Thoughts On A "New" Year

As I was getting dressed today in my New Year's Eve garb (think lots of sparkly jewelry) I was pondering how we think of tomorrow as a brand new start. We use the day as an excuse to end the year eating and drinking and carousing and promise ourselves we'll behave differently come January 1.

January 1 is the day we'll start dieting and exercising. It's the day we say we'll stop using our credit cards. It's the day that we promise ourselves that we'll be kinder and gentler to others and ourselves.

It's almost like magic. One tick of the clock and we're all new! In reality, it's the day we say we're going to do all of those things but probably won't. At least not for long. Then, we kind of give up until the next year when we make the same resolutions again.

In fact, it's just another day. There's no magic inherently in it.

The magic is in us. We can make any day the beginning of a new year.

Maybe it's April 15 when you pay your tax bill that is the day you decide to make and keep to a budget.

Maybe it's the day when you have a physical with your doctor and decide to really, finally do something about your health.

It could be the day when you're unfortunate enough to lose a loved one that you decide to let bygones be bygones and mend old relationships.

It could be someone's wedding day when you decide to rededicate yourself to your own relationship or actively seek one out if you're alone.

So, if you find yourself failing to keep your New Year's resolutions (let's be honest, we all make them) keep in mind that any day is the beginning of a new year. It's all in how you look at it and when you truly commit.

Happy New Year to all of you tomorrow (and the day after and the day after that...)!

My Proper Crusade

My aversion to the discussion and display of bodily functions is well known. Burping, farting, peeing and pooping are all things that should be done discreetly and never discussed. I don’t even like to say or hear the words. Ick.

The exception is when you warn people to stay out of the Goat Gas Zone but that’s it.

On my first trip to Calgary, I noticed that the public signs say Washroom instead of Bathroom or Restroom. (Don’t get me started on the horrid signs that say Toilet. That’s a picture you don’t want in your head.)

It’s not like you actually take a bath while you’re using public facilities. Nor, should you be resting. In, do your business, wash your hands then get out. That’s the ticket.

The key is washing so Washroom is perfectly named. Regardless of what you do in there, you should always wash afterwards.

I’ve gone on a personal crusade to get everyone to say Washroom. I figure if I start with my friends who are spread about the country, they can then influence their friends and so on and so on and our grassroots efforts will blossom.

I really hit up my peeps while we were in Florida. It only took a few times of them saying, “I’m going to the restroom” and for me to say “You mean washroom” before they started saying it themselves. Even if they started out with the wrong word then stumbled through the new and improved one.

I hope they’re keeping up with the new habit. I have and to the point where I asked someone in a dream last night where their washroom was. Seriously.

Just think, if we can get this to sweep the world, can world peace be far behind?

Kathy - Zero, Sauce - Two

Here’s to hoping I’m less of a loser in 2012...

So, I improvised dinner last night. I had some organic sunburst squash to use and researched recipes online. One person had some recipes but said they pretty much hated the taste of the squash because it’s bitter. I decided what better way to hide that then by cooking it up with hot Italian sausage (my new fave food item).

I browned the sausage with some onions then tossed in the squash. It looked a little dry so I poured in about a third of a jar of organic Marinara sauce. It actually tasted pretty dang good.

The trouble started when I decided to eat in front of the TV. I was sitting in my chair with the plate on my lap when I tried to cut one of the squash pieces in half with my fork.

The piece of squash, several pieces of sausage and a lot of sauce went flinging off my plate and splattered all over my leg, my chair and the carpet. Godsdammit.

Yeah, I had flashbacks to the ruination of my favorite white tee-shirt when that batch of spaghetti sauce decided to jump out of its pan on the stove.
I did a quick cleanup of the chair and the floor, wiped the gobs off my jeans then threw the jeans in the washer along with the rest of the clothes in the hamper. It was laundry night anyway.

My dryer takes two runs to get things dry (it’s a stackable unit so not very powerful). I usually set the first round before I go to bed then set the second when I get up in the morning so I can take everything out when it’s still hot.

Of course, I forgot this morning so I was pretty much ready to go when I realized my clothes weren’t dry. I started up the dryer then dug through the load half way through to remove the smaller items that were already dry in order to speed up the bigger items. Finally everything was dry so I pulled it all out then threw on a pair of jeans and headed to work.

It was only after I got to work that I looked down to see that I was wearing the same jeans from last night and they are hugely stained with sauce. I look like I spilled an entire cup of coffee on myself. Which would be something since I don’t drink coffee.

Sigh.

Maybe my New Year’s resolutions should be to eat at the dining room table like a grownup and avoid red sauce.

Book Review - A Short History of Private Life

At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked this as our book club selection and chose poorly. It's not a book club book at all. (I've since picked a different one.)

What this book is, is a rather dense history lesson mostly centered in the 1800s. Bryson uses his home, a former parsonage built in England in 1851, as the way to tie in a ton of research. The book is a little over 400 pages long and the references are 20 pages long. That's an incredible amount of detail and research.

It was actually quite interesting and I learned a lot. I don't know how much I'll retain, though, because so much was covered.

View all my reviews

Fantasy Football - Champion Game

To recap, I was playing for 3rd versus 4th in both of my leagues. Steven was last place in our club league but playing for the Championship in his other league.

It was a very stressful Christmas Eve. We were constantly checking our scores and, well, let's just say that I was coming out much better than Steven was. He finally removed himself to his room to watch and mope and we would periodically hear profanity coming down the hall.

It didn't help that he and his buddy had a side bet on their game. The loser had to pay the winner a dollar for the point difference in their scores. They capped it at $50 which was good because I think he may have lost by more than that.

My two games were much more competitive. The club game came down to a win for my by a score of 71-68. I swear we decided to pay out a pittance to third and fourth but apparently, not so. We're paying out first, second, last and high total season points. I must have missed all of that while I was playing bartender for the commissioner. Guess I won't be doing that next year.

The winner was my friend Eileen who just started playing with us this year. She's probably thinking we were a bunch of easy marks. It didn't hurt that she had Drew Brees. I hope she spends her $446.50 on something pretty for herself. Or, at least buys me a drink.

I came out ahead on the work league game, too. The final score was 153.04 - 139.36. I needed 2.03 points from Roddy White on Monday night and he took his sweet time getting it. Of course, by the end of the night he had 15.7 but I was sweating it. I also had the highest score of the week so I think I get some extra dough for that. My actual cash is unknown because our commissioner hasn't published the amounts yet despite my pestering.

Thank the football games for Cam Newton. He was the catalyst that turned my season around.

Of course, it being me, my players continued to rack up the injuries. Tony Romo - out in the first series. Man, that looked painful. Adrian Peterson, out for the season but not until he scored 11.2 points for me.

I feel sorry for every guy that I drafted and then ruined his season.

Pick 'Em was just pathetic. To go from winning last year to being in 6th place in both games is sad and shameful.

I love playing Fantasy Football despite the ups and downs. I completely relate to that commercial where they show people moping and crying. I didn't actually cry but I did mope. And swear. Come to think of it, there was probably more swearing than anything.

Wrapping Up The Holidays

I just put away the wrapping paper, bows, tissue paper, gift tags and bags, boxes and ribbons from my Christmas present wrapping. Dang, I feel like there's more now then when I started. Probably because there was.

Damn Costco. One would think I would learn by now but one would be wrong. It's hard to get rid of habits that are years in the making.

Here's what started it all. Sugar Daddy and I would go to Costco early in December and buy industrial size packages of tissue paper, wrapping paper, bows and gift cards. Sometimes, we even agreed to split some of it up. Because, who really needs 500 sheets of tissue paper?

We ended up with beautifully wrapped gifts which was good. We also ended up with a lot of leftover wrapping material which was bad.

Bad, because we would go to Costco the next year and buy almost all the same stuff again. Were we smart enough to pull the leftovers out and evaluate them before going to Costco? Of course not. So, it turned into a "I think I need some more bows" or "I'm pretty sure I'm out of paper" and we would buy it all.

I did the same thing this year on my own. I actually knew I was good on paper, bows and tags but I thought I needed tissue and gift bags. No, I didn't. I have so much frakking tissue paper that I can wrap gifts for literally years. I did use some of the gift bags but I didn't need the 20 pack that I bought.

Somehow, I held off on buying more gift tags. I love their tags. I'm sure they're assembled by little Chinese children being paid $.10 a day and they're horrible for my carbon footprint but they're SOOOOOO cute! You get a mixed set of designs and I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to match the perfect tag to the gift.

For the record, I need nothing next year. Except gift tags, finally. Sweet!

Since I can't seem to blog without my cat in the post, here are some pictures of George helping me wrap.

I like the taste of this tape!

Since you keep pushing me off the table, I'll hide out in this box.

Or, maybe I'll try to suffocate myself in this bag.

And finally, the finished products underneath my parents' tree.

Happy Christmas!

Not Your "Normal" Holiday Person

When it comes around to this time of the year, people often survey about favorite Christmas things. Well, Christians survey about your favorite Christmas things. Others will ask about your favorite holiday things but that's only because they're sensitive to the fact that not everyone is a Christian. Yes, that's a horse I will continue to beat.

I think my answers to the surveys put me in a small minority.

My favorite Christmas movie? Die Hard. Because nothing says the holidays like murder, mayhem and someone saying "Yippee ki-yay, motherfucka." I truly love that movie. Willis at his finest. Alan Rickman at his sleaziest and, oh, how I love him in everything he's ever done. The sequels will never match up to the original. I was once asked what movie I would take to a desert island (assuming it could be endlessly played) and that was my choice.

My favorite Christmas song? Baby, It's Cold Outside. In its time, it was about some sly seduction. Now, we can't hear it without thinking of some poor girl getting slipped a ruffie and completely violated. It has nothing to do with Christmas but it's always played this time of year and I love it more than I love Die Hard. Which is saying a lot. (It has to be the Dean Martin version, BTW.)

My favorite holiday food? Peppermint ice cream. Screw the turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, latkes, pickled herring or whatever you like. Peppermint ice cream is the bomb and they should sell it year round. I actually stock up and carry enough in my freezer to get me to the spring.

My favorite family activity? Well, this might match up to a lot of people's if they would admit it but it's watching football. No church, no gift giving, no singing carols. It's all about watching the NFL and rooting against Dallas (mostly because they're always on and, well, they're Dallas). We turn the volume down to pretend we're actually paying attention to each other but it's a facade. We really care about the games.

Despite my oddities, I really enjoy the holidays and spending time with my extended family. At the very least, I get good stories out of it all. At the very best, I get great memories that will carry me into the new year.

Phred's Phabulous Sweater

I've told the story about our club mascot, Phred, being kidnapped while we were in Florida and kept in Iowa. While he was treated royally, we're glad his captivity is soon to be over. Thom headed back to visit his family in Iowa for the holidays and made a trip to Ankeny to retrieve Phred.

Oh, and to go to Dawnie's fab Festivus party, too.

It's pretty traditional (if Festivus can count as a tradition). Airing of the grievances, feats of strength and an ugly sweater contest are all standard. I suspect a lot of alcohol is consumed as well.

Since Phred has a pretty cushy life and has no actual muscles or bones to help in the strength department, his only chance to participate was in the sweater category. He actually has several outfits already but none are ugly.

Until I stepped in and decided to make him a sweater. I used an old vest as a model and headed off to Michael's to buy supplies. I let the materials that I found design the final product.

Sweater Supplies

Of course, I had help.

Let me inspect your work

George was into everything. I would walk away while the glue was drying and turn to find her on the table in the middle of it all. That wouldn't have been so bad but then she started stealing things.

I have no idea how this pom-pom got on the floor.

I finally had to put all of the supplies in a box with a lid between steps. I'm surprised she didn't burn herself, or anything else, with the glue gun because she was all over everything so many times.

I'm not sure I approve of your color selection

Despite her help, I finished the sweater. I think it was a valid entry into the contest.

The pom-poms make the front.

It isn't the holidays without some Rudolph.

The sweater was FedEx'd to Iowa and Phred was ready for the party. I couldn't wait to see him in it so I asked Dawnie to send me pictures. Pictures, I got, too.

Phred and Jim's Stand In

Our friend, Jim, really wanted to be at the party so he sent a stand in Jim, complete with ugly sweater. Hilarious!

Rudolph's nose is MIA

According to reports, Phred's sweater came out a few jingle bells short after the party. If that's the worst thing that happened, it's all good.

I wish I could have been there in person but contented myself with updates throughout the night. It went pretty late because the last message came in after I was enjoying my slumbers.

Phred will be home next week. It will be good to see him and someone's already got other clothes waiting for him. I have no doubt that those will be much nicer than his sweater but it was a fun experience.

Ugh, Holiday Stress

I had two presents left to get for Christmas. Both were available at Tempe Market Place. I pulled out of my complex on the McClintock and promptly got stuck behind a bus. That was stuck behind a gazillion cars going in to the shopping center.

It was insane!

I decided to go in one the entrances off of Rio Salado. The first one was backed up to McClintock, the second wasn't much better and, by the time I got to the third, I had no stomach for it. I decided to head up to Best Buy at Pavilions instead for the one gift. Yes, it was several miles away but I knew I could get in there without any worries.

One slight problem with that plan, though. The Best Buy at Pavilions is closed.

Sonova...at least I enjoyed the spin in my bitching new car but it was a bad day to forget to take my high blood pressure meds. (Which I'm now swallowing with wine. That works, right?)

I ended up at Wal-Mart where I really try not to shop but I knew they would have the gift I wanted. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice your principles for expediency.

My next stop was the grocery store but I stopped off at my parents' house to fortify myself with a few sugar cookies. I also wanted to ask my Mom what I needed to bring for Christmas. I've consistently gotten rolls as my holiday contribution for a while now. Being known as a non-cooker makes it a lot easier on you. Someday, I might actually bake them myself. But, not this year.

The grocery store was remarkably calm and they had all of the checkout lanes open. Nice.

As I drove home, I went by Tempe Marketplace. There was no traffic backup whatsoever. I don't know what made the difference between 3 and 5 PM but I would have expected the latter to be busier. Shows what I know.

Oh, and the second gift I needed got switched to a gift card that I was able to get at the grocery store.

No way am I braving the mall tomorrow.

Book Review - Heat Rises

Heat Rises by Richard Castle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nikki is intent on finding the killer of a Priest when things go all to hell. Her Captain Montrose is acting strangely and blocking her investigation. There are numerous attempts on her life. To top it off, she get suspended. It's up to Nikki and Rook (with a little help from their friends) to find the killer and wrap up an ever expanding conspiracy.

These are really fun books that fictionalize the already fictional characters from Castle. Very entertaining!

View all my reviews

Book Pressure

I love reading. And, I like all sorts of stuff which makes it easy to find something to read.

Until it's time for me to host book club and pick something for the group. Then, I have no clue what to choose.

The pressure is incredible. You really don't want to be the one who picks a bad book. We don't forget and we don't let the book chooser forget. Just ask Anna about how many times we've thrown The Mystic Masseur back at her. And, I can't even count how many times I've slammed that stupid telepathic gorilla from Ishmael.

I volunteered at the beginning of this month to host the January book club and promised to send out my book selection ASAP. I completely forgot for a week or so then put it on my mental to-do list every day once I remembered. I think it was fear that kept me from actually following through and picking one, though.

Jen sent a polite email today saying, in effect, "Did I miss the email about our next book?" I immediately confessed that she did not miss it because it was never sent and said I would choose and send the email out today.

A promise that I remembered around 10 PM tonight. Doh! I went to Amazon and checked their best sellers. Some of them looked promising but, when I checked the library stock, there was a long wait on them. Besides picking a good book, you have to pick one that can be read for free.

I then went to the New York Times best selling list. An appearance on that list is not always indicative of greatness. Sometimes, hype and awards get people interested even if the book isn't actually that good.

I did find something that I think (I hope!) everyone will enjoy: At Home by Bill Bryson. He's a great writer and the book had really good reviews. There were also a bunch of copies available at the library. That put it in the "Sold!" category for me.

Now, I just hope it doesn't suck.

Kitten Days Revisited

When I first got George, her birth Mommy's owner sent her home with what I call a crackle ball. It looked like a tin foil ball and it made a cracking sound when you squished it.

We used to play fetch with it every day. I would throw it, she would bat it around then carry it back to me. Repeat, repeat. When I woke up in the morning, she would bring it up on the bed and we started our day by playing fetch.

At some point, all of the crackle balls disappeared and the fetch game stopped. Until tonight.

I bought her a cat stocking at PetSmart this past weekend. 25 toys for something like $3.99. Cheap! As she bugged the crap out of me while I was trying to address my holiday cards on Sunday, I doled out a few toys. She paid a minimal amount of attention to them until tonight when one struck her fancy. (I was still working on cards and not paying attention to her. Coincidence? I think not.)

Go get it, George!

It was another ball, this one with glittery threads on it. She carried it over and dropped it at my feet. I tossed it and she brought it back. Again and again and again.

What fun! Just like the old days. I'm hopeful she won't be bored of it by tomorrow because it's a good game and good exercise for my little Fatty McFatfat.

Fantasy Football - Playoffs Week 2

Of all the weeks to go up against Drew Brees (5 TDs) and Reggie Bush (career high day of 203 yards), my opponents in both of my leagues had them starting. Needless to say, I did not come out on top. Dang. (I actually said much worse than dang at the time but I've calmed down. A lot.)

Oh, well. Time to play for 3rd and 4th. I’m consoling myself that I’m in the money so I can at least get back some of my entry fees. And, in case you were wondering, I very much want to end up in 3rd rather than 4th, especially in my work league.

Pick ‘Em was bad for everyone with all of the upsets. I’m still in 3rd in the club group and 4th in the work one but too far behind in the latter to get to 3rd and in the money. That’s a bummer since I was in the top two through the middle of the season.

Oh, well. One week to go then I can move on to the stress of following the Packers through the playoffs. We picked a bad time to start falling apart. I was really confident of our return to the Super Bowl all season but I’m not sure Aaron can carry it all the way.

Doubled Up - Twice

It was a good night at Chick Poker for me. I turned my $20 into $41 and change. Always a good feeling.

The better feeling came from our annual holiday donation. We've collected money in December each year  for a while now and collectively donate it to an agreed upon charity. This year, we decided to give it to Season for Sharing which is run by The Arizona Republic and 12 News (a local radio station). The double up is that Gannett matches all donations up to $400,000.

If you're looking for an organization to donate to this holiday season, I suggest checking it out.

Here's the scoop on Season for Sharing from azcentral.com:

We'll Increase Your Donation.
You Increase Their Potential.

Season for Sharing is The Arizona Republic and 12 News' annual holiday fund-raising campaign. Through an eight-week news, editorial, direct mail and ad campaign, readers and viewers are encouraged to donate to the Season for Sharing fund to help human service agencies in Arizona.

Donations are matched through Gannett Foundation and the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust 50 cents on the dollar until the fund reaches $800,000. The Republic and 12 News cover all administrative and fund-raising costs, so every penny donated, plus the matching dollars, goes directly to local agencies.

Last year, $2.66 million was distributed to 137 agenciesthat help at-risk children and families, improve educational skills, help domestic violence victims and serve the elderly. Since its inception in 1993, Season for Sharing has generated more than $46 million to our community.

When you donate to Season for Sharing, you give more than money... you provide independence, opportunity, inspiration and safety. In these tough economic times, the need is even greater and Season for Sharing is once again there to help.

100 percent of your matched donation will go to agencies throughout the Valley and state. Please give today. 

Statement Of The Obvious

I had crack for lunch today. Which everyone should know is Panda Express Orange Chicken. Man, that stuff is good and when you have a craving for it, there's no satisfying it except to get that completely unhealthy but yummy food.

Here was my fortune cookie:  A LONG TIME ADMIRER THINKS HIGHLY OF YOU.

Well, that was insightful. I mean, I worry that my long time admirers don't think well of me. Well, wait, no, I don't worry about that. They're admirers, of course they think highly of me.

Update: THINKS, not THINGS. Doh!

A Holiday Tradition

My Chick Poker group formed out of a few of us working at Bookstar many years ago. I have so many fond memories of that time and feel fortunate to still be in touch with several co-workers.

One tradition that has carried on, and changed as the members of Chick Poker have, is our annual ornament exchange. Everyone buys an ornament and it's a random assignment of which one you get (they're all wrapped).

It sort of started out with a mixture of funny and nice. And, if you could get a combination of the two, it was a bonus. One year, Chris got this sparkly pear that had a face, arms and legs attached. It was hideous. She actually had it on her tree (in the back) for years until one of her dogs ate it. I also recall a snowman made out of a toilet tissue cardboard that was surprisingly nice. Oh, and there was also the sock monkey, the pickle and the elephant that blew bubbles.

This year found us with the absolutely creepiest, most disturbing ornament ever. Angela bought it and finagled it so that Chris got it. Chris usually gets the weird ones.

Seriously, WTF?

It looked like a cross between Jack Skellington and a fairy. You have to wonder not only who would buy it for real but also who designed it and approved production. It is really unattractive. And, creepy.

Angela took pity on Chris and also gave her a nice, elegant, angel ornament.

It was suggested that Chris take it into work and stick it on the corporate Christmas tree. I would totally do that except ours is in a camera area and I would get busted. She decided to take it to her brother's house, put it on the tree and see how long it takes before someone notices. 

Of course, she's worried that it will come alive before then. I suggested she leave it in her carport and, if someone steals it, they have to deal with it being from hell.

Can't wait until next year to see who comes up with the most outrageous ornament.

Holiday Happiness

I finally had the time to go through all of my mail that's been overflowing my dining room table. The bills I could have done without but the holiday cards were awesome.

I'm all about the cards and newsletters (I wish everyone did one) and the photos. I put the latter up on my fridge but it's getting so crowded (and I don't have enough magnets) that I've had to replace pictures from last year with the new ones from this year.

Hey, your kids are really getting big!

Holiday (yeah, I know, I'm not saying Christmas because not everyone is a Christian but I think everyone likes cards and we do have New Year's which I think most people can get behind as a holiday) cards are great fun to me. I love seeing all the different styles and sentiments. And, their arrival really helps to get me in the holiday spirit.

I'm a freak about my own cards as I buy four or five different types each year then match them to the people I'm sending them to. My recipient list has grown to nearly 100 but I love that I'm adding new people every year. More friends!

My newsletter is written but not printed. No photo for me. While it's tempting to do a picture of George, I'm just not willing to be that crazy cat lady. And, I'm pretty sure Steven won't pose for  nnnn mmmmn a family picture.

That nnnn mmmmn in the preceding paragraph was from George sitting on my keyboard, BTW. If I can't keep her off the computer can you just imagine how she'd be during a formal portrait?

One Of Those Days

If it’s not one thing, it’s another...

I tried to get in to work a little early today. Tried being the operative word. There was an accident somewhere on the 202 and it took me nearly a half hour to get to Priest from McClintock so I could jump on to Washington and take the surface streets to the office. My usual 11-15 minute commute took me 45.

Then, I stopped by the ATM at lunch to get cash for tonight. I opened my wallet and, motherbitches, realized that my debit card was in the back pocket of the jeans I wore last night. I filled my gas tank before going home and didn’t put the card away.

My 1 PM meeting was across the street and I needed my badge to get in to the gate. At least I realized that I didn’t have the badge with me before I crossed the street but I had to hike back to get my purse so I could get my badge out of my car. I’ve already gotten used to the remote entry so it didn’t occur to me that it wouldn’t work without the key at least in my pocket. By the time I got there, it was 1:05 and I hate being late.

Finally, I was checking my calendar to see what I needed to worry about because I had a tentative vacation day marked for tomorrow. Something made me check how many days I have left and I only have one, not the two I was expecting.

I’m trying to focus on the positives.

It wasn’t me in the accident.

My friend T was in the car with me at the ATM and he loaned me $100.

Even though I was late, the meeting hadn’t started yet. And, it got out early. Bonus!

I didn’t take tomorrow off so I didn’t screw myself out of taking December 23rd off. That will give me time for last minute shopping that’s not on Christmas Eve.

Yin and yang and all that rot. I just hope tonight doesn’t bring me any unhappy surprises.

Saint Lucia Day

Our Croatian friends invited us over to celebrate Saint Lucia's Feast Day today. I confess that, really horrible former Catholic that I am, I had no idea who Saint Lucia was.

Reading Wikipedia's story about her, I have to say "Poor thing!"

What our friends told us was that today was the planting of the wheat. Apparently, you take some wheat seed, put it in a bowl and keep it lightly watered until Christmas day where it becomes your centerpiece for the table. If your wheat grows thick and strong, you're going to have a good year. 

Looks a little like breakfast cereal.

They gave us each a bowl, some cotton balls and a bag of wheat seed. I tasted one of the seeds, BTW, and you wouldn't want to eat those. You shred up the cotton bowls so they'll store the water and put them at the bottom of the bowl, spread the seed on top then wet all of it.

I've got mine safely at home and will do my best to water it. I fear that if it does grow, George will eat it so I will lack a decent centerpiece.

The best part of the evening was spending time with our friends, meeting some new people and having great eats. We had stuffed cabbage, sausage and really good sauerkraut. Oh, and some mighty fine Croatian beer and cherry wine.

Good times, good times.

Fantasy Football - Playoff Week One

Whoohoo! I'm a big winner!

Thanks to a 37 point week from Maurice Jones-Drew (I love that little guy so much), I bested my opponent in the club league by a score of 117-92. I was playing Crash's son Matt who drafted Aaron Rodgers with the first pick. Fortunately for me, the Packers scored a boatload of points this week but Aaron's points were only so-so.

I haven't heard Matt's reaction to the game yet but he's got to be bummed that his 10-3 team lost to my 7-5-1 team. It's just like the NFL, on any given day any team can beat another.

I'm on to play my friend Eileen in the next round. She's got a stellar team and finished first in our division.  I have to hope that Drew Brees takes it easy next week or I can get in a deep hole, fast.

I was talking to two of my buddies in the work league last week and I wasn't very optimistic with my chances. My opponent was projected to score over 150 points and I think I was somewhere less than 110. I think the projections on NFL.com aren't very good and the final score reinforced that feeling as I won 132.14 to 117.9.

Both of my buds had agreed that my team was pretty weak and one of them said, "I hope you win because I'm playing you next week if you do." Well, he got what he wished for but I hope to be able to say something snarky after I win. Oh, please, football gods, let me win.

My team name of The Injury Report was shown to be true, unfortunately. I've been waiting for Adrian Peterson to get healthy so it hurts a lot that I lost Greg Jennings for the rest of my season. I'm really down to no good starting options. I'm also playing against Brees in that game so I REALLY need him to play like shite. Or, get pulled out to save him for the post-season.

I'm so mad at myself in Pick 'Em. I made my picks then thought too much and changed two of them. I should have gone with my first instincts as I would have held on to third place in the club game and I'm losing ground on third in the work game.

Yes, This Is One Of My Best Friends...

...so I got that going for me.

I'm thinking of starting a new blog called "Crash Stories" where we can all post tales about our friend who just does stuff that makes you shake your head. Her friend, Patti, calls her FTW for Frakking Train Wreck and it fits. As Crash and I have discussed, it's a good thing she's so likable.

Last weekend, Crash and I hatched a plan for the Arizona Parrot Head Club Holiday party that was last night. She was going to work during the day and I was going to meet her at her house at 4 PM so we could drive together to the BOD meeting before the party and she would be my DD as I would then stay the night at her house.

I got to her house right at 4, unloaded all of my crap and walked to her front door. Where, I knocked. And, knocked again. And, once more for the hell of it. I pulled out my phone and called her and it went to voice mail. I then sent her a text asking where she was. One more call to her phone for good measure went unanswered.

My first assumption was that she was driving home from work and, since she works in insurance, she won't answer her phone while driving. So, I gave her a few minutes. But, then I thought "Knowing my dear friend, she might have forgotten." I then called Tammy, our party hostess, and asked if Crash was there. She said she wasn't and I explained why I called.

Just as I was picking up all of my crap to take it back to my car and drive over by myself, my cell rang. The ID said it was Tammy but that's not whose voice I heard. "She found me!" I just shook my head. Then, Crash said, "I'm going to come get you because I need to get my phone because I left it at home."

Well, that explains why she didn't answer her phone nor reply to my text.

My reply was, "You WILL come get me regardless of the phone."

Turns out, she had walked in the door at the party and Tammy asked her "Where's Pfister?" Her blank stare was enough to give away that she had completely forgotten the plan.

Oh, and it's my fault because I didn't remind her. Of a plan we made six days ago. When we were sober. I'm such a bad friend.

As the party went on, I switched from Miller Lite to Gluhwein and was feeling no pain. Crash hadn't been drinking until she remembered that she left her Shotski at home. Again, it was my fault that I didn't remind her. She and Tracy went to retrieve and my DD went to hell as soon as they were back.

Four of the new AZPHC BOD members - does that inspire confidence?

I don't know how many shots she did but people started coming up to me and suggesting that I may need to drive home. Really? I guess I hold my liquor better than I thought because I had no interest in driving. My plan was that we would just stay over on the futon and go home in the morning.

Late Night Dominos

It was down to the Last Men Standing (technically one man and five girls) when they decided to play Dominos. Poor Overachiever who was trying to figure out the game. Crash was on her ass like no one's business.  Yes, I believe alcohol was a factor.

After what seemed like a day but was probably only two hours, the game concluded and Crash was sober enough to drive home. I'd spent the last hour dozing on the couch. We either left or got home to Crash's at 2:40 AM. I know I looked at the time but I don't remember when. But, hey, we made it home  and none the worse for wear.

It is a good thing she's so likable. ;-)

Next time, I'm reminding her every day for a week leading up to our next plan.

Merry Christmas To Me!

I just spent more money on a car than I ever have in my life. And, I'm not even sad about it. But, I will be poor.

My 2004 Sonata was at 98,000 miles and needed new tires and some front squeaky stuff fixed. The squeaky stuff was going to be several hundred dollars, the tires the same and I was going to have to do several 100,000 mile services soon.

It all came to a head when I was getting the oil changed two weeks ago. As the tech was showing me the upcoming services, I started thinking it was time for a new car. Then, one of the guys said I had a piece of metal in one of my tires so I headed off to Discount Tire in the hopes they could repair it.

They could, and did, repair it but they said I needed all new tires and showed me how low the treads were. I said, "How long will they last because I just decided to trade this in and I'm going to do it this month." The dude looked at me like I was crazy because one of the tires was totally cracked on the sidewall and you could see in to the core of it. I replaced that tire with the cheapest one they had then seriously started looking for my next car.

It wasn't a big search, though. As soon as I saw the 2011 Sonatas last year, I knew I wanted one. They are so bitching looking, got great reviews and well, they're bitching looking. I talked myself out of it because I didn't have a car payment and my car was still good. And, nice looking. But, not bitching.

So, I looked at all of the Sonata models and hoped I could get the middle one with a sunroof in either Black, Harbor Grey or Indigo Blue. Those were really my only criteria. I checked the online inventory of the dealers in Phoenix and found the biggest selection at Hyundai of Tempe.

I called them on Friday and gave the guy my basics. He asked if I wanted GPS, or the Nav system or leather, etc. and I said I didn't want them but I wasn't averse to getting them. We made a plan for me to come in today and, since he wasn't working, he gave me the sales manager's name to talk to.

When I got there this afternoon, the sales manager told me there was a new potential on the lot for me. It was a 2011 and had been a loaner car. There were only 4,600 miles on it. It was the top model in the series and had pretty much everything.

Here's a (partial because I can't remember it all) list:

Sunroof

GPS (you have no idea how much I need this unless you've driven with me or I've called you because I'm lost)

XM Radio with fancy sound system (CD player, 16 XM presets, 12 FM presets, 6 AM presets)

Rearview camera

Leather seats

Bluetooth

Heated seats (both front and back)

Dual zone A/C

A/C vents and controls in the back seat

Remote keyless entry

Fancy alloy rims

Sport tires

Compass on the rearview mirror (I really need this, too, but I also need to learn how to figure out which direction I should be going)

Automatic headlamps

Power seats (they even go up and down, not just front and back)

Telescopic steering wheel (you can adjust close, far, up and down)

iPod connection

Bitching!

Fancy!

I'm in love

I think I saved $6,000 or $7,000 by going with the 2011. Of course, I wouldn't have gone all out on a 2012 so I ultimately probably paid a little more than I would have with a 2012 but I got every thing I wanted, needed and more.

The sales guy helped me sync my Droid to the car so I called Sugar Daddy on the way home and filled him in on my purchase. Then, I headed to my parents' and called Steven from the car and told him to get everyone to come outside. He knew what I was up to but my parents did not.

Shorty, as you can imagine since he buys a new car like every other month (or so it seems), was thrilled and is sure I'm going to love this car. I'm sure he's right. Steven had to take it for a drive (he confirmed that it does have pep) and wanted to play with the remote entry and startup. I escaped the family and called Dawnie on the way home. It was super easy to transfer the call back to my phone when I got home.  I'm going to love the bluetooth!

I'm really looking forward to those heated seats tomorrow morning. Because, I'll probably only need them a half dozen times a year and this is definitely the week for them.

Book Review - Spell Bound

Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Gosh, we're really up to 12 books in this series? They've been fun reading.

This one, like the last, focuses on the young witch, Savannah. Her unspoken thought to give up her powers if a family could be reunited is heard and acted on by another. Without her magic, she's left to investigating a group of supernaturals that want to come out of hiding and look to have nefarious plans in doing so.

We've seen Savannah grow up in these books and she's a fun, tough but annoyingly stubborn character. She and Adam (the guy she's been in love with since she was 12) are a great team with their constant teasing, drinking and adventures. Those two crazy kids should get together.

The ending is set up to lead right to the next book as there's a battle of supernaturals brewing. I'm looking forward to reading it.

View all my reviews

New Dish For The Rotation

I get a box of organic fruits and vegetables delivered to my house every two weeks. There's always some sort of green (chard, kale, collard, etc.). I discovered early on that whatever green you get, it tastes good cooked with bacon, onion and garlic so that's what I always do. The exception is mustard greens. I have no idea how to make those taste good. They taste like dirty weeds to me.

As I was watching Chopped's Lunch Ladies episode, I saw a new way to prepare greens. One of the ladies does Pasta Monday at her school because pasta is an inexpensive way to provide a very filling dish and some of her students don't get a lot to eat over the weekend. She had collard greens to work with and she sliced them into thin strips, added a bunch of other stuff and tossed in pasta. It looked delicious and the judges really liked it.

So, I picked up some penne at the store and waited for my next delivery. It came yesterday and included was green chard. I was good to go.

I cooked the diced onion and garlic with ground up hot Italian sausage and a shake or two of Italian spice mix then waited until the penne was nearly done. Then I put the strips of chard into my sausage mix and it only took a few minutes to cook it down. The sausage had enough fat to coat everything nicely without being too greasy. I then folded in the penne (no rinsing) and, voila, it was done.

Delish! I had it for dinner last night and leftovers for lunch today. Still yummy.

Good stuff

I should have taken a picture of how it looked on the plate last night. Much prettier. I also put a little bit of dried parmeson on it and that was a nice finishing touch. 

If you haven't watched the Chopped Lunch Ladies episode, you really should. It was eye-opening to see the challenges they face trying to work with the food they're given (they don't always have a lot of leeway) while providing a healthy, low cost meal to their students. It's much easier to go low cost if you're willing to skimp on nutrition and taste but those women weren't willing to do that. Very inspirational.

It was also eye-opening to hear about how many of their students are on food assistance programs. We're not doing a very good job of properly feeding our youth. Heck, I don't think we're doing a very good job at feeding a lot of our citizens.

The Fictional Donald Story

This is a story about Fictional Donald. Yes, that's his official name because I declared it to be so.

We have to start the story many years ago. My friend Russ would tell me how I needed to meet his old college buddy, Donald, because we would totally hit it off. My response was always, "So, when is Donald coming out to visit?" Because, allegedly, Donald lived in Texas. I say allegedly because Russ would say, "Oh, he's coming this year." And, the year would pass with no signs of Donald.

I began to have my doubts about this Donald dude so I started referring to him as Fictional Donald. Russ did his best to convince me he was real. He showed me old school pictures, tried to call Fictional Donald from Mexico one year (alcohol was involved) and finally got a hold of him one New Year's Eve.

We were at Crime Dog and Vivian's house when Russ handed me the phone and said, "This is Donald." I said into the phone, "So, you're some guy that Russ is paying to pretend to be Donald?" He assured me he was, indeed, Donald, and we talked for a few minutes. I was laughing the whole time because I refused to acknowledge he was a real Donald. Or, the real Donald, however you want to look at it.

The funny thing is, as I recall, we were already connected. There's a parrot head site (Facebook like) called Meet The Phlockers. Tkay told me Fictional Donald was on there so we connected. I maintained that Russ created the profile and there was still no Donald.  A while after that we became Facebook friends but I still said he was a fake.

We're now up to last year in the story. It was Russ' 50th birthday and Tkay was throwing him a party. Unfortunately, the party was on the same night as the Arizona Parrot Head Club's holiday party and, as outgoing President, I felt obligated to be there.

However, Fictional Donald was scheduled to fly in on Friday (the party was Saturday) so I took off early from work and drove down. I was waiting outside Tkay's house when she got back from the airport with FD. As I walked up the driveway, he noticed me and said "I know this girl!" (Or, something like that, it was a year ago.)

Together at last

Russ was right, we totally hit it off. We picked on each other the whole night. ;-) Russ' cousin was also in town for the birthday bash so the five us headed to Fourth Avenue in Tucson for their big arts festival. Well, mostly for beers. We then headed back to Russ and Tkay's house for dinner with Russ' Mom and Aunt. Then, it was time for more beers. The whole evening I still called him Fictional Donald, though. I am stubborn.

Tired Boy

We hung out by the firepit in the backyard. Poor, FD. He was working third shift at the time and hadn't slept for something like 36 hours. Being the unkind person that I am, I had to capture the moment. This was actually a prominent picture on his Facebook page for a while before he figured out how to remove the tag.

I headed back up to Phoenix the next day but our connection didn't stop. FD called me on Saturday night after both of our parties to prove he could stay up late. That was the first of many late night conversations. I'm a night owl and he didn't have a lot to keep him occupied at work so we would talk a lot. For a while, I was logging over 200 minutes a month to Houston.

I tried to figure out when we could hang out in person next and decided that Riddles in the Sand, a parrot head event in Galveston Bay, would be ideal. Tkay was in but I had to convince Russ. I waited until he was really toasted after a party then threw the idea out there. It stuck though I had to reinforce it with an executive decision ("I made the hotel reservations, we're going.").

Slivo Shots at Donald's House

So, Russ, Tkay and I headed to Texas where FD picked us up from the airport and we spent the first night at his house. He showed me all of his IDs. Driver's license, passport, fake passport and even an old school ID. I decided that he was the real Donald but I just couldn't drop the Fictional Donald name.

By this point, most of my peeps knew the Fictional Donald story. What they didn't know was that he decided to come out for Labor Day weekend and our Parrot Grande event. I manually slipped his name on to the registration list where it took one day for both the Treasurer and the PG Co-Chair to notice. 

Everyone has the option to put their nickname on their PG badge. FD did not have that option. I put down Fictional Donald, of course. 

There was a great amount of surprise when Russ and Tkay showed up with FD in tow. It was no surprise, however, that FD fit right in. I'm not even sure how many Facebook friends he made before the weekend was over but he was universally adored.

Our Chippendales

He even came in costume! The theme was Saturday Night Live and he was ready. We all had a great time and he partied with people all over the resort. For weeks afterwards, I heard about how much fun he was.

Why do I tell the tale now? Well, we're having our holiday party on Saturday and FD teased me by saying he might come out for it. Then, I saw an article in the paper today about the Fourth Avenue arts festival in Tucson this weekend.

He's not coming and it makes me sad. But, I'm enjoying reliving the memories of last year and the fun we had. And, I've no doubt that we have more fun to come.

Do We Look Like Singers?

A few of us went up to Lake Havasu for the weekend to see the boat parade (lighted boats going down the river - pretty!).

Everyone but me brought their Santa hats to wear for the weekend. Crash loaned me hers on Friday and she wore her Buckeye hat instead so we were all decked out.

I can't tell you how many times someone asked us to either sing a song or asked if we were caroling. It was a bunch.

In my gang, it's not unusual for people to wear their Santa hats frequently in December. I think Goat and Queen wear their hats every time they go out. And, they seemed very appropriate for the holiday boat parade.

Come on, doesn't everyone dress this way?

But, Bacon Is Always Supposed To Be Good!

I never thought I’d say this but it appears some things are better without bacon. I know, it’s near blasphemy.

The Rocket Scientist and I went to D&B for Monday Night Football last night. It was bitterly cold (for us Phoenicians) and I didn’t have a jacket on. My heavy sweater wasn’t enough to combat the elements so I was pretty chilled by the time I got inside.

Since they took my favorite item off the menu (pulled pork sliders), I always have to peruse the entire menu since I can’t find a new favorite. (#firstworldproblems) The Mac and Cheese seemed like a great choice in both warming and comfort food.

Here’s the official description:

Grilled seasoned chicken breast and applewood smoked bacon tossed with Cavatappi pasta and a creamy aged sharp cheddar cheese sauce. Topped with a garlic breadcrumb crust and baked until brown and bubbly.

Sounds yummy, no?

I got it and started eating but was soon more picking at it. The cheese sauce was good but I lost interest about half way through. Of course, the Red Velvet cake from work yesterday might have impacted my appetite. I got the rest of it boxed to take home.

This morning, I heated up the leftovers for breakfast. And, found myself picking through the dish again. I realized that I was subconsciously avoiding the bacon and seeking out the chicken and the pasta.

It could have been that the bacon was undercooked as it wasn’t at all crispy. Or, it was the combination of bacon and cheese. It could also have been that it just wasn’t good bacon.

Regardless, I tossed a bunch of it in the garbage. What a waste of what I consider to be one of the few perfect foods.

You Can't Let Down Your Guard With a Demon

Brrr, it’s really cold here. Last week was much nicer. So much so that I left the front door open in the morning while I was eating breakfast to get some fresh air in the house.

On Wednesday morning, I was calmly eating my cereal at the dining room table when some people had the absolute nerve to hang out in the common area across my sidewalk and talk to each other. George was in an uproar! That’s clearly not appropriate behavior in her world.

She jumped up on the table (I’ve given up trying to keep her off, yes, she’s the owner and I’m the slave) so she could peer out the door and growl. Not very loudly, of course. They might have a chance of hearing her then.

I got up to get something out of my bedroom and, when I came back, she was whisker deep into the cereal bowl and enjoying every lap of milk.

I just had to laugh. What a dope! She was sitting right there and I just left my breakfast unprotected. I deserved to lose some of it for stupidity alone.

For the record, she did get shooed off the table at that point. I’m not a total wimp at discipline. Just mostly a wimp.

Fantasy Football - Week 13

This was the last week of the regular season in both of my fantasy leagues.

I was ahead by 2 points in the club league going into last night's game. I just needed Maurice Jones-Drew to not lose any points. I shouldn't have worried. The dude was on fire and ended up with 24 points. I also got Chris Johnson to give me 27 points. I guess he's decided to play now.

Now, it's on to the playoffs! I squeaked in to the last playoff spot and I'm up against the number three seed who happens to be Crash's son. And, who has Aaron Rodgers. That will be an ulcer inducing matchup.

In the work league, I went into last night's game with a 20+ point lead and my opponent only had Rivers going. Based on his inconsistency, I thought I had a chance. It turned out to be no chance at all. He lit it up and had me beat at the beginning of the third quarter.

I finished in 3rd place and go up against the 6th place team in the first round of the playoffs. While I would love to win out in both leagues, this is the one I want to win the most.  It would be awesome after starting 3-0 and being decimated by injuries to take the trophy. BTW, my team name is still The Injury Report. I started winning (and losing even more players) after I changed it so it's staying that way.

I had another crappy week in Pick 'Em. I'm still in third place in the club game but there's someone one point behind me. I dropped down to 4th in the work game which is out of the money. I need some good weeks coming up.

Always Keep Them Guessing

Our dress code at work is very relaxed. I spend the warm months in capri pants, sandals and somewhat nice blouses or shirts. I do sneak in the occasional t-shirt but not one with writing. Winter finds me in jeans, leather shoes or Sketchers and sweaters.

Today, I came in wearing a nice sweater, a wool herringbone skirt, tights and dress shoes. Eyebrows were raised.

I ran into our VP in the hallway and he was wearing dress slacks and shoes and a long sleeved button down shirt. Since he’s usually a casual dresser like me, it warranted a “Hey, we’re both dressed up today.” comment from me.

His response was, “I’ll tell you why I’m dressed if you tell me why you’re dressed up.” I gave him a non-verbal go ahead and he told me that he and a couple others were going to a local hospital to try to get a sales deal from them.

I didn’t tell him why I was dressed up.

Most of my co-workers commented on my attire and the comments ranged from “you like nice” to “I’ve never seen you in a skirt.” But, you could tell they were wondering.

My lunch buddies were much more direct. “So, do you have an interview today?” They were even more convinced when I said I had to be back in time for a 1:30 appointment.

The reality is that I like to dress up more in winter so most of my dress clothes are geared towards that season. I can wear most of the sweaters I wear with my jeans but they look nicer paired with a skirt and tights. And, I quite like wearing tights.

Oh, and my 1:30 appointment was with my boss and a co-worker to talk to an outside consultant.

But, I think it was good to get them all thinking. They might be less likely to take me for granted if they think I’m pursuing outside offers. Or, they might be thinking, “Woot!”, maybe she’ll finally leave. ;-)

Mental note made today, though. No narrow skirts on days when I go to lunch with my friend, T. He drives a fairly high off the ground truck and there is no graceful way to get into it without hiking my skirt up to nearly my girly parts.