Join me in calling on CBS to kill the Focus on the Family ad before the Super Bowl on February 7!
Tell CBS Tebo isn't that cute. Say NO to right wing zealotry and YES to choice
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Happy Thoughts
The weather people have vowed and declared that we are going to get snow. A substantial amount of snow. They are liars.
They did this twice before thus far this winter. Told us we were all going to die under a thick white blanket of doom and nothing happened . I have no reason to believe that their most recent prognostication is going to suffer a similar fate. Thursday for example it was warm and lovely. Lovely! I tell you! Not a hint of in-climate weather. But, lovely weather aside, Thursday I spent lunch at Wally World stocking up on food for the animals. I would have done this anyway, probably Friday, but on Friday we are allegedly going to be dead.
I am using my shopping as proof it is not going to happen. I went to Wally World at noon the day before we are all going to die and 1) There was food on the shelves, and 2) There were no crowds. The locals here know when hell is going to break loose and they know hell is going to stay locked up. I did however, go to Kroger later on and there was crowd-age. But, I'm choosing to see that as what the store looks like at 6pm and not as a sign imminent death. The locals are good though, I never listen to the weather guys, I keep watch on the milk and bread aisles at the grocery.
I decided that the best defence is a solid offence. If I am stocked up and ready to go, if I have all my hatches battened and sails tied down, house stocked with food, car full of gas - That the weekend will be as lovely as Thursday. Stands to reason. If I prepare for the worst, i.e the foot of snow they are predicting, everything will be fine and we'll all laugh and laugh.
Perhaps a light dusting, maybe an inch of accumulation- Just enough to kill the bugs! I mean, I would welcome enough snow to be photogenic, because I love me some photogenic snow and I know where to get photogenic snow - But, we have to get snow without ice. No Ice. No!
So. We get snow or we don't. The weather weenies have lied to me too many times, but just in case I'm taking my camera and my rubber boots into work with me. You never know.
The weather people have vowed and declared that we are going to get snow. A substantial amount of snow. They are liars.
They did this twice before thus far this winter. Told us we were all going to die under a thick white blanket of doom and nothing happened . I have no reason to believe that their most recent prognostication is going to suffer a similar fate. Thursday for example it was warm and lovely. Lovely! I tell you! Not a hint of in-climate weather. But, lovely weather aside, Thursday I spent lunch at Wally World stocking up on food for the animals. I would have done this anyway, probably Friday, but on Friday we are allegedly going to be dead.
I am using my shopping as proof it is not going to happen. I went to Wally World at noon the day before we are all going to die and 1) There was food on the shelves, and 2) There were no crowds. The locals here know when hell is going to break loose and they know hell is going to stay locked up. I did however, go to Kroger later on and there was crowd-age. But, I'm choosing to see that as what the store looks like at 6pm and not as a sign imminent death. The locals are good though, I never listen to the weather guys, I keep watch on the milk and bread aisles at the grocery.
I decided that the best defence is a solid offence. If I am stocked up and ready to go, if I have all my hatches battened and sails tied down, house stocked with food, car full of gas - That the weekend will be as lovely as Thursday. Stands to reason. If I prepare for the worst, i.e the foot of snow they are predicting, everything will be fine and we'll all laugh and laugh.
Perhaps a light dusting, maybe an inch of accumulation- Just enough to kill the bugs! I mean, I would welcome enough snow to be photogenic, because I love me some photogenic snow and I know where to get photogenic snow - But, we have to get snow without ice. No Ice. No!
So. We get snow or we don't. The weather weenies have lied to me too many times, but just in case I'm taking my camera and my rubber boots into work with me. You never know.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Over Thinking in the Kitchen with Diana
A friend from work gave me the heads up about the coolest better mouse trap evah " Spray Frosting! Its in a can! and you spray it! It's like Cheeze Whiz only not gross!
I signed on to make cupcakes for our quarterly birthday party and when I told her I was going to the store to get ingredients and I was trying to decide about frosting flavor and she suggested that I check out this new spray frosting and I said sure, why not! And boy am I glad I did!
I tried it out and its just like real frosting because it is real frosting! Its exactly like the stuff in the tub except its spray-able! You can make artsy frosting designs! Its just the coolest thing ever. Its pricy, about $1.50 more than tub frosting but its much cleaner and easier to deal with and its fun. Fun is good when you have to frost a lot of cupcakes. You don't want ennui to set in while you are frosting cupcakes or anything in general. You need to be able to keep a good outlook and many times that can prove difficult while cake frosting. Its a very unknown fact that frosting can be depressing.
Also, it is much harder to hoard frosting when you can't really really how much you have left in the can, so in the long run its probably better for you in general. I worked hard to make these cupcakes more or less healthy, I used applesauce instead of oil and I used egg whites instead of whole eggs and then I dumped full fat, full sugar frosting on top. You can make the cake with organic, whole grain and as homeopathic as you want but nobody wants "healthy" frosting, we want full on frosting. You have to go full on with the frosting.
For real. This was actually a part of my thought process. I stood there in the frosting isle and debated the "meanings" of the varieties: I felt it was necessary to debate primary colors verses the earth - tones. I decided that blue, red or green frosting's do not really send the right message about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle . Bright colors say: "I'm probably giving you some sort of neurological damage" while Ecru frosting on the other hand, says "I care about maintaining your optimal health." I went with the earth-tones.
You all think I'm kidding.
A friend from work gave me the heads up about the coolest better mouse trap evah " Spray Frosting! Its in a can! and you spray it! It's like Cheeze Whiz only not gross!
I signed on to make cupcakes for our quarterly birthday party and when I told her I was going to the store to get ingredients and I was trying to decide about frosting flavor and she suggested that I check out this new spray frosting and I said sure, why not! And boy am I glad I did!
I tried it out and its just like real frosting because it is real frosting! Its exactly like the stuff in the tub except its spray-able! You can make artsy frosting designs! Its just the coolest thing ever. Its pricy, about $1.50 more than tub frosting but its much cleaner and easier to deal with and its fun. Fun is good when you have to frost a lot of cupcakes. You don't want ennui to set in while you are frosting cupcakes or anything in general. You need to be able to keep a good outlook and many times that can prove difficult while cake frosting. Its a very unknown fact that frosting can be depressing.
Also, it is much harder to hoard frosting when you can't really really how much you have left in the can, so in the long run its probably better for you in general. I worked hard to make these cupcakes more or less healthy, I used applesauce instead of oil and I used egg whites instead of whole eggs and then I dumped full fat, full sugar frosting on top. You can make the cake with organic, whole grain and as homeopathic as you want but nobody wants "healthy" frosting, we want full on frosting. You have to go full on with the frosting.
For real. This was actually a part of my thought process. I stood there in the frosting isle and debated the "meanings" of the varieties: I felt it was necessary to debate primary colors verses the earth - tones. I decided that blue, red or green frosting's do not really send the right message about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle . Bright colors say: "I'm probably giving you some sort of neurological damage" while Ecru frosting on the other hand, says "I care about maintaining your optimal health." I went with the earth-tones.
You all think I'm kidding.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
DIY
I was a very good girl: I did not take any unapproved naps an I watched a first run episode! . I even learned that I can take off Brittany from my list of Places I've Never Heard of But I Really Should Learn More About, I do not need to go all the way there as for thousands less I could go Maine. I'm sure they have lovely French restaurants there too.
Yay me. Instead of napping and L&O abuse, I spent too long in a hot shower trying to sweet talk my sore shoulder and neck into chilling out and letting go. I thought letting it have a nice, long, hot shower would make it like me again. It didn't.
I could spend the weekend working in the yard and suffer no ill effects but I do nothing but nap in front of the TV and suddenly ow!. And it couldn't be my all-but-useless left side either, no, it "has" to be the all important right side. I don't need to lift my arm or check for on-coming traffic or anything, I'm good. Not. I live in NASCAR country, I can't just go through a green light without looking both ways twice first.
I had been trying to beg forgiveness from what ever muscle family I have offended by draping a warm towel around my neck, but that works for about three minutes at a go. I've also been downing a couple of Aleve every morning but that isn't making the muscles let go. I need a store bought heating pad and my DYI version is not optimum and I spend a lot of time with a damp neck. I was going to get one for Dogger but I couldn't do it, even for her, once I started pricing them. Do you have any idea how much your average plug in heating pad costs? A lot. Way too much for a heating pad.
So, obviously, I don't have one and microwaved towels are either too hot or too cold. If you think your Hot Pocket gets cold five minutes away from the microwave, you have enver lived or died by a microwaved towel.
I was a very good girl: I did not take any unapproved naps an I watched a first run episode! . I even learned that I can take off Brittany from my list of Places I've Never Heard of But I Really Should Learn More About, I do not need to go all the way there as for thousands less I could go Maine. I'm sure they have lovely French restaurants there too.
Yay me. Instead of napping and L&O abuse, I spent too long in a hot shower trying to sweet talk my sore shoulder and neck into chilling out and letting go. I thought letting it have a nice, long, hot shower would make it like me again. It didn't.
I could spend the weekend working in the yard and suffer no ill effects but I do nothing but nap in front of the TV and suddenly ow!. And it couldn't be my all-but-useless left side either, no, it "has" to be the all important right side. I don't need to lift my arm or check for on-coming traffic or anything, I'm good. Not. I live in NASCAR country, I can't just go through a green light without looking both ways twice first.
I had been trying to beg forgiveness from what ever muscle family I have offended by draping a warm towel around my neck, but that works for about three minutes at a go. I've also been downing a couple of Aleve every morning but that isn't making the muscles let go. I need a store bought heating pad and my DYI version is not optimum and I spend a lot of time with a damp neck. I was going to get one for Dogger but I couldn't do it, even for her, once I started pricing them. Do you have any idea how much your average plug in heating pad costs? A lot. Way too much for a heating pad.
So, obviously, I don't have one and microwaved towels are either too hot or too cold. If you think your Hot Pocket gets cold five minutes away from the microwave, you have enver lived or died by a microwaved towel.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Sleeping
I'm so good at work. I work at work. Work, work, work. And then I come home and do nothing, sure I feed the animals and myself but when I come home from work my agenda is severely limited.
Today I came home, walked Dogger, fed everyone and then said I'm going to watch some Law and Orders and then the kitty jumped into my lap and I said. Okay, I'm going to watch a lot of Law and Orders. My plan when I sat down to watch L&O's was to briefly scan through a few of the several hours that tape each day and then take Dogger for a post-dinner walk. I like these, I decided that if I feel safe enough to walk Dogger in the the pre-dawn darkness that I could also feel safe walking her in the post-dunk darkness. It all looks the same there is just more street traffic, which is a good thing. The more cars the more eyes the more of a safety net should I ever God Forbid! need one.
And Dogger needs the exercise. I also sat down with the idea that I could also perhaps, walk to one of the Pirates at the corner and maybe get a candy bar or something. I forgot that I hate them and I don't want to give them business - I should have taken this as a sign.
I'm watched parts of three or four of the L&O's they were weighted heavily to the Benjamin Bratt years and I don't care for the character, he's too reactionary and I keep waiting for Lenny to smack him. Which he does not.I mute the TV. The cat jumps into my lap. And now I'm not moving ever. I can hear the wind outside and Dogger doesn't like wind at all and she has had two walks already and if I go outside I might go to the pirates and I hate them and so I could really just stay in my chair with my cat curled up on my lap - because I wouldn't want him to think I didn't approve of this lap sitting thing. I want him to know its >okay. I fall asleep.
I fall asleep because the wonder of sleeping under the eves are over-rated. Listening to the wind wail and the rain pound the roof is not restful. The next time a storm comes though, I'm sleeping downstairs.
I'm so good at work. I work at work. Work, work, work. And then I come home and do nothing, sure I feed the animals and myself but when I come home from work my agenda is severely limited.
Today I came home, walked Dogger, fed everyone and then said I'm going to watch some Law and Orders and then the kitty jumped into my lap and I said. Okay, I'm going to watch a lot of Law and Orders. My plan when I sat down to watch L&O's was to briefly scan through a few of the several hours that tape each day and then take Dogger for a post-dinner walk. I like these, I decided that if I feel safe enough to walk Dogger in the the pre-dawn darkness that I could also feel safe walking her in the post-dunk darkness. It all looks the same there is just more street traffic, which is a good thing. The more cars the more eyes the more of a safety net should I ever God Forbid! need one.
And Dogger needs the exercise. I also sat down with the idea that I could also perhaps, walk to one of the Pirates at the corner and maybe get a candy bar or something. I forgot that I hate them and I don't want to give them business - I should have taken this as a sign.
I'm watched parts of three or four of the L&O's they were weighted heavily to the Benjamin Bratt years and I don't care for the character, he's too reactionary and I keep waiting for Lenny to smack him. Which he does not.I mute the TV. The cat jumps into my lap. And now I'm not moving ever. I can hear the wind outside and Dogger doesn't like wind at all and she has had two walks already and if I go outside I might go to the pirates and I hate them and so I could really just stay in my chair with my cat curled up on my lap - because I wouldn't want him to think I didn't approve of this lap sitting thing. I want him to know its >okay. I fall asleep.
I fall asleep because the wonder of sleeping under the eves are over-rated. Listening to the wind wail and the rain pound the roof is not restful. The next time a storm comes though, I'm sleeping downstairs.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Put Up on your Netflix list
Yes, I was tardy to the party. Everyone was right when they said Up was like the bestest movie evah. Totally right. It's the best movie ever. Its so sweet and loving and just sweet and genuine. You end up wanting to hug the movie. The one thing I will say that might be negative is that the first twenty dialogue free minutes of the film are the very best of the entire thing, worth the price of admission for that bit alone - in the same was as the first twenty minutes of dialogue free action was in Wal-E. And then they start talking.
Right up until they break the spell the movie is so absolutely beautiful and magic that the first time anything like dialogue happens its almost a let down. There always has to be a bad guy and the bad guy is a major buzz kill and he talks too much. If the whole of the move was just the first twenty minutes it would win Best Picture and nobody would say a damn word against the voting members of the Academy for their choice. I could have watched the whole movie dialogue free and without the addition of Bad Guy and his attendant unlovely dialogue and it would have been fine.
But. I do want one of the dog to human translation collars.
But still, great movie totally deserves all the accolades and everything your friends told you about it. If the first dialogue free minutes don't leave you a weepy mess you have no soul.
You know how else you can tell you have no soul? If the idea of making homemade (from a box) pancakes with fresh blue berries isn't the best idea you have had all day. Yes, the berries will leave your hands purple, but its okay it would be bragging to say "I made blueberry pancakes at some point". You can make people equally jealous of your clearly superior meal planning decision making skills if they see your purple finger nails. They'll know and they'll feel bad about bragging on their low fat, diet Ize Kreem bits they they ate all weekend. They may have been able to eat a whole popcorn bowl of bits but you had three mini pancakes and dozens of blueberries. You may have eaten more calories but you will end up with a healthy urinary tract system and with much higher levels of antioxidants. So there. The healthy goodness of the blueberries almost technically could overwhelm the arguably less than optimal health benefits of the pancakes themselves. Best. Idea. Ever.
Even better idea? Watch Up while eating blueberry pancakes!
Yes, I was tardy to the party. Everyone was right when they said Up was like the bestest movie evah. Totally right. It's the best movie ever. Its so sweet and loving and just sweet and genuine. You end up wanting to hug the movie. The one thing I will say that might be negative is that the first twenty dialogue free minutes of the film are the very best of the entire thing, worth the price of admission for that bit alone - in the same was as the first twenty minutes of dialogue free action was in Wal-E. And then they start talking.
Right up until they break the spell the movie is so absolutely beautiful and magic that the first time anything like dialogue happens its almost a let down. There always has to be a bad guy and the bad guy is a major buzz kill and he talks too much. If the whole of the move was just the first twenty minutes it would win Best Picture and nobody would say a damn word against the voting members of the Academy for their choice. I could have watched the whole movie dialogue free and without the addition of Bad Guy and his attendant unlovely dialogue and it would have been fine.
But. I do want one of the dog to human translation collars.
But still, great movie totally deserves all the accolades and everything your friends told you about it. If the first dialogue free minutes don't leave you a weepy mess you have no soul.
You know how else you can tell you have no soul? If the idea of making homemade (from a box) pancakes with fresh blue berries isn't the best idea you have had all day. Yes, the berries will leave your hands purple, but its okay it would be bragging to say "I made blueberry pancakes at some point". You can make people equally jealous of your clearly superior meal planning decision making skills if they see your purple finger nails. They'll know and they'll feel bad about bragging on their low fat, diet Ize Kreem bits they they ate all weekend. They may have been able to eat a whole popcorn bowl of bits but you had three mini pancakes and dozens of blueberries. You may have eaten more calories but you will end up with a healthy urinary tract system and with much higher levels of antioxidants. So there. The healthy goodness of the blueberries almost technically could overwhelm the arguably less than optimal health benefits of the pancakes themselves. Best. Idea. Ever.
Even better idea? Watch Up while eating blueberry pancakes!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)