Jack of all trades
sticker applicator; pumpkin decorator
trouble maker; picture taker
wild Jacks post-axe (and not)
i am dead; time for bed
My mood: swell belle
October 30, 2007
October 29, 2007
American entertainment
I guess the curse is lifted for good. Well Boston's certainly thrilled. Another season come and gone. Aah, maybe next year we can catch a pre-season game. It's been a while since I've had the pleasure of the all-American indulgence of professional sports. There's just something about sitting in a ballpark that can make you feel like all is right in the world (although it helps if your team is having a good day).
Lion King was spectacular (at least the parts I saw). We had lunch at P.F. Chang before the LK and the food was MSGabulous. The best part was, of course, dessert. There was a Banana Spring Roll which came with a pina colada ice cream. The rolls were drizzled with a caramel and vanilla sauce. It was warm and heavenly as most desserts should be. Will go back, just for that. Anyway, by the time we got to LK, I was full, it was the afternoon and the venue was cool, comfortable and the music soothing enough to lull me into an inevitable snooze. I did catch the very beginning with the presentation of Simba. I awoke during the stampede. So I guess I missed a large chunk of the show. No matter, the costumes alone were worth the exorbitant cost. It was not my favorite show, but I will be glad to say that I did see it.
Had the pleasure of lunch with a certain ESL teacher this afternoon. We went to a quaint cafe downtown after my interviews. It was a nice way to unwind. Food was good. Company was better.
My mood: sunny
October 28, 2007
C-Man is 3
Yesterday was all about the C-Man. No longer a Little One.
We did our annual pumpkin patch venture. This time I restrained myself and got only 1 large pumpkin and a pair of cuties. Don't know when I'll get around to carving him. We had ourselves a hay ride, saw JB w/his kids, and let them ride a few rides. Those PP people must make buckets of money. You think your pumpkin is fairly cheap, but when you throw in the $3 parking, hay ride, etc. it's a pretty pricey pumpkin after all.
Came home and prepared food for the masses. Homemade Mac n Cheese came out fabulous and went surprisingly well with the Saracco. My favorite wine ever. Also had hot dogs for the pints, in addition to chili, spanakopitas, hummus, and chips w/mango salsa. All in all a decent menu for a last minute shindig. As you can tell, the UH game was a bust. Couldn't get good seats and we would be scattered throughout the section, so we decided to depend on ESPN for updates and let it be. No matter, a good time was had by all and we won! 8-0 baby! 12 in the AP and 11 in USA today. BCS rankings are not available yet. I think it will be good.
My mood: great -- plans for today include P.F. Chang and Lion King. No kids, so not spending the day with C-Man is sad, but will make it up to him later.
October 26, 2007
Old haunts
Have spent several days at my previous place of employment on an interview panel. I find it strange to be one of 4 who gets to choose who is worthy of employment. A job interview is such a life altering decision that you have no control over. I like to hear what's going on at the university from recent graduates. I am heartened by their enthusiasm and it rekindles me and makes me glad that I do what I do. For a brief moment I am washed with their optimism in life and the changes they think they will create in the world as adults.
I miss working there. I miss the company of colleagues (most of them). Not that I don't love the hard-working people I currently work with. And mostly, I miss the city life. I miss the Lebanese restaurant, the dim sum place, shopping, & running into ghosts from my past. It is fun to relive it for a few days.
For today, I am back to my rural library.
My mood: happy -- it's Friday!
October 25, 2007
Happy Birthday Little One!
Happy, Happy Birthday Little One, Little One!
My mood: exhausted, but happy
October 23, 2007
Country mouse's morning woes
It was a lovely fall morning and the country mouse had to go into the big city. She woke up very early and thinking she had a full hour and parking right outside the building, she set on her merry way. Little did she know that there would be a major traffic jam. She mumbled a few choice words along with her usual traffic mantra "Patience is a virtue" and called her loving sister to keep her mind off the long line of red lights that lay before her. It was long and tedious, but her sister kept her spirits high. Upon learning the reason for the lane blockage on the Pali, she wished the lost traveler well, but didn't see why it couldn't have waited until 9:00 for the search. Feeling little sympathy and now late for work, the country mouse finally made it into the tunnel and her way was free and clear. She made it to work only a few minutes late.
Woohoo.
My mood: tired
(can you tell, I've been reading vast quantities of children's books lately?)
October 21, 2007
Bye bye weekend
Had the best weekend. It started with Friday after work. Little One was not fussy, left Auntie M's in a great mood. He had been doing pretty well with the past 2 evenings w/Grandpa, so I was fairly optimistic that the streak would continue. I went on my date. It went very well. Found out some interesting things about Mr. MO. None of which I will share with the world at the moment. He cooks. That's always a plus in any of the male gender. He bought me chocolate for dessert. Even better. He recited poetry. Sounds corny, but it was actually very sweet and I enjoyed listening to him. His voice is sexy and full of life. If he weren't a teacher, he could make a living as a radio personality. Was possibly one of those dates that I will reminisce about when I am 80. And I'm sure not to forget it now that I've blogged it down. Lost track of time, that's always a good sign.
Saturday. Did a lot of resting and lazying about in the morning. Went for lunch w/KK. Met Mussons and did a Costco pilgrimage. Had dinner at Ige's. Another relaxing and enjoyable day.
Sunday. Used the Water Park tickets for a pre-birthday celebration for LO. We all packed up and spent the day at the park. It was good. I almost cried when I watched my LO go on the slide all by himself. In fact, he spent much time playing w/friends instead of hanging w/his momma. That was a shocker. My baby is becoming more independent every day. I guess it's to be expected, but it still makes me a little sad. Greg came along with us. That was fun. I love when he comes to visit even if it's a short trip. He says next year, he'll be here for a week. We will see him before then, possibly in March when we go to Disneyland again.
Rooting for Colorado. Tired of Boston. Go Elam. Hawaii is 14 in the USA Today polls. I know it doesn't mean as much as BCS or AP, but I'll go with that one. Woohoo.
Am sad to see my perfect weekend come to a close.
So looking forward to next weekend. Have lots of fun things planned.
My mood: dread of Monday morning and the coming week.
October 18, 2007
Kathy's Back
Went to step class tonite and found out that they changed the 24Step to "Step". That may not be a big deal to you, but for us long-time Kathy fans, it meant the world of difference. 24Step is some dumb structured class with the idea that a monkey could teach it and everyone could follow no matter which gym you were in across the country. This meant the stiffling of creativity of our favorite instructor. But there's a new big boss or whatever and they let her change it back to "Step" which gives her free range of whatever she wants (as long as it's not too hard). Aaron, Sandy, Annie, KK and I were thrilled. It was the best class I've been to in years. It was like old times. Even had the old-timers in class. Okay, I dunno if I qualify as an old-timer, but I've been going to her class for 10 years. That must count for something, right?
Now if they'd only change Fridays back to double-step, we'd be in heaven. Although -- I do have a date tomorrow nite, so that won't work... I'm so glad tomorrow's Friday! It's been a long week.
My mood: energized
October 17, 2007
Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
Repost of recipe from Sep 21, 2007
2 large egg whites
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/2 c mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 250 degreees. Line 2 baking sheets w/parchment paper or foil. In glass bowl beat egg whites w/electric mixer on high until soft peaks form. Add sugar a little at a time and continue to beat until they're stiff peaks. Mix in vanilla and cocoa powder on low speed. Fold in chocolate chips by hand. Drop small mounds onto parchment paper at least 1" apart. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off oven, DO NOT OPEN. Leave in oven for at least 2 hours or until center is not too moist. Remove from pan. Eat 'em. If you can't eat 'em all, store in airtight container.
Computer junkie
Okay, finally added on that Yahoo Messenger thing onto my computer. It's starting to piss me off. Keeps doing dumb things I don't want it to do. So sis, if you're on Yahoo, send me your ID. Joined it because Musson-wife won't get onto Myspace and she & her hubby have been asking me to do it for a while.
Spent the evening cleaning out my Yahoo mailbox. It was a nightmare. Still have too much crap. Have not been deleting messages, so now I've got to go through it all again.
The day ended well with a quick phone call from MO. We're going out on Friday again. Hope Little One and Grandpa don't wind up killing each other. They'll have to spend 3 evenings with each other in a row. Wednesday-work, Thursday-gym, Friday-date. Hmmm... Maybe I should reschedule Friday to Saturday. Can't do it on Sunday because we're spending the day w/Greg. He's on his yearly pilgrimage here. And still hoping to hear from KathyK and Grant. I'd like to see him again before he's off to Iraq, so that would leave this weekend as the only opportunity to do so. Have a full plate of activities for the next few weekends. Why is it that there's never enough time in the day to do what you need to?
Would probably help to not to be on the computer.
My mood: hungry
October 15, 2007
Moody me
Saw my buddy Louise today. She came to visit me in my little library. Gave me all the juicy gossip of the big branch.
Have been strangely happy all day. Very odd considering it's not been that great of a day. Maybe it's because my new tech starts tomorrow. Am looking forward to having full staff again. These double-duty days are just killing me.
Had some ice cream after dinner. Somehow my tummy is not too happy. You think it would be rejoicing after being fed chocolate peanut butter ice cream, but it's not.
Okay, I correct myself, I was feeling strangely happy, now I just feel ill and drained. Sort of deflated too. I need a pick-me-up. Give me a shot of Billy giggles or a nice Mojito.
My mood: conflicted
October 14, 2007
Changes
Aah, still fooling around with the templates until I'm happy with it. Better than cleaning up the house...
Realized that I can put a slideshow on my blog. Will work on a new one, this one's stolen from my myspace. It's pretty fun. Next thing to do is redo the banner so that I have myself back again. Sort of like redesigning a room, I guess it's exactly like redesigning a room. It's still fun.
Now on to sports... Was very disappointed in my baseball teams. They got booted out way too early. Not particularly excited about anyone else being in the WS, so I guess my baseball season is over for now. Football is very exciting right now. Can't wait to see if UH can keep it's winning streak. Have been listening to the ESPN guys and their BCS discussions. Hopeful for us, we'll just have to wait and see. CB seems to be having trouble getting his game back, could hurt his Heisman chances, but hey, he did comeback and win the game didn't he? That should count for something. Definitely going to join in w/Sis & her family in the fantasy league next year. Should be fun. And Musson-wife has a great plan. The Bears should lose all their games so that they'll get first round draft pick next season. Baby needs a new quarterback and CB would be so cool there. Was looking over the stats and I don't think they can do that badly at this point. So we'll just have to wait and see... Please don't let a team that I hate pick him up--like Dallas (also not likely -so yeah!). So far have been lucky in that all the Hawaii guys I like have gone to teams I'll root for. And last, but certainly not least, there's my UH volleyball wahine. Yeah! They're still not great, but at least they still win. And I guess that's all that matters, in the end...
My mood: cheerful, but sticky (i'm hot)
Clean Slate
Aaah. Here we are again my friend. A brand new site and a clean slate to start anew. Woohoo.
Thanks to Sis for all her help, although I love baseball, this theme has got to go. I love her new look. Very whimsical.
Much has happened since we went offline. Won't go into details, but life has taken a turn for the interesting.
Jumped back into the dating pool, quite serendipitously. Friday nite was a hisotric date in the life of me -- My first date with MO. For it I have only one word: Surreal. The reason? I had the major crush on him throughout high school and he never even knew I existed. It went well and I feel strangely comfortable with him, even though we barely know one another.
Went out again tonite with my bestest buddies. Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Yum and talk about overindulgence and gluttony. The chicken madeira was fabulous. Had that with the shrimp scampi. Little One had macaroni & cheese and we followed that with, what else? The Godiva brownie sundae. Not cheesecake. I am a huge brownie sundae fan. Not so much the cheesecake, even though it is killer. Tried some of the pumpkin pecan pie cheesecake - a.k.a. heaven on a fork. The brownie sundae was also decadent, but so big! 4 people could have eaten it.
My mood: happy