Austen Quiz: I am Elizabeth Bennet

Take the Quiz here!

You are Elizabeth Bennet of Pride & Prejudice*! You are intelligent, witty, and tremendously attractive. You have a good head on your shoulders, and oftentimes find yourself the lone beacon of reason in a sea of ridiculousness. You take great pleasure in many things. You are proficient in nearly all of them, though you will never own it. Lest you seem too perfect, you have a tendency toward prejudgement that serves you very ill indeed.


*Wow! I have the Special Edition DVD set of the BBC's Pride and Prejudice. Colin Firth was magnificent as Mr. Darcy! He is delicious in whatever film he is in. Mmmmm.
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Austen Quiz: I am Elizabeth Bennet

An Artist

An Artist has got to be constantly in the state of Becoming.

-- Bob Dylan




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An Artist

Nurtured Nature

Working from home today. There was a water main break which affected my water supply this morning. Took the pics below during my walk with my Pretty Boy Dog. Spanish moss hangs like tattered lace on the pine trees...







Just used up my veggies, chicken stock and made some more Filipino noodles. Enjoying my version of comfort food now. Mmmm.


Update: Is it me or does that look like a heart? I just noticed it from the original pic above. What a sweet present from the universe.



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Nurtured Nature

Inspiration Beauty

Ideas in color raced through my mind like the bright jerseys during the Tour de France on my way to work. Ever since last week's baking, starting with the cupcakes and truffle candies, my creativity has been sparked. It hasn't been this active in a while. It seems to have come to life just when I despaired on my usual easy brainstorming skill. What does it mean? Why now?

One of the ladies at work brought gardenias in. She gave a few to another lady who gave Bridget and me each one. You could say that Beauty greeted me at my desk when I arrived. The fragrance danced around my cube area all day. It was quite heady at times. I loved it!



The highlight of my workday was going to lunch with Bridget at this Japanese restaurant for some Bento Box action. She had never been and enjoyed the variety of offerings in her lunch box. I was perked up by the wasabi and pickled ginger.

Here are just several of the images that were inspiring me today:













Yes, the ideas in my mind were that colorful and varied. Each idea was screaming in its attention-seeking. I was forced to get my sketch pad out and draw/write ideas. Never a dull moment.


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Inspiration Beauty

Flower Quiz: I am a Snapdragon

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."


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Flower Quiz: I am a Snapdragon

Charwoman

Wore my new running shoes for the first time this morning. Yes, I've held onto them for almost two weeks. They were very expensive ($140!) and I wasn't sure if I could do better on price while still getting a similarly featured pair of running shoes. I gave up shopping around and decided to wear them. Four miles walking with Kristey this morning was a great way to break them in. I knew they were good when my back didn't seize up at all today. It had been with the previous pair. Hurrah!

I did all the laundry I could do today with the exception of the slipcovers on the sofa and club chair. In between moving them around, folding them and putting them away, I cleaned the apartment. Man...I don't have that much floor to wash and I still despise washing floors! Vacuuming the carpet was more rewarding for me. Dusting was a despicable thing to do especially when I started to sneeze from the act. Grrr. These kinds of labor have to be...well, labored even for your favorite AGOL.

For dinner I made spaghetti dressed with tomato, basil, meatballs and mushrooms in a red sauce. Oh and extra pressed garlic! Made too much of the noodles though. I can't measure noodles. (Read as too lazy to measure.) I just dump a bunch in the salted boiling pot of water without breaking the noodle strands. Twirling the pasta with my fork against a spoon is a lovely way to eat spaghetti.

It wasn't a Sassy Saturday, but I accomplished much including a good nap to catch more Z's. Naps are not sassy, but they are bold. I mean to just say to your laundry Screw you! I am taking a nap on the comfy couch. That's bold. Never let it be said that I don't live on the edge.
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Charwoman

Chopstick Chow Down

I thought it was French cuisine that was intimidating, not Asian! A few people who volunteered for the our Asian potluck chickened out and didn't show up even when the rest of assured them there would be plenty of food. Goddess knows I always cook for an army as did those who cooked for lunch today.

We had Chinese pork dumplings which Bridget made (yum!!) , Korean Beef (bulgogi), Nam Sod (Thai pork appetizer with tons of ginger and lime juice with a hint of fish sauce and slices of fresh red onion) with Rice and Black Sesame Puffed Crackers, Pancit (Filipino noodle dish - rice vermicelli noodles with veggies and chicken), and the all important jasmine rice my friend Sharon made. I told Bridget that with all the Asians breathing down Sharon's neck on how to properly to cook the rice, she was to count herself lucky not have volunteered for lot. We were hoping for more variety in dishes, but believe me there were plenty to eat. The ladies laughed at my table arrangement and how I fussed over the placement and presentation of things. For dessert, we had my cake and some French chocolate someone brought. Needless to say, our chopsticks were surrendered for the rest of the day.

I came home late and was weak against the call of sleep. It had been a rough week for my lack of it. Maybe that was the cause of my grumpiness and general bitchiness? I just have to regroup again. It is amazing how easy it is to lose focus...most especially when you're mind is easily distracted with crazy things that do not hold deep meaning.
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Chopstick Chow Down

Feng Shui Cake

Feng Shui Cake? Well...I added the pretty drink parasols for "wind" and I piped a shell border that looks like waves for "water". I brought this in today for our Chopstick Chow Down* or Asian themed potluck. I also cooked a Filipino noodle dish. Should be good eats -- I will give you a full report later.


(Taken with my camera phone.)


*I couldn't help myself. They asked me to send the invite and I decided to come up with a name for the lunch. Why be boring? Other people have that covered.
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Feng Shui Cake

Instant Family

Asians mothers are a different breed...or can be. This morning I received the mango pictured below from my friend Sharon who stopped to see her mother on the way to/from her trip to North Carolina where she met her husband who just came back from serving in Afghanistan.

Sharon had been talking to her mother about me regarding a particular way to prepare a mango like they do in the Philippines and in the middle of the conversation, her mother takes one of her own mangoes, wraps it and instructs her to bring it to me in Florida (from Georgia) not even thinking we have mangoes here, too. It is this generosity for a stranger that always amazes me. The only thing that mattered to her mother was that she had another Filipino friend (me) and that I could share cultural similarity with her daughter. It was like saying, "Oh! You must bring her one. She couldn't possibly live without having one to remind her of her old home." I was another daughter of sorts -- instant family.

I opened this exotic fruit humbly wrapped in a plastic bag and a paper towel. The towel absorbed some of its fragrance so when I unwrapped my treasure, my childhood wafted into my nostrils triggering memories of the outdoor markets. I said as much to Sharon who sniffed the package and agreed.



My aunt does the same thing for me when I visit her and she has extras of some steamed Filipino rice muffins. She insists on me taking it for my friend Kathy (not Filipino or not that we can disprove yet - ha!) who loves it, but is one of my close friends. Instant family.

Bridget gave me the mini report of how her son received his handmade and handpicked gift from me yesterday -- a decorated cupcake with a chocolate flower on top. He was excited and licked all the frosting off first then ate the cake. He had asked if I was part of the family on Saturday. I guess this was another example of instant family.

My own Caucasian side of my family is a bit disjointed and maybe even shattered in parts. Sometimes a certain loneliness creeps within me when I think of my big disconnect with them, but it is my Filipino side that keeps me sane. That side and the other mothers my friends have.

I am both embarrassed and proud to say that I get many little "I'm thinking of you" gifts from my girlfriends' moms. It is so sweet and very surprising because what I get are always beautiful and seem tailored to me. These mothers are mostly non-Asian, but somehow they practice instant family... The commonality may be that they are mothers or maybe we all tune ourselves instinctively to when our heartstrings are plucked in just a certain note of wanting someone to have a certain thing because we know they will enjoy it and resonate in receiving what we send in giving. Does that make sense?

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The whole day wasn't spent in feel good vibes; some crazy testosterone laden vibes came in like party crashers. Rob mentioned how he talked to Dan about shooting and shooting positions then invited him to a possible game of paintball. Dan then responded that I would have to be invited. (I am sure he did this to torture me because it is outdoors and they both think I may be too girlie to get dirty. Got news for you boys -- Don't let the hair and make-up fool you. I will turn Rambo on your ass...um, wearing lipgloss and spreading glitter while doing it, of course. Maybe even serving you a canape after you get taken out of the game?) The invite was extended to Bridget where I said that we could do "Gals vs. Dorks". All four of us are very competitive. The men like to hedge their shots while us gals like to pull the trigger to empty.

Before I knew it, the group of four grew to nine. We really need 10 for two teams of five players. A small testosterone challenge has suddenly turned into an outing that may be realized at the end of next month. It's not going to be pretty until the pink paint starts making its targets. Canape anyone?
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Instant Family

Making Sweeter Things

I could have written about yesterday but it would have been full of Z's. My body spent the day recovering from weekday insomnia and the activities from yesterday. Sleep was a good thing. Maybe too good. I didn't get to sleep until 2:30am this morning. It was Memorial Day and I had the day off!

Today was activity day. My main objectives were getting my nails done and baking goodies for my boss' return to work tomorrow to show him how much we missed him. Hey...Sometimes being an AGOL is a rough gig with visits to Shallowville and Domesticville...

I thought my salon would be busy at the time of the afternoon I went, but I was able to be seated right away. My next stop was to pick up some candy melts for the Chocolate Cookie Truffles and Peanut Butter Cookie Truffles. Three ingredients each on the truffles -- you can't beat that for something tasty and super easy to make! There is an online blogger named Bakerella who has been featured on my evil queen Martha Stewart's show for her goodies including these truffles. I didn't take a picture of mine because I forgot (I know!). By the time I made almost 100 balls and placed them completed and cooled into mini baking cups, I was worn out.

Baked some cupcakes; the decoration on top wasn't what I had planned on but the shop I went to ran out of the colors I wanted for the chocolate melts. Settled for different colored sprinkles I already had at home. I barely piped these chocolate flowers on top. Not my best but it did the trick. It was colorful and that's all that mattered to me. My frosting was whipped in my mixer for almost 20 minutes for a light and fluffy texture. It is a bakery recipe that doesn't taste too sweet and is super smooth, but still carries a wonderful flavor.



A quick call to Tawny had me running samples of the truffles over for she and Jeff to try. They were a hit! Tawny reminded her husband why she needs her food processor (for the cookies) so she can make some of these truffles, too.

Gosh, I love to bake and decorate...and cook. I need a kitchen worthy of my love of cooking. Too bad the ones getting them are the ones that can barely cook/bake. Meanwhile, the rest of us who can cook/bake have to momentarily suffer through postage stamp kitchens with hardly any counter space. Yes, we artists must suffer for our art. Sigh.
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Making Sweeter Things

Weird Science

I ate a very early breakfast as if I were working today and then had a light snack before I was completely ready at 10am for meeting Bridget at 10:30am at the Museum of Science and Industry which just miles from where I live. She called me when she was passing downtown Tampa which was my signal to leave the apartment.

Her son talked up a storm while we were in line getting our tickets. A bit of outrageousn laced his stories as soon as he found out he had a receptive audience: me. Bridget was warning me about him talking all the time and I replied that I could talk to kids all day. Kids are fun especially in an environment such as this kind of museum of exploration into some cool science. We were in time to be seated up close for the magic show. One of the themes at the exhibit was on Magic.



We meandered the different levels where we explored The Universe (solar system) , Disasterville (hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, etc.), Magnets and Your Body exhibits to name several. In between, we ate lunch and saw an IMAX film Wild Ocean. I forgot that the IMAX at the museum was not like other IMAX installations. This was dome-like where you could get almost a full globe experience. I knew I was going to be queasy after we sat down. Bridget was too and her son was a bit scared by the whole thing until he saw giant projections of dolphins swimming across the screen.

We ended up outside in the mini butterfly garden exhibit enjoying some of the flora, pretty butterflies and creatures in the pond. By this time it was after 4pm and we were all tuckered out. Bridget still had to drive home across Tampa over the bridge to St. Petersburg. Full day for all of us.

Cabal was ready for a walk when I got home. It was very hot outside and very bright. We couldn't wait to get back in. I called Bridget after she got home and thanked her for coming over this side of the bay. She said her son commented that he was going to miss me and asked if I was part of the family now. Oh my God -- how sweet! After the call, I began to upload the photos from today, but forgot that most of the cooler pics I took with Bridget's camera of she and her son.

In the middle of uploading, I received a surprising text from Dan asking if I had any dinner plans. I texted back not yet and that I just got home from being with Bridget and her son. He text back that his refrigerator broke and he had some steaks he had to grill and that he had already talked to Jeff/Tawny who were coming over and if I would like to join them. Dan said that Jeff could pick me up on the way and dinner was around 7pm. Hmmm... I said sure and asked if I could bring anything, but he replied that Jeff had the extras all figured out to round out the meal. Took out a box of couscous anyway and sliced off two tablespoons of butter for the recipe. I wasn't going to assume that Mr. Bachelor had butter. Ha!

The repair guy came while we were making the sides and replaced a part within 15 minutes. Dan marinated some expensive cuts of steak in a new machine that made them tender in minutes before putting them on the grill outside. They turned out very good and I am not a big steak eater. I told him at the table that he was on the approved list for making steaks. He can cook very well when I choose to give him enough credit. (Meanie AGOL!)

Later Dan shared his vacation pics on his big screen TV from when he visited his family in New York a week ago. Tawny and I prepared dessert and watched some more TV. I had extra entertainment with Dan's Siamese cat who always hides when other people are around. The cat came to investigate me and in a totally unexpected thing -- let me pet him for a very long time and on different occasions. I thought he was Cabal as demanding as he was for my attention. SingSing even butted his head against my other hand as if to say, Um -- HELLO -- you have TWO hands. I found myself using my left hand to scratch up and down his back while my right hand scratched behind his pretty head. Tawny teased Dan that he would have to get longer nails now.

We were home before midnight and I was very tired from a very full and fun day. The two beers I had at Dan's weren't helping me either, but I still enjoyed some hot jasmine tea before I went to sleep.
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Weird Science

Crickets and Code Violations

Our company hasn't enjoyed a bank holiday weekend for a couple of months. Several people took advantage of the extra day on Monday by taking today off or leaving much earlier than 5pm. By 3pm, you could just about hear crickets in my building...

A text message from Bridget on the way to work told me that I was in for a "fashion show" with our temp. I will not repeat what she said, but it was rude and...an understatement. When I arrived, I was at Bridget's desk for a bit before going to mine and a few minutes after that, my temp accosted me while I was firing up my laptop.

If you know me well, you know I either have a very expressive face or it can be cooler and hard to read depending on the situation. It took all I could muster to keep the What the f*** are you wearing? look from seeping through the cool side when I saw our temp. Holy Mother of God... Jeezus! Were you kidding me? She was wearing a long sleeve pull on purple shirt that had some kind of large faux white diamond jewels lining a three inch wide margin of the V-neck she was wearing. If that weren't enough, the piece de resistance were the big and extra long gold and purple chandelier earrings hanging from her ears.

Besides shock, all that kept going through my head was how much I wanted to strangle Bridget for not fully disclosing the situation. She didn't tell me there were code violations being committed. The saddest part was that our temp seemed to be looking for validation from me. They say if you can't say something nice, don't say it. It was killing me to be silent about her outfit and to make the conversation about something else. I was just hoping a mad case of Tourette's wouldn't suddenly overtake me. I avoided our temp the rest of the day.

Bridget and I went for lunch at one of the restaurant at the malls and a brief side trip to Godiva for decadent treats of chocolate milkshake and a banana creme truffle each. When we got back, our temp stopped by Bridget's desk and made a remark about her shake which annoyed Bridget. It seemed like a veiled barb about her not being invited or getting her own treat. We think our temp is playing a game of trying to stick it to her somehow. She knows better than to try it with me especially since I am still nice to her. The chocolate stuff was expensive and that is why it is called a treat. Grrr.

Our boss sent us a text message on our phones with a picture (below) of our floral arrangement saying how beautiful it was. You can compare what we sent to what arrived. Very pleased.



Bridget left early to attend something for her son's school but not before confirming our meeting tomorrow at the Museum of Science and Industry with him. I left much later and couldn't wait to come home to a cool apartment.

I forgot to mention yesterday that when I got up (still enjoying our tropical indoor conditions) that my clothes dryer wasn't working either nor could I vacuum. The power coming to the apartment was too low to allow either one of these. When I got home last night, it was blissfully much much cooler. A breaker box had to be replaced by the maintenance crew and everything was working fine again when I got home. Cabal and I were chillin' in the crib like baby Eskimos.
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Crickets and Code Violations

Uncommon Arrangement

Our director forwarded an e-mail to us yesterday that was written by my boss to friends and family outlining the schedule for the next couple of days for his family. They included times, places and addresses for things like his home. He suggested we select an arrangement. Bridget and I searched three online floral shops for a suitable arrangement. We were in agreement that we wanted nothing creepy that some sympathy arrangements can be. We didn't want just flowers, but leaned to something more long lasting like a plant. I suggested the image below which was classy and suggests a certain delicacy, strength and unique beauty.



I don't know what your first memories of funerals and such have been, but mine was certainly unique. My memories take me back to the Philippines as a young school girl under 10 years of age. Between the regular Catholic school I attended and a more private Catholic school was a church called Holy Family.

For a period of time, my mother subscribed to a school taxi (of sorts) for me which left me with some time to roam in the church while we waited for other students to arrive at the taxi. There was more than one time that late afternoon funerals would be held. I can remember on one occasion seeing a painted silver baby (or toddler) coffin outside the front entrance surrounded by mourners. My curiosity would get the best of me and I pushed through the crowd wearing my school uniform of a white blouse and a medium gray skirt with my feet encased in white socks and black patent leather shoes.

When I got next to the coffin, I stood on my tiptoes and noticed a glass covering or window on top helping to encase the little body. I saw a sleeping child within. My child's mind knew it was lifeless, but how did it get there? I didn't feel the sorrow of the mourners but remembered a peculiar smell. When my curiosity was satiated, I went in search for the taxi.

I've been to a few funerals since then of people I've known. As much as I love flowers, I've always hated the monstrous arrangements that would grace the coffin whether at a church, funeral home or tipped on its back on top of the grave. They are ugly and are like a garish caricatures to me. I was not sending one like it today. Luckily, Bridget had the same idea.
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Uncommon Arrangement

Unexpected Events

Bridget called me at 8:30am to let me know that our boss had contacted her to let her know that he wouldn't be in the office because of a family emergency. His sister had died the previous day from accidental causes. My boss is very close to his family and this was utterly devastating. Immediately, he filled the role of point of contact for everyone.

The rest of the day was cast in a somber note of trying to make sure things were taken care of or signed. Our boss had picked up his laptop earlier in the morning and used it during the day to work. He was trying to take his mind off things with a few work related e-mails. I wish you could meet him because he is a really good man who lets us be ourselves. He is well liked and we, as his subordinates, are envied because of his support of us and his engaging personality.

Faced with this kind of situation, my group's demented sense of humor tend to come out. It extended to my boss' director via IM. We were helpless against the tide of teasing. The sad part was none of us were consuming alcohol to be that funny. I declared that beer had to be cold to really absorb the medicinal molecules (yes, I make this crap up). Beer is also liquid bread if you thought about it which means it is nutritional as well as medicinal. As the great orator, Homer Simpson, would say: Mmmm....Beer.

I arrived home later because I arrived at work later and I stopped at the store after. All I wanted to do was go home and relax. Oh, no my AGOL, said Fate. Opening my apartment door was like opening into the outdoors. My air conditioning wasn't working. There was a power surge during the day which caused the lights to go off and on affecting my circuit breaker for the important things like the air conditioning. I was able to turn some fans to circulate the air, but it wasn't the same. I immediately called for a service in the morning.

Fate said gleefully But, wait my AGOL -- there's more! Cooking dinner inside the oven or on the stove top was completely out of the question. The light indicator would come on but the heat would not. There was my next service call. Grrr... Thank goddess for microwaves! Watched some television while Cabal kept looking at me as if it was my idea to turn him into his own sauna. Opening the windows was out of the question because it was more hot and humid outside. Positioned the fans so we could sleep with circulating air. It was 10 degrees hotter than what we were used to inside. Dammit.
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Unexpected Events

LQ: Inmost Hearts

"When two people are at one in their inmost hearts, they shatter even the strength of iron or bronze; and when two people understand each other in their inmost hearts, their words are sweet and strong like the fragrance of orchids".

- I Ching


The words are simply beautiful. Just makes me let out a big sigh. SIGH.
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LQ: Inmost Hearts

Cooking Up a Storm

My mind hasn't been in the right frame lately. It was this internal war going on within myself. Part of it felt like depression. Today I remembered to take my Vitamin B Complex and all seemed well in the world again. I am not sure how I fell out of the habit and for how long. Chocolate hadn't helped my mood at all. It is amazing how one non-prescription pill that happens to be a vitamin helps me maintain my equilibrium...

The gals were appreciative of the servings of soup I brought them. Bridget and I augmented ours with some salad from the cafe downstairs while the temp enjoyed hers before the lunch she brought. My boss teased me about not bringing him any. It was a treat for the gals -- what can I say?

Full Moon was today. The tempers and general edginess around the office were telling, but I managed to avoid many people. I think I am going to enjoy my new cube. It is away from everyone. Hee.

I couldn't wait to go home and dig into two recipes I found. One was for easy Chicken Enchiladas and the other was for a special rub mix for a flank steak that had to be broiled. My place was smelling really good. I ate a portion of the Enchiladas for dinner and bagged the rest into servings for both the freezer and easy access portions in the refrigerator. Yum!
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Cooking Up a Storm

Smart Substitute

Enjoyed my Sunday morning routine and didn't feel too hurried to do more errands in the afternoon. Accompanied by two store coupons, I visited Bed, Bath and Beyond to buy my new stainless steel rice cooker. My old one was about seven years old and needed to give up its ghost. An inexpensive toaster made it home, too. Yes, the AGOL has never owned a proper toaster until today. I don't really buy bagels or sliced bread, but there are some whole grain muffins I want to try.



Surrendered more dead presidents at the shoe store to replace my current walking/running shoes. I haven't decided on whether to keep them yet or not. While functional and fit well, they are rather peculiar looking. That is why I am not sharing a picture of them. Whoa - who sneaked Shallowville in?

Your AGOL also spent some quality time at the grocery store. I had three new recipes I wanted to try and they required special stuff. I was bound and determined to have home cooked meals for lunch and dinner this week. Tonight I cooked a Potato and Corn Soup which was surprisingly full of flavor. The only bad part was that the recipe made a vat of it. I am sharing some tomorrow with Bridget and the temp...

You know why this recipe was so good? Not only did it require some bacon rendered to cook the chopped onion and garlic in, it also asked for 4 cups of half-and-half. Holy cholesterol and fat, my lovelies! I cut the half-and-half by substituting (1:1 ratio) fat free evaporated milk*. It was only 1 1/2 cups, but it was better than nothing. Next time, I am substituting 3 cups of it for the evaporated milk and keep the 1 cup of half-and-half. I am going to try the full substitution for heavy cream when I make Alfredo Sauce, too. Think smart substitutions because face it -- getting old sucks thanks to that dratted thing called cholesterol and his best friend called fat.


*For 1 cup half-and-half, 1 cup heavy cream OR 1 cup whole milk, substitute 1 cup of evaporated milk (regular or fat free).
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Smart Substitute

Sticky Rain

Kristey didn't call me to cancel so I guess that meant we were still walking in the light rain. Walked we did. Ew. It was hot and sticky...and not in a good way. There were other crazies biking, running and walking in the wooded park. We laughed when we saw two ladies walking their four large dogs. The car should be smelling of Eau de Woof when they get all of them inside. Four miles later, I was ready to go home and take a bath.

I ate soon after I got home and fell asleep on the couch. A call from Tab woke me up from my nice nap. He was zooming across town for an errand. It was my cue to get up and get ready to do my own errands. I had to buy a replacement handbag for one.

During my shopping expedition which yielded (from three different stores) one new stylish handbag, sports socks, denim pants, two blouses and one double CD with flamenco music. The second CD was a taped concert. Tab and I spoke intermittently during this whole time, giving each other progress updates on our errands. Quite comical actually.

I was pooped by the time I got home which matched Cabal's need to poop on his walk. I apologize; that was in poor taste. Dinner wasn't anything to write home about either, but it did the trick. (OMG -- the sentence strings in this paragraph are a scream!) I played the new music movie concert from the CD set on my TV/DVD to decibels unknown*. It was like being in their concert in Barcelona.


*No, I wasn't being a rude neighbor. The neighbor on the other side can't hear my music while my upstairs neighbor was in England visiting her brother so I wasn't disturbing anyone except her cats.
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Sticky Rain

Straight Answer

Was that a yes or no? I texted Rob this morning as a follow-up to the one from yesterday afternoon to find out if he wanted to have a Vietnamese lunch with Bridget and me today. We knew he was not taking his doctor's orders well. Dropping out of this weekend's Half Ironman race, needing recovery time and ramping back up to his current physical level would preclude him from three to four other races coming up.

He called me about a half hour later sounding really dejected. Today wasn't a good day for lunch although he would love to torture Bridget and me. By the time we ended our conversation with me teasing him about disappointing his girls, he asked if I could give him about a couple of hours to rearrange his doctor's appointment in the afternoon. Both he and Bridget were on the injury list for their respective sports. This was my argument on why exercise and sports were bad for you. Just kidding!

I got into work feeling bubbly and hoped it would hold the whole day. Rob was telling me he wasn't able to make it as Bridget was IM'ing me the same thing. One thing Rob can't stand is disappointing people. I said okay. Wouldn't you know it, he IM'ed back that he could go quickly if we drove ourselves instead of him picking us up so we could arrive and leave when we wanted. His schedule was tight and the Vietnamese joint was a bit away from work. I took his order which would be placed when he called me as he left work.

Rob finally joined us. Bridget and I were finishing our meal while he dove into his. I ordered extra jalapenos for him just like he requested. Damn -- a couple of them apparently really spicy. He was sweating from that or the edgy ribbing he was receiving from Bridget and me. We laughed a good bit. I knew his disappointment on his hip injury wasn't going to last long. He mentioned something about getting a new bike to cheer him up.

It was a two hour lunch for Bridget and me, a fact lightly remarked upon by our temp as we walked in. When I came in from doing whatever I was doing this morning, you guys were gone. I took this as you've been gone at least an hour and half (at least). We're salaried employees, we can occasionally do this, I wanted to scream. You know what our temp was doing this morning? Getting a device installed on her car that requires her to blow into a tube for five seconds to test her breath for alcohol before it allows her or anyone who drives her vehicle to start it. This device also has random tests during the drive to make sure no has imbibed after the initial start. I guess they suspect flasks lurking under the seat cushion for anyone who has come to that point of having (to be required by the insurance company) to install this device. Sad really.

Spent an hour before taking off work talking to Sharon with Amy about motivational (non-monetary) ideas for a committee she's on. I have some experience in this arena and happily shared my ideas. Put a stop quickly to Sharon thinking she could volunteer me for her committee. I wasn't born yesterday -- I know how committees work.

Had dinner with Myrna and drank a tasty Margarita since she was driving. Everything on her end seems to be coming up roses: personally and professionally. Finally! Made her almost lose her breath from laughing too much. I showed her the murder mystery party pics on my laptop and other ones she's missed out on after dinner. Begged off at 11pm so I could gather my marbles, decompress and set my alarm for walking with Kristey in the morning.
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Straight Answer

Breaking Bread

Wednesdays are wacky. Why is that?

Trainer Rob found out that he has to pull out of the Half Iron Man at Disney this weekend per doctor's orders. He has been told to scale back on his training for now to prevent chronic injury later. This man has trained like a demon (we're talking hours a day!) for this event and now he can't enter the race thanks to injuries sustained from last Thursday's mishap with the SUV. Bummer.

I had scheduled myself for lunch alone since I was feeling introspective. Lisa came to sit at my desk to eat lunch. She talked the whole time while I made appropriate responses. Sigh. So much for introspection.

The afternoon was spent in a staff meeting and a conference call. Eh. They were okay. I wanted to drink Margaritas. We know where my mindset was don't we?

I was able to escape early as I had a Greek dinner date with Kathy and Tawny. Dinner with the girlies was fun and our food was super duper tasty. Took most of my entree home for lunch tomorrow and the leftover babaganoush (eggplant pate). Now only if I had remembered to ask for some more pita bread to take home. We pigged out on appetizers and saved room for dessert and coffee. This was funny: Tawny spent a few minutes telling me all the hellos from the other building that needed to be conveyed. It was nice to be missed by some of the AGOL entourage...
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Breaking Bread