shocking updates

one of my coworkers claimed that if i'll put a bit of liquid fabric softner in a spray bottle, along with a bunch of water, and spray down the apartment carpet, i'll have less static electricity. has anyone else heard of that? it more or less makes sense. so i bought some on sunday (we normally use the dryer sheets) and sprayed everything and i think that its really helped out.

however, it was so funny late sunday night. i'd been blogging for a while and andrew meandered into the room and asked what i was doing. "blogging," i said. he started chanting "bloggety bloggety bloggety" while he stretched. and since i could see his tummy, i blurted out, "i blogged about zapping your belly button."

he pumped his fists and wimpered, "you fiend. now everyone knows!"

mediocrity should be avoided if possible

Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
— Arthur Schopenhauer

i'm above average but unless you poll, say, my dad, i'm not particularly exceptional. dad's and husband's and best friends, they are supposed to think that. its how the world works. but sometimes i look at the world around me and think, i'm not like everyone else and you know, i don't think i want to be like everyone else.

one of my coworkers really let me down. there are only three of us in my department anyway so that's kind of a high percentage of let down. on friday, we hosted a training day to get several people in the company up to speed. the three of us worked all day thursday to get everything all ready. we brainstormed for hands on excersizes and ways to make everything more interesting. everyone seemed happy and healthy and rearing to go on thursday. friday comes along and the third member of my team called in sick. my boss and i were in a frenzy to put things right and make it through the day. i'm just so appalled. i would never do that. i think even if i hated my job and my coworkers, i'd have to be nearly on my deathbed to do that. i don't want to think of myself as exceptional merely by default, simply because i'm not ok with mediocrity. uff.

i guess we'll so who shows up today

he requires presents

i've had some bad static electricity since moving to vegas. someone at the office told me it was worse when its extra windy, donno if that's true. but i've been shocking myself and everyone around me like mad for the past two months.

i have this thing for belly buttons. i don't know...i just think they are fun. some people like feet or ears or whatever. i like belly buttons. i especially like to poke andrew's belly button and it only increases my satisfaction by how much he hates it.

this past friday, we'd just finished breakfast and i was scurrying around the house just before leaving for work. i walked into the livingroom to fetch something and there was andrew, all astreching and yawning, the lazy wonderful unemployed always-thoughtful househusband. i quietly scampered. i sneakily lept and dove. i outstreached and gave him a good belly button poke.

and zapped the hell out of him! you could've heard the crack from another room if it weren't for the yelp from him. he hopped backwards and sideways like cats do sometimes. i felt so bad. i seriously didn't mean to zap his tummy. i mean, what kind of fiend would purposefully zap a belly button?? however, my appology didn't go over too well, mostly because i couldn't stop laughing, the tear streaming kind of laughing. the look on his face was just so funny.

as i walked out the door, i turned to look at him. he was standing in the hallway holding his tummy fearfully and shouted out at me, "i requre presents!"

bacon tastes good

thirteen things to give up for lent

week #22

this year i'm giving up breakfast meats and andrew is giving up sodas. his is harder than mine, but breakfast meats to pop up occationally at not breakfast time so these are the things i won't be eating for the next 40 days:

1. bacon

2. canadian bacon

3. sausage patties

4. sausage links

5. pigs n blankets, whether its cressent rolls or pancakes

6. meatlovers pizza

7. BLT

8. bacon bits on my salad

9. country ham

10. mcmuffins

11. lox, which i don't eat anyway so its an easy one

12. kippers, also would not like to eat at anytime

13. bacon cheese burgers

milestones

i hit the two mile mark in this morning's workout. and i did it in a smidge less than 23 minutes.

i'm somewhat pleased.

i should be thrilled.

i've been doing close 25 minutes on the treadmill about three to four days a week. every five minutes, i step it up a notch, either in grade or speed. the week before last, i got up to a jog the last five minutes before cool down. yesterday and today, i rotated between five walking, five jogging. but today was the first time i hit the two mile mark. i'm clearly making progress. the problem is the army standard. for my age, the army says i should do two miles in 21 minutes. i'm not in the army obviously but if i were, every year you are older and still alive, the army lets you be fatter and slower. so i'm a little bummed that i'm slower than the standard. i'm also a little bummed that andrew is doing two miles in 17 minutes and thinks its perfectly fine that because i'm a girl, i should be slower. i didn't set goals when i started excersizing, i just wanted to be more healthy. but now i think my goal is to at least acheive the army standard, but i'd really like to be more on track with him. we'll see how this goes.

mixed messages

i feel like my hotel room is toying with me, giving me distinctly mixed messages, unclear signals.

so, which is it? a smoking room or a non smoking room?? not that it matters to me, i don't smoke, i'd just like to know, you know?

attraction, fascination, passion...neurosis

thirteen things i have obsessed about over the yearsroughly in chronological orderweek #21 1. barbie. yes, ok, i know all about how her proportions couldn't possibly be natural and she's so thin and whatever. i don't care. she's also a doctor and a teacher and an anstronaut and a rockstar and a ballerina and owns an amazing plethera of businesses. she's run for public office, owns her own car, house, boat, and horse ranch. she's smart, self sufficient, and wears great shoes. get over the whole waistline thing and remind young girls that they can grow up to be anything they want to be. 2. new kids on the block some of these earlier obsessions, i don't hardly know what to even say. *shamed faced* you know you want to hang tough... 3. kirk cameron who wasn't a fan of growing pains? but at least i'm not into his current film biography. 4. anne rice doesn't everyone have that moment somewhere in high school or college? that moment where you tread lightling into goth? well, i read nearly all the anne rice books and listened to tori amos. 5. tori amos but isn't she beautiful?? 6. u2 so many of the important moments of my life, my memories, are associated with either joshua tree or achtung baby. 7. vegetarianism this one lasts for about four weeks, but repeats every three or so years. and sometimes also during lent but obviously for different reasons. 8. sandman this is the first comic i ever read, and i've read it enough times i could quote most of it. i've also got nearly ever supplimental, complimentary bit of this and that (ok, so most of it was acquired through marriage. it was clearly a smart match and jane austin would agree). 9. kevin smith the new jersey trilogy. what can i say? i love them. i'm not, however, a particularly big fan of the other movies. kind of like the starwars prequels. 10. west wing smart and witty. i wish my president were at least one or the other. 11. derby glasses this one is from 1978; the year i was born. naturally i own one. and all the others between then and now. i am a little bit nervous as to how i'm going to get the 2007 one... 12. buffy if you have read my blog even ever, you've probably noticed this obsession. 13. stephanie plum this started just after andrew deployed last year. my coworkers were trying to cheer me up and these books are hysterical. i can ingest an entire novel in an afternoon. great fun.

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zoe hearts empty comicboxes

we couldn't have picked a cat that fit more right in.

she loves to play in the empty comic boxes and we currently have quite a few for her delight.

we are transitioning all the long boxes of comics into short boxes of comics. in part because short boxes are easier to manage (you didn't witness the asthma attacks of moving day). and in part because the shelves we have really only fit for the short boxes so it just works out. the comics are happier. we are happier. zoe is happier.

say cheese

i think i get my cooking skills from my mom. just dump stuff in a pan. whatever the recipe is, dump more of the things you like, such as creamcheese or gravy. dump less of the things you don't like, such as broccoli or raddishes. andrew is a measuring maniac. he measures the water for the pot when making mac-n-cheese. i didn't even realize the box specifically said, "boil 6 cups of water." i can't for the life of me figure out why the amount of water matters, but he measures anyway. and well, yeah, he does make some tasty kraft dinner.

this has been a family favorite for many many years. one of my favorite memories was the year we had enchiladas for thanksgiving dinner. yeah, for some reason, we just aren't big turkey eaters round here. i have no idea where my mom came across the recipe, but i have tinkered with it just a bit only because she gave me license to do so. her instructions included things like just add more sour cream and cheese until you're happy with the mix. otherwise, i also added the chicken and sauteing the onions instead of leaving them crunchy raw.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

2 bags fiesta/mexican blend cheese
1 can chicken (larger size)
1 medium onion, chopped, sauted
1/2 cup sour cream
1 t italian seasoning
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 can (15 oz) tomatoe sauce
2/3 cup water (I pour into tom. sauce can & swish)
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 T chili powder
1/4 t ground cumin
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
8 or so tortillas, flour or corn, as you like


Heat oven to 350ºF. Mix 1 1/2 bags of cheese, onion, sour cream, 1 1/2 T italian seasoning, chicken, salt and pepper and set aside. Heat tomatoe sauce, water, bell pepper, chili powder, 1/2 T italian seasoning, cumin and garlic to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Pour (I pour about 1/2 cup) into ungreased pie plate (or 8-9 inch cake pan).

Dip each tortilla into sauce to coat both sides. (I use tongs and after dipping, put on a large plate. You may have to continue adding some of the sauce from time to time) Spoon about 1/4 cup cheese mixture into each tortilla, roll tortilla around filling and arrange in ungreased baking dish, seam side down. Pour remaining sauce over enchilladas. Sprinkle with remaining half bag cheese. Bake uncovered until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. garnish with sour cream and sliced olives or lime wedges if desired. enjoy!

the early bird

for the first couple of weeks we lived here, we couldn't quite get used to the time change. kept waking up around 4am because that was 7am back in kentucky. and then along came new years eve and new years resolutions and the decision to take control of our health and workout more. working out before work seemed a natural fit since we weren't sleeping until the alarm went off anyway.

fast forward a month. we're still getting up early about three or four days a week but no longer before the alarm goes off. its more like after about three snooze hits. five am seems less and less like 8 am eastern time and more and more like an obscene time to get out of bed.

"progress isn’t made by early risers. it’s made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something." - robert heinlein

updates

it rained on me today! i was so thrilled. it hadn't rained since we moved here in december. well, it possibly had rained somewhere on someone in the las vegas valley but it had not rained on me.


zoe is adjusting well. she came out of hiding around tuesday and is a fairly vocal kitty. she also enjoys tromping us nearly to bits in the morning when the alarm clock goes off. she's not particularly demanding of breakfast. its not a feed me now sort of tromping. its more of i can see your eyes are open, why aren't you scratching my head already sort of demanding.


and i'm heading to michigan tomorrow for work. i'm in complete denial. this past week, its been in the 70s here and i've been enjoying it thoroughly. sandals and capris. the windchill was something like negative forty in parts of michigan last week. why? why would anyone want to live there? why doesn't the whole population pack a bag and move to somewhere better? i get canada. its terribly cold but generally clean and filled with polite canadians and swiss chalet. i'm not out and out picking on michigan folk, i just don't have a plausible explanation. maybe i'll figure it out this week. my goal is to not die and i've remembered to pack my flannel pj's.

meow

we have a new addition to the household, mostly. we brought zoe home on saturday and haven't hardly seen her since then. her current favorite spot is in the master bedroom closet, middle shelf on andrew's side, on top of a pair of dryclean only pants, behind a bunch of hanging clothes. we happened to find her finally because she'd kicked some stuff off the shelf in order to make more room for her sleepy self.

game time is less than one hour

word beads on sentence strings (#2)


when i planned this vacation, i had not considered football. now, in my alpine cabin, i was nervewrecked that the tiny tv antenna would not pick up the correct stations and i would miss not only the super bowl but also the super commercials. my current back up plan was to venture out to a local den of ale and once there, sass out their cable and satellite options. the custodian of the first establishment glared. 'you feelthy americans, playing football with your hands...' i ordered enough from the menu to justify kidnapping the remote. so with one hand clinching the remote and the other on the chip bowl, i managed to catch the last few plays of the game. minutes later, i ran straight home and was instantly on ebay to find my very own replica ring.

who wants to eat that? me!

i just like dishes that could be either side items or main dishes. donno why.

and that is how i trick andrew into eating things. "its just a side item, love."

i don't have any issue with this one being just an entree with some brown rice and condiments. but it could be a smaller pile sitting next to some chicken or something.

indian-spiced squash

1/4 cup shelled raw pumpkin seeds (optional and i always option out)
1 T fresh ginger
2 T olive oil
2 lb winter squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4in pieces (about 4 cups)
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground coriander
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t curry powder
1 can (14 1/2oz can veg or chicken broth)
4 cups hot cooked brown rice

condiments such as sliced bananas, pineapple chuncks, slices green onions, sour cream, and/or chutney (usually found at the grocery either near the jelly or the random sauces they don't know what to do with so stuck next to the BBQ sauce)

if you want the pumpkin seeds, the toast over medium heat 4-5 minutes or until puffed. remove and set aside. in a skillet cook and stir ginger in oil for a minute, medium heat. increase heat to meduim high, add squash and cook 3-5 minutes or until squash starts to brown. add the cranberries, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, and curry. cook 1 minute more. dump in the broth to mix. bring to a boil. reduce heat and cook, covered, for 10-15 minutes until squash is tender but not mushy, unless you like mushy and then cook it as much as you want. serve over rice, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and top with desired condiments. sour cream and bananas are the best. the whole thing is weird and you just have to get past that. yum yum yum!

somebody has issues

thirteen issues.week #20 life in the new office is an adventure. there are several positive things that could be mentioned but this is an issues list. i'll write down the positive things some other time. and while i don't normally write about work things, in part because there are just too many facets i cannot ethically discuss and in part because some companies find it inappropriate for their employees to blog, however today i just do not care (see #13). 1. see, i never thought i had issues with authority figures. and for the most part, i still don't think that. but i do have issues with rules that do not make sense. i have issues with stupidity. if you can justify your position, even if its different from mine, i can work with it. but if your reason is, "i said so," well then we have a problem. that doesn't work on five year olds, and so why would you think it'd work on me? why would an owner of a company wish to surround themselves with people who accept "because i said so"? when i run the company or the world or the whatever, i want to surround myself with people who use their minds, who think for themselves, and when i have a bad idea, especially when i have a bad idea, i want them to feel comfortable enough to tell me.2. at the new office, i cannot hang anything on the wall. and all the walls are creamy grey blah colored.3. i must speak exceptionally quietly (beyond the concept on 'inside voices') so that no one can hear me (and this would be easier if the place didn't echo because of the bare walls). 4. i can have absolutely no clutter on the desk. 5. the owner likes the place to be cold. so i have to sit at my desk and shiver.6. there isn't enough covered parking for everyone. i don't care anything about covered parking but whatever, everyone else does. so its on a rotation. people are practically getting into knife fights over the covered parking. 7. several people in the building like to send out etiquette emails. i have been briefed on the afformentioned parking, the kitchen, coffee in the kitchen, said sound levels, monday meetings, bathroom flushing, and a multitude of other life threatening topics.8. i feel like i'm in a prison lock down. i have to wave a keyfob at the machine beside the door. then unlock the door. inside there is a security machine which needs a code. there are cameras in all the hallways. but the trickiest bit is getting out. the front door will only open with the machine has a green light. if you loiter by the receptionist, the light will go off. you pretty much have to quickly walk down the hall and promptly out the door. and i don't get that. criminals who steal don't loiter by the door. they would promptly leave, right? so what are we preventing?9. my filing cabinets must be asthetically appealing. we came here with black ones and white ones and off white ones and grey ones. some were slighly different depths than others. the movers bent a couple. some were rusty on top because of long dead plants. this is absolutely not acceptable. we are in the process of spending buckets of cash to replace them all and make them uniform. i'm not really clear on why. having mismatched filing cabinets didn't impede me from doing a good job, but maybe having matching ones will inspire me to greater achievement.10. there isn't enough office space some one of my coworkers works in an office 25 miles away. its not really efficient to get work to and from her like it would be if her office were, say, next door or down the hallway. also we all miss her.11. my office door sometimes accidentally locks and so i come into work, manage to get through all the security measures, and then have to press my nose on the glass and peer inside my window wishing i could get to the extra keys in my desk drawer.12. the bathroom lightswitch has a sign indicating that if the lights are left on for too long, that they will short out, so please remember to turn them off when you leave. it hasn't happened yet, but any day now, i except to be going about my business in the bathroom and for the lights to flip off and to hear someone scream and realize its me. on a side note, we built the building, so i'm wondering why its wired poorly...13. and to round of the list, today, someone accidentally fired me. i logged into the program to enter my time for today and the program said i was a terminated employee. its a 'glitch.' which is a nice way of saying HR is a couple of fries short of a full happymeal. everyone has been notified and i'm still supposed to come into work tomorrow, but i'm sure my next pay check will be screwy.

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