What an exciting finish to the game last night, the Patriots down by a dozen points and not moving the ball. The announcers were making it clear that the Cinderella team was going to leave the field empty-handed when the Patriots began playing football.
It was awe-inspiring to watch the team regain dominance of the game, to score, to pull off a 16th consecutive win, a feat no other football team has accomplished. The celebration on the field, however, was tarnished by the commentators who warned that sure, this is a big milestone, but "it means nothing" if they don't win the play-offs!
Ah, come on: the announcers are all former athletes whose teams did NOT accomplish this feat, so they have to take it away from the first team in NFL history that does?
Grow up and get gracious! Give credit where credit is due and allow both the team and the fans to revel in it for a day before you start hacking away at the glitter and the glory of the accomplishment.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Double Tap
Of course, if someone is going to tap your back bumper with their front bumper because they aren't paying attention to the traffic, it'll be at the busiest intersection possible. When you exit your vehicle to assess the damage, there are 5000 cars behind you, drivers honking their horns and/or swerving around you into the oncoming traffic lanes, creating a really dangerous situation.
It's just 2 holes and the outline of his license plate, but the holes are punched through the bumper. He looked, said, "oh, well, sorry," got back into his vehicle and drove off! I could have chased him onto the freeway and tried to stop him or get his license plate, but at that moment, it didn't seem worth it.
I guess I can either patch the holes with auto body putty--or just leave them and move on, which seems like a good idea.
It's just 2 holes and the outline of his license plate, but the holes are punched through the bumper. He looked, said, "oh, well, sorry," got back into his vehicle and drove off! I could have chased him onto the freeway and tried to stop him or get his license plate, but at that moment, it didn't seem worth it.
I guess I can either patch the holes with auto body putty--or just leave them and move on, which seems like a good idea.
It Sucks!
Lowe's opens at 6 am, so after eating b'fast by myself (I guess everyone else decided to sleep in), I shopped vacuum cleaners. I was particularly interested in the Shark brand as I have a cordless/bagless rechargeable that does a great quick job, especially on flat carpet and/or tile floors. I have been using it daily to keep up with the dog hair deposits, and usually have to empty the little dirt cup 4-6 times per use.
I compared the Shark models with the other display models and went with the Eureka as almost all of the features were the same except for amps; the Shark had 9.5 and the Eureka 12.0, so I went with the more powerful motor.
It was easy to assemble, and is lightweight and powerful: I revacuumed the carpet throughout the house, a chore I had just done Wednesday morning, and had to empty the dirt container twice! It clogged with the dog hair, and the air filter clogged with dirt, but it was pretty easy to empty and reattach to the machine. I still don't know why/how the desert has so much dirt when it's allegedly all sand out here, but it does, and that dirt comes in through the smallest openings and spreads throughout the entire house.
The extension wand works well for removing Mia hair from the furniture, as well as dusting the overhead fans, leaving the surfaces nice and clean for a change. The handle telescopes, so I can adjust the height to my personal preference. There are 3 adjustments for sucking power: bare floors, which just need vacuum; carpet, which needs the beater brush; and an extra setting for using the hose and nozzle features.
But the greatest feature of all is the price: $60. I will have paid for this new vac in 3 months just in saving the cost of replacement bags for my old vac. In addition, the new vac actually sucks, so the carpet is cleaner than it's been in months, which makes me very happy indeed.
I compared the Shark models with the other display models and went with the Eureka as almost all of the features were the same except for amps; the Shark had 9.5 and the Eureka 12.0, so I went with the more powerful motor.
It was easy to assemble, and is lightweight and powerful: I revacuumed the carpet throughout the house, a chore I had just done Wednesday morning, and had to empty the dirt container twice! It clogged with the dog hair, and the air filter clogged with dirt, but it was pretty easy to empty and reattach to the machine. I still don't know why/how the desert has so much dirt when it's allegedly all sand out here, but it does, and that dirt comes in through the smallest openings and spreads throughout the entire house.
The extension wand works well for removing Mia hair from the furniture, as well as dusting the overhead fans, leaving the surfaces nice and clean for a change. The handle telescopes, so I can adjust the height to my personal preference. There are 3 adjustments for sucking power: bare floors, which just need vacuum; carpet, which needs the beater brush; and an extra setting for using the hose and nozzle features.
But the greatest feature of all is the price: $60. I will have paid for this new vac in 3 months just in saving the cost of replacement bags for my old vac. In addition, the new vac actually sucks, so the carpet is cleaner than it's been in months, which makes me very happy indeed.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Holiday Update
A good time was had by all. My decorations passed inspection, as well as my separate serving areas for entrees, beverages, condiments, and desserts. My cookie table was a wow, and everyone loved having a small cookie tin to fill and take home, allegedly for the spouses :) We know how that goes.
The hit of the party were the Ritz chocolate marshmallow cookies! I had to type up the recipe and send it out as everyone wanted to make their own batch after the party. Hurrah.
My friend, whom I dropped at the airport Thursday for a flight back east--and then took back Friday to see if she could depart--finally arrived at her destination at 4 AM Saturday morning. She was given a list of excuses, including mechanical delay, traffic stacked up, weather, and rescheduled flights, which resulted in her spending over 10 hours at the Chicago airport. I guess she was actually lucky to have departed Chicago at all, judging by the canceled flights to other destinations.
However, because of the changes to her flights, her parents called a car service to drive the 90 miles to pick her up and then drive the 90 miles back to her final destination because there was no connecting final flight. The driver was supposed to pick her up at midnight, but the plane didn't land until 2 AM, so it was a long trip for everyone involved. The last time she returned from the east, the flights were rerouted and she and her family ended up at an airport 3 hours from her home in the desert--with no way to get here, her final destination. That time they rented a car and drove the rest of the way home--and sent a blistering letter to the airlines, which made them feel better but earned the same result my letters had: too bad, so sad, let's move on.
My daughter-in-law is on her way to the west coast from Canada, and the morning news warns that storms are continuing to cause hundreds of canceled/delayed/rescheduled flights.
In spite of what travelers are told by the airlines, no one cares and no accommodations are made for delays, inconvenience, stress. Once you buy a ticket, it's a crap shoot whether you will--or will not--make it to your destination, and arrival date/time are simply anyone's best guess.
My best travel advice: take a tin of home-baked cookies so when the going gets tough, the tough can enjoy a hot cup of coffee with the delicious cookies!
The hit of the party were the Ritz chocolate marshmallow cookies! I had to type up the recipe and send it out as everyone wanted to make their own batch after the party. Hurrah.
My friend, whom I dropped at the airport Thursday for a flight back east--and then took back Friday to see if she could depart--finally arrived at her destination at 4 AM Saturday morning. She was given a list of excuses, including mechanical delay, traffic stacked up, weather, and rescheduled flights, which resulted in her spending over 10 hours at the Chicago airport. I guess she was actually lucky to have departed Chicago at all, judging by the canceled flights to other destinations.
However, because of the changes to her flights, her parents called a car service to drive the 90 miles to pick her up and then drive the 90 miles back to her final destination because there was no connecting final flight. The driver was supposed to pick her up at midnight, but the plane didn't land until 2 AM, so it was a long trip for everyone involved. The last time she returned from the east, the flights were rerouted and she and her family ended up at an airport 3 hours from her home in the desert--with no way to get here, her final destination. That time they rented a car and drove the rest of the way home--and sent a blistering letter to the airlines, which made them feel better but earned the same result my letters had: too bad, so sad, let's move on.
My daughter-in-law is on her way to the west coast from Canada, and the morning news warns that storms are continuing to cause hundreds of canceled/delayed/rescheduled flights.
In spite of what travelers are told by the airlines, no one cares and no accommodations are made for delays, inconvenience, stress. Once you buy a ticket, it's a crap shoot whether you will--or will not--make it to your destination, and arrival date/time are simply anyone's best guess.
My best travel advice: take a tin of home-baked cookies so when the going gets tough, the tough can enjoy a hot cup of coffee with the delicious cookies!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Making Martha Better
Yesterday, Martha and a guest made a simple holiday treat: Ritz crackers dipped in chocolate. At first, I thought ... yuk, but then I thought hmmm, so, on the way home from Friday b'fast, I stopped and bought groceries, including the box of Ritz ($2) and the big hunk 'o melting chocolate (milk chocolate, my favorite, at $2.64).
When I got home, emptied the grocery bags, and set up for making the choco crackers, I glanced at the 1/2 empty jar of marshmallow creme ($1.29), left over from a batch of fudge. I thought why not? So, while the milk choco was slowly melting in the microwave set on power level 1, I globbed some marshmallow creme on the top of a dozen crackers.
My motto is "dare to do the recipe differently."
I dipped the marshmallow side first, then flipped the cracker and finished covering it with the melted chocolate, then set the crackers on the Sil-pat to dry. I did another 2 dozen crackers without the marshmallow creme, but broke one cracker in half to make a tester.
I shoulda covered ALL the crackers with marshmallow before dipping because they are delicious! My choco layer is a bit thick (duh!), but boy, is this a good treat. I got 3 dozen treats for about $6.00, a bargain in anyone's kitchen.
This is so easy to do that a child literally could do it without any parental interference. Next time you think marshmallow treats, think chocolate marshmallow Ritz crackers instead. Really.
When I got home, emptied the grocery bags, and set up for making the choco crackers, I glanced at the 1/2 empty jar of marshmallow creme ($1.29), left over from a batch of fudge. I thought why not? So, while the milk choco was slowly melting in the microwave set on power level 1, I globbed some marshmallow creme on the top of a dozen crackers.
My motto is "dare to do the recipe differently."
I dipped the marshmallow side first, then flipped the cracker and finished covering it with the melted chocolate, then set the crackers on the Sil-pat to dry. I did another 2 dozen crackers without the marshmallow creme, but broke one cracker in half to make a tester.
I shoulda covered ALL the crackers with marshmallow before dipping because they are delicious! My choco layer is a bit thick (duh!), but boy, is this a good treat. I got 3 dozen treats for about $6.00, a bargain in anyone's kitchen.
This is so easy to do that a child literally could do it without any parental interference. Next time you think marshmallow treats, think chocolate marshmallow Ritz crackers instead. Really.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Quick Note
For the lovely people who believe that sugar-free chocolate tastes great and will help a diabetic through the holiday season, I have one word: NOT!
My Top 10 Rants
10. Paying $150 to replace the red plastic cover for the tail light I used to find the latch on my friend’s driveway gate. No longer can one simply remove 4 screws, replace the broken plastic cover, and go on with life: it’s a modular component and the whole darned (fully-functional) tail light assembly had to be replaced to fix the (broken) plastic cover. What a rip-off.
9. Replacing the plastic lever for flushing the toilet with a metal one, only to find that it slips off the plastic aperture the lever raises to flush the toilet.
8. Setting out a huge trash barrel for “clean up” day, along with a flimsy pseudo table base—and the trash truck driver only picks up the flimsy pseudo table base, NOT the huge trash barrel.
7. Putting up with the faulty engine light on the Camry, which comes on when the gas tank goes below 1/4 tank, but doesn’t go off until at least 5 future tanks of gas have been burned.
6. Cutting open gift packaging to qualify for a purchase rebate, part of the reason for buying the gift in the first place, rather than something else, and then realizing that the gift now looks like a regifted whatever.
5. Regarding the latest Speer’s pregnancy, it’s not that a 16-year-old child is pregnant with an 18-year-old’s baby: that’s biology. It’s that a 13-year-old child was allowed to date a 16-year-old 3 years ago: that’s irresponsible parenting.
4. Watching the homage paid to "Miss Patti" on Clash of the Choirs based, as best I can tell, on her age (63), her relationship to Beyonce, her family's battle with cancer, and her own long singing career. I though it was about the CHOIRS: silly me.
3. Listening to the hullabaloo about Huckabee’s Christmas ad prominently featuring a "cross,” which is actually part of the bookcase in the background. There is also a Christmas tree AND a Christmas sweater in the same shot because … it’s Christmas!
2. Pulling into a gas station advertising gas 5¢ a gallon less than the competition across the street to find that there’s an additional 50¢ fee to use an ATM card—which is, actually, an additional 5¢ a gallon increase in a 10-gallon tank of gas!
1. Believing the claim on the Super Saver skein of Red Heart Knitting Worsted: No Dye Lot. The color from one skein to the next is supposed to match, but even though I bought all 10 skeins at the same time, the shades are different from one skein to the next, which is quite apparent in the all-one-color afghan I’m crocheting!
9. Replacing the plastic lever for flushing the toilet with a metal one, only to find that it slips off the plastic aperture the lever raises to flush the toilet.
8. Setting out a huge trash barrel for “clean up” day, along with a flimsy pseudo table base—and the trash truck driver only picks up the flimsy pseudo table base, NOT the huge trash barrel.
7. Putting up with the faulty engine light on the Camry, which comes on when the gas tank goes below 1/4 tank, but doesn’t go off until at least 5 future tanks of gas have been burned.
6. Cutting open gift packaging to qualify for a purchase rebate, part of the reason for buying the gift in the first place, rather than something else, and then realizing that the gift now looks like a regifted whatever.
5. Regarding the latest Speer’s pregnancy, it’s not that a 16-year-old child is pregnant with an 18-year-old’s baby: that’s biology. It’s that a 13-year-old child was allowed to date a 16-year-old 3 years ago: that’s irresponsible parenting.
4. Watching the homage paid to "Miss Patti" on Clash of the Choirs based, as best I can tell, on her age (63), her relationship to Beyonce, her family's battle with cancer, and her own long singing career. I though it was about the CHOIRS: silly me.
3. Listening to the hullabaloo about Huckabee’s Christmas ad prominently featuring a "cross,” which is actually part of the bookcase in the background. There is also a Christmas tree AND a Christmas sweater in the same shot because … it’s Christmas!
2. Pulling into a gas station advertising gas 5¢ a gallon less than the competition across the street to find that there’s an additional 50¢ fee to use an ATM card—which is, actually, an additional 5¢ a gallon increase in a 10-gallon tank of gas!
1. Believing the claim on the Super Saver skein of Red Heart Knitting Worsted: No Dye Lot. The color from one skein to the next is supposed to match, but even though I bought all 10 skeins at the same time, the shades are different from one skein to the next, which is quite apparent in the all-one-color afghan I’m crocheting!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Housekeeping
It seemed like a good idea earlier today to start cleaning the house before the party next weekend. I routinely put off dusting because it's like ironing: if I iron a shirt, that's the one that'll be worn the next day, so why waste the time ironing it? With dusting, I no sooner dust than the wind blows and fills the house with dirt, so I have to dust all over again.
Learning to balance between dusting too often and not dusting at all takes years of observation, field tests, and patience.
I vacuum more often than I dust, however, because of the dog hair. I really don't like having animals in the house, and Mia doesn't just share the house--she occupies it. There are no boundaries to where she plops, so there is dog hair everywhere, all the time. Hence, the vacuum gets quite a workout.
And I hate my vacuum! I paid a fortune for the darned thing and every time (yes, really, EVERY time) I use it, the belt slips off the smoothe peg hidden deep inside the belly of the beast. I have to manhandle the machine, take it apart, force the too-small belt back onto the peg, put the pieces back together--and then finish vacuuming. Of course, the machine belches dirt and dog hair back onto the floor during this process, which means I have to revacuum what I've already done!
And the expensive little dirt bag fills up every other week, so I'm constantly changing the bag, as well as cleaning out the flexible hoses, which pack with dog hair and then nothing works.
Anyway, I started the process today and have left the implements in the hallway so I'll trip over them in the morning, reminding myself that I have another several hours of cleaning to do because I'm finished for tonight.
Putting this all into perspective, I've realized that I need to invite people over more often so it isn't such a big deal! For crying out loud, this is 7 people for 2 hours a week from now --- I need to get a grip!
Learning to balance between dusting too often and not dusting at all takes years of observation, field tests, and patience.
I vacuum more often than I dust, however, because of the dog hair. I really don't like having animals in the house, and Mia doesn't just share the house--she occupies it. There are no boundaries to where she plops, so there is dog hair everywhere, all the time. Hence, the vacuum gets quite a workout.
And I hate my vacuum! I paid a fortune for the darned thing and every time (yes, really, EVERY time) I use it, the belt slips off the smoothe peg hidden deep inside the belly of the beast. I have to manhandle the machine, take it apart, force the too-small belt back onto the peg, put the pieces back together--and then finish vacuuming. Of course, the machine belches dirt and dog hair back onto the floor during this process, which means I have to revacuum what I've already done!
And the expensive little dirt bag fills up every other week, so I'm constantly changing the bag, as well as cleaning out the flexible hoses, which pack with dog hair and then nothing works.
Anyway, I started the process today and have left the implements in the hallway so I'll trip over them in the morning, reminding myself that I have another several hours of cleaning to do because I'm finished for tonight.
Putting this all into perspective, I've realized that I need to invite people over more often so it isn't such a big deal! For crying out loud, this is 7 people for 2 hours a week from now --- I need to get a grip!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
I KNOW BETTER!
MSN is the worst: they offer all kinds of incentives for "free" products and suck you into trying other products vis a vis a "survey" that is actually a marketing tool.
However, in a moment of weakness, there was an offer for the new Oreo snack cakes, and I thought I'd take advantage of the offer as I often take snack cakes to night classes with me for the students who come straight from work.
AARRGGHH! It was another darned marketing strategy. Even though I exited quickly, it was not quickly enough to avoid the deluge of spam that has followed! I am now receiving about 15 messages a day, all including my name (I thought the Oreo offer was sincere, so I actually provided my name so I could get the goodies) to personalize the message and, hopefully, convince me that I have solicited the spam.
I've run AdAware and Norton/McAfee, and now I'm going into the program files on the hard drive to be sure all the temp internet files are deleted, although I know in my mind that there is no way to keep them from taking over my computer.
Damn MSN!
This is the ONLY site where I encounter these issues, but it's the address I use for business mail, so don't want to delete the account and start over.
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me repeatedly--shame on me for falling for it again!
However, in a moment of weakness, there was an offer for the new Oreo snack cakes, and I thought I'd take advantage of the offer as I often take snack cakes to night classes with me for the students who come straight from work.
AARRGGHH! It was another darned marketing strategy. Even though I exited quickly, it was not quickly enough to avoid the deluge of spam that has followed! I am now receiving about 15 messages a day, all including my name (I thought the Oreo offer was sincere, so I actually provided my name so I could get the goodies) to personalize the message and, hopefully, convince me that I have solicited the spam.
I've run AdAware and Norton/McAfee, and now I'm going into the program files on the hard drive to be sure all the temp internet files are deleted, although I know in my mind that there is no way to keep them from taking over my computer.
Damn MSN!
This is the ONLY site where I encounter these issues, but it's the address I use for business mail, so don't want to delete the account and start over.
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me repeatedly--shame on me for falling for it again!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Good Yule
The mountains are covered with snow, the level down far enough that the lowest foothills had a sprinkling that is melting as the sun comes back to the valley. We've had more rain in the past 10 days than we had all last year, so it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ... wait, that'd be a great title for a song!I'm actually into it this year, decorating because my daughter-in-law, who loves Christmas, is going to visit--and I volunteered to hostess the b'fast club holiday party. I've actually bought and sent gifts, as well as placed wrapped packages around the tree already. I've made a couple of decorations and have stocked the cookie tins with sweets. For the highly motivated holiday devotee this seems commonplace, but I often put off Christmas until the weekend before just because I'm not a fan of "have to" anything.
Yesterday afforded a special time to wander through the memories of a time long past when I accepted an invitation to a holiday social function, the Lucia Festival, sponsored by the local VASA chapter. I was tickled to meet many Scandinavians and to hear brief snatches of my mother's heritage languages: Swedish and Norwegian.
The Lucia bride walked through the seated guests, along with her court, candles glowing on her crown of holly leaves. Her white robe was sashed with gold, and she carried a candle, instead of the traditional coffee bread for the family on Christmas morning. Her court sang caroles as they walked with her, and one woman and her daughter, both with beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes, sang Swedish holiday songs.
This was the 40th festival for this group, and as I enjoyed the pageant, my mind wandered back to my freshman year in college, when my roommate was the first Lucia bride at our Lutheran college.
Familiar family holiday songs were sung in Swedish by a trio of entertainers. Two Swedes seated at my table, who came to the country about 40 years ago, joined in, smiles lighting their faces. My mother reverted to her heritage language a few years before her death, and she laughed when I told her I no longer knew what she was saying --except for the common expressions that were used almost daily.
Yesterday, I didn't know the words either, but I remembered so many times being the one at the piano playing the songs, with my Scandinavian family members singing loudly and proudly. When I segued from the non-holiday music into the folk songs, they rocked the room with laughter and dancing! None of my family on my mother's side were tiny, so when they danced, the whole house vibrated. My father, who spent the time downstairs sneaking liquor with the other men, usually came up the stairs and announced that the house was going to fall down around our heads. Everyone laughed, danced more, and sang louder.
Dinner was (what else?) Swedish meatballs (yes, made with pork), dilled potatoes, veggies, Swedish rye with lingonberry jam, pickled herring, and rice pudding dessert (pictured). Although 9 almonds were added to the pudding to see who would clean up the kitchen, no one admitted to finding one. My mom used raisins after my dad bit into the almond one year and broke his tooth! With the age of the guests yesterday, I was worried we'd have to replace an entire bridge.
The only disappointment was the craft table: I thought it would be a craft event in a separate room, but it was just a few little items on a card table. I remember from my childhood that when Scandinavians had a chance to show off their handcrafts, they NEEDED an extra room for the displays! There were some baked goods, but I took a pass because I've been baking at home for the party I'm hostessing, as well as the family visit. So far, I'm being pretty good about staying away from the sweets, but it's tough this year!
It was fun, and I'm glad I said yes.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Cookie Tins
I volunteered to have the b'fast club Christmas function at my house this year. They all know I don't decorate, but I did find 6 Christmas music CDs, so it must be my destiny to entertain this year. I have candles and can find some garland, and if I twine my houseplants with twinkle lights, it may do as decoration. However, if guests are going to cross my threshold, I need holiday goodies to go with the music, so that means tins filled with an assortment of whatevers.
A quick trip to the market yesterday walked me past a display of small tins, each with its own variety of cookie to bake: pumpkin spice, apple pie, banana walnut, caramel macchiato, peppermint mocha, and dark chocolate expresso. The baking kit was marked $2.99 and required 1 egg and 5 tablespoons of butter and baking. Half the flavors came with frosting packets, and the only thing better than a plain cookie is a frosted cookie.
What a deal.
I've seldom met a cookie I didn't like, and I've recently discovered the bags of Betty Crocker cookie mix at 4 for $7, which, when the butter and egg are added, make some mighty delicious cookies! If the tins of cookie mix bake up half as well, I'm ready for the ho-ho-holidays!
An hour and a half later, I now have a delightful assortment of one dozen each of six different kinds of cookies--along with many dozens each of choco chip and oatmeal with craisins. An added benefit is a heated home without turning on the furnace and air freshener the likes of none that come in a can!
The success of the holiday season begins with a single step, and since I've taken that, it's off to the local variety store to check into twinkle lights!
A quick trip to the market yesterday walked me past a display of small tins, each with its own variety of cookie to bake: pumpkin spice, apple pie, banana walnut, caramel macchiato, peppermint mocha, and dark chocolate expresso. The baking kit was marked $2.99 and required 1 egg and 5 tablespoons of butter and baking. Half the flavors came with frosting packets, and the only thing better than a plain cookie is a frosted cookie.
What a deal.
I've seldom met a cookie I didn't like, and I've recently discovered the bags of Betty Crocker cookie mix at 4 for $7, which, when the butter and egg are added, make some mighty delicious cookies! If the tins of cookie mix bake up half as well, I'm ready for the ho-ho-holidays!
An hour and a half later, I now have a delightful assortment of one dozen each of six different kinds of cookies--along with many dozens each of choco chip and oatmeal with craisins. An added benefit is a heated home without turning on the furnace and air freshener the likes of none that come in a can!
The success of the holiday season begins with a single step, and since I've taken that, it's off to the local variety store to check into twinkle lights!
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