You Cannot Make This Up

Forgive me -- Everything has caught up with me and made me a little tired so this is a rush post...

Thursday and Friday were very good days at work. I felt like myself again. Saturday I met Kristey and Myrna for a long breakfast. The rest of the morning and a part of the afternoon were spent bumming around town shopping for more beads and some grocery. Kimmee invited me with her family to a Japanese steakhouse for some yummy dinner. On Sunday, I waited for a nurse to come see my wound. Part of it had reopened -- surface only!

I've driven to and from work with Tawny the past two days as her husband had taken time off for his birthday which was today. I treated both of them and their eldest son to a favorite haunt where we had a jovial dinner. We also went to my new happy place, a bubble tea cafe, before driving us home...

You cannot make this up -- I noticed the bruise on my left forearm is heart-shaped! I received it after a nurse stuck a needle in there and dug a little for a vein before my chemo two Fridays ago. My port was acting up so she had to take blood from another vein. If you were in front of me and looked at my arm you would see a heart staring at you. I even bruise in hearts!



Hugs,
S

You Cannot Make This Up

EPCOT Pictorial

Two days prior we were experiencing another reduction in force nationwide. I started to feel peculiar because my emotions were not tied to the people getting laid off, even the ones I knew. Some sadness was there, but mostly I felt numb. We've let go of hundreds of people nationwide in the last year and a half. What was another few hundred? I was thankful I could escape today to help celebrate my friend Myrna's 47th birthday at a Disney park: EPCOT.

Months ago we decided we would attend the Flower and Garden Festival at EPCOT. We would go on her birthday so she could get in free with advance registration. This has got to be one of the best thing's Disney has implemented. The celebrant also receives a giant pin with Happy Birthday and their name written on the pin. I would say that about 90% of the employees we encountered wished Myrna a happy birthday during our trek around the park.

Myrna was greeted at my the door with brownie cake I made sporting several lit candles. The running joke is that there were several years I was not advancing Myrna's age when her birthday came around. She was turning 42 when we met. Something like, "You're turning 42, right?" would escape me every year. This is the first year I am acknowledging that she is 47.



We had breakfast on the way to Orlando and after the 45-minute drive, we were soon ogling all the topiaries and bright colors offered for the festival.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs


The icon of EPCOT: Spaceship Earth which contains a ride that take you from the dinosaur age to computers, showing how technology has evolved in the world. I could've sworn it was Dame Judy Dench narrating the exhibit.


I love this pattern. Hmm..How many sides are there?


Three ostrich looking mighty fine.


Lady and the Tramp! So cute.


Bromeliad Dragon: This was in front of the China exhibit. The colors are stunning.


Just a view of the dozens of gardens showcased in the event.


Fleur-de-lys in the France exhibit.


Bulletins pasted on a column -- also in the France exhibit.


Sleeping Beauty (aka Princess Aurora) was one of the many characters walking around greeting guests and available for photo opportunities like this with a young visitor.


A scary troll topiary in front of the Norway exhibit.


If you've seen the movie Finding Nemo then you'll recognize these characters.


Beauty and the Beast


This is a great pic of Cinderella in front of Spaceship Earth.


I was teasing Myrna that Cinderella had been waiting for her prince so long that she grew moss.


We arrived at my apartment safe and sound not to mention tired! I had to work the next day and Myrna had to hurry home to her husband and celebrate what was left of her day. I went to bed dreaming of gardens and mossy princes. Ha.

EPCOT Pictorial

Sugar Apple

Chewing toasted sprouted English muffin can be an activity itself. It is made of food designed to make you feel full with the added bonus of providing better nutrition than traditional bread. This was my breakfast which meant I wouldn't have a mid-morning snack. I wouldn't be making my Mango Sprinkles drink (1/4 c. mango puree + 1 1/4 c. filtered water + 3 teaspoons powdered psyllium husk) which gives me about 15 grams of fiber. That's one of my snack choices during work to hold me until lunch.

My nail salon was very busy this morning. I couldn't wait to get my nails done and trimmed to a more manageable length. Too bad I ruined the polish on my left thumb within 15 minutes of leaving. I was at my apartment parking space getting out of my car. My right index finger got scratched, too, five minutes later while lightly pinning Cabal on the wall outside my door. The new neighbor next door was in the middle of moving in. I didn't think it was a good idea for her helpers to get startled by his loud piercing bark. I cursed and repaired the nails as best as I could with the nail stuff I have on hand. Only a close inspection would give me away.

My long-time-no-see friend Myrna picked me up for a Mexican lunch. On the way I told her about my new neighbor who is a true red head -- I am talking there is no mistaking ginger. Her family mirrored her coloring. I noticed a guitar so she must be musical. Not sure if she attends the university around the corner or not. Time will only reveal.

Our Mexican lunch was good, but made me uncomfortably full even in my loose jeans. It wasn't tight at all - my tummy just wasn't happy. We soon made it to a supercenter and threw ourselves in the crowd shopping. My tummy was thankful for the walk around. It was a mental idea to shop with the others who were trying to get ready for back-to-school on Monday, but we got through insanity to buy things like soap, toilet paper, etc. Myrna expressed her desire to go to the oriental store downtown and that's where we went right after.

In Tagalog, they call it atis (ah-tis), but in English it is known as a sugar apple. Imagine my delight to find it in the produce aisle at Oceanic. I have only had one of these since I left the Philippines. That fruit gem was given to me by Ant several years ago. It is worth its weight and these modest three were almost $7.00! When they are ripe, I will take a picture and show you the creamy white flesh and the shiny black seeds.




I bought some cookies/biscuits and sesame candy for the Asian mafia next week. Since I tore into the banana ones, I guess I get to keep that package. The thing about Asian flavors in products such as cookies, is that the flavors are especially strong. You know what flavor you are supposed to have as you enjoy the flavor essence permeating the treat...Tapioca pearls for my boba drink...A bun with sweet red bean paste baked in it...A package of Kopiko (a Tagalog bastardization of coffee -- kopi and ko -- meaning mine) made it into my bag. Inside the bag has 22 packets of coffee/sugar/creamer mixture.




My piece de resistance was my collection of veggies from the Asian store. Feast your eyes on the eggplant (far left), snow peas (upper right hand), big hand of ginger (bottom front), and my bunch of water spinach (far right) mingling next to the more familiar fare.




The universe has a sense of humor. It urged me to look at the packaged and impressive European cucumber more closely. And do you know where it comes from? No? Are you sure? Ft. Lonesome, FL. I almost died laughing. I mean -- are you kidding me?!

I don't like putting groceries away. Now I am wondering if I should have bought some bottled water. Apparently a hurricane is on its way. Fay is on the Way. Let's hope she's a fickle wench and goes elsewhere.


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Sugar Apple

In Lieu of Cake, Tequila

Antsy. I was too keyed up at work today. We're busy enough and Bridget was getting ready to go on her almost two-week vacation to spend time with her son who has been with his father since June and to get him ready for the new school year.

Tawny reminded me it was her son's birthday this morning -- Jeffy turned 22! I sent him a birthday instant message in Tagalog. He replied, either I'm some sort of South African rutabaga... or that's a Filipino happy birthday. The humor definitely runs in the family. Later he invited me for dinner at his mom's house with his family and girlfriend. I had to decline dinner, but offered to be present later for cake. Jeffy said he wasn't sure about having cake, but "in lieu of cake, we can do tequila". That's my boy! I've known him since he was 12.

Before tequila, there was an early dinner with Kristey and Myrna at Chili's. I despise Chili's but suggested it anyway since the girls like it. I can adapt. Eating there this evening just emphasized my distaste for it. Everything was salty and mediocre. EW EW EW Well, I wasn't there for the food...Kristey iterated that her biopsy came out benign and she has to go for a five-month follow-up or something like that. Myrna has been busy in general. We had a good laugh and caught up on people from our past jobs.

I made my way to the gasoline station so I wouldn't have to drive on vapors and then back home to take care of Cabal. Then came tequila. I arrived just as Tawny's family was finishing dinner. The table was cleared and we elected to go with tequila shots instead of margaritas. I almost embarrassed myself by snarfing the shot. That means I almost had the fiery liquid go back up my nose after I stuck the slice of lime in my mouth to suck on right after. You know Tawny would've made me lick the table for any spillage so as to not waste the premium brand tequila. I would not have blamed her.


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In Lieu of Cake, Tequila

Knife Skills

It was a rare morning of being able to get up on my own time. To be safe, I did set the alarm clock lest I overslept. I enjoyed waking up early, watching my Sunday morning news magazines, and getting ready for my Knife Skills I class at the gourmet food shop.

Most of my class were already seated when I arrived. The ladies attending hogged the perimeter of the main counter while the three men attending crouched around one table. I decided to sit with the men who turned out to be fun and eager to learn today's lesson. I will see two of them next Saturday for part two of the class.

The class began with the chef/owner giving a lecture on knife construction, brands and basic starter sets. We then progressed to actual hands on slicing of onions, carrots and celery for practice. Each of us got to try out different kinds of knives like chef, prep, santoku and ceramic while emulating the techniques demonstrated beforehand by the chef. I strongly urge you to try a ceramic knife if you've never had the pleasure. It is lightweight and extremely sharp. For top brands, you only have to send it in once every five years to the manufacturer for sharpening. There is no real maintenance like honing and sharpening as is with stainless steel or stainless/carbon mix.

During the practice, it became to clear to me that I had a very easy time of doing things. Sometimes I take for granted what I know. I observed people getting frustrated with the techniques and the top quality (and very sharp!) knives. Thank you to my relatives and mother who allowed me to help in the kitchen at a very young age. I would help clean the rice by picking out tiny pebbles or imperfections prior to cooking it as well as taking the strings off the beans, etc. You may recall I made my first pot of rice over the stove at 10 years of age -- no electric appliance there with pre-measured lines.

I stayed quiet during class and gently helped others where I could during our practice and then into our ingredients for a tricolor salsa and then a fruit salsa. Preparing a cantaloupe seemed like such a challenge for a few while I just zipped through. In my mind, I kept wondering if these people had ever cooked as in prepared food from scratch. There were adults in their late 30s and 40s in this class. Maybe our society has come this? We're so used to fast food that when it comes to slow food, we're at a loss.

We received little bowls of each of the salsas with prepared tortilla chips and a glass of wine of our choice. I chose Riesling the last time, too, as I like sweet wines. A bottle (pictured below) made it in my bag along with food grade mineral oil for the wood cutting boards and wood utensils in my kitchen.



Myrna has been missing on my calendar lately. She's been filling in for another accounting position at her law firm. The job wasn't familiar and it was demanding. Her excuse was that she's been in a bad mood. I cajoled her into an early dinner. Afterwards, we stopped at a fish and meat market. I picked up two kinds of large stuffed mushrooms: crab stuffed and chicken Florentine. Mmm, my mouth waters as I think of them on my dinner plate this week.


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Knife Skills

Wheels Go Round and Round

Myrna picked my up at 7:15am and waited for me while I checked in again at the shop. We headed for leisurely breakfast across the road before heading to our friend Terry with her embroidery business. Terry had some scrap fabric for Myrna's mother-in-law. Scrap fabric? More like yards and yards. Myrna let me have a look at them first so I could get some practice fabric. Hee.

I had a difficult time talking to the shop today and getting a status report on my vehicle. It wasn't until after we left Myrna's mother-in-law's house and we were at Frenchy's in Clearwater Beach sitting for Grouper Sandwiches. I received my status report at about 2pm (seven hours later!). It needed a new battery and new cables with terminals. I included my oil change which brought the total to a little over $200. Aargh.


Here are some colorful pics from Frenchy's:

Our mosaic outdoor table.


Some condominiums across the way.


Plastic birdie sculptures for sale.


Front of Frenchy's beach shop; my side was the restaurant.


I love the colorful signage.


Another pic of our table and one of the four benches around it.


Bright peach/orange Ford Mustang. You'd be hard pressed to lose that in a car park!


Mmmm...Fresh, flaky and moist grouper sandwich.


Art work on the wall near our table. I love it!


Another fish pic from my seat.


Myrna and I stopped at a thrift store for things I could re-purpose during my creative vacation. I found a puzzle piece mold, but unsure if the resin will work with silicone. She dropped me off even though my car didn't end up ready when we arrived. It needed a new alternator which was still under warranty. I waited another hour. Still not quite done. On my way home, I noticed that the temperature gauge was running high. A quick phone call to them had me turning my car around to have it checked. Grrr. Fifteen minutes later, I was told to watch the gauge and maybe we would need it replaced. Nice.

I texted and called different peeps all day to give them a status report. Thankfully all my running around with Myrna made me tired. I was also thankful that my repair cost was reasonable. All in all, a pretty good day.


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Wheels Go Round and Round

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

Serendipitous

Switching telecommute days from Thursday to Wednesday this week for an inspection was freaking me out. In my mind it was already tomorrow. Thankfully, the apartment inspection occurred before lunchtime. Cabal never barked so I know the two men entering my home were okay. I don't like uninvited guests I don't know putting their energy in my sanctuary. I'm sensitive like that...or was that paranoid?

Wouldn't you know the day I work from home, freakish things happened at work? One of the guys from the help desk IM'ed me about a user needing my input on something which required multiple applications open on my end. My new laptop hasn't been configured yet so this was attempted on my aging laptop and on a wireless connection. At some point I had to give the user my personal cell phone number to contact me so I wouldn't have to keep updating her ticket and waiting for an e-mail response a few minutes later. (I don't have a regular phone at home because it would be superfluous at the moment.) All my other troubleshooting almost ran into my time to leave to meet Myrna and Kristey at Maggiano's for Myrna's birthday dinner.

Everything else in the evening seemed serendipitous. I had no problems in rush hour traffic. Driving was super smooth as was the ideal parking spot that became available as I navigated into the car park...Dinner was great with the gals...We walked around the mall later and I found an appropriate black dress for Dan's party on Saturday including a pair of Spanx hosiery that all the celebrities have been touting to smooth down muffin tops and hide visible panty lines on their red carpet figure. Well, I don't have close to a red carpet figure yet. It was the last dress, about a half size too big and needed something extra for a knockout look. The accessories I have picked out from my own closet for the roaring 20's theme will go nicely (pink feather boa and long strand pearl necklace). Dan is renting a tux and I figured I should make a better effort. Oh and the thing about this dress: I loved it the moment I put it on which never happens and it was on sale.

Cabal scared me later in the evening. He couldn't get up and I thought he was having a seizure. Rather than engage in full fledged panic, I called Tawny and asked if she could come over with no details as to why. By the time she walked through my door, I had Cabal on his side and was petting him. As soon as he saw Tawny, he got up and wanted to play. OMG -- I wanted to kill him. Little faker. I mean, it could have been legitimate earlier as he is getting on in years, but give me a break! It was a bizarre excuse to catch up with Tawny and for him to get more lovin'. Damn dog.
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Serendipitous

Leaving Early

Can I tell you about the great day I've had? It started off generally well. My boss was still on vacation, the temp was off, Bridget was (mostly) in good spirits and my phone was ringing more often which made my day go by quicker.

Worked out by myself. Bridget's stressful conversation with her boyfriend made her want to do errands instead. Boy was the gym empty! There were three other guys in the gym and one lady came nearing the end of my workout. My workout was made better with the very fine specimen of man jogging next to me. I could go and on, but then I would have to start writing some soft porn on this man's sweat patterns. My techno-belly dancing music on my mp3 player was making things groovy, too.

One thing was clear: I needed to get a heart rate monitor tonight if I am to workout more efficiently. The level I am on the treadmill would have taken my breath away about two weeks ago, but now I can almost do it for the whole 30 minutes. It is time to step up to the next level. I felt invigorated after the workout and not too hungry. My sludge drink did the trick for lunch at 12:30pm.

I left work at 4:15pm to hurry up and get home to take care of dog before Myrna picked me up. She had an errand in another town which coincided with my own plans... If you're a woman, you know that fighting PMS cravings is like trying to stop a freight train. God bless me, I did! I skipped my mid morning snack and no chocolate product from the candy machine made it to my lips in the afternoon. My even temper was sacrificed when I called Myrna to hurry and drive faster. I was famished and nearing headache stage by the time we got into the other town.

Electing to sit outside made our wait for a table only two minutes; the average wait was 15 minutes. I had a margarita on the rocks right away. Our onion ring appetizer came quickly followed by our shrimp entrees. Dessert? Uh, no. I was at Casa de Fullio by this time and a bit buzzy from the margarita hitting my empty tummy. A chocolate chip cookie was in my future though. Myrna chided me that half of what we were eating was not on my new menu. I gently reminded her I had sludge for lunch, no chocolate and I was PMS'ing. She laughed.

Stopped at a sporting goods store to get my heart rate monitor. Woo hoo! My lovely Costco was also on my destination. Myrna had to replace her shower head and this was the place where she wanted to buy it. Apparently she had reached up to change the settings this morning and sneezed which caused the part to break off in her hand including the washer which had water splashing everywhere. I died laughing and told her she needed to walk around with this sign:

WARNING: Sneezes can cause accidental drowning.

Long story short...It took us three stores to find the specific kind of chocolate chip cookie I wanted. Yes, I am on crack. Had Myrna laughing so hard on the drive home. Her husband always worries I am going to kill her by having her laugh so much. What a way to go. Wound down and discovered I was tired. Lying on my bed, the blue digital numbers projected on my ceiling read 11:32pm. WOW. Now that was groovy.
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Leaving Early

Dreamy Desserts

Frustrating Friday. For what seems like the umpteenth day, our network connectivity played hide and seek with us. Not exactly a good thing to happen at month end for a finance department. I caved and unhooked my laptop from the docking station and used my air card to VPN into our network. Luckier than most, I was able to work a bit with this option.

It was a relief for our group to have a real activity. A potluck lunch. The Accounts Payable department invited us to participate. One of the ladies is Filipino and she made barbecue flavor meatballs to the taste that we like. I told her it needed to be served with rice. To our surprise, someone had made real rice and had it available at the buffet. I said to the group, Whoever made the rice, I love you! Everyone laughed.

My boss brought a delicious salad with champagne dressing from his favorite deli. Our temp took my suggestion and brought rolls. Of course, (rolling eyes) she bought the Hawaiian kind that I like. And the Dream Team of Sarah & Bridget brought decadent desserts that were devoured in no time.

Bridget made the gorgeous looking and tasting chocolate and berry trifle. (Layers of brownies, chocolate pudding, strawberries, blackberries, and whipped topping -- I had two servings!) Oh, yeah...AGOL Rum Cake is next to it which is now requested as a mandatory dish for future office luncheons. Our dream team makes the dreamiest desserts!



During dinner last night, Jeff said that my reputation preceded me. Huh? He said he was working with one of the finance ladies and he happened to mention Bridget and me working in her building. She said that we were wild. Well...at least she got it right. Heh.

By mid-afternoon, the accounting natives were getting restless and were allowed to go home early. I stayed later and left about 5:30. Yes, I had the option to leave two hours earlier. It was quiet and I could make progress without any interruption which made me happier yet mentally exhausted.

Myrna was expecting my call to get together for dinner. I suggested to go someplace normally not on my approved list and she asked me several times if that was okay. She told her husband before she left to pick me up and he asked the same thing because I have expressed how much I despise this chain restaurant. The restaurant had changed the menu significantly in the last five years and I was pleasantly surprised. I told her it was now on the approved list. She breathed a sigh of relief...Do you ever get the impression I am a difficult food snob? Yeah, me too.

We stopped at a sporting goods store so I could get this thing Rob had suggested as part of my gym bag kit. Jeezus... Myrna also drove us to a super center where she bought stuff for the house and I bought some more workout clothes. My legs are longer than average and I've found my workout pants shorter after drying them in the dryer. I need to get a more of a variety so I have time to line dry them and avoid the stretching bit I do to return them to their original length.

Tomorrow will be an easier day. Looking forward to seeing Bridget do roller derby in the evening. Wait until you see the outfit our girl will be wearing: plaid schoolgirl skirt, black fishnets over bright pink tights, black with silver heart panty shorts to peek underneath skirt, custom designed t-shirt with group name & anarchy symbol and black knee socks with skull design. Pics will be taken...
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Dreamy Desserts

Ribs and Flowers

My boss stayed home to take his younger son to the doctor and found out he had strep throat. He also received a hysterical call from his wife that she had been sideswiped by a truck who had not estimated her distance on a turn. The car she was driving was only two days old. His wife was okay and the car still drivable. This man is a good man and deserves a break. Bridget and I are his break. We took care of the fort while he got everything sorted out.

Bridget and I worked out again at the gym at 11:30am. Today seemed tougher than yesterday. With her left knee/leg and my right knee hurting, we were quite the pair. Getting old sucks. My knee smarting is a haunting ghost from last year's UK trip where I stumbled off the sidewalk. Breathed through it because I wanted to give Rob a good report. It wasn't good, but not bad either. On the other hand, the eye candy was great! No, I didn't report on that bit.

Spent time in the afternoon getting a vendor to work with me on tuning a process with a company-wide program while grilling another employee on something he was convinced happened. It was amazing to find out that he had more concrete information counter to what he was telling me only after I involved my boss. Grrr.

Left work to meander around Tampa streets during rush hour to meet Myrna and Kristey at a South Tampa institution, Kojak's. I had heard rave reviews about it, but had never been. The service was very quick and the food reasonable cost. The ribs were cooked in a dry rub and was passably good to me. I could see the broad appeal though. I just prefer my ribs finger-licking sloppy. My ideal are smoked ribs basted in a robust sauce with a sweet and spicy tang. I also need extra sauce on the side. (Did I mention rice, too? I know -- that maybe stretching my fantasy a bit.) My sour taste came in the form of authentic Key Lime Pie. I love that pie flavor! It is unapologetic about being sharply sour with enough sweetness to be forgiving.

I was mesmerized by these lights and neon "chicken" sign reflecting against the awning.


Gas lamps! Cool.


Kristey shared her Hawaii pics, stories and gave us gifts.


This is on Gandy near Bayshore Blvd in South Tampa.



I received a bottle of macadamia nut oil infused with garlic and an orchid pin that reminded Kristey of the sugarpaste flowers I made a few years ago. I was trying to further my cake decorating skills at the time.

Orchid in Enamel Pin and Sugarpaste


Before I forget, besides the fun workout yesterday with Bridget, I received an advance preview of my boss' commentary on my performance appraisal. It was great! I felt like I received a very professional assessment. We get to talk on Friday about it. I just want the review to be backed up with an admirable raise. The only hindrance is that our group is not a revenue generating group and a case is difficult to plead even if you report up the chain to the SVP of Finance. Sometimes that is how the cookie crumbles.

For fun: Visit FARK for news. Florida has their own image tag. Yes, our state is that worthy...or was that exceedingly stupid, weird and horrific?
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Ribs and Flowers

27 Dresses

One thing about me is that I am not often spontaneous when it comes to making plans. I think it is a comfort thing because I have to know what is expected and what I need to do in order to prepare for an outing or an event ahead of time. This morning was not one of those moments.

Called up Myrna to ask her if she would like to go to lunch and a movie today. She was getting ready to go and run errands but she was thrilled at my ideas and we could do her errands after. She has never been to Wright's Deli and that is exactly where we had a scrumptious lunch. Myrna chose half a tuna sandwich and a cup of tomato bisque soup which she enjoyed immensely. Had my regular Bahama Baby grilled sandwich of pork, jarlsberg cheese, cucumber and some other stuff in an onion roll. We split a slice of chocolate cake. Mmmmmm...divine!

Next on our agenda was the new chick flick 27 Dresses with Katherine Heigl. Jane has made it her life to help brides on their special day and yet never marrying herself. (Jeezus, did this sound familiar!) A wedding columnist/reporter (James Marsden) discovers her going back and forth to two weddings in one night and eventually does a story on her. She ends up divulging her secret treasures of the 27 dresses of varying hideousness she has collected over the years of being a bridesmaid. Of course, they fall in love in a madcap way with an episode of them singing Elton John's Bennie and the Jets in an obscure bar. (Guess who was hooked on this song for a few days?) That is a high point view, you really have to watch this cute flick to get the rest about her sister falling in love with the man Jane has had a crush on forever...her boss!



We stopped at Sam's Club to get something for her husband. I like to go meander in every aisle and I found this large salad spinner at a reasonable price. Suspend your disbelief -- I didn't have one before today! I've bought them as gifts, but never for myself. With this model, you can serve in the plastic bowl after spinning your greens and also use the basket as a defrosting basket which allows the discarded water to drip into the bowl.

Sprinkles' New Salad Spinner


Myrna dropped me off late in the afternoon. I snapped the pic below before deciding to drive to my aunt's house to return something I had borrowed earlier in the week.



Enjoyed dinner with my aunt, uncle and Nan before tiredly going home. My mind was stuck on the fact that she's got electric boots a mohair suit...you know I read it in a magazine...Bennie and the Jets.
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27 Dresses

Bad Car-ma

Is sleep worse when it eludes you when you're in bed or is it worse when you're forced to give it up for other things? I was up after 5am to take care of the dog, take a shower and get ready for Tawny and Jeff to pick me up at 6:45am. They were kind enough to drop me off at the car shop before they made their way to work with Jeff quizzing me on what possibly could be wrong with the car. I know a great deal of many things, but cars are the least of it.

Explained how my car arrived at the shop to the manager and he warned me it would be $88 to hook up my car for computer diagnostics. Like I had a choice? Then he made conversation as if I was leaving my car to them for the day. I told him that I would wait in the TV room. It was 7am and his "computer guy" doesn't come in until 8am. Okay, whatever. I have my laptop with me so I can surf wirelessly and there is a TV on to keep me amused if needed. Like I said I didn't have a choice. I wanted him to stop chitchatting with me so I could start guzzling down the coffee he had made. Priorities.

The mechanic came round almost a couple of hours later and retrieved me to take me to my car. He was pointing out parts under the hood and explaining things. He might have been speaking Greek: new alternator, serpentine belt replacement and new oxygen sensor. I told him I just wanted to do what was necessary especially the day after Christmas. He said he would see what he could do. I agreed to everything but one item (fuel injection flush) and added an oil change while they were at it. My instincts told me he was being honest so I felt confident in what we agreed to perform on my car. The after Christmas special? Over $700! Holy crap -- I needed a drink and not coffee either unless it was laced with whiskey.

Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.

Called Myrna to have lunch with me across the road from the car shop when my car was all better again. She walked in, took on look at me and said, That bad, huh? Did I mention my lovelies that I left the house with my hair up, no make-up on and no jewelry wearing a t-shirt and some long ancient pants? Very un-AGOL. She kept staring at me as I kept staring at her because I noticed her teeth were whiter. I asked her about it and she said something to which I replied, You're blinding me over here during daylight! She laughed and said, Now you know how I feel when I see you! Um...Hee.

We left the restaurant and she agreed to help me find a new vacuum cleaner since mine was working on my feng shui nerves. Picked one out that turned out to be extra clean-y. Holy dust bunnies, AGOL!

Update: Forgot that I had this on my phone. Made me chuckle in the store.



Anyhoo, made my way back to my aunt's where my cousin Dave's wife Michelle joined us with her brood and her mother for takeout Hooter's Buffalo Wings. My aunt made fried fish and some other Filipino concoction for her and Michelle's Filipino mom. After eating, several of us decided to go for a quick drive by at a certain neighborhood for Christmas lights before I headed home to the elusive thing called sleep...








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Bad Car-ma

A Hustling Ho Ho Ho

(Yes, I am still coughing, but not as bad as previous nights. Thank God.)

My alarm got me up at 5am and it was a slow start beginning with taking Cabal out. Wrapped the girls' presents and was ready when Myrna picked me up a little after 7am. On the way, she presented me with her mother's Christmas gift to me which she had sent from Ohio - a metal crystal encrusted dragonfly pin! As soon as I finished ooh'ing and aah'ing over it, Myrna made me open her mother-in-law's gift to me which was a jade and jade colored-crystal bead necklace with matching earrings she picked up from the gem show. These women were so kind to think of me. Both gifts were very pretty and very unexpected.

Kristey drove up as we arrived ourselves. We were seated immediately and ordered breakfast. Kristey regaled us with her Steamboat Springs ski trip. One of their companions displaying horrible horrible manners and behavior mortifying the rest of the skiers. Do people actually behave that bad? Yes. She finished the story with a funny ending so all was not lost on the long weekend.

We exchanged gifts with me receiving way more than I bargained for. Among the items I received was another dragonfly pin from Myrna which had a Mama Dragonfly and a Baby Dragonfly. Kristey got me a sage blue heart pin from a local Steamboat Springs ceramic artist. I received more stuff but I feel that is really bordering now on bragging if I tell you the rest. I am so blessed.

Pretty dragonflies to keep me company.


Handmade heart pin with friendship poem.


Myrna dropped me off at my aunt's house and stayed for a visit and reacquaint herself with my family. Angie drove us to a few stores around town so we could finish...We didn't. Tomorrow is the absolute last day to shop. It is not quite making me bite my fingernails. I won't -- they are expensive. Ha! We ate a late lunch/early dinner before she Angie came for a short visit. We were grooming my Pretty Boy Dog and taking videos of him just being too cute so she could show her brother later.

Instead of diving into the gift wrapping like I should have, I decided to decompress and veg a bit. It was Sunday after all! Being on the go all weekend without any time to just be would not be good. I had been feeling queasy from lack of sleep mid afternoon. I updated my blog and recounted the things I bought so I wouldn't miss anyone in case I needed to get more gifts after work tomorrow. It will be just a few hours at work! Okay, that is ONE redeeming quality about Christmas: time off.
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A Hustling Ho Ho Ho