Wednesday, November 23, 2011

I hate green bean casserole & other Thanksgiving musings





Menu of the Day:

Music: Shawn Mullins "Ghost of Johnny Cash"

Number of views of this blog since i started: 21,545

In my glass: a Cline Mouvedre. Really big and nice red. (first glass)

Ways I've been a bad girl: I've been bitching about going to Thanksgiving at my mom's house. Two years in a row we took off on our own and i loved it. But Brian wanted to do family. So we are. My parent's house is smaller than our 1000 foot condo and very messy and cluttered and they are having 16 people over!

Ways I've been a good girl: I didn't murder anyone at work this week. But i wanted to. I am at a point in my career where i can no longer tolerate repetitive incompetence or passive aggressive behavior without feeling my blood pressure rising. It's really time for me to get out of unions. I hope i can hang on until 2013.

The Best Thing this Week: I have finalized plans for our custom home office computer station with the cabinet makers. I can't wait!

What I'm bringing: I watched Guy Fieri make a REAL green bean casserole dish with three different kinds of mushrooms and real shallots fried up and a mushroom/chicken broth gravy and it looked great and fun to make. My mom always makes the soggy mushroom soup one. I'm also bringing twice baked sweet potatoes that you mash up with real whipping cream and brown sugar and put back in the shells and top with pecans - my mom will be disappointed that it's not the kind topped with marshmellows. (This is another Guy Fieri recipe)

About the Photo: Each weekday morning i get up 2 hours before i have to get to work because i like to read in the bathtub and each morning Brian brings me a cup of coffee. This is what he brought me last week. He found a mug at Starbucks that lets you write on it with chalk. The night before i had said rather excitedly that we'll be getting a Christmas tree in only two weeks. The message on the mug says "Only two weeks" with a little picture. So i took a photo.

On with the randomness.....

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1. HA! Newt Gingrich is now the Republican frontrunner. Now i'm starting to think that John Huntsman can be the nominee cause he's making the least amount of gaffes. Not that making huge stupid gaffes ever stopped the American people before from voting in an idiot.

2. And how about that commercial Romney put out that takes Obama's quote "If we talk about the economy we lose" which is REALLY Obama quoting McCain during the last election. I'm starting to think Romney has more balls than i thought!

3. It has rained and rained and rained here. Seems like every Thanksgiving time around these parts is when we get the terrible flooding and trees falling over. I am thankful that though my family will be squeezed into a small area i am not driving over the pass. (So there, that's me being positive and thankful! )

4. My husband bought a new car last week after looking for two years! I love it. It's a 2008 Honda Element in that cool burnt orange color. He sold his truck to his nephew and we still have the 1992 Honda Accord that we'll keep. But i love that his new ride has an airbag for me now AND a cd player instead of a cassette!

5. I turned on our Christmas lights outside tonight. (Brian put them up last weekend, a rare non-rainy day.)

6. Does anyone hear watch Parenthood? I just love this show. It's so real. And i care about ALL the characters, even the flawed ones. This is Ron Howard's (Opie) show. Let me know if you do. This is becoming my favorite show on TV.

7. I am reading Diane Keaton's book and much like i imagine her personality, the book is all over the place and jumps from subject to subject, but it works somehow and i like it. It makes me think i could write a book too, only i need to become a famous person first.

8. As i type, my husband is trying to figure out how to get his new Honda Element on his side of the garage AND keep his drum set over there. HAHAHA.... This i gotta see!

9. He just came in to tell me he hung up my new birthday bike from last year. The one i wanted with a basket and a little ringer. this means that i will unlikely ever be able to ride it again because it is SO HEAVY and i will never be able to get it down.

Ok, that's all i got. I need to try and make these shorter anyway and for some reason that is hard for me, even when i have nothing to say!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Who i would choose to put on Mt Rushmore....




Menu of the Day: 

on iTunes: Jason Isbell


In my glass: a really great Old Vine zinfandel by Dry Creek. I got it from Costco and it cost about $20 and is so worth it. On my first glass. 


Book: I just finished a really good book The Descendants, which is a movie starring George Clooney. I totally see Clooney in this role. I loved the character of Sid. I just started Diane Keaton's autobiography. (I used to have a girl crush on her back from the Annie Hall Days. ...much like by girl crush on Ali McGraw during the Love Story years. )


Ways I've been a bad girl: I missed my 10 minutes workout. I'm having more trouble sticking to my No Miss More than Two Day rule with this workout. It's easy with running, but not so much with the On Demand. (Also i'm having murderous thoughts about a co-worker.) 


Ways I've been a Good Girl: It's Saturday but i  worked today for a pre-retirement workshop today and late last night. The women who put this on  just love me because i'm so organized and do a lot of the work to make it easy for them. I also bought a couple of Christmas presents! Yay for me!




Ok, on with it: 


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1. I saw this post on Facebook today from a work colleague and loved the question: If you had to choose what authors should be on Mt Rushmore, who would you pick? My answer is: Richard Russo (TxGrits are you still reading? i always think of you cause i know you love him too); John Irving; John Steinbeck; and  Barbara Kingsolver, (or Louise Erdrich, it's a toss-up). 


2. Who would NOT be on Mt. Rushmore: The author of The Shack; The Twilight author; Jodi Picoult (because i think she sold out) and John Grisham (same reason). 


3. My music Mt. Rushmore would be: Van Morrison, Ryan Adams, Joni Mitchell, and Springsteen. 


4. This has nothing to do with Rushmore, but it just now reminded me that for three nights in a row i've had weird dreams and i'm in danger in each one, but luckily wake up before i think i'm going to die. And for some reason, Neil Young was in last night's dream. Weird. 


5. Maybe Neil's mad because i didn't put him on Mt. Rushmore!


6. The people in my family i would put on Rushmore: My grandmother Bop (who was the first person i remember ever being in my corner and who took care of me when i was very little); my husband (who is always in my corner now); my brother Troy (who has lived through more shit than any person should but is still standing strong in a way that i don't think i would be, even though i think i'm a tough cookie); and Kylee (for obvious reasons to anyone who knows me or have been following this blog). 


7. Movie stars on Rushmore:  At one time i would choose Jack Nicholson. And maybe he should be on there, so i'll go with him, Cuckoo's Nest alone is deserving by itself). Meryl Streep (I know, i know....almost cliche); Johnny Depp (because i think he's underrated) and Brad Pitt (for the same reason). 


8. News folks on Rushmore: Jon Stewart (he counts as news folks!); Anderson Cooper; Rachel Maddow; and Brian Williams. 


9. Movie stars who should NOT be on Rushmore: That Jacob dude from the Twilight movies. He's cute, but a terrible actor; Nicholas Cage; Meg Ryan (she's just annoying to me and i believe i would not like her in real life at all because she seems too high-maintenance); I'll come back and add the fourth one cause i just drew a blank and i know there is some actor out there i really hate but who is really popular. 


I might come back with a #10, i drew a blank just now. 

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Stuff That is Befuddling



Menu of the Day:

Music playing: i just bought a cd off iTunes by The Everybodyfields. It was one of those Recs for You. It's blue grassy and i actually like it.

The best thing that happened this week: I designed and drew out plans for our custom computer work station for our back bedroom on Thursday, met with the cabinet maker on Friday  nd went to my nephew's post-wedding reception on Saturday. Very productive week!

Ways i am being bad: I did run today and actually added an extra 10 minutes. So i'm not feeling totally guilty missing my 10 minute core workout and it's the third day. (I'll do it tomorrow).

Book: I finished What is the What by Dave Eggers (about the Lost Boys of Sudan). And also the new book by the Still Alice author. The new book is called Left Neglected and was so good i read it within 24 hours. Now i'm reading the book The Descendants, which is a new movie out starring George Clooney.

Product endorsement!  I think i've mentioned my obsession with finding the perfect foundation for my terrible skin. I have older skin but it was so acne prone until my 40's and has been so sensitive that nearly all moisturizers create havoc with it.  But i think i may have found the perfect foundation for my older skin. It's Clinique called Even Better. It really does feel great and it's oil free and goes on nicely and covers well. AND it was difficult to choose between not one but two colors that seemed to work perfectly for me. That hardly ever happens. Plus my Lancome was $45 an ounce and this is less than $25.

OK. on with the Bedfuddlements....

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1. What is up with those Mormon commercials? Seriously? Is Mitt Romney's campaign funding these? Where will it stop? We probably need We are Muslim commercials more than this actually when i think about it. But what about We are Jewish. We are Catholic. Does the Mormon church really have that much money? Because these are very well done and must cost a bundle.

2. I am befuddled by Rick Perry and how he can possibly still be considered a valid candidate, but you watch, he will be. His "Oops" is exactly like Howard Dean's scream.  It's interesting to me that while the Dean Scream was ad nauseam played over and over, the Oops isn't as much, though it's getting a lot of attention.

3. Skinny jeans. Nobody, i mean nobody, looks good in these things. You have to be about 6 and half feet tall to pull these off, most of that legs,  and wear a size 1. I think only Giselle can rock the skinny jeans.

4. Those longs blanks on cds where you get a surprise song at the end. What is up with the dead air and why does anyone think this is a good idea? I have made playlists for folks from iTunes and forget that mofro's song Brighter Days has a long blank space before they do some improvisation. It's just stupid.

5. If Kim Kardashian doesn't make a case for gay marriage. I don't know what does. (I include myself and J-Lo in this too.)  I bet the divorce rate among gay couples would be far far less, per capita.

6. iMac Excel befuddles me. I LOVE Excel on a PC . But i can't figure out this 'Office' version for the Mac.

7. What the hell is going on in Greece anyway? Do i have to care about all of this?

8. In our state we voted in an initiative that got the state out of the liquor business, put people out of work, made it alittle bit scary for rural area convenient stores and was a record breaking money spender. Costco spent more than 22 and half million dollars to buy this vote. This pisses me off royally.

And honest to god, do we really need Kirkland Vodka? And is adding all the hard stuff going to cut down on the variety of wines to make room?

9. Blogger befuddles me. But i guess since it's free, i can't complain too much.

That's all i got for now, but i'll be back.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Everybody needs my advice!



RE: photo.... One morning during my summer vacation i woke up and Brian had made a happy face by the coffee pot using chopped nuts. So i took a photo. I love these things that my husband does. All the little post it notes, (i must have nearly a hundred of them saved up by now!), the cup of coffee he brings me every morning. It's the little stuff that counts so much. Probably my first advice would be to all husbands to pay attention to the little stuff. 



I was reading Dear Abby the other day, i don't even know why i read her anymore, she should be ashamed of herself. That bitch has the easiest job in the world because she never tackles anything big in her column and her advice is so banal.  (She and Mary Worth both need to die. Sorry louie.)


So this got me thinking about all the advice i wish i could give to people, if only they would ask. And i know y'all have some advice you want to give out too, so step right up and give it up! 


Advice by jojo: 


1. Barack Obama my advice to you is to get pissed off in a royal way every once in awhile for the shit you get blamed for that you know is not your shit. Take a freaking Anger Management classe... By that, I mean an Anger Management class that teaches you  HOW TO GET ANGRY. (Americans love rage!...Example: The Occupy Movement...LOVE those folks!  Take a hint.)


2. Facebook's founder Zuckerberg (is that his name?) needs to listen to me when i say he should limit the number of photos that anyone can post of their kid or grandkid. If you are on Facebook and you reach photo #25 of your grandchild, your Facebook account should be deleted, just like that, no warning. 


3. He should do the same thing with people posting about any kind of illness too. He should put a default in there that if you post more than 8 times about an illness that he sends your computer a REAL virus . 


4. I think Brad Pitt and Angelina should listen to me when i say to them, "just get the hell married. Then you will become boring to everyone, which is just what i think y'all want."


5. All of the Republican candidates running for President right now should just drop out. All of them. Every single one of them. And they should drop out all at the same time. Make a big announcement on Fox News, holding hands, standing side by side, to tell us they are not running. Here's what in it for them: By giving our country a rest from our Gone with The Wind-like presidential election campaign timeline maybe Republicans can win some kudos for that next go-round, not that i want them to.  (If i were Republican right now i would be so embarrassed to have these people running. Herman is no more qualified than i am to run for president!)


6. At the risk of sounding like Suze Orman (who i actually really like) ...Save money. That goes for everyone. I don't care how little money you make. Save some of it. Quit thinking you need stuff that in your heart you know you don't really need. 


7. If you are over 35 years old and wear bangs in a straight line across your forehead. Quit doing that. 


8. Do not look in that 3-way mirrors at your backside when trying on clothes. Only look at the front. 


9. If you wear perfume, be very careful how you wear it. Spray the air and walk into it. Like Audrey Hepburn. I can't believe how many women don't know this trick. 


10. If you are shopping for furniture or any kind of thing that is a big decoration/remodel for your house, Don't go cheap. I have a Drexel Heritage sofa that cost me two months salary back in 1983. It is still holding up and because it's made so well I'm going to pay to recover it rather than replace it. When you see something you really like in the home department but worry about the price, don't worry too long, you won't be sorry in the long run. But still keep in mind #6.  


Ok, i'm going to come back and give some more advice but i i'll do that so as to bump my comments. But come post yours! We all have great advice.