We have been having nice weather recently. Oh, it rains every 2 or 3 days, but in between it's been 70 - 85 degrees with a nice cool breeze. Yes, sometimes, just before it rains, it's more like a gale than a breeze and then we have some thunderstorms that will rattle your teeth and take out the TV. But in between the weather is nice.
Except in the office where I work. The office was hot like hell warmed over and hottest in the cubes where me and the cranky pregnant lady work. And nobody cares but me and the cranky pregnant lady.
The first day after it reached 84 degrees in my cube, I bought in a new fan because the small office-size fan that habitually sits outside my cube just can't cut through that kind of heat.
Now I have a big ol' 18 inch blade whirling the hot air around, stirring up the papers on my desk and cube wall, tossing my hair into a mess, but at least making afternooon work life almost bearable for me and the cranky pregnant lady.
The day I bought in the fan it only got up to 82 degrees in the cube. Uncomfortable, but tolerable and if I needed to cool down, I could always step outside where the temperature was only 70 degrees.
Friday afternoon the temperature went up to 88 degrees in the office. When the heat gets up to 86, 88 degrees, it's too hot to think straight.
Don't give me that crap about the poor people working in the fields in 100 degree weather. I don't work in a field, I work in an office in the 21st century, where the windows don't open, where the computers, and printers, and fax machines, and overhead lights are producing enough heat to melt the polar ice cap.
Heat can make you cranky. Heat can make you do crazy things. When me and the cranky pregnant lady turn the place into a naturist camp, maybe the Dumass management will care that it's too freakin' hot to work.
I'll let you know next week.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Memorial Day 2009
In remembrance of those who have gone before us. May God hold you close in His arms, till we're beside you once more.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Mudsocks
I stopped at a new bookstore in town yesterday. Independent booksellers are having a tough time competing against the national chains so I like to support them when I can.
Mudsocks Books & Curiosity Shoppe wasn't quite what I expected. They carry more used books than new books, but they didn't carry a very wide selection of either. They had a lot of interesting games and puzzles. Mostly educational stuff, but it still looked entertaining. (But then I'm one of those dorks that is actually entertained by educational stuff.)
They had a grey cat wandering around the store. He passed near me several times and stopped once to scratch a table in front of me as if trying to impress, but I ignored him and he went away. Usually, much like children, the more you ignore a cat, the more he wants to be your friend.
It's just a coincidence, but the book I bought at Mudsocks was Dewey: the Small-Town Library Cat who Touched the World. I was almost ready to leave empty handed when the book caught my eye. "Sounds interesting", I thought. It's different than the genres I usually read.
I read the entire book yesterday afternoon. I cried at the beginning and I cried at the end.
If you want to learn more about Dewey Readmore Books check out this page, Dewey, from the United Kingdom or this one, Dewey's Biography, from his hometown libary in Spencer, Iowa.
If you want to learn more about the book and author, Vicki Myron, check out Dewey Readmore Books. (Get it? Books, Check out, Library?)
Mudsocks Books & Curiosity Shoppe wasn't quite what I expected. They carry more used books than new books, but they didn't carry a very wide selection of either. They had a lot of interesting games and puzzles. Mostly educational stuff, but it still looked entertaining. (But then I'm one of those dorks that is actually entertained by educational stuff.)
They had a grey cat wandering around the store. He passed near me several times and stopped once to scratch a table in front of me as if trying to impress, but I ignored him and he went away. Usually, much like children, the more you ignore a cat, the more he wants to be your friend.
It's just a coincidence, but the book I bought at Mudsocks was Dewey: the Small-Town Library Cat who Touched the World. I was almost ready to leave empty handed when the book caught my eye. "Sounds interesting", I thought. It's different than the genres I usually read.
I read the entire book yesterday afternoon. I cried at the beginning and I cried at the end.
If you want to learn more about Dewey Readmore Books check out this page, Dewey, from the United Kingdom or this one, Dewey's Biography, from his hometown libary in Spencer, Iowa.If you want to learn more about the book and author, Vicki Myron, check out Dewey Readmore Books. (Get it? Books, Check out, Library?)
Thursday, May 21, 2009
It's not Thanksgiving, but give thanks anyway
I made Turkey Meatballs this week that were so good. Monday I served them with spaghetti and Tuesday I served them on a sub bun and that was so delicious I had a Turkey Meatball Sub again on Wednesday.
I checked out several recipes before I selected Low Fat Turkey Meatballs at Low Fat Cooking on About.com. Other recipes bragged about how savory they were, but I thought they seemed too complicated, called for too many ingredients, and/or used too many pots and pans.
Normally I steer away from "Low Fat" recipes because that usually means "Low Taste", but as I said these were good. Real good. I did spice them up a little with some chopped onion, garlic powder, and thyme. And I used Paul Newman's spaghetti sauce instead of plain tomatoes because I had an open jar of Paul Newman's spaghetti sauce and that's why I was making meatballs instead of meat loaf in the first place. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly except I used a whole egg instead of just an egg white because what do you do with one egg yolk?
I checked out several recipes before I selected Low Fat Turkey Meatballs at Low Fat Cooking on About.com. Other recipes bragged about how savory they were, but I thought they seemed too complicated, called for too many ingredients, and/or used too many pots and pans.
Normally I steer away from "Low Fat" recipes because that usually means "Low Taste", but as I said these were good. Real good. I did spice them up a little with some chopped onion, garlic powder, and thyme. And I used Paul Newman's spaghetti sauce instead of plain tomatoes because I had an open jar of Paul Newman's spaghetti sauce and that's why I was making meatballs instead of meat loaf in the first place. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly except I used a whole egg instead of just an egg white because what do you do with one egg yolk?
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
What's a penny worth these days?
Apparently, it's worth a lot to American Express.
Last week, I got a bill from them for a penny. It was left over from the trips I took to Illinois in February. They didn't send me a bill for it in February, March, or April, but I guess they got tired of waiting for their money. Times are tough you know and a penny is a penny.
I'm sure it's going to cost them more than 1 cent to process the check, but I sent them one anyway because I didn't want to get a $35 penalty for being late for not paying a penny.
Last week, I got a bill from them for a penny. It was left over from the trips I took to Illinois in February. They didn't send me a bill for it in February, March, or April, but I guess they got tired of waiting for their money. Times are tough you know and a penny is a penny.
I'm sure it's going to cost them more than 1 cent to process the check, but I sent them one anyway because I didn't want to get a $35 penalty for being late for not paying a penny.
Watch the pennies,
and the dollars will take care of themselves.
and the dollars will take care of themselves.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
The light's on, but nobody's home
The weirdest thing happened yesterday.
The light in my bedroom hasn't worked for a long time - I'm talking a couple of years. I thought the bulb had burned out because it hadn't been replaced in at least 10 years. I'm too short to reach the bulb to change it unless I buy a new ladder and it seemed stupid to buy a ladder just to reach a light bulb that lasts 10 years.
It's germane to this story for you to know that I usually keep that closet door open.
Last night I was watching TV in the bedroom and decided to go watch it in the living room so I turned the TV off which made it really dark in the bedroom but I have to get up at least once most nights (if you know what I mean) so I know my way around my bedroom in the dark. When I got to the living room, I changed my mind about watching TV in there so I turned around to go back to the bedroom and could see a light there. It was bright enough it was casting shadows out of the room. I didn't have any idea what it was because I knew it had been dark there a minute before, but I crept back into the room ready to turn on my heels and run screaming and yelling out the door if anything moved.
It's a good thing I'm not spooked easily because it was that closet light shining brightly!
Weird, huh?
The light in my bedroom hasn't worked for a long time - I'm talking a couple of years. I thought the bulb had burned out because it hadn't been replaced in at least 10 years. I'm too short to reach the bulb to change it unless I buy a new ladder and it seemed stupid to buy a ladder just to reach a light bulb that lasts 10 years.
It's germane to this story for you to know that I usually keep that closet door open.
Last night I was watching TV in the bedroom and decided to go watch it in the living room so I turned the TV off which made it really dark in the bedroom but I have to get up at least once most nights (if you know what I mean) so I know my way around my bedroom in the dark. When I got to the living room, I changed my mind about watching TV in there so I turned around to go back to the bedroom and could see a light there. It was bright enough it was casting shadows out of the room. I didn't have any idea what it was because I knew it had been dark there a minute before, but I crept back into the room ready to turn on my heels and run screaming and yelling out the door if anything moved.
It's a good thing I'm not spooked easily because it was that closet light shining brightly!
Weird, huh?
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Spring time in Indiana
It rained today. And it's going to rain tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, and then the day after that. I don't know if it's going to rain the day after that because the weather forecast only went to the 4th day after today.
Being a country girl at heart, I was wondering this past weekend if the farmers were going to be able to get their crops planted with all the rain we've had this month. In case you were wondering too, the answer is no. Some farmer told a guy on the news that if you didn't get the crops in by May 10th you lost a bushel an acre a month. That was May 10th when he said that and he hadn't been able to get the tractor out in the fields yet.
All this spring weather has brought forth the morel mushrooms. I haven't had any for a long time. They were $39 a pound at the grocery store this afternoon so it will be a long time before I have them again. I suppose I could go hunt some in the woods, but I think not.
Saturday I watched a father teaching his son to ride a bike without the training wheels. At first they went very slowly, the father more walking than running as he held the back of the seat and the handlebars. Back and forth, back and forth in front of my living room window. Finally Dad started to walk a little faster, almost a trot but still I wanted to yell, "Faster! Pedal faster!" Then they came back down the street again. Dad was running along behind, huffing and puffing but with no hands on the bike at all. Yeah! We did it!
And that's spring time in Indiana on my street today.
Being a country girl at heart, I was wondering this past weekend if the farmers were going to be able to get their crops planted with all the rain we've had this month. In case you were wondering too, the answer is no. Some farmer told a guy on the news that if you didn't get the crops in by May 10th you lost a bushel an acre a month. That was May 10th when he said that and he hadn't been able to get the tractor out in the fields yet.
All this spring weather has brought forth the morel mushrooms. I haven't had any for a long time. They were $39 a pound at the grocery store this afternoon so it will be a long time before I have them again. I suppose I could go hunt some in the woods, but I think not.
Saturday I watched a father teaching his son to ride a bike without the training wheels. At first they went very slowly, the father more walking than running as he held the back of the seat and the handlebars. Back and forth, back and forth in front of my living room window. Finally Dad started to walk a little faster, almost a trot but still I wanted to yell, "Faster! Pedal faster!" Then they came back down the street again. Dad was running along behind, huffing and puffing but with no hands on the bike at all. Yeah! We did it!
And that's spring time in Indiana on my street today.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Carrot Cake
This is a two-fer. Today you get two vignettes about my life and carrot cake.
# 1: A local deli advertised carrot cake on their menu last month. Three layer slices of spice cake filled with tiny pieces of carrots and plump raisins covered with cream cheese icing. It was a lovely site.
And everytime I went to that deli, I either forgot to buy the cake or decided to wait till next time. Now it's too late. They're on to key lime pie. Luckily, I'm also a fan of key lime pie.
There's a moral there somewhere. It's either Take your pleasures when you find them because they may not be there tomorrow or Don't worry about today's pleasures, another one will come along tomorrow.
#2: I decided to make my own carrot cake. Duncan Hines advertised a decadent carrot cake mix with a picture that rivaled the deli's cake. The picture on the box showed a rich spice cake just chock-full of pieces of sunshine orange carrots and dark plump raisins.
I made the cake yesterday. It doesn't look a thing like the picture on the box and it doesn't taste good. Yes, I'm calling you out, Chef Hines. The cake I baked with your "decadent" mix is pale, not one little piece of carrot in site, and the raisins are anemic looking. I could shrug off the disappointing looks if it didn't taste like it was chock-full of artifical flavorings.
There's a moral here too. A decadent pleasure is rarely as good as the picture.
Check out these Other Opinions. Their moral is A cake mix is never as good as home-made to give you that taste of home.
# 1: A local deli advertised carrot cake on their menu last month. Three layer slices of spice cake filled with tiny pieces of carrots and plump raisins covered with cream cheese icing. It was a lovely site.
And everytime I went to that deli, I either forgot to buy the cake or decided to wait till next time. Now it's too late. They're on to key lime pie. Luckily, I'm also a fan of key lime pie.
There's a moral there somewhere. It's either Take your pleasures when you find them because they may not be there tomorrow or Don't worry about today's pleasures, another one will come along tomorrow.
#2: I decided to make my own carrot cake. Duncan Hines advertised a decadent carrot cake mix with a picture that rivaled the deli's cake. The picture on the box showed a rich spice cake just chock-full of pieces of sunshine orange carrots and dark plump raisins.
I made the cake yesterday. It doesn't look a thing like the picture on the box and it doesn't taste good. Yes, I'm calling you out, Chef Hines. The cake I baked with your "decadent" mix is pale, not one little piece of carrot in site, and the raisins are anemic looking. I could shrug off the disappointing looks if it didn't taste like it was chock-full of artifical flavorings.
There's a moral here too. A decadent pleasure is rarely as good as the picture.
Check out these Other Opinions. Their moral is A cake mix is never as good as home-made to give you that taste of home.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Monday, May 04, 2009
A loose screw?
I have a stiff neck today. I don't know why. I didn't have it when I got up this morning. It hurts when I turn my head left, right, up, or down. It hurts when I try to touch my ear to my shoulder. It even hurts when I just hold it up.
Maybe my head's not on straight.
I'd laugh, but it's gonna hurt.
Maybe my head's not on straight.
I'd laugh, but it's gonna hurt.
Friday, May 01, 2009
One of those days
I'm searching for a subject to discuss today but nothing comes to mind. My mind is too full of negative thoughts and what-ifs and whens and whats and wheres. Like ....
What if I tell my supervisor that nobody died and made her queen? Will she deny it?
What if I quit my job right now? Could I live in a tent in the middle of nowhere for the rest of my life?
When I quit my job, what do I want to do next?, where do I want to go, who do I want to tell off before I go?
Yeah it's one of those days and it's only noon.
What if I tell my supervisor that nobody died and made her queen? Will she deny it?
What if I quit my job right now? Could I live in a tent in the middle of nowhere for the rest of my life?
When I quit my job, what do I want to do next?, where do I want to go, who do I want to tell off before I go?
Yeah it's one of those days and it's only noon.
Oh, you hate your job?
Why didn`t you say so?
There`s a support group for that.
It`s called EVERYBODY,
and they meet at the bar.
Drew Carey
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