Tuesday, January 31, 2006
FYI, (for those of you who don't already know) I'll be treating myself to some dinner and drinks at the Claddagh Irish Pub on my birthday. If you'd like to treat yourself (or me *wink wink*) to some dinner and drinks at the Claddagh Irish Pub, you should be there on Wednesday, February 8th at 7pm. Comment or email or call if you're coming so we are sure to have a big enough table!
Sunday, January 29, 2006
In the name of science...It's been awhile so I felt it was high time for a little science experiment.
I have observed that sometimes it is very easy to peel a hard-boiled egg, while other times it can be quite a challenge. In maybe my second attempt ever to hardboil eggs, I decided to determine the best way to cool the eggs in order to easily peel off the shell.
The two most common schools of thought involve letting the eggs slowly cool on the stove or immediately by running them under cold water, etc. My hypothesis was that "super-cooling" the eggs would result in an easier peel.
I experimented by boiling 10 eggs. I left 5 to cool in their pot while I ran 5 under ice cold water until dramatically cooler then popped them in the 'fridge. When the remaining eggs finally made it to the refrigerator, I carefully recorded with which method each egg was cooled.
This evening I was ready to see the results of my research. I had two delightful jumbo eggs for dinner, one from each group. While both eggs peeled better than I expected, the egg which was cooled quickly peeled with significantly less effort and the shell came off in fewer pieces.
In conclusion, I recommend super-cooling your eggs after you boil them. That 10 seconds per egg you save yourself when peeling is 10 seconds you will never get back. That's like 2 minutes per carton. Think about it.
Now go do some everyday science yourself.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
So, I just watched Book of Days starring TV's Wil Wheaton. I'm such an embarassing sap. The most horrible tv movies (Sorry Wil, you know I love you) can leave me sobbing. Ridiculous, really. In fairness it was rather touching and the resolution struck a rather heartwrenching chord with me.
But, I've cried over episodes of ST:TNG too though, so maybe it's just Wil.
Friday, January 27, 2006
I know weighing yourself everyday is an ineffective way of measuring weight loss.That being said. I've lost a pound and a half.
And my regular cardio workout is WAY more enjoyable than interval training. yikes. So let's hope I avoid the migrane I suffered at work all day yesterady. That would be delightful.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
JT is my knight in shining armor. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
This is going to be easy if I can actually GET myself to the Y 5-6 days a week.
Started with all kinds of measurements and chitchat today. Tons of good nutrition info which I really need. My trainer's eating plan is easy, realistic, and undoubtedly yummy. And it's just eating the right things in the right portions the right amount of times a day. Calorie/point counting and whatnot makes me obsessive about my food intake... like bordering on an eating disorder, so I think this is going to work well.
After that I busted through my first day of interval training. Even I can sprint for a minute at a time here and there.
I'm always amped up the first day I start something though, so let's hope I stay on track. Feel free to nag me if you know I haven't done my work out for the day!
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Pretty much if any of you were willing to hop in a car with me, I would so MAKE time off from work happen to see this.I found out about it via this bog which I just love. (do check out his site for a INSIDER reaction to the big Disney/Pixar news!) Love Love Love the Pixar gang. I wish I had known a little sooner, because even if one of you did climb in my car for the trip, it'd be a scramble at this point. LOOOOOOOOOVE.
I also pretty much need this poster for my birthday. Ok, yes. And I need the program too.
Love.
And my god, if I could ever find this poster from the wall of Mr. Incredible's "fortress of solitude".... *swoon* What I wouldn't pay for that.....
I have such mixed feelings about this!
My initial reaction was, "HOORAY!". But then I thought, "So help me, Disney, if you do to Pixar what you did to your own animation department..."
Only time will tell, but at least this means Cars WILL actually be released this summer, open the door for more Pixar goodness to come.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Your results:You are Superman
| You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.  |
I am more than ok with that. And I think Superman would agree... saving the world is so much easier than saving yourself.
You know what else is easy? Eating dinner while watching [adult swim] until I pass out from sheer mental exhaustion.
Oh, and also easy is looking hot in my new skirt. Just an FYI.
It has become wildy apparent that I simply have no control over my life or anything in it. That's fantastic.
Or not.
We'll take one step at a time and hope that my 7:30am (*gasp*) appointment with my recently aquired personal trainer this thursday will help get me pointed in the right direction.
I'm pretty stoked about it. Though with my crazy schedule, I think I'll be looking at a lot of EARLY mornings. ugh. That's going to seriously cut into the late night poker sessions. ha!
Home.
Friday, January 20, 2006
I have a weird disorder.Well, maybe a couple. But I've mentioned before my knack for finding beauty in unlikely places, for feeling compassion for oddities and generally damaged goods, for anthropomorphizing even the most hideous and commonplace inanimate objects... and then taking pity upon them.
Today's example:
A customer paid with a $50 bill. Not your average "new" $50 bill, but the "old school" kind. You know... the kind with Grant's tiny little head inside a tiny little oval? Not the kind with the ginormous head of Grant, unconstrained by mere ovals. Anyway, this magnificent piece of artwork fell into my hands and I marveled at the not-newness of it. How not-modern it looked. How those crazy kids today may never see such a tiny-headed $50 bill in their lives.
And then it happened. For a split second a thought flashed through my mind. The kind of thought that flashes through my mind when I see a new state quarter for the first time. "Do I have enough cash in my wallet to buy this out of the drawer?" And why? Well, the shiny quarters are for the novelty, but this... this was a mission of mercy. I knew full well this bill would arrive safetly at the bank tomorrow morning. And I feared that this poor obsolete bill might then end his journey around this great country. In this split second I imagined the bank teller segregating this bill from his comrades, sending him off to some mythical shredding machine, and suffering the fate that all worn, damaged, or outdated bills must someday endure.
It was all too much to bear, for a split second. I imagined buying Grant from the register, tucking him safely in my wallet and upon arrival home, giving him a safe haven in my "funny money" box full of coins and bills from a variety of travels.
But then I decided, while $5 Canadian chilling in a box isn't that big of an investment, sticking away $50, if only to save it's precious life, was just more than I really wanted to invest in my "funny money" collection.
So I laid Grant neatly on top of Mr. Franklin and shut the drawer, hoping they would have one last insightful conversation with my man A.J. and the other boys about the future of our country. Goodbye, Ulysess. I hope your trip to the bank is a safe one.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
What a difference a day makes...So the funk has lifted thanks to good news from all directions. I got a 7am wake-up call from my dad which involved possibly the best news I've personally received in... ever. But we'll deal with that later.
Then tonight I finally get the call we've ALL been waiting for for like 2 years... Jason and Angie are engaged! Hooray!!!! Their happy little family is well on it's way to being official in every sense of the word. I'm so excited for them!
And news that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy every time it rolls around is this: Tomorrow I leave for I O W A! Yes, I know. It's only Iowa. However it's not where but who you're with that really matters, right? It'll be fun to visit some of the old haunts and check out some new ones as well.
Hrm... that's enough good news for now. If I don't get to bed soon I'm not going to make it to Iowa in time for FADTI. (Well, not matter what time I arrive it will be FADTI, but Brian will be cranky)
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Randomness of the Day:"The neighbors complain about the noises above..."
So, who doesn't love Laid by James? No one. No one doesn't love it. I've been listening to the parent album (coincidently named Laid) this week and it's pretty good. Not what I expected, but I enjoy it.
Alaska is REALLY far away. I know that may seem obvious to you, but for the geographically impaired (I could be their poster child)... let's just say that those maps of the U.S. that just kind of crop Hawaii and Alaska into some corner didn't do me any favors growing up. About 2 years ago I figured out where Mt. Everest is. Do you have any idea!? So not where I expected it to be. About a year ago I got pretty comfortable with the actual locations of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Ok, I'm lying... I think I got comfortable with it for about a month. Right now I feel confident I could point to two states on a map and one would be Oklahoma and the other would be Arkansas. That's the most I can promise. Such a dunce for a fairly well traveled girl. But I haven't been out west much. And those states are definitely "out west" whether they think so or not.
I have a favorite beer from every country I've ever been to, and some that I haven't. And occasionally you'll see me with a mixed drink of sorts in hand. But one thing I have never gotten the hang of (further proof that you all stereotype the greek system too much) is shots. I can name about one. Tequila. But seriously, if you think my geographical knowledge is shameful, you should see me trying to order a round of shots. Please help me! Occasionally I find myself in competition (trivia, shuffleboard, foosball - is that how you spell foosball???) when shots are on the line. In these instances I need something clever to whip out of my arsenal, so if you have any favorites, let me know. And, I already know what's in a "Titties in your face", so you can come up with something new. Otherwise I'm going to start buying "Ex-girlfriends" for people who lose to me.
Sometimes people take things I write far too seriously/personally. They shouldn't. Certainly the vast majority of things I write shouldn't even be taken literally. Or read at all. Or written in the first place. Just ignore me. I'm not even here.
I've had a hell of a week at work. Half my leadership team is sick. Not in an "I have a runny nose" sense, but an "I'm so dehydrated from throwing up, I had to go to the hospital" sense or an "I may have pneumonia, but I do have full-on laryngitis and have forced my boyfriend to become Anne Sullivan so I can communicate with the outside world" sense. This just means I have to do a lot more work. Which is fine, until I get rundown and sick myself! Also, there was a roadtrip cancellation scare over the last 24 hours, but we think it's resolved and they'll just try to make due without me over the weekend. Either way, now I'm going to ward off the evil spirits with half a gallon of O.J., some yummy comfort food, and a good night's sleep.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Reason #51 why you should run out and join your local YMCA:When leaving your morning Pilates class you may just spy a tiny octogenarian of a man doing pliés in an otherwise uninhabited studio, ballet shoes and all.
Frankly, if that doesn't put a smile on your face, there's little hope for you.
Monday, January 16, 2006
I have GOT to get my act together. My days off for the next two weeks are completely spoken for, thanks to the keeper of my horizons, so I need to just suck it up and admit that I am capable of cleaning and doing laundry even if I have worked all day. If you catch me screwin' around online tonight tell me to get back to work! Or distract me. I wouldn't mind some random IMs to keep me entertained while I fold clothes.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
I've been so anxious lately. I don't know what my problem is. I need a vacation from myself. I can't get out of my head and NOTHING good is going on in there right now. I just have that paused, on hold, limbo, going nowhere feeling that I love so much. I just have nothing going on right now, I guess. Whatever, anyway, enough self-pity for tonight.
I had set a tentative deadline to move before my birthday. Well, I was aiming for Feb. 1st. But I may postpone that. First, while I can now afford to move, I haven't done any looking. I definitely know where I'd like to move but haven't done any research. Second, there is a top secret, hush hush, tentative, perhaps nonexistant, slight slight chance that there may be a semi-promotion/location change in my future. That may have an effect on my move. Anyway, it's so top secret, even I don't have any idea what's going on or what kind of time frame we're looking at right now. I'll keep you posted.
I really have a strong desire to be witty and funny and smart and impressive right now. But that's just not going to happen.
Funk.
I just need something new. A new home. Meet some new people. Not that I don't love my "old" people. I just need some fresh air.
Friday, January 13, 2006
So, the other day I was snooping around in my own web stats and was amused by many of the web searches that had led people to my humble internet home. Here are some I especially enjoyed:unfortunately stephanie/unfortunately steph/fortunately stephanie
BY FAR the largest number of recent searches were for these phrases. Apparently everyone on the internet is trying to find out what horrible things have happened to them that they have blocked out of their memories.
tropic isle motel by the sea clearwater florida
Ok, this one is a delightful memory many of us can share. Brian of Iowa knows precisely where the Tropic Isle motel is, as he has stayed there before. But JT, Mr. Perez, and Wysocki (and a few others who wouldn't be reading this anyway) should know where it is too. Remember Lorenzo? Whose pizza was second to none? Yeah, you remember. Anyway, the Tropic Isle is the motel next door. The one where the shady guys were cooking burgers. Remember? Ok. Good.
jon garavaglia/jon garavaglia basketball
*I* haven't forgotten Jon. Apparently I'm not the only one. Remember when I emailed him and asked him to my sorority formal? Yeah, that was lame. But funny! I did get a drunk dial out of it. Ask Erin. She knows.
chip safari driver disney
Big Brother Chip!!!
snickers pandas bamboo/panda snickers video/snickers pretty panda commercial download/pandas eat bamboo you know snickers commercial pretty pretty panda
We all know this is like my second favorite commercial of all time. Perhaps the Toys R Us Easter bunny ad being first.
hurricane stephanie
Force of nature? Sure. Hurricane? Doubt it.
does steph love me?
Of course I do!
pocket sized periodic table
Have 2, thanks. In my wallet. Between my Mensa card and my stack of library cards. *shakes head* I'm a geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek.
make your own starcommand hero
I want my own StarCommand Hero!!! I once found a link for a site where you can create your own Action Figure that looks like you and everything. They'll make it and send it to you and charge an unnecessary amount of money, but it will be cooooooool. (I have my own Barbie Doll. I'm not gonna lie. Though sadly after an hour of looking, I can't find my picture to show you. I guess I could take a pic of the actual doll in my closet...)
mardi gras king cake baby
Who doesn't like a good King Cake? I'm geeked to place my order for this year, though thusfar no big Mardi Gras plans have been made.mensa boy
Could there be more than one? And if not, who is stalking ours?
disney buzz lightyear of starcommand porn
Ok, I admit it. I *am* a little intrigued. Though, as much as I adore him, Buzz isn't really my type. I don't think he's quite the genius I'm looking for.
how to turn 30 gracefully
This is something I am not yet qualified to give any advice on. But sooner than later expect my best-selling book to hit the shelves.
baba ganouche
I miss baba! :(
johnny toboggan
So, two of my boys have stalkers...
bwil
This site is like a stalker's dream.
jill morford
I'm pretty sure this was just Jill seeing if anyone else out there had her future married name.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Do you have any idea how much force it must take to shoot a torpedo out of a submarine? No. Seriously? Do you? Yeah, ok, neither do I, but it must be a hell of a lot.Anyway, you can all rest assured that I have straightened out the Rounders debacle with MB. He can get into Mensa but he can't put a DVD in the right case? ;)
Also, I suuuuuuucked at trivia tonight, but I did get to spend some time with Ms. Cucumber, which hasn't happened since like... last year. So that has to count for something.
Aaaaaaand, what else? JT left me a long, whiney, voicemail re: a fried iPod. I can't help but think it's just a dead battery, (such a "look on the bright side of life" gal) but I do feel for a kid on a roadtrip sans-pod. Deep down inside I know it's the universe's payback for not inviting me.
And, in case you were wondering... I think if I were to physically expand my horizons (in a land-based way, because there's just no accounting for flight patterns), I would have to travel West of Salt Lake City, East of Vienna, South of Miami, and North of Dublin. The truly interesting thing about that, to me anyway, is that there is only one single person on the planet who has been by my side on all four horizon broadening occasions. Well, 4 physical. So many more than that, metaphorically.I don't remember seeing a < /coherence > tag back there, do you? Definitely bedtime.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
This is what I get for opening my big mouth. I got my trivia win, so now I have to brag about it which means... I have to post. I just haven't really had a lot to say.
I have however, spent a ridiculous amount of money snatching up ridiculously good deals at a few post-holiday sales. Thank goodness for my couple extra days of holiday pay I have coming to me!
I have made a few bucks with my "second job" so far this year. I may not be ready to play with the big boys, but I am apparently ready to take a pot or two off my sensai. That can't bode well for my Karma. I'm also wondering how many spelling errors I have in this paragraph. Just shake your heads and wonder silently, "How did she get into Mensa?"
I have donated said bucks to a good cause; The care and feeding of one of my favorite primates. Having a friend who is down in the dumps is absolute torture for a fixer like me. I can barely keep my own shit together, and I know there is just NOTHING I can do to help him. Hopefully a belly full of pizza, and letting him beat me in trivia 2/3 times will at least get him through the night. I know at least *I* had a good time.
I have started my Pilates class and my torso pretty much feels like a nebula in which abs of steel are born.
I have also, now finally, posted again.
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