Ahhh, I am so happy the semester is almost over. The last two weeks have been hectic. Like always, the school has been keeping me insanely busy. I had to take two tests on Friday (tests right before finals? Yeah, go figure) and I think I did pretty well on them. I either got them all right or all wrong, but I felt pretty confident walking away from the classes. Anyways, since I did well, I gave myself the rest of the day off from studying and I went to cheesecake factory for lunch with my good friend, B. We went mainly for appetizers and desserts. Great for sharing! I should go to cheesecake factory weekly. At least. After luch, we walked off our lunch by roaming around the Galleria. I spent waaay too much money for shit I don't need. I seem to do this a lot. I am getting a headache due to my increasing stupidity.
Let's see...what else is going on in my rather boring life besides the usual. Nothing spectacular really. While vacuming yesterday, I knocked over my fairly large " Rubber Plant." A huge amount of soil spread all over my beige carpet and sofa. Plant's roots were totally torn and ripped from the bottom of each shoot. The poor plant looked like it's been molested. It definitely was not a pretty sight for those with green thumbs. I stared at the mess on the floor and thought to myself, good thing I have not watered this plant in four weeks. Can you imagine cleaning wet dirt off the carpet and sofa? I have a black thumb. I kill all plants. I need to buy a plant that doesn't require dirt, impossible to kill or molest. Does anyone know where I can buy hard to kill plants?
Speaking of plants, with a friends help, I have planted a small vegetable garden yesterday. We planted peppers, cucumbers.tomotoes and herbs. I am very excited about this and am so looking forward to prepare a salad or meal with ingredents I have grown.
Okay, I'm off to school which has been running my life lately. fun fun fun.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
someone call the handyman
It's just been one of those months where everything around here decided to break.
First, the sum pump died and my basement flooded. Dealing with a wet basement is no fun.
Then two front burners on my gas stove just went out and despite my best efforts to clean the the clogged burners, they still don't heat right.
Three of the electric outlets on my kitchen wall stopped working.
The hinges on the bottom of the lid for my bathroom toilet seat snapped and broke. ( just for your info: i am not the world's skinniest woman, but I am not a fatty either).
The glass pitcher for the blender fell onto the floor and broke.
And if that wasn't enough, vacum cleaner motor totally died.
Oh, you don't want to know what happened to my bedroom door. Let's just say that it has a good size hole in it. I guess that's what happens when contractors put cheap hollow doors in your house.
The latest disaster? The fridge died. After spending $90, the repairman told me that the compressor was dead and that since the fridge is 11 years old, I am better of replacing it than repairing it. Don't I love shelling out my savings for these unexpected expenses?
You think I am making all this up, dontcha? I wish I was, but it is true.
As you can tell, it's been one of those months. A good friend of mine had us over for dinner the other night since I couldn't do a lot of cooking with one burner and a flooded basement. Let me tell you, this woman is the best damn chef ever. We had salmon marinated in olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic pepper, pastry filled with spinach and feta cheese, stuffed grape leaves, greek salad and homemade custard made with real butter and topped with crushed hazelnuts. Her food is amazing. If I were you, I'd be uber jealous too.
More soon, if I don't choke on my tea. Yeah, I almost choked on burning hot tea while blogging. Ah, the sacrifices I make for my few readers.
-D
PS: I know I don't blog everyday, but that doesn't mean I don't obsessively check comments. So please comment!
First, the sum pump died and my basement flooded. Dealing with a wet basement is no fun.
Then two front burners on my gas stove just went out and despite my best efforts to clean the the clogged burners, they still don't heat right.
Three of the electric outlets on my kitchen wall stopped working.
The hinges on the bottom of the lid for my bathroom toilet seat snapped and broke. ( just for your info: i am not the world's skinniest woman, but I am not a fatty either).
The glass pitcher for the blender fell onto the floor and broke.
And if that wasn't enough, vacum cleaner motor totally died.
Oh, you don't want to know what happened to my bedroom door. Let's just say that it has a good size hole in it. I guess that's what happens when contractors put cheap hollow doors in your house.
The latest disaster? The fridge died. After spending $90, the repairman told me that the compressor was dead and that since the fridge is 11 years old, I am better of replacing it than repairing it. Don't I love shelling out my savings for these unexpected expenses?
You think I am making all this up, dontcha? I wish I was, but it is true.
As you can tell, it's been one of those months. A good friend of mine had us over for dinner the other night since I couldn't do a lot of cooking with one burner and a flooded basement. Let me tell you, this woman is the best damn chef ever. We had salmon marinated in olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic pepper, pastry filled with spinach and feta cheese, stuffed grape leaves, greek salad and homemade custard made with real butter and topped with crushed hazelnuts. Her food is amazing. If I were you, I'd be uber jealous too.
More soon, if I don't choke on my tea. Yeah, I almost choked on burning hot tea while blogging. Ah, the sacrifices I make for my few readers.
-D
PS: I know I don't blog everyday, but that doesn't mean I don't obsessively check comments. So please comment!
Friday, April 20, 2007
Little Getaway
After an unusally cold and wet weather, it is finally starting to warm up. Yes, it looks like spring has finally come to Southern Illinois. The forecast calls for a beautiful weekend, so I am planning on taking full advantage of the beautiful weather by traveling to Carbondale this weekend. I will be spending some time visiting my daughter who is a senior at SIUC. My daughter suggested that we go to the Blue Sky Vineyard in Makanda. I have never been there, but heard it is a very scenic and charming place that offers a little taste of Tuscany right in our backyard...and you thought Southern Illinois scenery consisted of flat croplands for miles and miles! Even though I am not much of a wine drinker, I am looking forward to exploring the vineyard and its grounds and am hoping that they have "real" Italian food.
A good friend of mine owns a lake house not too far from the winery and she said I could spend the weekend at her house. Yes, she gave me keys to her beautiful home which is right on the Lake of Egypt. Wasn't that nice of her to do that for me? Anyways, it looks like I will be spending my Sunday boating and relaxing on the lake. That should be fun.
Full trip report to follow when I get back. Oh, almost forgot to mention. If you enjoy cooking and baking as much as I do, you must try this recipe. You need to register (very fast, just provide an email)with America's Test Kitchen in order to access the recipe, but trust me, this is a really yummy cake that offers a wonderful baking and of course an eating experience!
Enjoy the weekend and have loads of fun!
-D
A good friend of mine owns a lake house not too far from the winery and she said I could spend the weekend at her house. Yes, she gave me keys to her beautiful home which is right on the Lake of Egypt. Wasn't that nice of her to do that for me? Anyways, it looks like I will be spending my Sunday boating and relaxing on the lake. That should be fun.
Full trip report to follow when I get back. Oh, almost forgot to mention. If you enjoy cooking and baking as much as I do, you must try this recipe. You need to register (very fast, just provide an email)with America's Test Kitchen in order to access the recipe, but trust me, this is a really yummy cake that offers a wonderful baking and of course an eating experience!
Enjoy the weekend and have loads of fun!
-D
Friday, April 13, 2007
Happy Tax Season
Tax season is upon us again. Filling out tax forms can be highly stressfull, so I thought I'd post some tax humor to put a smile on your faces.. Oh, you don't have to thank me, I just did what every intelligent, highly educated, uber-geeky people do .... I just googled it!
I am thankful for the taxes I pay because it means that I'm employed. ~Nancie J. Carmody
Next to being shot at and missed, nothing is really quite as satisfying as an income tax refund. ~F.J. Raymond
'Ever wonder why the IRS calls it Form 1040? Because for every $50 that you earn, you get 10 and they get 40. ~ Unknown( My favorite, very funny!)
it's a good thing we don't get as much government as we pay for. ~ Will Rogers
on filing for tax returns] This is too difficult for a mathematician. It takes a philosopher. ~ Albert Einstein
Isn't it appropriate that the month of the tax begins with April Fool's Day and ends with cries of 'May Day!'? ~ Rob Knauerhase
If a lawyer and an IRS agent were both drowning, and you could only save one of them, would you go to lunch or read the paper?
And a joke:
A businessman on his deathbed called his friend and said, "Bill, I want you to promise me that when I die you will have my remains cremated.""And what," his friend asked, "do you want me to do with your ashes?"The businessman said, "Just put them in an envelope and mail them to the Internal Revenue Service and write on the envelope, "Now you have everything."
Bet you didn't know tax time could be this much fun, did you?
May you be blessed with a hefty tax refund.
-D
I am thankful for the taxes I pay because it means that I'm employed. ~Nancie J. Carmody
Next to being shot at and missed, nothing is really quite as satisfying as an income tax refund. ~F.J. Raymond
'Ever wonder why the IRS calls it Form 1040? Because for every $50 that you earn, you get 10 and they get 40. ~ Unknown( My favorite, very funny!)
it's a good thing we don't get as much government as we pay for. ~ Will Rogers
on filing for tax returns] This is too difficult for a mathematician. It takes a philosopher. ~ Albert Einstein
Isn't it appropriate that the month of the tax begins with April Fool's Day and ends with cries of 'May Day!'? ~ Rob Knauerhase
If a lawyer and an IRS agent were both drowning, and you could only save one of them, would you go to lunch or read the paper?
And a joke:
A businessman on his deathbed called his friend and said, "Bill, I want you to promise me that when I die you will have my remains cremated.""And what," his friend asked, "do you want me to do with your ashes?"The businessman said, "Just put them in an envelope and mail them to the Internal Revenue Service and write on the envelope, "Now you have everything."
Bet you didn't know tax time could be this much fun, did you?
May you be blessed with a hefty tax refund.
-D
Friday, April 6, 2007
Super thinness
My daughter is interested in majoring in fashion merchandising, and naturally she enjoys reading fashion and style magazines. I am really not into fashion nor do I follow trends, but the other day I was looking through one of my daughter's magazines, Vogue, to be exact, and I was absolutely disgusted by the pictures of super thin models and celebrities. They were too thin and looked very unhealthy. No, let me rephrase that. They didn't look thin, they looked like walking skeletons!
Do designers actually think that clothes look better hanging on rail-thin models that look like third world refugees? A clothes hanger would display their fashion just as good as these models if not better. Heck it would be a lot cheaper to use hangers. The sad thing is that the fashion industry continues to use these girls who look like they are inmates at a concentration camp. This sends a message to young girls that you must be a size O for your clothes to look good on you. Teenagers are following these examples and are starving themselves b/c they think that the skeletal thinnes is ideal. It is time for the fashion industry and the media to stop all this. It is not healthy to be fat, but being bones is not healthy either. It is impossible to be skeletal thin and healthy at the same time. We need to see real women with curves in these fashion magazines. They look good in fashionable clothes, too!
Dove is not a high fashion retail house, but the company is trying to bring a positive change into all this mess by delivering a message that all women are beautiful. Have you seen the Dove Ads for their Real Women Campaign? They are trying to change the way society views beauty by using curvier non-airbrushed real women from different ethnicities for their new skin line products. I’m not sure if Dove is really trying to improve women’s self esteem or this is simply a marketing trick for the company, but I’ll say, more power to them.
I applaud Dove for refusing to hire skinny models to promote their products. In any event, these ads are getting plenty of attention; both positive and negative. Men in Chicago complained that they didn’t want to see full figured women in underwear on billboards. Let me tell you, these women are hardly chunky! They are more like size 8-10. How said is it that we can’t even see a picture of a real woman (not even fat) in the media without having to hear negative remarks. Unless your bones are protruding through your skin, you’re not beautiful in this society! Then they wonder why eating disorders are on the rise.
Do designers actually think that clothes look better hanging on rail-thin models that look like third world refugees? A clothes hanger would display their fashion just as good as these models if not better. Heck it would be a lot cheaper to use hangers. The sad thing is that the fashion industry continues to use these girls who look like they are inmates at a concentration camp. This sends a message to young girls that you must be a size O for your clothes to look good on you. Teenagers are following these examples and are starving themselves b/c they think that the skeletal thinnes is ideal. It is time for the fashion industry and the media to stop all this. It is not healthy to be fat, but being bones is not healthy either. It is impossible to be skeletal thin and healthy at the same time. We need to see real women with curves in these fashion magazines. They look good in fashionable clothes, too!
Dove is not a high fashion retail house, but the company is trying to bring a positive change into all this mess by delivering a message that all women are beautiful. Have you seen the Dove Ads for their Real Women Campaign? They are trying to change the way society views beauty by using curvier non-airbrushed real women from different ethnicities for their new skin line products. I’m not sure if Dove is really trying to improve women’s self esteem or this is simply a marketing trick for the company, but I’ll say, more power to them.
I applaud Dove for refusing to hire skinny models to promote their products. In any event, these ads are getting plenty of attention; both positive and negative. Men in Chicago complained that they didn’t want to see full figured women in underwear on billboards. Let me tell you, these women are hardly chunky! They are more like size 8-10. How said is it that we can’t even see a picture of a real woman (not even fat) in the media without having to hear negative remarks. Unless your bones are protruding through your skin, you’re not beautiful in this society! Then they wonder why eating disorders are on the rise.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
John Edwards for president!
As many of you know Elizabeth Edwards' breast cancer is back. I don't know if you have seen their news conference on TV, but I thought their apperance was stunning. I was deeply shaken and I have not stopped thinking about them since that day. The strength of their love for each other is incredible. They are such a great couple that bring inspiration and goodness to all. I wish the best in everything to both of them. I sincerely hope that John and Elizabeth Edwards make it to the White House because we need their integrity, courage, honesty, compassion and vision of hope. The country would be honored to have them as president and first lady. Please show your support and send them to the White House in 08!
Below is a beautiful editorial, so sensitively written by Eugene Robinson of Washington Post. Please take a moment to read it.
It was riveting to watch John and Elizabeth Edwards tell the world that even though her cancer has returned and is now deemed incurable, the Edwards campaign for the presidency will go on. No hiatus. No break from fundraising or travel. Just "keep your head up and keep moving and be strong," the candidate said.How could they possibly go on? I think there are better questions to ask. How could they not go on? What choice did they have but to continue with the mission they have set for themselves, and how else could they do it but together, as a partnership?
To me, there seemed nothing forced about the smiles they wore as they made their announcement yesterday. Perhaps if Elizabeth Edwards had faced a less certain prognosis, we wouldn't have heard that quality in the couple's voices that sounded almost like serenity. But the fact that the breast cancer for which she was treated following the 2004 campaign is now established in the bone does not leave much room for ambiguity. Doctors say she can be treated -- perhaps for years -- but not cured. So this isn't quite the same thing as facing death -- Elizabeth Edwards has a better idea of what she'll die of than most of us, but not of when. She and her husband are facing life, perhaps quite a few years of life, but with cancer an ever-present third party, an intruder who cannot be sent away.The question, then, was not how to go about dying, but how to go on living. John Edwards noted that they had faced this question before. "We know from our previous experience that when this happens you have a choice," he said. "You can go cower in the corner and hide, or you can be tough and go out there and stand up for what you believe in."
When I've spoken with John Edwards in the past, I've been struck by how much passion he has for the issues he cares about, especially the continuing blight of poverty. Edwards grew up poor, and through his own intelligence and determination he made himself a multimillionaire trial lawyer, then a U.S. senator, then a major-party candidate for vice president.The other candidates believe in themselves and their ideas, too, of course. And the other candidates, like Edwards, have spouses who believe just as fiercely as the candidate does. It takes a partnership to win the White House. But there has always seemed to be something special about the Edwards marriage. Let me rephrase that: There has never been a scintilla of doubt about their commitment to each other, never the slightest public hint that, even for an instant, they found themselves on different pages. There must have been private doubts -- every marriage has them, and the Edwards union has withstood crises and strains that would have torn some couples apart. They have been married for 30 years. When their teenage son died in a car crash in 1996, they decided to have more children, born when Elizabeth was 48 and 50. Then there was the 2004 campaign. And then the initial cancer diagnosis, announced the day after John Kerry and Edwards conceded to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Then radiation, chemotherapy and a clean bill of health from the oncologists -- followed by nerve-racking checkups, where they always find some little anomaly, some little shadow. Usually, it's nothing.Unless it's something. The cancer is in the bone, but there are treatments. "I will have what will be a less debilitating kind of chemotherapy . . . for the rest of my life," she said.Having shared so many triumphs and defeats, having endured innumerable rubber-chicken fundraisers, having shaken hands and kissed babies and done all the endless things a candidate and his spouse are required to do, Elizabeth and John Edwards had to make a decision. They don't know how her health will progress over the next months and years. They could spend that time nesting with their family. Or they could spend it amid the exhilarating chaos of a presidential campaign, grabbing for the brass ring they've long had in sight. Do they really have a choice?Run, John and Elizabeth, run. Enjoy the campaign, every thrilling minute. Enjoy it together.
Below is a beautiful editorial, so sensitively written by Eugene Robinson of Washington Post. Please take a moment to read it.
It was riveting to watch John and Elizabeth Edwards tell the world that even though her cancer has returned and is now deemed incurable, the Edwards campaign for the presidency will go on. No hiatus. No break from fundraising or travel. Just "keep your head up and keep moving and be strong," the candidate said.How could they possibly go on? I think there are better questions to ask. How could they not go on? What choice did they have but to continue with the mission they have set for themselves, and how else could they do it but together, as a partnership?
To me, there seemed nothing forced about the smiles they wore as they made their announcement yesterday. Perhaps if Elizabeth Edwards had faced a less certain prognosis, we wouldn't have heard that quality in the couple's voices that sounded almost like serenity. But the fact that the breast cancer for which she was treated following the 2004 campaign is now established in the bone does not leave much room for ambiguity. Doctors say she can be treated -- perhaps for years -- but not cured. So this isn't quite the same thing as facing death -- Elizabeth Edwards has a better idea of what she'll die of than most of us, but not of when. She and her husband are facing life, perhaps quite a few years of life, but with cancer an ever-present third party, an intruder who cannot be sent away.The question, then, was not how to go about dying, but how to go on living. John Edwards noted that they had faced this question before. "We know from our previous experience that when this happens you have a choice," he said. "You can go cower in the corner and hide, or you can be tough and go out there and stand up for what you believe in."
When I've spoken with John Edwards in the past, I've been struck by how much passion he has for the issues he cares about, especially the continuing blight of poverty. Edwards grew up poor, and through his own intelligence and determination he made himself a multimillionaire trial lawyer, then a U.S. senator, then a major-party candidate for vice president.The other candidates believe in themselves and their ideas, too, of course. And the other candidates, like Edwards, have spouses who believe just as fiercely as the candidate does. It takes a partnership to win the White House. But there has always seemed to be something special about the Edwards marriage. Let me rephrase that: There has never been a scintilla of doubt about their commitment to each other, never the slightest public hint that, even for an instant, they found themselves on different pages. There must have been private doubts -- every marriage has them, and the Edwards union has withstood crises and strains that would have torn some couples apart. They have been married for 30 years. When their teenage son died in a car crash in 1996, they decided to have more children, born when Elizabeth was 48 and 50. Then there was the 2004 campaign. And then the initial cancer diagnosis, announced the day after John Kerry and Edwards conceded to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Then radiation, chemotherapy and a clean bill of health from the oncologists -- followed by nerve-racking checkups, where they always find some little anomaly, some little shadow. Usually, it's nothing.Unless it's something. The cancer is in the bone, but there are treatments. "I will have what will be a less debilitating kind of chemotherapy . . . for the rest of my life," she said.Having shared so many triumphs and defeats, having endured innumerable rubber-chicken fundraisers, having shaken hands and kissed babies and done all the endless things a candidate and his spouse are required to do, Elizabeth and John Edwards had to make a decision. They don't know how her health will progress over the next months and years. They could spend that time nesting with their family. Or they could spend it amid the exhilarating chaos of a presidential campaign, grabbing for the brass ring they've long had in sight. Do they really have a choice?Run, John and Elizabeth, run. Enjoy the campaign, every thrilling minute. Enjoy it together.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Madness, baby!
March Madness has arguably become the biggest sporting event in the country. I love the Superbowl and the World Series, but I think March Madness is more fun. I don't think there is anything more exciting in sports than March Madness. It is a fun time of year and I look forward to it every year. I love watching every minute of it and I also spend about 15 minutes each day surfing the hoops websites. What can I say, I am a huge March Madness fan.
To give you a little history, the tournament began in 1939 when the University of Oregon beat Ohio State for the first NCAA championship. Over the years upsets and heroics have characterized the tournament. In 1957, the University of North Carolina, a prohibitive underdog, beat Wilt Chamberlain and the Kansas Jayhawks in three overtime to win the championship. In the 1960s and early 70s college basketball had its version of a dynasty. John Wooden and UCLA won 10 championships in 12 years with players like Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton. The 1979 championship matched superstars "Magic" and Larry Bird. It was in 1985 that the tournament expanded to the current 64 teams, offering a chance for smaller, less well-known schools to enter the elite field.
But that's enough history. What about this year's games? Who are you rooting for? Who do you think will win this year's tournament? Are your bracket sheets still alive? Or are you not paying much attention to the tournament? Although my predictions are not very good, I think KU will go all the way. They are looking beautiful and if they continue to play the way they have been playing, it is possible. Florida just doesn't seem as hungry.
I was sick to my stomach after watching top-seeded Ohio State beat Xavier in overtime yesterday. Buckeyes survived a major scare and edged Xavier, 78-71 . I was hoping for a major upset, but it didn't happen. I always love it when the underdog team wins, but Xavier just couldn't hold on in overtime.
Oops, gotta run, the Saluki game is about to start. It would sure be nice if SIUC could advance to sweet 16 today. Wouldn't that be beautiful?
Enjoy the Big Dance!
-D
UPDATE: Yay, the Salukis advanced to the sweet 16 with a 63-48 win over VA Tech. Sweet.
To give you a little history, the tournament began in 1939 when the University of Oregon beat Ohio State for the first NCAA championship. Over the years upsets and heroics have characterized the tournament. In 1957, the University of North Carolina, a prohibitive underdog, beat Wilt Chamberlain and the Kansas Jayhawks in three overtime to win the championship. In the 1960s and early 70s college basketball had its version of a dynasty. John Wooden and UCLA won 10 championships in 12 years with players like Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton. The 1979 championship matched superstars "Magic" and Larry Bird. It was in 1985 that the tournament expanded to the current 64 teams, offering a chance for smaller, less well-known schools to enter the elite field.
But that's enough history. What about this year's games? Who are you rooting for? Who do you think will win this year's tournament? Are your bracket sheets still alive? Or are you not paying much attention to the tournament? Although my predictions are not very good, I think KU will go all the way. They are looking beautiful and if they continue to play the way they have been playing, it is possible. Florida just doesn't seem as hungry.
I was sick to my stomach after watching top-seeded Ohio State beat Xavier in overtime yesterday. Buckeyes survived a major scare and edged Xavier, 78-71 . I was hoping for a major upset, but it didn't happen. I always love it when the underdog team wins, but Xavier just couldn't hold on in overtime.
Oops, gotta run, the Saluki game is about to start. It would sure be nice if SIUC could advance to sweet 16 today. Wouldn't that be beautiful?
Enjoy the Big Dance!
-D
UPDATE: Yay, the Salukis advanced to the sweet 16 with a 63-48 win over VA Tech. Sweet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)