Rambling Randomness

whoa dude

2011-07-23T23:03:00.000-05:00

a month?! what the butt! That flew by. Anyone else excited that summer FINALLY arrived? This is the season I live for, so I've been outside and all over the place. LOVE it.

I've also gotten hooked on some decorating blogs. Oh my. The Nate Berkus show made some comment (isn't it terrible that I don't remember even that any more?! this show is on during what was my 10am nursing session...got somewhat addicted there too...ohhhh dear). Anyway. Here's the list of what I've been reading lately. OH decorating...looooove. :o)
http://www.younghouselove.com/
http://www.centsationalgirl.com/
http://www.gusandlula.com/
http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/

And now, I'm driving my husband nuts with all my baskets and burlap and "high and wide" curtains and painting wishes and etc. :o) I think he's liking it though.

We finally got new couches! When I graduated collge, we (I was) were blessed with my parent's friends couches when they moved to CA and had to downsize. I'm sure the couches are no less than 20 years old. Great quality and very comfortable (here they are if you're looking for a set) - it was just time to buy something that we picked out together. We got dark chocolate leather. Yummm!! And they're so comfortable. You'll have to come over and enjoy them with us.

And what about meal planning, you ask? I know I know. I've been doing it, just not posting. We've also been out of town quite a bit, so we've been sharing meals with friends and family and holidays. I'll post next week's tomorrow (it will be anemic also as I have work stuff all week long).

HAPPY SUMMER! How have you been enjoying the beautiful (minus last week's sauna temps) weather?

Week 4 Menu

2011-06-23T21:17:00.002-05:00

Oh my, am I behind or what?! Life's been a bit crazy. Here's what this week is (was) looking like...

Monday -
Pork fajitas with sauted red peppers and onions

Tuesday -
Venison steaks and broccoli

Wednesday -
Roasted chicken (pepper & salt), corn (frozen from last summer, yuuuummm), and freezer twice-baked potatoes

Thursday -
Over-priced auction hotdogs

Friday -
Chicken salad

Saturday -
Going to try Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

Sunday -
Pheasant - not sure how I'll be cooking it yet. I'll post about what I decide. All I know is I'm tired of having these "birds with feet" carcasses in my freezer - it's time to eat them. :o)

Grocery shopping list...
I'll be checking PYD for any can't miss deals. Otherwise, I'm just looking for some fruit, yogurt, and fresh veggies.

Meal planning - month one verdict: SUPER awesome on the budget. I will note that I've depleted some of my pantry stash, but I should be able to restock that without much issue.

How about you? Have you tried menu planning?

hair cut deal - today only!

2011-06-15T12:37:00.002-05:00

I mentioned Regency Beauty in my last money saving post...and if you stop by a location today (6/15), you can either get a $1 haircut or pick up a card for a $1 haircut anytime this year!!

http://www.regencybeauty.com/offer/dollar/haircut.aspx

How cool is that!?

Week 3 Menu

2011-06-13T20:44:00.000-05:00

Week three! Week two was a bit hectic...we had a couple of nights of leftovers because some of the dishes made SO much food. Going forward, I'll be building in one "free" night where we'll finish up some extras. Anyway, none of the pork was cooked last week and we definitely didn't do the roast.

Monday -
Pork loin, butterflied with salt, pepper, and grainy mustard

Tuesday -
Pork Fajitas (leftover from Monday)

Wednesday -
Out for dinner...and a baby sitter! Wheee! :o)

Thursday -
Leftovers!

Friday -
Father's day weekend!

Saturday -
Father's day weekend!

Sunday -
Father's day weekend!
Not much on my list this week. In fact, I probably won't even make it to the store unless I'm supposed to be providing potato salad for the weekend, then I'll need some potatoes. We'll be shopping our pantry this week! Now that's a budget friendly week! :o)

corningwear

2011-06-09T20:36:00.001-05:00

Just so you know....corningwear is NOT unbreakable, in case you were wondering. I think it's supposed to be, but today we determined it is decidedly NOT. :o(

shoot. Turns out holding a baby, re-heating a donut, and then covering the donut in powdered sugar was not in the cards. :o(

Money Saving - Idea #3

2011-06-09T14:52:00.000-05:00

How about those haircuts, huh? I've done the $70 hair cut at Juut and I've done just about every low-cost salon out there too (Great Clips, Fantastic Sam's, Aveda Institute (students), and Juut's New artist acadamy).

Perhaps I'm picky about my hair, but I don't find that the more expensive haircuts are always better. I've stuck with a stylist when I've liked the initial cut, but the subsequent ones never match up.

I recently connected with someone who's in the know about two Fantastic Sam's in Maple Grove. She recommended a stylist at each salon and so I'm off to try the Bass Lake Road one this week. I'll let you know how it goes. Here's the style I'm requesting...

Fantastic Sam's info, in case you'd like to give either location a try.

Chelsey - Bass Lake Salon

**6334 Vinewood Lane Maple Grove – corner of 494 and Bass Lake Rd

Dori - Weaver Lake Salon

**12549 73rd Ave N Maple Grove – off of Weaver Lake Rd near Dairy Queen

Also, I just received a coupon for a $10.99 shampoo, haircut, and blowdry in the mail yesterday. I recommend calling ahead to verify the stylist is working - no appointments, but I plan on waiting for Chelsey even if someone else is available.

Other low-cost options:

Juut New Artist Academy - $25 to $35 for a cut & style

These stylists already graduated from beauty school, this is Juut's additional training
I've gotten checked by an instructor once (bonus!), but not the other 4-5 times I've been there
Fair deal - plan on paying about $5 for parking

Aveda Institute - $15+ for a cut & style

These stylists can be only a few months into school or just about to graduate
All haircuts are checked by an instructor
Plan on this taking about two hours

Regency Beauty Institute - $9 for a cut, $12 for a cut & style

These stylists can be only a few months into school or just about to graduate
All haircuts are checked my an instructor
I haven't been here, but I've heard that since the classes are smaller the instructor review is much more thorough.

How about you? Do you have any experience with the Regency school and/or any other great places to get a good, inexpensive haircut?

Money Saving - Idea #2

2011-06-07T21:36:00.001-05:00

Who loves pudding cups for lunch?? I do, sometimes, but my husband would eat three in a day. I typically don't buy these for us because...
1. Who KNOWS what's in them to last so long...especially the shelf stable ones!
2. They're stinking expensive! I just saw six cups on sale for $2.79!

So, great idea....make your own pudding cups!
I got two packages of pudding mix ($0.46 for a package at Aldi) and a gallon of milk ($2.69 at Aldi). Then, I used the little tupperware type snack cups that are about the same size as a pudding cup. (My mom found about 10 of them at a garage sale with lids for a dollar!)

Mix each flavor separately with just a little less than the two cups of milk the package specifies.
Layer the flavors in the cups, put on the lid, and refrigerate!

By my math I spent about $1.50 for nine pudding cups...which saved $2.64! And you can choose the flavors and combinations you want! Wheeee! :o)

What flavors are you going to try??

Week 2 Menu

2011-06-05T22:03:00.001-05:00

Alrighty, week two! We didn't get to the mac & cheese last week (we had a happy hour on friday, yay!), so it's moving to this week. I did some freezer prep over the weekend. Made a double batch of pizza dough (enough for four pizzas in the freezer now), double batch of cookie dough (baked some up, portioned the rest), and chopped up some strawberries ($0.99 per pound at Aldi last week and this week).

Monday -
Spaghetti & Venison Meat Sauce (leftover from the lasagna making from last week)

Tuesday -
Steaks (yay for shopping our freezer..finding some good stuff at the bottom) & cheesy potatoes (from church freezer cooking)

Wednesday -
Three Cheese Bacon Mac & Cheese

Thursday -
Pork loin & asparagus

Friday -
Pork Fajitas (with onions & peppers)

Saturday -
Pizza (heard that Sam's has 5lbs of pepperoni for $13...hoping Costco has something similar, this is MUCH better than the $2.50/6oz or so you get on the Hormel stuff)

Sunday -
Roast, potatoes, onions

Items on my grocery list this week:
3# frozen Chicken breasts at Rainbow - $4.99
10 flour tortillas at Aldi - $0.99
1# Shredded Mozz Cheese at Alid - $3.29
Would love to hear your menu for this week...I could use your ideas for my menu next week!

Cloth Diapering...Let's do it!

2011-05-31T21:44:00.000-05:00

Well, I've mentioned it. About a bazillion times. I'm addicted. To cloth diapering. :o)

So, what do I do? I start another blog. You should probably check it out.
http://bekahsclothbums.blogspot.com/

And here's my goal: post at least three times per week in BOTH bekahsclothbums and RamblingRandomness

That's right. I know you're pumped. Tell me what I should write about! :o)

Here's today's randomness...I've regularly been giving the munchkin a paper towel to play with while I put everything back together after nursing. Well, today, she put her new teeth to good use and bit a piece off and then ate it. She made a funny look, and then swallowed it. OOps. I guess that's the last time she gets a paper towel!

Week 1 Menu

2011-05-29T21:05:00.002-05:00

I'm committing. I'm going to start meal planning. To try and keep myself accountable, I'll be posting them here each week.

Monday -
Hotdogs & Brats on the grill (happy memorial day, and THANK YOU to all our service-people!)

Tuesday -
Rosemary roasted chicken and ~~asparagus~~ edamame

Wednesday -
Homemade Pizza

Thursday -
Chicken Enchiladas (leftover chicken from Tuesday)

Friday -
3 cheese bacon macaroni

Saturday -
Fried egg sandwiches

Sunday -
Venison Lasagna

Do you plan your meals out? Share your plan for this week! I know we can all use the inspiration of other's ideas!

Meat shopping at Home!

2011-05-28T23:42:00.000-05:00

We have a deep freeze (aka, chest freezer) that I don't think I could live without. My husband hunts, so we need someplace to store all that meat. We also co-op with a couple other families on raising chickens and butchering them each summer...so a place to store 15-18 ten pound chickens all year is super important!

All that to say, I should rarely buy meat, but I still find myself checking out with a *great* deal on chicken or something. I'm challenging myself to use what we already have before I go purchasing more. Since venison is VERY plentiful at our house, here is creative use number one:

Venison Enchilada's (AKA Venchilada's):
1 lb ground venison (I had venison steaks that I put through our meat grinder)
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 can tomato sauce
1 can hot enchilada sauce
6 flour tortillas
8 ounces cheddar cheese - grated

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brown the ground venison on medium high heat. Before meat is completely cooked, add the packet of taco seasoning. Finish browning and then add the tomato sauce and 1/2 the grated cheese. Stir together until cheese is melted into the meat.

Spray a 9x13" pan. Spoon the meat into a tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in the pan. Use the rest of the meat to fill the other tortilla's. Pour the enchilada sauce over the rolled up Venchilada's (try to cover all of them) and then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling. Enjoy!

Honest appraisal - These were delicious! You couldn't tell they were venison, which is a big thumbs up for me. My husband said these should definitely be added to the regular dinner rotation. Works for me if it helps us get the venison moving out of the freezer before next season!

Your turn - what do you need to use up in your freezer before spending more at the store?

Money Saving - Idea #1

2011-05-28T23:29:00.000-05:00

**Make your favorite snack at home**

For us, this is the quaker chewy granola bar...chocolate chip, please. I just saw a box of 12 on sale for $2.50 today. I made 18 (larger than quaker's) for an estimated $2.

Mock Quaker Choc Chip Granola Bars
3 C rolled oats
1.5 C crisped rice
1/2 C melted butter
1/3 C brown sugar
1 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
1 C honey
1 C flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix everything together in a bowl until thoroughly moistened and clumpy. Spray a 9x13" pan (I used glass, so that I could cut in the pan without worrying about scratches) and pour everything in the pan. Spray a spatula and press down into the pan. Bake at 325 for 18 - 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and press everything down again with the sprayed spatula. Let cool for 10-15 minutes and cut into granola sized bars (I made 18, I think I may make them smaller next time). Let cool another 30 minutes. Remove from pan with spatula and separate to completely cool on a wire rack. I then put each one in a plastic baggie, taped closed (didn't have the little snack bags or waxed paper that I wanted to use), and tossed them all into an empty quaker granola bar box. Tada!!

Honest appraisal - they taste a little bit different, but that's because we're using honey instead of corn syrup and invert sugar (because we don't even know what invert sugar is!). They taste more like cascadian farm granola bars - sweet but healthy. MMMMM.

Your turn, what snacks have you found are just as good or better to make at home?

re-Kickin it off

2011-05-22T22:37:00.002-05:00

Life update: I'm back at work (2 months now) - part-time (which is amazing) and I have a six month old (!). With four days at home, I've had the chance to read a bunch of blogs and be inspired by all of these other moms who have such neat stuff to share!

Topics I've been thinking about lately are creative ways to save money, freezer cooking meals, cloth diapering, and home decorating.... Actually, if I could find a way to make all of these be my job, I would be...oh LOVE. :o)

born for leaving?

2011-02-15T08:33:00.000-06:00

Well...it's been a while i spose.

I was listening to the radio this morning on a rushed run into the office to pick up the FMLA paperwork I accidently left on the top of a random filing cabinet (GAAA). Anyway. A Zac Brown Band song was on and there's a line in it that "he's a gypsy soul, and he was born for leaving" and I realized that there are several country soungs with this line in it. It made me pause because we are NOT made for leaving. NO one is made for leaving. Where does this concept originate? Is it an easy way to excuse us runnning from/leaving problems? Is this related to our difficulty in taking responsibility for our actions? IE - "the report was overlooked" instead of "I overlooked the report"? It made me sad. We are made for a lot of things, but leaving isn't one of them. We're made to be in community with one another, we're made for love, we're made to glorify God...but we're not made for leaving. I may need to write the ZBB a letter.

Happy Tuesday and post-valentine's day! I hope yours was pink and red and everything lovely. :o)

Laundry

2009-10-25T20:27:00.000-06:00

Okay, I didn't believe the info-mercials or the blogs, but now I'm a believer. I got a coupon in my costco mailer last week for $4 off a 15lb box of Oxiclean. Just did about five loads of laundry with it and OH MY GOODNESS does it work!

My whites have never been whiter, my colors never brighter! You know how socks get pretty grungy from all of the MN-non-shoe-ness? Well, no more!! They look like they're almost brand new! Seriously. If you're a costco member, you can get the coupon at the courtesy desk, it's good through the 31st I think. With the $4 off it was $13.50 for 15 pounds of the stuff! I don't know if it's a good deal, but I know it works and 15 pounds is going to last for a looooong time.

Happy cleaning!

2009-10-10T15:13:00.003-05:00

I have a great idea - I wonder if it already exists.

It would be awesome if there was technology that tagged every word you recorded when working in radio. After a few months, you'd have a great repository of words, that you could use to put together a new tag line or sub a word with another because of a swear or something. You'd just search for "crap" and then find & replace within the recording. Wouldn't that be awesome? I bet it'd save radio stations a lot of money - instead of having to edit and "splice" segments together, you could just find and replace.

The other idea I had today (it was a productive drive to freezer cooking!) had to do with stop lights. I think it would be great to link the stop lights to car engines. Basically, by using GPS and the signals the stop lights already follow - your car wouldn't be able to run a red light. When you're heading towards a red light, and you get within a certain distance, your car would begin slowing down. I guess there would be some debate around whether the car should speed up for a yellow light or slow down for a yellow light. Maybe you'd have to take an IQ test before they determine which your car would do. I'm sure there are some kinks in the idea - but all those tech people will figure it out.

The first snow the year makes me think of my best idea from a few years ago - indoor gas stations!!

Happy Saturday!

le smile

2009-09-01T20:24:00.002-05:00

first, i need to mention my new addiction...via Jess: http://corporette.com/
love love love!

Worst new show: More to Love

And then, the thought that brought me to blogging today.
Sometimes, when I'm walking into work, or climbing the stairs, or walking through the hallway at work, it smells the same as it did during my internship. There have been a few occurances this week - and it's amazing how quickly it brings me back. Not just back to the moments in time when I smelled those same smells, but the excitement, curiousity, boundless opportunity I could see...it's fun to be back there and to be reminded of what I was thinking, feeling, smelling when I picked this job, this company, this career.

Ps, I have the best husband ever. :-D

no facebook!

2009-08-28T14:15:00.003-05:00

I'm giving up facebook for two months....which didn't seem that hard when I agreed to the challenge, but now that i'm watching rachel ray with milee cyrus.....i SO want to post a status update!!!

Instead, you get a blog post:

1. Rachel Ray, while I love her cooking show, is not a good talk show host. at all. AWKWARD!
2. I want to see the Hannah Montana Movie!!
3. Can't wait for Billy Ray to be interviewed next!!

edit - Billy Ray, your hair is horrible.

phew.

2009-06-29T14:44:00.002-05:00

So, my phone broke - for no apparent reason. I went to open it, and it cracked on the hinge. Reminds me to see if my warrany just ran out - time for a free phone? Hmmmm.

Killed chickens this weekend - went much better than expected. I only had to pluck, not kill/gut. Should be set with chicken for a while. Next year I'll give the gutting a try...I'll bring a nail brush too to get the gunk out asap.

Interesting how possibilities completely change my outlook on things. le'sigh.

Follow-up to "this'll probably piss some of you off"

2009-06-14T16:03:00.005-05:00

I found the below blog by facebook-stalking happenstance. The writer: a MUCH better writer than myself, and happened to cover the same topic as I did in a post titled "I will respect you only if you agree with me". And that was my point as well. For your review:

http://iwriteright.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/i-will-respect-you-only-if-you-agree-with-me/

the internet!

2009-06-13T17:01:00.002-05:00

I am really enjoying learning new cooking techniques and terminology...so I thought I'd poke around on the internet to see if there's any way to get some sort of culinary education. THERE IS!

I just rediscovered a love of the internet. YAY free information!

this'll probably piss some of you off

2009-06-06T22:18:00.005-05:00

but here's the deal.

I was thinking recently about comments other people make that could be considered offensive by me, but that I brush off because I believe people can have different opinions than I do.

I frequently get feedback that something I said offended someone. It occurred to me that if other people were as open-minded as they complain I need to be, they would be offended as infrequently as I am.

So basically, the complaint that my comments are offensive completely disproves your point that you're open minded.

And, the part that will piss some of you off: typically, other people = liberals.

I'm serious though. Perhaps not all conservatives do a good job of this, but I think I do a pretty good job of accepting "different strokes for different folks" and I don't think a lot of liberals do a good job of letting other people have different viewpoints than theirs! (To the point that I'm sure I'm going to get a comment about how closeminded this post is. ARGGGG!!!!)

Ps. When I run for office, I'm considering using this point as part of my platform.
Pps. I think I broke my foot today. It hurts a lot, looks like a hippo coming out the top of it, and I'm unable to walk on it. Why does this have to happen when my husband is out of town!? (This is just another reason I should not have gone to target today as it also broke my 2009 fast from Target....5 months is pretty good thought I think).

baking

2009-06-05T17:52:00.003-05:00

Let me be honest. I am begininning to really like cooking, but I love baking. I've currently committed to making all of our bread from scratch. No more preservatives for us!

Anyway, I use the william's sonoma baking cookbook for some fun bread recipes, but I can NOT seem to get the dinner roll recipe to proof very well. I try forcing it with warmer air, I try giving it more time, I try letting the yeast dissolve a bit longer, but they still always come out more dense than I'd like. My next try will be a bit less flour than called for and possibly more yeast.

Does anyone have any other ideas? I can get wheat sandwhich bread to proof like nobody's business, but all white dinner rolls, no luck. I don't sift my flour, is that maybe it? Arrrrg.

Thanks!

i had an awesome title and i forgot it, dang.

2009-06-05T12:40:00.004-05:00

I've had all these great blog-worthy thoughts the last day, and now that I open the box to start rambling them, they're missing.

One, that I remember, is regarding this weird time in life that I guess people are calling the "twenty-somethings". It's appropriate I suppose. The reason it felt blog-worthy was for a moment it occurred to me that this would be a time in life that I will one day look back at fondly and recall how it felt like I was straddling a deep chasm. One the one side there are my twenties - the start of which includes the last two years of college, a few moves, and a relatively easy workload. On the other side are the thirties - what appear to be full of the doom and gloom that appears when one becomes "old", brought on by the realization that work isn't always carefree and fun, life is rather serious, and kids really do change your life. And the reason I'll look back fondly at this time is that I'm sure the way I'm looking at the thirties will be rather humorous to me after I've lived through them and they're not really much different than living through my twenties.

Another item is the rate at which I use the library. The online option is fantastic and allows me to turn some librarian somewhere into my personal assistant. I search for the books I want online, request them to hold for me, and then show up once I get an email to find all the books I requested in my hold section ready for me to check out. How amazing and easy is that? I currently have about eight books checked out regarding how to be a manager, and two books regarding negotiations. I'm excited about one I just requested: "Eat. ShopTwinCities".

Another is something I would guess might be a little controversial. I recently found out about two people I know who are having an affair. I won't go into any detail, but the point I have to make is that I've found this information affects my opinion of both people. and that it suprises me that people think it shouldn't. Both were married before this started and now they're pursuing divorces. I now have little respect for either of them and my level of trust in their ability and integrity is erased. I suppose we're living in a world where this is rather commonplace, but why is it wrong of me to hope that we aren't?

Anyway, today is supposed to be the nicest day of the weekend, so I'm going outside.
Happy weekend all!

and, to just say,

2009-06-01T12:16:00.001-05:00

i hate when people do things that they really shouldn't do.

this covers more than what I was initially irritated by (someone spending an hour re-typing a sheet we can't find the original to), so there's my current state: Grow a backbone people.

frustrated

2009-06-01T12:03:00.002-05:00

Definitely not thrilled it's a Monday. Wishing I could get stuck in some sort of weekend groundhog's day event...no work, no stress. Wondering if I was an intern again I'd feel all the same sorts of excitement I did then.

Typed my new name without thinking today....not a first, but maybe. It's weird that I thought it would be all different to have a new last name, and really there's no different feeling at all. I thought there'd be a whole new persona I'd take on - but it's still just me. And switching back and forth really isn't odd.

I need a vacation where I don't just stay home but actually go somewhere. I'd also like my garden to actually start growing.

In other news, what about this flight to Paris that disappeared. Have they even released a passenger list yet?

Thinking I'll pull out the old rollerblades after work and take a spin around the lakes. Haven't done that in several years.

This post, fyi, is the epitome of rambling randomness. :o)

mmmmm

2009-04-13T20:03:00.002-05:00

sigh. it was a good day.

no work (!)
beautiful weather
sunny
slept in a bit
laundry
baked bread
made dinner (meatloaf, veggies, wheat rolls, red wine)
time with the husband
grocery shopped
saved 12 dollars with coupons!
monday night line-up (big bang theory, before i met your mother, two and a half men)
bears hat
coffee

good start to the week. :o)

Answer to the last post's question....

2009-04-07T12:48:00.000-05:00

drumroll please.........

THEY ARE ALL MEN!

Are there not any women leading a country important enough to attend this meeting?
Why are the industrialized countries the ones with no women.

WHAT THE HECK?!

It appears the glass ceiling still exits.

Can you find it?

2009-04-03T07:09:00.006-06:00

So, beyond the super awkward uncoordinated set-up of the photo....can you find the serious problem here???

At center, US President Barack Obama, Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and Russa's President Dmitry Medvedev, reacted as they took part in a group photo to mark the G20 summit in London, Thursday. Others in the group in the front row are Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud Al-Faisal; China's President, Hu Jintao and Britain's prime Minister,Gordon Brown. Center left is Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Thailand's Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva is seen top left. At right is South Africa's President, Kgalema Motlanthe while at top right is Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi.(Stefan Rousseau, Associated Press)

Check back tomorrow for the answer!

s.l.o.w.l.y. g.o.i.n.g. c.r.a.z.y.

2009-03-30T13:13:00.002-06:00

i hate when people around me can be politically incorect, but I can't be.

seriously. people need to start thinking about their comments.

garrrr. i wish my desk was soundproof.

Bloomington Chophouse - Two Thumbs Down

2009-03-06T16:25:00.003-06:00

We went to the ChopHouse for restaurant week, excited to try a new location for dinner. If i could rate just the host, I would give four of five stars, however the rest of the experience was miserable.

To start, we ordered a bottle of wine, and were told, thirty minutes later, that they've never carried it!!! The host suggested a different bottle it's place (which was very good), but we would have prefered to know WAY before half an hour had passed. We weren't asked for our order until after they figured out the wine.

The evening went down from there:

Our first course arrived an hour after we sat down
Main course arrived about 30 minutes after our first course was cleared, and was cold. Not lukewarm, but "30 minutes sitting after cooking" COLD. We sent them back and the new steaks arrived in 5 minutes - even still, they were average.
Dessert arrived 30 minutes after our main course plates were cleared. We had to wait an extra 15 minutes before our server came back for us to be able to order coffee.

Because it was restaurant week, we ordered all three courses at once, so there was no delay in ordering from us - it was just terrible service. The food wasn't anything special (in fact, sub-par might be a better description).

2008-09-09T11:40:00.004-05:00

We're back! And with a vengenance... :o) Ha.

No, so I just signed up for my first RSS feeds (wHoo office 2007) and stumbled across an article about the LHC: A ginormous colider that is intended to recreate the big bang and *possible* black holes that might eat the planet (alleges a few people through a lawsuit).

Here's the link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24556999/

The below paragraph is probably my favorite of the entire article. It's both humorous and frightening. I'm not a scientist, and I haven't taken the time to look up the definition of "supersting theory", but if I read the sentence gramatically, it appears they're labeling God as superstring. And there's a sense of morbid curiosity as to what they might get when they set this thing off:

"Human history has been shaped by the progressive unraveling of gravity, electricity and magnetism, and the nuclear force," Kaku said. "Now we are at the brink of the granddaddy of all such unifications ... the unification of all forces into a super force. We think the super force is superstring theory, a super force that drove the big bang, that created the heavens and the earth, that drives the sun, that makes all the wondrous technologies of the earth possible."

In other news, I'm excited about Sarah Palin and McCain. I will be posting in the next few days a piece on politics. I'm so pumped. Consider yourself invited to our election party on November 4 - only red food and drink is allowed (food color use is acceptable)!

saffron

2008-08-12T13:46:00.002-05:00

So, apparently saffron is the ingredient you include in the name of your restaurant or in the name of one of your "signature dishes" to appear cool and trendy.

Really though, if you can believe the cooking shows, the flavor isn't all that popular. so what's the deal? People dealing with the taste to seem trendy? huh.

isn't it about the time for a different flavor to emerge....what do we think it will be? sage had it's hayday a few years back.... it's gotta be something most people don't like....hmmmm.....

deja vu

2008-08-11T13:15:00.001-05:00

Today there's been a lot of deja vu. Every time I open my inbox, or talk to someone.

very weird. has science figured out what causes this? I think I saw an article at one point.

PS, someone put some broken jars of salsa in the cube next to me and it smells RANK. I think i'm going to be sick. i hate mondays.

well.

2008-08-06T15:21:00.001-05:00

let's start. i'm getting a little annoyed. People hear that it's less than three weeks to the wedding, and they ask "ohhh, cold fee yet?" "nervous yet?"

Um. No. Thank you, but I'm not nervous. I do not, nor will I, have cold feet. We are more than confident in our decision.

Maybe this is the problem with marriages, huh? If that many people expect cold feet and nerves, well geez! Don't make the decision until you're sure!

don't ask me this question again.

neighborhood awesomeness....

2008-08-04T22:15:00.002-05:00

Just got home. Drove past the neighborhood gas station really slow due to the six to eight police cars with flashing lights surrounding the place. Hmmm. Then I saw the one non-police car with it's trunk open and a police officer in gloves taking little bags out of purse and tossing them on the hood. Ahhh.

Drugs. Sweet.

yeah nwa!

2008-08-01T10:01:00.002-05:00

We bought our tickets to CA yesterday.....and got a sweet deal for two tickets!! WOOOO frequent flier miles!! :o)

Are we ready for some wine country? YES!

weirdness

2008-07-29T22:20:00.003-05:00

Had a dream this morning...it was weird.

I was with a few friends, and we'd gone to this cavern (dark, dreary, damp, and (obviously) undergroud) to pick up her husband. He was training to be a speed runner (like a skater, but no skates). We watched the last few laps as they sped around the "rink"...running as fast as they could. He skipped off a minute before the other three guys, and was standing next to his wife talking to her, when all of a sudden the other three guys' phones started ringing.

We all looked up, noticed it was 12pm, and looked at the three other guys at the same moment they looked at us. It clicked with us at the same moment they realized the ringing cell phones at 12pm gave them away - they were the noon-time killers. In that split second, we realized their call was to alert them of their next victim's time....and they rushed my friends husband and all used their hands to choke him against the stone wall.

And then I woke up.

2008-07-23T13:39:00.002-05:00

i think i like this no title thing. you want me to put all of my random thoughts under one heading? forget it! i refuse. :o)

for those that are counting with me, it's 31 days today until the BIG DAY. :o)

looking for good song to dance to...any recos?

2008-07-08T22:33:00.000-05:00

1. as i got ready this morning in my hotel, I wondered why there aren't any hotels that provide nice hair dryers, and normal size hair products (hairspray) for my use. Even the super nice hotels have the super crappy hair dryers. i mean seriously! there are enough of us "carry-on only" people who aren't carting our hair dryers and hairspray around. make us feel welcome and put some of it in our room. I won't steal it....and if you're that concerned, do a room check before people check out!! or make them get it from the front desk! seriously people.

2. now that gas is a bazillion dollars per gallon, there are more people bicycling to work. Which I think is great. however, these people feel like they can act like cars (which is legally what they're supposed to do) until they hit a red light/stop sign/inconvenient traffic signal, at which point they decide to act like a pedestrian. PEOPLE!! this is how accidents happen. AND tickets!! I'm going to call my city counsel and see if we can't mandate that all bikes must be licensed. this way i can call the cops on the bikes that run red lights. If jim had to register his canoe (!!)...then why the heck aren't bikes required to be registered. seriously.

3. 110 degrees is hot.

4. even if i eat a mini bag of chips, fruit, licorice, and drink a full bottle of water after a full lunch....tasting 12 different wines still is too much for me. yes, i am a lightweight.

5. i'm flying home tomorrow and so excited. except for the four hours on the plane. I do not have enough to do (or enough laptop battery, aurgh)

that is all for now. i'm going to bed, even though it's way early here.
love.
-R

update?

2008-07-07T16:26:00.004-05:00

at the msp, hanging out, waiting for my plane.

this is a busy one - i happened to check-in early at the office, noticed i didn't have an assigned seat. i fear that means the flight is full. the packed waiting area pretty much confirms. woooo.

as i was going through the secret security check-in, a flight attendant butted into line (they're allowed to, i guess becuase it's their job or something)....and then proceeded to answer her phone and make everyone pick up their plastic buckets and bags on the conveyor belt and go around her through the check-point. I did a lot of rolling of the eyes and she said, "some things just can't be helped!" To which I didn't have time to respond that as a flight attendant she should know how these checkpoints work...and it would be more considerate to take her two things off the conveyor than to have all of us pick up our many items (i had 4 - laptop out of the bag, laptop bag, suitcase, tub with shoes) and move them around her. How inconsiderate! I just couldn't believe it. (just saw all of our pilots/attendants board....she's not in the bunch...whew)

(in other news, i wonder if people read this over my shoulder when i type at the airport.)
almost time to board, later gators!
-R

ps - the cnn is talking about the tomato recall....and how it might not've been tomatoes. shocking...let's go back to the totino's pizza recall and how they never found anything there either. maybe jim is right that we just need to figure out how to overcome the issue instead of just react to it. hmmmm.

the list so far...right?
.fresh tomatoes
.spinach
.lettuce

Foreclosures and Short Sales

2008-06-25T22:43:00.004-05:00

I'm rather frustrated with the real estate industry lately. My neighbor, a very nice lady whom I'll call Maria, and i think a first generation home owner, recently had to move in with a friend because she needed to someone to take care of her mother. I'm guessing something happened where Maria's mother all of a sudden needed continual care, because Maria has lived next door to me for the past 2 years with her mother as well as her young daughter without anyone taking care of her mother during the day.

When I spoke to her about 4-6 months ago when she said she had to move out, she was planning on either renting the place out or selling when the market got better. Then lo and behold, the house was listed about 2-3 months ago.

Now, first, the for sale sign listed no contact information for a realtor, no phone number to get more information, and no MLS number. Odd, I thought. As our terrible winter progressed into spring, it became apparant that the realtor was also not taking care of the property....grass grows quickly with that much rain.

So, I decided to look into the situation. First, I could find hide nor hair of the home on themlsonline.com. Odd. Then, I googled the realty company (Southwest Realty). I consider myself somewhat web-savvy...and yet, it took me over 3 hours of online research on google, dexonline, white pages, and calling people's personal residences to track down the realtor. Hmmm. This isn't looking good, I think. I'm pretty sure, at this point, that Maria is getting taken by some unsavory character posing as a realtor. So, while I'm waiting for the realtor to return my call, I start searching for realty license - and although there's a somewhat spotty history of licensed and then not licensed - the realtor appears to be legit.

Finally I get a call back from the gentlemen listing the home, and I tell him my concerns:
1. the home does not appear to be on MLS
2. there isn't ANY contact information on the for sale sign
3. no one is maintaining the property

Turns out:
1. This firm doesn't always list homes on MLS. I find this weird and wrong. However, he claims the home is listed and later that day sends me the listing.
2. He claims the realty company was supposed to put his contact information on the sign, and he says he is suprised it's not there. I find it odd he hasn't been out to the property. Today (2 weeks after the initial call), contact information and a information sheet are now next to the sign.
3. Realtor claims Wells Fargo is supposed to hire someone to take care of the property. I ask if I can call Wells Fargo - he says that he can't give me any contact information without written consent from Maria. I don't have that, but I have other connections, so I start calling around and finally get connected with someone who can at least give me information on how this whole process works.
4. listed price is $50,000 under the Hennepin County taxable value of the property

So, apparantly, Maria finds a realtor and he is supposed to list her home. Then, if offers come in that will cover the amount she still owes on the house, and Wells Fargo decides to accept the offer, Maria is off the hook. She makes no money on the property (i'm sure the realtor does - that's going to be my next email to him), and Wells Fargo considers the loan paid. This is considered a short sale.

I asked about the property management, and the guy at Wells Fargo tells me that they only take care of the property when they own the property - which they currently don't because it's a short sale and not a foreclosure. (this is different from what the realtor told me would happen). So I emailed the realtor and he said Maria is supposed to be taking care of the property - ignoring my comment about my Iowa realtor who took care of my property when I was relocated and my question about if he would do the same for Maria.

Additionally, Maria's realtor claims that Wells Fargo is the slowest bank in the industry to respond to short sales offers, and that currently response time is somewhere between 60-90 days. I asked the Wells Fargo guy who is supposed to be on Maria's side...and making sure that she's getting a fair deal out of this? Who's supposed to be making sure that she gets her home listed properly so people actually know it's for sale? (Zillow.com does not show it's for sale....and i couldn't find it on MLS...and I used to LIVE on that site!) Who's supposed to be arguing with Wells Fargo that they need to hurry up and take the offers on the table so her credit ceases to be affected? WHO IS SUPPOSED TO BE MARIA'S ADVOCATE?!?! He said that in a short sale, everyone wins. But I don't see that happening!

Shouldn't someone be taking care of her property since she's unable to, or at least telling her that the bank isn't (like they told her was happening)?? Shouldn't someone be walking her through this process to make sure she's using the most reputable realty company?? And how do you repair credit that's been harmed by something like this?? Shouldn't there be a required session by Wells Fargo on how to recover from this and prevent it in the future??

I'm frustrated that no one is watching out for her! How awesome is it that a single mom was able to buy a house? And then this is what she gets for it when a health issue happens!

And then, let's just get angy for one more bit about the attitude of her other neighbor! I think the neighborly thing to do when you know someone is unable or not present to take care of their property is to help them out. Now, I have THE most difficult time starting my lawn mower...it usually takes me at least 20 minutes and one blister to get the thing going....and then if I have to stop because i'm bagging, we typically start the whole process over again. I'm not the strongest of women, so turning the machine is typically not the most fun....basically, it's a huge workout for me to mow the lawn. That's great. So, I decide that I'm going to at least take care of Maria's front yard until I figure out what's going on. Well, her other neighbor tries to, first, talk to me while I'm mowing...dumbhead. And then asks if I finally got sick of the tall grass!! Well NO! I just think SOMEONE should be looking out for this woman!!!! It would make more sense if the guy who's at least mid-thirties and much stronger than me would take care of her yard, but no! He's just annoyed that someone else isn't!!

So anyway. If anyone has any suggestions on how to better advocate for Maria (really not her real name), please send them my way. I've called her house, but i'm guessing her calls aren't forwarded, so I'm not sure how to get a hold of her anymore to ask how else I can help. Or, if you know how to help expedite short sales, that would be great too. Additionally, any information regarding how realtors are paid on short sales would be appreciated. And lastly, if you know of any advocacy places for foreclosures, short sales, morgages - can you let me know? Something must be done.

Thanks all. Send your prayers out for Maria.
-R

oof

2008-06-04T00:18:00.002-05:00

a little down tonight. didn't think i'd be making these big decisions for at least another three to five years and i'm not quite sure i'm able.

they should have a class on balancing life as a working woman when you're in college. or rather, how to decide what's most important to you. or no, really, what to prioritize when....so you know what to accept, and what to wait on. no one ever tells you you're going to have to choose between a bunch of things super important to you...and i don't know how to do it. so that's where i am this week.

also, as i see people grow up....i'm sad to see the innocence disappear. i'm so worried for them when they're innocent and naive...and then i see it change without knowing the reasons.....but assuming it's tied to something they learned the hard way. and i wish i could've protected them from this world just a little bit longer.

maybe i think too much.

i assembled my dress form tonight. pretty excited to start the dress making.
anyway, it's late.
love,
-r

grown up?

2008-05-16T08:52:00.001-05:00

I just re-read an email I sent the other day....

"Other than that, life is good and busy. I'm planting a garden and doing some landscaping. I'm painting that back bedroom and moving my piano back there so that we can re-arrange the living room."

I don't sound like a teenager, do I.

really?

2008-05-12T09:30:00.002-05:00

http://www.whostartedyourchurch.com/

yeah, check out that site....apparently all other churchs/religions besides the catholic one were started by people. the catholic church, apparently, was started by Jesus Christ in Jerusalem in 33AD.

Which is interesting, because I don't find that anywhere in my Bible.

Oh, and you can buy a tshirt stating "who started your church" for 14.95. Yeah....I bet Jesus is SUPER excited about this movement..... (1 Corinthians as well as the passage about the merchants in the temple come to mind....)

awesome.

2008-05-09T13:05:00.002-05:00

lately, the glass ceiling is filled with what looks like a lot of french-blue shirts.

anyway. bought all of my garden seeds (except mint) and am ready to get planting. just need the rain to go away for a few days. heard on the radio that burbee seeds (the kind i bought), have sold 100% more seeds already this summer than last summer....and that minneapolis community gardens are almost full while in past summer they never see close to even 50% use. produce prices are changing behavior.

i could use about 3 weeks to work on stuff i want to get done around my house. and all i really want to do is sleep. i think i'm getting sick.

i get a lot more done when i can't watch anything except channel 11. kare 11 is interesting, but not as great as bravo.

it's almost mid-may. don't understand.

i had all these great things to blog about and now none of them are coming to mind. oh well - love to you all!

grrrr rain

2008-05-06T15:53:00.002-05:00

Today I decided I would park at the far end of the parking lot. It was a BEAUTIFULLY sunny morning and I wanted to enjoy the weather as much as I could before sitting in a controlled environment all day. I thought to myself, "It would be my luck that it would start to rain before I leave....but noooo, there's not a cloud in the sky!"

Sure 'nough. It's raining.

interesting commentary on Whole Foods and the growing "go green" movement from the LA Times

2008-05-05T16:06:00.003-05:00

I've highlighted some of my favorite lines in green....

Los Angeles Times Magazine

Magazine DeskWATCH THIS SPACE - The Green Giant; Whole Foods' local flagship: the supermarket as hybrid SUV
Christopher Hawthorne is the architecture critic of The Times. Contact him at Christopher.hawthorne@latimes.com
04/06/2008Los Angeles TimesHome EditionI-20EnglishCopyright 2008 The Los Angeles Times

The massive new Whole Foods Market on Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena represents the height of one-upmanship in Southern California's increasingly competitive grocery store trade. I'll see your three brands of soy milk, it says cockily to Fresh & Easy, and raise you two.

But the store is even more striking for what it says about the similar discontents plaguing the organic food and green architecture movements. The way they come together in this Whole Foods--a piece of green architecture designed to hold an organic food emporium--suggests that both may need to adjust their priorities. Or at least start acknowledging that they've become victims of their own success.

The trouble begins with the fact that both movements have their roots in the counterculture of the 1960s. Growing your own food was one way for Americans, frustrated by the rising power of agribusiness, to stake a claim for regional culture and individual values. The same was true of early efforts at eco-friendly architecture. The first generation of hay-bale, sod-roof structures represented a do-it-yourself aesthetic in the extreme.

Then, roughly a decade ago, both movements began to take hold in the center of the American consciousness. A few corporations, such as Ford and Bank of America, began building their plants and corporate headquarters in accordance with strict green design principles: using recycled materials, energy-efficient water systems and solar panels to minimize the effects of constructing and operating a new facility. At about the same time, Whole Foods and its competitors began showing up in cities other than Berkeley and Seattle--including places that might have seen the principles of organic food as faddish, or even freakish, a few years earlier.

Somewhere along the way, for both organic grocers and the corporate patrons of green architecture, the line between planet-saving and aggressive marketing became blurred. Companies realized that promoting themselves as eco-friendly could be a powerful sales tool. Some, not surprisingly, concentrated more on the marketing message than on their green practices --a strategy that became known as "greenwashing."

Some, if not most, organic food outlets--including Wild Oats, which Whole Foods acquired last year--suggest that the shopper's goal should be to do more with less. But the genius of the Whole Foods approach, under hard-driving Chief Executive John Mackey, has been to realize that many American consumers have a vague desire to buy organic and live healthier but have no interest in dispensing with selection or comfort.

The Whole Foods regional flagship in Pasadena, designed by the KTGY Group in Santa Monica, is an architectural monument to this idea. Along with the Ecolution hemp shopping bags for $7.49 and the "Certified Organic" cotton candy near the checkout aisle, the store has a salsa bar, a coffee bar, a nut bar, a noodle bar, a tapas bar with 20 wines by the glass, a soup bar, a pudding bar and a charcuterie. And a chocolate fountain. There is a sign promising "custom butters," the first time I have seen that word in the plural.

On the Sunday I visited, a group was settling down in the center of the second floor, just behind the pizza oven and not far from the roast-beef carving station, for a full-blown Champagne brunch. TVs hang everywhere so you can watch PGA golf (that's what was on when I was there) while you pick out fair-trade roses from Ecuador.

It's Vegas with organic, gluten-free scones.

On the second floor, near the elevator, there's a large sign--marked "Green Mission"--describing all the store's sustainable materials. They include Neapolitan bamboo ("a highly renewable resource") and Fireclay tile ("made from 50% post-consumer and post-industrial waste"), among others.

"We source materials that rapidly replenish themselves and do not contribute to biodiversity loss," the sign reads. "We support growers of forest and other sustainable products that are responsibly managed."

But the first rule of sustainable architecture is to keep new buildings as small and efficient as possible. With its soaring 30-foot ceilings and endless aisles, 280 subterranean parking spots and all those TVs flickering day and night, this place is neither. It's more like the grocery store version of a hybrid SUV made by Lexus or a 12,000-square-foot "green" house with a swimming pool and six-car garage accompanying its solar panels and sustainably harvested decking.

As food writer Michael Pollan has pointed out, there is a paradox at the heart of Mackey's plan for Whole Foods, which is that to be sustainable the company must keep topping itself. The stores will have to keep getting bigger and more impressive, their revenue growing, new corners of the country conquered--all in the name of reducing resource consumption, supporting small farmers and bringing the planet back into balance. Mackey responded last year to complaints along those lines with a pledge to change some of the company's ways--to buy more fruits and vegetables from local producers, for example, and to pay more attention to how its meat suppliers treat their animals.
But the architecture of the Pasadena store suggests that the fundamental approach hasn't changed. Forget about doing more with less. This green-tinged cornucopia is all about doing more with more.

like, oh my gosh

2008-04-18T16:20:00.002-05:00

no, like, um, for real. *hair toss*

Been spending the past four hours at sea-pac airport. super fun times. It was actually pretty good....ran into some friends from church that moved to seattle. what are the chances?! Anyway, it's been a good few hours....had a good chat, watched some people, finished some work email. And now, like, ohmygosh, for real. I'm surrounded by about 15 teeny-boppers....where does it make sense to you (or anyone with decorum) to surround people obviously working and start, like, you know, like, talking about, ohmygosh, did you SEE my nails? Behind me, diRECTly in front of me....leader of the pack picks, of the 20 chairs in the row across from me, the one seat directly across from me. Are you serious. They seem to be the "northshore juniors".....dance team? gymnists? no idea. But annoying and ohmygohs, totally valley girl.

A few quotes for your enjoyment (as the other adults in the area slowly pick up and move)....

I'm sorry, but it's like, too much, um like family
can you braid my hair? like an equestrian?
Oh my gosh, does he actually have it?
He's like, wha-at? oh shut uu-up! hellooooo.
Um, like, everytime we leave, it's like, snowing.

Are you fricken kidding me?! going. to. die.

Okay, moving. anywhere but here.
Out.

ps, cats....

2008-04-18T01:06:00.001-05:00

http://www.twincities.com/newsletter-morning/ci_8950185?nclick_check=1

so there.

(i didn't even read it....all I saw was "st. paul wild cats, you've bred your last"...or something to that effect. So, I assumed I agree with the article....times 1000.)

the end.

old?

2008-04-18T00:46:00.001-05:00

Today I was asked how old I am. Typical question - but for the first time in a while I actually felt my age. Or maybe even the age I look (which is even younger). The people I was out with are older....not all of them by much, but it was the first time that I felt young and like most of my life stretched out before me.

For some reason, looking at all the next steps coming up in life and the level of seriousness with which I'm thinking about them, I've felt more like I'm on the aging adult end of life instead of the coming up on adulthood start of life. It was interesting.

The topic became politics and I thought to myself, "remember when you thought you wanted to be President of the United States....or at least Governor? What a young, foolish kid you were. Too bad you missed out on that opportunity." And then I paused. And thought. And then realized, "well, really, 26 years old is just starting out when you think about politics. And in reality, maybe now is the time to be doing exactly it is that I'm doing." And in that moment, I felt my age. I felt like I still had 74 years of life stretching out before me with the same opporunities I saw when I was 16.

It was refreshing.

OH, Historic Day!!!!

2008-04-05T20:34:00.003-06:00

Today was a historic day to be a CD5 MN Republican. WOW.

I've been doing this for 10 years, and today was HUGE.

The 5th Congressional District (CD5) Convention was today, and the party standard got a wake-up call. OH did they. So, the agenda for a CD Convention is to give candidates for US and MN congress the nomination, elect delegates and alternates to the National Convention, and vote on party platform resolutions.

To be elected as a delegate or alternate to the national convention, tradition mandates you've participated in the party for years. However, all individuals interested in running for either of these positions (in CD5 there are three delegates and three alternate spots) is required to come before the nominating committee and be interviewed. Then, on the day of the convention, the nominating committee makes a recommendation on which of those candidates actually be elected. All other candidates that interviewed, however, can be nominated on the floor and then be added to the ballot.

Well, the three alternates and three delegates were selected by the party officials...and the six individuals were all old guard. SERIOUS old guard. With the "I've been in the party and volunteering for years, I deserve this" mentality. So, per usual, other individuals were nominated for the positions, and we went to a vote.

NONE of the "recommended" candidates were elected!!! NONE!

Ooooh would you believe how shocked and angry and upset the old guard party was?! The people around me (who've been involved for YEARS and always vote the party line) were besides themselves. "You don't even know these people, how can you vote for them?!" they asked. "I've never seen this happen before, ever." they uttered in disbelief.

Turns out I wasn't the only one sitting in my precinct caucus and my BPOU convention thinking "gosh, you people make it hard to want to be a Republican!" Turns out there are a lot of us who are sick and tired of the old guard congratulating themselves and supporting themselves and not doing much to make sure the GOP is RELEVANT to a new generation.

I think more people would be republican if we actually did what we say we stand for! I don't want government in my life. Bottom line, I think more government does more harm than good. And yet, you see republicans constantly voting for legislation that increases the government involvement in my life.

I am SO excited! I think this is a momentous occasion....this is the start of us reclaiming the GOP. I was contemplating not taking my spot as a delegate to the State Convention because I didn't think I could put up with more of the same CRAP for two days. Non-stop glad-handing makes me want to vomit. Talk about the issues, get them done, and then congratulate yourself when you can say that you've increased the number of people voting republican. Until then, you're ineffective and irrelevant.

Next goal - figure out how to ensure this new movement stays active and involved. I don't want to show up in two years for the next round of this and be the lone "New" Republican standing. I want this same group to show up and vote and continue to influence. Because as we saw today, when you show up, you CAN make a difference!!!

GO GOP!!! :o)

i have a dog

2008-03-23T21:55:00.002-06:00

Well, I do for a week and a half at least. My parents took their first vacation together since married with kids. It's fun....but kind of a bit of work. And my house seems extra small with her around. I need a fenced in yard is the thought.

Ever had a few weeks where you feel out of sorts? That's me this week. I was watching Oprah's Big Give on ABC tonight, and I kept crying at the different ways people gave. Each contestent (not sure what they win) was given $100,000 and had 24 hours to give it away. They could give no more than $500 to an individual person, could only spend $10,000 per place, and could not give away cash. There were some really great ways they did it - but out of 8 (i think?) contestents, only one guy gave all $100,000 away. So yeah, tears. It was cool though.

And speaking of ABC, I think they're my new favorite network (besides bravo). After the big give, they have this show called The Newlyweds where these couples learn about each other and how to strenghten their relationship. It's actually a very positive show and puts a positive focus on marriage instead of most reality shows that bring in other people to see if a marriage is strong enough to withstand the temptation. So, yay ABC. I'm impressed.

you could WIN!

2008-03-17T19:19:00.000-06:00

Ever heard of TravelZoo? They have really great prices on vacations...and each wednesday they post their top 20 deals of the week. Well, if you enter this sweepstakes, you could win all 20!

DEWIT!

so many things

2008-03-14T14:49:00.002-06:00

Notice: I'm looking to buy a dress form. If you know where I can get one for a reasonable price, that would be fantastic. I'm making a dress, and it the form of Rami, it has some draping....so I'd like to use the dress form. yay :o)

Also, I've realized why it bugs me SO much when I share information with people and they disregard it. It's because of my Input Strength. I collect information, I archive it, and then I use/share it at a later date. And I know what I'm talking about the majority of the time. So question me if you like, just don't pretend as though there aren't words coming out of my mouth. I might be governor someday.

In other news, I'm tired of being sick. This stupid cold can go away.

And finally, do I know someone who interned with the Twins or Wild? There's a girl I know who's looking for an "in"...send me your info!

happy friday - and happy st. patty's day. yay green! :o)
-R

Christmas Lights NOTICE!

2008-02-23T18:40:00.004-06:00

So, yes it's terrible, but I just took down my christmas tree. I threw away the box my star came in, and I noticed the warning on the back. I feel a bit like Ross on friends when he finds out that condoms aren't 100% effective...AND that it's printed on the box.

But, did you know that you are exposed to lead whenever you're handling the cording on christmas lights?!

Apparently we're supposed to wash our hands after handling. WHAT?! How did I just learn about this?! This seems like something that should come up in all these environmental debates!!! HELLO PEOPLE! LEAD in the christmas lights!!!

LEAD!

So annoyed.

SO COOL!

2008-02-22T09:10:00.002-06:00

Check these out....

Grand Central Station (NY):
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1799846/

London:
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1803225

let's talk

2008-02-21T11:23:00.003-06:00

Let's talk about webpages. Starting one. And page layout, in particular. I get peeved when an IT person tells me the best way to lay something out....when I'm pretty sure there's a better way from a "page-reading" point of view. Argh. Just give me the technical abilities of the site, and let me do what I think is best. Even if it's redundant. Best way to make a point? REPEAT IT. (sometimes termed redundant). ALSO, where do these IT people come up with these layouts?! I mean seriously. Worst possible design EVER. AUGH! I get so frustrated when there's no consideration of how to lay something out so that people actually USE it! I don't understand why website design people are people who apparently don't know how to use the internet and websites. Anyway. Thank you, end of rant.

In other news, let's talk about project runway and top chef. AMAZING! Yeah, i'm pretty much in love with these shows. And while I like Christian, Jillian is my favorite. So I'm starting to sew my own clothes. She's my inspiration. And really? I'm not sure what the judges saw in Sweet P. I thought all her stuff was boring and easy and blah. And so Top Chef starts in two weeks and i'm SO PUMPED. Such good food, such fun challenges, such interesting people! Yay!

Also, have I mentioned I love Google? Check this out! http://www.google.com/trends coolest thing EVER! And have I mentioned the 411 thing they do too? Call information for FREE! http://www.google.com/goog411/ Has anyone used the google reader? http://www.google.com/intl/en/googlereader/tour.html I'm interested to try this out too! So cool! I wish I'd done IT!

Oh yes:
-----------------------------------------
Dear Tom Rath...Turns out, I'm one of your best sales people and you're not even paying me. So far, in the past three months, I've helped you sell at least 45 books. Amazing huh? That's right, I'd like to be on your payroll. Love, Rebekah
-----------------------OR--------------------

Dear Amazon...Turns out, I'm one of your best advertising tools and you're not even giving me commission! In the past three months, I've helped you sell at least 40 books through your site. I'd like to begin seeing some of this profit. Please contact me through this blog and I will happily continue to help you prosper. Love, Rebekah
-------------------------------------------------------

And so other people/authors/musicians/websites take note. In the same way that I am helping Rath/Amazon in their endeavors (word of mouth and emphatic commitment to my opinions)....I could help take many people AWAY from your business. Please appreciate my comments and complaints....or you'll end up in the same catagory as Qwest (the company I use as my example of the company with the worst customer service, worst ethics, worst strategy, and the worst company to give your business). I will always choose the alternative to Qwest....even if it's dial-up internet. (I know I posted about my terrible qwest experience - which included a close call on an impact to my credit report - so when I find it, I'll link).

That is all for the moment I believe. Happy Thursday!
-R

Catching up

2008-02-14T09:34:00.002-06:00

Happy Valentines' Day! This is the first valentine's day I've done nothing to celebrate. Usually I make several dozen pink and red heart cookies, hand out the little kid valentines, bring valentine chocolate for the candy dish on my desk...but this year, nothing. Just too tired. So tired.

Other thoughts of late....
1. When you buy a muffin at Caribou, they put it in one of their bags. I noticed yesterday that the way the bag is cut is not very efficient. One side of the opening is longer than the other side - the cutting of the shorter side leads to the perforation of the longer side...which makes me thing, why does one side need to be longer than the other? They would save money on the production of the bags as well as save money on the materials. Seems like a win-win to me. I certainly don't need that extra 3/4 inch of bag to fold over as I typically eat the product I bought immediately. Who should I tell about this great idea?

2. I think my internal temperature gauge is broken as I've been shivering non-stop (it feels like) since that week we had of all below zero temps. Summer can't come quickly enough.

3. STILL haven't taken down the christmas tree. It's fake, don't worry, but still. It's valentine's day and my christmas tree is still up. Maybe saturday.

4. did i mention i'm tired? my alarm went off for 10 minutes this morning before i figured out what the noise was. i don't understand.

There was more, but I don't remember. OH, yeah, my memory. Turns out, I think i'm going crazy. I was asked (per usual) if I wanted pickles or carrots with my lunch. I said cickels. Then paused and said "i would LOVE pickles." As he wrapped up my sandwich, i replayed what I'd said, noticed the pickles comment and thought "i HATE pickles"...which I do...always have. I meant to say carrots...it's not irregular for me to say the wrong word, it's just odd that I was so certain that I meant pickles. When I really didn't. I also am forgetting people's names....names of people that I interact with on a regular, daily basis. They're standing over my shoulder asking me to forward them an email, and I can't remember for the life of me what their name is so I can type their email address. I'm taking a multi-vitamin...what COULD the problem be?!

Okay. Out. Happy Valentines' Day,
-R

time

2008-01-22T12:25:00.000-06:00

This looks like a cool website. It will probably help you waste time.

www.1000000monkeys.com

Something about choose your own adventure combined with that writing game you played in grade school (write a sentence of a story and pass it to the person next to you. they add to the story, fold the paper over so only their writing is visible, and pass to the next person. you end up with a pretty crazy story to read at the end).

so yeah. go.

Do this

2008-01-22T12:23:00.000-06:00

To help save the environment: STOP BUYING BOTTLED WATER!

Seriously people. Half of the time it's just tap water anyways. So we're shipping all of this water back and forth across the country....just so you don't have to cart a nalgene around. Give it UP! You have a faucet at home....use it!!!

I'll do some research and report back the fabulous enviromental impact this will have.

oh and

2008-01-21T13:52:00.000-06:00

I'm in one of those moods today where I say "i want it, so i will have it". So far it means i bought an extra muffin for breakfast and that i'm now headed downstairs to get a cookie. At least this attitude is not focused on clothing....although it doesn't look promising as I'm headed to the mall this afternoon. And then Ikea isn't too far away....and I think it's going to be a problem. I did defend against three (THREE!) really cute pairs of shoes at Macy's this weekend. Go me.

hmmm..

2008-01-21T13:47:00.000-06:00

So...word is, the last post wasn't my 100th. I think it's something about how you have to post pictures on here or something. whatever blogspot.

Drove into work this morning and couldn't understand why the bank marquis read the time and then of....realized it actually meant zero degrees Farenheit. So that's exciting. And cold. I'm in a funk (if you couldn't tell from my lack of entries).

Messages for the day:
vote in your upcoming caucus.
vote for the person you WANT to win, not who you think actually could
recycle
check out this neat site: http://www.thesimpledollar.com/ (thanks to jim for the link)

i hate mondays.

100th POST!!

2007-12-28T14:47:00.000-06:00

BOOYAH! Welcome to my 100th blog entry!!! No pressure for a fabulous entry, right? ha. :o)

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!

Got my picks in for the last week of the season....c'MON teams. Currently we're tied for first place in the pool....this is the deciding week. GO BEARS! :-D

In other news....
The trip to madison was grand. I tried lutefisk and learned to make lefse. Very scandinavian...very fun! We also had the wonderful opportunity to weather an ice storm while we were in town. Holy crap holy crap that was a lot of ice. Made for poor driving, that's for sure!

I will have gone to work one day between December 19 and January 2....which is so nice. I've enjoyed the time to catch up on sleep....and learn that comcast has decided to give me access to Bravo with my basic cable package! Project Runway...Top Chef....Biggest Loser marathons....it's been a good time. :o)

That's it for the moment....I think it's time for my afternoon nap.
Love!
And Happy New Year! Time to start deciding what my 2008 New Year's Resolution will be!!

ahhhh...sigh....

2007-12-21T00:20:00.000-06:00

Blank canvas. So nice.

I had a lot to cover....but suprise...it's all gone. I'm off work until 2008 (with a brief, one day of work on thursday....but really). It's so nice. I can't believe how much I can sleep. Apparently I've been needing that.

I was thinking the other day about my whole "living in someone else's bubble" thing. I think I blogged about it (or xanga'd about it at one point). It's the idea of driving down the road and realizing that for one moment in time, I am headed in the same direction as everyone else around me....but that we're really all headed to different destinations. It's just facinating. There are times I see that in life too. At work, we're all pointed to similar goals/objectives...but our lives spin out from that point of similarity. We have just a brief moment to touch those around us. It's intimidating and exhilirating all at the same time. So much opportunity....but at the same time I feel there's risk. Does any of that make sense? It's a continuing theme of mine....finding purpose in the day-to-day routine.

I heard a stat once that women would choose a job based on the impact they could have....and men choose a job based on the money they would make. There are so many opportunities to make an impact....I can think of two specifics from the past couple of weeks....but it's harder to find them sometimes than I feel it should be. I just want to make the world better....or at least make someone's personal world better. But it's a scary thing to do. It sounds eays...."just be nice and interested"....but there's always the chance that the concern/interest/involvement will be rejected and harshly. Not that it stops me....but there's a pause.

Anyway. At small group tonight, praying before dinner, someone prayed "thank you Jesus for leaving heaven and coming down to earth". And it struck me. Not that it's new news....but Jesus didn't just come to earth as man....he left heaven. To die. You look at His life on earth....and it wasn't easy by any means. It had to be downright depressing at times. His fully man portion must have wondered if he was making any impact at all. Eternally, he knew, he was going to have the impact of all impacts. But in a day to day life....every day didn't have a win.

There was a county song on the radio tonight, and the lyrics were so impactful to me. (i cried, but that seems to be the standard lately...don't know why). It talks about a man crossing a bridge who sees another man leave his cardboard box and approach him. The homeless man begs the other man for a few coins...and then says he wasn't always like this. He was second to none....he had his moments. The other man hesitates and then replies that he wasn't always the man he was....he had his moments when he was down and out too. And the song ends with the first man singing that he saved a man's life as he aimed to jump off the bridge. And in that moment, I realized how blessed I am. It's all in your perspective, isn't it. While I may hit my snags of depression....I need to step back and realize just how good I have it. I have a car. I have a house. I have the means to buy my friends and family gifts. I am dressed warmly and well. I have food for my table and some money in savings. Perspective. Perspective. Looking at life from the underneath of a bridge....with my cardboard box behind me....I don't think i could live it. But God is good. All the time. And even so, it is well with my soul. Perspective, it's everything.

Didn't mean to end on a down note. Instead, Merry Christmas. Remember the amazing gift we've been given....Jesus Christ in the form of man joining us on earth. In a few short months we'll be celebrating his death and resurection....but for now....let's celebrate the sacrifice he made....leaving heaven in order to give us the choice to join Him there someday. that's a pretty big WOW in my book.
Love you all.
-me.

growing old....

2007-11-28T12:58:00.000-06:00

It hit me yesterday. I was sitting in a meeting, thinking about how I'm turning another year older soon and how a friend recently joked that I don't act seriously enough to ever be "in charge", when I realized I'm an adult. Although I don't feel like one (and certainly don't look like one)….my life says I'm a grown-up.

It took me by surprise because I feel like I still have so much growing and changing left to do….I don't want this to be my grown-up self! Not that I don't like who I am….I just thought that was I became an adult I'd be more serious….more of the time. And so that got me to thinking about who I really am….I still feel like a kid who's slowly growing up, yet I'm guessing that most of the people I interact with (outside of family and friends) view me as someone who's past the childhood phase. It makes me think….do I want my adult self to be this silly? This flippant? This crazy? This unserious? I don't like the alternative….so I guess so.

And it's not like I think I can't change the whole rest of my life….I just realized that more than a quarter of my life is over. That's kind of intimidating…especially when one considers that the older one gets, the more one gets set in ones ways. Just a lot to think about, right?

In other news, announcement: If I walk behind you, outdoors, and in the cold wind….I should not be choking on your frangrance. It means you're wearing WAY too much….tone it DOWN thankyouverymuch.

I'm going to post an article later….Jess and I are reading/emailing on it. Some interesting points/thoughts. We'll discuss. :o)

eeeee! :o)

2007-11-26T20:14:00.000-06:00

That is my mood today. :o) BECAUSE, i painted my nails on my day off from work (that short, dark style that's totally in right now....it still is, right? i see it all over the place!) and because i just caught part of the TV show Samantha Who and it's SUPER cute. Has anyone seen it? Can you catch me up on who that guy from What About Brian is supposed to be in this show?

I also made chili.

And you know how I think the new "mixed tape" shop is selling drugs? Today I turned the street behind a mercedes....driver headed to the mixed tape shop. I mean, c'mon really.

YAy fun nails! I think I may get an actual manicure so I can get rid of the painted cuticles. :o)

MORE neighborhood news....

2007-11-25T23:25:00.000-06:00

Turns out, the sketchy strip mall near my house finally filled their open store space. Guess what they're selling. That's right....urban clothing and MIXED TAPES! Apparently they didn't get the memo about CDs, the internet, and MP3 players. Gonna be awkward for them....unless it's all a cover for drugs like I've suspected for a while. I've found it interesting how it seems like the same people start all these unusual stores....and just rotate space. There were a bunch of cop cars out a few weeks ago arresting someone...but it was on the other side of the street. So I guess the drug trafficking will continue for a while longer.....

neighborhood news...

2007-11-21T15:40:00.000-06:00

I homesteaded my house today...not really sure what that means except that my property taxes are supposed to be lower. Yay! I felt about 12 years old when I went into City Hall....felt weird.

Driving back I encountered another one of my neighborhood wanders...not the creepy "may be a molester" man....this was a guy who may have been deaf. I hope he was deaf, because otherwise he was just rude. There were cars parked on one side of the (two lane) street....and he was walking directly down the middle of the open area. Um. So I had to follow him at negative 2 miles per hour for a BLOCK. I didn't wan to honk because we were only about two blocks from my house and what if he followed me!? So yeah. Dumb.

In other news, I shared a different neighborhood story with my Mom this afternoon. She didn't appreciate it. Turns out that when I'm approached at 11:30pm in the Rainbow parking lot by a creepy man asking for a ride....she doesn't want to know. I shared with her the tips I shared with all my girls when I was a CA:
-Let the person know that you see him/her
-Avoid the person (I walked around the other side of my car...yes, he was that close)
-Be alert...don't be talking on your cell phone completely unaware of your surroundings...and don't be digging in your purse without watching around you
-Don't wear your hair in a pony tail (nice handle to grab during abductions)
-Expect the worse (I was prepared to throw my groceries/eggs/milk at him....or run him over with my car)

See how this works?! :o)

It's cold and starting to snow here....and since I haven't made my declaration yet this season...let me just say: I HATE WINTER!!

Thankyouthatisall. :o)
10th annual thanksgiving-eve party tonight....YEAH edina! :o)
love!
-r

Send a soldier a note!

2007-11-20T11:43:00.000-06:00

This is cool....
www.letssaythanks.com

making history

2007-11-19T14:45:00.000-06:00

In light of the Fast Company article, the recent news on the lutheran pastors in bangladesh, and other close to home high publicity people....this article got me thinking...

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/11/the_frenchamerican_alliance_is.html

Won't it be weird someday to look back and be quoted like Lafayette? We all have the potential to be that impactful....are we taking the opportunities before us?

coffee = nicotine

2007-11-19T14:24:00.000-06:00

no, seriously. i'm addicted.

headache, sore throat, tense shoulders....they all disappear after that first sip.

Green

2007-11-19T11:55:00.000-06:00

This is cool....(I maybe had something to do with one of them....!!) :o)
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/120/50-ways-to-green-your-business.html

So, yes. Be green.

In other news. IM. We got Instant Message at work!!! It's essentially MSN messager...with a bunch of emoticons that I don't remember having in MSN. I'm not sure if I'm going to like this...or hate this. I already have a tough time concentrating on one task....and I think the IM will just make it more difficult.

A few cute comments I heard around the office though:
"Oh! I just got my first IM! Let's see...do you want to add 'so-and-so' to your contact list...hmm...do I want to add the boss to my contact list....."
"Now, I've added my daughter to my contact list...but she's not coming up as online! What's wrong?"

Oh....funny. :o) The first, not an IM...just a notification. The second, daughter doesn't work here. It's definitely got the office interacting more...which I support. :o)

Also....it's "write a card to a soldier in Iraq" month at work. Which last year I didn't do because I didn't know what to say. Now, having had a friend in Afghanistan, and understanding the news focus on such things as Brittany Spears' head shaving....I am committed to writing and sending these cards. So, if you get a chance to do something like this, I say support it (regardless of your views on the war itself).

Happy Monday!
-R

this blog i once read....

2007-11-16T09:44:00.000-06:00

Back in college i used to peruse numerous blogs on.....xanga, maybe? There was one that i read relatively regularly....not sure how i found it. I'm sure it was a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend....so a friend thrice removed?

Anyway. Her writing style was very conversational, yet reflective....made me keep coming back. Many of her posts were complaints/comments on life in college...and while I don't remember many of the specifics, one thing stuck with me. She was addicted to coffee. To the point where it perhaps mimicked others' addiction to cigarettes...and she pretty much subsisted on only coffee. Which I thought of this morning as I had my breakfast (of coffee) and remembered my dinner (at caribou) last night. Hrm. :o) That was it...that was the point. My coffee of late made me think back to this random blog i used to read.

Which makes me think about all the things in life that we experienced so briefly that we have but faint memories. Seems to happen frequently to me....most often in re-meeting people I met long ago in one of those fain memories. My friend Abby recently brought up our trip to Sonshine Music festival and how we caught a ride with a band from the cities.....of which we knew one member that did not ride with us. So random, so weird, so almost forgotten! And there are SO many others. Random youth group trips, college interactions in classes, dorm gatherings, etc. Makes me feel old.

And that is all for the moment.....
!!
-R :o)

oh, ps. we got IM at work. there will DEFINITELY be a post about THAT later.... HA!

Sprint people = rude people

2007-11-14T11:15:00.000-06:00

Seriously.

So, I got to work early this morning (6:30am thankyouverymuch). Was walking in and noticed these two guys just loaded down with stuff so I hurried ahead to get and hold the door for them. They both walked through, looked at me, and then kept walking...like they expected me to get and hold the door for them! No thank you, no smile, no nothing! It's not that I expected a thank you for everyone....but to have someone expect the door to be held! Are you kidding me?!

So. Don't sign up for Sprint (that's who they were....sprint reps). Dumb.

my thoughts

2007-11-07T14:21:00.001-06:00

I've decided I'm going to start giving you book reports. Get excited - they're coming. Soon, a review on The 4-Hour Work Week. :o)

Anyone catch the new Facebook developments? How amazing it is that the media and companies are swarming this 23-year-old kid to get the very in depth information on our movements/tendencies/thoughts/reactions/etc. WOW is pretty much all I can say about that.

There was an article in Fast Company last month where he was talking about how the internet digitalized our business networks - dry cleaners, stores, photo processing, etc....essentially our info needs. His thought is that Facebook will digitalize our personal networks. We'll share all personal/social information via Facebook - he even mentioned medical records: hospitals/doctors able to access your medical records through Facebook.

I think it's kind of creepy. In fact, the thought briefly crossed my mind (in a hyper-conservative, right-wing evangelicaly way)...that maybe this is "the mark of the beast".....eh? One never knows.

Any thoughts on how I can make some quick (legal) cash? Please send info. :o)

S'all!
-R

restroom usage

2007-11-06T11:20:00.001-06:00

Poll question....
How do you select your stall/urinal when using the restroom?

No, I'm serious! I was just in a ginormous restroom....upwards of 15-20 stalls. I was the only one in the restroom and the lady who came in used the stall right next to me! What is that!? I always use at least one stall over...and only directly next to another stall if there are no other options!!! Seriously people.

the earth

2007-11-02T14:51:00.000-06:00

So, I'm trying to be more environmentally friendly lately. I've taken to carrying around these canvas bags in my car so when I go grocery shopping or target shopping, i don't need to choose between paper and plastic. I've become more vigilant about recycling.

And then yesterday, I was in line at the Factory Card Outlet. As I watched the cashier ring up my purchases and then bag them into my eco-friendly canvas bag...I wondered if she thought it was ironic as I did that I was buying paper plates and cups. UM, shoot.

In other news...halloween was wednesday. Anyone have any advice on how to deal with pre-teen hoodlums? I had two doorbell rings (this was my first time ever doing anything with trick-or-treating) and the first was a group of six boys in skater gear (not a costume, i've seen them skating all over the neighborhood). I gave them some candy and then noticed that a bag of leaves from my neighbor's yard was split and opened all over my yard....as well as a large rubber ball one of the hoodlums was kicking around. When asked, they claimed to know nothing about the ball (that i'd just seen them kick) or the scattered bag/leaves/rake.

What the heck. How do I find their parents?! Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Out! Happy WEEKEND! :-D
-R

Labels

2007-10-31T14:47:00.000-06:00

I'm going back and adding labels to my posts...it's very exciting. so get excited. and USE them! :o)

StrengthsFinder!

2007-10-31T14:16:00.000-06:00

BOOK RECOMMENDATION!
Read...StrengthsFinder 2.0. You have to buy the book so that you get your personalized access code to the online assessment. The test finds your top five strengths out of 34 strengths. It's seriously amazing.

Both Best Buy and Wells Fargo heavily use this assessment in both training and everyday work. In speaking with the few people I know who've taken the test, I've been amazed at how accurate the results seem to be. Not only does it help me understand why these people behave in the way they do, it also helps me understand the best way for me to interact.

The website: www.strengthsfinder.com will have some additional information (especially if you buy the book and take the assessment). In addition to a short description of each strength, you get a fuller explanation of how that strength might manifest itself in your personality based on the other four strengths. Here are my Top 5 strengths and a short description of each:
Positivity:
People who are especially talented in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.
Developer:
People who are especially talented in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.
Activator:
People who are especially talented in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.
Input:
People who are especially talented in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.
Arranger:
People who are especially talented in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements this ability. They like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.

I can post the fuller explanations if anyone is interested. I actually thought that was the cooler part anyway.
So yeah, it's pretty awesome! And it's so insightful (and yes, my excitement and urging of you to participate is both my Positivity and Activator themes emerging)... :o)

amazing idea

2007-10-05T14:57:00.000-05:00

no, seriously! i have a wonderful idea!

They should make cars with horns that SAY STUFF! Here are some examples:

-Merge. MERGE NOW.
-If you don't merge now, i'm going to take that space.
-MERGE!
-Please go faster. Go faster!!
-You're 15MPH under the speed limit, GO FASTER!
-YOU CAUSE TRAFFIC! YOU!!
-Learn to drive!! LEARN TO DRIVE!!
-Get out of my lane! MOVE! move OVER!
-Are you even kidding me?!

CAPS indicate the volume is louder.
I think the world would be a better place. Really.

Compiled...

2007-09-18T16:36:00.000-05:00

A lot of thoughts lately.

First, some book recommendations:
I'm a Stranger Here Myself
The Naked Soul

The first is short newspaper articles this guy wrote after moving back from 20 years in England. He comments on things like how there are 18 cup holders in a minivan….four more than you would need even if each person in the van had two beverages. It's absolutely HYSTERICAL. I was laughing out loud on my flight back from LA…and couldn't stop. Tears, even.

The second is about God creating in us a need for friendships. It's an interesting look at why we choose friends and the different types of friendship/relationships that exist. I'm about three chapters in and really enjoying it. The author deals with a lot of the difficult questions that I think are often ignored: How do we live in the world but not of the world; how do we focus on giving in a relationship without draining ourselves; how we surround ourselves with people but often end up more lonely than we were in the beginning. So far, pretty insightful.

I had other thoughts….why are they always gone when I'm ready to blog??

Oh, here's a thought. I don't think Vick should be in jail for the whole dog-fighting thing….doesn't seem really that big of a deal when we let abortion doctors run free. Of course, that's just my right-wing, hyper-conservative viewpoint….so get off me. I still think I'm right.

You know how the best sign of maturity is that you like who you are and are comfortable with yourself….even if other people think you're dorky/crazy/weird/etc? I'm finding that the self-confidence that goes along with this doesn't mesh well with a culture in which you need buy-in from anyone who breathes…and in which you need to approach all these people with the utmost care….as they all apparently need handling with kid gloves. If you disagree with something, speak up. If you don’t speak up, you are not allowed to make it my problem. Seriously.

Business travel is draining. But the frequent flyer miles are pretty awesome.

In other news, I am selling:
$25 - NEW golf bag
$200 - Retro/Vintage GE wall oven (white enamel, no chips)
$100 - Matching electric stovetop and hood - beige
$50 - Window AC unit
…please contact me if you are interested….there are already people contacting me about the golf bag, oven, stovetop, and hood. :o)

That is all for the moment. Peace out, bean sprouts.
-R

good thoughts

2007-09-13T00:06:00.000-05:00

I've had a lot of thoughts occur to me as I've been traveling this week. They all seemed profound as they came to me....and now of course they escape me. I'll keep thinking...

In the mean time, let me commend to you the book "I'm a Stranger Here Myself". My goodness it is funny. The writer is so witty and able to bring his thoughts full circle. He was apparently born in the US and then moved to England for 20 years. He was roped into writing newspaper articles about his experience upon moving back to the states and the changes he encountered. Really interesting to see our society from another perspective. And funny. Seriously. I was laughing so hard i had tears running down my face. Embarassing....when on a packed airplane to LA....but that in and of itself makes me laugh harder.

Anyway. I'm tired and don't feel like typing. Maybe more in a while.
love.
-R

home depot BLOWS

2007-07-27T14:42:00.000-05:00

I'm not really super excited about logging in once this month and then just to rant against the depot, but oh well. i had a really great post all thought out and now i can't remember it. perhapst tomorrow...

Went to home depot...you know....for home repair stuff. I wander around until i finally find someone who appears to work there. I ask him if they carry the expanding foam stuff and where they keep it.
He asks me what it's for.
It tell him to fill a hole.
He asks me what kind of hole.
I tell him a large one in some cement.
He asks me how it got there.
I don't really see how that's any of his business, so I don't tell him (and I don't know how the hole got there).
He asks where the hole is....and then keeps asking questions that make me feel like he thinks i've done something to my parent's house and now i'm trying to fix it before they get home.
NONE of the questions related to WHERE HOME DEPOT KEEPS THEIR EXPANDING FOAM.

This went on for some time. Until he finally gave up and gestured to a few places they carry it.

SERIOUSLY! I HATE HOME DEPOT!!!

And I saw a mouse.

one more in june

2007-06-29T08:56:00.000-05:00

Getting one more entry in June...

Last night, I had a date with myself. It was fantastic. And it wasn't until I was leaving that I noticed.
First, I went to the driving range and hit a basket of balls. After quite a few tries, I think my arms started to remember how it all works. It's been over a year. That just doesn't seem like it can be true.
Then, I tried that Dino's Gyro place? Pretty okay....althrough what a mess to eat it. And i didn't realize until too late that they sell baklava. I would have just ordered that. Mmm.

In other news, summer goes too quickly. I know it's just the end of June, but July is entirely booked, half of August is as well, and I have this feeling I'll be traveling for work in there too. Makes me wish...

I've had a lot of topics to blog about....rant about...but at the moment I'm not remembering them.
blah.

changing times...

2007-06-14T14:32:00.000-05:00

Remember when we had to give our first 10 minutes speech in middle school? Mine was in 9th grade and I talked about the genocide in Rwanda. Tomorrow I have 10 minutes to present in a meeting at work and I can't figure out how to wittle all my material down to fit within that time. Sometimes it just hits me how much life changes.

My best friend from middle school gets married this saturday and it seems like just yesterday we were running to the park, playing in that huge field making daisy/dandelion chains, or sledding down that huge hill. How has 15 years flown so quickly?

I sometimes think it's funny how the littlest things can make a place seem like home. For some reason I can still have a bazillion boxes unpacked (yes, more than a year after I moved), but having my kitchen cabinets filled an arranged in a way that makes sense makes me feel like I actually live there.

The year of the yard is going well. I've mowed, fertilized, and with all this dry weather this week, started watering. Next up is killing the weeds and getting rid of those terrible ferns along the back of my house.

What else is new since the last time I posted - it's been awhile, eh? I'm sure I had some very interesting points I wanted to make...but I've forgotten them. Oh, what's up with the current generation's inability to clearly articulate themselves? They can't seem to open their mouths without mumbling! Hello! I can't understand a word you're saying!!

Oh, here was something. Heard a presentation that said that since 9/11 there's been an increased interest in spirituality and that's one of the reasons the environmental push is so big: Because people want to respect the earth and the "higher power" that made it. And yet, we're still not allowed to present intelligent design in the classroom? And then what about how this whole focus on more from the middle/upper class and that it's really not something that's even on the radar for the lower class (or so is theorized). But then, there's all that stuff in the news about how healthy supermarkets aren't accessable for that lower class - so how does that all tie together? This is the stuff i'm working on and thinking about. Any thoughts?

I'm a totaly spaz today...seriously...you'd think i'm all hopped on sugar. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
out.

it's almost JUNE

2007-05-26T21:05:00.000-05:00

Seriously....this year is FLYING. But I'm having the time of my life....name the song. :o)

Finished painting my room. Attempting to hang curtains...apparently putting brackets right next to the windows isn't a good thing? I have no idea but those screws are HARD to put in. Watched because I said so last night...oooh it was frustrating. Makes me appreciate the backbone I somehow developed in junior high...people need to stand UP. Mowed the lawn....need to more frequently i'm guessing by how slowly I had to go. Dumped yard waste at the yard waste place in maple grove...it was pretty neat.

Saw a commercial today by Denny Hecker....he was supporting the fundraising at Wendy's to help place children in adoptive homes. He says "i personally know how hard it is to find adoptive homes". How. I'm just curious. How does he personally know how hard it is to find adoptive homes for children? Did he work for an adoption agency when before working in the automotive business....or what? Just an interesting emphasis that stuck out when I was watching.

Did you know this old house is on at 7pm on Thursdays? I'm pumped! Especially now that i've dumped grey's. What an overly-dramatic show. To watch a show I need at least ONE part of it to be happy. Dumb.

out.

Non-irony

2007-05-18T16:48:00.001-05:00

If I was Alanis Morissette, and I'm not, I would sing about how ironic it is that the day after my central AC was installed there was a frost advisory. Yup. Frost. In May. Minnesota how odd thou art.

Interesting topic: how little kids' teeth are rotting and falling out. Apparently this obsession we have with bottled water is contributing to a decline in the condition of our children's teeth. Fluoride is added to our tap water to help fortify the enamel on our teeth...but with all of the bottled water we're drinking I guess kids are getting enough fluoride. Add to this the fact that juice and pop are the favorite beverages of choice and I'm guessing the cost to see a dentist will increase in the next couple decades. (and it's not just kids....apparently bottled water came in second to beer as the beverage of choice in the states. word has it bottled water is supposed to surpass even beer next year. insane. just drink the tap water.)

Another topic (also related to the declining faith i have in today's youth): DVD players and the role they now play. Has anyone seen the new commercial for some type of Lincoln car/van/suv? It begins with a classroom of rowdy, boisterous, and out of control kids. The teacher attempts to regain control but is unable to until he pulls down a mini-DVD player. This is the point where all of the kids cease their talking, running, throwing, noise-making, etc and sit down and pay attention. The scene switches to the advertised vehicle and comments about how nice it would be if those DVD players in the back of the vehicle actually were available everywhere else in life. UMMMM, HELLO. That doesn't make me want to buy their car. It also makes me never want to purchase a car that has a DVD player. I find it disheartening, discouraging, and slightly depressing/scary that the only thing able to control our kids is a DVD player. Does anyone else see a problem with that? Shouldn't we be raising kids that have more respect for authority/their elders/etc? What is this world coming to and what do we foresee as the future of business/government/teaching if the only way to get people to pay attention is to talk to them through a TV screen...but then again...maybe they're going to be way ahead of the curve as everything goes more global and the main way of communication will be over video-internet.

Anyway. Happy weekend. :o)
-R

hrmmm

2007-05-10T00:22:00.000-05:00

Has it been awhile since I posted? It appears yes. Somewhere I have a list of topics about which I'd like to blog...but I haven't the faintest idea where they might be. Perhaps tomorrow.

News:
I mowed my lawn for the first time. On Saturday. It looked great, and then it rained. Poo.
I painted my bedroom ceiling. No longer may I call it "the womb". Ha.
VB courts are full of burrs. There is still one stuck in the bottom of my right foot.
Today I ordered A/C. It will be installed on Tuesday. Today it was 85 degrees....kind of wish it was already done.
They have compressed air at the work car place. And the mechanic guy fills your tires for you.
Forearms are burnt. This is due to a lunch meeting outside at Kips. Gotta love summer.
Oh, and the little sis is going to prom. twice. I'm going to be the dorky, older, picture-taking sister. yay!
I want three kids. And an SUV.
I finally put down my crab grass preventor. I think it maybe included fertilizer...based on how fast my grass is growing.
I would like to plant raspberries behind my shed.
Extreme Home Makeover - Habitat for Sanity started...we gutted Dave's bathroom. Cuz we're that hardcore. Next time - patio installation. yeah.
Menards sells groceries (at select locations) - we have pictures to prove it.
I will be visiting Ely this summer. Supposed to be a neat town, eh?
For my motorcycle rides...I think I get a helmet.
I don't hate the phone like I used to. I'm actually quite addicted. Quite. (hence the lack of blogging)

Enough for now, more for later.
"Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away...."
-R

kleenex. kleenex, kleenex, kleenex!

2007-04-20T16:03:00.000-05:00

HA. It appears that Kimberly-Clark keeps a pretty close watch on any internet activity surrounding Kleenex! Even random bloggers.

Too funny.

You should pay me for this stuff!

2007-04-19T14:57:00.000-05:00

Oh, I had this fabulous idea about kleenex! There are a few challenges to overcome, but I think it's "The Next Great Idea"! Ready?
They should make kleenex that changes colors depending on how many germs you killed by blowing your nose!
It's kind of like those hyper-color shirts from middle school. The only problem I see that the kleenex company would have to make sure there weren't any germs in the box of tissues when it went out to the store. Can you imagine opening a new box of kleenex that's supposed to be white until it kills germs and instead finding a kleenex that has purple spots on it? Yeah, that'd be rough.

But seriously, great idea, huh??

know what?

2007-04-18T22:36:00.000-05:00

First, why won't blogger "remember" me? Every time I'm on my home computer I have to sign in! What is that.

In other news, my mom just joined facebook. WOOO! Cuz she's pretty much the coolest.

And lastly, I've been smiling a lot since Sunday. :o) Who would have thought. God is pretty amazing.

Love.
-R

hello time?!

2007-04-16T23:13:00.000-05:00

Like I said before I left last week, when I travel I lose track of time. How is it already April 17th tomorrow?!

(which, ps, is free cone day at Ben and Jerry's....fyi. http://www.benjerry.com/ There's the site...and there's a store locator for your convenience too. WOOO!) :o)

Anyway. I forwarded an email today to pass along the info that someone was out of the office until April 17th and so we wouldn't get a reply at least until then. I thought that was two weeks away. Turns out, it's tomorrow. I keep missing huge chunks of the month!! But the traveling - wow I learned a lot! To tie in, today was i think my favorite day of work since I've moved back to MN. It was all strategy focused...how COOL eh?! Big smile here. :o)

Random thought today in relation to the huge shooting at West Virginia....when someone commented about the shooter, it somehow came up that it seems it's always been guys. I'm not making any comments/assumptions about that - I just find that interesting/frightening/odd. Shouldn't someone be looking into that? Anyway, my prayers are with that school and those families. How tough.

Car headlights seemed brighter tonight.
It smelled like summer as I was walking out of coffee.
With new timing belts, my gas mileage improved dramatically. I went 50 more miles on one less gallon of gas!
God is pretty amazing.

phew

2007-04-11T21:41:00.000-05:00

I think I could like sales....!!! seriously! :-D

Okay. So the trip is going well. I've missed the Minneapolis snow, which in and of itself is amazing. It is, however, pouring buckets here. And it's freezing. And i'm already always cold...so when the two guys I'm traveling with blast the air conditioning the two hour drive to the facility tours....i'm pretty much a solid ice cube when we arrive. And I forgot my sweatpants for the hotel so i've been cold pretty much the entire time so far. But i've been eating like a king! (translation, GUY) Ribs and beer last night....steak and wine tonight...I'm going to need to go running for SURE after this! Anyway, I'm learning a ton. Seriously, a TON. Oh my goodness though I feel a bit outside of my league. I've never even known anything about sales and now I'm on a call. OY!

Anyway. I'm super into trying to predict company moves....as far as marketing stuff. And so when Applebees announced last week they were closing 10 stores, I immediately began guessing which ones they would be. The funny thing was I'd been wondering lately if they would be closing any stores because they had really saturated the market. I mean, there were at least three stores withing two miles of my house. That seemed a little excessive to me. I also don't live in the nicest part of the Minneapolis, so I was wondering if they were seeing a drop in same store sales growth because of the demographics of their locations. I'd seen a recent article covering their recent menu additions (the special chef ones - i highly recommend the bruchetta burger with parmesan fries) and how their current typical customer had kept them from introducing something like this earlier. Well, bottom line, I'd decided this one applebees by my house, right off the highway, was probably going to be the one to close due to it's extremely small size, awkward location, and general "city location".....and sure enough, not more than two days later, it was vacant. We're talking signs are down and you wouldn't even know that an Applebee's used to be there. Go me! :-D

In other news, what are thoughts on this recent Imus radio station issue. I read a comment in the USA today that said that everyone who heard Imus' comments was offended. Perhaps I spent too much time in the overly sensitive and highly charged politically correct environment of housing and residential life at the university of minnesota - but I thought tolerance means we're supposed to put up with stuff that we would typically take offense to.....isn't that the whole line that the left is pushing? Okay, I'll admit I've put a right-type slant on the view...but seriously. I thought we weren't supposed to censor anyone anymore. Or are we just not supposed to censor people who agree with the left's views? I'm not saying that racial comments are good or that we should support them....but personally I feel like I've been beaten down to the point where I'm only allowed to say "well, it's interesting you feel that way, i'm not sure that I entirely agree" and leave it at that. I thought we weren't allowed to say anymore that people are wrong.....right? Anyway. I just get pissed. If you want to get down to it....I get offended when you take Christ's name in vain....it's horribly terribly offensive - but you don't see me going on national tv every time some says that on the radio. And I'm also super offended when people begin to attack republicans ascrazy religious nazi's. Or when I get ridiculed as having little to zero intelligence because of my Christian faith. And even the fact that because I've now stated that i'm right-leaning and religious (and not just any religious thankyouverymuch but christian) that now I have to state that by no means am I advocating or supporting this radio guy's comments, okay? Basically, bottom line, if you're really truly supporting freedom of speech (in all the insane ways that are occurring) then you've gotta swallow the whole pill my friend. You don't have to support what the speech is - you've just gotta give them the right to speak.

And off my soapbox. (and again, just to state, i don't support his comments. thanks.)

Alright, is it wednesday? I'm beat people. I fly home tomorrow night, gotta bake something for this weekend, AC quote friday morning, work, and then straight out of town for church retreat. AH!
Love.
-R

Friday worked!

2007-04-08T21:30:00.000-05:00

I love my church and I love my pastor. :o) As he says, Happy Easter.....SO great because it proves that GOOD FRIDAY WORKED! I don't remember if I've been to one of our Good Friday services before, but this year's was really thought provoking. To sit and feel the weight of nailing your sin into the cross...as though directly nailing Christ to the cross...is immense. But then to pause and realize what my world would be like if that's all it was? If there was no Sunday. No resurrection. No washing clean as snow. I almost walked out onto 7th to get hit by a bus. I know that most of the time I suck at remembering the weight of that sacrifice. But to stop and think about how my life would be different if it was all a lie? I don't even wow. I think the most significant thing I took away was how much I take this saving for granted. It's just a part of my life. We're in a continuous cycle where I screw up, feel like crap, ask for forgiveness, feel grateful for his acceptance, smile, move on, and then start all over. And how amazing is it that I can have a cycle like that? (okay, obviously it would be great if it wasn't so frequent, but the opportunity to continually start over? To know you're loved beyond anything you do? Or think? Or whatever? It's unconditional.) And so Friday was Good. Both because it worked, and because it was one of those infrequent moments in life when it all came together to hit me between the eyes.

You've got to read my friend Erinn's blog - I've linked it to the right. She's hysterical.

The monday night coffee girls and I went to Fridays on Saturday to visit Becca while she was working. Her parents happened to be there and chatted with us for awhile. Her mom commented how great it was that we had such a strong support network. We agreed. She said it was great because most people don't realize until they're much older that they need support like that. We said we're fully aware we're in need of a lot of support - which is why coffee will continue for hopefully many more years.

I was driving through the Lowry Tunnel the other day and noticed there were HUGE icicles hanging in the middle of the tunnel from a crack going from one side to the other! I do not this this is good. In fact, I believe it to be downright dangerous! One of those icicles could fall, pierce the top of my car, and KILL me. Luckily today on the way to church I noticed they were gone - now a bumpy pile of ice to the left of the lane. Hm.

At the end of service on Friday, the guy in front of me turned around and told me I had a good voice. I told him it was the girl next to me. He was unconvinced. I was baffled. This is the third time in a month someone (randomly) has said I've had a good voice. Perhaps constantly singing along to the radio CAN teach one to sing??

Yesterday I made a curtain for my kitchen door window. Today I bought a lamp with a shade that matches the curtain. It's very exciting. Welcome to my life.

Tomorow is the first day of power yoga! Hopefully this will be the perfect combination of the wonderful yoga class and the terrible pilates class. Cross your fingers. Una is apparently VERY good. YAY! :o) Downward facing dog, here we go!

Well, a few more things to get done around the house before kicking off this week of work.
Happy Easter to you all. I wish you could have joined my family for our wonderful Easter brunch. That's right, quiche, french toast bake, fruit salad, and lots of laughter. MMM. I hope your afternoon was good as well.
Love.
-me

ps. i owe lots of people calls (nicole, mariah, megan, aaron....i think there are more.) i'm sorry, they're coming...

flying time

2007-04-06T16:40:00.000-05:00

What a week. I couldn't even remember when I last posted. Some super early mornings and I finally feel like a contributing member of the company. It's good.

I also don't understand how it's already April. I'm going on another trip for work next week and so when I get back, it'll be mid-april. That seems a bit crazy. I keep waking up and feeling like I've missed a month of my life. Where is the time going? Hopefully through what seems to be a busy travel schedule I'll somehow acheive silver elite status on Northwest....that'd be pretty sweet. Seems like everyone at work's already earned it....so I'm always by my lonesome back in coach. Oh well. Someday! :o)

Happy Good Friday today. Brainstorming about projects for the kids on sunday. It was always the big projects or traditions that stuck with me from my childhood....and that's what I'm trying to go for. I want this to stick. Maybe some posterboard....we haven't done anything with that yet....hmmm. Thoughts.

Volleyball season is over....it's time to start the search for summer fun. :o) I think a golf league may be joined!
Anyway.
Happy Easter. It's the holiday that gives us a reason to live. Eh?
-R

bite me.

2007-04-03T22:49:00.000-05:00

No, seriously. This weather can bite me. What the butt. Snow in april? Seriously. What is this.

Electrical, almost done. Ran into some problems tonight...let's just say flying sparks, but thankfully no fire. Oy. My mixer is out, so it feels like stuff is starting to fall into place. I'm trying to move in...and stop thinking about how everything is still in progress.

I'm tired. I can't find some of the stuff I want to hang on my walls...no idea where it is. I just want this place to feel like home.

How is it already easter?
I still kinda want a gun. Springfield XD?
Snow means the ground's not 55 yet, right? C'mon phase one of turf builder...

I think I need to stop and take a moment in life. To get things in order. I feel like I've been running on a treadmill since I moved back. A continuous cycle of things never getting done. How can I make decisions when I don't know where I am. It's times like this I miss Iowa. I swear, it really was slower down there. Maybe I'm not as suburban as I thought.

Okay goodnight. Love.
-R

bologna

2007-04-01T21:27:00.001-05:00

I used to like bologna. Now I don't.

Not many thoughts tonight.
1. I don't think the ground is 55 degrees. I'm safe for another week or so as I hear it's supposed to snow on wednesday.
2. Remember how i accidentally got re-signed back up for netflicks (it's a long/boring story)? Well, I've had "American Dreamz" sitting on my tv for the past three weeks giving me craploads of guilt about how irresponsibly I'm using this movie service. Finally watched it tonight and can i just say, it ranked right down there with mystery men. Terrible acting, poor social/political commentary, and just a miserable plot. OY. I'm never getting those hours of my life back.
3. Today was palm sunday. We made a palm tree and acted out some of the story. I tried to communicate the point of the blood in the last supper by talking a lot about lambs and sacrifice. I'm not sure if it all was absorbed, but we had fun pretending to be shepherds, sheep, and sacrifices. :o) I love those kids.
4. Got my girl scout cookies today. Two semoas and one tagalong. Mmmm.
5. Going to opening day (or whatever the first day of baseball is called) with people from work tomorrow...twins, metrodome, lousy parking, and crappy weather. Add this all to the fact that baseball usually makes me want to poke out my eyes after two innings (usually just in combination with the metrodome)...and you can imagine that i am extremely excited.
6. I installed a new lock on my freshly painted kitchen door. It looks pretty much amazing.
7. I get central A/C this year. Quoters coming this week and next. HOT summer, i will be READY for you!

For the moment that is all.
I hate not getting to wish people a happy birthday.
Looking forward to sleep.
-goodnight.

rabbit poop

2007-03-26T17:53:00.000-06:00

I've discovered, as part of raking my yard in the spring, that there is a lot of rabbit poop all over the yard that you just never know about. Or, I have an extremely large number of rabbits pooping in my yard. One of the two.

I'm finding I'm a big picture person....or someone who likes to dream and then isn't super keen on doing all of the detail work. Some of the huge ideas that I want to do are knocking out the wall between my kitchen and three season porch in order to make it a four season room. I'd need to insulate, put in new windows, and install some baseboard heat. Doesn't sound too bad in theory...but all the work? Oofda. And how about my new idea today? To lay a patio off of my soon-to-be four season room....but then I thought about digging out all of that grass and I started to get tired. Oh yes. There is a lot I could do...not much I am actually capable of doing. Oy.

I'm making a turkey and pepperoni grilled cheese sandwich with garlic. I'm super excited. This is the second day in a row I've made dinner without following a recipe. I'm getting there!! :o)

My blisters are growing. Gross.

or not

2007-03-25T21:41:00.000-06:00

Everything in the backyard is too wet, so raking is postponed.

So, first. Has anyone seen the commercial for the "to go" pop-tarts? It's all about this girl who's getting asked to the prom by someone with whom she doesn't really want to go....and she's holding a pop-tart, about to eat it, and so can't run away. Ummmm. I've always thought of pop-tarts as a to go food. But apparently, if the cracker hard outside isn't portable enough, there are now pop-tart sticks for more convenience. Whatever.

Next topic....If you recall, I commented on the (red) campaign that's been going on for the past few months. It seems that the CEO of the (red) campaign wasn't too happy with the article (more so, the numbers) that adage published. He claims that the campaign has been a fantastic success and that adage didn't take into account all of the "awareness" that's been generated by the campaign. He also thought it absurd to suggest that the companies should have just donated the money they spent on advertising for the campaign. His argument was that in the month's since the campaign has started, they've donated more money than the benefiting fun had collected during all of its existence. Well, I'm sorry. But I would like to argue that isn't the best way to measure the success of a fundraising campaign. (red) set a goal, and has come nowhere near that number. That should be the measure of the success.

I don't really actually care about the fight that's going on....I am more interested in this new way of fundraising. The (red) CEO commented that all of the participating companies have most likely generated many additional sales from the (red) traffic. And I think that's more of what rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it's just me, I don't get the feeling anyone involved in this project is really that concerned about the fund or the AIDS. It seems to me that they're all just very interested in generating a whole lot of media attention so that their store/music/etc makes more money. An understandable goal - just not when they're coming off as very philanthropic. I don't know what we'll call this....but it seems similar to greenwashing. A whole bunch of hogwash. Bottom line - they don't really care how much money they raise through (red) as long as they get a significant bump in profit.

Does anyone know where you can buy palm branches? Next week is palm sunday and one of my favorite sunday school memories is going home with palm branches on palm sunday. It brought the story to life so much. Any hints would be great.

Don't really have any other amazing topics of blogging tonight. A few random thoughts:
-It always surprises me how forthright people are when drunk.
-I am more naive than I thought.
-I keep thinking I want to go back to the way things were.
-Sometimes I think I was crazy to buy a house.

How is it Monday, tomorrow.