No topic, off-the-cuff MMP

[FairyChatMom]

Looks like no one wanted today. I'm up, so I'll throw out the first pitch.

It's a foggy Monday, and my big chore for the day is hauling the garbage and recycling to the convenience center. And maybe knitting.

Taz was batting around a pen a few days ago, and I can't find it - I think he swatted it into an alternate dimension, stupid cat.

While my sweetie is recovering in the hospital next week, I've got a hot dinner date set up with the guy who took me to my 8th grade dance. I haven't seen him since 1968 - it should be interesting.

Oh yeah, and I'm becoming a Netflix addict. I'm so ashamed...

Happy Monday! Toss your random thoughts in the pile!

[dogbutler]

1st! W00T!

[conurepete]

I taught myself how to make beaded ornament covers for my Christmas bulbs while wrasslin' with a cat!

[FairyChatMom]

conurepete, what is a beaded ornament cover for a Christmas bulb? Or did I just get whooshed? It's early and I'm not caffeinated yet, so it's not my fault...

[VunderBob]

Blurf.

Going through my morning news routine, I spotted this article. This kind of call doesn't happen to just me... (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2069004/London-firefighters-bizarre-outs-Genitals-stuck-chastity-belt-.html)

[FairyChatMom]

BBBobbio - I thought of you this weekend - we were headed north on 235 near Hollywood and we saw a metric buttload of fire trucks and emergency vehicles headed south, sirens a'screamin'. I thought the trucks said Bay Ridge, but I'm not sure - I don't think that's a local company. Anyway, what amazed me was how few idiots were pulling over to let the trucks pass. Seriously, dudes, lights flashing and sirens blaring - I'm pretty sure you need to know that to get a license. :rolleyes:

[swampbear]

Good Mornin' Y'all! Up and caffienatin'. *YAWN* 'Tis a foggy 54 degrees Amurrkin out with a predicted high of 74 for the day. We're havin' what appears to be an early Spring day in Fall today.

Not much else to say. Need more caffiene and rumbly tummy wants to be fed. Then, alas, 'tis Monday so irk purtification needs to commence soonest. Le Sigh.

Happy Monday Y'all!

[Ashes, Ashes]

Arrg! Too much internet to read, don't wanna sleep.

Hey Swampy, how did it get more cold here than where you are? It's those clouds hiding heating pads, huh? It's my yearly adjustment to 'winter' weather. Just four days to go from a/c to heater!

Plus also, have you ever had to get a zipper unstuck from anyone Bobbio? I saw that on tv ages ago, when a woman had zipped about four inches of tummy into her pants. Lesson learned-- when you need pliers to pull the zip, the next size up is calling your name.

Everybody's seen the 8 million dollar car crash (http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/asia-pacific/the-worlds-most-expensive-car-crash-ferraris-mercedes-and-a-lamborghini-in-japan-collision) in Japan right? That would have been one for your scrapbook VunderB.

Ooo-ooooh! FCM's got a boooyfriend. Don't catch any cooties by sittin' next to him.

What was I supposed to do today that I've forgotten?

[Sticks and Scones]

What was I supposed to do today that I've forgotten?

Blurf?

[swampbear]

It's eerily quiet at irk. I do not like that. It can only mean that :eek: will happen at any time now.

[FairyChatMom]

Eerily quiet here, too. But that's because Taz the Troublemaker is sleeping.

The convenience center doesn't open for another 30 minutes, but I'm all showered and dressed and breakfasted and ready to load the truck. Sorta. Gotta do what ya gotta do, right?

ugh

[peedin]

I'm have the dreaded "I'm supposed to worry about something but I do't remember what I'm supposed to worry about" feeling.

Finished putting up my Christmas tree and other decos at home. My electric bill goes up at least $20 during the holiday season. I wanted to make white chocolate peppermint bark yesterday. However, the raw materials would have cost over $10 so I just bought a bag of Hershey peppermint kisses. And ate half the bag while watching the Harry Potter movie-thon last night.

[Lissla Lissar]

It's not quiet here. I can ship any not-quiet to people who need some chaos and noise.

We're in the last few days before our Christmas rush starts- this weekend in Niagara. Gnat and I are scheduled to make Smitten Kitchen's Crack(ers) and a couple of pans of chocolate cinnamon buns, and I still have to buy and wrap presents before we go. Since I'm very pregnant, what I'd like to do is sit around staring into space.

Off to the kid's drop-in in a few minutes.

[Sticks and Scones]

If only I could convince myself to get off the couch and get dressed I might be able to get something done. The place where I bought the tumbler doesn't open for another 40 minutes, but it might be efficient of me to already be dressed and have eaten breakfast before I call them and hopefully head off that way.

Off I go, I guess... :p

[VunderBob]

Plus also, have you ever had to get a zipper unstuck from anyone Bobbio?
Just me, around the time I was a 5th grader.

There is a story that goes around the Navytown Rescue Squad about the call where a rather rednecky couple tried to convert a Sawzall into a vibrator, and the, uhhh, business end #1 was cut throught by business end #2, causing some severe lacerations. It made the news wire.

[Sticks and Scones]

Well, so far I've gotten dressed and eaten breakfast. I've been temporarily grounded, though, as it appears the sump pump has given up the ghost and I can't go anywhere and leave my grandparents here alone until my dad gets here.

Working on cleaning the kitchen and I'm on the 'net to look up a particular company's return policy.

[swampbear]

I was right. The :eek: is upon us! Crazy person alert and all. As in, tellin' somebody the choice is to leave volunarily or with police escort.

[limegreen]

Cold and rainy here, supposed to turn to snow by end of the day. Off to work, although I really should be working on Christmas presents at home. Would that be an excused absence? "I'm sorry, I really need to go home and sew." Have two big blankets done and wrapped, but the felt food for the kiddies needs a lot of work. I also have a craft show this weekend I'm not ready for.

[Man With a Cat]

My kind of MMP. Nothing to remember!

The lady whose job I'm taking over and whom I've been working alongside until she retires on the 21st has all but checked out. Today is Throwing Crap Out Day. This week I'll move into her chair (which will be replaced soon as its about ten years old).

So it's time to work I guess.

[Sticks and Scones]

My morning keeps going downhill and fast. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[FairyChatMom]

Trash and recycling have been disposed of and I've just finished my sammich. I've got towels in the dryer and they should be done soon. So I think it's time for some Netflix-n-knitting! :D

[OpalCat]

This is my first MMP post!

On my way to work I have about 4 different Dunkin Donuts I can stop at if I run out of time to fix breakfast and/or a latte at home before I leave. This morning I stopped at the closest one to my house. I usually get egg and cheese on flatbread, but I noticed they had ham and swiss on flatbread on the menu, so I asked if I could get egg and swiss on flatbread (I'm a vegetarian). They said no, because the ham and swiss ones are premade. What? What's the point in that? is it so hard to slap ham and swiss onto bread in the store when you're already building all the other variations there? Bizarre. Disappointing but oh well, I ordered my usual egg and cheese. Then I go to order my latte and they tell me that they're out of espresso! How can Dunkin Donuts be out of espresso!? They said the manager forgot to order it last week. So I ended up getting a regular coffee with a squirt of gingerbread syrup in it and faking like it was a latte. Alas. I should have gone to one of the other DDs.

[FairyChatMom]

FOUR DD along your commute?? :eek: I think we have one in our county. By that, I know we have one, and I think it's the only one. I've never been there, tho. There's a local grocery chain that makes much better donuts. Dammit, now I want a donut.

[ems]

Docs this morning for me for a BP check - all is good. A few more lbs off and they will take me off the BP meds. Which is good as mr ems and I want to start trying for babies next year and I can't take the medicine if I am preggo. Anyhoo they also took some bloods while I was in as I am new patient good job I hadn't eaten brekkie so they could do the fasting blood sugar check!

Then working then I have a flight to Houston for an early meeting tomorrow then back tomorrow night. Busy week of meetings this week.

I supposed I had better get a bit of work done before lunch.

Forgot to mention 32 degs here with a windchill of 22 degs :eek: This is Oklahoma fercryinoutloud. Way to cold. Brrrrrrrrr

[Man With a Cat]

This is my first MMP post!

Really? Ever?

I am honored to be your first MMP reply!

[OpalCat]

FOUR DD along your commute?? :eek: I think we have one in our county. By that, I know we have one, and I think it's the only one. I've never been there, tho. There's a local grocery chain that makes much better donuts. Dammit, now I want a donut.

Well it's a 40-50 minute commute. The one I went to is inside a gas station. Then there is a free-standing one, one in a strip mall, and one in a rest stop off the interstate that I take. I have to confess, the one at the gas station and the freestanding one require me to deviate from my actual direct-to-work driving path by a block or two. The other two I drive right by.

[swampbear]

Opal I think I see the problem here. I'm wonderin' if'n the DD inside the gas station is one of those places where they deliver a lot of donuts, sammiches etc from another location. Around here we have Krispy Kreme aka the donut of God and the KK location's in convenience stores and the like all have donuts delivered from a free standin' location. Thus, the inability to make a sammich on flatbread.

It's N.O.L. time! Chikin sallit sammich and N.O.T. sallit. YUM! All homemade by yours truly even.

[VunderBob]

There's a local grocery chain that makes much better donuts.
If you're talking about the one that sells 'Colossal Donutstm', I'll second that. VWife is forbidden to bring any of those home, because they have a life expectancy of roughly 5 minutes after they come through the door and I wind up sick for about the next 3 hours.

[OpalCat]

Opal I think I see the problem here. I'm wonderin' if'n the DD inside the gas station is one of those places where they deliver a lot of donuts, sammiches etc from another location. Around here we have Krispy Kreme aka the donut of God and the KK location's in convenience stores and the like all have donuts delivered from a free standin' location. Thus, the inability to make a sammich on flatbread..

No, they are a fully functional DD. They make the other sandwiches on the spot (I watch them do it).

[Petrichord]

'Tis Monday.

'Tis Monday, which means Mr. Chord and I do not see each other again for another five days. (Boo.)

'Tis an alternate Monday, which means we were up in the early wee hours preparing for me to travel over 80 miles via four methods of transportation, public and otherwise, to get to work.

'Tis Monday, so tonight is the weekly round of roach-sweepup, in which I gather up the energy to whisk down the garbage chute all the little crawly critters in the apartment that are no longer crawling due to a multi-pronged attack of poison, baited poison, and genetic poison...just in time for the exterminator to spray another round of poison tomorrow.

Unrelated to today being Monday is my ongoing Battle With A Public Storage Facility over a $7 bogus charge, which they are rapidly winning by the simple expediment of not answering their phone, thus persuading me to consider this whole issue a waste of my time.

'Tis Monday. Work is not slow. I would very much like it to be.

'Tis Monday and I want a vacation.

This is my first MMP post!

First MMP posters unite!

[VunderBob]

First MMP posters unite!


Oooh, I foresee a run on squid and goats in the near future. :D

[Bumbazine]

Happy Monday y'all!

I have decided that I hate Salvation Army bell ringers.
One showed up at the Public Market Saturday afternoon and rang her bell non-stop for four hours! :eek: I think my ears were bleeding!
The market manager came around and told everybody we were closing 2 hours early. I think it was so that the bell-ringer would go away. :dubious:

My big job for the day is replacing the bulb in the sodium vapor lamp over the driveway. Not that big you say? Well, it involves a ladder, and much cursing, so it's big enough.

If anybody has been following along, my order from Amazon has made it onto a truck, but it's still in Indiana. :rolleyes:

Welcome new MMPers! Place your chocolate offerings on the table by the door and line up over here. :p

[OpalCat]

I have decided that I hate Salvation Army bell ringers.
One showed up at the Public Market Saturday afternoon and rang her bell non-stop for four hours! :eek: I think my ears were bleeding!

Do you work next to there, I assume? That would be just horrible! (I started a thread about those bell ringers a week or so ago--I don't know how they do it without going insane!)

[VunderBob]

Friends of yours, (http://www.fox8.com/news/offbeat/wjw-news-sns-bc-us-odd--toiletpapertheft,0,4232756.story) Swampy?

[SpazCat]

Mid-afternoon blurf. Busy morning. Crisis was averted after a few frantic phone calls. Now proceeding to waste remainder of afternoon.

[Sticks and Scones]

You know, Opal, it doesn't take long to slap a ham and swiss together, but it just might take awhile to weigh out the correct amounts of ham and swiss. Just a thought...


All I can say about this day is that it thoroughly sucks. If I could run away and hide somewhere, I would. Apparently, though, I get to be the responsible adult instead.

[OpalCat]

You know, Opal, it doesn't take long to slap a ham and swiss together, but it just might take awhile to weigh out the correct amounts of ham and swiss. Just a thought...

They could probably weigh it all out beforehand and have them separated between waxed paper or something, though... I dunno, it just doesn't seem like it's that much harder than the other stuff they make on-site, so it surprised me. Plus it was a bummer to not have access to the way yummier swiss cheese :(

[Scuba_Ben]

I have decided that I hate Salvation Army bell ringers.

I decided on that hatred long ago. As best I can, I avoid grocery stores infested by bell ringers.

The grocery store by my office closed a few months ago. They were the best place for me to get breakfast muffins and lunch salads.

[FairyChatMom]

'Tis Monday. etc...Very poetical post, free verse and all. I'm impressed!

I just finished knitting one hat, started on another, folded the towels, and watched 3 episodes of The Tudors. If my sweetie feels up to it, I'm taking him out for Chinese tonight. If not, we'll probably do sketties or something easy.

BBBobbio - considering there's only one local grocery chain in this county, we're probably on the same page. I'm very familiar with their Leonardtown location.

OK, new Mumpers - you need to know that chocolate love offerings are due to me at your earliest convenience... or inconvenience. Either way, I need chocolate!!!!

[congodwarf]

Still on my psychotic homework binge so just a quick drive by to say two things.



1. self applied acrylic nails - one of the hardest things I've ever done. Left hand looks ok. Right hand looks......not ok. Neither hand is horrifyingly bad but mayhaps the money would have been better spent at a professional.

2. TMI holy motherfucking PMS! Not on my pill this month because there was a screwup with the manufacturer and the doctor and they couldn't fill it until it was too late to start. I forgot how bad the pain and bloating and cravings were. Just ate nearly an entire half gallon of cookies 'n cream ice cream. I'm lactose intolerant. This wont be pretty but at least the chocolate craving is gone. And now I'm FREEZING MY ASS OFF!!!


And on that note - back to my research paper

[OpalCat]

1. self applied acrylic nails - one of the hardest things I've ever done. Left hand looks ok. Right hand looks......not ok. Neither hand is horrifyingly bad but mayhaps the money would have been better spent at a professional.

I'm at a loss to see how this is even accomplished. My hat's off to you for getting any result besides "huge globs of crap at the ends of my fingers!"

[congodwarf]

I've had it done professionally enough times that I have a pretty good idea of how it should go. The rest of it is a whole lot of time, patience, and a whole lot of touching up. I have a battery operated thingie that does the shaping and buffing so between that and the buffing spongie thing and the really coarse file, I got them pretty smooth and even. I did have a couple fingers that had acrylic way over the nail boundaries but the file works pretty well for getting that off.

The biggest issue is that I like them fairly short - way to short to really bother with acrylic normally but still longer than I'm capable of growing them. I accidentally trimmed a couple too small at the start so after the shaping and shit, they ended up so short that they don't actually look any different than they did when I started. :smack:

[anyrose]

*hack* *koff* *snrfl*
If Nature hadn't called, I might still be in bed, but I decided some chicken soup was in order, so here I am.
*hack* *koff* *snrfl*

[SpazCat]

I have decided that I hate Salvation Army bell ringers.

My dad is a bell ringer. He has an award for it and everything.

I just finished knitting one hat, started on another, folded the towels, and watched 3 episodes of The Tudors.
This is the sentence that convinced me to put Jonathan Rhys Davies on my Deathpool for next year. I just finished catching up on next year's thread and there's talk of his alcoholism. I figure mention in two separate threads equals "put him on the list."

I guess I should head off to the grocery store soon. That would require putting on pants, though.

[swampbear]

<Stands outside of room and sprays Lysol all around before enterin'>

Howdy Y'all! Irk is survived. No more crazy happened.

BBBobbio even though I encourage, nay outright demand that everyone keep a proper supply of tp on hand, I do not encourage the stealin' of said tp. Besides, they ain't real smart are they? :D

Dindin is grilled chikin sallit. The chikin is grilled. The sallit is not grilled.

Opal then my guess would be they didn't want to make your sammich, the slackers!

[Ashes, Ashes]

Blurf is right Sticky... I remembered what I have to go do. My knee, which was just fine relatively speaking, the last couple of days, is locked up again.

That helped my memory to barf up the fact I need to go pay rent. I do wish I didn't have to drive it over and my crystal ball would tell me when I should just mail it instead.

Our DD is gone, replaced by cell phones, then an optometrist. The old Dairy Queen is now the doughnut/sandwich/bus stop. The fish place was many things before it turned to check cashing and then burned mostly. It's still open in a van in the parking lot.

Methinks that isn't a good block for businesses. The cigar guys should have known not to even try, though. It's a pizza place now, after being a mexican restaurant that advertised women's torsos on platters.

Enough procrastination! Off to pay rent, hopefully without losing control of the clutch.

[FairyChatMom]

Back from not-bad-Chinese. I got scallops and broccoli, and I swear, they used an entire head of broccoli on my plate alone! Now to settle in for an evening of knitting and chilling. We'll be leaving around 9:30 tomorrow for Baltimore - gotta get the pre-op stuff done at the hospital.

So if you don't see me early tomorrow, don't panic. I probably won't be abducted by aliens overnight...

:D

[VunderBob]

Looks like I will have a busy weekend in the not-so-fun context. The mortgage company called today, and deed-in-lieu (N. O. Lieu) is approved in principle. The bad part is that I have to go back to the Mark 1 VunderLair and dispose of everything that isn't nailed down. What we deliberately left behind isn't much, but this includes the garage attic that I've never set foot in, the woodshed where I had my fahrwood, and the lean-to full of antique lumber.

No shit, I'm trying to find a dumpster by Firday.

[OpalCat]

I'm sending a complaint letter today to both the head manager and the head pharmacist at my local CVS because they lost a prescription of mine (the handwritten piece of paper). I don't know what they'll do about it, but I felt that my wussy complaining to whoever happened to answer the phone wasn't enough of a statement. The prescription was for a controlled substance, and so it's easy to imagine a less than scrupulous pharmacy worker filling it on the sly and then using it/selling it. I had to go to my doctor and get a new script to hold me until our next scheduled appointment, which makes me look bad to my doctor (though he made sure that I understood he believed me.)

I have no idea what CVS can possibly actually DO about it, but I think they need to know (at the higher up levels) that it happened, in case it becomes a trend and they find out that they have a bad employee.

[Petrichord]

Very poetical post, free verse and all. I'm impressed!

Oh my! :o I blush.

Offerings of chocolate are duly made. To make up for delinquency, I can even up the ante and offer these (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41hO5Yze6mL.jpg) alcohol-filled mini chocolate bottles I got over Thanksgiving. It's quite a big box, so even the chocoholic slush in me is happy to share. Also up for grabs: chicken soup for anyrose, ham and Swiss sandwiches for Opal, and a heating pad for Ashes.

Another Monday has been survived!

[OpalCat]

Also up for grabs: chicken soup for anyrose, ham and Swiss sandwiches for Opal, and a heating pad for Ashes.

But I'm a vegetarian and can't eat ham!

[Petrichord]

But I'm a vegetarian and can't eat ham!

:smack: Excuse me, it's Monday, and therefore still 4am in Petrichord World.

I'll have Mr. Chord (unofficial Sandwich King of the Northeast) remake it with egg and Swiss.

[congodwarf]

Now that I've actually read the rest of the thread,

beaded ornament covers are a real thing. I got one from a Doper ornament exchange many eons ago and I still use it every year. Love it! Supposedly we're putting the tree up tomorrow so if no pictures are forthcoming from conurepete, I'll post a pic of mine.


Welcome Opal!! I noticed you posted but didn't realize this was your first MMP. I'd offer you chocolate but, alas, I finished the ice cream. Amazingly enough, my stomach hasn't revolted yet.

My psychotic homework binge isn't going so well. I fell asleep. :smack: Doggie school in an hour and then later I have to get Sweetie from work.


Opal - it's funny you should mention your DD trip. Just yesterday? Saturday? yes, Saturday, Sweetie and I were driving to his work and we started counting the DD's that we could have gone to. He wanted a sammich and I kept driving past them and he was getting annoyed because he kept thinking it was the last one (he was tired). We ended up with either 7 or 9 that we drive right past, with no idea of how many are just off the main road. Of course, his commute does last 45 minutes and involve 2 states. Sweetie had their chicken salad sandwich on a bagel. He said it was decent but no better than anything he could have made at home.



For those of you who like DD egg and cheese sammiches but don't wanna pay for them, I offer you the official DD egg and cheese making procedure (from back when they actually used real eggs and not pre-formed patties). My sister taught me this.


You will need:
1 egg (well whisked) or 1 serving of egg beaters
cooking spray
a bowl (regular cereal bowl of normal size and shape)
cheese
spatula
bread of some sort
a microwave

Spray the bowl from top to bottom (inside only) with cooking spray

place well whisked egg or well shaken egg beaters in the bowl

microwave on high for 45 seconds

flip the egg with the spatula

put the cheese on the egg

microwave on high for 30 seconds

Put on bread of some sort

nosh

yum


It seems so easy but it wasn't obvious to me and the times can be iffy if you use a huge egg or more than a serving of egg beaters. If the bottom of the bowl is too wide, you'll end up with a hole in your egg - which is nice if you're eating it on a bagel but is totally unnecessary.

They did this only for a short time while they decided if breakfast sandwiches were a good idea. They also served soup at the same location. When they decided sammiches were a good idea, they went preformed and the quality went down by half, if not more.

It's fast, easy, and way cheaper than going to DD every day and if you use egg beaters, your arteries and your doctor will be happy. We also occasionally slap a slice of deli meat of some sort on the egg at the same time as the cheese. Sweetie loves the ham. I like the turkey. Tuna is also nice but should go on after the cooking is done because warm tuna that isn't in a casserole is gross.

[Sticks and Scones]

Yes, Opal, here is your assignment for tomorrow: Stop at a different DD on the way to work and see if they'll do what you wanted or if they give you the same answer. :D

Off to pay rent, hopefully without losing control of the clutch.

:sigh: I miss driving a vehicle with a clutch. I also miss the gas mileage that I got with it.





Ok, then, this has been a really crappy day. Tomorrow will be better, right?

Right?

[OpalCat]

I tried the egg/cheese sandwich on a bagel once from DD. NEVER AGAIN. I don't have the teeth for it. It was like tearing through rhinoceros skin to get each bite. I think it was because as a sandwich you have to bite through both the top and the bottom of the bagel at once. And I'm not convinced they toasted it, which makes it crispier and easier to bite through. I still like (TOASTED!) bagels with cream cheese, but a breakfast sandwich, never again.

[HazelNutCoffee]

:: peeps in ::

Just as chaotic as ever, I see. :D

[elfkin477]

Yesterday was interesting...we discovered an abandoned car in the driveway. The police came and they were really happy that the person who abandoned the car had mowed down a couple of solar lights because they could then charge the guy with criminal mischief too. Seems that they'd chased him for reckless driving and lost him the night before, and were still looking for him and figured he'd have to surface once the car was in their hands. They towed the car away, so we can now use get out of the driveway again, yay.

[gardentraveler]

:: peeps in ::

Just as chaotic as ever, I see. :DHmmmm...she looks familiar....but where do we know her from? :D :p

Welcome, Opal and Petrichord.

That sounds like no fun at all, Bobbio.

Hope things have gotten better in the meantime, Sticky.

I made a brief, but very successful shopping trip that included stops to get gift cards so that I would be able to fill my tank at $1 off/gallon (yes, I'm cheap, and yes, the gift cards will be gone shortly), two pairs of Clark's shoes for the price of one (they are super-comfy), my favorite Ritter chocolate at $1.66/bar (I love Tar-zhey), and something else I'm forgetting.

Now I'm figuring out what else I need to do tonight.

Thanks for getting us started out, FCM.

Hugs.

GT

[Taters]

It was Monday for sure and I'm glad the workday is over. Dinner is in the oven and is courtesy of Stouffer's because I am too tired and lazy to deal with anything complicated tonight.

It's cold and will continue to be cold throughout the week. The good news is it's dry. This didn't prevent black ice from forming though. There were a few wrecks this morning due to the black ice.

I didn't notice the ice on my morning commute, but it was definitely present on my evening commute. I didn't have any problems with it, but it'll definitely suck in the morning.

That's about all I've got. My brain is cluttered and tired.

Hugs and smooches to all.

[anyrose]

*koff*

[IvoryTowerDenizen]

Holy haters, Batman. Just discovered my hate thread at the Giraffe boards. :(

At least everyone else was nice to me!

[Lancia]

:ahem:

1. I guess I better get myself back into the MMP before everyone forgets me.
2. Something.
3. Hi, Opal!


seriously, I can't beloved this is OpalCat's first MMP and nobody has done that yet...

So, had Spanish final today. Don't know how I did but the instructor did say I made it to winter term. THANK GOD. I put this off for years, maybe that wasn't the most brillant idea... :D

Math final tomorrow. Unless I royally screw up, I'll be getting an 'A'. Awesome. Practice makes perfect, I guess.

[conurepete]

A beaded ornament cover is like a tiny beaded wig that you drape over plain bald glass Christmas bulbs. It usually has sparkles and dangly bits, which is why the cat wanted to wrassle for it

[Taters]

Holy haters, Batman. Just discovered my hate thread at the Giraffe boards. :(

At least everyone else was nice to me!

The only one "hating" on you over there was the OP, and everyone jumped her ass immediately.

The thing is, she didn't even provide links to whatever pissed her off.

Furthermore, her retorts were pretty much that of all 11 year old butthurt little girl. No one took her seriously.

[IvoryTowerDenizen]

The only one "hating" on you over there was the OP, and everyone jumped her ass immediately.

The thing is, she didn't even provide links to whatever pissed her off.

Furthermore, her retorts were pretty much that of all 11 year old butthurt little girl. No one took her seriously.

I felt pretty sick when I first saw it. Then everyone was so sweet! You guys were too much. :)

[Ashes, Ashes]

:eek: Just :eek::eek::eek: The driving I saw and the driving I did this afternoon! LA is nothing, San Francisco is charming, I learned to drive in Mexico, and I car pooled with a former NYC taxi driver, but today it was like the traffic gods mixed all that I've known and added medicated, lost snow birds, unmedicated jeezus trucks, angry soccer moms, and frustrated demolition drivers of all kinds.

There were people driving on the sidewalk, in the turning lane, no lane recognition, traffic signs ignored, children running across the streets where ever they wanted and three different people in scooter chairs in the street, against traffic, then crossing at a diagonal.

And I had to brave that mess three times. If it weren't so far, tomorrow I'd walk. So I had some cocoa and took a nap with the kittehs and dog.

[SpazCat]

Insomnia's back. Yay.

[Ashes, Ashes]

The boards are the place to have it, Spaz. Or not. I know I'm supposed to read a boring book, etc. Instead I embrace the new info that says I should just get up after a while.

[VunderBob]

Insomnia's back. Yay.

Me, too. :mad:

:ahem:

1. I guess I better get myself back into the MMP before everyone forgets me.
2. Something.
3. Hi, Opal!


You forgot "4. Profit!"

[swampbear]

Good Mornin' Y'all! Up and caffienatin'. *YAWN* 'Tis 62 degrees Amurrkin out with a predicted high of 78 and rain. When it's warmish like this this time of year that usually does mean rain today and tomorrow. I hope.

Today is the annual volunteer luncheon at irk. The only way that involves me is that I get to eat a pretty decent N.O.L.. Seriously. The lady that caters it is good. I hear there will be fried chikin. YUM!!!

Read all, retained little. I did notice a certain Haze in the room a little earlier. :D

Feel better if you have ick. Hugs, yays, boos, skritches, nougies, wedgies, how you doin's as needed.

Now I seek more caffiene and the feedin' of rumbly tummy needs to happen. Then, alas, irk purtification must commence.

Happy Tuesday Y'all!

[dogbutler]

Morning. Up, caffeinated, off to irk.

Haze!!!!!!!!

: dons Haz-Mat suit:
{{{{{{{rosie}}}}}
: removes Haz-Mat suit :

[FairyChatMom]

Looks like I get to peek in and say hi after all. :D My sweetie is still zonked out, and we don't have to leave for a couple anna half more hours, so it's good. I guess.

Sticky - you mentioned getting better mileage with a stick shift - actually, that's changing. I've been kinda, sorta car-shopping, and there are several where the mileage is the same or better for an automatic compared to the same model with manual transmission. Which is great, because we want an automatic next.

BBBobbio - I know you're pressed for time, but antique lumber? Don't people pay a premium for that?

[Ashes, Ashes]

Morning all! I've damp socks thanks to a kong in Sweet Pea's water bowl. Short muzzle plus favorite toy in a bowl leads to water everywhere.

Also, don't forget you've put the candy thermometer in the dishwasher and then run it. Now I have a very strange sort of snow-mometer.

Everybody, please take one Good Day voucher from the bowl by the door (not the one with the dog toy). Use voucher with verve and abandon as contrary situations present themselves. Sending out my best vibes to those who need 'em, so the vouchers are covered.

[VunderBob]

BBBobbio - I know you're pressed for time, but antique lumber? Don't people pay a premium for that?
Usually, but in an area where sawmills are outnumbered only by cotton gins and chicken houses, you can't give it away. The stuff is old enough that 2X4s really measure 2" by 4"...

[IvoryTowerDenizen]

Morning all. Woke up limping. Weird. It's the knee I hurt eons ago, but why flair today?

Antique lumber? Oooh, that makes me salivate.

[Dolores Reborn]

Blurf.

I practiced my presentation in the car on the way to work this morning. I practiced twice yesterday, with two different people. And last night I tortured my husband with it, too.

Thursday afternoon. I will be ready.

It's purty! I colored it yesterday, using Paint.

[swampbear]

Greetings from the Albeeeeeny :eek:Maul:eek:. Yep that's where I am. I am "mentorin' a couple of interns or will if'n they show up. My method is to say sit here and look interested or go wander around the :eek:Maul:eek: for all I care. I mean I'm outta here at 10:30 anyways.

I'm such a good role model!:D

[The Vorlon]

:eek: Just :eek::eek::eek: The driving I saw and the driving I did this afternoon! LA is nothing, San Francisco is charming, I learned to drive in Mexico, and I car pooled with a former NYC taxi driver, but today it was like the traffic gods mixed all that I've known and added medicated, lost snow birds, unmedicated jeezus trucks, angry soccer moms, and frustrated demolition drivers of all kinds.

There were people driving on the sidewalk, in the turning lane, no lane recognition, traffic signs ignored, children running across the streets where ever they wanted and three different people in scooter chairs in the street, against traffic, then crossing at a diagonal.

And I had to brave that mess three times. If it weren't so far, tomorrow I'd walk. So I had some cocoa and took a nap with the kittehs and dog.

Normal driveing in MA, slow day in RI.

[gotpasswords]

Blah. I was all set to put on my ass-kicking boots as someone deleted an application that should not have been, and there's been mayhem since then. Turns out, the person who dropped it followed all the procedures and got the right approvals, so ha-ha, it's not our fault.

Something else for Bobbio's scrapbook that he probably wants nothing to do with. SIL was on a fire call last night, and she was overcome by fire...

...ants!

She's been bitten half to death and is still feeling poorly.

[congodwarf]

Normal driveing in MA, slow day in RI.

I agree. I didn't have a single psychotic Rhode Islander try to kill me yesterday and I was there twice!


However, we were driving through Dudly, near Nichols college and someone coming at us flashed highbeams at me. Since I knew my headlights were on and my highbeams weren't, it could only mean one thing - speed trap up ahead. So, the jackass badly tailgating me decided to floor it, zip around me on a very narrow and windy road with a solid double line.


Fucker didn't get pulled over either. I think the "speed trap" was actually a police officer taking a nap in the golf course parking lot.


Ugh. Still haven't even started my drug paper and it's due today. I have my research and everything but I just haven't started actually writing it. So badly don't want to. I'm tired and MSing (that's like PMSing but without the pre-). Oh well. Gots to do it so I better get my ass in gear.

[VunderBob]

Something else for Bobbio's scrapbook that he probably wants nothing to do with. SIL was on a fire call last night, and she was overcome by fire...

...ants!

She's been bitten half to death and is still feeling poorly.

Benadryl and alcohol. Especially the alcohol.

Fahr ants are one of the few things about Cottonfield County I don't miss. When I was at the former Lair last time for the faux burglary, there was a massive nest at the base of the front porch. F*ck 'em, let the bank deal with it. :D

[RedWood]

Good luck and sharp brains to those (like me) confronting Finals ;)
Cold around here with freezy breezes. Today's a garden day, so it's many layers and off to work for me!

[OpalCat]

Yesterday was interesting...we discovered an abandoned car in the driveway. The police came and they were really happy that the person who abandoned the car had mowed down a couple of solar lights because they could then charge the guy with criminal mischief too. Seems that they'd chased him for reckless driving and lost him the night before, and were still looking for him and figured he'd have to surface once the car was in their hands. They towed the car away, so we can now use get out of the driveway again, yay.

(Bolding mine) Last Wednesday our landlord had a whole truck full of gravel delivered to our house, with no warning to us, which was dumped right behind my garage door in the driveway. I can only be thankful that I had already gotten my car out! So I know what it's like to not have use of your driveway. It's way more inconvenient than you'd think. (FWIW we complained and he had his landscaping people move all the gravel the next morning, rather than waiting til the weekend which was the original plan.)

Do they know that the person who abandoned the car were the owners, or could it have been stolen? Someone drove a truck into the reservoir by my house about a year or so ago and reported it stolen, but it turned out that it was an insurance scam--the guy's cousin drove it into the reservoir.


:ahem:

1. I guess I better get myself back into the MMP before everyone forgets me.
2. Something.
3. Hi, Opal!


seriously, I can't beloved this is OpalCat's first MMP and nobody has done that yet...

So, had Spanish final today. Don't know how I did but the instructor did say I made it to winter term. THANK GOD. I put this off for years, maybe that wasn't the most brillant idea... :D

Math final tomorrow. Unless I royally screw up, I'll be getting an 'A'. Awesome. Practice makes perfect, I guess.
"Hi!"
Congrats on the final and good luck on the math. I'm not good with languages (I took French and got B's but it was very hard for me and I remember none of it) and I'm more afraid of math than actually bad at it. Once it's explained to me, for example, I do quite well. But I get all sweaty-palmed and nervous whenever I know I have to do math... it's awful. I got out of taking a second math course in undergrad by taking Deductive Logic.


I felt pretty sick when I first saw it. Then everyone was so sweet! You guys were too much. :)

It does feel like a punch in the gut, doesn't it? Especially when you know what you meant but nobody sees it and insists that your thought process was X when it was really Y, no matter how many times you explain it :/ Gradually I've gotten better at not letting it affect me by just reminding myself that it's just a message board of strangers who don't know me in real life. When I saw the title of the thread against me over there I opened it long enough to read most of the OP then closed it and never went back.


There were people driving on the sidewalk, in the turning lane, no lane recognition, traffic signs ignored, children running across the streets where ever they wanted and three different people in scooter chairs in the street, against traffic, then crossing at a diagonal.
So were you driving in Boston or in Paris?


Insomnia's back. Yay.

Nyquil and a hot bath. Try a benadryl if that doesn't work. At least that's what used to work for me before my insomnia got to truly epic scale. (Not that you asked for advice, so feel free to ignore this--just trying to help as one who's been there.)

My complaint today... and it's my own fault, damnit... I fell asleep in the bathtub last night while reading my Kindle and apparently let the bottom of it dip into the water. It's frozen on the loading screen right now. I'm going to call Amazon and see if their customer support can walk me through anything, but I fear I've ruined it. *sob*

I read my Kindle in the tub all the time, and I fall asleep in the tub all the time (don't worry--it's safe. I couldn't slide down if I tried--it's a really short tub) but always before I've noticed when I was getting drowsy and set the Kindle down somewhere out of the tub. I kind of like having a mini nap in the tub before getting out and going to bed. I feel like I fall asleep faster once I get under the covers. But I messed up this time. :(

[OpalCat]

SIL was on a fire call last night, and she was overcome by fire...

...ants!

She's been bitten half to death and is still feeling poorly.

Ack! That's terrible! If you can indulge one more short anecdote: I was in summer day camp and we went swimming after lunch in a lake on the property. After swimming I got out and started putting my clothes on (over my suit), but they'd been sitting on the lake's beach, and I'd left them on a fire and hill!!! I was about halfway dressed when I noticed the ants crawling all over me (I was also standing on the hill) and so I scrambled out of the clothes and ran for the water again to rinse off the ants. One of the counselors grabbed me and said "swim time is over" and wouldn't listen to me about the ants, so I didn't get to rinse off. I was getting bitten the whole rest of the day until I got home. Awful. Anyone who gets into fire ants has my sympathy.

[VunderBob]

Damn. This dumpster thing is getting very expensive fast...

[Sticks and Scones]

Ack! That's terrible! If you can indulge one more short anecdote: I was in summer day camp and we went swimming after lunch in a lake on the property. After swimming I got out and started putting my clothes on (over my suit), but they'd been sitting on the lake's beach, and I'd left them on a fire and hill!!! I was about halfway dressed when I noticed the ants crawling all over me (I was also standing on the hill) and so I scrambled out of the clothes and ran for the water again to rinse off the ants. One of the counselors grabbed me and said "swim time is over" and wouldn't listen to me about the ants, so I didn't get to rinse off. I was getting bitten the whole rest of the day until I got home. Awful. Anyone who gets into fire ants has my sympathy.

OUCH!!!


Well, today has been a bit more productive than yesterday, thank goodness. Amongst other things I returned my single barrel tumbler and got a double barrel one and I've already filled it up with spoon rings and set it up to run for the afternoon. :)

Now i'm contemplating a nap before putting my final presentation together for Thursday.

[VunderBob]

Well, screw getting a dumpster. I can get a U-haul for an estimated $50 for the day, vs. ~ $400 for the trash guys. There is an added benefit in that I loathe U-Haul, so renting one of their trucks to hustle a couple loads of trash is poetic justice.

Opal, just think of all the legal fun you could have with the day camp people today because they let you be eaten by fire ants. Torture, mayhem, assault, PROFIT!!!!!

[OpalCat]

Opal, just think of all the legal fun you could have with the day camp people today because they let you be eaten by fire ants. Torture, mayhem, assault, PROFIT!!!!!

Yeah, no kidding. Back in the '70s nobody cared if kids were in pain or danger; the rules were the rules.

[Man With a Cat]

Hey Opal, guess what I had for breakfast today?

[Peeta Mellark]

This is my first time venturing in here, but I was feeling chatty today. Hey, y'all.

This is my first year making my grandma's famous "surprise" Christmas cookies, so now that I'm done with class for the day I'm pulling everything together to make them. I worry mine won't end up as sinfully decadent as hers, but I guess I can eat all of the mistakes. :D In some goofy sort of way, this almost feels like a step into adulthood. I'd help her make them when I was little and it seemed like magic. How could she take these dull ingredients just laying around in her kitchen and turn them into something so wonderful?

We've got some beautiful weather here today. Low forties, cloudy. It just looks like a day to spend in the kitchen cooking things for the holidays, you know? It's too warm for snow, but that suits me fine. A little bit of thunder and a slow rain would help enhance the "baking day" feeling.

[Scuba_Ben]

But I'm a vegetarian and can't eat ham!

My Big Fat Greek Wedding: "That's okay -- I make you lamb."

Lamb is delicious. Too bad (or good, perhaps) I don't have a reliable source of kosher lamb near me; I have to cross into Maryland for it.

ETA @ Peeta: We might have snow tomorrow night.

[congodwarf]

Finished my paper. Now tis lunch time (chicken soup and ham salad sammich) while compiling my portion of the Flat Stanley project for my niece. He's going to Spanish class tonight and then back to my mom for the rest of his week vacation in New England.

Sweetie is watching futurama. He just finished the episode with Fry's old dog and it made me cry - again. I HATE that episode.

[Peeta Mellark]

Oh, lamb sounds delicious, Scuba_Ben. I'm not Jewish, so its kosherness means little to me, but this (http://www.kosherdelight.com/Passoverecipes15.htm) happens to be one of my favorite recipes. The lemon and artichoke really just do indecently good things to the meat.

I'm cooking my pecans now for the "surprise" in the middle of my cookies and the buttery, nutty smell is finally wafting in here from the oven. One of the finest smells there is.

[Sticks and Scones]

This is my first year making my grandma's famous "surprise" Christmas cookies, so now that I'm done with class for the day I'm pulling everything together to make them. I worry mine won't end up as sinfully decadent as hers, but I guess I can eat all of the mistakes. :D In some goofy sort of way, this almost feels like a step into adulthood. I'd help her make them when I was little and it seemed like magic. How could she take these dull ingredients just laying around in her kitchen and turn them into something so wonderful?



I was just going to ask what the surprise was, until...

Finished my paper.

Yay!

Sweetie is watching futurama. He just finished the episode with Fry's old dog and it made me cry - again. I HATE that episode.

The freaking Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade almost made me cry this year. :rolleyes:



I'm cooking my pecans now for the "surprise" in the middle of my cookies and the buttery, nutty smell is finally wafting in here from the oven. One of the finest smells there is.

I read this. :)



:sigh: The sump pump has quit again and the fumes have returned. I've opened up some windows and ordered my grandparents to come upstairs once they've finished their lunch. Fortunately, I'm much calmer about this today as I know that the guy will be here sometime today to fix it.

[Peeta Mellark]

I was just going to ask what the surprise was, until...

I read this. :)

And now you know! They're spread out on a cookie sheet and sprinkled with a bourbon and brown sugar mixture, then dotted with butter before they go in the oven. They're so good on their own you could forgo the cookie part entirely.


:sigh: The sump pump has quit again and the fumes have returned. I've opened up some windows and ordered my grandparents to come upstairs once they've finished their lunch. Fortunately, I'm much calmer about this today as I know that the guy will be here sometime today to fix it.

Glad to hear you're calm about it, at least. I can't imagine it's fun, though. We had an issue with the septic at my parents' place some years back and I still remember the smell that backed up in there.

[OpalCat]

Hey Opal, guess what I had for breakfast today?

What? (I hate guessing! I suck at it!)

Sweetie is watching futurama. He just finished the episode with Fry's old dog and it made me cry - again. I HATE that episode.

I can't watch that episode. It will throw me into a suicidal depression. Well, maybe not quite, since my meds are quite good, but it will come close. I hate that episode, too! I would leave the room if I couldn't persuade whoever was watching it to watch it later without me.

[markm]

We had our office Christmas party this past weekend. The meal was wonderful. I had Steak Arcobasso, served medium rare. It was so juicy and tender, and as I cut into it, the warm red juices blended with the whitish sauce to create swirls of taste explosions. It was simply fantastic.

[Scuba_Ben]

We had our office Christmas party this past weekend. The meal was wonderful. I had Steak Arcobasso, served medium rare. It was so juicy and tender, and as I cut into it, the warm red juices blended with the whitish sauce to create swirls of taste explosions. It was simply fantastic.

That sounds very yummy.

I had to look up steak Arcobasso to see how yummy it could be. Alas for me, the whitish sauce is a cheese base. More for you.

[markm]

That sounds very yummy.

I had to look up steak Arcobasso to see how yummy it could be. Alas for me, the whitish sauce is a cheese base. More for you.

Ah, sorry, yeah, it's not kosher. It is quite yummy, though. I swear, this steak was just so fall-apart tender, without being mealy, it was amazing. I was able to cut it with a fork.

[Scuba_Ben]

Ah, sorry, yeah, it's not kosher. It is quite yummy, though. I swear, this steak was just so fall-apart tender, without being mealy, it was amazing. I was able to cut it with a fork.

In my youth, "yummy" sometimes trumped "but it's not kosher!". Ah, good times.

ETA: I want a grill, so I can grill yummy steaks.

[Intergalactic Gladiator]

Last week I woke up clutching a hairbrush in my hand. There was a hairbrush on my nightstand that my wife used on my daughter's hair and I woke up with it in my hand. It was really odd, I don't remember any dreams form that night and I don't usually sleepwalk, talk, or grab things, so I was baffled to see it in my hand.

[markm]

In my youth, "yummy" sometimes trumped "but it's not kosher!". Ah, good times.

ETA: I want a grill, so I can grill yummy steaks.

Heh, I was about to give you a recipe for a couple of sauces I make to put on my grilled steaks, then realized they're both dairy-based, so still wouldn't work for you.
What really impressed me with my steak was that it was truly med. rare, not medium (yeah, that's what you'd expect from a decent restaurant, but still, sometimes you'd be surprised). A lot of folks make the mistake of taking the steak off the grill when it's at med. rare, which means by the time it's served, it will be well on its way to medium.
The only low point of the meal was the green beans, and that was because I'm not too fond of them, but was told they were 'sauteed with bacon.' This intrigued me, so I had to try them. There may have been bacon in them, but they were neither sauteed, nor cooked with the bacon.
Sorry, I could talk grilled meat all the live-long day.

[Scuba_Ben]

Heh, I was about to give you a recipe for a couple of sauces I make to put on my grilled steaks, then realized they're both dairy-based, so still wouldn't work for you.
What really impressed me with my steak was that it was truly med. rare, not medium (yeah, that's what you'd expect from a decent restaurant, but still, sometimes you'd be surprised). A lot of folks make the mistake of taking the steak off the grill when it's at med. rare, which means by the time it's served, it will be well on its way to medium.
The only low point of the meal was the green beans, and that was because I'm not too fond of them, but was told they were 'sauteed with bacon.' This intrigued me, so I had to try them. There may have been bacon in them, but they were neither sauteed, nor cooked with the bacon.
Sorry, I could talk grilled meat all the live-long day.

Don't be sorry! Let's talk grilled meat all day long.

Dairy-based recipes can be modified. For instance, for Thanksgiving I modified a pumpkin pie recipe from "12 oz. condensed milk" to (eventually) "9 oz. almond-milk" to go with the turkey. It did take two tries, and the first try went to satisfy a sudden, overwhelming craving for pie!

[kopek]

Still alive and doing good but between work and home too many 20 hour days. Hugs where needed and I'll be back more active after New Years.

[markm]

Heh, well, in case you want to try to modify (although I'm not sure how you would):

Ingredients:
Heavy cream - 1 cup
Garlic - 1 or 2 cloves (I love garlic, so I tend toward 2)
Cheese (parmesan or bleu) - 8 oz, (coarse grated for parm, crumbled for bleu)
Pepper - coarse ground, to taste

In a sauce pan over med/high heat, bring cream and garlic to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until cream thickens, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Add pepper.

Server over steak (or on hamburgers for a delicious twist).

[OpalCat]

Last week I woke up clutching a hairbrush in my hand. There was a hairbrush on my nightstand that my wife used on my daughter's hair and I woke up with it in my hand. It was really odd, I don't remember any dreams form that night and I don't usually sleepwalk, talk, or grab things, so I was baffled to see it in my hand.

I sometimes* sleepwalk because of the medication I take at night. One night a few weeks back I wandered into my husband's room complaining that I couldn't figure out how to turn the light off (or something like that--we never quite figured it out). About halfway through trying to explain my "problem" to him, I groggily became aware of reality and realized I was out of bed and in another room... I lost track of what I was saying and never was able to convey what my problem was, but he had a hard time getting back to sleep after that and had a rough day the next day as a result :( I felt bad.

Waking up in the middle of doing something weird and not remembering why you're doing it is a very disorienting feeling.


*very rarely. Like maybe 3 times total.

[Dolores Reborn]

Hey - I wanted to tell y'all - I have recently discovered the wonderful product lactose-free Lactaid - which allows me to drink lovely chocolate milk once again!

I have always loved milk, but when I found out I was lactose intolerant, I stopped drinking it. I never thought that Lactaid would be any good, and soy milk is blech. But it's good! And it tastes like creamy yummy milk! And it costs twice as much as regular milk! That is a downside. But still, I can have cereal, and chocolate milk, and plain white milk with pancakes!

All hail the glory that is milk!

[Peeta Mellark]

Last week I woke up clutching a hairbrush in my hand. There was a hairbrush on my nightstand that my wife used on my daughter's hair and I woke up with it in my hand. It was really odd, I don't remember any dreams form that night and I don't usually sleepwalk, talk, or grab things, so I was baffled to see it in my hand.

Maybe you had a dream that required you protect your family with a hairbrush?

Cooking the cookies now! I'd highly recommend this recipe:

Memaw's Surprise Cookies

3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup sour cream

2lbs pecans, halved
1/4 cup butter, salted
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup brown sugar

4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter and sugar in a separate bowl into pale and fluffy. Beat egg, vanilla and sour cream into the butter mixture. Add flour mixture and beat until combined. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.

Mix your bourbon, brown sugar, and pecans together thoroughly until all the nuts are dampened, then lay them out on a cookie sheet. Dot them with the butter. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Once they're done, remove them from the oven and raise the temperature to 350.

Wait for the oven to finish heating up and let the nuts cool a bit, then bring out your dough. Roll balls of dough around your pecan halves so that the nut is completely hidden, then place on an ungreased cookie sheet and cook for 12-15 minutes. They should be very lightly browned when done, but have a light, almost cake-like consistency.

Let your cookies cool while you melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or the microwave, then dip each cookie in the chocolate, place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, and set them in the fridge or freezer until the chocolate is firm.

The combination of the semisweet chocolate, the light vanilla and sour cream cookie, and the crunch of the candied pecan inside is like nothing else I've ever had.

My grandmother had started making Buckeye Surprises--which have a peanut in the middle instead--but we all like pecans more and the peanut butter was just too much when combined with the pecans. She experimented for a few years with different vanilla cookie doughs until she figured out that adding the sour cream made the cookie extremely light and have just the right hint of sour to play off of the pecan.

It will definitely not take two pounds of pecans to make this recipe, but you have to have extra. Believe me. :D

[markm]

Hey - I wanted to tell y'all - I have recently discovered the wonderful product lactose-free Lactaid - which allows me to drink lovely chocolate milk once again!

I have always loved milk, but when I found out I was lactose intolerant, I stopped drinking it. I never thought that Lactaid would be any good, and soy milk is blech. But it's good! And it tastes like creamy yummy milk! And it costs twice as much as regular milk! That is a downside. But still, I can have cereal, and chocolate milk, and plain white milk with pancakes!

All hail the glory that is milk!

Congrats! To celebrate, try this:
Take a tall, cold glass of milk. Add your chocolate mix/syrup, as you normally would. Now, add about a tsp of vanilla and a tsp or two of powdered peanut butter (like PB2 or something). It's like drinking a Reese's cup.

[Taters]

I've been thinking of getting something like that for my husband, Rebo. He seems to be having issues with milk lately, even skim milk. He loves milk and I've been wondering how well something like that would work.

Those cookies sound pretty good, Peeta. I'm not a huge fan of nuts in anything, but I may just try these.

[Scuba_Ben]

To bring milk full circle, I learned several years ago here on the Dope (most likely from Zev) that Human breast milk is an exception to the whole meat vs milk dichotomy -- it is considered neutral (pareve).

ETA @ markm: Got an easy banana milk smoothie recipe handy?

[markm]

To bring milk full circle, I learned several years ago here on the Dope (most likely from Zev) that Human breast milk is an exception to the whole meat vs milk dichotomy -- it is considered neutral (pareve).

ETA @ markm: Got an easy banana milk smoothie recipe handy?

Then donkey milk should also be neutral, because it is, or at least was in the past, used as a substitute for mother's milk because it is considered such a close match to human milk.

Banana smoothie:

1 banana
1 tbs peanut butter
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
ice

Blend it all together. If you're really adventurous, get some goat's milk instead of cow's milk. Naturally homogenized and a bit richer, so it'll have a richer, sweeter flavor.

[toodlepip]

To bring milk full circle, I learned several years ago here on the Dope (most likely from Zev) that Human breast milk is an exception to the whole meat vs milk dichotomy -- it is considered neutral (pareve).



Wow, learn something new every day! That opens up a whole world of possibilities. Can you make cheese from human breast milk? I'm thinking a nice, juicy, medium rare kosher cheeseburger...

[markm]

Wow, learn something new every day! That opens up a whole world of possibilities. Can you make cheese from human breast milk? I'm thinking a nice, juicy, medium rare kosher cheeseburger...

Wasn't there a news story earlier this year about cheese and/or ice cream made from human breast milk?

[Scuba_Ben]

Then donkey milk should also be neutral, because it is, or at least was in the past, used as a substitute for mother's milk because it is considered such a close match to human milk.

Wow, learn something new every day! That opens up a whole world of possibilities. Can you make cheese from human breast milk? I'm thinking a nice, juicy, medium rare kosher cheeseburger...

Curious questions, both of these. Although I strongly, strongly doubt donkey milk would be kosher. AFAIK, honey and human milk are the only two kosher foods that come from non-kosher animals.

For the question about human milk dairy products and whether they count as milk or meat, paging Zev. Zev, please call your agent.

[anyrose]

::musters all her strength to wave hello to the returning mumpers and the noobs. collapses from exaustion::

[Peeta Mellark]

Oh no! Did all the waving tire you out, or has reality sapped your strength?

[Scuba_Ben]

Oh no! Did all the waving tire you out, or has reality sapped your strength?

If it's the latter, have some lamb. It's lower in fat than cow, and the protein will help restore your energy.

[anyrose]

it's all the coughing I've been doing for the last couple of days. I actually pulled a stomach muscle.

[Peeta Mellark]

Oh, wow. I can't imagine how bad that has to hurt to be coughing on top of having pulled a stomach muscle from coughing. Yeesh.

Are you at least able to take it easy otherwise?

[Dolores Reborn]

:: passes anyrose some honey and lemon (and bourbon) laced tea::

Feel better soon!

[toodlepip]

Then donkey milk should also be neutral, because it is, or at least was in the past, used as a substitute for mother's milk because it is considered such a close match to human milk.


Donkey milk is low in fat and protein. And since cheese is basically milk fat and protein, you get less cheese from donkey's milk than from the equivalent amount of cow's milk. I'm too lazy to look it up now, but there were news stories a while back about donkey cheese made somewhere in Eastern Europe, ridiculously expensive because of the amount of milk that went into it. If human milk is similar in composition, that might make cheese making impractical. I'm guessing women produce less milk than donkeys, too.

[markm]

Donkey milk is low in fat and protein. And since cheese is basically milk fat and protein, you get less cheese from donkey's milk than from the equivalent amount of cow's milk. I'm too lazy to look it up now, but there were news stories a while back about donkey cheese made somewhere in Eastern Europe, ridiculously expensive because of the amount of milk that went into it. If human milk is similar in composition, that might make cheese making impractical. I'm guessing women produce less milk than donkeys, too.

That could be. As much as I enjoy women's breasts, it's never while they're lactating, so I can't help you with any anecdotal info. I'll do my part to keep researching them, though. For SCIENCE!

[toodlepip]

That could be. As much as I enjoy women's breasts, it's never while they're lactating, so I can't help you with any anecdotal info. I'll do my part to keep researching them, though. For SCIENCE!

That's the spirit! We must all make sacrifices for the sake of progress.

[The Vorlon]

So were you driving in Boston or in Paris?

My complaint today... and it's my own fault, damnit... I fell asleep in the bathtub last night while reading my Kindle and apparently let the bottom of it dip into the water. It's frozen on the loading screen right now. I'm going to call Amazon and see if their customer support can walk me through anything, but I fear I've ruined it. *sob*




Sounds like Providence:D


Put the swimming Kindle in a bag of white rice, if you can remove the battery, do so. Give it a week or so.

[OpalCat]

Actually, toward the end of the day I checked on it again and it had finished loading the loading screen, so I tentatively pushed a button.... and it worked! It seems to be totally fine! WOOHOO!

[FairyChatMom]

Peeta, I'm glad you posted the recipe before I chastised you for teasing us... ;) Those cookies sound amazing! Unfortunately, I can't make any cookies for a while - my daughter just borrowed all my cookie sheets. But after we get back from the hospital, I may whip up a batch - they sound medicinal, and my poor sweetie will be hurting. :D

Looooooong day today! The pre-surgical stuff took a bit over an hour - exactly enough time to finish knitting the scarf I started yesterday. Afterwards, we drove past the house where I grew up - I can't believe 7 of us lived in that tiny place - then we got a very late lunch. I got an amazing shrimp salad sammich, with lots of extra shrimp because the cook wanted to finish off the batch.

Welcome to all the n00bs!! I shall expect a gigantic pile of chocolate love offerings - I'll give you till tomorrow, since I'm nice, dammit!

:D

BBBobbio - I was going to offer you use of our truck and trailer if you'd bring us back the lumber. I told FCD you were going to toss it and I think he wept a little.

rosie - hope you feel better soon, but keep your germs outta here! I'm a delicate flower!! :p

OK, that's all I've got for now.

[Sticks and Scones]

::musters all her strength to wave hello to the returning mumpers and the noobs. collapses from exaustion::

I thought that said 'boobs.' :p

Unfortunately, I can't make any cookies for a while - my daughter just borrowed all my cookie sheets.

Pfft. Buy new ones, of course!


It's official. We need a new sump pump. They'll be back tomorrow to replace it. Oh how I wish I had an excuse to be somewhere else at the time it's being done. :insert pukey smiley here:

[swampbear]

Well ain't we just all kinds of chatty today! :D Home from irk and tahrd! MickeyD's made dindin cause I just couldn't be bothered. Also, OYKW is havin' a problem with his home/internet phone bill. They don't have it right. Yet. Of course one cannot call them after five p.m. et. GRRRRRR... I shall call tomorrow pretendin' to be him since I am ever so much better at this stuff than he is. When I finish, the bill WILL be right.

That's all I got for now.

Yays, boos, hugs etc as needed.

[Ashes, Ashes]

You guuuuys! How did I know Boston traffic would trump yesterday's insanity? I didn't know about R.I. though. Is it because it's so tiny? In my head this is R.I. (http://isviral.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Why.jpg), and as you can see there should be no problem with traffic.

So Ben, you can tell me. No bacon? Here, cry on my shoulder. Not really-- I know there's kosher bacon! For steak there are grill pans... Mark, is the steak from the restaurant of the same name? My taste buds are intrigued.

Sticks, you're a better woman than I to get through the parade. I was tearing up at a dog food commercial because my cats are almost middle aged now. Fingers crossed for the sump situation.

Peeta, are the cookies a family secret or may you share? I have only one family secret recipe which isn't much since you have to change it to suit the weather. So really it's just random ingredients for pie crust that may or may not work if it's too humid or something.

Swampy, I didn't see anything in the news that was possibly your office surprise. Make me up a story, 'kay? I have cocoa and a warm pup to share for stories. The hero should be burly.

Almost forgot-- the mailman delivered a package this morning, and commented how it was really cold. Got down to freezing last night and drivers were distressed about frost that went away when you breathed on it. We both :rolleyes:

[Ashes, Ashes]

Goodness, how long was I goofing around before posting? You all are lightening! Or I'm caffeine ADD'd x-treme.

[Taters]

rosie, I hope you're feeling better soon.

FCM, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this surgery. I really hope it works out for FCD this time. I can't imagine being in pain on a daily basis.

[IvoryTowerDenizen]

it's all the coughing I've been doing for the last couple of days. I actually pulled a stomach muscle.

Feel better, sweetie.

This semester cannot end soon enough.

I feel like I'm failing on every front and barely keeping my head up. Next semester's schedule is much better, but this one is killing me and I'm just not there at home like I want to be. And I hurt my knee so I'm limping. 20 different kinds of pathetic.

Ok. Venting off.

[Taters]

When does your semester end, Soapy? Are you at least in the home stretch?

[IvoryTowerDenizen]

When does your semester end, Soapy? Are you at least in the home stretch?

Last class 12-16. Series of meetings the next week. The sheer list of things to get done by then is unbelievable.

[HazelNutCoffee]

Maybe you had a dream that required you protect your family with a hairbrush?

Cooking the cookies now! I'd highly recommend this recipe:

Memaw's Surprise Cookies

3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup sour cream

2lbs pecans, halved
1/4 cup butter, salted
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup brown sugar

4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Sound delicious. I am intrigued by the addition of sour cream.

I wish I had the winter holidays to look forward to, but unfortunately we have EXTRA classes over winter break in addition to our normal stuff. Because in Korea, vacation mean students have MORE TIME TO STUDY! (I work at an English academy in Seoul, for those of you who don't know me.)

Yesterday in one of my classes we were discussing Five Children and It. A French phrase came up: Autres temps, autres moeurs. So I explained to the kids what it meant and they started telling me random French phrases they knew. We were having a good conversation. And then all of a sudden this new girl (she's only been in my class for a few weeks) pipes up and says, "Well, this is NOT FRENCH CLASS!" :dubious:

I calmly turned to her and said, "Maya, sometimes we talk about things that are connected to the book but not IN the book, and as long as you're learning something, that's okay. So just relax, hm?"

After class I went to the admin staff and warned them about a potential phone call from the mom.

I have to say, I am really enjoying working at this new place. Most academies in Korea are soulless places, but this place really does give a shit about the quality of education they're providing, and they are willing to tell a parent to get lost if they have unreasonable demands.

[Peeta Mellark]

Peeta, I'm glad you posted the recipe before I chastised you for teasing us... ;) Those cookies sound amazing! Unfortunately, I can't make any cookies for a while - my daughter just borrowed all my cookie sheets. But after we get back from the hospital, I may whip up a batch - they sound medicinal, and my poor sweetie will be hurting. :D

I'd consider them highly medicinal! To warn you, this is the first time I made them without my grandmother involved and I don't think she was entirely accurate on some measurements. She eyeballs stuff and I think the amount of sour cream she wrote done for me may have been a little too much. I added an extra tablespoon of flour and sprinkled in some extra sugar and it seemed okay. Maybe try it with just a hair under 1/3 cup sour cream?

Peeta, are the cookies a family secret or may you share? I have only one family secret recipe which isn't much since you have to change it to suit the weather. So really it's just random ingredients for pie crust that may or may not work if it's too humid or something.

You are absolutely welcome to the recipe (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14536918&postcount=108).

I'm done with my baking for the night and mildly sick off of sugar overload. It was worth it, though. Hopefully I can actually manage to finish my homework before I crash now.

[Taters]

Your schedule sounds about the same as my son's, Soapy. These next two weeks are nothing but studying for and taking finals. His last day is 17 December before he comes home for winter break.

I'm glad you like your job, Hazel.

[Lissla Lissar]

I am not providing any milk for experimentation with cheese. We have a friend who keeps suggesting it. I am about (okay, in two months) to be nursing twins, and they will need it all.

Besides, human milk is kind of gross. Look, so far I've only had two kids but have lactated for a total of forty months, and I don't think the stuff is appealing at all.


Here, very pregnant, and Mr. Lissar is sick with some kind of mild gastro thing so I should be doing chores, except an angelic friend of my mother's is coming over tomorrow to clean, so I'm not as driven as I should be.

[VunderBob]

Wow. I've been so stressed about cleaning out the Lair that I totally overlooked discussions of milk, boobies, and chocolate chip cookies made with booze. :smack:

Plans are coming together. Have Plan B U-Haul reserved, labor to help me load it, and I'm meeting rescue ex-partner Tollie for brekkies before I start toting the barge and lifting the bale. About the only thing left is making a pan of brownies to take to Fred.

[anyrose]

Thanks for the "tea" ;), rebo.

Peeta - I've been sleeping a lot - or at least dozing with the TV on - the coughing seems to have subsided for a while.

[Peeta Mellark]

anyrose, sleeping is very good and sounds like just what you've needed. I hope you recover quickly.

[HazelNutCoffee]

Thanks taters. :) It's nice to do some teaching that feels meaningful for a change.

In other news, it was supposed to snow today . . . but it didn't. Relief and disappointment both.

[OpalCat]

I am not providing any milk for experimentation with cheese. We have a friend who keeps suggesting it. I am about (okay, in two months) to be nursing twins, and they will need it all.

Besides, human milk is kind of gross. Look, so far I've only had two kids but have lactated for a total of forty months, and I don't think the stuff is appealing at all.


Here, very pregnant, and Mr. Lissar is sick with some kind of mild gastro thing so I should be doing chores, except an angelic friend of my mother's is coming over tomorrow to clean, so I'm not as driven as I should be.

Admittedly I'm pretty grossed out by cow's milk (though I do like cheese), the idea of tasting even my own breast milk (and I did breastfeed) is beyond all levels of grossness for me. Eww. Would not go there.

[gardentraveler]

Whoa, we've gone from really quiet to totally chatty in one short week!

Welcome noobs. :)

For those of you who haven't been following the MMP in minute detail, we have a blog where store yummy recipes contributed or tested by Mumpers. There's a link in my signature. Ill add both a link to the lamb recipe and the cookie recipe in a bit. Both sound yummmmmmy.

Glad the new job is going well, Haze. When did you start teaching there?

Hope things get manageable soon, Soapy.

Feel better, rosie!

GT

Long day today. got lots done, but it was rather tiring.

[elfkin477]

Last week I woke up clutching a hairbrush in my hand. There was a hairbrush on my nightstand that my wife used on my daughter's hair and I woke up with it in my hand. It was really odd, I don't remember any dreams form that night and I don't usually sleepwalk, talk, or grab things, so I was baffled to see it in my hand.I don't understand this. They say you can't move when you're sleeping, but I end up with bruised hands/wrists after most nightmares because I clutch them so tightly with the other hand, and you grabbed a hairbrush, so some us aren't completely paralyzed like we're supposed to be.

Right this very minute I have a nice dark bruise between two knuckles after last night's nightmare, which was rather weird. Somehow a group of domestic terrorists got the idea that I have valuable information, so they kidnapped me in a very cordial way. They wouldn't let me go, but I wasn't tied up or locked in a room, and they even wanted me to order gear for wherever we were going via the internet.

And Josh Groban was there. He wanted to help me escape, but he turned out to be a huge scifi geek and completely mesmerized by a scale model of the Death Star that was in the room with me...


I can only blame having watched a lot of Nikita over the past two months and having checked out a link to a Josh Groban song from this thread (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=633660) yesterday. Oh, and I've been catching up on The Big Bang Theory too :D

[Sticks and Scones]

I started an Alzheimer's and dementia support thread over here (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14538111#post14538111) in case anybody's interested. Thought maybe phoukaroo would want to know about it.

I really need to get motivated and either clean the potatoes for tomorrow's lunch or work on my presentation, but I'm quite sleepy and don't feel like doing either one.

[phouka]

I am having SUCH a day.

- the nice lady at the farmer's market who had shaving brushes and soaps has gone *poof*, so now I have to find another place to buy that, as it's my planned gift to phoukabro minor. This also means that I won't be able to buy it from a local, independent retailer, which was my goal this year. Also, the local used bookstore has no knitting books, and there is no such thing as a local art supply store.

- Michael's sucks. I've been in there twice in the last week, thinking I would pick up a frame or some blank cards on sale, and the line is so long, I think to myself "frak this", and leave with nothing.

- the Christmas shopping crowds are out at all times, every day, which means even if I just go into Target for a frickin' pair of socks, it's loud, crowded, and now I have a migraine headache triggered by a little boy screaming at his mom. (Seriously, I had to talk myself down from grabbing the child by the arm and explaining to him that Santa hates little boys who scream.)

- that's the second migraine in two days, and this is a special new kind of migraine with lots of nausea, sound sensitivity, and flailing emotional states.

- I just got a form email from the nice lady manager who interviewed me and offered me a job on the spot that they're actually NOT hiring any more help for the holidays, but please be sure to apply again later! Considering how frantic the pace was when I stopped by there to check on the status of my paperwork, it's a little hard to believe they're not hiring. WTF happened?

- the independent retailer I want to buy stitch markers (for knitting) for a friend only takes Paypal on that site. I recently learned that Paypal is of the devil. People, I'm trying to be politically savvy and stick to my guns of principle here. Why is the universe making it so fucking hard?

- the uber-competent phoukabro minor (who continues to rib me about being 40 and who will die once I figure out exactly how to cover my tracks) has already purchased all his Christmas presents, so he can't go in with me and phoukabro major on a bicycle for my mom, an idea which actually made her face light up. Phoukabro major and I are both broke, so I doubt we can pull it off on our own unless we pick up a used bicycle.

- Did I mention the flailing emotions? I see a half a Valium in my near future, just so I don't have a meltdown in front of Dad.

[phouka]

I started an Alzheimer's and dementia support thread over here (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14538111#post14538111) in case anybody's interested. Thought maybe phoukaroo would want to know about it.

Dearest, your timing is impeccable.

[tarragon918]

Greetings from snowy and very cold Albuquerque New Mexico! I've been a bit absent, just lurking actually, but we've had several storms pass through here and now it's just plain cold (single digit) and often quite windy. In fact, we started with hurricane-force winds last Thursday. I'm still liking being in ABQ, though, in case anyone wondered.

Rosie's .sig to all, including Rosie herself (and another mea culpa, Rosie, you probably know what I'm talking about!!).

OMG, Peeta, those cookies sound positively sinful! And welcome to all the new Mumpers too. Oh boy, I've really been missing out. I'll post more often, although sometimes I just don't have much to say -- and sometimes my brain just isn't functioning on all cylinders. *laughs* I definitely have a problem doing the coding, it's a stretch for me to use bolding and colorizing.

At any rate, I'm thinking of and praying for all who need it too. And way to go, PurpleHaze - it's really good to see you and glad to hear that you're liking your new work place. :)

[FairyChatMom]

tarra!!! It's been over 4 months and I'm still waiting for OPM to get their collective asses in gear and send me my proper retirement pay. I am not impressed!!

Enjoy your cold - it was about 60 when I let the dog out a little bit ago. :D By the end of the week, I'll be stoking up the fireplace again. I am not a fan of winter. Between the cold and the dark, I get a bit grumpy. ugh.

And on that note, I think I'll head off to beddy-bye. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[HazelNutCoffee]

Greetings from snowy and very cold Albuquerque New Mexico! I've been a bit absent, just lurking actually, but we've had several storms pass through here and now it's just plain cold (single digit) and often quite windy. In fact, we started with hurricane-force winds last Thursday. I'm still liking being in ABQ, though, in case anyone wondered.

In my crazier moments I find myself missing Chicago winters. It's not really the subzero temperatures that I miss, though; it's being inside my cozy apartment, drinking copious amounts of alcohol with my friends so we can stay warm. :D

[Taters]

Herbs! Good to see you! Stay warm!

FCM, I was really hoping that your OPM retirement story was going to be a good one, and I'm sorry that you're being strung along like that. I have a hard time excusing their inefficiency.

Their new job site sucks, by the way. It's my own fault, but I screwed myself right out of consideration for a job because I didn't scan and send in a copy of my latest SF 50 with my latest job application. This is asinine. It was for a job in the same agency; hell the same hospital even. I could kind of understand if I was applying for a job for someplace other than Department of the Army, but not this.

So, I now have to submit a resume, a questionaire, my latest 50 and sometimes additional paperwork. :rolleyes: This is supposed to be the new and "improved" process. I think it's about 10 times more user unfriendly and stupid.

[lorene]

Last week I woke up clutching a hairbrush in my hand. There was a hairbrush on my nightstand that my wife used on my daughter's hair and I woke up with it in my hand. It was really odd, I don't remember any dreams form that night and I don't usually sleepwalk, talk, or grab things, so I was baffled to see it in my hand.

Maybe you had a need to sing into a hairbrush, rom-com style.

I sometimes* sleepwalk because of the medication I take at night. One night a few weeks back I wandered into my husband's room complaining that I couldn't figure out how to turn the light off (or something like that--we never quite figured it out). About halfway through trying to explain my "problem" to him, I groggily became aware of reality and realized I was out of bed and in another room... I lost track of what I was saying and never was able to convey what my problem was, but he had a hard time getting back to sleep after that and had a rough day the next day as a result :( I felt bad.

Waking up in the middle of doing something weird and not remembering why you're doing it is a very disorienting feeling.




When my husband was a young man, still living with his parents, he sleepwalked into their room one night, went to the closet, took down a suitcase, and started trying to send a fax. :p

/delurk

[Bumbazine]

Wow! Lots of new people, I guess Bobbio was successful in hiding the squid this time.

Rebo, I've been lactose intolerant for years now, so I can advise some. The Lactaid milk is a great invention, but I suspect sometimes they skimp on the amount of lastase they add. I routinely carry a little pill containers of Lactase enzyme, (Costco Kirkland brand is the cheapest), and Loperamide. (generic imodium). I agree that soy milk is yuck. In my opinion, the best non-milk milk is almond milk. YMMV.

Hope you feel better Rosie

I had more, but Haven is on.

Rosie's sig to all.

[phouka]

San Diego is under a frost advisory. We're supposed to get down to 31 degrees tonight. Tomorrow night, it's supposed to get to 27 degrees. Don't be surprised if you hear on the news that the entire population has set fire to itself in an effort to stay warm.

[dogbutler]

Up, caffeinated, off to irk. 74 degrees today.

[Ashes, Ashes]

Holy pootles-- a sweet potato nearly killed my dog! I put a couple three spoons of baked sweet potato in her bowl and she snarfed it down, plus some kibble. A little while later she started to make a snorking noise and nothing I did helped. Foam out of her mouth, and heaving, shallow and then almost no breaths.

I cleared her mouth, did as much of a Heimlich maneuver as I could figure out, heck, I picked her up and shook her a little. The last time I tried to clear her airway, voila! It was the sweet potato and kibble mix that was the culprit.

I'm going to study my pet first aid again because it all came a jumble this morning. Phew!

[FairyChatMom]

It's still 60°, but the temps are supposed to drop all day, and in some areas, the rain will become snow tonight. Luckily, we're in the "mostly rain" area. but ugh. My day will involve much carpet cleaning, since Scruffy has peed on a couple of spots, and my spot cleaning was just temporary. At least the cleaner is quick and easy to use. Stoopit dog. Beyond that, no idea what the day will hold.

We got our first Christmas card yesterday - the same pre-printed on her own computer thing that my sister sends out every year. Very sanitized, unimaginative, and apparently untouched by human hands. She doesn't even address the envelope by hand. 'Tis the season, I guess. My sister is a bit odd... Of course, I don't send any out at all. Once upon a time, I used to write a mega-letter to friends and family (not one of those brag-a-rama things, just newsy stuff) but I quit doing that years ago, and 2 or 3 years ago, I just quit with cards altogether. And a happy bah humbug to you! :D

A2 - if your beastie is like my daughter's, the term is not so much "eat" as "inhale." Cozmo gets all wound up while you prepare his supper - I'm talking literally bouncing off the cabinets - and once you set the dish down, it's a disaster movie in the making! He knocks food out of the bowl all over the floor, altho he does eventually snarf that down, too. What a piglet!!

Taters, c'mon, you've been around the gov't long enough to know that it never gets simpler or more efficient! :p Once upon a time, you had your SF-171. Now you need an account and a password that you frequently forget, and pages and pages of forms regurgitating info that's in your personnel file already, and waiting and waiting... Why should the waiting end when you get out of that muddle? :rolleyes: I've been thinking about contacting my representative, not that I expect it would do any good. But forcryinoutloud, the Navy HR guys already ran the numbers - can't OPM just check them and straighten out my pay? I suspect this is a money-saving venture - they're hoping all retirees die of frustration before they get their money. Buncha poopyheads.

I need breakfast. And caffeine. And, apparently, a chill pill. Happy Wednesday, all!

[swampbear]

Good Mornin' Y'all! Up and caffienatin'. *YAWN* 'Tis 65 Amurrkin out and rainin'. This is also the high for the day as the temp is supposed to go down to 60 and we have a :eek: frost advisory :eek: for overnight tonight. Imagine!

Wow! Buncha chat goin' on up in here. What I remember is cookies, dog puke and lactose intolerance. Cookies are good, the other two, well, ick! :D

Ok, I need to get me some more caffiene stat plus rumbly tummy wants brekkie NOW! Then, alas, irk purtification must commence. I foresee several last minute home visits bein' as this is the deadline for Medicare open enrollment. Woo and Hoo. Of course it will be rainy, which it is right now.

Happy Hump Day Y'all!

[kaiwik]

*lurking under my rock*

Hey kids! Life goes on for this little grey duck, I'm still dealing with ex-boyfriend's drama, and I am ready for it to be over. He is coming up on the 19th, with his mother no less, to pack up the crap he left in his storage room and grab his car, and I am assuming they will leave on the 20th. It's enough that I have to deal with him, but his mother, well, wow. She's an actress (you would know her, and his father, were I to name drop) and as with all actresses (personal experience with community theatre) she is all about the drama. :rolleyes: I can't wait for it to all be over.

So, trying to recall what I just read:

(((rosie))) My house has been hit with the plague, so I empathize with you. Get lots of rest, and chicken soup is your friend.

Herbs! How are you my friend?

A Haze sighting! How are you?

Lots of good thoughts for FCD. I truly hope that the surgery works for him this time. Good thoughts for you too FCM, take good care of your man!

Bobbio! Dude, I do not envy your upcoming weekend, I sincerely hope that it all goes smoothly.

(((Taters)))

Yay GT on keeping the recipe blog going! Some of the recipes so far this week sound like teh yum!

Okay, brain death is kicking in. Insomnia hit here as well tonight, the melatonin did nothing so I had two beers and I am feeling a bit more relaxed. I am going to settle in and read for a bit. I am experiencing some intestinal distress, and I swallowed an Imodium a bit ago so maybe I can get some sleep. Stupid plague! Good morning to swampy and the rest of you who are rising while the west coast sleeps. Or not. :p

nighty-night...

*back under my rock*

[Sticks and Scones]

Ashes, I'm highly embarrassed to say that many years ago we once gave Bubba a liquid mint to see what he'd do with it. And what he did was completely FREAK OUT and start foaming at the mouth. Poor baby and shame on me.

I'm up earlyish this morning because I've got a couple of lunches, one of which involves baked potatoes which always get turned on very early. (That sounds vaguely naughty, doesn't it?) :p

Otherwise, rosie's sig to all, I've got to keep moving...

[VunderBob]

Blurf. Yet another night of anxiety-driven insomnia.

[FairyChatMom]

kai - do you think the actress is coming along to intimidate you with her greatness? Sorry you're among the sickies and I hope you feel better soon, but do keep your germy self away from me. :p Once FCD is post-surgical and permitted to shower and stuff, I'll allow myself to get sick, but until then, everyone, back off!!!

:D

Just had a yummy breakfast of brownies. I should probably have a bowl of cereal or something with protein - maybe PB on toast? What I really want is to go back to bed, but I'm awake, so that ain't gonna happen.

Last night, I started looking at engineering jobs in the area - none sound appealing. I really think I need to get some kind of job, preferably part time, but I don't know what I want to do. I do know I don't want to work retail or food service or daycare. Oh well, no rush...

[VunderBob]

Last night, I started looking at engineering jobs in the area - none sound appealing. I really think I need to get some kind of job, preferably part time, but I don't know what I want to do. I do know I don't want to work retail or food service or daycare. Oh well, no rush...

Open positions in the county involving fairy dust, tiaras, and unlimited chocolate are rather sparse, too.

[Lissla Lissar]

Surely most engineering positions require tiaras, don't they?

Up. Had lots of sleep, still feel predictably dead. Tea and breakfast for the littles when Gnat gets up. TomKitten is singing to a puppet behind me.

[Ashes, Ashes]

Well, FCM, the inhaling of the sweet potato was extreme, even for a pug. This isn't my girl (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylwoT3MqAyc&feature=related), but it'll give non-pug knowers an idea.

Sticks, I looove the idea of the mint. Here I can't get mine to lick pop-rocks, the spoil sport!

Swampy, please work on the story you promised me (not really) yesterday. Your word is: burly. Very good rainy day project.

Give the tea a bit o' time to non-deaden ya Lissla. Mebbee a room facing the sun?

I may have to stay away from the Food channel and HGTV . Just fifteen minutes and I want to smack the people on this holiday special. Stupid woman won't put cookies in her cookie jar grumble umble... grinchity grinch...

[FairyChatMom]

I don't do tiaras. :p And I most certainly don't dust!!! :p

I do think the biggest problem is that I really don't know what I'd like to do. At one point, I'd considered teaching, but I hate standardized tests and the fact that everyone expects you to teach kids to pass those damned things. Really, if you just teach the material, the kids should pass. But no, the emphasis is on the test, not on the material. OK, I'll stop now.

I need to go back to my working roots. My first job was receptionist/phone operator/mail opener-and-sorter. Low pressure, necessary, and it paid a whopping $2.00 per hour! :D

LiLi - face it - you won't feel rested till your kids are married and out on their own. And then they'll start bringing grandbabies over, so even then, you'll be exhausted. Sorry sweetie, your fate is sealed. ;)

[Dolores Reborn]

Apparently, it's too hot in my office because it's too cold (32°) outside. The heat is not on, but the AC won't run because it's cold. It's an automatic thing. They opened the hatch in the roof to draw the heat out. This sounds like so much BS, but what do I know?

I know it's 81° in here, that's what I know. It makes me sleepy, that's what I know.

I wanna go home. My neck and shoulder hurt because I hauled all the plants into the house myself last night, because when Mr Rebo went to bed (because he had to get up at 1:30 am) we didn't think it was going to freeze last night.

Bah. Grr.

Blurf.

Oh - Happy Wednesday, Mumpers! :p

[markm]

Stopped by the grocery store last night. One of the local dairies has a red velvet milk available in the 1/2 gallon carton. I haven't seen it on shelves in forever, so I was happy. I'll have to get some. I'm thinking it and some mint chocolate custard would make a delicious Christmas-y dessert.

[FairyChatMom]

Red velvet milk? I never heard of such a thing - what is it?

You will all be glad to know that I'm showered and dressed - no more stinky me in a scrungy bathrobe. :D I cleaned the pee spots on the carpet and the chicken carcass has been submerged for boiling. Soon there will be broth for soup.

It's still raining, but I'm indoors, so life is good. Except for the pathetic lack of chocolate in this house.

[markm]

Red velvet milk? I never heard of such a thing - what is it?


Imagine drinking red velvet cake. That's what it is. It's a holiday tradition, is what it is. I prefer it to eggnog, and it goes great with some sort of liqueur blended in it.

[OpalCat]

I routinely carry a little pill containers of Lactase enzyme, (Costco Kirkland brand is the cheapest), and Loperamide. (generic imodium)

It is my firm belief that everyone should do this. Especially if you carry a purse or laptop bag. It doesn't take up much space, and it will totally SAVE YOUR DAY one of these days.

[OpalCat]

We got our first Christmas card yesterday - the same pre-printed on her own computer thing that my sister sends out every year. Very sanitized, unimaginative, and apparently untouched by human hands. She doesn't even address the envelope by hand. 'Tis the season, I guess. My sister is a bit odd... Of course, I don't send any out at all. Once upon a time, I used to write a mega-letter to friends and family (not one of those brag-a-rama things, just newsy stuff) but I quit doing that years ago, and 2 or 3 years ago, I just quit with cards altogether. And a happy bah humbug to you! :D

We send out preprinted holiday postcards with a photo of us on the front and a brief summary of our year on the back. We print address labels. My handwriting is so bad that 50% of them would never arrive if I tried to hand label them.

My stepmother sends out a (preprinted and printed envelope--so I don't feel too bad) holiday letter every year. Each year it's a bit longer than the previous one. Last year was 8 pages, double sided. It's a chore to read through the whole thing so one of us will read it aloud so that we don't all three of us have to read it. It's about 80% current events with their family (to be fair they have 5 kids still living at home) and 20% Jesus-based glurge.

My husband's mom sends out a Christmas letter, too, but it's usually several pictures of the family and a paragraph of text. much better.

(sorry for posting two in a row)

[FairyChatMom]

I probably shouldn't make a big deal about printing addresses since my handwriting is pretty horrid. Still, it seems to me if you take the time to send someone a greeting, the least you could do is sign it with a real pen. Her card is less personal than the birthday greetings I used to get from our insurance guy - at least he actually signed his name.

Like I said, bah humbug. I'm a grouch. So sue me.

[swampbear]

Ok A2 how's this...

Several very rich burly men show up to rescue OYKW and me from our humdrum irkaday lives. We then spend the rest of our lives in luxury while several burly men do ummm... burly men things to entertain and amuse us. The End.

:D

So far today I have accomplished exactly nuttin' but set up my laptop here at the infamous :eek:maul:eek: kiosk. Soon I shall be assistin' some folks with settin' up some medicare stuff. At the :eek:maul:eek: of all places. At least I'm hangin' around the food court in a fairly good size kiosk with wireless.

Ok, very rich burly men, anytime now.

[Man With a Cat]

It's too damn few degrees out today.

[anyrose]

Imagine drinking red velvet cake. That's what it is. It's a holiday tradition, is what it is. I prefer it to eggnog, and it goes great with some sort of liqueur blended in it.
the recipe is de riguere!

[Peeta Mellark]

I knew I shouldn't have been bragging about the beautiful weather yesterday. Today we've got that "wintry mix" of nastiness out. I'd take a heavy snow over that, happily. Anyone want to trade weather with me? :D

Imagine drinking red velvet cake. That's what it is. It's a holiday tradition, is what it is. I prefer it to eggnog, and it goes great with some sort of liqueur blended in it.

Oh. My. Gawd. I need this, now. I may die without it, in fact,

Are you feeling any better today, rosie?

[swampbear]

the recipe is de riguere!
::takes Rosie's arm and begins kissin' up and down::

Tish! You spoke French! Say some more! c'est la vie! voulez vou! au contraire!

Sometimes one's inner Gomez Addams must be let out! :D

[phouka]

All I want for Christmas is my very own burly man. I will hug him and squeeze him and call him George . . .

The puppy does not know what she wants. I have a list as long as my arm of Things That Need Doing. My tummy's growling, but I haven't started the day. I had a dream that I was teaching, and my class was in full rebellion, and my mom came in and started criticizing my classroom management skills. Not. Fun.

I promised myself I would go to the gym and walk on the treadmill for an hour, but the healed blister is sticking to my shoe, which leads me to believe it will just blister up again, so I need to do some problem solving.

Eeesh.

[VunderBob]

::takes Rosie's arm and begins kissin' up and down::

Tish! You spoke French! Say some more! c'est la vie! voulez vou! au contraire!

Sometimes one's inner Gomez Addams must be let out! :D

I didn't think she was your type, Swampus.

She *IS* my type, however. Rosie, how you doin'?

[FairyChatMom]

I don't know that I'm swampy's type either, but he still took me out to dinner and picked up the tab. ;)

[swampbear]

I don't know that I'm swampy's type either, but he still took me out to dinner and picked up the tab. ;)
Imagine what would've happened had you spoken French to me! :p

BBBobbioif it makes any difference I'd kiss up and down your arm too if you spoke French to me. Just ask OYKW.

Gomez Addams has influenced my life greatly. I want to blow up trains!

[Bumbazine]

I have to go buy tires for the Mazda today. :rolleyes:

Envy me.

[OpalCat]

I knew I shouldn't have been bragging about the beautiful weather yesterday. Today we've got that "wintry mix" of nastiness out. I'd take a heavy snow over that, happily. Anyone want to trade weather with me? :

Well, we've got drizzle and sometimes slightly stronger rain, you want it? I agree that snow is way, way better than wintry mix*. I hate driving on ice. I don't mind snow nearly as much.


*though I must qualify this by saying that snow is way, way better than a lot of things, because I really, really love snow. I swear I should have been born an Eskimo**

**is "Eskimo" an ethnic slur these days? Is there a better term? I remember several years ago how surprised I was that "Oriental" was no longer to be used. I'm never up to speed on these things.

[Scuba_Ben]

All I want for Christmas is my very own burly man. I will hug him and squeeze him and call him George . . .
And rub his feathers and stroke his long bill?

[ems]

Wow we are chatty this week :D

I made it back very very late last night into OKC from my flying-less than 24 hour- visit to Houston. It was 23 degs at the airport and the truck was iced over. So I fire it up and get the heating going and get my scraper and deicer out to begin ice removal. There was someone else who got off the parking shuttle bus at the same time as me who was galantly trying to wipe away the ice on her car with a piece of cardboard. Being the very nice lady I am I offered my scraping and de-icing services. Wow was she grateful :D

The past few days have been whirl of presentations and meetings and spreadsheets and contracts and crazyness and this will continue until I leave for vacation next Thursday afternoon. Urgh.

rosie get better!

LiLi put your feet up and use the helpful friend of mom to the utmost advantage!

[Sticks and Scones]

Just stopping by briefly to complain. It's in the thirties and snowing today and we've got the windows open and the fan on because we're waiting for the guy to come fix the sump pump. And I'm freezing cold!

Oh, and I went to get my hair 'trimmed' and a swear she took off something like three inches of hair! Trimmed? Huh. And she didn't even offer to dry my hair or anything so that makes me even colder.

[/whining]

[kaiwik]

No Mooom, his mom does not intimidate me. She was up in August and she sat on my floor and played with the pomeranians, and I fed her salad with king crab and I also baked a salmon that she scarfed down. She's got a very good appetite for such a thin old woman! She is just super high energy and everything is all *waaaaay* up in the stratosphere, dramatically speaking. She says "Darling, you simply must, must (insert whatever she thinks I ought to do) darling!" I love her, but when she leaves/gets off the phone, I collapse with fatigue! Hey, Alaska trained me to be very laid back, and she is the equivalent of a LA freeway at rush hour, yikes!

I have had a lazy morning. The insomnia was rough last night, so I drank two red beers and when I fell asleep I fell hard. It felt good, I haven't been sleeping well due to the coughing and the mucus factor. When I woke up my light was still on and I was wearing my glasses.

I ought to decorate for Christmas, and begin thinking about the baking. I am just not feeling the spirit though, probably residual depression re: the boyfriend. I am homesick for Kodiak and my "family" there. *sigh* Perhaps some pretty colored lights would lighten my mood, hehehe!

My #3 daughter and I are going to learn French this winter, it's nice to know I can elicit arm-kissing from da bear when I am feeling the need for male attention! Voulez vou, bear? :p

LiLi I am feeling you, even though I only had singletons. Take every opportunity to get off your feet while you can. I have four young 'un's (a couple who are not so young, actually) and watched a lot of other people's children while raising mine, and I am still tired. (My youngest is almost 19) Enjoy yours while you can, they grow up so fast.

I need to get ready to leave the house. I don't want to leave the house, but I must. Have a good one my peeps!

[SpazCat]

There's black ice warnings tonight and the snow-word has been mentioned. It was sleeting when I came home an hour ago. Winter finally showed up!

[anyrose]

::takes Rosie's arm and begins kissin' up and down::
Tish! You spoke French! Say some more! c'est la vie! voulez vou! au contraire!
Sometimes one's inner Gomez Addams must be let out! :D
I didn't think she was your type, Swampus.
She *IS* my type, however. Rosie, how you doin'?Boys! Don't fight over me! There's plenty (and I do mean plenty) for both of you.

There's black ice warnings tonight and the snow-word has been mentioned. It was sleeting when I came home an hour ago. Winter finally showed up!BITE YOUR TONGUE!!!!

[Noone Special]

Hi!

Lots of fresh meat welcome new guests this week!

And... !!!HAZE!!!:D

I've got nuttin'. I'd comment on other people's posts but... well, I have been kinda, sorta reading, but retaining little to nothing :(
That's what I get for being good at my job I guess... more work! I keep thinking things will quiet down, and I'll be able to work normal hours for a change - and then something enw comes up.
Good think I love my job.

Well, it's after midnight. and I have to be up in 7 hours. Night, y'all!

ETA: Also... !!!WIKI!!! :D

[FairyChatMom]

OK, first off, it's voulez-vous and it means "do you want" - so unless you're indicating something (and I just know what you pervs are thinking now...) it's an incomplete statement.

I've got an apple crisp in the oven, and the house smells fabooooo! We'll have polish sausage and rice and some sort of veggie for supper when my sweetie gets up from his nap.

He's decided to take the rest of the week off, so he won't be going back to work until February. I guess this will be a test run for when we're both retired.

I vacuumed, crocheted a hat, and started knitting yet another. It's dark out, still raining, and the temp is dropping.

In sports, nothing to report. :D

And that's the news update from FairyChatEstates.

[swampbear]

:: takes wiki's arm and begins kissin' up and down it::

Tish you spoke French! Speak some more! Moulin Rouge! Crepe Suzette! Mon Petit Chou!

Gomez is feelin' his oats today. :D

[kaiwik]

!!!lunch!!! ;)

I know moooom, I should have said voulez vou...? My shorthand innuendo appears to be lacking. :p

mmm, bear kissies! Une cuiller, un tabouret, la grèle, ronfler, un bavard!

Okay, I'm gonna put some decorations out, my Charlie Brown tree, Santa and a couple of angels, and some very old red mercury icicles will go on the ficus. Ho ho ho!

[Noone Special]

Qu'est-ce qui ce passe, ici?!? Quel bruit!! :p

Ahm. Pardon my French ;)

[Bri2k]

Hi Mummpers and Newbies. Sorry I've been away. The good news is the busy season at work is almost two-thirds over. Hopefully sanity and regular 40 hour weeks will return before mid-January.

Rain-to-snow mix here in my City of Three Rivers this evening. The snow flurries aren't sticking, at least for now.

I hope you're feeling better soon, rosie! If I was closer, I'd bring you some hot tea with lemon, honey and rum. Guaranteed to cure what ails you.

And to all of you, may you get everything you want and more this holiday season. You deserve the best!

Bri2k

P.S. Saw that J. Edgar flick last weekend. The, um, "speculative" parts were eye-opening, but overall I found it entertaining and fairly historically accurate.

[congodwarf]

Haven't gotten a damn bit of homework done since I finished my paper yesterday afternoon. Class went well last night. Professor said he's probably gonna give us our final at the end of class next week since it's just a normal test so there's no point coming in for it the following week.


Had my eye doctor followup today. What was supposed to be a contact followup and dilation ended up being a nearly 2 hour appointment while I got a field of vision test, a couple other tests and some attempts to find a contact for my right eye that works better. The trouble with optic nerves that bulge slightly is that all new eye doctors want to really examine them to make sure they're ok. We've pretty much determined that bulging is my normal state but they still like to keep a close eye on them. It's all good though. I got to see pictures of the backs of my eyes again and I always enjoy that.


Ripped off my nails yesterday and put them back on today. Much better than the first time though definitely not perfect. It's odd how they're more comfortable to type with, even though they're longer than I normally like. I don't know if it's because I did them myself or not but they aren't usually comfortable for typing when someone else does them. I have 4 nails that actually look damn good and two of them are on my right hand!! My brain is fried though from the eye exam and all the chemicals.


I should get started on my homework but I'm really not motivated right now. I just want to build a fire and then snuggle up with the 3 licking heating pads.

[kaiwik]

Je fais un bruit joyeux est tout! ;):p:D

[OpalCat]

I just finished making a batch of the "Pioneer Woman Mashed Potatoes" that keep getting mentioned on this board, and I must say, they are better than that mashed potatoes I usually make. I'm a convert. Of course, they're about 300 times more fattening than my old ones, as well...

[Noone Special]

Je fais un bruit joyeux est tout! ;):p:Det tu, Wiki? :confused::dubious:
:p
:)

[kaiwik]

lol, I am learning the language, and am not proficient in the least! ;)

[SpazCat]

BITE YOUR TONGUE!!!!
Ow!

It is now snowing. :D

[FairyChatMom]

You wish you were here - the apple crisp is mega-yum!! Gala apples are great - num num num!

It's still raining. I have to go to class tomorrow to pick up the last of my stuff - if it's not done, I'll bring it home and fire it here.

Meanwhile, I've got an evening of knitting ahead of me. Yay!

[anyrose]

:: takes wiki's arm and begins kissin' up and down it::

Tish you spoke French! Speak some more! Moulin Rouge! Crepe Suzette! Mon Petit Chou!

Gomez is feelin' his oats today. :D
Fickle!

[anyrose]

Tout cela parle français est de sortir de la main. Arrête. ;)

[kaiwik]

Ah, mais l'attention est si doux, et le partage prend soin mon amie rosie. ;):D

[FairyChatMom]

Et la plume de ma tante est sur la table! So there! :p


:D

OK, for real now, off to knit. MWAH!

[kaiwik]

Hmm, someone is channeling Eddie Izzard! :p

It's been fun playing today with you guys, I have been a sad little grey duck lately, and today I laughed. Thanks for the grins, I <3 you guys!

[Ashes, Ashes]

Blurf.. Overslept 'cause somebody likes to slam cabinets when I'm trying to sleep. Craig Ferguson on youtube gave me Scottish accented dreams. So the burly men are Scots, Swampy.

J'ai une grenouille dans mon bidet. Zoot! Est-ce que la tarte aux pommes, FCM? Nom nom nom...

[kaiwik]

;) Ashes2! :D

[anyrose]

Ashes2 - I'd only worry if he started singing "Hello My Baby"

[HazelNutCoffee]

It is weird to have pasta for breakfast? I don't care. There are no bananas in the house, which means I can't have my usual banana cinnamon porridge.

The other day I found a roll of Pillsbury biscuits at the local foreign food mart. You laugh, but I've NEVER seen anything Pillsbury round these parts for as long as I've lived here. Anyone got any ideas what I should eat them with? Gravy perhaps?

:: waves at kai and Noone ::

[anyrose]

Haze - pick one (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_gravy#Types_of_gravy)

They're also good on either side of scramble eggs . . .

[elfkin477]

Last night, I started looking at engineering jobs in the area - none sound appealing. I really think I need to get some kind of job, preferably part time, but I don't know what I want to do. I do know I don't want to work retail or food service or daycare. Oh well, no rush... Are there part-time university jobs in the area you could look into? I replaced my full time job with a part-time one that pays better (more $ per week at half the hours!) than it did by being hired for a program run by the university I went to myself.

Speaking of which, I shocked my new boss today. Tomorrow makes a month at my new job, and we had a check in meeting today. She asked me how I felt the workload was, so I told her it was fine, but if she had more for me to do days like today when I'm not overseeing meetings, that'd be good. After looking a little stunned she excitedly asked if she correctly recalled that I have a writing background, and then asked me to proofread a program manual by the 15th. I hate being bored. I'd much rather do something useful than stare off into space or get in trouble screwing around on the internet, and I finished making powerpoint presentations look pretty yesterday...

[HazelNutCoffee]

Haze - pick one (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_gravy#Types_of_gravy)

They're also good on either side of scramble eggs . . .
I did not know chocolate gravy existed.

Mm, gravy.

[gotpasswords]

It's official. I'm on the surgeon's schedule for a C5-6 artificial disk replacement. It is exactly what I was expecting, but there's a certain finality to it when you see the words printed on a release form.

The fun part is that it's 12 days after DH has his RNY. I'm hoping he's completely off pain meds by then and able to drive me to the hospital. :eek: He should be - I saw his doc on YouTube talking about the DaVinci surgical robot and how it's all sorts of spectacular, both for the patient and the surgeon, and he's finding patients are recovering from surgery faster and with less pain and complications. Hooray for that!

No robots for my surgery though - it's fundamentally orthopedic surgery, involving chisels, mallets and screwdrivers. <shudder> I do at least know that I'll be out of work for six weeks. Longer than expected, but probably a good thing considering how many hours I spend sitting on my butt and staring at a computer screen.

[Sticks and Scones]

Now that my hair has dried I can officially tell you that it looks like shit. :mad:

My hair is curly and I now have the look of a plus-sized poodle. It's sort of like a bob but with about four inches of hair underneath that somebody forgot to cut off. And the only fix would be to cut off those four inches, but I'll be damned if I want my hair to be that short. Guess I'll be wearing hats for awhile...

I sent an email to the place where I got it cut. Although, as I said, there isn't much to be done about it now.


In better news, I finally got my presentation assembled. All I have to do is go present tomorrow evening and I'm finished for the semester. Hooray!

[anyrose]

I did not know chocolate gravy existed.

Mm, gravy.
substitute chili powder for the sugar and you almost have a molé sauce

[Man With a Cat]

It is weird to have pasta for breakfast? I don't care. There are no bananas in the house, which means I can't have my usual banana cinnamon porridge.

The other day I found a roll of Pillsbury biscuits at the local foreign food mart. You laugh, but I've NEVER seen anything Pillsbury round these parts for as long as I've lived here. Anyone got any ideas what I should eat them with? Gravy perhaps?

:: waves at kai and Noone ::

Why not? I have breakfast for dinner all the time. Meal swaps are all good.

[Bumbazine]

After buying tires I went to Costco and bought, among many other things, a tiramisu cake.

You may now envy me. :D

[Nava]

I've been thinking of getting something like that for my husband, Rebo. He seems to be having issues with milk lately, even skim milk. He loves milk and I've been wondering how well something like that would work.

Middlebro had a period of about a decade during which I couldn't do anything right (well, not me personally, anybody from our family). One of the things which eventually changed his mind was coming over to visit and drinking this strange milk I had: the lactose in it had been broken up through the adition of lactase, so it tasted like you'd already put sugar in it, but other than that it was good... and for the first time in years, his tummy calmed down!

This is the same brother who spent some 7 years with a 3x2 Tente piece (think Lego lookalike) in his stomach; turns out the digestive problems he'd developed in college were the same ones I'd developed in my late 30s, lactose intolerance.

Oh, and don't bother with "lactose free yoghurt". I mean, if they happen the ones you like, be my guest, but yoghurt is lactose free by definition. That kind of labels are a pet peeve of mine: "lactose free yoghurt", "fat-free breakfast cereal"... amazing how something can be both true and completely misleading.



Monday: went to check out the new paint in my flat (looks great), took Mom market-studying for my new fridge, she detected a half-price roomba-lookalike which I bought (she's been wanting one, for herself or by proxy, since her sister got one), took her to a Wok restaurant. Pursued the gas people (the cabinetmakers discovered a problem with the gas instalation in my kitchen... two weeks ago!).

Tuesday: national holiday. We ate tapas. I missed a couple of job-related calls but figured whatever.

Wednesday: pursued the gas people some more, managed to nail them down, got a phone interview.

Today: going to the RAM, a sort of Nerds'R'Us yearly retreat. Well, it's not supposed to be Nerds'R'Us, but the Non-nerds complain that we have an overwhelmingly nerdy membership. One of the activities is a visit at a cyclotron: the 30 spots were already taken within 30' of the email saying "ok, you can sign up now" being sent out :( I'm wearing my "I'm not weird, I'm gifted" tee.
I may or may not have a final interview for the job for which I interviewed yesterday. If I'm in, I have to fly off on Tuesday...

(RAM: Mensa yearly meeting)

Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday: RAM. Coming back on Sunday, missing the farewell lunch (dagnabit, and that Brazilian-Italian restaurant sounded good...)

Monday: must wake up sometime around ridiculous a.m. to drive to my flat... the gas tech is coming first thing in the morning! Woohoo! After only two weeks!
The gas company has an ad campaign for their maintenance program where a kid "sometimes sees techs" - maybe I should have borrowed the Nephew, to see if his presence attracted the tech?




rosie, it's mole: no tilde, and the stress goes on the first syllable (for those who study Spanish: stress on the syllable before last, ends in a vowel -> no tilde)

[anyrose]

Nava - I had no idea you were an M, like me! In the US, it's called an AG (the local, almost weekly, versions are RGs) Periodically, the IG is in the US - let me know if you're ever attending one here - I'll make a point of being there myself.

[OpalCat]

rosie, it's mole: no tilde, and the stress goes on the first syllable (for those who study Spanish: stress on the syllable before last, ends in a vowel -> no tilde)

Unless it's different in French and in Spanish this accent: é is an accent aigu. This is a tilde: ~ </nitpick*>




*unless French and Spanish are massively more different than I thought.

[Nava]

Accent aigu is what the ´is called in French. Acento agudo, acento or tilde is what the ´ is called in Spanish; we only say the agudo when we're talking about languages which use more than one, such as French or Catalan (`acento grave; ^acento circumflejo). I've had many Anglos call the ´a tilde and get on a very prim-sounding soapbox to explain that an accent is not an ortographic symbol but a certain way of pronouncing, so I call it a tilde; yes, many people appear to have issues with the whole concept of polysemia (I mean, just roam over to GQ, where the question of "why do we call Evolution a Theory" has just cropped up... again). Don't get me started on how difficult it can be to get Anglos to understand that something is not an N but an Ñ.

[IvoryTowerDenizen]

Just woke to wild thundery weather. The sky outside my window was flashing green, the red. My daughter is bed with me and saw it too. What was that???

[Nava]

Gay Pride Day in the Sky? (hey, it kind of rhymes)

[kaiwik]

It's the aurora borealis soapy, and it's magical! Lucky you and your daughter!

[IvoryTowerDenizen]

It's the aurora borealis soapy, and it's magical! Lucky you and your daughter!

I once saw the aurora, but much dimmer. This was blood red and deep green! How amazing! The wind was howling and it had just been thundering so it was extremely eerie. the aurora, so bright. Wow.

I'll never forget it!

[VunderBob]

Just woke to wild thundery weather. The sky outside my window was flashing green, the red. My daughter is bed with me and saw it too. What was that???

I once saw a lightning strike on a power line, and the flashover was florescent green. There was also the ugliest sounding hum-buzz that I ever heard for sound effect.

[swampbear]

Good Mornin' Y'all! Up and caffienatin'. *YAWN* 'Tis a chilly 33 Amurrkin out with a predicted high of *only* 57 for the day. Plus we have a *FREEZE WARNING*!!!111ZOMG!!!111 in effect until eleven a.m. Seriously, the weather alert reads just like that. :D

Wow, all this French talkin'! If Gomez had had enough caffiene already his head would explode! :D

Ok, all you scheduled for surgeries etc. hope everything goes well. Take your meds!

Hugs for the sickies, those with bad haircuts, and everything else in between.

I read much but retained little. The brain cells are not rubbin' together very well at the moment.

Now I must seek more caffiene and the feedin' of rumbly tummy must also happen. Then, alas, irk purtification shall commence. Le Sigh.

Happy Day Before Firday Y'all!

[Sticks and Scones]

Boy were we spoiled all these years. The little old lady next door lived there for all of the years that we've lived here. Since putting her in a nursing home and her having since passed on, we've now got LOUD new neighbors. They have some gigantic Dodge truck that is a diesel and now that it's getting cold out they warm it up every morning. I swear it sounds like an airplane! :rolleyes: Oh well, I guess 33 years of quiet neighbors was a good run.

Today is my last day of class for the semester. Yay!!!!

[Lissla Lissar]

Morning, all. Gnat goes to nursery school this afternoon, and then to visit Mr. Lissar's dad and stepmom in Niagara. We're going with TomKitten on Saturday morning. The house will be eerily quiet from 12:30 today until we arrive in Niagara on Saturday.

I'm looking forward to it.

[HazelNutCoffee]

I love it when the sky turns odd colors. It sends a shiver down my spine.

Good that you get a short break from the kid, LiLi!

[Ashes, Ashes]

Must go to bed at a decent time this morning. Crossing appropriate appendages for a non-slamming morning. I'll put in a good cross for more quiet revving Sticky. Been there, done that!

This afternoon I get to go over financial stuff with my financial guy. It's gonna be icky and awkward since we have to figure out what's going to happen now that I'm deciding between switching careers, something related, or finding a new one.

Jealous of the Aurora Borealis Soapy. That should be checked off my list sometime soon. You Tubed wonders don't count.

Everybody have the best day possible. It seems we've a few hurdles stalking us and there's safety in numbers. George; look out for that treee!

[gotpasswords]

After buying tires I went to Costco and bought, among many other things, a tiramisu cake.

You may now envy me. :D
Yes, I envy, but not due to tiramisu. We do need new tires for the truck.

Just occurred to me that I better change the furnace filters soon as they require much overhead reaching and ladder-climbing that will be off my post-op menu.

I'm just hoping that I'll be able to ride rollercoasters again. The only cautions I've seen so far for disk replacements are that extreme weightlifting may over-stress the hardware.

[anyrose]

Must have been some solar flare for the Aurora to be visible in Connecticut. I've never seen one in person, but I would love to.

[Taters]

It's so funny you should mention furnace filter changing, gotti.

Last week while I was gone, my husband decided to finally change our furnance filter, and like yours, it requires at least a tall step stool or a ladder to get to it.

Our furnance is in the garage, and my rig is always parked in front of it. Can you see where this is going yet?

My husband, instead of using the step stool on the other side of my Expedition, or even the small ladder that was right next to the furnace, opted to use a bucket. The bucket tipped with him on in and he fell, onto the hood of my Expedition, putting a dent in it with his elbow. :rolleyes: Did he learn his lesson? Of course not; he's a man!

Since he fell before he could actually swap out the filter, got up on the bucket, again, and once again, it teetered and he fell. This time he landed sideways on top of the shop vac and is all black and blue on his side.

He did manage to change the filter. My hood now has an elbow dent in it and my deductible is probably more than it would cost to fix it. However, with Christmas coming, I really don't want to get it fixed until we buy presents and pay bills.

[IvoryTowerDenizen]

Must have been some solar flare for the Aurora to be visible in Connecticut. I've never seen one in person, but I would love to.

I saw one once about 8 years ago when my daughter was in Kindergarten. Her girl scout troop was over (I was the leader) and the aurora was dimly shimmering out our back yard. It was faint, but pretty.

This, last night, was like lightening behind a thick cloud cover. The whole part of the sky lit up. First bright fluorescent green and then pulses of red.

FREAKED ME OUT! I had no idea what was going on, I was sleepy and it was 2:30 in the morning!

Still not sure what it was, for sure!

[markm]

I did not know chocolate gravy existed.

Mm, gravy.

I grew up eating biscuits and cocoa gravy. Nothing better on a cold winter morning.

[congodwarf]

Couldn't sleep last night because the sound of rain on the gutters was annoying the dogs.

Finally fell asleep around 3am.

Woke up to news that Sweetie's good friend and former boss died this morning (glioblastoma - he hung on for almost exactly a year longer than they said he would).

Got a call from my mom to let me know that the chair I desperately want from Goodwill has been marked down to $5.99. Too bad I still have no way to get it here.

Checked in on facebook to find out that there was a massive fire in Worcester today and a fireman died. Luckily it wasn't my friend's husband or any of her other family members. Worcester has lost another of their finest. Those men and women aren't paid nearly enough and don't get nearly enough respect for what they do every day.

It's freezing in the house and there's frost on the ground outside for the first time since spring.



Going back to bed for the rest of the day sounds very tempting right about now.

[VunderBob]

Shamelessly stolen from TheAgitator.Com:

Love, love, love Fark’s year-end headline-of-the-year competition. (See here and here.) Some of my favorites:

•For 75 years, woman plays piano weekly for her church. Credits her longevity to watching her keys and pews
•New Jersey woman steals valuable church crucifix. Police nab her after brief cross examination
•Vehicle crashes into Subway restaurant. Let us take a moment to honor our fallen heroes
•There is a group home for alcoholic hipsters in Brooklyn. At least, there was until everybody heard about it
•Car carrying $1M coin collection rolls over and crashes, dumping entire load across highway — resulting in unexpected lane change
•Ring ring ring goes the trolley. Argh argh argh goes the worker trapped under it
•Nearly 70 dead bats found in Arizona. Isn’t it a little early for spring training news about the Cubs?
•B.C. man hit by stray bullet in Mexico. DAMN YOU, TIME-TRAVELING BULLET!

And finally . . .

•Sperm stem cells altered into insulin-producing cells to treat diabetes. Researchers say a cure for diabetes is about to come any moment now.

[OpalCat]

Now that my hair has dried I can officially tell you that it looks like shit. :mad:
Just an idea, not sure if it would help, but if you went back (or maybe went somewhere new if you don't trust the place that did this to you in the first place) they could help you figure out a way to style it with this cut that wouldn't look so bad? Or maybe they could modify the cut slightly so that it looked better/was easier to style more attractively? I grew up with endless crappy mom-job haircuts and I know how much it sucks to go out knowing your hair doesn't look good. :(


Accent aigu is what the ´is called in French. Acento agudo, acento or tilde is what the ´ is called in Spanish; we only say the agudo when we're talking about languages which use more than one, such as French or Catalan (`acento grave; ^acento circumflejo). I've had many Anglos call the ´a tilde and get on a very prim-sounding soapbox to explain that an accent is not an ortographic symbol but a certain way of pronouncing, so I call it a tilde; yes, many people appear to have issues with the whole concept of polysemia (I mean, just roam over to GQ, where the question of "why do we call Evolution a Theory" has just cropped up... again). Don't get me started on how difficult it can be to get Anglos to understand that something is not an N but an Ñ.
That's very interesting. Thanks for teaching me something. So now I have to ask, what do you call ~ ?

[OpalCat]

I had four iterations of "the wake up and pee" dream this morning. The dream where you realize you need to pee, so you wake up and go to the bathroom and then (either before you pee, while you're peeing, or after you've peed) you realize that OMG you're still asleep and you're actually still in bed!. This happened to me four times. Each time I was convinced that *this time* I'd really woken up and gone into the bathroom. Fortunately I managed to not actually pee in my bed any of those times. When I finally actually did get up, I sat on the toilet and started inventorying both the contents of the bathroom and the contents of my head to verify that it was REAL this time and I could actually REALLY pee.

[FairyChatMom]

And I'm here and class is done, and I have photos (http://s72.photobucket.com/albums/i178/fairychatmom/CSM%20Ceramics%20Class/)of the last of my stuff - the first six on the page.

It's chilly, but bright and sunny. Idiot Scruffy woke me at 4 in the freekin' dark of the morning to go out, but I was able to doze off till about 8, so that was good. Shortly, I will start a fire in here. I've tidied the kitchen and run the dishwasher. On my way home from class, I stopped and got, among other things, 10# of baking spuds - I'll make twice-baked N.O.T. tomorrow, assuming I have all the ingredients I need.

Supper tonight will be ham and cabbage-n-onions and probably something else. I should do some laundry, but I may blow that off till tomorrow.

OK, you're all caught up with my life.

gotti -when are you being surgicalized? I'm glad to see you're planning to not overdo afterwards, unlike a certain person I'm married to... :rolleyes:

LiLi - enjoy your peace, however fleeting it will be!

I'm sure there was more I wanted to say, but my brain is frazzled, so those bons mots are lost to the ages, alas...

:D

So Happy It's Thursday! :D :D :D

[lieu]

I just wandered into the break room, saw someone watching CNN and asked her if everything was still crazy in the world. Se said there's been another shooting at Virginia Tech.

So that would be a yes.

These people, they need a little more MMP in their lives. Settle 'em down a bit. Let 'em know people are good at heart, that they care.

[IvoryTowerDenizen]

My son, yesterday, just requested college info fom VA Tech. I smiled, trying to forget the previous shooting. I think VA Tech is off table now. :(

[anyrose]

I had four iterations of "the wake up and pee" dream this morning. The dream where you realize you need to pee, so you wake up and go to the bathroom and then (either before you pee, while you're peeing, or after you've peed) you realize that OMG you're still asleep and you're actually still in bed!. This happened to me four times. Each time I was convinced that *this time* I'd really woken up and gone into the bathroom. Fortunately I managed to not actually pee in my bed any of those times. When I finally actually did get up, I sat on the toilet and started inventorying both the contents of the bathroom and the contents of my head to verify that it was REAL this time and I could actually REALLY pee.
OMG! I have those dreams almost nightly!

[anyrose]

FCM - I love the cat and mouse combo! and the penguins turned out so cute.