Something that I love about me and K is that I completely adore movies that have little to no plot but make you laugh hysterically and he only tolerates them. I'm not a completely pushover for a stupid movie, but give me one based on an SNL sketch or something along those lines and I'm pretty much guaranteed to love it. Night at the Roxbury is amongst my favorites and I really do need to add Zoolander and Mystery Men to my collection at some point. K gamely watches these movies with me and laughs fairly heartily as well, but I think it's more at my intense enjoyment of such stupid cinematic offerings and not really at the movie itself.
Last night my dear friend Splenda, aka Kate, was over for a little one on one girl time before we met up with some more girls at a fabulous bistro-ish place for dinner, and we marveled at K's laughter through the closed bedroom door while he was watching The Family Guy. He has a really deep voice anyway and his laugh is loud and contagious and I think we both thought the door was open and were startled to discover it had been in fact closed. He told me once that his mom and sister hated him watching Conan because they'd already be in bed and he'd wake them up with his laughter even though the tv wasn't really near either one of them.
All that to say, laughing with K is one of my favorite things.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
quick and dirty
I think the ants read my blog. I now have an ant bite IN BETWEEN TWO TOES. It looks like my toe is swollen because of the damn welt.
Also, I pulled a back muscle the other day and spent most of Sunday in misery in bed on top of a heating pad. I guess all the pain medicine caught up with my stomach and that twisting and turning just woke me up. I ate a little cereal (if you haven't had Cinnamon Toast Crunch any time recently, do yourself a favor and get a box. It's heaven) and some Rolaids. Basically, I'm a freaking mess. And today is probably the day where they will freak out if I try to be late or leave early from work.
Back to my warm bed...
Also, I pulled a back muscle the other day and spent most of Sunday in misery in bed on top of a heating pad. I guess all the pain medicine caught up with my stomach and that twisting and turning just woke me up. I ate a little cereal (if you haven't had Cinnamon Toast Crunch any time recently, do yourself a favor and get a box. It's heaven) and some Rolaids. Basically, I'm a freaking mess. And today is probably the day where they will freak out if I try to be late or leave early from work.
Back to my warm bed...
Sunday, October 19, 2008
spinach dip
Yesterday I hosted a Mary Kay party at my mom's house and I made spinach dip because I had a hankering for it. Everyone raved about it which made me feel a little sheepish because to me, spinach dip is such a whip it up last minute kind of thing that I felt a little bad getting accolades for it. So because I believe everyone should know the joy of an impressive yet amazingly easy dip, here's the recipe:
Spinach Dip
16 oz sour cream
1 cup mayo
1 4 oz can of water chestnuts drained and roughly chopped
10 oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
large loaf of crusty bread (sourdough or french bread are my faves)
Mix everything except for the bread together and chill for at least an hour. Then serve with chunks of the crusty bread. An especially impressive serving idea is to hollow out a round loaf of bread and put the dip in there. Cut the bread you hollow out into chunks and serve for dipping. Then be prepared for gushing compliments.
Spinach Dip
16 oz sour cream
1 cup mayo
1 4 oz can of water chestnuts drained and roughly chopped
10 oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
large loaf of crusty bread (sourdough or french bread are my faves)
Mix everything except for the bread together and chill for at least an hour. Then serve with chunks of the crusty bread. An especially impressive serving idea is to hollow out a round loaf of bread and put the dip in there. Cut the bread you hollow out into chunks and serve for dipping. Then be prepared for gushing compliments.
Friday, October 17, 2008
five tv shows I love
Life
Holy crap, why are you not watching this show?! It's about a cop who was in jail for a murder he didn't commit. He was found innocent after seven years in jail where he took up meditation and Zen ideals to get through being in jail as a cop. He got a bunch of money and reinstated as a detective. The cases are crazy, the characters are fantastic and deep, and Charlie is quirky and smart and trying to figure out who framed him on the side. For reals, start watching this show immediately if not sooner.
Grey's Anatomy
It had me from the very first episode. I would think there's only so much you can do with a show that takes place mostly in a hospital, but every episode makes me tear up at least once. Working in a hospital myself means that I realize McDreamy is really only a figment of the writers' imagination but I still am entertained by the show. Then there's a blog that gets posted by the main writer of the episode the day after which offers all kinds of cool insight and has only made me a bigger fan.
The Office
Hysterical. Stomach pain inducing laughter occurs almost every single episode. And, they only get funnier the more times you watch the same episode! If you start watching from the very beginning, you have to give yourself a few episodes to get into it. It's unlike any other show on American television (at least as far as I've been exposed to). But it is hysterical. Steve Carrell is fantastic at being earnestly idiotic and the whole Jim and Pam thing is heart-warming even when it's heart breaking. Watch and you'll know what I mean.
House
I kind of like watching this show on dvd or in some sort of other marathon format. It's another hospital show which I suppose begs the question of whether or not working in a hospital makes me predisposed to enjoying medically influenced television. Every episode is kind of the same in that there's a medical mystery, the first diagnosis is wrong, and then something weird happens that makes House or someone else realize what is really going on. But the characters are really deep and the interactions are unpredictable in some ways and I can't help but be completely sucked into the whole thing. Also, it is a fantastic juxtaposition of the world view that was common in the 50s with the world view of today. The 50s were much more black and white and science based (which is represented by Dr. House) and today we live in many more gray areas and focus on feelings and reactions more than facts and if/than kinds of situations. I just nerded it up real good for ya, didn't I.
Family Guy
Okay, years ago when it had been canceled and the only way you could watch it was on dvd, someone lent it to me and swore it was the funniest show EVER. I couldn't get into it. I love The Simpsons. But in the past couple of years, Family Guy has definitely grown on me. Probably because you can watch it every night on a variety of channels. I love the interactions between Stewie and Brian the most. I think it would kind of be funnier if the family didn't really understand Stewie, but then it would be hard to make the conversations between Stewie and Brian happen and that's definitely the best part of any episode. Somewhat offensive and ridiculous, and sometimes over the top, but I still am entertained by the show. I pretty much just watch it on Cartoon Network though so I'm not all up to date on the latest episodes. Incidently, I LOVE Adult Swim. The Oblongs and Mission Hill could make it onto my favorites list if there were more episodes available for viewing.
Holy crap, why are you not watching this show?! It's about a cop who was in jail for a murder he didn't commit. He was found innocent after seven years in jail where he took up meditation and Zen ideals to get through being in jail as a cop. He got a bunch of money and reinstated as a detective. The cases are crazy, the characters are fantastic and deep, and Charlie is quirky and smart and trying to figure out who framed him on the side. For reals, start watching this show immediately if not sooner.
Grey's Anatomy
It had me from the very first episode. I would think there's only so much you can do with a show that takes place mostly in a hospital, but every episode makes me tear up at least once. Working in a hospital myself means that I realize McDreamy is really only a figment of the writers' imagination but I still am entertained by the show. Then there's a blog that gets posted by the main writer of the episode the day after which offers all kinds of cool insight and has only made me a bigger fan.
The Office
Hysterical. Stomach pain inducing laughter occurs almost every single episode. And, they only get funnier the more times you watch the same episode! If you start watching from the very beginning, you have to give yourself a few episodes to get into it. It's unlike any other show on American television (at least as far as I've been exposed to). But it is hysterical. Steve Carrell is fantastic at being earnestly idiotic and the whole Jim and Pam thing is heart-warming even when it's heart breaking. Watch and you'll know what I mean.
House
I kind of like watching this show on dvd or in some sort of other marathon format. It's another hospital show which I suppose begs the question of whether or not working in a hospital makes me predisposed to enjoying medically influenced television. Every episode is kind of the same in that there's a medical mystery, the first diagnosis is wrong, and then something weird happens that makes House or someone else realize what is really going on. But the characters are really deep and the interactions are unpredictable in some ways and I can't help but be completely sucked into the whole thing. Also, it is a fantastic juxtaposition of the world view that was common in the 50s with the world view of today. The 50s were much more black and white and science based (which is represented by Dr. House) and today we live in many more gray areas and focus on feelings and reactions more than facts and if/than kinds of situations. I just nerded it up real good for ya, didn't I.
Family Guy
Okay, years ago when it had been canceled and the only way you could watch it was on dvd, someone lent it to me and swore it was the funniest show EVER. I couldn't get into it. I love The Simpsons. But in the past couple of years, Family Guy has definitely grown on me. Probably because you can watch it every night on a variety of channels. I love the interactions between Stewie and Brian the most. I think it would kind of be funnier if the family didn't really understand Stewie, but then it would be hard to make the conversations between Stewie and Brian happen and that's definitely the best part of any episode. Somewhat offensive and ridiculous, and sometimes over the top, but I still am entertained by the show. I pretty much just watch it on Cartoon Network though so I'm not all up to date on the latest episodes. Incidently, I LOVE Adult Swim. The Oblongs and Mission Hill could make it onto my favorites list if there were more episodes available for viewing.
i am allergic to ant bites
No really. When I get an ant bite, it initially hurts. Then I get a little white bump that kind of looks like it's full of puss and a huge pink welt surrounding it. When I say huge, I mean on average the circumference of a soda can and I promise you I'm not kidding. It itches like a mofo and people at work start asking me if I have a wound with MRSA or something. Nope, just a freaking ant bite. I currently have one on my arm and yesterday someone asked if it gets that bad now what it was like when I was a kid. I said when I was a kid, I lived in California where ants are civilized and do not bite you. The ones who do bite are fire ants and they advertise the fact that they bite by being red. Stupid Texan bugs. All of them bite! Everything is bigger in Texas, including the attitudes and self-importance of teeny tiny bugs.
This week started out awesome because I was going to get a whole bunch of overtime. The other secretary called in sick for the entire week because of some sort of crazy set of allergies and I was going to come in early for three days and end up with 12 hours of overtime. Tuesday I did my 12 hour shift. Wednesday I got up and into the shower and got out of the shower to a voicemail saying they didn't need me and I would be on call until my regularly scheduled time. Same thing on Thursday. Then on Thursday I got sent home early. So now, if I manage to work my entire shift today, I'm going to squeak by with a 40 hour week. This whole thing makes me very grumpy because I could so use the money and also I am feeling very sleep deprived.
K is a night owl. I thought I was a night owl until our schedules began to collide. I really can't stay up past 2 or 2:30 am if I have to work or do anything the next day. K can stay up all night except for a two hour nap and then go work a full shift and hang out or otherwise not take a nap and be pretty good to go. I think he's crazy and envy this all at the same time. Night time is our catch-up time. His schedule isn't consistent but us both being home after I get off from work is, at least for the most part. Even on the nights when I kind of just want to come inside and get straight into bed, I am distracted by the desire to tell him all about my day and hear about his. I end up staying up until at least 3 if not later and it's lovely because I think my boyfriend is amazing and funny and I love spending time with him but it's awful because then I wake up and find it difficult to be in a good mood without a whole lot of behind the eyes effort. If I start to think about what it will be like when we have kids, I want to cry. And also move, because our apartment is too small for the two of us so adding anyone else would just be stupid right now.
As falling back asleep before work today isn't really going to work, I'm totally going to play Pacman. I bought a video game (it actually has 14 arcade games total from the 80s and 90s, not just Pacman), all by myself, that not only do I think is awesome but K thinks is awesome as well. I'm prouder of myself than I really should be.
This week started out awesome because I was going to get a whole bunch of overtime. The other secretary called in sick for the entire week because of some sort of crazy set of allergies and I was going to come in early for three days and end up with 12 hours of overtime. Tuesday I did my 12 hour shift. Wednesday I got up and into the shower and got out of the shower to a voicemail saying they didn't need me and I would be on call until my regularly scheduled time. Same thing on Thursday. Then on Thursday I got sent home early. So now, if I manage to work my entire shift today, I'm going to squeak by with a 40 hour week. This whole thing makes me very grumpy because I could so use the money and also I am feeling very sleep deprived.
K is a night owl. I thought I was a night owl until our schedules began to collide. I really can't stay up past 2 or 2:30 am if I have to work or do anything the next day. K can stay up all night except for a two hour nap and then go work a full shift and hang out or otherwise not take a nap and be pretty good to go. I think he's crazy and envy this all at the same time. Night time is our catch-up time. His schedule isn't consistent but us both being home after I get off from work is, at least for the most part. Even on the nights when I kind of just want to come inside and get straight into bed, I am distracted by the desire to tell him all about my day and hear about his. I end up staying up until at least 3 if not later and it's lovely because I think my boyfriend is amazing and funny and I love spending time with him but it's awful because then I wake up and find it difficult to be in a good mood without a whole lot of behind the eyes effort. If I start to think about what it will be like when we have kids, I want to cry. And also move, because our apartment is too small for the two of us so adding anyone else would just be stupid right now.
As falling back asleep before work today isn't really going to work, I'm totally going to play Pacman. I bought a video game (it actually has 14 arcade games total from the 80s and 90s, not just Pacman), all by myself, that not only do I think is awesome but K thinks is awesome as well. I'm prouder of myself than I really should be.
Friday, October 10, 2008
tired and grumpy may not be the best time to post a blog
I am tired of a bunch of stuff. This cold that appears and disappears and then reappears for one is really getting on my nerves. I suppose that points to it being allergies rather than a cold but I take medicine that up until the past couple of weeks has worked quite well and I simply do not have money to go to the doctor right now. So there's that.
At work I answer the phone "(Name of Department), it's Melissa." 8 out of 10 times the first thing the person on the other line says is "Who is this?" Realizing I could perhaps be saying everything quite quickly and not realizing it sounds like mush, I will slowly repeat my name. This is all reasonable until the other person then says "Oh hi, Rosa (or Elsie, or Lisa, or Laura)" or if the entire reason they were calling was to get our fax number. What does my name have to do with the fax number?
I guess I lost my mind a little when I was apartment hunting and decided a first floor place was the way to go. Next lease has got to be a spot where no one is living above me. Maybe a house. Sometimes I just sit in the living room and try to match the moving about pattern with a picture in my head and lately it mostly seems to go with someone starting at the front door and hopping back and forth. And what is the deal with the vacuuming every day? I usually vacuum once a week (more if the floor warrants it of course). The only time I've ever vacuumed daily was once when I was about thirteen and I got in trouble for something and that was part of my punishment, vacuuming every day.
I am tired of being a flake but I can't seem to stop. Once upon a time if I said I was going to be someplace or do something, it was considered almost worrisome if I was late. Now, I'm not sure anyone completely believes me when I say I'm going to do something for them. I hope they at least believe I MEAN to follow through because I truly honestly do, but what happened? How did that switch get flipped and how do I flip it back?
My blood pressure is high, I have acid reflux, and I use a heating pad almost daily to ease back aches. I honestly believe all of these issues would be helped if not completely alleviated by weight loss. So why can't I just do it? Why can't I just choose better foods, do work out videos, cut out caffeine again, and make it happen? If I lost 100 pounds, I would look amazing. If I lost 30 pounds, I could buy much cuter clothes and probably put the heating pad away. Either scenario is possible and within my reach as long as I stay dedicated. When I see pictures of myself, I see an overstuffed couch. That right there should be enough, and then factoring in the health issues, seriously, what is my deal?
I used to LOVE the Post Secret web site and looked forward to seeing new postcards every Sunday. Now I still check the site every week but the fact there are so many books and the touring and whatnot is all kind of a turn-off. It was cooler when it was a random art project instead of a source of great income for the site creator. Good for him, I guess, and it was a great idea. I'm still growing disenchanted I suppose.
My dear friend Kate, aka Splenda, recently reminded me that when she first met me I told her I knew myself very well. I don't know what happened to that confidence. I'm not sure where my list making went and the last time I wrote in my personal handwritten journal was February. Despite this grumpy blog entry, I am mostly happy in my day to day life. So what happened to the knowing myself, the lofty goals, the determination to DO something and BE someone?
No more big breakouts please. A zit here and there is fine, but do they have to be so huge? I'm 28. That fact should overrule existence of acne. It just should.
I'm running out of steam, so back to bed I go. Wish me luck on getting through my Friday at work!
At work I answer the phone "(Name of Department), it's Melissa." 8 out of 10 times the first thing the person on the other line says is "Who is this?" Realizing I could perhaps be saying everything quite quickly and not realizing it sounds like mush, I will slowly repeat my name. This is all reasonable until the other person then says "Oh hi, Rosa (or Elsie, or Lisa, or Laura)" or if the entire reason they were calling was to get our fax number. What does my name have to do with the fax number?
I guess I lost my mind a little when I was apartment hunting and decided a first floor place was the way to go. Next lease has got to be a spot where no one is living above me. Maybe a house. Sometimes I just sit in the living room and try to match the moving about pattern with a picture in my head and lately it mostly seems to go with someone starting at the front door and hopping back and forth. And what is the deal with the vacuuming every day? I usually vacuum once a week (more if the floor warrants it of course). The only time I've ever vacuumed daily was once when I was about thirteen and I got in trouble for something and that was part of my punishment, vacuuming every day.
I am tired of being a flake but I can't seem to stop. Once upon a time if I said I was going to be someplace or do something, it was considered almost worrisome if I was late. Now, I'm not sure anyone completely believes me when I say I'm going to do something for them. I hope they at least believe I MEAN to follow through because I truly honestly do, but what happened? How did that switch get flipped and how do I flip it back?
My blood pressure is high, I have acid reflux, and I use a heating pad almost daily to ease back aches. I honestly believe all of these issues would be helped if not completely alleviated by weight loss. So why can't I just do it? Why can't I just choose better foods, do work out videos, cut out caffeine again, and make it happen? If I lost 100 pounds, I would look amazing. If I lost 30 pounds, I could buy much cuter clothes and probably put the heating pad away. Either scenario is possible and within my reach as long as I stay dedicated. When I see pictures of myself, I see an overstuffed couch. That right there should be enough, and then factoring in the health issues, seriously, what is my deal?
I used to LOVE the Post Secret web site and looked forward to seeing new postcards every Sunday. Now I still check the site every week but the fact there are so many books and the touring and whatnot is all kind of a turn-off. It was cooler when it was a random art project instead of a source of great income for the site creator. Good for him, I guess, and it was a great idea. I'm still growing disenchanted I suppose.
My dear friend Kate, aka Splenda, recently reminded me that when she first met me I told her I knew myself very well. I don't know what happened to that confidence. I'm not sure where my list making went and the last time I wrote in my personal handwritten journal was February. Despite this grumpy blog entry, I am mostly happy in my day to day life. So what happened to the knowing myself, the lofty goals, the determination to DO something and BE someone?
No more big breakouts please. A zit here and there is fine, but do they have to be so huge? I'm 28. That fact should overrule existence of acne. It just should.
I'm running out of steam, so back to bed I go. Wish me luck on getting through my Friday at work!
oh for heaven's sake
I will discuss a multitude of things with people. I don't really like talking about politics at work unless I feel like it can be a mature discussion with no lasting hard feelings, but I'll breach that every so often. I don't expect everyone to agree with me and as long as you have a well-formed opinion that is backed by facts and reason, I will respect it even if it is the exact opposite of my opinion.
With that said, for the sake of lollipops and everything else delightful, FACT CHECK. Do not take the word of someone telling you it is so, take a few moments and Google the quote or the event or the person. Do not make a decision about voting based on on eleven year old's rant. Do not believe something just because it appears in print. Look at different sources, watch different newscasts, read a variety of news sites.
Or at the very least, don't spout off random crap that I know is not true and expect me to respect your stance on the issue we're discussing.
It is incredibly easy to see the voting record of every member of the Senate. Factcheck.org recaps the debates and lists the mistakes each candidates make and it doesn't seem like they are taking anybody's side either. Snoopes.com is a good starting point for heaven's sake!
With that said, for the sake of lollipops and everything else delightful, FACT CHECK. Do not take the word of someone telling you it is so, take a few moments and Google the quote or the event or the person. Do not make a decision about voting based on on eleven year old's rant. Do not believe something just because it appears in print. Look at different sources, watch different newscasts, read a variety of news sites.
Or at the very least, don't spout off random crap that I know is not true and expect me to respect your stance on the issue we're discussing.
It is incredibly easy to see the voting record of every member of the Senate. Factcheck.org recaps the debates and lists the mistakes each candidates make and it doesn't seem like they are taking anybody's side either. Snoopes.com is a good starting point for heaven's sake!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)