Reasons to Honk That Horn

A person is not paying attention and swerves into your lane. Lay on that horn.

A friend is walking down the street and you want to a.) say hello to them and b.) embarrass them by making a scene with the horn. Give it the ol' multiple honks.

You are waiting for the red light to turn into the beloved green arrow, but the wiener in front of you is on the phone/eating snack/changing a diaper/solving the global warming problem and doesn't notice. Oh! But wait! They notice only after you BLOW the horn and only she gets to go through the light. Nice.

A car drives through the red light as you are pulling into the intersection. It is not like they are going to turn around. They are obviously in a hurry and cannot be bothered to assault you with their road rage. Plus, they are going in a completely different direction than you.

Horns can be a great stress reliever. Make sure you do it when no one else is around and be sure to scream at the same time. It doesn't make you crazy to do this. It helps keep you sane.

Counting

Okay, so this is another post about food and dieting and that boring stuff, but I have to. I just have to.

I wanted to go old school today with my eating habits. I had a maple donut because I went to a different Dunkin' Donuts. My regular DD doesn't have maple. So, I had to have it.

210 calories.

Then, I was driving home from a trip to the 9,000 square foot scrapbook store and I was hungry. There was a McDonald's and an Arby's. I had to choose Arby's for the obvious reasons. I enjoyed a Beef-n-Cheddar.

480 calories.

I guess today wasn't too old school because before, I would eat these things without thinking. I wouldn't even consider finding out the calorie content of these treats. So, I have about 700 calories left to eat today without completely blowing my day. I will have to behave.

Friday Flashback

I always thought that I lived out in the open and did not suppress anything, yet I find moments when I am left screaming "oh my god" in my mind when I start to remember teenage "tragic" moments in my life.

I was reading an article on CNN.com about binge eating. I got all the way through it and remembered this moment in high school when I was stumbling through my sophomore year. I remembered the hallway. I remembered what class I was heading to, Mrs. Stenseth's English class where I would soon be flirting with the nerdy boy who sat in front of me.

But I was stopped dead in my tracks by a girl from the school newspaper. Now, this was a girl who I respected and enjoyed in many settings. Rachel was an individual who was fantastic on so many levels. She said that she wanted to talk to me regarding a story that she was working. This was just another reason that I thought she was great. She tried to make the school newspaper something important.

So, the repressed memory...

She tells me that she was given my name when she told someone that she was writing about eating disorders. I was taken aback because I was far too chubby to be anorexic and I was not bulimic, so I was surprised. She continues by telling me that she was told that I was a binge/over eater.

Stunned. Offended. Confused.

Sure, I liked food. I enjoyed eating and talking about food. That has not changed. This was a cruel joke that someone was playing on me, right? Someone must have told Rachel this information knowing that she would search out a story and never consider that she was a pawn in the joke.

I didn't even ask who had told her. I just told her that I was not a binge eater and I couldn't help her with this angle.

I look back on this small moment in high school and feel thankful. I am thankful that I never spent much time on weight, eating, dieting, or any of that stuff that people deal with in high school. If this as traumatic as it gets regarding high school body image stuff, I got off lucky.

Wax On, Wax Off

Like everyone, I have a few dirty little secrets. Today, I will confess one of the dirtiest.

I rarely, almost close to never wash my car. I let the dirt and grime build up to an embarrassing amount. It doesn't bother me if I can't see out of my windshield because that is what windshield spray and wipers are for. I might get a little annoyed when I get my pant leg dirty because it rubs up against my dirty car, but for the most part, I can live with the filth.

Well, today, I tried to break this bad habit and took my car to the car wash. There was just enough salt and grossness on my cute CR-V to warrant a good cleaning.

It isn't that I am cheap, but I would much rather spend that $12 on something great...oh, I don't know, maybe some pizza or an eyebrow wax. Part of my avoidance is because I am always so confused at the car wash. Under carriage. Waxing. Rust something-or-other. I have no idea if I get what I pay for. I just play the odds usually and take the middle package. The men at the car wash are usually nice, but I get worried that I will leave my car in drive when it should be in neutral or that I will make some car wash faux pas like turn my wheel when I should just sit there and do nothing.

Don't even get me started on the inside of my car.

Supernanny to the Rescue

I love that Supernanny. Maybe it is that I do not have children of my own, but everything she says seems to make so much sense to me. I know that teaching is very different than having your own children, but I have been in power struggles before with kids and kids always win.

There are always two types of parents on Supernanny. The parent who enters the power struggle and wants to win and will behave badly to win and the parent who simply has given up. The Supernanny comes in and takes the blame off of the children and show the parents their role in the chaos.

I wonder what parents think of this show. Maybe I am naive to think this show is helpful.

Today's Highs and Lows

High
Snow Day! I got up at my regular time, checked the computer, and the magic words appeared! I still showered and got ready for the day because I was going to Iowa today!

Low
I couldn't get on an earlier flight to Iowa even though I had the day off because all of the flights were booked from yesterday's cancellations.

High
I was still going to Iowa.

Low
I check on my 7:35 PM flight to Iowa and it is canceled.

Low
I call the airline four times before they stop hanging up on me after being on hold for five minutes each time. That is 20 minutes of my time, people.

High
I get booked for the first flight out of Philadelphia tomorrow morning.

The Glass Castle

My reading habits really ebb and flow. I sometimes can't get enough books read and sometimes, I want nothing to do with literary endeavours. Lately, I have been reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. I forget how much I enjoy memoir and will find a personal story like this and remember.

It isn't Shakespeare and it won't be taught in the classics class in high school, but it is compelling all the same. The Glass Castle is a story about a family that does not live by any social rules, but rather, they live through neglect and hardships forced upon them by parents that suffer their own demons. The demons of self-indulgent philosophies, alcoholism, and what seems to me was ideas of grandeur plague these parents to the point that they cannot take care of their children.

More than anything, I get angry at these types of parents but that is my first instinct. I have to remember that they are probably mentally ill in some capacity. The story takes place twenty or so years ago, but this type of neglect is still going on. Just this weekend, a young mother and her four children were killed in Philadelphia because she was staying in an abandoned row home and using a hodgepodge of heating tools. The house burned down with the family inside. Is this neglect from the mother or the community? It's tragic on so many levels.

I recommend The Glass Castle for a quick weekend read. Let me know what you think.

Bothered

Why on the one day that I want to travel in four months, it storms. I am annoyed in a big way. I want to go and see my pals in Iowa and snow is my new enemy. Not just snow, but sleet and ice. I will get there. Some way. I will get there.

There is fun to be had in Iowa that I can't have here.

I am wishing and praying for a snow day tomorrow so I can try and catch an early flight. That would be fantastic. I have to work at not stewing about it though because when it comes down to it, I can't do a darn thing about it.

I know I haven't been bloggin' up a storm lately. I am not really sure why. I think part of it is that I am pretty busy. Another part of it is that I haven't done anything too interesting lately. All that will change soon. I will be action packed.

On Notice: Grey's Anatomy

Tim and I were eating at a Chinese restaurant on Friday night when five senior citizens came in and were seated right next to us. They were around 75 years old. One of the men yells across the table, "So, did you catch Grey's Anatomy last night?"

I couldn't help overhear since he was yelling so his hearing impaired friend with a hearing aid could hear him.

I found this so funny. I thought this was a show that young people watched, but viewers of all ages have been duped.

This is a judgement I have placed on viewers and episodes of ABC's over-rated television show "Grey's Anatomy".

Please do not be offended. You can hate on "Galactica" if you want. Many do.

This is how I see it. I watched season one every Sunday night. I had great hopes that they were building towards something meaty and meaningful, but I was disappointed when all season two held was more cheating, more all-up-in-each-others' business episodes. I can appreciate that if there wasn't the cheating and the in-each-other's business, there wouldn't be a show. But it drives me crazy.

I am not judging this without watching it. I watched it in reruns this summer and the characters drive me crazy. They act as though they are running through junior high hallways rather than hospital hallways. They are overly concerned about life's events that they have caused. They have not learned the simple idea of action/consequence. They have the "woe is me" down, but fail to realize their problems are self-induced.

I don't even think the writing is clever or thoughtful. I like watching television with flawed characters. I watch The Sopranos and what is more flawed than cheating, whacking, sining Tony Soprano, but something is different. In The Sopranos, things happen. Events unfold. In Grey's Anatomy, each week is just like the last. Izzy is baking. George is pining. Meredith is confused. Christina is angry and competitive. Everyone is having sex. I could skip ten episodes and I guarantee you that it would be the same as just listed.

Don't be mad. If you want to rip on my shows, go ahead and write a blog post about it.

Podcast

If you haven't already checked out the Midwestern Podcast, I have now made it harder to do.

I have made it password protected because I am not a lawyer and I have a feeling that sharing songs that I do not own the copyright to somehow...well, illegal. However, I feel that I want to share the music that I love with other people. I am actually doing these artists a favor. Maybe I will share a little known artist and then, they will sell more records. However, I don't think they'll see it that way.

You can still check out the Midwestern Podcast on the sidebar of this blog by emailing me. I will give you the password and login and you can listen all you'd like. Email me at saraleann76@yahoo.com.

Not in ND Anymore

I am always surprised when I am given a reminder of where I live now.

This morning as I was drying my hair, Tim walked into the bathroom and handed me the phone. It was my administrator telling me that we had a two hour delay. I looked out the window and saw about an inch and a half of snow on the ground. It is times like these that I remember that I am no longer in the Midwest where the snow piles are high and the temperatures are low. Very low.

I was standing in line at Victoria Secret waiting to purchase when I was forced to watch an unfortunate display of customer anger. The customer was trying to return something and the situation did not require her yelling at the cashier or pounding her palm over and over on the counter. She would turn around and try to gather support from the other patrons, but she could not. I was so embarrassed for this woman that I had to walk away. When I returned, she was telling the cashier that she didn't know anything and that she should be trained better. Thankfully, the woman stood up for herself and ended up putting the customer in her place in a clever way. Again, I don't like in the Midwest anymore.

I am not saying that I find a lot of rude people like this woman, but I see more emotions in general here. People don't hide their frustrations or anger like we do in the Midwest.

Window Shopping

I think I have turned into a true homeowner nerd. I never thought I would get so excited about new windows.

I can't wait. We knew that when we purchased a home that we would have to make a big investment like this. We thought it would be new kitchen cabinets or re-doing a bathroom, but instead it is windows. I prefer this on so many levels.

I don't have to make any difficult decisions. I have a choice of three kinds of windows. That is easy. Our house is over 65 years old so things have gotten a bit drafty and we feel more than ever over the past week. Brr.

Whoa. This post is super house boring.

So Worth It

Most women get waxed. In one form or another. I didn't start this beauty ritual until I was 23 years old, yet I can't help but hold a firm belief that I was neglectful of my looks prior to my first trip to the salon for a nice wax of the eyebrows. Why didn't anyone tell me that I had a slight uni-brow? Oh, well, that is for another time.

When I had short hair, I would get my hair cut every month. With each trip, I would get the eyebrows waxed. It was a nice reminder that this needed to be done. I was a very hands-off person when it came to the maintenance of the eyebrows. I depended completely on the stylist to keep them looking nice. I didn't pluck. I just held out until my next appointment.

Well, now with this long term hair plan, I do not get to the hair salon as much as I should for the eyebrow waxing. I can't stand to pluck. I do it, but I am not good at it. I avoid any places on the eyebrows that could cause an imbalance in my life.

Today, I decided that I could not wait until my next haircut for a wax. I went in and laid down on the table. Inez, the lovely waxer, took one look at me with her magnifying glass and knew things were going to get ugly in there. I had to make some excuse quick for how unruly my two eye caterpillars had gotten.

"It's been a while. I have been pretty busy."

All Inez said was, "I'll say."

I felt like she was about to open the door and scream, "WE'RE GONNA NEED MORE WAX!" like the little Asian woman did in The 40 Year Old Virgin. I hate being shamed at the beauty salon, but this was completely deserving of a shaming.

Well, I made it through a rough waxing and plucking. Lesson learned, my friends. You can skip the dentist appointment, you can put off doing your taxes, and you can certainly avoid phone calls, but DO NOT MISS YOUR WAXING APPOINTMENT.

Recipe: Pumpkin Crab Soup

1-24 oz. can of pumpkin
6 cups chicken stock
1 large onion, sliced
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 pound crab meat
6 oz. skim milk
pepper to taste

Heat oil in a skillet and add onion. Saute for 5-8 minutes. Add cumin, cayenne, and basil. Stir for a minute. Pour in chicken stock and add pumpkin. Simmer covered for 15-20 minutes. Add crab meat and simmer the soup for 3-5 minutes. Add milk and stir. Serve!

I use the crab from a can. It tastes just fine in the soup. You could use heavy cream for a creamier soup rather than skim milk. I am serving my soup with popovers. Yum!

I Love People

The grocery store provides endless forms of entertainment for me. I had to stop by the customer service counter for a money order this afternoon. I was behind a woman who was getting a rain check for an item. I have never seen someone get a rain check at a grocery store before.

I continued to pick up a few things for dinner and then, unwisely chose a checkout aisle. I found myself behind the same rain check woman. She was standing there with her coupon purse filing the unused coupons. When she finished and it was time to scan her groceries, she argued every third item's price.

I am not kidding. I am not exaggerating here, folks. She asked the checker about three times whether or not her super card had scanned because the prices were not as low as they should be. The check assured her that it all comes off in the end. Throughout this dabacle of a checkout, the coupon/rain check lady asked the checker to void items when they were too high.

It didn't matter that it was 5PM. It didn't matter that she was holding up the line. It didn't matter that she had a choice what she put on the check out belt. She was going to shop the way she wanted to shop. I couldn't help respect this woman's frugal nature, but come on.

Final straw, she had paid and groceries were bagged and she decides she doesn't want one of the items. No. No way. You are going to have to go to the back of the line or back to customer service, my frugal friend.

The checker agreed with my mental assessment of the situation. THEN, the frugal/rain check/coupon/arguing/returning lady felt bothered. Hey, join the club.

Angry

I know. I normally stay away from topics that are 'hot button issues', but something happened tonight as I watched the national nightly news.

A new military rehabilitation hospital was opened for injured military veterans in Texas. They showed these amazing tools to aid the veterans and made a point of saying that it was completely funded by private donations and not "your tax dollars".

First of all, any of us should be happy to use our tax dollars to fund such a place. It is the least we can do for the men and women who have been permanently changed in body and spirit for this war.

They showed the men and women, disfigured and maimed from combat. I just felt so angry. I felt so angry at this administration for spinning this war. For spinning the lives of these people to a point where they no longer have arms, legs, or facial features.

I don't have to understand all the details and intricacies of the war to feel justified in my anger. I remember my uncle telling me at the beginning of the war that Iraq would become a hotbed of terrorism because of our actions. I didn't believe him.

I can't help but ask the question. If my uncle knew this would happen, wouldn't you think that the administration's thinkers and planners would know the same?

On a lighter note, I really like Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. You can watch it online for free.

Oh, I Do That Too

I guess it would be safe to say that I go through phases with music. A few years ago, I was really into John Denver. However, all the music that I had was on my old computer (two computers ago) and it didn't transfer to this new computer. Today, I downloaded "Rocky Mountain High".

I love this song.

"Comin' home to a place he'd never been before
He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again
You might say he found a key for every door"

Hmm...I think we'll go with this. I love music for 70% lyric and 30% melody. I know that is insulting to the musicians of the world, but I just really like a good turn of a phrase. For example, "Cannonball" by Damien Rice.

"there’s still a little bit of your taste in my mouth
there’s still a little bit of you laced with my doubt
it’s still a little hard to say what's going on"

Good stuff.

However, there are songs that must MUST have the melody to make the lyrics powerful. "Bell Bottom Blues" by Eric Clapton is such a song. It isn't just the lyric or the song, but his voice sounds as if he is dying, but in the good way. The good way that makes you believe that he is desperate for this woman to take him back.

"Do you want to see me crawl across the floor to you?
Do you want to hear me beg you to take me back?
I’d gladly do it because
I don’t want to fade away.
Give me one more day, please."

Oh, Heck! Why don't you just listen to it for yourself on my new Midwestern Podcast!

Back From the Scrap

I have returned from Scrap Camp and although I did not develop some new mad skills, I did get a lot accomplished. I was, again, called out on a few things.

First, I am a very fast scrapper. I do not rely on pre-made layouts so I do not spend time searching for the perfect layout. I do my own thing which cuts down on time. The women who are all Creative Memories diehards were amazed at my speed of scrappin'. I was also judged for using brads and eyelets on my pages. They felt that they would damage the pages, but the do not. They embellish and give the pages depth.

When I first arrived, I was a little overwhelmed by the women and their love for Creative Memories. I have shared my opinion of Creative Memories in the past and this is it...They have great tools. They have matching paper. They do not have nice stickers or letters. There is cuter stuff in the stores. But their tools are amazing. The women had EVERY Creative Memories pen, tool, and case. I have more of a hodge podge set up.

I share a hotel room with two complete strangers, but it was as if I had a single because these women stayed up until 4:30 AM and 6:30 AM scrapping. No way. I was in bed a little after midnight. They are hardcore. I am worthless with all endeavours after midnight. Like Cinderella, I guess.

Well, you can check out some of the pages that I finished this weekend. I counted. I did over 30 pages this weekend. That is a lot, my friends!

Scrappin'

I am off to scrap camp. I will be gone for the whole weekend cutting, cropping, gluing, and arranging a multitude of photos on lots of patterned paper. Some might wonder why I need to dedicate an entire weekend to such an endeavour. The answer is this...I don't. I just want to. I am taking this weekend to do something that I really enjoy. I have rarely met any people who share my enthusiasm for the craft of scrapbooking, but I think I might meet a few scrappin' fools this weekend.

I look at this weekend like I would look at a golf weekend for the guys or a shopping trip for some ladies. You won't hear from me for a few days, but when I return, I will be filled with stories from the camp.

I'll Be More Careful

Like most mornings, after I get my beloved medium hazelnut with milk and sugar, I plugged my ipod into my car radio. I put the bad boy on shuffle and let the music gods smile down on me. At that exact moment, I am blissfully happy. It is this moment where I am at the beginning of a day that could take lots of different turns, good and bad, but at that moment, all is right and good in the world.

As the ipod started to shuffle, Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" came on the radio. This song was my secret anthem from last year. It seemed like I had bad day after bad day. I started to reflect about this during the car ride. I normally don't sit and get thoughtful about pop song lyrics, but you know the one that says, " You're faking a smile with the coffee to go". Well, I get that. I get that idea that a person just has to go through the motions sometimes to get to that good day.

Damn that "Bad Day" song! I had my coffee and my ipod and it was bumming me out! So, I quickly hit the next song and thankfully, Duran Duran came on. No one can be bummed to a little "Rio".

Don't Hold Back

I love when people comment on my blog. I like to hear what people have to say even when it might disagree with me. What I find the most fascinating about the anonymous comments are their tone. People who sign their name to their comment are more likely to write something with a bit of a laissez-faire attitude. The whole "you dig what you dig and I'll dig what I dig" attitude. The anonymous commenter has more of an edge. I never write anything that I could be cut too deeply by this edge, but there is a little more judgement and, I will go ahead and say it, criticism in these comments.

I was at work and received a comment from someone. Who, I can only fantasize about. It must have been someone who was catching up on the blog or someone who stumbled on the blog. I like to believe it is someone who is lurking and reading my blog, but my review of The DaVinci Code simply drove this person to comment. Maybe it was a frequent signed in reader, but their assessment of my thoughts were so out of line that he/she needed to be as clear as possible with his/her thoughts. He/she told me it was the worst movie he/she has ever seen.

Again, I love a good mystery comment. It almost makes me feel like I should be more opinionated on my blog just to have more contrasting anonymous comments.

Game Night

Besides our family Thanksgiving, we had our first social gathering at our house last night. My friends, Amy and Wes, came to town from NYC. I picked them up on the train and we enjoyed some savory snacks before the other guests arrived. Later, the crew from Borders came over. After some brief introductions, we had dinner and got our game on.

I tried to make a dinner that would be somewhat healthy. I made chili and baked potatoes. I had no idea that chili on baked potatoes was a new thing to some people, but it was a big hit. I did not make such a healthy dessert. I found this recipes at allrecipes that used ice cream sandwiches as the main ingredient. You have to check it out the Hot Fudge Ice Cream Bar Dessert. It was so easy and the presentation was quite nice.

Despite the fact that I am trying to eat healthy, I had a piece of dessert. It is the first thing in three and a half weeks that has not been a healthy choice. I will allow myself that. If I wouldn't have enjoyed a piece, I would have had a huge craving and binged on something even worse. I packed up three to-go containers just so we wouldn't have leftovers.

The games started with Apples to Apples, my new favorite game. I appreciate that the players/friends were decisive and quick with their choices. I hate games that are slow, except Scrabble. I discovered that I might be the weak link when it comes to another favorite, Catch Phrase.

Fantastic fun.

15 Minutes

It is amazing that fifteen minutes will make such a difference in a person's day. I was running late on Thursday for no particular reason. The line was longer at the coffee shop. As I was waiting to turn right onto a very busy street in Philadelphia, the man behind me started honking his horn for me to go.

Where did he think I was supposed to go?

So, I did nothing. I waited for my turn. Actually, I am lying a little. I was waiting for both lanes to be free. I know that is annoying for the man behind me, but I have to cross both lanes into the left turning lane in a quick way in order to get to work. Otherwise, I have to go the very busy and congested way.

He honks again. At this point, he has a point, but I just want to get to work my normal way. I can't take the driving guilt. I go and end up going the long and congested way.

Big mistake. It ends up being so chaotic and angry, them...not me. I will never be 15 minutes late again.

A Corner Has Been Turned

Hello neglected ones!

I am not sure what I have done with my time since Saturday, but it certainly hasn't been spent blogging. Let's see, I have started this new thing where I go to the gym after school. The gym is free and great and there is no reason but stupidity that I haven't used it until now. I am trying to avoid all of my gym failures in the past. In order to keep the momentum with the gym, I will reflect on what has led to such failures in the past.

1. Ugly Workout Clothes - I cannot spend my time worrying about how I look while I am working out. Everyone is there and gross in some way. Either it is the gross grunting the unnecessarily large muscle man makes every time he finishes a lift or the middle aged man who is working out in his slacks. We are all gross.
2. The Numbers - I can't look at the calories that I have burned. I can't look at the time that I have left on the treadmill. I can't look at the clock on the wall. The only number that I am at all allowed to consider is the weight that I started at on December 28 and that is the reason that I am on the treadmill in the first place.
3. The Others - I will not compare myself with this tight, little 21 year old with roller derby shorts and pig tails running at top speed next to me.
   
4. The Excuses - I can have none. I have agreed with myself that I will get to the gym for four days this week. I will make a weekly deal with myself that if I do this, I will buy a new magazine for myself to enjoy the next week at the gym. Magazines seem so extravagant.
   

Hearth Makes a Home?

This is what used to be our fireplace.

When we made an offer on the house, we had an inspection done. It revealed that the house needed a new hearth for the fireplace. The sellers are paying for our new hearth because it was falling through the floor into the basement.

Today, masonry guy is here breaking up the old hearth, pouring the cement, and making my house very dusty. I was going to clean while this was happening, but what is the point.

However, I will be very glad when it is finished.

Songs

Isn't it weird how my random ipod Friday shuffle would play two songs with the name SARAH in it? I think so.

Do readers check out the list? Do you say, "Oh, I love that song!" or "I don't know that song. I will check it out," or "Man, I hate that song"?

Grocery Lady

I must have a face that says, "She'll talk to you even if she has no idea what you are talking about". It happens to me all of the time.

I was standing in line at the deli counter at the grocery store. One of the good/bad things about Philadelphia is no one knows me. I can stand there in my pajamas if I want to and not have to worry about who sees me. I can stand there with a complete staring contest with the honey ham behind the glass. No one will notice me or bother me.

Well, the other day, this woman who was around 90 years old was having an in depth conversation with the deli guy about turkey and prices. I couldn't help hear. She was yelling. Then, she turns to me and makes eye contact. Oh no.

"She is going to start talking to me," I think to myself in a social panic. It is not that I don't like elderly people, but elderly people just do what they want. They don't care what your plans are. For example, I wanted to get my meat and get home because I was mildly starving.

As she starts talking to me about how she has been coming to this supermarket for 19 years, she grabs the completely off limit upper chub of my upper arm! She holds on for dear life as she asks me for directions to the Eckard Pharmacy across the street. Then, she tells me about how she has a pacemaker and is so close to the hospital if it quits working that she'll just walk on over.

At this point, I know I am bruising on the arm chub and the meat guy is showing me his angry face because I have the next number and three people are waiting for me to wrap it up with this woman. I give him the signal to take the next customer and I'd get a new number. Oh, boy! Then, she started telling me how young people are not polite anymore like me. I think she would have taken me home if I hadn't been slowly pulling away from her literal grasp.

Well, we wrapped up the one sided conversation and she was on her way. I felt bad for her more than anything. I am sure she was lonely and just wanted to talk to someone. I am glad I could be that person even if I had no choice.

Issue of the Day: Time Zones

I wonder if I will ever get used to the eastern time zone.

There are so many things that just feel wrong. I feel like I should be watching prime time television at 7PM, but it doesn't start until 8PM. I am starting to wind down for bed around then. Most newscasts do not even start until 11PM. By the time I finish, it is 11:20! That is just not going to happen on a school night.

I have always been the girl who goes to bed at 10:20. Even in college, I would chose my roommates based upon two factors:

1) Do they have a television? If they do, they are out. I can't stand having a television in my bedroom.
2) Do I see them up early in the morning and do I see them getting ready for bed around the same time I am getting ready for bed?

If you passed these initial skill sets, then, we'd move onto questions 3 and 4:

3) Do they come home or do they stay with a boyfriend? I liked to have my room mates come home. I hated when room mates would walk in at all hours of the night or morning and wake me up. They called me "the ogre" in my senior year because I hated having my sleep interrupted.
4) Do they sweat the small stuff? Are they dramatic and crying all of the time? Do they break up with their boyfriends every other week? If they did, they were out. I had no time to be anyone's counselor.

The bonus question for being my room mate, are you tidy? You don't have to be a clean freak and I preferred if you weren't. I just did not want grossness in my room.

It kind of sounds like I had all of the cards. I didn't. They had to want to be my room mate too. However, the older you were, the more seniority you had in choosing rooms. The most coveted of rooms were the carpeted rooms. I inhabited one of the two carpeted rooms all senior year with my room mate, Jill. Jill was a great room mate. She fit all of the descriptions above.

Since we've moved out here, Tim likes to stay up for the news. I against this. I like to go to bed at the normal 10:20 even if it means missing out on some shows or the news. Maybe I'll have to switch all of my clocks to reflect central time and things will be set right in my world.

A New Gem

I went to this fantastic restaurant last night. It was called Sang Kee Asian Bistro. It was perfect because Tim was in the mood for Chinese and I was in the mood for Thai. Sang Kee has a fusion of all Asian cuisines.

It was the first time that I had been to a restaurant since changing my eating habits a little over a week ago. When we eat out, we usually go around 6PM. This helps us avoid the evening rush and we are home to have a full evening together. Last night was the exception.

We walked into the restaurant and it was packed. I thought for sure we'd have to wait, but the hostess walked us to a small table for two. However, it was one of those trendier places where you are almost eating with strangers because your tables are so close.

I like any Asian restaurant that serves you hot tea along with your water. It is such a nice treat before your meal. We ordered some Hot and Sour soup. This soup had tofu in it and it was a nice touch because I was very hungry. After our soup, Tim had seafood pan fried noodles and I had beef chow fun which is soft rice noodles with beef, bean sprouts, scallions, and a flavorful sauce. It was hard to tell how healthy this meal was, but I felt satisfied and it has to be better than a cheeseburger, right?

Entertainment?

I hate when the media forces something down my throat.

Wait. I should rewind. It is true that no matter how often a dear friend refers to Entertainment Tonight or Access Hollywood as the "news", it really isn't the news. Maybe it is the plunging cleavage necklines of the hosts or the man in the turned up collar that is telling me something is breaking news, but I just can't buy it.

Now, I buy it enough to tune in when my body and mind go into slow down mode right after supper. It is the time of day that I want nothing more than to sit in front of the television and watch something. Usually, there will be a rerun or two on, but usually it is the entertainment industries excuse to hear themselves talk that I tune into. Why do I do this? It only leaves myself annoyed at celebrities and more annoyed at myself for watching.

So, back to my point...

Donald Trump. Rosie O'Donnell. Why should I care that these two egomaniacs don't like each other? Shame on me for watching.

The baby bump...doesn't anyone in Hollywood know that sometimes people get chubby instead of PG? Maybe Halle Berry is just having a bloated day rather than procreating this earth. Let's give her a break please.

Then, the lowest of the low...Lindsey, Paris, Nicole, and lately Britney...your skirts are too short, your waists are too small, and you have wasted more precious ink and airtime than I care to think about. Girls, get yourself a 12 step program or at least 12 doughnuts.

See...even I am wasting my precious blog space writing about this garbage. Go ahead, shame me.

Damn You, Pile of Pancakes

It is amazing what your mind will do when you are trying to be conscious of what you eat.

I don't even like pancakes, yet as I drove past an IHOP today, I saw pictures of them in the window and man, I wanted them. They looked so good. They still look good.

But, my self-control won that battle. I just hope it can win the war. I drove home and had some leftover spaghetti and sauce, applesauce, and water.

I stopped at Dunkin' Doughnuts to get my regular morning coffee today. However, the nice woman who takes pride in knowing what I want was shocked when I told her that I was switching to skim milk rather than cream. She asked if I was sure and I was. I am hoping that the big and little changes in my life with yield big and little changes.

I am waiting for Friday to step on the scale and see what all this self-control and discipline has done for my body.

I Know Most Love It

We rented Pirates of the Caribbean for New Year's Eve along with a few others. I knew from the first few minutes that I wasn't going to make it to the end of the movie. First, I couldn't remember what had happened in the first Pirates movie. The story line had elements to it that I think, and I am not for sure here, that you should really remember what happened in the last movie. Maybe I should have given it more time, but the movie was so dark. We don't have a huge television so I was left squinting my eyes trying to decipher what was actually occurring during the movie.

The biggest thing that I couldn't continue watching/listening/translating was Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. Yes, I agree that he is a clever character, but I couldn't understand 90% of the words from his mouth. I really don't like it when actors do not open their mouths when they are speaking. It was as if he wanted us to really see his nasty pirate teeth. Yes, we see them and they are nasty.

I know you don't hear this very often, but thank goodness for the DaVinci Code or I would have had a bummer of a New Year's Eve.

A Year in Review

Battlestar Galactica
Some might say that I am a television snob. Some might say that I am a television junky. I guess both would be right. When I find something I really like, I watch a lot of it. With so many good shows coming to an end (Arrested Development, Six Feet Under, Sopranos), I am pleased that there is no end in sight for BSG.

Buffalo Chicken Cheese Steak
Okay, people. This is a very special sandwich. I know that most people reserve the term 'special' for events like recitals and people like life-long friends, but it is no exaggeration for this sandwich. The chicken is diced very thin and served on a fresh and soft hoagie bun. The best part is getting the blue cheese dressing on the side. My favorite BCCS is served at a hole-in-the-way shop called Campus Corner near Villanova University. I'll take you there when you visit, but will have to lay off the BCCS with my new healthy lifestyle. This special sandwich will be for special occasions only.

New Jersey Transit
Most people would not put anything from New Jersey on their list, but I am a big fan. I am no longer a Chinatown bus traveler. I have found a more relaxed way to travel to New York City. With only a few transfers, I can arrive at Penn Station in just a few hours.

A Day Late Song Discoveries
It usually takes me anywhere from a month to twenty years to fall in love with music. Take the fetching Shakira for example. She has been around for several years, but it wasn't until this summer when I developed a slight obsession with her. Then, there is Joni Mitchell. Why did it take me so long to discover her greatness? I have always been a fan of the super-smooth Al Green, but I heard "Take Me To the River" by Al and I thought I was going to go crazy! Simply fantastic!

Writing For Me
I just took about an hour to reread some of the posts that I have written over the past year. I give myself a hard time for writing garbage sometimes, but when I reread some things, I feel good. I am so glad that I took some moments to revere what is going on in my life, from simple to the most complex. I just reread what I wrote after losing my friend Mike. I am so glad I wrote it. I am so glad I read it. This blog is as big a part of my life as my morning coffee or my phone calls home to my parents. It is important to me because it reminds me of where I came from and filled with hope for where I seem to be going.

The Big Question

I am not sure what I thought I would learn from my boycott of McDonald's in 2006. More than anything, I wanted to see if I could do it. It was simple enough. This is how I achieved such a lofty goal, my friends...

Just don't go there.
Don't stop.
Don't crave.
If you crave, replace it with something else.
Share this challenge with others.
Recognize that it is unhealthy on many levels.

When I stopped to reflect upon these strategies for anti-McDonalds success, I realized that these are strategies for a real, more frustrating part of my life. If I can apply these ideas to a fast-growing McDonalds habit, can I apply them to an all around healthy lifestyle of eating?

Just to see if I can do it?

People thought the McDonalds goal was silly at first. Just another quirky thing that Sara is doing, yet I think it was a baby step for what I am going to achieve in 2007. Over the past few days, I have developed what I believe will be a plan for success with my own health. Let me tell you about since one of my strategies is to share the challenge with others.

I have started using Sparkspeople which is an online support site that has message boards, recipes, food tracking, exercise tracking, goal setting, and more. I want to use Sparkspeople just as I use Blogger, my news sites, and email. The second piece of my success in 2007 goal is working as a team. Tim has decided that he would like to live a healthier lifestyle too. I can't tell you how much this helps. We can keep each other in check. Not let each other make excuses.

There is more to my plan, but it is boring and you probably know what it takes to be healthy. This is the weird thing about me. It isn't the pants size that motivates me or how I will look in the mirror. The biggest motivating factor is just like with McDonalds...Can I do this?

Card Givin'

People have strong opinions about a lot of things.

Bacon vs. Sausage
Hardwood floors vs. laminate
Sugar vs. Splenda
Starbucks vs. Dunkin' Doughnuts
Authentic vs. Knock-offs
Capitalism vs. Communism

Okay, that last one was a bit dramatic, but you get my point. I realized after the third or fourth complaint that people also have a strong opinion about Christmas cards too. This was the first year in six years of marriage that Tim and I have not sent a photo and/or newsletter of some sort. Instead, I bought what I believed to be lovely holiday greeting cards, wrote a message in each card, and sent it with great care and thought.

I thought that I could get away with it since Tim and I rarely change in a physical sense and not much happened this year. True, we bought our first home, but that is about it. Then, there is the blog. I thought that people had more than enough information about me at their fingertips if they really wanted to know the dirty details of my life. I even throw a picture or two on the blog.

It didn't matter what I thought, people want a picture or letter. More than one person shared their annoyance that I had left out the letter and/or picture this year. I am not going to sweat it because I rarely sweat anything. I don't begrudge the ones who want the photo or newsletter. They just want it for their keepsakes and all. They want to put us up on the fridge next to the other babies and families. This year, we are there in spirit alone.

Merry Christmas, Chums!

Top Reasons to Love Christmas

1. The Baked Goods-From a very early age, it was the one day that you could eat anything you wanted. The baked goods table was set up with fudge, caramels, cookies, brownies, and candies galore. There were no parents standing guard or reminding you of the tummy ache these tasty treats might induce. Instead, the treats were yours for the taking. I was reminded of this childhood indulgence when I observed my little cousin, Ian, eating what must have been his fourth brownie in less than an hour. All the grown ups just sat and watched and smiled.
2. Christmas Eve Church Service-Where I might be a bit of a heathen the rest of the year, Christmas Eve is the night where I go into the church and sing my heart out. I know all of the words. I know some of the harmonies. I even love the pre-teen soloists that have gotten up the nerve to almost sing in tune before the service. The candlelight service never loses its edge with a beautiful rendition of "Silent Night, Holy Night".
3. Giving to Others-I love to find or make the perfect gift for others. I may strive for perfection, but it is rarely achieved. I would like to think that I have a 80% perfection rate when it comes to the perfect gift. I like to sit and watch them open each gift. It doesn't even have to be from me. I like it when anyone opens any gift. I like to see the surprise and pleasure they get. Even gift cards have the potential to be the perfect gift because I can see people's anticipation of choosing something just for themselves.

"Naddafinga!"

I am not sure if this is a true memory or a memory that I have made up along the way as I was constructing my own little version of my childhood. Nonetheless, it is as real to me as the nose on Rudolph's face.

I had to have been about seven years old when I first saw the movie A Christmas Story. It was at the theater with my friend Shelly and if that day was like many others, I am sure our brothers were a few rows behind us.

I knew at the time that I didn't 'get' all of the movie, but I still thought it was funny. As years went on and I would watch this holiday classic each year, I thought it was funnier and funnier.

Even the commercials that lead up to the 24 hours of A Christmas Story on TBS are hilarious to me. I love the it all. I love when Ralphie says "Fudge". I love when the old man loses his turkey to the dreaded Bumpuses's dogs, and my favorite part during the whole movie is when Ralphie beats up Farkus stringing together expletives like a pro.

Culture Shock

I have lived away from North Dakota for about five years now. Each winter when I return home for either Thanksgiving or Christmas, I rarely notice the unique culture that exists in this little nook of the country. However, this is the first time that I have had a small dose of culture shock as I return to my cold, friendly, and laid back hometown.

At the grocery store this morning, I pulled up at 8AM. In Philadelphia, this would be a mental death wish because people would be getting all the things that they need for their morning meetings, like coffee and muffins. It would be a pretty busy place. However, the grocery store is calm and quiet. Just a few elderly people pushing their carts, eyeing the baked goods in the famous bakery. As I carry my bags to the car that I had locked out of habit, I see at least three cars that are running without any people in them. Each of them runs a good chance of being unlocked too. This would NEVER happen in Philly.

I was driving down what is Grand Forks's busiest road when I realized that there was no need for me to drive so aggressively. There wasn't any traffic although it was about 9 AM. Later in the day as I drove my mom to Starbucks, I merged between two cars. She scolded me to "squeezing in", but it is my natural way of driving now. Here in North Dakota, one puts on their signal for a long while, waits until there is at least room for four cars, and then slowly merges. Who can blame me? I have had to adapt to a new way of driving in Philly.

Don't get me wrong. I love North Dakota. I also really enjoy Philadelphia. There is something about this calm, kind, and relaxed way of life that I am thankful that I get to enjoy at least once a year. I am sure that there will be more moments during my week here, but for now, I will just adapt.

Donut Lovin'

I am the type of person that falls into good and mostly bad habits at a quick pace. Two is the number of times that I will do something and suddenly it is a habit. It is a good thing that I stayed away from naughty stuff in my adolescence and beyond because I could be a different person than the semi-functioning adult you see before you today!

My newest and not-surprising habit is a stop at the Dunkin' Doughnuts before work each morning. This might sound familiar to you since I have given plenty of shout outs to DD on the blog, but trust me, this is different. Each morning, before I even open the DD doors, the DD woman has my hazelnut with cream and sugar ready and on the counter. She is very friendly and I appreciate this gesture with a tip in her cup.

On Saturday morning, the same scenario played out, but I also ordered a breakfast sandwich for my train ride. She handed me the coffee, the breakfast sandwich, but an extra bag too! I look inside and it is a glazed donut.

"For me?"

The DD woman nods and tells me to have a good day. I was blown away by this fried and glazed gesture. People don't just do this in Philadelphia so I will add this to my "Reasons I Dig Philadelphia" list.

NYC For the Weekend

I feel quite accomplished this weekend. I took the train to New York City to visit my friend. She lives in Brooklyn so I also took the subway with one transfer to see her. She gave me the directions, but I managed it all on my own. I think now that I did it on my own, I can do it anytime.

I will never take the Chinatown bus again. This was so much more relaxed.

We checked out the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. The tree was spectacular, but the illuminated snowflakes that fell from the Rockefeller Center behind the tree added the magical touch. Shopping in midtown Manhattan was the busiest outing I have ever seen. We walked in baby steps as we checked out the window displays. It was chaotic.

One cannot forget the food when NYC is in conversation. We ate at Mama's in the Village. home style Soul Food. I wished for my camera as I sat down with my fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

It was the perfect weekend to get me ready for two more days of teaching and then, HOLIDAY BREAK!

PO'ed

It takes a lot to piss me off, but some jerk on the phone really did a number on me tonight.

So, we've been receiving calls for a man named John since moving to our new house and our new number. I always politely say, "I am sorry. You have the wrong number. No one by that name lives here." This usually works. But! There is one guy who keeps calling. Tonight, as I told him my line, he replied with "Well, I will try back later."

I tried to stop him and tell him, "No, don't try back later because he will still not live here," but he hung up. So, I called him back with the caller ID number. He basically told me that he is going to keep calling until I can prove or the phone company can prove that John doesn't live here. I said, "That is harassment."

He said it wasn't illegal which makes me think that he is a bill collector or something to know that it is not illegal. So, I said, "Well, if I need to call the phone company like you said and tell them that we are the only people living at this number, then, I will not expect anymore phone calls from you otherwise it is harassment."

I cannot tell you how mean and assholey this guy was. He was terrible. He kept putting words in my mouth. He would not identify his company or his name. What is up with that? Any ideas?

Where Have All the Barbies Gone

Kids grow up so fast these days.

I was sitting at a table with a few of my kindergarteners when one of the girls asked, "Miss Sara, what did you like to play with when you were little?" The answer is a simple one. Barbies. Barbies. Barbies. A few paper dolls thrown in as long as they were Barbie brand.

The five year old that asked the question just looked at me and said, "I am too old for Barbies." What?? I am almost positive that I played with Barbies long after I should have been playing with Barbies, maybe 12 or 13. How can a five year old be too old for Barbies? I bet I could sit down and play a proper round of Barbie.

A Crazy Kind of Love

There is an exception to every rule. Even for a person like me who is a big believer in rules.

Along with Gloria Estefan, Def Leppard, and others, Mariah Carey is not allowed on my beloved ipod. Heck, they are not allowed anywhere I am currently in control of the radio/television/ipod.

However, I have this one little guilty pleasure at Christmas time. I love that song that Mariah Carey sings, "All I Want For Christmas is You". I think it has to do with the fact that it is sung on one of my favorite holiday movies Love Actually.

That's okay, right? I can hate on something all year through and break the lovin' out during the warm and fuzzy holiday time. Something that would be repulsive to me during any other drive time karaoke session can hold some enchanting ability to make me sing and bounce back and forth in my car without shame. And it is exactly that. I have no shame. I know something like five people in the whole state of Pennsylvania so I am never embaressed when some guy looks over at me while I am doing my best Mariah screech.

Nigella Crush

Over a year ago, I wrote about the concept of having a GIRL CRUSH. Calm down, boys. It is nothing more than being completely infatuated with another girl who has something quite special to offer the world. Scarlette Johanson, Doris Day, and Anne of Green Gables are just a few of my past girl crushes.

I am happy to add the fantastic Nigella Lawson to that list. I knew this woman existed, but I recently watched her cooking show on food network, Nigella Feasts, and I am totally enamoured with Miss Nigella. I love how she loves food! I love food! I love how she is not a stick figure, but instead she is curvy and so classic. Everything she makes looks so good. I also love how she has her children in her kitchen.

Usually, I like anyone who loves food as much as I do.

Coffee Mishap

I am not sure why I keep making the same mistakes. Not that I have ever given birth, but I think my life is kind of like that...you forget what it was like so you go and do it again.

For example, let's take Starbucks. I haven't gone to a Starbucks since this summer when I was without my beloved Dunkin' Doughnuts in the midwest. Besides the high prices for their drug, their coffee is never hot enough for me. When I am in a routine with Starbucks, I always remember to ask for "extra hot". Tonight, after a bitterly cold shopping trip to some outdoor stores, I stopped off at a Starbucks for a peppermint mocha, perfect for the holidays. I was so overwhelmed by all the options of coffee treats and crap that they were selling that I forgot to say "extra hot". Bummer. I got into my car and brought the cup to my lips for a moment of grand disappointment. I couldn't wait to get home and warm it up in the microwave.

Light Up My Life

The Philadelphia folks do it up right with their Christmas lights. In my new neighborhood, I am just a few houses away from what can only be a Griswold inspired light display. Not only that, but Tim and I are making plans for next to visit Longwood Gardens and walk through their light display with coffee (me) and hot cocoa (Tim) in hand. I guess they decorate the lights of the garden and it is something quite special.

Something occurred to me tonight. I was driving through a very upscale neighborhood when I realized that every house looked like it was right out of a Lexus add. You know what I am talking about...huge mansions with amazing, perfectly placed white lights.

Something else occurred to me too. These are not the type of people that get up on the ladders and spend hours placing each white light in the perfect location to make their homes appear more festive than the next. They hire this type of work out. I am not sure what I like better. The garish displays in my neighborhoods that regular folks spent many Saturdays perfecting or the obviously tasteful and swanky white light displays. I will say this...I do not like the blowup decorations. I like lights. I don't the plastic nativity scene that lights up. I like wreaths on fences and candle lights in windows. Let's keep it simple, people.

Moment of Zen

This isn't the first time that I have had a musical beef with that Jessica Simpson. Remember when she covered "These Boots Are Made For Walking"? Terrible. That is one of my top five karaoke songs. Now, NOW! she takes it upon herself to honor the busty one, the lyrical one, the humble one...Miss Dolly Parton! This video says it all. Don't worry, you won't be dumber for watching it. I tested it for you.

Car Thoughts

I was driving down the road this afternoon and the relationship issue of burning bridges kept flowing through my mind. I am always amazed at how easy it is to mess up a relationship. On the other hand, some relationships can weather many storms.

I sometimes wonder if people know and appreciate the harm they do by doing nothing. By doing nothing, a person can basically injure a relationship through the ever-powerful tool of apathy. Can a bridge be burned through detachment? Or does it deteriorate through simple neglect?

Just some thoughts today.

Things That Never, NEVER Get Old For Me

1. Soft serve ice cream.
2. Taking pictures with my camera.
3. Rapping to Biggie in my car.
   
4. Saturday Night Live skits involving, but not limited to, Will Farrell, Bill Murray, Bill Clinton impersonations, Bob Dole/Real World, and Mike Myers.
5. Fantasizing 'bout having long, shiny hair.
6. Plaid.
7. Longing for the central time zone.
8. The Philadelphia accent.
9. Wedding dances.
10. My email when it says NEW MAIL!
11. Waterslides and roller coasters
12. The Nutcracker Ballet

Oh, Snap

Well, I think the cold snap has begun in Philadelphia.

Today was the first day that my toes were very cold during recess. I think circulation gets worse with age. I recall standing out in the North Dakota recesses when I was required to send the children out unless it was 32 degrees BELOW zero and my feet didn't get so cold so fast. Maybe I have lost my North Dakota edge that I wear on my sleeve. Whatever the case, I am going to buy some boots. I need to buy some cute boots, not ugly ones. I won't wear ugly boots. However, they have to be warm too. A challenge.

Home Sweet Home

Before
This is a photo of our living room as we viewed it when we put an offer on the house. Enjoy the baby blue walls and peach trim.





After
This is the living room after we painted it HUMBLE GOLD and white for the trim. Of course, our stuff is in the living room now. We are currently on the hunt for a picture or something to go above the fireplace. I am also a little home decor challenged so I am stumped with what should go under the tall white shelf above the book shelf. Any suggestions? The doors leading to the three season porch are still taped and ready for painting, but for now, they remain peach because it is too cold and I will end up painting them shut. I am also looking for suggestions for drape colors. See the window by the steps? I am not sure what color I should use there.

Check out some more pictures of this room. I will add some photos of the dining room once I have done a little more work to it. I am not sure if I need anything above the television center. What do you think?

One thing that I noticed as we put things away with this move, our stuff seems smaller. We've always had little apartments with very little wall space. Our wall decorations seem so small, like they are trying hard to fill a big space.

Holidays Are Here Again!

Saddest Christmas Song: I'll Be Home for Christmas

It is such a tease of a song. "Please have snow and mistletoe and presents on the tree". What is the point of all of that if you are there "only in my dreams"? Although it is a bummer of a song, it is also one of my favorites. I have stumbled upon a version sung by the group HEM. Beautiful. Check it out on itunes.

Funniest Christmas Song: You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

I am not sure when this ditty became a holiday classic, but it is great. I was driving yesterday and getting my curse on when this song came over the radio. I couldn't help but be amused. It is more than a song, it is all the times that I watched this cartoon as a child and enjoyed it each season. With lyrics such as " You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch. You're a nasty, wasty skunk. Your heart is full of unwashed socks. Your soul is full of gunk," you have to enjoy it for it's eight year old humor.

Favorite Christmas Ritual: Decorating the Tree

We have this little Charlie Brown Tree that has followed us from apartment to apartment. Each Christmas, I receive more ornaments from students and the little Charlie Brown tree greets them with open branches. Now that we have a larger space for our tree, we just can't seem to get rid of it. It is perfect for us. No mess, no fuss. This is actually an activity that I do by myself. As a child, I always decorated the tree with my dad. We both loved pulling out the ornaments each year and pressing the buttons to hear the music or carefully placing each memory on the tree. Now, with my own ornaments, I like to remember the child, friend, or family member who gave me each ornament.

Favorite Gift to Receive: Christmas Cards!

I love going to the mail each day in December (sometimes into January) and receiving a pile of red and green envelopes filled with photos and greetings. People are so clever with their letters and updates. Although I know what most of my family and friends are up to on a daily basis, I still love to get the photos. For the past two years, I have scrapbooked the Christmas photos and I can look back and see how the children and families have grown. Although we do not have children, we still send out a photo each year. I usually do a letter too with our favorites from the year, but this year, just a card and a photo.

Movie Night

Tonight, we will watch Spinal Tap. I hope it isn't like Blazing Saddles. Everyone thinks it is great and I couldn't stand it. People always have a list of favorite movies, but I can never think of any. Sure, I like The Godfather and Good Fellas a whole bunch, but other than that, I am usually stumped. So, after much consideration, I am adding two more movies to my list. This might surprise some people but I am adding Elf and Something's Gotta Give. I love both of these movies. Both clever and laugh out loud funny.

Irreplaceable

I kind of think that I am like most people. Most people have favorite things. Attachments that are hard to let go or leave behind. It seems so superficial to love something that can be replaced. When I am trying to convince myself that I can replace these beloved "things", I find myself convinced that they are irreplaceable.

My mother made me an orange, twin sized quilt when I was a small child. It has brown yarn tied throughout the blanket. There is a slight tear in the right corner of the quilt. The stuffing is barely there and the blanket is made up of mostly two pieces of worn cloth stitched together on all sides. My orange, twin sized quilt is one of my most prized possessions. It is a comfort to me when I am sick. It is what I reach for when I need warmth. I have been toying with the idea of storing my quilt to ensure that it is forever with me. My mother even gave me a replacement quilt that she had made for her bed. It is orange and made of the same material, but it isn't quite the same. It isn't worn in all the right places. I don't see myself giving my orange, twin sized quilt up to the vacuum sealing bags just yet.

Adult Thoughts...and Not the Dirty Kind

Do you ever have moments when you say to yourself, "I can't believe I am a grown up." Being grown up has lots of advantages, but I can name several disadvantages. First, grown ups have to clean their own bathrooms. I hate cleaning the bathroom, but as soon as I publish this little post, I am going to be scrubbing a toilet and floor. How glamorous.

Grown ups also have to pick up milk on the way home from work and if you forget because you are too busy jamming to "All Through the Night" by Cindy Lauper, you have to get in your car and get the stinkin' milk anyway.

Being a grown up means that most things are planned out for you. There are few surprises in my day. Surprises usually come in the form of a phone call from a friend or a boogery nose at kindergarten...theirs, not mine.

Budging Update

For all those that are curious, I was midwestern nice with the elderly budger. I said nothing. I let it go. I like to pride myself on my decency for decorum and respect in a season of lost etiquette.

What Would Sara Do?

Waiting in line at Kohl's today, an elderly woman started to make small talk with me. She pulled her cart up behind me and started in about the lines. I just smiled and nodded my head. It was like any small talk session, but I felt her cart creeping in on me. The line curved a little and as we approached the curve, Granny took this as her opportunity to BUDGE in front of me.

I know this was a strategy rather than early onset dementia. So, I had a choice. Call this budging, old person out on her rude shopping behavior and run the chance of her shaming me for not respecting my elders. OR I could ignore this lapse in etiquette and wait for her turn rather than mine. What do you think I did?

New Music

It is no mystery that I have a slight obsession with Cat Stevens. I have so many adolescent memories wrapped up in Cat's melodies and lyrics. Why a child of the late 80's and 90's would connect with this 70's folk god is also a great mystery, but it all started with "Peace Train" as I listened to the oldies station. It was followed up with the Cat Steven's tape that I never returned to a friend because I truly believed that I loved it more. Still have it. In my car.

So, you can imagine my joy now that Cat has a new CD out. He is no longer Cat, but instead, Yusuf Islam. All I can say is that I love Yusuf! My favorite song on the new CD is "Heaven/Where True Love Goes". I don't think the whole CD is fantastic, but most of it is amazing. Now, if you are into the Nickelbacky/EMO rock, you won't dig on Yusuf. If you love Cat, you'll love Yusuf.

At Last

Finally! My home is complete because I FINALLY have internet. I have some serious updating to do on this blog, online Christmas shopping to do, and writing quality emails to chums. All I want to do is belly up to the computer and spend a ton of time on the computer. Does this make me a huge nerd? I think so.

Stupid Verizon

They may not know it, but I am in a HUGE fight with Verizon. For four days in a row, they have stood us up. They were supposed to come to the house and hook me up with some sweet internet, but they let me down. I am a little bitter that I am no longer updating the blog, checking email with gusto, and reading the news like I am capable of. Up yours, Verizon.

On the otherhand, we got so much accomplished this weekend. The dining room is painted, boxes are unpacked, and we were able to enjoy some much needed TV time. Our TV wasn't turned on until Sunday night so we bought Scrubs, Season Four and we are lovin' it!

So, with luck and little anger, I hope that Verizon will pull it together and get over to my 'hood and hook me up.

Shorty

I am without internet at my new house. We've waited for three days for Verizon to get it right. They are quite forgetful and will say they are coming and then, they don't. Oops.

I do not like being without internet AND cable. I need to be informed somehow and yet, I am surviving on the radio time I get driving to and from work.

I have so much to say on the blog regarding my house, my life, Thanksgiving, and more, yet I do not have the proper internet time to construct worthy posts.

So, for today, this will have to suffice.

Top Five Stressful Things In My Life
1. Painting is a tedious task that has to be done.
2. I miss my old grocery store.
3. The hardware store is fast becoming the replacement for the craft store and I don't like it one bit.
4. I am making a Thanksgiving meal on Thursday and I haven't bought one ingredient.
5. Painting is a tedious task that has to be done.

Home

Whoa. I haven't posted since Tuesday! I hope I still have readers out there.

Basically, I have been busy with moving and school stuff. School stuff is boring so let me tell you all about my adventures in home owning.

First of all, I think I have a knack for handy work. Just this morning, I finished painting the banister, taped the dining room so I can paint this week, and hung a mirror. To most home owners, this seems simple, but again, we are not handy people. Along with my feats of handiness this morning, Tim and I hung three sets of blinds (one in the mudroom and two in the bathroom), raked the leaves, changed light plates, put together a bed, unpacked all the boxes, and cleaned some of the hardwood floors. Things are really coming together.

I anticipate in one week you will be feasting your eyes on photos of my handiwork. I don't want to post them until the rooms are completed.

It seemed very appropriate that last night we chilled out on the couch, ate macaroni and cheese, and watched Battlestar Galactica. When we can do that, we must be feeling like it is home.

Votin'

I voted in my third state today.

The very first time that I voted, I was 18 years old and couldn't wait to be part of this beautiful democratic system. My polling place just happen to be my high school so I voted and then, had a delicious breakfast bagel at the high school deli.

I have had other memorable voting experiences besides the first time. I remember the year that Bill Clinton ran against Bob Dole. I was living with my college roommate who was/is a strong Republican. She would sport Bob Dole pins and stickers like it was going out of style. I encouraged this type of enthusiasm because it is better than apathy. Maybe it was easy to take since there was no way that Bob Dole would beat Bill Clinton. The man needs Kryptonite to bring him down.

Today was special for many reasons but the most important of all is that I might be part of Rick Santorum's undoing. It could be special because of the elderly man that kept telling the polling ladies that his name was Forrest Gump and he really wouldn't come clean about his real name. Or at least when I was there.

Paint It Like You Own It

I have been saying for years that Tim and I are not handy people, but I think I might have been wrong. It was just that we were never put into a place to be handy. All this changed this weekend as we started our first home improvement project.

Like many couples, we have assumed certain roles in our marriage. I have always been the person to do the leg work leading up to any task or job that we do together. This was no exception. After two trips to the Home Depot and the Sherwin Williams store, I had gathered the items needed to paint our living room walls, trim, french doors, and fireplace mantle. After school on Friday, I started taping the walls. I was almost finished with Tim arrived and suggested that we get started painting the first coat even though the plan was to start on Saturday morning. I am so glad we did because it was a longer job than I even anticipated.

Decked out in my favorite long-sleeve t-shirt, one the I usually reserve for days when I am sick and need something comforting, and Tim in rolled up jeans for reasons I am still unsure of, we entered into what might be our most ambitious team effort of our marriage. Our weekends for the first six years of our marriage have been spent sleeping in, coffee on the outside, long drives, and doing really whatever we want. Those days are over now that we are homeowners, or at least, until the house is up to my aesthetic standards.

For everything that we love about the house that we just bought, there are still a few things that need immediate change. The peach trim and baby blue walls were job numero uno on that list! It just wouldn't work with our warm colored furnishings and I just could not do it. So, we/I settled on Humble Gold.

I was a bit frantic as it was applied because I didn't want a sunshine yellow, but rather, a warm mustardy gold. It wasn't until the white trim was painted that I started to realize that I had made the right choice. These photos were the product of Saturday's work. We worked all day today and are left with two walls and the banister that need a second coat of white trim and the touch up work.

I'll be sure to post the final product once we are all moved in and the tape is removed. Check out the peach trim. Sometimes all you can do is just shake your head in wonder.

Big Day

We are closing on our house today. Big day. I have to say that it is more stressful than joyous at this point. Once we get the keys in our hands, we'll be thrilled but until then, we will sign until we get hand cramps.

We've waited a long time for this day. We've watched all of our friends and families buy their first homes while we have moved from apartment to apartment. There are so many exciting things going through my head, but the one clear idea that stands out is the idea of warmth. I know that our home will be warm and inviting. It will be a sanctuary for us where we can leave in the morning and return to at night.

My excitement has translated even into the mundane duties that homeowners have. I can't wait until the spring when I can mow the yard and trim the landscaping. It is tempting to buy more than one color of paint because my mind is already planning out each room. Although it will cost money, I am even excited to have a tree removed that is crowding the house.

The house has given me a new role other than friend, daughter, wife, teacher. I am now a handy person. That is easier said than done, but I think I have a handy woman laying dormant inside of me. I couldn't have spent so much time with my father and not learned a thing or two about fixing and putting together.