about making cheese. Fresh mozzarella. It would go so perfectly with the fresh basil and tomatoes in my garden. A touch of olive oil and fresh pepper… I am hungry as I think about it.
But, alas, it was not to be. BFFH and BFFA came over and we poured over the directions to make sure we had everything just right. We took all of the ingredients out of the kit and got our freshly purchased milk out of the fridge. It seems that there are a few things that can lead to problems in the cheese making process which we promptly found out.
One is using chlorinated water. Since this is what comes out of the sink, the water has to be purchased. I didn’t know this before we started, but I did have some distilled water lying around so we used that. The other potential problem is the more pasteurized the milk, the less likely it will be to set. I will admit that I have no idea how to tell how much pasteurization has taken place in the milk.
Long story short, our cheese did not set up, so we ended up with a ricottaish cheese like substance. For sake of argument we will call it a motzicotta. I thought the flavor was lacking quite a bit so we chopped up some basil and added garlic and pepper. That was pretty good, and we ended up having fresh tomato bruchetta on top of the cheese spread.
While it was not exactly what we were expecting, it did turn out pretty good after it set up overnight. Tips for next time… Look specifically for water without chlorine and less pasteurized milk. If I could get my hands on some raw milk that would be ideal…
Was it a success? yes and no. I was happy with the outcome and our very own version of cheese, but I am still going for the traditional motzerella that I know and love.
We will try this again.
But, alas, it was not to be. BFFH and BFFA came over and we poured over the directions to make sure we had everything just right. We took all of the ingredients out of the kit and got our freshly purchased milk out of the fridge. It seems that there are a few things that can lead to problems in the cheese making process which we promptly found out.
One is using chlorinated water. Since this is what comes out of the sink, the water has to be purchased. I didn’t know this before we started, but I did have some distilled water lying around so we used that. The other potential problem is the more pasteurized the milk, the less likely it will be to set. I will admit that I have no idea how to tell how much pasteurization has taken place in the milk.
Long story short, our cheese did not set up, so we ended up with a ricottaish cheese like substance. For sake of argument we will call it a motzicotta. I thought the flavor was lacking quite a bit so we chopped up some basil and added garlic and pepper. That was pretty good, and we ended up having fresh tomato bruchetta on top of the cheese spread.
While it was not exactly what we were expecting, it did turn out pretty good after it set up overnight. Tips for next time… Look specifically for water without chlorine and less pasteurized milk. If I could get my hands on some raw milk that would be ideal…
Was it a success? yes and no. I was happy with the outcome and our very own version of cheese, but I am still going for the traditional motzerella that I know and love.
We will try this again.
There's something about a clean closet
Ahhh, the weekend… And what did I do??? I went to bed at 8:30 on both Friday and Saturday and cleaned my closet on Sunday. Doesn’t that sound exciting? Well let me just tell you, it was. I don’t know what it is about cleaning out the closet that just makes me feel good; more settled.
It started out with a trip to the big blue store. That is right, I tempted my sanity and went to IKEA on a Sunday. Surprisingly the crowd wasn’t too bad. I ended up being there from 9:30 – 1:30. Yikes! It was almost like a full day of work just being there. I had measured my closet and was armed with what I wanted.
My house is old, and my closet has one of those ceilings that slants with the roof line. It seems that the people who design storage have completely negated the idea that anyone has anything but a completely square room to deal with. So, the hunt was on for a solution. At IKEA they have about a million different shelving options. They do not however have the same sizes or consistency between them. In the closet area they have great stuff for organization, but none of the organization components fit into any of the other shelving units. Hmmm. All of the closet shelving is 24 inches deep. I don’t have that much room. I ended up with book shelves and it turned out perfectly. I have a stair step arrangement now that works with the ceiling issue.
It is funny, when you buy things from IKEA you see it all put together, then they give you a box to take home that has everything in it. I spent the afternoon with RMD putting the shelves together and pulling everything out of the closet. Only one piece left to assemble and I will be done. Thanks RMD!!!!
Only one piece left to assemble…. Since I am the queen of starting projects and not finishing them (this is something that I have come to accept about myself) I have to do something to motivate myself. What to do? What to do? Maybe a little get together at the tiki bar will do the trick? A celebration if you will. We will see if this is enough to get the project done. When you see me ask how it’s coming along…
It started out with a trip to the big blue store. That is right, I tempted my sanity and went to IKEA on a Sunday. Surprisingly the crowd wasn’t too bad. I ended up being there from 9:30 – 1:30. Yikes! It was almost like a full day of work just being there. I had measured my closet and was armed with what I wanted.
My house is old, and my closet has one of those ceilings that slants with the roof line. It seems that the people who design storage have completely negated the idea that anyone has anything but a completely square room to deal with. So, the hunt was on for a solution. At IKEA they have about a million different shelving options. They do not however have the same sizes or consistency between them. In the closet area they have great stuff for organization, but none of the organization components fit into any of the other shelving units. Hmmm. All of the closet shelving is 24 inches deep. I don’t have that much room. I ended up with book shelves and it turned out perfectly. I have a stair step arrangement now that works with the ceiling issue.
It is funny, when you buy things from IKEA you see it all put together, then they give you a box to take home that has everything in it. I spent the afternoon with RMD putting the shelves together and pulling everything out of the closet. Only one piece left to assemble and I will be done. Thanks RMD!!!!
Only one piece left to assemble…. Since I am the queen of starting projects and not finishing them (this is something that I have come to accept about myself) I have to do something to motivate myself. What to do? What to do? Maybe a little get together at the tiki bar will do the trick? A celebration if you will. We will see if this is enough to get the project done. When you see me ask how it’s coming along…
Sunnin' ourselves
I found out late on Friday that there was a renewable energy fair over the weekend out by Rockford. I have been looking for information about this topic for about the last 2 years, but it was such short notice. Given that I had patients on Saturday morning and cheese making plans on Saturday night, this presented a bit of a problem. Never fear, no scheduling problem is too large to overcome… We pushed the cheese making back by an hour or two and I took a quick 2 hour drive out to Rockford for some info.
In particular, I was looking for information on solar power. There seems to be a gap in between what I am looking for and what is actually out there. I am looking for a couple of things here. I would love to cut down on my electric bills for one, but also while I am not a card carrying tree hugger, it seems to me that there has to be a better way to power our lives without depleting the natural resources. This is what I found out. This is not terribly efficient, nor astatically appealing. I have seen solar panels before and know what they look like but I am looking for something that is not so obtrusive. I had found some shingles for the roof that are solar panels and are incorporated into the roofing and don’t stand up on the roof on the internet, but they were not at the show.
From what I gathered, to create electricity you need to have a minimum of about 6 of the huge solar panels facing south with no shade what so ever. This means no tree that shades even a corner of the panels, no telephone pole or electrical wires that run over the area. If you have any shade it will knock out the power that is made from a large portion of that panel. Hummm. This could be a problem unless you live in an open field. The other problem is that my roof is angled east/west so for a southern exposure to the sun I would have the huge panels up there as though I were trying to pick up signals with the outside universe. I am not poo pooing the idea, just rethinking and waiting for something better.
I am sure as the gas prices go higher there will be more and more innovation when it comes to renewable resources, but so far they seem pretty clunky and not terribly consistent. There is no power produced at night, and understandably so, but also very little options about how the excess power that is produced during the sunny hours can be stored for back up power.
Here is what I would be looking for. Something that looks good, either by incorporating into the roof or the side of the house in a non obtrusive way. A system that has some consistency to it where you wouldn’t be loosing power if it was a cloudy day or at night. If that is a storage system or something else that would make it a consistent source of power. The powers that be are working on it but so far this is all in my dreams… in the mean time I will wait.
In particular, I was looking for information on solar power. There seems to be a gap in between what I am looking for and what is actually out there. I am looking for a couple of things here. I would love to cut down on my electric bills for one, but also while I am not a card carrying tree hugger, it seems to me that there has to be a better way to power our lives without depleting the natural resources. This is what I found out. This is not terribly efficient, nor astatically appealing. I have seen solar panels before and know what they look like but I am looking for something that is not so obtrusive. I had found some shingles for the roof that are solar panels and are incorporated into the roofing and don’t stand up on the roof on the internet, but they were not at the show.
From what I gathered, to create electricity you need to have a minimum of about 6 of the huge solar panels facing south with no shade what so ever. This means no tree that shades even a corner of the panels, no telephone pole or electrical wires that run over the area. If you have any shade it will knock out the power that is made from a large portion of that panel. Hummm. This could be a problem unless you live in an open field. The other problem is that my roof is angled east/west so for a southern exposure to the sun I would have the huge panels up there as though I were trying to pick up signals with the outside universe. I am not poo pooing the idea, just rethinking and waiting for something better.
I am sure as the gas prices go higher there will be more and more innovation when it comes to renewable resources, but so far they seem pretty clunky and not terribly consistent. There is no power produced at night, and understandably so, but also very little options about how the excess power that is produced during the sunny hours can be stored for back up power.
Here is what I would be looking for. Something that looks good, either by incorporating into the roof or the side of the house in a non obtrusive way. A system that has some consistency to it where you wouldn’t be loosing power if it was a cloudy day or at night. If that is a storage system or something else that would make it a consistent source of power. The powers that be are working on it but so far this is all in my dreams… in the mean time I will wait.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Happy Sunday
It was a great weekend!!! I love weekends where I feel like I have gotten things accomplished and also have had some time to relax. Let me tell you, relax I did…Thanks to BFFH. I probably would have been running around doing a million things if it weren’t for her. We were talking and I mentioned that I would be going to Mom and Dad’s on Sunday and invited her along. M&D live on a great little lake that is only about an hour and a half away. It is the perfect get away. Anyway, much like myself, BFFH works quite a bit with little free time. It was really a fluke that we had time off at the same time. So, as we were talking about it she mentioned that she hadn’t had a summer vacation, so this would be it. This one day at the lake = summer vacation. That made it BFFH’s day! I love to celebrate days like that.
We took a boat ride, went swimming, relaxed, had a shrimp boil, ate burgers from a little 50’s joint and basically taught the dog how to swim (that was more of a task than one might think). All in all it was a very relaxing day in the sun.
We have had a little trouble getting the dog to swim. He is a bulldog with a stocky body and short legs, and let’s face it, bulldogs sink. So, he wears a life jacket when he goes by the water. Given the fact that he is wearing a life jacket, he should be able to swim. Dad built him a ramp to get in and out of the water. He was so cute. He kept walking down the ramp and getting his feet wet then running back up. He actually got in the water a few times and was quite proficient at scratching Sis and I up while trying to drown us.
Speaking of that… I look like a tomato. Yes, sun screen would have been a great idea, but here is a tip for all of you out there that have sunburns. Emu oil is great stuff for sunburns.
Thanks M&D for a great summer vacation!
We took a boat ride, went swimming, relaxed, had a shrimp boil, ate burgers from a little 50’s joint and basically taught the dog how to swim (that was more of a task than one might think). All in all it was a very relaxing day in the sun.
We have had a little trouble getting the dog to swim. He is a bulldog with a stocky body and short legs, and let’s face it, bulldogs sink. So, he wears a life jacket when he goes by the water. Given the fact that he is wearing a life jacket, he should be able to swim. Dad built him a ramp to get in and out of the water. He was so cute. He kept walking down the ramp and getting his feet wet then running back up. He actually got in the water a few times and was quite proficient at scratching Sis and I up while trying to drown us.
Speaking of that… I look like a tomato. Yes, sun screen would have been a great idea, but here is a tip for all of you out there that have sunburns. Emu oil is great stuff for sunburns.
Thanks M&D for a great summer vacation!
Friday, August 8, 2008
In search of good coffee
I love doing tastings to see what I like. One day my roomies and I tasted 3 different kinds of peanut butter to see what we would buy for the household. Turns out we all liked different ones, so we have 3 brands of peanut butter sitting around. But, now we know. We have also done tequilla tastings, vodka tastings and miscelaneous other tasting events.
Now, I am looking toward coffee. When we were in Vegas we had the BEST coffee. I want that. So, there are a couple of things that I want to try. Percolated, french press, regular (from coffee pot) and cold brewed. I would also like to try each of these methods with different kinds of coffee.
I may go down to the local cafe and get my caffine buzz on one day to get a jump on it by trying a few different styles. If there are any suggestions, please throw them my way. Also any favorite brands of coffee would be great.
Now, I am looking toward coffee. When we were in Vegas we had the BEST coffee. I want that. So, there are a couple of things that I want to try. Percolated, french press, regular (from coffee pot) and cold brewed. I would also like to try each of these methods with different kinds of coffee.
I may go down to the local cafe and get my caffine buzz on one day to get a jump on it by trying a few different styles. If there are any suggestions, please throw them my way. Also any favorite brands of coffee would be great.
Turn that frown upside down
Ok, not really a frown, but it was a catchy title and turn that attitude just doesn't work.
It is funny how the world works. It seems sometimes that when you need something... it happens. This is what I mean. I have been working quite a bit lately, and have not been doing much for fun. A few things here and there, but I think my realization about this may have started with my post about doing things instead of sitting around a few days ago. While it is nice to kick back and relax, I have found that I feel so much better about myself and have more energy when I am out being social.
I noticed a few weeks ago that I haven't been doing much, and honestly I was feeling a little blah. It is a vicious circle where I don't feel like doing anything, then I don't and I get lazier and lazier. Anyway, earlier this week I was talking to BFFmusic and we decided to go to see Tributisauraus (a group that does a tribute every month to a different band) do a tribute to Elvis!!! Of all things, and especially just after getting a picture taken with the semi-real thing! Oh joy. Then I got a call from BFFperfectionist who is having a dinner party next week, and BFFbears who invited me to a Bears game. I also got invited to the Symphony Orchestra for 2 weeks from now to see Yo-Yo Ma. And, the girls from up North and I have set up a time to go country dancing. It has been probably a year since we have done that. When it rains it pours and I love it!
I guess what I'm getting at is when the realization strikes that there is something that I need, seemingly without any prodding, my friends and family have come out of the woodwork and now my social calendar is full and I am feeling good. Thanks everyone!
Here is my review of events...
If you have the opportunity, I highly suggest seeing Tributisauraus. I have been to see them twice now. They are a great band and have excellent singers. They play fun music, and everything about the atmosphere is pretty laid back. This time they played at Martyr's on Lincoln and the pizza there was really good.
Bears games are fun if you are there with friends and you get quite a bit of exercise being there. Between walking from where we parked and going up and down the stairs, I think my legs will be a little sore today (That really says something about the intensity of my lack of work outs lately). They have hot dogs, nachos and beer. How could you possibly go wrong at one of these things???
It is funny how the world works. It seems sometimes that when you need something... it happens. This is what I mean. I have been working quite a bit lately, and have not been doing much for fun. A few things here and there, but I think my realization about this may have started with my post about doing things instead of sitting around a few days ago. While it is nice to kick back and relax, I have found that I feel so much better about myself and have more energy when I am out being social.
I noticed a few weeks ago that I haven't been doing much, and honestly I was feeling a little blah. It is a vicious circle where I don't feel like doing anything, then I don't and I get lazier and lazier. Anyway, earlier this week I was talking to BFFmusic and we decided to go to see Tributisauraus (a group that does a tribute every month to a different band) do a tribute to Elvis!!! Of all things, and especially just after getting a picture taken with the semi-real thing! Oh joy. Then I got a call from BFFperfectionist who is having a dinner party next week, and BFFbears who invited me to a Bears game. I also got invited to the Symphony Orchestra for 2 weeks from now to see Yo-Yo Ma. And, the girls from up North and I have set up a time to go country dancing. It has been probably a year since we have done that. When it rains it pours and I love it!
I guess what I'm getting at is when the realization strikes that there is something that I need, seemingly without any prodding, my friends and family have come out of the woodwork and now my social calendar is full and I am feeling good. Thanks everyone!
Here is my review of events...
If you have the opportunity, I highly suggest seeing Tributisauraus. I have been to see them twice now. They are a great band and have excellent singers. They play fun music, and everything about the atmosphere is pretty laid back. This time they played at Martyr's on Lincoln and the pizza there was really good.
Bears games are fun if you are there with friends and you get quite a bit of exercise being there. Between walking from where we parked and going up and down the stairs, I think my legs will be a little sore today (That really says something about the intensity of my lack of work outs lately). They have hot dogs, nachos and beer. How could you possibly go wrong at one of these things???
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Where ideas come from
I was having a conversation with a co worker today, and as I sometimes do, I was talking in a bit of a stream of consciousness. He had asked me a question about where would I find new companies to talk to. Here’s the deal… I am a Technical Recruiter, and part of my job is to call companies and see if they need help finding people to work in their IT departments. So I gave him a run down on about 50 places to start looking. He looked at me like I had lost my mind and couldn't seem to figure out where I came up with these ideas.
It made me think about where we get ideas from, and for that matter think about some of the experiences in life that make you think in certain ways.
In looking back, I had watched a movie about 10 years ago called Working Girl. I really like the movie at the time, but didn’t necessarily think that it would have a lasting impact on how I decide to do things. You may be familiar with the movie where the secretary is a hard worker and going to school to improve herself, but keeps getting shut down. Eventually she takes a chance and has a deal pending when a high powered person tries to steal her idea and pass it off as their own. The part that struck me was when the secretary had to talk about where she came up with her idea. She got the initial idea from a society column where some guy who owned a company’s daughter was going to get married. She thought the father’s company might be a good fit for something else she was looking at from some other angle, so she put two and two and two together and came up with an idea for a solution. I think this way too!
It's like there is no straight line from A to B. It is more like random thoughts get you to B.
So, where am I going with this? I was just thinking that I learned and started applying a way of thinking from a movie that I saw over 10 years ago. It is amazing how something as simple as watching a movie can set the path for a lifetime of a way of thinking and doing things. It just hit me as interesting where we get the paths that we follow and eventually make them into our own. This is just one thing of many but it just shows that every experience that you have regardless of how insignificant it seems at the time can shape your life and how you decide to live it.
It made me think about where we get ideas from, and for that matter think about some of the experiences in life that make you think in certain ways.
In looking back, I had watched a movie about 10 years ago called Working Girl. I really like the movie at the time, but didn’t necessarily think that it would have a lasting impact on how I decide to do things. You may be familiar with the movie where the secretary is a hard worker and going to school to improve herself, but keeps getting shut down. Eventually she takes a chance and has a deal pending when a high powered person tries to steal her idea and pass it off as their own. The part that struck me was when the secretary had to talk about where she came up with her idea. She got the initial idea from a society column where some guy who owned a company’s daughter was going to get married. She thought the father’s company might be a good fit for something else she was looking at from some other angle, so she put two and two and two together and came up with an idea for a solution. I think this way too!
It's like there is no straight line from A to B. It is more like random thoughts get you to B.
So, where am I going with this? I was just thinking that I learned and started applying a way of thinking from a movie that I saw over 10 years ago. It is amazing how something as simple as watching a movie can set the path for a lifetime of a way of thinking and doing things. It just hit me as interesting where we get the paths that we follow and eventually make them into our own. This is just one thing of many but it just shows that every experience that you have regardless of how insignificant it seems at the time can shape your life and how you decide to live it.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Love/hate
It's true. I have a love/hate relationship. Those of you who know me, and act as my support structure will understand this. By support structure I mean those of you who keep fixing things for me.
Technology. I love it; I love the new gadgets, computers and programs. I hate it; I can barely make any of it work.
One day I will be able to get technology to do what I need it to do. Until that day I will be running in a neverending loop and chasing my electronic tail.
Technology. I love it; I love the new gadgets, computers and programs. I hate it; I can barely make any of it work.
One day I will be able to get technology to do what I need it to do. Until that day I will be running in a neverending loop and chasing my electronic tail.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Dreams that will someday become reality
I was having lunch with some friends today and we got started on an interesting subject. Food. One of my favorite subjects really. I am a big fan of all food and specifically food that is not genetically modified. I am currently reading the book In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, and so far it is very interesting.
Anyway, our conversation got around to growing food, and knowing what we are putting into our bodies. This brings me to another of my soon to be realized dreams. I want to have a farm/bed and breakfast. Nothing large, but a self sustaining farm. Grow the veggies we eat, some cows, chickens, pigs. My Bro and SIL had something similar to this and Sis and I got a half of a pig from them. We had heard about everything that happened from the time the pig was born. I would love to be able to do that again, but with my own animals. I would like to take it a step further and make it into a bed and breakfast. With all food being served from what is grown fresh.
I get some of my inspiration from BFFmusic and BFFhost who both do a lot of cooking with fresh quality foods. Every time I eat with either of them I can’t help but appreciate the meal, the food, the texture, the flavors, the company… everything. It makes me want to share with other people like they have shared with me. I have been doing more cooking with fresh foods and making items that you could buy in the store from scratch. The cheese I was talking about the other day is a prime example (hopefully that will happen next weekend). Around the house we have also been baking our own bread and we are starting on pasta. No preservatives, no extra stuff.
Back to the farm – I spent some time looking for a farm where I could go and volunteer to help for a weekend at a time to get my feet wet. I wanted to do that over my birthday weekend, but I think I started looking too late. Anyway, I will continue to look and hopefully find someplace that I can at least visit this summer if not get on a work schedule.
Keep dreaming...
Anyway, our conversation got around to growing food, and knowing what we are putting into our bodies. This brings me to another of my soon to be realized dreams. I want to have a farm/bed and breakfast. Nothing large, but a self sustaining farm. Grow the veggies we eat, some cows, chickens, pigs. My Bro and SIL had something similar to this and Sis and I got a half of a pig from them. We had heard about everything that happened from the time the pig was born. I would love to be able to do that again, but with my own animals. I would like to take it a step further and make it into a bed and breakfast. With all food being served from what is grown fresh.
I get some of my inspiration from BFFmusic and BFFhost who both do a lot of cooking with fresh quality foods. Every time I eat with either of them I can’t help but appreciate the meal, the food, the texture, the flavors, the company… everything. It makes me want to share with other people like they have shared with me. I have been doing more cooking with fresh foods and making items that you could buy in the store from scratch. The cheese I was talking about the other day is a prime example (hopefully that will happen next weekend). Around the house we have also been baking our own bread and we are starting on pasta. No preservatives, no extra stuff.
Back to the farm – I spent some time looking for a farm where I could go and volunteer to help for a weekend at a time to get my feet wet. I wanted to do that over my birthday weekend, but I think I started looking too late. Anyway, I will continue to look and hopefully find someplace that I can at least visit this summer if not get on a work schedule.
Keep dreaming...
Things happen for the best
It seems like it can be very easy to go from a very high high to a very low low. I am not manic depressive or anything, but sometimes it just seems like everything is going great, then it all goes down hill. This happened last night. I have been working on building up my business, and had 4 appointments scheduled for last night. That is great!!! 5 is the number of appointments that I am shooting for, but 4 is a really good number of appointments. Well, by the time that 5:00 came around 3 of the 4 people had either canceled or rescheduled. AAGGHHH! What happened?? Now my first appointment is at 9:00pm.
Ok, stop and think… all 3 had very good reasons for changing the appointments, and all 3 rescheduled. That is good news. But, it gets better. I have a really busy weekend coming up with 2 birthday parties and an all weekend seminar. I know, how much can I cram in to a weekend… Well, it turns out that since I had some unexpected time on my hands I was able to stop and pick up some things to bring to the parties and even take care of some personal errands. Now I also have a new outfit to wear to above mentioned parties and won’t be running around 10 minutes before the parties feeling like I couldn’t find what I wanted to bring. Less stress = happy me = more fun at parties.
By the time I got ready for my 9:00 appt, I felt refreshed and rejuvenated; almost like I had a full day off of mentally relaxing. And, with my 9:00 appt I still got some productive work done.
All in all, everything happened for the best.
Ok, stop and think… all 3 had very good reasons for changing the appointments, and all 3 rescheduled. That is good news. But, it gets better. I have a really busy weekend coming up with 2 birthday parties and an all weekend seminar. I know, how much can I cram in to a weekend… Well, it turns out that since I had some unexpected time on my hands I was able to stop and pick up some things to bring to the parties and even take care of some personal errands. Now I also have a new outfit to wear to above mentioned parties and won’t be running around 10 minutes before the parties feeling like I couldn’t find what I wanted to bring. Less stress = happy me = more fun at parties.
By the time I got ready for my 9:00 appt, I felt refreshed and rejuvenated; almost like I had a full day off of mentally relaxing. And, with my 9:00 appt I still got some productive work done.
All in all, everything happened for the best.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
It's go time
I have made some decisions today. I am tired of sitting on my rump or just working all of the time. It is time for me to do some things that interest me. I need some excitement in my life!!! I think that some of this stems from being on vacation. I know it was only a few days, but it was so nice to be able to just do things that are fun.
So, today I ordered a cheese making kit. I have been talking about making fresh mozzarella to go with the basil and tomatoes in my yard. (Thanks for that info BFFH) And, I got a kick a... bread making book for my birthday that will go great with the cheese too!
I have also decided that I am going to start up doing some Tango dancing again. It has been a while since I have done it so I may have to start at the begining again. I am looking for a good teacher in Chicago. If there are any suggestions, please let me know. I am still a bit confused about the different styles of teaching that I keep hearing about. I like the idea of Tango because most of the time the dancing doesn't start until later at night and I can finish up at my office before I go. Besides, I like the shoes. Oh, and I am going to learn spanish. I am not sure how I am going to accomplish that one yet, but I will get started on that too. I have a couple of soccer buddies who want to start in that endevor with me. I think I will have some catching up to do because they both have other romance languages under their belts...
3 things. That is a good place to start. Let the adventures begin...
So, today I ordered a cheese making kit. I have been talking about making fresh mozzarella to go with the basil and tomatoes in my yard. (Thanks for that info BFFH) And, I got a kick a... bread making book for my birthday that will go great with the cheese too!
I have also decided that I am going to start up doing some Tango dancing again. It has been a while since I have done it so I may have to start at the begining again. I am looking for a good teacher in Chicago. If there are any suggestions, please let me know. I am still a bit confused about the different styles of teaching that I keep hearing about. I like the idea of Tango because most of the time the dancing doesn't start until later at night and I can finish up at my office before I go. Besides, I like the shoes. Oh, and I am going to learn spanish. I am not sure how I am going to accomplish that one yet, but I will get started on that too. I have a couple of soccer buddies who want to start in that endevor with me. I think I will have some catching up to do because they both have other romance languages under their belts...
3 things. That is a good place to start. Let the adventures begin...
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Vegas Baby
We got home safe and sound last night. We even came home with SOME money in our pockets. That is to say that we didn't completely loose our shirts in Vegas. It was fun, and I can see why people say 4 days is enough. We had a great time and saw lots of stuff. Unfortunately, we didn't get to have the hot dog/strawberry shortcake. But, there was lots of good food, and cool places. We even saw an Elvis impersonator. I have a photo.
My favorite places... Stratosphere (learned to play craps), Golden Nugget (Black jack) and a really cool water slide. I wouldn't mind staying there for a couple of days. 4 Queens in Old Vegas - we had a really good craps night there too.
All in all, craps is the game to play. Sis hit the slots pretty well, and BIL and RMB were pretty much playing craps too.
Our hotel was just across the street from Planet Hollywood, so we spent quite a bit of time there. I liked the inside of Paris the best, and Bellagio had the best buffet that we tried.
Flamingo had some really cool pool areas, and let's face it, it was pink! But, I lost money there, so the Flamingo is a bit tainted to me.
I tend to like the street casinos better than the hotels. They were just more fun, and had more $5 tables. Since this was my fist foray into gambling, I wanted to start small.
BIL was on a mission to see every hotel and casino there. This is where we went...
Day 1 - MGM, Luxor, New York New York, Excalibur the first night. Mind you we got there at 5pm. We had dinner at Excalibur’s buffet. It was so so. Nothing spectacular besides the number of people they can feed at one time. That was crazy. There may have been more places that we went into. This night was a total blur. I think we may have stopped at Planet Hollywood for a night cap.
Day 2 - Planet Hollywood, then Paris for breakfast in one of the cafes. They had the best coffee. We lost some $$ in Paris then decided that Bellagio was a good idea. Let's go from upscale to even more upscale. Then, just to get back to reality we decided on Cesar's Palace, I think there was another hotel after Cesar’s. Went back to change for the evening and then headed off for Sahara and Stratosphere. We saw the American Superstar Show which is where we saw Elvis, Michael Jackson, Rod Stewart, and a few others. It was much better than I thought it would be. We did go up to the observation deck at Stratosphere and had dinner around 11 at Roxy's in the hotel. That is a crazy hotel. They have amusement rides on top of the building that hang over the edge at 108 stories!!! While there is nothing I like more than dangling off of a 100+ story building, this time I took a pass.
Day 3 - Bellagio for Brunch (excellent) Bally's, Bill's, and Flamingo, there is another place we went, but I can't remember the name. We took a quick break to change for dinner then we were off to Venetian where we had dinner at B&B which is Mario Tracossi's restaurant it was very good. We were going to do the gondola ride, but the line was large and we had a lot on our plate for the night. Our tour continued to Pallato, Wynn, Golden Nugget and 4 Queens.
Day 4 - Monty Carlo, Planet Hollywood - there is a mall in Planet Hollywood, and that proved to be a good get away from the casino. Sis and I did the water massage and RMB and BIL hit the Oxygen bar. It was interesting, but I don't know if I need to do that again. There is a great little beer joint in the mall, and it was kind of nice to sit somewhere where there was no tinkling of slot machines.
On the list for next time is the Mirage, Circus Circus, Tropicana (We may have gone there), and Rio. Whew. It was a good trip, but I'm glad to be home.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Adventures
I have been contemplating writing a blog for some time now, but I have been having trouble choosing a topic that I find interesting enough to talk about. I have recently decided that instead of choosing a topic, I will just write whatever I want. So, here it is, my first Adventure. Yes, as corny as it sounds my first adventure is posting this blog entry.
Stay tuned as I navigate through this jumble of ideas that make up the adventures in my own mind...
Stay tuned as I navigate through this jumble of ideas that make up the adventures in my own mind...
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