Am I just cold-hearted and unsensitive? Am I the only one who finds it crazy that Barbaro's euthenasia is on every channel's news? Is mine the only heart that remained untouched by "Barbaro's spirit and gentle eyes"? Or am I just a horse-race moron?
IT'S JUST A HORSE!!! Nobody made this much of a fuss when Tigger, my super-awesome, two-different-color-eyes, can dance on command and all-around cuddly kitty, got hit by a car! It's just not fair.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Eye, eye, eye
I had an eye appointment today. Turns out I'm even more blind than I was last year. Isn't that fantastic. My left eye worsened 2 steps and my right only 1 step, which means both of my eyes are now the same prescription. Great news for my contacts--one box for both eyes! I hate the dilating thing they do to your eyes...I was blinded by any and all lights for the rest of the day while I was running errands. So I played it like a celeb and wore my sunglasses everywhere...even inside. Haha.
I think it's time for a nap.
I think it's time for a nap.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Pants
As promised, here is the picture of the poor pants that couldn't handle the stress. May they rest in peace.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Schooooooool
I'm almost done with my first week back at school. Pretty easy week, too bad it won't always be like that. Tuesday and Wednesday we just had meetings in the morning, and tonite my group met at Froedtert for some orientation and touring of our unit. It's gonna be pretty sweet. We will have one patient to start with and we will have complete responsibility for that patient. Baths, meds, charting, you name it. Kind of intimidating, but I just have to remind myself that I'm a pretty smart cookie, and if I have any questions, our instructor will be there. I just hope I don't kill anyone. Tomorrow is my only in-class day. Leadership/management and community aggreggates. Yippee. Fun day.
Did you hear about the Powerball Jackpot last night? It was up to $240 MILLION dollars. And me, wanting $240 million, tried to get it. I bought 4 Powerball tickets, and lost 4 times. So sad. I did match one number on two of them, though. I picked two of my own, and I did two computer picks. This was my first time playing the Lotto, and the girl helping me was very nice. I greatly enjoyed playing, and am confident that if I lived in a trailer home and had 3 teeth, I would put in extra shifts at the Piggly Wiggly so I could afford to play more. Of course, that's the gambler in my talking. Good thing I can't afford to gamble more, because I LOVE IT!!!!
It was insanely freezing today. After the walk from my car to the hospital, about a 5 minute walk, I could not feel my legs. Seriously. Granted, I was wearing scrubs, which is like wearing NOTHING AT ALL. I should make some sherpa-lined scrubs. Fashion AND function combined! Genius.
Props to my Ma, who entered our entire family, extended relatives included, into a raffle for a Tag Heuer watch at Foxwoods in CT this past weekend. Well, apparently she WON and it was delivered to her house today. A $2,600 watch! She's never won anything before and was super excited about it. I reminded her that her favorite daughter's birthday was coming up, should she not know what to do with it. :) Guess you get lucky when you think of entering everyone else!!
My dear little husband has been hitting the gym hardcore lately. He has put on a few pounds, as have I, and we need to get rid of them. I didn't realize how bad his situation was until today. Apparently, while he was at work this afternoon, he split his pants. RIGHT DOWN THE BUTT CRACK. He was lifting a box and RIIIIIIIIP!! I thought things like that only happened in the movies!! I was dying laughing. So was his office. I wish I had been there. He said he tried to safety pin them them together but couldn't reach. And who else is going to help him??? How would that look? I took a picture of the pants, which I am too lazy to post right now. Look for them soon, though.
Well, off to bed! Tomorrow's Friday! Finally!
Did you hear about the Powerball Jackpot last night? It was up to $240 MILLION dollars. And me, wanting $240 million, tried to get it. I bought 4 Powerball tickets, and lost 4 times. So sad. I did match one number on two of them, though. I picked two of my own, and I did two computer picks. This was my first time playing the Lotto, and the girl helping me was very nice. I greatly enjoyed playing, and am confident that if I lived in a trailer home and had 3 teeth, I would put in extra shifts at the Piggly Wiggly so I could afford to play more. Of course, that's the gambler in my talking. Good thing I can't afford to gamble more, because I LOVE IT!!!!
It was insanely freezing today. After the walk from my car to the hospital, about a 5 minute walk, I could not feel my legs. Seriously. Granted, I was wearing scrubs, which is like wearing NOTHING AT ALL. I should make some sherpa-lined scrubs. Fashion AND function combined! Genius.
Props to my Ma, who entered our entire family, extended relatives included, into a raffle for a Tag Heuer watch at Foxwoods in CT this past weekend. Well, apparently she WON and it was delivered to her house today. A $2,600 watch! She's never won anything before and was super excited about it. I reminded her that her favorite daughter's birthday was coming up, should she not know what to do with it. :) Guess you get lucky when you think of entering everyone else!!
My dear little husband has been hitting the gym hardcore lately. He has put on a few pounds, as have I, and we need to get rid of them. I didn't realize how bad his situation was until today. Apparently, while he was at work this afternoon, he split his pants. RIGHT DOWN THE BUTT CRACK. He was lifting a box and RIIIIIIIIP!! I thought things like that only happened in the movies!! I was dying laughing. So was his office. I wish I had been there. He said he tried to safety pin them them together but couldn't reach. And who else is going to help him??? How would that look? I took a picture of the pants, which I am too lazy to post right now. Look for them soon, though.
Well, off to bed! Tomorrow's Friday! Finally!
Monday, January 22, 2007
Daaaa Bulls
This weekend our friends Scott and Jason flew in for the weekend. Actually, I take that back. They flew in for about 20 hours. Why? To see the Jazz take on the Bulls Saturday night, of course! Keeping to traditional Scott/Jason/Derrick-trip form, the day consisted of two things, and two things only: food and sports. Luckily for me, I love food.
The both flew in around noon on Saturday. We checked into the hotel and headed to Schaumburg where we had reservations at Wildfire at 3. It was only 1:30ish at this point but we were all starving so we went early. Since it was lunchtime, they didn't have the sweet potatoes ready that I had been CRAVING ALL WEEK. They also overcooked all of our steaks which was a bit of a bummer, but they were still good. I got the triple filet with baked potato, parmesean, and blue cheese crusts. Sooooo good. We got a dessert sampler which was awesome, too.
Being fully stuffed, we headed back to the hotel and took the train downtown. By the way, it was absolutely FREEZING, and the wind was brutal. Terrible. We walked around State street for awhile, and I even got to go to Old Navy and Macy's and Lush for a minute or two, before hopping a bus to the United Center. I don't think the guys were too thrilled with that, though.
Our tickets were at willcall, and we were skeptical that they would even be there. We got them though, and headed inside to check out our seats (and warm up!) We were in row B, which seemed odd to us, as we were walking down the aisle and all the rows were numbered. We soon realized we had floor seats--courtside!!! Score! Right on center court. It was awesome. Check out the view from our seats:
Sweet, huh? We watched the game, which is a completely different game that close. You could hear them talking and everything. You could also SMELL them, which was not so cool. They REEKED. The Jazz won 95-85, which made the boys happy. Here are some more pics:
After the game we took the bus to the Hancock Building and ate at The Cheesecake Factory. We were still stuffed from not only lunch, but the pretzels and nachos and Mt. Dew at the game, so we only got a Spicy Cashew Chicken and some popcorn shrimp. Still very good though, and I think it satisfied Scott's craving.
We finally left the CCF at around midnight and headed to the train station. We were all super tired and Scoot really wanted to get a taxi. But we resisted and stuck with the Blue Line. Which turned out to be a great idea, since the train got stuck only twice and it only took us 2 hours to get back to our hotel. What a joke! It made it worth it though to watch this guy across from us. He was sleeping, and I seriously think he got dressed, but his backpack on, and got off the train completely asleep. At one point he got up and leaned over the seats and started to rock like a see-saw. The girl sitting in the seats in front of those seats slid over and tried not to laugh or look at him. I took some video of him. Quite hilarious. If he wasn't asleep, he was def on some kind of drug.
Now it's back to the real world. I ran tons of errands today, and feel quite productive. School starts back up tomorrow, so I'm trying to tell myself I'm ready for it. We have an info session tomorrow at 8, and then we'll find out when clinicals actually start. I really hope this semester goes by fast!!
The both flew in around noon on Saturday. We checked into the hotel and headed to Schaumburg where we had reservations at Wildfire at 3. It was only 1:30ish at this point but we were all starving so we went early. Since it was lunchtime, they didn't have the sweet potatoes ready that I had been CRAVING ALL WEEK. They also overcooked all of our steaks which was a bit of a bummer, but they were still good. I got the triple filet with baked potato, parmesean, and blue cheese crusts. Sooooo good. We got a dessert sampler which was awesome, too.
Being fully stuffed, we headed back to the hotel and took the train downtown. By the way, it was absolutely FREEZING, and the wind was brutal. Terrible. We walked around State street for awhile, and I even got to go to Old Navy and Macy's and Lush for a minute or two, before hopping a bus to the United Center. I don't think the guys were too thrilled with that, though.
Our tickets were at willcall, and we were skeptical that they would even be there. We got them though, and headed inside to check out our seats (and warm up!) We were in row B, which seemed odd to us, as we were walking down the aisle and all the rows were numbered. We soon realized we had floor seats--courtside!!! Score! Right on center court. It was awesome. Check out the view from our seats:
Sweet, huh? We watched the game, which is a completely different game that close. You could hear them talking and everything. You could also SMELL them, which was not so cool. They REEKED. The Jazz won 95-85, which made the boys happy. Here are some more pics:
After the game we took the bus to the Hancock Building and ate at The Cheesecake Factory. We were still stuffed from not only lunch, but the pretzels and nachos and Mt. Dew at the game, so we only got a Spicy Cashew Chicken and some popcorn shrimp. Still very good though, and I think it satisfied Scott's craving.
We finally left the CCF at around midnight and headed to the train station. We were all super tired and Scoot really wanted to get a taxi. But we resisted and stuck with the Blue Line. Which turned out to be a great idea, since the train got stuck only twice and it only took us 2 hours to get back to our hotel. What a joke! It made it worth it though to watch this guy across from us. He was sleeping, and I seriously think he got dressed, but his backpack on, and got off the train completely asleep. At one point he got up and leaned over the seats and started to rock like a see-saw. The girl sitting in the seats in front of those seats slid over and tried not to laugh or look at him. I took some video of him. Quite hilarious. If he wasn't asleep, he was def on some kind of drug.
Now it's back to the real world. I ran tons of errands today, and feel quite productive. School starts back up tomorrow, so I'm trying to tell myself I'm ready for it. We have an info session tomorrow at 8, and then we'll find out when clinicals actually start. I really hope this semester goes by fast!!
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Wardrobe Malfunction
This morning I had trouble with the zipper on my skirt. It's a side zipper. I finally got it to zip, no biggie, headed to work. Went to the bathroom, noticed the zipper was wonky, so I tried to fix it. It's one of those situations where the zipper is at the top but the middle part of the zipper separated. I couldn't fix it, and now I have this gaping hole on my hip and you can see my underwear and my fishnets. Cute, huh. Luckily, I don't have much walking around to do here, and my sweater is long enough so that it barely covers it. What a disaster.
You'll never guess where I went yesterday on my lunch break. Old Navy!! Gasp! Felt like I haven't been there in ages. What? It was just Monday? Oh....Anyway, all their clearance is 50% off too, so of course I got some more. I could NOT pass up ONE DOLLAR tanks and long sleeve tops. ONE DOLLAR!!! Actually, NINETY-SEVEN CENTS! I got 3 shirts, 1 tank, 1 purse, 1 sweater for Derrick, boots, capris, and a sherpa lined denim jacket, all for the low, low price of $28. STILL have money left over on the gift card. Taking the sweater back b/c Derrick said he thinks he looks like an Oompa Loompa in it, and I couldn't really disagree. Just for fun I added up the original retail prices on everything and it totaled $229. Seriously, I should teach a class on bargain shopping or something. At least for Old Navy. Perhaps one day my taste (and budget) will mature enough and I won't shop there anymore. But for now I'm A-OK with it.
For years we have been refusing our friends' requests to play Settlers of Catan with them. No way are we playing that dorky game, we said. Well, we finally caved and played with our friends this past weekend. We only played two games, but we were hooked. LOTS of rules, but once you get the hang of it, it's actually pretty fun. We either need to buy it, or someone needs to invite us over to play again. HINT, HINT! ;)
Tonite I am going to dinner and a movie with some Kohl's friends. We used to do this all the time, but then it slowly stopped happening. They were always really fun, so I'm not sure why they stopped. Now, there's lots of new girls and nobody really knows each other so we plan more girl's night outs, but the new ones never come. No wonder nobody knows you. SHOW UP! You don't have kids...what is keeping you from coming to hang out with us? Maybe they love hanging out with only their husbands, 24 hours a day. Maybe they don't need other female interaction. Maybe they're just lame. I don't know. Some are busy, I know, but if you're not, why wouldn't you come?? In any case, I will be fully enjoying myself tonite as I eat Panera and watch The Pursuit of Happyness with my friends. Those other girls are just missing out!!
Back to work! Only one more day!! Hooray!
You'll never guess where I went yesterday on my lunch break. Old Navy!! Gasp! Felt like I haven't been there in ages. What? It was just Monday? Oh....Anyway, all their clearance is 50% off too, so of course I got some more. I could NOT pass up ONE DOLLAR tanks and long sleeve tops. ONE DOLLAR!!! Actually, NINETY-SEVEN CENTS! I got 3 shirts, 1 tank, 1 purse, 1 sweater for Derrick, boots, capris, and a sherpa lined denim jacket, all for the low, low price of $28. STILL have money left over on the gift card. Taking the sweater back b/c Derrick said he thinks he looks like an Oompa Loompa in it, and I couldn't really disagree. Just for fun I added up the original retail prices on everything and it totaled $229. Seriously, I should teach a class on bargain shopping or something. At least for Old Navy. Perhaps one day my taste (and budget) will mature enough and I won't shop there anymore. But for now I'm A-OK with it.
For years we have been refusing our friends' requests to play Settlers of Catan with them. No way are we playing that dorky game, we said. Well, we finally caved and played with our friends this past weekend. We only played two games, but we were hooked. LOTS of rules, but once you get the hang of it, it's actually pretty fun. We either need to buy it, or someone needs to invite us over to play again. HINT, HINT! ;)
Tonite I am going to dinner and a movie with some Kohl's friends. We used to do this all the time, but then it slowly stopped happening. They were always really fun, so I'm not sure why they stopped. Now, there's lots of new girls and nobody really knows each other so we plan more girl's night outs, but the new ones never come. No wonder nobody knows you. SHOW UP! You don't have kids...what is keeping you from coming to hang out with us? Maybe they love hanging out with only their husbands, 24 hours a day. Maybe they don't need other female interaction. Maybe they're just lame. I don't know. Some are busy, I know, but if you're not, why wouldn't you come?? In any case, I will be fully enjoying myself tonite as I eat Panera and watch The Pursuit of Happyness with my friends. Those other girls are just missing out!!
Back to work! Only one more day!! Hooray!
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
TV Time
Well, it's that time of year again. American Idol Time. A time where I dedicate 5 hours of my life every week to watching people who can't sing try and convince the American public that they can. Yet, I continue to watch, b/c if I want to be a part of any conversation I may be a part of in the next 5 months, I need to be in the know. Last night was the premiere, with auditions in Minneapolis. Heinous. You may recall the Urban Amish, The Juggler, and Apollo Creed. Crack Baby was the best of them all, and I hope she makes it through if only for the sole reason that I want to see what the hairdressers and makeup artists can do for her. Homegirl needs some help. Shakira will most likely be a favorite, despite the fact that her accent is thicker than molasses. Not that Simon cared, he would have boned down right then and there when he saw her. Jewel was a guest judge and was super nice to everyone. Paula was surprisingly "normal". Randy was Randy, and Simon was hilarious, like always. I hate that we have to go through these first few weeks to get to the top 24, but it's like a train wreck: I can't stop watching.
Other shows have started up as well. The Hills, (SOOOOO glad Jason is gone...I hate Heidi), The Apprentice: LA, (I know, I'm the only person watching it), and Derrick's favorite, The Real Housewives of Orange County, aka Laguna Beach for Adults. I haven't gotten into it as much as he has. I think he likes it b/c of all the fake boobs. He won't deny it either if you ask him.
My latest food obsession: tacos. Don't ask me why. We've been having Taco Tuesday at our house and I can't get enough. Hard shell. What a weird thing to obsess over. Maybe b/c my tacos are exceptionally good. But I doubt it. Not much to 'em. Anyway, I had 3 last night and could have eaten 5 more. Tonite we're having beef stew, the kind my mom use to make. I loved it growing up, but now I'm apprehensive now that I have the "recipe". Check this out: veggies, stew meat, and 2 packs of brown gravy with some water. Hmmm.....We'll see tonite, I guess. It's crock potting away at home.
Old band coming back for more and better than ever: Incubus. Loved these guys when they came out with "Drive". Went and got 2 of their CD's, loved those. Now their new one, Light Grenades, is fabulous too. Check out "Dig" and "Anna Molly", which comes out sounding like "anomaly", talking about the perfect girl. Clever, eh?
Joke of the day, courtesty of my friend Jessica, who is in dental school.
Q: What do you get the World's Best Dentist?
A: A little plaque!
HAHA!
Other shows have started up as well. The Hills, (SOOOOO glad Jason is gone...I hate Heidi), The Apprentice: LA, (I know, I'm the only person watching it), and Derrick's favorite, The Real Housewives of Orange County, aka Laguna Beach for Adults. I haven't gotten into it as much as he has. I think he likes it b/c of all the fake boobs. He won't deny it either if you ask him.
My latest food obsession: tacos. Don't ask me why. We've been having Taco Tuesday at our house and I can't get enough. Hard shell. What a weird thing to obsess over. Maybe b/c my tacos are exceptionally good. But I doubt it. Not much to 'em. Anyway, I had 3 last night and could have eaten 5 more. Tonite we're having beef stew, the kind my mom use to make. I loved it growing up, but now I'm apprehensive now that I have the "recipe". Check this out: veggies, stew meat, and 2 packs of brown gravy with some water. Hmmm.....We'll see tonite, I guess. It's crock potting away at home.
Old band coming back for more and better than ever: Incubus. Loved these guys when they came out with "Drive". Went and got 2 of their CD's, loved those. Now their new one, Light Grenades, is fabulous too. Check out "Dig" and "Anna Molly", which comes out sounding like "anomaly", talking about the perfect girl. Clever, eh?
Joke of the day, courtesty of my friend Jessica, who is in dental school.
Q: What do you get the World's Best Dentist?
A: A little plaque!
HAHA!
Monday, January 15, 2007
I am shopper, hear me roar!
I always knew I was a shopping genius, but today I outdid myself.
I have an Old Navy giftcard leftover from Christmas totaling about 35 bucks. So, since I didn't have to work today I stopped by after dropping off some dry cleaning. There was tons of clearance, so I loaded up a cart and headed to the fitting rooms. I picked out some stuff, totaling about 20 bucks and checked out the racks one last time. Well, I read the fine print on the sale signs that were everywhre. "50% off Clearance. Discount taken at register." Score! I realized I now had to rethink my shopping strategy. I can get twice as much as I thought! Well, as I'm browsing, I see the same things I bought last week, except now they're half off!! Luckily for me, I had the receipt in my wallet. So I go up the registers and ask if I can get a price adjustment. "Not during this clearance sale," the so-called manager tells me. If you think I just accepted that answer and walked away, then you don't know me at all. I asked where exactly it said that, and he didn't really have an answer for me. He says he'll be right back. I wait. He comes back and says they'll do it for me. Victory! So I continue shopping and finally pick everything out and go check out. Well, I get $35 credit from my price adjustment!! All my purchases total $36, so I fork over a dollar bill and walk out with:
2 pair of pants
2 jackets
2 shirts
1 pair of socks
AND my $35 gift card still untouched in my wallet!! I left feeling fabulous. A "shopping high", if you will. Love it.
Anyway, head over to Old Navy while this sale is going on. Lots of good stuff.
I have an Old Navy giftcard leftover from Christmas totaling about 35 bucks. So, since I didn't have to work today I stopped by after dropping off some dry cleaning. There was tons of clearance, so I loaded up a cart and headed to the fitting rooms. I picked out some stuff, totaling about 20 bucks and checked out the racks one last time. Well, I read the fine print on the sale signs that were everywhre. "50% off Clearance. Discount taken at register." Score! I realized I now had to rethink my shopping strategy. I can get twice as much as I thought! Well, as I'm browsing, I see the same things I bought last week, except now they're half off!! Luckily for me, I had the receipt in my wallet. So I go up the registers and ask if I can get a price adjustment. "Not during this clearance sale," the so-called manager tells me. If you think I just accepted that answer and walked away, then you don't know me at all. I asked where exactly it said that, and he didn't really have an answer for me. He says he'll be right back. I wait. He comes back and says they'll do it for me. Victory! So I continue shopping and finally pick everything out and go check out. Well, I get $35 credit from my price adjustment!! All my purchases total $36, so I fork over a dollar bill and walk out with:
2 pair of pants
2 jackets
2 shirts
1 pair of socks
AND my $35 gift card still untouched in my wallet!! I left feeling fabulous. A "shopping high", if you will. Love it.
Anyway, head over to Old Navy while this sale is going on. Lots of good stuff.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Chicken!
Friday Derrick and I went to see Employee of the Month. Yes, again. I think I laughed harder the second time. Derrick was half-asleep while he was waching it (surprise, surprise) so he didn't full enjoy it. Bum.
Yesterday we did a fat load of nothing most of the day. Slept in, ate breakfast. That proved to be too exhausting for Derrick so he took a 2 hour nap. After he woke up we went to the gym. I'm working my way back up after my slacker vacation. There's talk of perhaps traveling to Columbus to see our friends in April and run the same half marathon they're running. We'll see. You'd think I'd be ready by then right???
My friend Linda recommended a fried chicken recipe to me so I made it today for dinner. It's courtesy of Tyler Florence's show "Tyler's Ultimate". I just started watching his show, and it's pretty great. I don't know what it is about these Food Network hosts, but I loooove them. So adorable. Alton, now Tyler. Must just be something about men that cook. Anyway, the chicken was fabu. Here's the recipe in case you're jonesing for some great finger-licking-good grub.
1 (3 to 4 pound) chicken, cut up into 10 pieces
Kosher salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne
Freshly ground black pepper
1 quart buttermilk
2 tablespoons hot chili sauce (recommended: Srirachi)
Peanut oil, for frying
1/4 bunch fresh thyme
3 big sprigs fresh rosemary
1/4 bunch fresh sage
1/2 head garlic, smashed, husk still attached
Lemon wedges, for serving
Put the chicken pieces into a large bowl. Cover the chicken with water by 1 inch; add 1 tablespoon of salt for each quart of water used. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
In a large shallow platter, mix the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne until well blended; season generously with salt and pepper. In another platter combine the buttermilk and hot sauce with a fork and season with salt and pepper.
Drain the chicken and pat it dry. Dredge the pieces, a few at a time, in the flour mixture,
then dip them into the buttermilk; dredge them again in the seasoned flour. Set aside and let the chicken rest while you prepare the oil.
Put about 3 inches of oil into a large deep pot; it should not come up more than half way. Add the thyme, rosemary, sage, and garlic to the cool oil and heat over medium-high heat until the oil registers 350 to 365 degrees F on one of those clip-on deep-fry thermometers. The herbs and garlic will perfume the oil with their flavor as the oil comes up to temperature.
Once the oil has reached 350 to 365 degrees F, working in batches, carefully add the chicken pieces 3 or 4 at a time. Fry, turning the pieces once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 12 minutes. Total cooking time should be about 30 minutes. When the chicken is done, take a big skimmer and remove the chicken pieces and herbs from the pot, shaking off as much oil as you can, and lay it on a tea towel or brown paper bag to soak up the oil. Sprinkle all over with more salt and a dusting of cracked black pepper. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Once all the chicken is fried, scatter the fried herbs and garlic over the top. Serve hot, with big lemon wedges.
I didn't break down and buy the peanut oil, so I just used veggie oil and it was fine. Also, I don't really think you need to use a whole quart of milk. Half would have been fine. Then I could have used the other half to make my yummy chicken pasta salad. Lesson learned.
I have work off tomorrow for MLK day. Or Civil Rights Day. Whatever you want to call it. To-may-to, to-mah-to. We're supposed to be getting 5" of snow tonite. I think we're up to 1 or 2 as of right now. Everything is all white and snowy and peaceful, but will soon turn into ugly gray slush and general crappiness. Hooray for winter.
Yesterday we did a fat load of nothing most of the day. Slept in, ate breakfast. That proved to be too exhausting for Derrick so he took a 2 hour nap. After he woke up we went to the gym. I'm working my way back up after my slacker vacation. There's talk of perhaps traveling to Columbus to see our friends in April and run the same half marathon they're running. We'll see. You'd think I'd be ready by then right???
My friend Linda recommended a fried chicken recipe to me so I made it today for dinner. It's courtesy of Tyler Florence's show "Tyler's Ultimate". I just started watching his show, and it's pretty great. I don't know what it is about these Food Network hosts, but I loooove them. So adorable. Alton, now Tyler. Must just be something about men that cook. Anyway, the chicken was fabu. Here's the recipe in case you're jonesing for some great finger-licking-good grub.
1 (3 to 4 pound) chicken, cut up into 10 pieces
Kosher salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne
Freshly ground black pepper
1 quart buttermilk
2 tablespoons hot chili sauce (recommended: Srirachi)
Peanut oil, for frying
1/4 bunch fresh thyme
3 big sprigs fresh rosemary
1/4 bunch fresh sage
1/2 head garlic, smashed, husk still attached
Lemon wedges, for serving
Put the chicken pieces into a large bowl. Cover the chicken with water by 1 inch; add 1 tablespoon of salt for each quart of water used. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
In a large shallow platter, mix the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne until well blended; season generously with salt and pepper. In another platter combine the buttermilk and hot sauce with a fork and season with salt and pepper.
Drain the chicken and pat it dry. Dredge the pieces, a few at a time, in the flour mixture,
then dip them into the buttermilk; dredge them again in the seasoned flour. Set aside and let the chicken rest while you prepare the oil.
Put about 3 inches of oil into a large deep pot; it should not come up more than half way. Add the thyme, rosemary, sage, and garlic to the cool oil and heat over medium-high heat until the oil registers 350 to 365 degrees F on one of those clip-on deep-fry thermometers. The herbs and garlic will perfume the oil with their flavor as the oil comes up to temperature.
Once the oil has reached 350 to 365 degrees F, working in batches, carefully add the chicken pieces 3 or 4 at a time. Fry, turning the pieces once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 12 minutes. Total cooking time should be about 30 minutes. When the chicken is done, take a big skimmer and remove the chicken pieces and herbs from the pot, shaking off as much oil as you can, and lay it on a tea towel or brown paper bag to soak up the oil. Sprinkle all over with more salt and a dusting of cracked black pepper. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Once all the chicken is fried, scatter the fried herbs and garlic over the top. Serve hot, with big lemon wedges.
I didn't break down and buy the peanut oil, so I just used veggie oil and it was fine. Also, I don't really think you need to use a whole quart of milk. Half would have been fine. Then I could have used the other half to make my yummy chicken pasta salad. Lesson learned.
I have work off tomorrow for MLK day. Or Civil Rights Day. Whatever you want to call it. To-may-to, to-mah-to. We're supposed to be getting 5" of snow tonite. I think we're up to 1 or 2 as of right now. Everything is all white and snowy and peaceful, but will soon turn into ugly gray slush and general crappiness. Hooray for winter.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Tengo sed.
I bring a water bottle to work so I can get my 64 oz in every day. There's a water cooler right by my desk (cliche', I know). I'm convinced the water company puts something in this water that makes you even thirstier after you drink it than if you'd had no water at all. I take a swig and no less than 10 seconds later I have cotton mouth. I'm not even exaggerating. It's crazy. It reminds me of The Phantom Tollbooth where they eat Subtraction Stew, where you get hungrier and hungrier with every bite. I really love that book, by the way. Perhaps I shall read it this weekend.
I went to the movies yesterday afternoon. With my 3 best friends. Me, myself, and I. We had a great time. We saw "Employee of the Month". Should that be italicized?? It was pretty funny, actually. Dane Cook is strangely good-looking, and I tolerated Jessica Simpson very well, considering she has a man-chin. I really want Derrick to see it, and I'd def see it again. Especially since it's at the dollar theater. It comes out on DVD on Tuesday, so if you're bored one night and can't decide on a flick, get this one. Keep in mind, however, that I love these kinds of simple, non artsy-fartsy movies. Mindless. I don't like to go to a movie and have to think about plots and remember who's good and who's bad. It's not relaxing to me. Luckily, I have a husband who shares my taste in bad movies. Although I do like seeing grown-up movies every once in awhile, don't get me wrong. Speaking of grown-up movies, I really want to see Charlotte's Web. What a nerd. But I, like every other little kid, loved the book when I was little. I had 2 copies, a hard cover and a paperback. I liked the hard cover better, it made me feel grown up for some reason. Plus, it had a way better picture of Wilbur and Fran and Charlotte.
I had a dream last night that I saw Richard Simmons at a Chili's, he was wearing his typical tank and short shorts and I freaked out and asked to take a picture with him. He said he couldn't because of copyright reasons, but that he could take one if he left his coat on, so it wouldn't be so obvious that it was him. That was fine with me, so we snapped a picture, and afterwards I realized that he was actually a SHE! Very weird. But I really think it's true.
I went to the movies yesterday afternoon. With my 3 best friends. Me, myself, and I. We had a great time. We saw "Employee of the Month". Should that be italicized?? It was pretty funny, actually. Dane Cook is strangely good-looking, and I tolerated Jessica Simpson very well, considering she has a man-chin. I really want Derrick to see it, and I'd def see it again. Especially since it's at the dollar theater. It comes out on DVD on Tuesday, so if you're bored one night and can't decide on a flick, get this one. Keep in mind, however, that I love these kinds of simple, non artsy-fartsy movies. Mindless. I don't like to go to a movie and have to think about plots and remember who's good and who's bad. It's not relaxing to me. Luckily, I have a husband who shares my taste in bad movies. Although I do like seeing grown-up movies every once in awhile, don't get me wrong. Speaking of grown-up movies, I really want to see Charlotte's Web. What a nerd. But I, like every other little kid, loved the book when I was little. I had 2 copies, a hard cover and a paperback. I liked the hard cover better, it made me feel grown up for some reason. Plus, it had a way better picture of Wilbur and Fran and Charlotte.
I had a dream last night that I saw Richard Simmons at a Chili's, he was wearing his typical tank and short shorts and I freaked out and asked to take a picture with him. He said he couldn't because of copyright reasons, but that he could take one if he left his coat on, so it wouldn't be so obvious that it was him. That was fine with me, so we snapped a picture, and afterwards I realized that he was actually a SHE! Very weird. But I really think it's true.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Owie.
One of the great things about my temp job is that if I don't want to go, I don't, and I don't feel bad about it! I woke up with a gigantic headache and sore throat so I called in and said I wasn't coming today. Then I went back to sleep. Until 12:30. HA! Love it. I really want to go running, but I think each step will only make my head pound, and that's not fun!
Yesterday I bought file folders and last night while watching The Three Amigos I organized all of our files. Now I just need to go pick up some sort of filing cabinet and we'll be in business!
I also have to go to the emissions station today and have my car inspected so I can re register my car. Hip, hip, hooray! Actually, WI has is right. The emissions station (which I have never seen except for here) is just like a drive through. Quite convenient.
Nothing else very exciting going on. Maybe something fabulous will happen to me today and I'll have something worth blogging about later. Cross your fingers!
Yesterday I bought file folders and last night while watching The Three Amigos I organized all of our files. Now I just need to go pick up some sort of filing cabinet and we'll be in business!
I also have to go to the emissions station today and have my car inspected so I can re register my car. Hip, hip, hooray! Actually, WI has is right. The emissions station (which I have never seen except for here) is just like a drive through. Quite convenient.
Nothing else very exciting going on. Maybe something fabulous will happen to me today and I'll have something worth blogging about later. Cross your fingers!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Internal struggle
I'm sure this post will show me as coming off as an ungrateful bitch, and I probably am, but at least I can admit it.
Last night was our Ward's Enrichment night. Sunday I was asked to be in the Nursery for half of Enrichment. Right away I was annoyed, because, hey, I'm not even contributing to Nursery and now I have to babysit??? Still, you can't say "no", so of course I said okay. I decided to do the second half, so I could eat first. Um, obviously I didn't think this through enough. Enrichment is 6:30-8, so 45 minutes is all I'd have to do. Not bad, I guess. And somone said they'd even split that time in half with me, so really only like 20 minutes. That didn't sound so bad.
Well, I get to church last night and find some friends and get a table and we start to eat. What was dinner, you ask? Sloppy Joes. Yes, sloppy joes. Honestly, who thinks of these ideas???? These women get out once every 3 months and we're feeding them sloppy joes. Their kids are probably at home eating better than they are and DAD is feeding them!!! I just don't get our ward. I mean, I know we have a budget and all, but if you need cheap but good meal ideas, come ask ME!!! Anyway, it's not like the RS paid for it all, they had sign-ups to bring the stuff!
Well, 7:15 rolls around, and I have a bite of dessert really quick (butter cookies????) and head to the nursery. Luckily, there's another lady in there who's awesome with the kids and we have a lesson and play games and stuff. 8:00 at last!! No moms. More games. Doggy, doggy, where's your bone?? 8:15. No moms. Red light, green light. 8:30. Still no moms. I'm getting pissed. Simon says. 8:45. You guessed it, no moms. Telephone. 9:00. FINALLY. Moms start showing up. ONE HOUR AND FORTY-FIVE MINUTES. Of crazy loud kids. I totally had plans for the rest of the evening that went right down the crapper. Not to mention that I wanted to catch some of the lesson part of Enrichment, which was about a "New You." I kept telling myself that those frazzled moms needed to hear that stuff way more than I did, and that I was doing a great service to them by watching their screaming kids. Bless her heart, my friend Linda did volunteer to swap with me halfway through, but she's prego and if I was dying in there, there's no way she would have survived!
Anyway, I feel bad that I was so vocal afterwards about how long it went. I'm sure I offended someone, or multiple someones. Husbands can't watch the kids anymore b/c I think they're scared they're going to molest them or something, but why can't we get the YW to watch them?? I'm very bitter over all of this. Hmm....something I should perhaps work on this year????
/end rant/ for now....
So I finally got my haircut on Monday. It has been months. And when I say months, I mean almost a year. Is that ridiculous or what. Disgusting, is more like it. And I put my foot down on Saturday and insisted that Derrick go and get a real hair cut--not me buzzing it in the bathtub. I think it looks fantastic, just like I've been wanting it to look for the past 5 years. And he's got all new Rico Suave clothes and is turning into quite the GQ guy. Well, maybe that's exaggerating a little, but I do think it's a very nice improvement!
For makeup junkies: Stila's Illuminating Liquid Foundation is lovely. Very nice coverage, great color matches, gives you a nice glow. I'm in love.
I'm hungry.
Last night was our Ward's Enrichment night. Sunday I was asked to be in the Nursery for half of Enrichment. Right away I was annoyed, because, hey, I'm not even contributing to Nursery and now I have to babysit??? Still, you can't say "no", so of course I said okay. I decided to do the second half, so I could eat first. Um, obviously I didn't think this through enough. Enrichment is 6:30-8, so 45 minutes is all I'd have to do. Not bad, I guess. And somone said they'd even split that time in half with me, so really only like 20 minutes. That didn't sound so bad.
Well, I get to church last night and find some friends and get a table and we start to eat. What was dinner, you ask? Sloppy Joes. Yes, sloppy joes. Honestly, who thinks of these ideas???? These women get out once every 3 months and we're feeding them sloppy joes. Their kids are probably at home eating better than they are and DAD is feeding them!!! I just don't get our ward. I mean, I know we have a budget and all, but if you need cheap but good meal ideas, come ask ME!!! Anyway, it's not like the RS paid for it all, they had sign-ups to bring the stuff!
Well, 7:15 rolls around, and I have a bite of dessert really quick (butter cookies????) and head to the nursery. Luckily, there's another lady in there who's awesome with the kids and we have a lesson and play games and stuff. 8:00 at last!! No moms. More games. Doggy, doggy, where's your bone?? 8:15. No moms. Red light, green light. 8:30. Still no moms. I'm getting pissed. Simon says. 8:45. You guessed it, no moms. Telephone. 9:00. FINALLY. Moms start showing up. ONE HOUR AND FORTY-FIVE MINUTES. Of crazy loud kids. I totally had plans for the rest of the evening that went right down the crapper. Not to mention that I wanted to catch some of the lesson part of Enrichment, which was about a "New You." I kept telling myself that those frazzled moms needed to hear that stuff way more than I did, and that I was doing a great service to them by watching their screaming kids. Bless her heart, my friend Linda did volunteer to swap with me halfway through, but she's prego and if I was dying in there, there's no way she would have survived!
Anyway, I feel bad that I was so vocal afterwards about how long it went. I'm sure I offended someone, or multiple someones. Husbands can't watch the kids anymore b/c I think they're scared they're going to molest them or something, but why can't we get the YW to watch them?? I'm very bitter over all of this. Hmm....something I should perhaps work on this year????
/end rant/ for now....
So I finally got my haircut on Monday. It has been months. And when I say months, I mean almost a year. Is that ridiculous or what. Disgusting, is more like it. And I put my foot down on Saturday and insisted that Derrick go and get a real hair cut--not me buzzing it in the bathtub. I think it looks fantastic, just like I've been wanting it to look for the past 5 years. And he's got all new Rico Suave clothes and is turning into quite the GQ guy. Well, maybe that's exaggerating a little, but I do think it's a very nice improvement!
For makeup junkies: Stila's Illuminating Liquid Foundation is lovely. Very nice coverage, great color matches, gives you a nice glow. I'm in love.
I'm hungry.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
My visit to Confessional
Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.
Tell me child, what is your offense?
I downloaded Kellie Pickler's "Red High Heels".
I see. Is that all?
No.
Go on.
Well, I uh, sorta like it.
I see.
I didn't mean to. It just....happened. What should I do?
My child, did you pay money for this song?
Um......no.
Good for you. Now go and listen to "Dark Side of the Moon" 5 times, and thy sin shall be forgiven.
Thank you, Father!!! I promise I won't do anything like that EVER again!!
Tell me child, what is your offense?
I downloaded Kellie Pickler's "Red High Heels".
I see. Is that all?
No.
Go on.
Well, I uh, sorta like it.
I see.
I didn't mean to. It just....happened. What should I do?
My child, did you pay money for this song?
Um......no.
Good for you. Now go and listen to "Dark Side of the Moon" 5 times, and thy sin shall be forgiven.
Thank you, Father!!! I promise I won't do anything like that EVER again!!
Monday, January 08, 2007
Tonight's the Night!
Game starts at 8ET, don't miss it! Gators are going to WIN!!! They have to...I have a shake riding on this game!! I just realized I'm wearing red today. Idiot....
VS
Music
I have always been a music junkie. I always have to have some kind of music playing. I've often wondered if that is a problem. Like I can't stand to listen to my own thoughts, or I don't have any thoughts at all. But I realized I just really like music. I would have stabbed myself in the eye with a letter opener a long time ago if I couldn't listen to Ike during this temp gig. He gets me through the day, no joke.
Spending a week and a half in LA made me realize once again how behind Milwaukee is in their music exposure. I heard soooo many new songs on KROQ that won't reach here for another month or so. I hate that. And once they reach here, they will be played over and over ad nausea until I can't stand them. So this is my new plan. I will check KROQ.com frequently to see what they are playing. Then I'll at least feel somewhat in the loop.
Here are some of my favorite songs right now:
"Starlight" by Muse (or anything by the Muse for that matter)
"Dig" by Incubus
"Naive" by The Kooks
"When Your Heart Stops Beating" by +44
"Our House" by The Talking Heads
"Rock the Casbah" by The Clash
"I Don't Feel Like Dancing" by The Scissor Sisters (INSTANT UPPER!)
"Into the Ocean" by Blue October
"Wound Up" by Office
"Los Angeles" by Sugarcult
"Mama's Room" by Under the Influence...
A few of those are actually some of the free iTunes downloads of the week. Great tracks.
You know, I downloaded some Muse about, 6 years ago and loved them. Nobody else I knew had heard of them. My friend James introduced me to them (I wonder if he's still alive. Seriously.) Now they're huge, and I still love them. Even more. They are everything I like in a band. I can't get enough of them. I also suggest "Knights of Cydonia" and "Time is Running Out" .
My SIL Kaylynn told me about Girl Talk, who remix songs to make club music. It's pretty much AWESOME. Although, when I was looking them up online I got some very interesting results. Safe to say there is a call girl/porn line called Girl Talk. Yikes!
I found this website, Pandora where you type in a band you like and then it picks random songs that it thinks you might like. It's super cool, and a great way to find new music! I was using it the other night and found some great stuff that I never would have found otherwise!
One last obsession, "Come on Down", by Crystal Waters. Yes, she samples the theme from The Price is Right. Yes, it's the best song ever. They played it in the studio before the taping and I LOVED it, then went home and promptly looked it up and downloaded it. Check it out if you can.
Well, I should get back to work. My 15 minute break is up. I swear the clock goes by faster during breaks than worktime. Derrick left for NYC this morning so I'm flying solo this week. Good thing I at least have a job to keep me busy while he's gone!
Spending a week and a half in LA made me realize once again how behind Milwaukee is in their music exposure. I heard soooo many new songs on KROQ that won't reach here for another month or so. I hate that. And once they reach here, they will be played over and over ad nausea until I can't stand them. So this is my new plan. I will check KROQ.com frequently to see what they are playing. Then I'll at least feel somewhat in the loop.
Here are some of my favorite songs right now:
"Starlight" by Muse (or anything by the Muse for that matter)
"Dig" by Incubus
"Naive" by The Kooks
"When Your Heart Stops Beating" by +44
"Our House" by The Talking Heads
"Rock the Casbah" by The Clash
"I Don't Feel Like Dancing" by The Scissor Sisters (INSTANT UPPER!)
"Into the Ocean" by Blue October
"Wound Up" by Office
"Los Angeles" by Sugarcult
"Mama's Room" by Under the Influence...
A few of those are actually some of the free iTunes downloads of the week. Great tracks.
You know, I downloaded some Muse about, 6 years ago and loved them. Nobody else I knew had heard of them. My friend James introduced me to them (I wonder if he's still alive. Seriously.) Now they're huge, and I still love them. Even more. They are everything I like in a band. I can't get enough of them. I also suggest "Knights of Cydonia" and "Time is Running Out" .
My SIL Kaylynn told me about Girl Talk, who remix songs to make club music. It's pretty much AWESOME. Although, when I was looking them up online I got some very interesting results. Safe to say there is a call girl/porn line called Girl Talk. Yikes!
I found this website, Pandora where you type in a band you like and then it picks random songs that it thinks you might like. It's super cool, and a great way to find new music! I was using it the other night and found some great stuff that I never would have found otherwise!
One last obsession, "Come on Down", by Crystal Waters. Yes, she samples the theme from The Price is Right. Yes, it's the best song ever. They played it in the studio before the taping and I LOVED it, then went home and promptly looked it up and downloaded it. Check it out if you can.
Well, I should get back to work. My 15 minute break is up. I swear the clock goes by faster during breaks than worktime. Derrick left for NYC this morning so I'm flying solo this week. Good thing I at least have a job to keep me busy while he's gone!
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Friday, January 05, 2007
Picture Post
Here are some pictures from our trip, in case you didn't get the Ofoto pics.
First up, we have my two new nieces. Jessica on the left, Abby on the right. Both about the same age. Too cute!
Here are the pictures from Hollywood, after we saw Santa Clause 3 at El Capitan Theater.
This is one of my favorite shots. It could totally be a postcard, right???
My MIL goes all out for Christmas. Here is just one example of the extravaganza that is Christmastime at the Callister Home. A lifesize Nativity scene. It blows down every night b/c of the Santa Ana winds and every morning has to be picked up.
This was taken in the grocery store. I love it. For some reason it cracks me up. (It's Derrick, in case you couldn't tell)
Saturday we went down to Oragne County to the Swap Meet (awesome) and stopped by the new Newport Beach Temple. Very pretty, very spanish inspired.
I wish this picture was brighter, but it was getting dark very quickly after the Price is Right taping. I tried to lighten it, but it didn't work so hot. Anyway, Kathleen is the one next to Derrick, the one who won. Can you see our pimp shirts?
First up, we have my two new nieces. Jessica on the left, Abby on the right. Both about the same age. Too cute!
Here are the pictures from Hollywood, after we saw Santa Clause 3 at El Capitan Theater.
This is one of my favorite shots. It could totally be a postcard, right???
My MIL goes all out for Christmas. Here is just one example of the extravaganza that is Christmastime at the Callister Home. A lifesize Nativity scene. It blows down every night b/c of the Santa Ana winds and every morning has to be picked up.
This was taken in the grocery store. I love it. For some reason it cracks me up. (It's Derrick, in case you couldn't tell)
Saturday we went down to Oragne County to the Swap Meet (awesome) and stopped by the new Newport Beach Temple. Very pretty, very spanish inspired.
I wish this picture was brighter, but it was getting dark very quickly after the Price is Right taping. I tried to lighten it, but it didn't work so hot. Anyway, Kathleen is the one next to Derrick, the one who won. Can you see our pimp shirts?
So there you have it. Our trip in a nutshell.
Today I went to work for an hour, felt sick, threw up, then came home. Then slept, and slept, and slept. I don't know what was wrong. I'm feeling much better now, just a headache that won't go away. Derrick is at a Bucks game tonite so I'm watching Down With Love, which I bought at Wal-Mart yesterday for ridiculously cheap, along with Rat Race, Three Amigos, and The Muppets Take Manhattan. I figure it's cheaper than renting them, and it'll give me something to do when Derrick leaves me for NYC next week. ALL week.
Time to go find some ice cream....
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Shoes!
In case you're wondering what kind of shoes to buy next, here are some ideas for you.
Electrolux is coming out with a pair of vacuum shoes. Yes, these shoes really so suck. You can walk around your house and clean your carpets at the same time! My mom is a stickler for taking your shoes off in the house, but I bet she'd let these one slide! Not the best looking pair of shoes I've ever seen. They look like pimp shoes. You need a sweet leisure suit to pull these babies off. Snoop could. But I bet Snoop has someone do his vacuuming for him.
Do you get lost easily? Have no sense of direction? Can't find your way out of a paper bag? Then these new GPS shoes are for you! Yes, there is a GPS system IN THE SHOES. Good for people who go hiking up on blizzardy mountains. (AKA idiots) Also good for keeping tabs on your cheating husband. A bit more stylish than the Shoovers, I wonder what happens to the chip if you step in a puddle??
And last but not least, the lazy man's (or woman's) shoe. North Face has come out with shoes that lace themselves. Because, yes, American's have officially become the laziest and fattest bastards on the planet. But if you're buying North Face shoes, you're probably pretty active. You can hike Everest and kayak the Grand Canyon but you can't tie your own shoes? I don't get it. I couldn't find a picture of these, but imagine the same granola shoes that North Face makes, with a little lace-tying-thingamajigger on it, and there you go.
Electrolux is coming out with a pair of vacuum shoes. Yes, these shoes really so suck. You can walk around your house and clean your carpets at the same time! My mom is a stickler for taking your shoes off in the house, but I bet she'd let these one slide! Not the best looking pair of shoes I've ever seen. They look like pimp shoes. You need a sweet leisure suit to pull these babies off. Snoop could. But I bet Snoop has someone do his vacuuming for him.
Do you get lost easily? Have no sense of direction? Can't find your way out of a paper bag? Then these new GPS shoes are for you! Yes, there is a GPS system IN THE SHOES. Good for people who go hiking up on blizzardy mountains. (AKA idiots) Also good for keeping tabs on your cheating husband. A bit more stylish than the Shoovers, I wonder what happens to the chip if you step in a puddle??
And last but not least, the lazy man's (or woman's) shoe. North Face has come out with shoes that lace themselves. Because, yes, American's have officially become the laziest and fattest bastards on the planet. But if you're buying North Face shoes, you're probably pretty active. You can hike Everest and kayak the Grand Canyon but you can't tie your own shoes? I don't get it. I couldn't find a picture of these, but imagine the same granola shoes that North Face makes, with a little lace-tying-thingamajigger on it, and there you go.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Best. Day. Ever.
This will most likely be a very long post. But it's awesome.
3:15 am: Wake up and be ready to go at 4 am. We are wearing our custom-made T-shirts that Derrick had made for us. They are sweeeeeet. Check 'em out.
3:15 am: Wake up and be ready to go at 4 am. We are wearing our custom-made T-shirts that Derrick had made for us. They are sweeeeeet. Check 'em out.
4:15 - 4:45 am: We finally leave. I was not the late one, thankyouverymuch. We drove down to Hollywood to the CBS studios and were shocked to see a huge line a block long already. So we hopped out and ran to get in line while Derrick parked the car. We brought camping chairs and blankets and parked it until 6 am when the line started to move. It was freezing.
6:00 am: We are issued "Order of Arrival Passes." I was #246. Meaning, the 246th person in line. We walked up and down the line when we first got there to check things out, and the people at the very front of the line got there last night at 10:30. YIKES!! The studio only holds 325 people, and there are always groups that have reservations that don't need to wait in line, so I started to get a little nervous about my number. But then we realized there were TWO shows taping today so I started to feel a little better. Well, they told us to come back at 7:30 and get a "Priority Number." So, we trucked back to the car to drop off our chairs and blankets and stuff and some decided to sit in the car and some went to the bathroom but I wasn't taking any chances and went straight back to get in line again.
7:00 am: Well, they just move you to a holding area until 8am when they line you up according to your order of arrival number. While I was waiting for everyone else to show up I was checking out the guys in the red jackets, or Pages, who were running the show. We had heard that they had a lot of say in who gets picked so we were chatting them up and making a scene and trying to be as energetic as we can. At one point I stood up on the bleachers while it was quiet and yelled out, "Everyone might as well go home, because I'm gonna win it ALL!!!" Don't ask me where I grew the balls to do that!
8:00 am: We are given our priority numbers. We had tickets to the 4:30 pm taping, and it turned out we got numbers 88-95 for that show. Pretty good. Still, they told us just because we had a priority number didn't mean we were guaranteed a seat. They told us to come back at noon. We went back to the car and slept for an hour. Finally.
10:00 am: We wake up and walk around The Grove Farmers Market, which is right next to the CBS studios. We walk around the American Girl Store, which is ridiculously expensive and filled with white moms with fake boobs and spoiled little girls waiting in line to get their dolls' hair done for $20. Um.....what???
11:00 am: We eat lunch at The Corner Bakery, where I partake in what is perhaps the tastiest panini I have ever eaten. Artichokes, roasted tomatoes, spinach, provolone. YUM.
11:45 am: Back in line. The Pages check our ID's, our Social Security Cards, and we all get another number and we fill out our names. I was #90. Another page comes around and writes our name tag for us. Er, price tag, I should say! The girl wrote my "K" way too big and the rest of the letters were all squished. We were sitting by the same group of 2 girls and a guy the whole time, and seemed to run into them everywhere we went. They were nice though, from Michigan.
2:00 pm: We are waiting to be interviewed by the producers. They take you in groups and go down the line and ask you where you're from and what you do. I said I was from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was a nursing student who took care of people with bowling injuries. Derrick said he was in the T-Shirt industry. Haha. Kathleen said she was a professional Price is Right watcher, and the people at the end who weren't part of our group were boring.
3:00 pm: We go through security checks and wait on benches some more. The people sitting across from me said they were from Colorado Springs, but I swear they were carnies. They spray painted their T-shirts. And had carnie laughs. Scary. By this time the sun is out and it's beautiful. OH! Side story. A girl, about 18 years old was sitting up on the tops of the benches, with her feet on the bench part you know? Well, the lady behind her says, "Would you please sit down so we don't have to look at your underwear??" Can you believe that??? Crazy!
3:30 pm: WE FINALLY GET TO GO INTO THE STUDIO!!!! It was incredible. And incredibly TINY. Still, the colors, the lights, the music, it was awesome. I seriously was in heaven. We warmed up with Rich and cheered and practiced our applause for Bob and they told us where to run and stuff. And then it started. Like, really fast.
3:35 pm: You can't really hear when they call out names, so they hold up poster boards so you can see. Some lady gets called. Then some dude. Then......KATHLEEN PEARSON!!!! Derrick's sister!!!!!!! We were going crazy!!!! My throat was already sore from all the little kid germs floating around the house, and I was just making it worse. I could NOT stop screaming. They brought out the first item up for bid right away, 2 exercise bikes, and the bids started. Kathleen overbid, and the dude goes up (from the Canadian Miliatary Academy or something like that) and plays the Check Game, and wins a bedroom set. Then the next item up for bid comes out, and it's a ceiling fan, and Kathleen bids too low, and some dorky tool goes up and gets to play PLINKO!!! We were SOOO bummed!! We were failing Kathleen!!! The next item up for bid is a pair of banjos and some Gold Bond Medicated Powder. Kathleen is the last to bid and bids 901, the highest bid. SHE WINS!!!!!! She goes up and kisses Bob and plays Any Number. HARD! It's either a clock or a NEW TRUCK! Well, she starts filling in numbers and has 4 out of 5 of the numbers in the price of the truck, and 2 out of 3 of the numbers in the price of the clock, and one number in the piggy bank. Only numbers 1, 2, and 3 were left to play. Derrick was screaming THREE!!! and she said 3. IT WAS RIGHT!!!! We were falling over ourselves in our seats!! It was unbelievable. She ran straight over to the truck, opened the door and was jumping up and down next to it. It was hilarious. Then it was time to spin the wheel. Since she was the top winner, she spun last. The 2nd guy had 80 cents, and her first spin was 20 cents. Her second spin was 75 cents giving her 95 cents and she WON!! She's in the Showcase Showdown! The next 3 games went by in a blur. Bob would talk to us during "commercial breaks" and answer questions we wanted him to answer. But it went by sooooo fast. Boom, boom, boom. Cameras were everywhere. So now it's time for the Showcase Showdown. They literally pick up those bases and just plop them up on stage. Since Kathleen was top winner, (her opponent, from Utah State, lost playing Dice Game--moron) got to choose whether to bid or pass. The first showcase was a bedroom set, camping equipment, and a pair of motorcycles. She decided to pass. He bids 7500. LOW!! Her showcase was a generator, a full-length mirror, a 65" DLP HDTV, and a 23 foot camping trailer!!! She bid 15,000. A nice safe bid since loser-boy bid so low. Well, during the "commercial break", we are dying with anticipation. They come back, and the guy's MSRP is like 19,000, or something really high like that. We were ecstatic. Kathleen's actual retail price was $17,000!!! SHE WON!!! SHE WON EVERYTHING ON THE PRICE IS RIGHT!!!! Well, as soon as we heard her actual showcase price, we bolted up on stage to hug her and jump around and celebrate with her. It was awesome!! I saw Bob standing a few feet away and went up to him and asked him if I could kiss him, and I DID!!! RIGHT ON THE CHEEK!! I almost died. It was a dream come true. Seriously. We stayed on stage for quite awhile before they made us sit back down. All in all she won a total of $33,888. Incredible. I think it all gets taxed at about 40%. She has a truck now that she'll sell and sell their old trailer to pay for the taxes and they get all new stuff! After the filming, they did a raffle for a hundred dollars and a Price is Right game, but none of us won. And then that was it. As quickly as it started, it was over. Probably took about an hour. Very fast. The episode aires February 9th, so mark your calendars!!
This was probably one of the best days of my life. I was super bummed that I didn't get called up, but if anyone else was going to get called, I'm glad it was Kathleen. She's an even bigger fan than I am! All the prizes were perfect for her, and she totally deserved it. This was a great way to end our Christmas vacation. I'm sooo glad we changed our tickets to come!!!
HOORAY!!!!
Monday, January 01, 2007
2007 already???
Well, I just went back and read last year's resolutions. I pretty much didn't do any of them. Who was the genius that came up with New Year's resolutions, anyway? Well, I haven't really thought of any for this year. Let's just make it "Be a better person all around". That should cover all my bases.
Tomorrow is The Day. The Price is Right. We are leaving at 4 am to head to the CBS studios. Yes, we are nuts. Yes, I will cry if I don't get on.
I think I'm fresh out of family togetherness. I want my own bed, my own house, my own food, my own peace and quiet. It always sounds so good to be in LA for 10 days until we actually get here and get to day 5. Then 6 days start to sound really good. I've been tired and grumpy, which sucks. I'm trying really hard not to be, but sometimes it's really hard!!
Well, it's 9 pm, and I have be up in less than 6 hours, so I should hit the hay. Happy New Year everyone!!!
Tomorrow is The Day. The Price is Right. We are leaving at 4 am to head to the CBS studios. Yes, we are nuts. Yes, I will cry if I don't get on.
I think I'm fresh out of family togetherness. I want my own bed, my own house, my own food, my own peace and quiet. It always sounds so good to be in LA for 10 days until we actually get here and get to day 5. Then 6 days start to sound really good. I've been tired and grumpy, which sucks. I'm trying really hard not to be, but sometimes it's really hard!!
Well, it's 9 pm, and I have be up in less than 6 hours, so I should hit the hay. Happy New Year everyone!!!
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