25 Random Things

I posted 100 Things About Me when I first started blogging. Yesterday I was tagged to do 25 Random Things About Me for my Facebook account. I didn't check out my other list before making the new one.

If you can not get to the list it is because you are not on Facebook or you are not my friend on Facebook. If you get a Facebook account, I will be your friend. Or if you are on Facebook but are not my friend, just ask and you can be my friend. Aren't I the friendly one?

I did not think I would use Facebook much. I joined so I could play online Scrabble with my daughter. Now I have 36 friends. That isn't really a lot but I'm very selective. Well that is I was selective until I put out a casting call for new friends. I love reading my friends' status reports and I'm happy to have gotten in touch with some friends from the past. I also like saving the world from global warming with the green garden and blue cove. And I like racing my environmentally friendly car in order to get carbon credits. Very silly, but fun.

So come read random items about me.

Just Another Manic Monday

I started the weekend with great plans but then lazed away the weekend and wasn't nearly as productive as I should have been. I did manage to buy the Diva cat a new bed. For some reason, she had scratched a hole in her old bed. She'd claw in one corner of the bed before lying down, perhaps thinking she was out in the wild, creating a bed in the dirt. Instead she was making a hole in the foam and also was leaving little bits of foam throughout the house when they dropped off her fur. Now she has a sack bed that is soft and fluffy. She's not sure yet if she likes it.

I also caught up with America's Best Dance Crew. Those kids are amazing. The dancing and the choreography are just fabulous. The teams are all so good, I hate to see any of them lose. Speaking of dance, I also watched some episodes of Superstars of Dance. I don't like this show much but love the U.S. team, The Groovaloos. Some of the other dance teams are worth watching but a lot of the shows bores me and the moderator Michael Flatley definitely bores me. Makes me almost (almost) long for Ryan Seahorse. Flatley is aptly named because he has the flatest, most monotone manner I've ever heard in an MC. You could fall asleep listening to him. I tape the shows and fast forward through him and the judges so I just watch the dances. I fast forward through a lot of them too and, believe me, some of them are better for it. But The Groovaloos are worth waiting for!

Obameter

Via verbatim: A tool to track Obama as he fulfills his campaign promises. It's great because you can click on any category to see the detail.

Blog For Choice

It has been one of those days when I don't get much time for myself and so I didn't have a blog post ready. But I did tell my daughter that I would join the Blog For Choice event.

I don't intend to start a political debate but I will declare that I believe every woman should have control over her body. The decisions she makes should be between her and her own conscience. And I vote with that opinion in mind. I'm too old now for those issues to impact my own life but I will help in any way I can to make sure that right is preserved for my daughter's generation and future generations.

UPDATED: And I'm so glad our President agrees.

Just Because You Have The Blues, It Doesn't Mean You Can Sing

Before I start first let me admit that I am powerless over my American Idol addiction. I'll get help - maybe next season.

That being said, WTF are the judges thinking? I admit the show has done a better job of showcasing people who at least have some minimal talent; they aren't focusing on the William Hung types. There are still some instances where I thought they mocked people who have some mental issues. Hopefully next year they'll stop that.

This year, however, they've succumb to sending through people who can carry a tune better than I can, but not by much. People who have a sick mom, were raised in poverty or who have 1000 children. People who beg and plead saying the WANT this MORE than anyone or those who promise they'll practice really, really hard get through. It is just ridiculous! And Simon has approved a couple of so called singers whose implants apparently rendered him brain dead.

I do admit I haven't witnessed any great singers getting rejected so I guess it will all work out, but I'm still annoyed. You'll probably just tell me I can stop watchig it if is so annoying but, as I already told you, I'm powerless to stop.

It's A Great Day For America

All I have to say for today is that I am thrilled Barack Obama is now our President. I look forward to the future and am hopeful for America.

Sometimes I Wonder - UPDATED

About people.

Case 1. Carl's decided to have promotion with a contest at a Laker's game. 200 plus lucky winners were texted a passcode and URL to claim a coupon for a free Carl's burger. The code was good for 48 hours. Think about it. What do you think those people did? Of course, they got the the coupon and then they shared the passcode and URL. Carl's was taken by surprise and then stopped accepting the coupons because they were overwhelmed. Duh!

Case 2. When I was watching the news this morning, they read letters from viewers. One viewer ranted about how irresponsible it is for the government to pay for the inauguration in these bad economic times. Dear Ranter, do you not understand that people will spend lots of money flying to D.C., staying in hotels, eating at restaurants? Thousands of people will be employed in security and service jobs. Do you think everyone should stay home and not spend money? Duh!

Case 3. I wonder about myself because once again I'm watching American Idol. But mostly I wonder about about people who can NOT sing and yet think they can. There was one guy who looked so confused when they said he did not make it. Randy said, "you just don't hear what we hear." If I were going to go on the stage in front of millions, not only would I tape myself and listen to it but I'd find a group of people to sing to and have them tell me what they think. These people on AI are either tone deaf, or delusional or they want the 15 minutes of fame. Duh!

Case 4.


Duh!

Obamaize Yourself

Obamaize Yourself

Get Toasted

Someone on a list I belong to sent a recipe for toasted ravioli. It sounded so good, I just had to try it. I bought some spinach and ricotta ravioli and some mushroom ravioli from Trader Joe's. Just dip the ravioli in milk and then in bread crumbs. I seasoned the breadcrumbs with some oregano, garlic seasoning and onion seasoning but you could by seasoned breadcrumbs. Put the coated ravioli on baking sheet and spray both sides with olive oil. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, turning once. Dip in marinara. Delicious!

The person who sent us the recipe explained toasted ravioli are commonly found in St. Louis. Now you can have them where ever you live. The recipe on the wikipedia page has you make your own and uses an egg mixture for dipping. They also deep fry them. I think the deep fried would be too greasy plus I don't like to deep fry at home. The baked ravioli were perfect for me.

Green Leftovers

Yesterday BFN and I went to brunch at a local deli. Our favorite meal there is the Farmer's Market Hash which consists of 2 eggs served on a bed of vegetable hash. The hash is made with home fries, cheese, broccoli, onions, broccoli and peppers;I pass on the peppers. The meal comes with toast or a bagel; I take a toasted bagel. It is a lot and we usually only eat about 1/2 of the food on our plates and then request a take home box. Yesterday, the server dropped one of the boxes she was bringing to our table and so she gave us the one box and went back for another. They are the big square Styrofoam boxes and so BFN and I were commenting what a waste that is. When the server came back I asked if they'd mind if next time I just brought my own Tupperware. She looked at me a little weird but said, "Sure, why not?".

I think from now on, I'll take Tupperware every time I go out to eat. Just like taking bags with me to the store. Or taking my thermal coffee cup with me to Starbucks. I may get some funny looks but I'll be saving the world.

Love At Last Bite

Whenever I have a meal, I like to save my favorite food for the last bite. This doesn't apply when I mix all the food together for an impromptu casserole. Tonight when I had broccoli, salmon and potatoes and didn't mix them together, I had to decide which item would be the last bite. I chose the potatoes. Mashed. Yum. The other day on the way to work, I picked up a breakfast protein pack at Starbucks. It had some grapes, apple slices, cheese, a hard boiled egg and a mini bagel and peanut butter. That made for a hard choice. It came down to choosing between the grapes and the bagel w/ peanut butter. I finally decided on the bagel.

When I was about 5, I had a disastrous experience which may have contributed to my need to save the best for last. We were having lunch at our daycare center and they served some horrible green mush. I think it may have been creamed spinach which I love now but was appalled by as a 5 year old. None of the kids liked it and they were avoiding it. I was a rule follower and knew I had to eat it so I made a point of eating it all first so I could move past it and enjoy the rest of my lunch. As I finished the last bite, the lunch lady said, "See, Susan likes it, and she's eaten her's all up so I'm going to let her have some more." As she spoke, she dumped another huge helping on my plate. I still remember how devastated I felt. I don't remember finishing the lunch but I'm pretty sure I ate the extra glop but saved it for last to avoid getting more. And now I do my best to make my last bite the most tasty bite of the meal.

Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

Last month a group of co-workers in Ohio won a $207 million lottery. Apparently, every week for the past 5 years, 19 people have pooled their money to buy lottery tickets. Sometimes money won from one week was used to buy the next week's tickets. On the day of the big win, 4 people were not at work and so didn't contribute to the pool. However, they claim their winnings from the previous week had been used for the pool. The group of people who were at work that day want to exclude the 4 who weren't. The 4 want their share.

So guess where this disagreement will end up? Yep. In court. And guess who'll end up the big winners? Yep. The lawyers. How dumb can people be? Forget the basic idea that these are friends you've been pooling money with for 5 years and the money isn't worth the friendship. Just do the math. Give the four others 4/19ths of the pot or give the lawyers a third. Silly people. These people are so short sighted. My bet is they'll lose whatever they are left with after all the lawsuits are over.

The love of money is the root of all evil.

The Big Sleep

I recently posted about my sleepless nights. This morning on MSNBC, I noticed an article with tips on how to cure sleeplessness. Coincidence? We'll never know. I plan to implement a few of the suggestions:

1. Turn off the computer and TV an hour before bedtime. I am typically on the computer and simultaneously half watching the TV, or vise versa, until right before bed.


2. Exercise. I have a treadmill at home but use it irregularly. If I turn off the TV and computer around 9, I can then exercise for at least 30-45 minutes and still be in bed by 10.


3. Shower at night. I'm not sure about this one since I like to wash my hair in the morning but I'm willing to give it a try. If I exercise first, the shower will probably come in handy.


4. Eat a light dinner. This could possibly be helpful for my weight as well.

I'll give these things a try for the next month and see if it helps. I'll report back.