The Lost Year

Being the last post of the year, this is where I would reflect on the past year. For me 2010 will go down as, as the blog title suggests, the lost year.

I spent the year learning things about a virus called Epstein Barr virus. I say I spent the year doing this because when I was diagnosed as having it, no one thought it warranted an explanation and my google searches didn't offer up much more help. And since I also had mono, that's what the doctors focused on - so I did too. Only it seemed to be dragging on for so long and no one seemed to understand why. That is until I went to see a new doctor. Roughly six months into my illness, she was the first one to tell me that what I was experiencing was consistent with the Epstein Barr virus - which I still had (and still have). However, she offered no solutions for relief.

A few months later I went to yet another doctor who did offer relief in the way of drugs. Personally I'm not a fan of taking anything that I don't absolutely have to and since this virus is temporary (although I've discovered that "temporary" can be up to two years), I was reluctant to go this route. But I did. And I'm pleased to say that this is the first week I've actually felt good for more than one or two days in a row for a good nine months - and I even went to the gym yesterday . . . the first time since April 21 (I asked).

So, my top take-aways from this year are:

1. If your doctor tells you that you have something but doesn't fully explain the possibilities of the illness, get a new doctor - even if you've gone to the same one for 15 years.

2. If you ask explicit questions about your illness and your doctor won't answer the questions to your satisfaction, see #1.

3. The friend who offers to go to the doctor with you so you can get answers is a better friend than the one who can only focus on when the last time you saw each other and how long it takes for symptoms to appear.

To sum up, 2010 basically sucked for me but I did learn some valuable things - like who my real friends are. And you know what? That's never a bad thing!

Recipes

A few weeks ago I met my nephew and his girlfriend for lunch. His girlfriend was his high school sweetheart. They went together through most of high school and broke up. I met her once back then but I had heard great things about her and liked her upon meeting her. I don't know the story of how they got back together but I think it's great that they're back together.

Anyway, we met at a restaurant that has a vegan friendly dish and, because I've quit eating meat and dairy since I last dined with my nephew, we talked about food and cooking (his girlfriend is studying to be a chef . . . how cool is that???). I told them how much I was cooking now and my nephew said, "This from a woman who used to think cooking meant opening a Lean Cuisine tv dinner and popping it in the microwave was cooking!" His girlfriend gave me a look that said, "Are you going to let him get by with talking about you like that?" To which I hung my head with a look that said, "I have to because it's true." (It's amazing what you can convey without actual words, isn't it?)

But, since I've been eating vegan style, I have cooked more different dishes this year than all the dishes I cooked last year, combined. Seriously, I'm cooking all the time now. And as such, I've found some interesting dishes and some interesting mistakes in recipes. I'm going to post two actual recipes and see how many people can spot the mistakes.

So here goes:

Winter Adzuki Fried Rice

3 cups cooked brown rice and adzuki beans
1 sheet nori, toasted and torn into small pieces
2 tablespoon tan sesame seeds, roasted
1/4 cup onions, diced
1/4 cup squash or pumpkin, diced
1/2 cup scallion or leeks, finely chopped
2 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 to 3 tablespoon water
tamari soy sauce

Directions:

Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet. Add the onions and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Place the squash or pumpkin and rice on top of the onions. Add several drops of water and several drops of soy sauce. Cover and reduce the flame to low. Steam the rice and vegetables until hot. Remove the cover, and place the scallions or leeks on top of the rice. Add several more drops of soy sauce. Cover and cook 1 to 2 minutes until the scallions or leeks are tender and bright green. Remove the cover, mix in the sesame seeds, and place in a serving dish.

Serves: 4

This next recipe comes from Veganomicon, The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero (I love this book, by the way! Great recipes - great comfort food recipes. I use it ALL the time!).

Lower-Fat Banana Bread

2 large or 3 small very ripe bananas
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (or grated fresh)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas really, really well. Add the sugar, applesauce, oil and molasses, and whisk briskly to incorporate.

Sift in the flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, if using.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and back for 45 to 50 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean. (If you're using the chips then of course some chocolate will come out on the knife.)

Remove from the oven and invert onto a cooling rack; flip the bread right side up and let cool.

(Note: It is also noted that this recipe can also be used to make muffins. prepare the same way as above but cook in muffin tin for 18 minutes. This is how I make this recipe. Made it last night, as a matter of fact.)

So, what are the mistakes? Have you ever tried a recipe that had glaring errors? Please share! :)

November Book Review

Click icon for more book review blogs@Barrie Summy

Sorry to be late to the party but life has a way of messing with your plans, you know? Anyway, it's that time and I have a book I want to talk about!

This month's book is Sophie Kinsella's Mini Shopaholic. I'll give you fair warning and say there may be what some consider spoilers in this review. It's also possible that everything I'll say could be on the back cover because Sophie Kinsella is an auto-buy author for me and I have no idea what's on the back cover. :)

That said, I loved this book. It's part of a series and, with the exception of the Shopaholic and Sister, I've loved every installment.

As the title suggests, the title character (Becky Brandon - nee Bloomwood) has a bit of a shopping problem. She can be talked into buying anything (mind you, she's the one giving herself the sales pitch) and then justifies the purchase (again, to herself).

In this installment of the series, Becky is still married to Luke and they have a toddler, Minnie. Through a series of events, Becky decides she wants to have a surprise party for Luke. Her plan is to have a big blow out party, but she's determined to do it all on her own and to do it for minimal costs. Of course nothing goes as she plans and the ensuing mayhem is hysterical. I did some of the reading during lunch at work and I was thankful that my boss had gone out to lunch because I was laughing so hard and it would've been embarrassing to explain - and she would have heard and commented on my laughing!

There was only one issue I had with the story. Becky enlists the aid of Luke's secretary, Bonnie, to help her contact and invite the right people (and keep it all quiet). They meet for lunch and Becky tells Bonnie they should be friends and help each other out - and then proceeds to insist Bonnie address issues like what soap gel he uses with Luke. It just seemed a bit over the top (but then it was all worked together in a believable way later in the story).

Other than that, it was classic Kinsella. I give it two thumbs up and I think it was 4.8 stars (out of 5). Lots of fun and lots of laughing. :)

To Whom It May Concern

Last night and this morning I had a couple of ideas that I want to share and pass on. I think they're good ideas and I think people should listen. So here goes:

To the producers of Dancing with the Stars - I've watched your show from the beginning . . . season one. The only episode I've ever missed was the one that aired the day my new dog (at the time - I've had him several years now) chewed through the cable line and I had no antenna. In my defense though, I DID watch it online the next day. I only say this to point out my dedication to the show over the years so that you know what I say is out of love and intended as constructive criticism.

That said, let me get to the point . . . stop wasting my time. I've long ago accepted that elimination night is roughly 20 minutes of commercials, 35 minutes of crap no one cares about and 5 minutes dedicated to announcing who is going home. I quit watching it live so that I can fast forward through all the useless stuff and get right to the point of Tuesday night's show.

I've also stopped watching competition night live. This season I started watching How I Met Your Mother first, then jumping over to DWTS so that I can fast forward through commercials and the timing works out such that we end at the same time. BUT, these last two weeks, when I've switched over to DWTS, competition night hadn't even started yet! The last two weeks the first thirty minutes or so were wasted on showing us useless stuff that had nothing to do with the competition. Don't get me wrong, I loved watching the Top Ten Favorites last night but that's usually useless stuff that's aired on elimination nights. What gives with that? If you don't have enough competition to fill the night, cut down how much time you allow for it. Give another show a shot at the wasted air time.

But I said I wanted to offer some constructive criticism, and I do. So here it is, let's cut out elimination night. I know that sounds like I'm eliminating something kind of vital to the competition but hear me out. In season one you only aired one night a week. Go back to that but put a spin on it. Here's what I propose . . .

On week one, everyone dances for judges scores and viewer votes as usual. The following week, the first five minutes are dedicated to announcing the bottom two dancers, who have prepared a new dance for the week. They have a dance off for scores and the it's the judges scores that week that send a dancer packing. The scores for the saved dancer carry over and are combined with viewers' votes that week and the show continues in that way. That way only one night a week is dedicated to the show and it kind of kicks up the tension each week.

Just promise you'll think about it, okay?

But there's something else. You need to get some published authors on the show (publishing agents/editors you need to get on board with this too!). If you did, you'd get viewers that you might not otherwise get because I can tell you from experience, writers (romance writers in particular) are very supportive of one another. (To the publishing agents out there, get cracking on this because not only would your authors get free marketing, they'd get paid, which means you'd get a cut!)

I even have a few suggestions to help you out with this. I think Mary Higgins Clark would make a great partner for Tony Dovolani. Or how about Julia Quinn with Derek Hough? Jill Shalvis with Max-with-the-unspellable-last-name (I'd love to see how he did in the wilderness when she does her nature walks and hears wild animals. Or how he reacts to spiders. I bet he'd scream like a girl! heehee). You could even partner up Stephen King with Kym Johnson.

So there you go. I've given you a few suggestions to start with, what you do with it is up to you. But the bottom line (and forgive me for repeating myself) is, you need to stop wasting my time with useless crap that adds no value whatsoever to the show!

There now, I feel better. :-)

Freebies revisited

As human beings we mature and evolve. Over time our interests change. And as such, I think it's time I revisit my "freebie" list.

It was roughly five years ago that I made this post wherein I listed the top five people on my "to do" list.

Let's review (in no particular order), shall we?

Gary Sinise. Okay, I have to say that I was shocked to see his name on my list. Seriously, how did that happen? No offense to Mr. Sinise but I can't imagine him ever being my type. Maybe it was late one night at a bar. It was last call and I was drunk enough to find him appealing enough to go home with. Otherwise, I have no explanation for this entry. (Seriously Mr. Sinise, it's not you - it's me.)

Nicholas Cage. Unlike Mr. Sinise, I remember the strong pull of Mr. Cage. Unfortunately, like the song, I've lost that loving feeling. I recently watched a movie of his - one that I really like - and he did nothing for me.

Josh Duhamel. I heard him on a radio interview not long after I posted the original freebies list and well, let's just say it completely changed my opinion of him. To this day I can't see him without remembering his comment and it colors my opinion of him, his work and everything about him. So, Mr. Duhamel I say this - it IS you, NOT me.

Michael E Knight. Like the others I've mentioned before, our "relationship" has evolved. We've moved on to that place where we're best buddies. I can't imagine him not being in my life but I no longer want to "do" him. But, we're very, very happy. ;-)

Leonardo DiCaprio. I have to say that I wasn't sure where I stood with him until I saw his picture pulling the link for this post. Let me just say, he still has it!

So, that's the old list. Here's the new, updated list (in no particular order):

Leonardo DiCaprio - see comment above.

Nathan Fillion - Do I need to qualify this? If so, please report to the nearest ER because you may be lacking a pulse!

Gilles Marini - I saw the Sex and the City movie the day it came out but I had no idea who he was when he was announced as a celebrity from SATC on Dancing with the Stars. But, he totally won me over. Totally. And now that he's on Brothers and Sisters every week. . . *sigh*

Neil Patrick Harris - Yes, I know he's in a committed relationship but for these purposes that's never a consideration, right? And yes, I know he plays for the other team but that doesn't really factor in to his appeal. (As Barney would say - Challenge Accepted! ;-) ) He's just so adorable. He's definitely high on my list! (By the way, this is the post I was referring to when I said I'd have an upcoming post about NPH.)

So, there is my list. I know it's only four instead of the usual five but as we mature we get older and four is enough for me now.

What about you? Who's on your list? Please share!

Premiere Week

I remember a time when the summer only offered re-runs. I think it was the early 90s and the original 90210 that first offered first run shows during the summer. And now that I think about it, that may be what started the decline of the "Summer Blockbuster Movies". People didn't have to go out to see something fresh.

Anyway, I like having options during the summer but it's always been a little weird to think of a "season" of shows to be 8 to 12 episodes. Way back when shows offered 39 new episodes every season. I think it's at 26 now. I wish I could work somewhere, only work 26 weeks a year and make the salaries they do, but I digress.

But that all said, I'm glad that my regular shows are starting back up again. And last night was the kick off.

Let's start with Dancing with the Stars. I really didn't want to watch it this season. It's on two nights a week and that's more than I really wanted to devote to one show this season (although I guess it makes it good that it's only on 10 to 12 weeks, right?).

From the moment they announced the celebrities I started a campaign to vote off Bristol Palin. Seriously, what makes her a celebrity? She's the daughter of a vice presidential candidate who is also a teenage mother who promotes teen abstinence. Maybe it stands up in Hollywood but if it were made into a movie, I wouldn't watch it.

Anyway, I decided she'd be my first vote off, and that was my downfall. Because I felt so strongly about it, I had to watch the first episode. And now I'm hooked. *sigh* As for Bristol, she wasn't as bad as I thought she'd be but I didn't think she was nearly as good as the judges thought she'd be. Before the show started I really wanted to root for Margaret Cho but goodness she was bad. I believe that her "wardrobe malfunction" was deliberate but I totally would've said it was a glitch because, it was bad. Really bad. Bad enough that I think I would be okay if she went home tonight. I'd rather it be Bristol or the Situation (seriously dude, no one cares that you only had five days to practice - that was your choice and no one cares!). In fact, I think they should have a double elimination tonight and get rid of both of them. Yeah, that would definitely work for me.

And then there was Castle. I love that show! I didn't realize how much I'd missed it until I watched it last night. In fact, if they wanted to do away with DWTS all together and have Castle on for three hours on Monday nights, I'd be good with that.

On my DVR I have the season premiere's of How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. I haven't watched them yet but I know they're there, waiting for me.

Later this week there's Private Practice, Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters to look forward to. I have my DVR set to record the premiere of Cougar Town, even though it's not on my list of shows to watch . . . I want to see the reunion of Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox so I'm only recording/watching the one episode.

At the moment that's all I can think of on my "must watch" list for the new fall season. How about you? What's on your list?

Challenge Accepted

Have you ever seen that show How I Met Your Mother? I ask because my blog title is kind of a take off on something from that show. For those who haven't seen the show, Neil Patrick Harris (who will be the subject of a upcoming blog post) plays Barney Stinson. Barney has quite a few catch phrases, one of which is "Challenge Accepted." This is usually followed by his friends saying, "But, um Barney, we didn't challenge you." But he doesn't let that deter him from his mission.

Same thing applies here.

What does that have to do with today's blog post? Well, this morning I was doing my usual blog hopping and came across this post. Truth told, I probably saw it yesterday but this morning I went in to read the comments. The post is about interesting recipes. One of them was for an avocado pound cake. Personally I'm not your biggest avocado fan but all the commentors were interested in the avocado pound cake.

So that's the "challenge" I "accepted". To make the avocado pound cake. And then report on it. This post is my report.

Let me start by saying, I made a couple of substitutions because I don't eat meat or dairy anymore. So for the buttermilk I substituted soy milk, and for the eggs I used EnerG Egg Replacements. I also cut the recipe in half because 1) I only have one 9 x 4 (actually I think it's a 9 x 5 but that's beside the point) pan; and 2) I don't need to have two 9 x 4 (aka 9 x 5) pound cakes available to me, if you know what I mean.

(Not pictured: avocado . . . because the idea to take pictures didn't come to me until after the fact and I only bought the one avocado.)

So anyway, I set about preparing it per the directions. I only have one mixer and it is stationary (as opposed to hand held) and it started locking up when I mixed the butter and sugar together and I had to keep stopping it, scraping down the sides and manually turning the bowl (which, under normal circumstances turns on its own). It worked better the more wet ingredients that went into the mix. By the time I was mixing the last ingredients, the mixer was working as it's supposed to.

The recipe says to bake for 40 - 45 minutes and then notes that they put the timer on for 30 minutes and then checked it every 10 minutes thereafter until a knife came out clean. I just set my timer for 45 minutes and let it bake. I actually took it out when there was one minute left and the knife came out covered in batter so I set the timer for five more minutes. The next test came out mostly clean . . . clean enough for me to take it out of the oven.


Obviously these last two photos were taken after I'd removed the cake from the pan (I did take a picture of it while it was still in the pan but it adds no value so I left it out). When I pulled it out of the oven it looked great but by the time I went and got my camera, the middle had fallen a bit. But there you go.

I tasted it a few minutes later and well, not sure where to start here. My first thought was that it tasted a lot like the cornmeal. My second thought was that I may not have cut that portion of the recipe in half. I'm pretty sure I did but there's always the possibility that an ingredient may get full recipe portions when I am making a half recipe.

The outside of the cake is crusty and the inside is moist. There are parts that tasted like a normal cake but enough of what I sampled tasted like cornmeal to make me not really be able to rave about it (I did more than one sampling - just be fair). As I said, I'm pretty sure I used the correct portion of the cornmeal though because I DID pull out the 1/4 cup measuring cup and the cornmeal is the only ingredient I would've used that for.

So, bottom line, it's not terrible but I'm not likely to make it again. If I do, I will likely substitute blended tofu for the eggs because my tofu cake (really called Vanilla Yogurt Pound Cake but because it has tofu in it, it will forever be the tofu cake to me) uses blended tofu and I think it's the substitute for eggs in the recipe because there is no mention of eggs or egg substitute in the recipe and I have a couple of recipes where tofu is used in place of eggs ("egg" salad sandwiches - which are great by the way and on the meal plan for this week - and scrambled tofu to name two).

Thanks to Alyssa Goodnight for the "challenge" and if anyone else decides to try out this recipe, let me know what you think - whether you agree or disagree. :-)

Snakes on a Plane

I woke up this morning and was laying in bed listening to the news as I woke up. The news story opened with "What would you do if you were at the airport conveyor belt, picking up your luggage and snakes were coming out of it?"

My first thought was, I would abandon the luggage and leave behind any clothes or souvenirs it contained because I so don't do snakes. *shudder*

The reporter went on to say the luggage in question was owned by a someone who smuggles exotic animals . . . this wasn't his first offense.

Meanwhile, I'm still thinking that I'd abandon my luggage if it was on the conveyor belt with the offending suitcase, unless and until, I could be assured a stray snake didn't somehow worm its way into my luggage. *shudder* I really don't like snakes.

I googled the story, which you can read here. But I'm curious, how would you react if you were at the conveyor belt waiting for your luggage and a suitcase exploded and snakes were all over the place? Gotta say, it's weirding me out just thinking about it.

Did I mention, I don't like snakes?

Favorite Moments

I never once watched Everybody Loves Raymond when it was on prime time television but I've seen it in its syndicated life. I doubt I've seen all the episodes but it's a funny show. Some of my favorite episodes include the one where Debra and Ray leave their luggage on the stair landing, or the episode where they remember how they met. But one episode that makes me laugh until tears are streaming down my face - every time I watch it - is the one where Robert deliberately munks up his wedding invitation because Ray and Frank convince him Amy really wants to do the invitations and he's taking that away from her if he does them himself.

Are you an Everybody Loves Raymond fan? Do you have a favorite? Share please! :o)

And now, a clip from the wedding invitation episode. Enjoy! :o)

August Book Review

Click icon for more book review blogs@Barrie Summy

My book selection this month is the result of what I'll call the two-bite rule. Growing up my mother didn't want to hear us say we didn't like a food dish unless we'd taken at least two bites of it first. You're probably wondering what that has to do with books but I'll explain.

I first heard of author Georgette Heyer a couple of years ago. She came up on a board discussion and everyone just loved her books. She was being compared to Jane Austen (who I love) and, for some reason, I got the impression she was from that time - and I love reading books that we would call historicals now, but were actually contemporary novels when they were written. So, I went and ordered one of her books to read. I was less than impressed.

Then a while later, her name came up again and I decided to apply the two-bite rule and pick up another of her books. That book is the book I'm reviewing this month - The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer.

I loved this book! The story background is that Sophy's uncle has gotten his family into a financial predicament and the son has to step up and take responsibility for the family. He's very strict and inflexible and considers his word law.

Enter cousin Sophy. She comes for a short stay with the family and stands it on its ear.

Sophy has the uncanny ability to assess a situation and know how to set it to rights. Her methods, however, are unconventional for a woman of the time and it causes upset to her family - her rigid cousin in particular.

The thing I liked about the characterization of Sophy is that she's strong without being off-putting or offensive. She communicates with those around her in a way that would make someone she told to go to hell to look forward to their upcoming travel there. She's the kind of person that could sell an Eskimo ice - and not in a slimy salesman kind of way. She's very fun and likeable. She has a way of getting people to do the things they need to do while making it seem like their idea. I liked everything about her and everything about this book.

Well, there was one issue I had with the book, and that was the ending. Spoiler alert! Throughout the book I got the idea that Sophy was going to end up with her stuffy cousin - that he was going to come around and they would fall in love. Now, technically that is what happened, HOWEVER, it happened in the last few lines of the book. I didn't really see them fall in love or feel the "lifelong" commitment happen. The way it was done almost felt like an afterthought or a "oh crap, my editor says I can only have one more page and I have to wrap up this part too" kind of thing. Last month I reviewed a book that pulled a book I had a major issue with and fixed it with one scene so I know this one "flaw" with The Grand Sophy could have been handled better. However, the result was the same - they ended together and the rest of the book was fabulous. Fabulous characters, fabulous story, fabulous writing. Just plain fabulous.

So, it goes to show that there's merit to the two-bite rule. My first "bite" of Georgette Heyer wasn't all that great but the second "bite" was good - very good. I'll definitely be checking out more of her books. :o)

RWA Conference

Every year RWA has a conference and this week there are some 2000 romance writers in Florida celebrating RWA's 30th anniversary. There are workshops and networking opportunities and a high energy and support that you don't get / see in other industries. It's the reason I get to say that I vacation with Nora Roberts! (hehe - I know she's missing me now, right? lol)

Tonight is the wrap-up of the conference and they do so with an award ceremony, recognizing excellence in writing. Published writers can win a Rita and non-published writers can win a Golden Heart. It's the academy awards of romance writers and it's a big deal!

Gabrielle Luthy was my roommate two years ago at the San Francisco conference. She's a very unique and fascinating person and I consider her a friend. She's up for a Golden Heart tonight. So, while life got in the way of me being there in person, I'm cheering her on and wishing her the best tonight. Gabrielle, here's hoping you walk away with the award in your category! Good luck!

Oh, and Nora, I'll see you next year - count on it! ;o)

Three Weeks Notice

SCG (remember him?) is a project manager and as such, he works on big projects at work. This role requires that once the project gets going, he has to move with the project - literally.

Two years ago he was assigned to a project that was expected to roll out by the end of the year. When the end of the year came, the date was moved out to April of the following year. Then to the summer. Then to the end of the year again. Before the end of the year arrived, the project was disbanded and everyone was farmed out to other assignments for six months.

Earlier this year the team reassembled and the roll out was scheduled for this summer. About a month ago I was talking to SCG and asked how the project was going and he told me the roll out was scheduled for around the end of the year again. I made some comment that I'd heard that before and he said it was definitely happening.

Thursday I got an email from SCG saying he'd tried to call me but didn't reach me and could I call him as soon as I got the email - he had some news to share with me.

Well, I called him and he tells me that the project is going nowhere and is disbanding again (no real surprise there) and that he's been assigned to another project - in Singapore. And he leaves in three weeks!!!!!

Three weeks!!!!!

Part of the reason he's leaving so quickly is so his kids can start school on time there (and it starts August 15th).

But here's the thing that I can't get out of my mind. How do you pack up your life in three weeks and move to another country? How do you decide what stays, what goes and what gets thrown out? Keeping in mind that while those decisions are all being made, you've got to get the appropriate paperwork done so that you can live and work there - and have it all done before you arrive. As it is, he told me that his son is registered for the American school but his daughter is on the waitlist (I thought of it later but wonder if she could be home schooled for the time there - it's supposedly only for a year).

He can't take his dog and it would cost $3000 to take his cat ($1500 more to bring her back) and she would have to be quarantined for six months. The cost for the cat wouldn't bother me but I wouldn't want it to be quarantined for six months. And I can't imagine leaving my dogs behind so that would be hard for me.

But here's the burning question I have for you all . . . you have to pick up your life and move to another country and you only have three weeks to get everything done. How do you do it? How do you plan? How do you decide what stays and what goes? And for that matter, what does stay and what does go?

Inquiring minds want to know. :o)

July Book Review

Click icon for morebook review blogs@Barrie Summy

I have to start this review by telling you a bit about my reading habits. Once I start a book, I read it to its bitter end, regardless of how much I hate it. At least that was the case until a couple of years ago. For some reason I always felt obligated to read it and held on to some hope that it would get better. I mean, it had to get better, right? It got published after all. And then when I would get to the end, only to find that it never got better (and some times even got worse), I would be mad at myself for wasting all that time reading an awful book.

Then a few years ago I decided I didn't have time to waste on books I didn't like and became able to put books aside that I didn't like and move on. (I've always thought I'd go back and give the books another chance but to date I haven't done that on any of the books I felt that way about.)

That said, the book I decided to review this month is Kristan Higgins' The Next Best Thing.

The story is told in first person, from the point of view of the heroine and the first chapter is mostly backstory. The heroine is telling how she lost her husband in a terrible car accident and how she's having such a hard time moving on.

The thing is, the author writes her characters in such a way that the reader instantly feels connected to them. The emotions expressed about the heroine's love for her dead husband were real and raw and so strong that I found myself working out the story in my head. The husband wasn't really dead but had been unconscious or had amensia or something along those lines that kept him away but he was going come back and they were going to have a grand reunion. Or maybe it was going to be a Patrick Swayze thing like in Ghost and the hero would still be connected to the heroine, only in a more spiritual way.

At least that was how I was working it out in my head. So, imagine my surprise when, at the end of the first chapter I find out that the heroine is sleeping with her dead husband's brother! In that one sentence reveal, I lost the connection to the characters I had and I'm pretty sure I dropped the book as if it had burned me. For me, it gave the story that "Ick" factor and I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to re-connect with the characters or the story. And given my new reading practice, that is where I would've normally decided to stop reading the book because, honestly, her sleeping with her brother-in-law was hard for me to get behind.

But, for some reason I kept reading on. And reading on. And reading on. All the while wondering why because although I really liked the characters and liked the story otherwise, I was really bothered by this one element of the story.

Then, about three quarters of the way through the book something happened. I don't want to say exactly what it was because it would spoil the book if you haven't read it. But, this one scene totally changed how I felt about this book. I got choked up and even started crying. It was so beautifully written and that one scene made everything else in the book okay for me (well, mostly). It explains everything and there was a whole transformation of character in that one scene. It made the difference in my loving the book vs hating the book. I can't explain it. But the bottom line is, I loved this book. My only problem with the book is that I had a serious problem with the sleeping with the brother-in-law when she was so in love with the dead husband still. You got 'glimpes' of the why throughout the book but we didn't get to see the full depth until three quarters of the way through the book and that bothered me because I was seriously hating this book until then. I would've preferred to see a bit more of the depth earlier on.

Bottom line is, I hung on and finished the book and for the first time ever, it was totally worth it. On my sidebar, I gave this book three stars. Normally one would think that was a mediocre rating or one that didn't spark emotion. However, that's a strong three stars. It would've been higher if we'd been in on the secret earlier on. And it would've been a lot lower if Kristan Higgins wasn't such a gifted story teller, coming through (in a big way) in the end.

New favorite commercial

Have you seen this yet? Too cute. :o)

Oops, they did it again

You may remember me posting around this time last year about my company's emergency program wherein we have to provide contact numbers for them to contact us in the event of an emergency (such as a hurricane event). It's required that we update (or confirm the information previously provided) it every year and they expect us to provide our personal cell numbers as the first contact, and I've been refusing to do that on principle.

But anyway, they give us a deadline and once that deadline has passed, they test the system. We get a second email instructing us to call in to confirm we know how to use the system, with a new deadline. If we don't make that call by the deadline, they start calling the numbers on the contact list.

Well, like last year, my step-father received a call asking him if he knew where I was.

In my defense (last year I was ignoring the email, thinking nothing would happen), I've been off work for a while and yesterday was my first day back and the second email came while I was out so I didn't see it before they called him.

The funny thing is, the reason I've been out is because I found out recently that I have mono and my doctor put me on medical leave so that I could rest. My step-father knew that and he also knew that I was scheduled to go back to work yesterday. And then he gets a phone call asking if he knows where I am.

So, like last year, I received a frantic call from him asking if all was okay. Poor guy.

Next year I probably should just suck it up and give them my cell number. lol

Plotter or Pantser?

Normally this would be a question asked of a writer but I'm curious about cooking. Are you a plotter (planner) or a pantser?

Since I turned over a new leaf and started eating vegetarian/vegan, I cook mostly from recipes. With the exception of a few Weight Watchers recipes that I loved, I'm not really a recipe kind of girl.

But that's not really the question I wanted to pose here exactly. No, I'm wondering about once you've decided what you're going to cook.

In this scenario, a plotter is someone who reviews the ingredients and lays them out beforehand so that they're readily available. They might even have them portioned out according to the recipe so that all they have to do is pour the ingredients into the mix when the recipe calls for it. The plotter always knows how the dish is going to turn out.

The pantser, on the other hand, mentally runs down the ingredients in their head and dives head first into the recipe, pulling the ingredients out of the cupboard as the recipe calls for them and portions them out at that time. Unlike the plotter, things don't always turn out as expected.

Turns out, I'm a pantser. I find a recipe that looks interesting and mentally run down the ingredients in my head and dive in head first. As mentioned, this doesn't always work out as expected. For example, the other day I decided to make Snobby Joes (the meatless version of the Sloppy Joe). The lentils were cooking and I was sauteing the onions and pepper. Then I added the garlic. When the lentils were done, I added them, along with the chili powder, oregano and salt. Next I went to get out the tomato paste and tomato sauce. Only, I didn't have any tomato sauce (oops!) in the cupboard. Obviously I was already committed to the dish by this point but I didn't have all the needed ingredients, which I would've known, if I were a plotter. In the end I added extra tomato paste and diluted it with water and hoped it would work out okay. It was my first time cooking the dish and I have to say I liked it, despite my substitutions. Would it have been better if I'd followed the recipe to a T? Maybe, but that's a question for another day (as in the next time I make it - which I will . . . and I DO have tomato sauce now!).

This isn't the first time this has happened (remember the cornstarch / cornmeal question?) and probably won't be the last but what I find most interesting, for me, is that I've never really been someone who cooked a lot - much less experimented with new foods. I've never been one to eat grains or vegetables - at all. And yet, I've changed my diet to where that's a huge part of my diet, and not only do I like it, I'm even playing with recipes, creating my own dishes. (Yes, I realize the Snobby Joe thing isn't that big of a stretch but some of the things I've done, are.) I am actually enjoying not knowing how something is going to turn out. Not everything has been a success but most of them are good.

And so I've learned something about myself. I am a pantser. What about you? When it comes to cooking, are you a plotter or a pantser? Inquiring minds want to know. :o)

Things I've learned about food and cooking

In a previous blog post I alluded to the fact that I've changed my eating habits. What I didn't say was that I eliminated meat and dairy from my diet. As a result, I've been doing a lot more cooking and I've learned some lessons along the way - not all of them pretty.

In no particular order, here are some of the lessons I've learned:

1. Even with a list, you will invariably forget to buy at least one ingredient for a recipe you want to cook.

2. It's helpful to know what recipe the ingredients are for (so that you don't get home and find a critical ingredient to a recipe was the one thing you couldn't find).

3. You can make substitutes for pretty much any ingredient in a recipe.

4. I still can't figure out if cornstarch and cornmeal are the same thing (according to wikipedia, the UK seems to think they're interchangeable). I just know I haven't found cornstarch locally and cornmeal didn't seem to negatively impact the recipe I used it in (see 3 above).

5. There are an incredible amount of fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. that I had never heard of before but are quite good!

6. It's not necessarily a good idea to buy random fruits and vegetables if you don't know how you're going to use them when you get them home.

7. Russet potatoes are hard. Seriously HARD. I have a knife that can slice through bone like it was butter and it did NOT want to slice through the potato. (Note: once cooked, the potato was delicious!)

8. Waffles aren't as bad as I always thought they were.

9. Cleaning a waffle iron is NOT easy. :o)

10. Cleaning a juicer is only slightly easier.

11. I used to always say I didn't like much that was green and my mother always said one should take two bites of something before they made a definitive statement such as that. Well,
a. I stand by my belief that collard greens are not good. (My dogs do not share my opinion, however.)
b. I was wrong about asparagus.

12. Just because something smells good while cooking does not mean it will taste good (see 11a above).

13. Recipes are not always precise. (Note to cookbook authors. . . if you say an ingredient is needed for a recipe, it's nice if you include how it's used in the recipe - just saying. Also, saying "cook for 30 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed" is not good when it takes at least 1.5 hours for all liquid to be absorbed.)

14. There are some things you just cannot find anywhere but at Whole Foods.

15. The employees at Whole Foods are very nice and very helpful - at least in my experience.

16. Other things can be found outside of Whole Foods but at much higher prices. (Example: The only other place I've found Grade B Maple Syrup charges $16 more than Whole Foods for the exact same product.)

17. Pretty much everything tastes better with freshly squeezed lemon juice on it. :o)

18. The same can be said for maple syrup.

19. Even though vegan eating is considered healthy eating, there are certain vitamins that you will need to supplement if you completely give up meat and dairy.

20. It's not always easy to find a dish at a restaurant that accommodates a vegan diet.

In any event, it's been roughly four months since I started this new eating program and, overall, the experience has been positive and I have no regrets. :o)

June Book Club

I've joined Barrie's Summy's book club where they review books they like the first Wednesday of every month. To see what others are reading (and enjoying), click on the icon below.

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@Barrie Summy

Well, this is my first time participating in Barrie's book club and I'm kind of excited. I debated which book I wanted to be my first review and finally settled on This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection by Carol Burnett. I've been a huge fan of hers for as long as I can remember. I don't remember watching a lot of television growing up but The Carol Burnett Show was something the entire family sat down and watched. It's a fond memory I have from my childhood. So, when I heard she'd written this book (I read her first one way back when it came out as well), I immediately got online and ordered it.

It's not an autobiography of her life and the stories aren't even told in chronological order. In fact, each chapter is its own stand-alone story. For example, if you decided you wanted to read about Marlon Brando (a particular favorite story of mine) you could flip straight to that chapter without ruining any other part of the book. For the most part it's light-hearted and fun read but it turns a bit more serious and emotional when she touches on the death of her daughter Carrie Hamilton. She doesn't delve too deeply into the emotions but I didn't get the feeling she held back either. I've seen her in interviews over the years and heard her tell stories and this book was written in the way I've always heard her tell stories - very conversational-like. When I finished the book (which I read in a few hours time), I felt like I'd spent the afternoon with an old friend. For most of the book I had a huge smile on my face, at times laughing until tears streamed down my face. I still had the smile on my face when I finished the book and wished there were more stories to read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

If you're looking for a book that is a tell-all, rip-others-apart-so-you-look-good, book, this is not the book for you. But if you're looking for a feel-good, laugh-til-you-snort book, you might want to check this one out.

The Bachelorette

I'll start this with doing what Mel does on her blog when she's going to maybe reveal things that others may not have seen yet.

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Okay, so are you watching The Bachelor this season? My friend got me hooked a few seasons ago and I keep telling myself that I'm not going to watch but I just can't not watch for some reason.

But tonight a couple of things stood out. Did you catch that Jonathan had a rose before Ali gave out the final rose? Yet when Chris came out to announce she had one last rose to give out, Ali hadn't given him one yet. I know they edit it to make it more . . . whatever . . . but if you're going to edit it to look like he got the last rose of the night, don't show a shot right before that where he clearly has a rose on his lapel. Just saying. And for the record, if Craig M hadn't been sent packing, I didn't want to watch it anymore. (Notice I didn't say I wouldn't watch it anymore, but I really wouldn't want to.)

Anyway, speaking of Jonathan . . . he's a local weatherman for me. I've never seen him do the weather report - I watch another station - but I live in the Houston area so, he's local. Having seen him on this show though, I can say with a certainty that I don't believe I will ever deliberately watch his weather report. He isn't as scary as Craig M (I agree that he's dangerous) but he is kind of creepy, if you ask me.

After the first show I decided that Ty was a front runner on my list, mostly because of his love of his dog. But, I agree with whichever one of the guys that made the comment about the guitar playing and the show. It needs to stop. So, Ty, if you're listening, lay off on the guitar playing, k? Otherwise you're off my list. And please, whatever you do, don't sing again. Thanks.

Oh, and who do you think it is (seen in the previews last week) that Ali gets upset with and goes on about all she's put on the line? I think it's Roberto. I think that mainly because it seems she's got more of a thing for him and, at least at this point, is the one who would hurt her the most. But that's just what I'm thinking now. It could change next week.

So, are you watching this season and who do you think - based on what you've seen so far - Ali will pick? Right now I would say Roberto and Frank have the best shot at it, based on what I've seen. I'm still rooting for Ty though, provided he ditches the guitar. ;o)

And one last thing, I don't want to know how things end for the show. Half the fun for me is speculating and trying to figure out what's going to happen and seeing if I'm right. So if you've been to sites that tell how the whole season wraps up, please don't spoil it 'cause I'd really like to watch it unfold each week. Thanks. :o)

Sex and the City

I went to see Sex and the City Thursday evening with my best friend. I really wanted to see it but fully expected to be disappointed because the clips used to promote the movie didn't make it look like a good movie, in my opinion.



And maybe it was the low expectation that resulted in me being pleasantly surprised but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It showed the what the character's lives were like two years later. I found it to be very relatable. There are those who say that it shouldn't have taken the ladies out of New York but it fit the storyline well.



It brought back all the characters we loved from the series and wrapped up any unanswered questions / unresolved issues from the last movie. And while I would go to see another SATC movie if another were made, I think this was a great way to end the franchise. As I said, I thoroughly enjoyed it.



What about you? Have you - or do you plan to - seen it? If you have, what did you think?

Miscellaneous

I know it's been a while since my last post and I have no excuse. I think of things I think will be fun to post about but apparently my follow-through is . . . lacking.

Anyway, I've been having some weird dreams lately. Like the one where I walked in my front door in time to see someone coming in my back door, uninvited, no less. I started screaming hysterically and my viscious, killer-attack lab, jumped into my arms. It must be true about acquiring super-human strength when adrenylin hits because, under normal circumstances, I can't lift my dog, much less hold him in my arms (he weighs 90+ pounds and I have no upper body strength). Meanwhile, the would-be burglar ran up to me and apologized because he'd meant to have my house cleaned out before I returned home, then he promptly ran into my bedroom. I followed him (still screaming) and carrying Max. Apparently I was going to throw Max at him if I came back upon him. I opened the closet door (who knows how since my hands were full) and woke up.

Another dream had to do with Dancing with the Stars. I had the dream Monday night so it was before the final show where the winner was announced. They were at the part where they let the third place person go and announced the top two dancers. I was backstage listening when they announced a shocking twist and announced that I was in the top two! And it was a huge shock because I hadn't danced before but apparently there was a "call-in" vote (like a write in vote but with the phone) and enough of the viewers "called me in" so that they had no choice but to place me in the top two. (It was very overwhelming and unexpected and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that phoned me in. :o) ) The last thing of the dream I remember is hoping I could live up to the expectations when I did the last competitive dance of the season.

Speaking of DWTS, I'm glad Nicole won - she deserved it. And let me just say here that it pisses me off that everyone is saying she had an advantage because she's a dancer. Um, Evan was a dancer too - he just did it on skates!!! I don't think either had an advantage over the other - possibly over some of the other celebrities, but not each other. Oh, and her free style? Did she go the safe route and dance 'her' style? No, she continued outside her comfort zone and she rocked it. Like I said, I'm glad she won, she deserved it!

Moving on . . . I'm thinking of taking a class this summer. It's been a long time since I've taken a class over the summer but I haven't completed a course since last spring (had to withdraw last fall when I went to Arkansas and didn't register this semester because I'd just gotten home when classes started). I'm thinking about taking Astronomy. It starts in a week and a half and runs through the first week of August. Since that conflicts with the RWA conference, I sent the instructor an email asking if it would be a problem if I missed the week of the conference. He responded back effectively saying no and signed his name. It was the first I'd even paid attention to his name. He signed "Dr. Talent". Can I seriously take a class from someone named Dr. Talent? I'm thinking no.

And on the subject of the conference, I'm really torn. We were supposed to be on a vacation freeze through July so I had to get special permission to take the week off. They were reluctant to give me an answer but I forced one from them in January, at which time I made arrangements for my dogs. I want to go because it's the 30th anniversary and I think it'll be good but at the same time, I'm not motivated to go. Meanwhile my bosses still think I will be out that week.

Anyway, that's some of the stuff that's been going on here. How are things with you?

The Simple Things

Some times it doesn't take much to make me happy. And right now, the three roses shown in this picture make me happy.

This picture was taken in my front yard and the fact that there are three roses is a pretty big deal. You see, I've lived in this house for nine years and if you add up all the roses this "bush" has produced since I moved in, the total would be 11 - including the three pictured. Which means in the eight previous years there have been eight roses. One year I had two roses, only not at the same time. Another year there were none. So three at once is a pretty big deal. It makes me happy.

Like I said, some times it doesn't take much. :o)

Some times you just have to laugh

Take yesterday. I'm having some work done on my house and among the things I'm having done is I'm having the hall closet and space where the heating unit used to be (it's now in the attic) combined to be a large pantry. They started the work on Wednesday and I've been coming home at lunch to let the dogs out because I've been locking them in my bedroom while they do the work.

Well, yesterday I came home at lunch and they weren't here - which was fine, it was lunch time after all. Only, as I stepped out of my car, one of the guys drove up. We had a conversation that went something like this:

Me: Hey.
Him: I had to take my partner to the emergency room.
Me: What? Ohmigod! What happened? Is he okay?
Him: I don't know. I had to take him to the emergency room. (pause) Actually that's why there's a hole in your ceiling.
Me: Wait. What? There's a hole in my ceiling? What happened?????

To make a long story short they were installing a light in the pantry (it should be noted that this was NOT contracted work - we never discussed having a light in the pantry. it's a nice gesture but I did NOT ask them to do this. anyway. . . ) and the partner went to pull a line through the attic to get electricity in the new pantry and something bit him.

His arm started swelling almost immediately and was turning purple. He went up into the attic to see if he could find out what had bitten him. He saw a snake skin and apparently freaked out (can't say as I blame him). He took a step and fell through the ceiling. And then they left for the emergency room.

Turns out it wasn't a snake bite but they didn't positively identify what had bitten him. Before I went back to work the contractor left to go pick his partner up because he was ready to get back to work.

Now, as this story was being revealed to me the things that ran through my head were: 1) that's awful, I hope the guy's okay; 2) what's my liability; and, the thing I really can't get out of my head . . . 3) there was a snake in my attic!

I think I'm going to have to move now!

Clean up on Aisle 3!

It's a long story but suffice it to say, I've changed my eating habits. The last two weeks I've spent my Saturday shopping at Whole Foods for groceries.

Well, yesterday, I got up early and went to Whole Foods to do more shopping. I got there a few minutes after the store opened and there were only a handful of customers shopping. I got all my produce and 'cold' items and started down the aisles. I went down the grain aisle and picked up these tubs that they have for getting larger amounts of the grains. Last week a guy helped me shop and he collected the grains in a bag like what you normally put your produce in. I offered to do it but he insisted. He'd pull the lever and release, ask me if it was enough and repeat until I said it was enough. Easy enough, right?

Well, first thing I went to collect some beans - lentil to be specific - and I put my tub under the opening and pulled the lever until the tub was almost full. Then I released and pulled my tub out from under the opening. Only problem was, the beans just kept coming. In fact, I'm quite sure that the rate in which they poured out increased at least tenfold. I stood there for a moment in shock, trying to figure out how to stop it. Meanwhile the aisle was filling up with lentil beans at an alarmingly fast pace. I don't recall realizing that I probably had to push the lever the other direction to stop it and I don't recall actually pushing it to stop it but I must have because (thankfully) the beans quit pouring out. As I mentioned, it was quite early so there were no witnesses to this incident. However, my tub was so full I couldn't put the lid on it so I stood there for a while trying to figure out how to empty some out. I heard someone come up behind me and comment that someone had an accident with the beans. She wasn't unpleasant about it and I don't think she realized it was me but I felt so embarrassed. It was hard to push my cart through all the beans on the ground (I wish I was kidding!) but I moved on. How you label your tubs is different than how you label the bags (I asked and someone told me) so I was looking for the stickers and ended up having to come back by the lentil beans for a couple of more lids. Someone was sweeping up the lentils and a customer was thanking him. (The aisle was quite busy at the moment.) Again, I don't think they realized I was the culprit but it was a bit embarrassing. There were no further incidents with the other items I got in tubs and no other tub is quite so full. =)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I've heard authors say that while they'd rather everyone love their books, if they can evoke a strong emotion - even hate - from a reader, they feel they've done their job.

With that in mind, I checked out reader reviews on The Help while I was reading it. There were more than thirty reviews saying how much they hated the book and rating it a 1. I found this interesting because its overall rating was 4.5. A LOT of people had to rate it to overcome more than thirty 1s! Over thirteen hundred rated it a 5. Thirteen hundred! There were over sixteen hundred ratings in all.

That got me curious about how many ratings other authors got. Most I looked at didn't even get into the double digits! Nora Roberts has a few that have several hundred ratings. Stephen King has one over with just over a thousand ratings.

I then checked out J.K. Rowlings (Harry Potter books) and Stephanie Meyer (Twilight books). They both have a book or two with thousands (plural) of ratings. So I was thinking maybe it's not that big of a deal that The Help pulled in over sixteen hundred ratings.

Then it dawned on me. Rowlings and Meyer are multi-published authors with big budget movies made of their books, which means they have a broader audience than most authors. The Help is Stockett's debut book. It hasn't been made into a movie and it still got more than sixteen hundred ratings.

That says something.

Anyway, I finished the book and I have to say, I would rate it up there with the more than thirteen hundred that rated it a 5. It was a great book. So well written. I've heard several of my writer friends say that it made them want to be a better writer, and having read it, I understand that comment.

And to the thirty plus people who hated it - Stockett may be pleased that she evoked such a strong reaction from you but I just have to say that you don't know good writing or good story if you don't like The Help.

I highly recommend it.

New Dog

There's been an addition to my family. I have a new dog. The dirt dog.

Have you seen these things? You turn them on and they vacuum your house!

The dirt dog is geared towards non-carpeted areas. I think it's promoted towards workshops but since I have no carpets in my house, I got it for my floors. And it works great! It's amazing what it picks up. It gets the stuff my other dogs leave behind.

Best part? I can turn it on and go do other things while it does my vacuuming. Like last weekend, I took a long hot bath while it cleaned my living room.

It did my living room again last night while I went to kickboxing class.

This morning it did my bedroom while I cooked a nice big breakfast.

It did the kitchen and dining area while I ate and did my routine internet surfing.

Yes, I love this latest edition to my family. So much better than the last "dog" I had clean my place. ;o)

Roz, meet Wes

Did you watch the Bachelor last night? I had seen Jake in an interview where he was asked, point blank, if the rumor about Rozlyn having an affair with a crew member was true. He sighed and said there was no point in denying it, yes Rozlyn had had an "inappropriate" relationship with a staff member. So I knew what was coming last night.

Now, there is supposedly a website that has spoilers on the show and this "rumor" was addressed there. (It should be noted that I haven't visited the website in question and am just repeating what I've 'heard' about it.) Supposedly Rozlyn was promised phone calls to her son and when she wasn't getting to make the calls, the staff member stepped in to help out and that was the inappropriate relationship they had.

Here's my take on that theory - I don't buy it, and I'll tell you why.

First of all, the hoochie exposed her coochie in the photo shoot. Second of all, she threw herself at Jake. Then, when she was called on the carpet by Chris, she didn't look upset or try to explain anything. I think if it was over phone calls that she'd been more upset about being kicked off the show over it because that didn't impact the show or the other girls.

Plus, I was watching her face. It looked to me like Chris was trying to get a reaction from her and she wasn't having any of it - she was going to make Chris s-p-e-l-l i-t o-u-t. Then she said, calmly, that her personal life wasn't anyone's business.

Um, not even Jake's? Her potential future husband? Hmmm, okay.

But don't despair, there is someone out there for Roz. In fact, is it just me or does Wes (from last season's Bachelorette) seem to have a lot in common with her?

Who knows, maybe the ousted staff member can hook them up. ;o)

Things not said (kind of long)

I got home Wednesday night after having spent the last two months in Arkansas looking out for my step-father's best interests while he recovered from a car accident (he's still not fully recovered but it was decided I needed to come home). While I was gone I had some things done to my house, like some construction work and then I had someone come and clean my house because I wanted to be able to come home and relax in a clean house - and that wasn't happening without an intervention. ;)

Anyway, there were some things that I thought went without saying, but apparently I was wrong. So, I want to take this time to say those things now. . .

To both the construction crew and cleaning crew (because I don't know who was at fault in these things):

First of all, I can't imagine that either of you would be okay if someone came into your house and tampered with your air conditioning thermostat. Well, I'm not particularly okay with one of you tampering with mine. But, if you were going to be so uncooth and do such a thing, the least you could have done was put it back where you found it before you left. At least that way I would've never known what you'd done.

Oh, and it's not enough that all the pieces of the items you broke were together. Couldn't you have just given me a heads' up and said, "hey, I'm really sorry but (insert item) got broken. It was an accident and think it can be glued back together - I'll leave all the pieces together for you." Yeah, that definitely would've been better than coming home and finding things broken throughout the house.

Okay, you both pulled my washing machine out to do work. One of you did something horribly wrong because now it floods the laundry room and hallway every time I do a load of laundry. Totally not cool and I think one of you should have to pay to have it fixed - you can work out the "who" amongst yourselves.

To the contractor I want to say:

I'm a single woman with a normal car. You knew that when I hired you to do the work. If your fees don't include hauling off crap, it would be nice to know that because I thought that was included in your fees. It was a bit of a shock to come home and find that I'm going to have to figure out how to get the paneling you removed hauled off. For future reference, I think this should be something discussed with your clients. I, for one, would've happily paid additional costs to have it hauled off.

Okay, there apparently was some miscommunication about the repairs to the walls. I don't recall the word "except" being used when I pointed to specific spots I wanted repaired. When I said "all" places on the walls, it also included the big honking hole in the bathroom wall but I guess I wasn't clear about that.

As for the baseboards, well, I have a couple of questions. Is there a reason you only did three of the four walls in my bedroom closet? And is there a reason you didn't put the same stuff you put under the kitchen cabinets under the bathroom cabinets? I'm just a little curious.

Oh, and the phone line. I know the baseboards you installed were thicker than the ones that had been removed but couldn't you have hidden the line and re-attached the outlet when you put in the new baseboard? Seriously, did you think I wouldn't notice the difference?

And for the cleaning person I have a lot to say to her:

I'm a dog person. You knew this before you came out because we discussed it. So telling me that I shouldn't let my dogs in the house ever again was out of line. Telling me once could have been considered constructive criticism, but telling me over and over and over (and over again) because you didn't think I was understanding what you were saying was totally uncalled for. As was taking everything dog related out of my house and throwing it into the garage, because you didn't think they should be in the house. The fact that I had to clean all that stuff when I brought it back into the house means you didn't do your job!

Oh, and it's in very poor form to quote a price for a job and then, once you're done, tell the person that they owe you an additional $20 for cleaning supplies. Seriously, that should've been captured in your quote. If you forgot to mention that supplies were extra, you really should have to eat the cost. Leaving the receipt and all the bottles of supplies on my kitchen counter wasn't cool. For one, it meant that I had to clear my kitchen counter and then wipe it back down when I got home. Something else I paid you to do. For another thing, it let me know that over half the items you made me pay for weren't even used. In short, you made me pay for things you didn't use and I don't need. Not a good way to get a recommendation.

When we talked about the job, I stressed to you that I really wanted you to focus on my bathrooms. The guest bathroom was disgusting and the master bath needed some special attention as well. I said those would be your money makers when you gave me the quote - remember that? Anyway, given that the topic that I went on and on about were my bathrooms, you can imagine my surprise to come home and find that both toilets still need scrubbing as did the master bathtub. I don't know how I could have been more clear about wanting you to focus on those areas. If you don't do bathrooms, you should have told me when we first talked.

I suppose you noticed all the baskets I have throughout my house. I use them to help keep things organized. In the master bath I have all the stuff I use in one. It makes for better organization and easier clean up. I just have to take the basket off the counter to wipe it down and put it back on the counter when the counter is dry. So, why you decided to pitch the basket under the sink and empty its items onto the counter, I don't understand. It just created more work for you - and me, since I had to put stuff back in the basket when I got home.

Ditto for the basket of movies in the living room. Why would you empty them onto assorted shelves on my entertainment center when they were all in one place in the basket? Again, you created unnecessary work for the both of us.

And while it could be considered nice that you put all the magazines into one pile, they were sorted based on what I had read and hadn't read. If you'd left the ones that were in a basket alone, it would've been okay. But, you couldn't do that, could you?

I didn't ask (or expect) you do wash my draperies. I can appreciate the gesture though. However, if you're going to take them down, it would've been nice if you had put them back up correctly. The fact that I now have to take them back down and figure out what the correct way to put them back up again annoys me to no end.

I feel similarly about you washing my walls. I didn't ask or expect you to do that. It's a nice gesture but I can tell exactly where you were when you decided you'd had enough of that and stopped. The fact that you went on and on (and on) about washing my walls and to come and see exactly where you left off doesn't lend itself to a recommendation from me.

And I'm curious - was there a reason you decided to rearrange furniture in my bedroom? Also, I'm assuming you don't watch TV or know how cable works because when you unplugged the cable box to plug in the lamp you moved to the other side of my bedroom, you rendered the TV it was attached to useless. I thought that was just common sense but apparently I was mistaken.
I'm not sure why you thought it necessary to rearrange items in my refrigerator (including the shelves). Things were arranged as they were for a reason. But that aside, if you were going to spend that much time on the refrigerator, wouldn't it have made sense for you to wipe down the the door and its handles too? After all, people see those before they see what's inside. Just saying.

As for your leaving my door unlocked - well, it worked out well and saved some time, seeing as you turned off the power to my garage door opener and I wasn't able to come in that way.

I have to hand it to you though, you though - you really cleared out the guest bathroom of "stuff". Of course, I'm not sure why everything was put in the living room. Seriously, I'd really like to understand what you were thinking by leaving that role of toilet paper on the table in the living room. I know sometimes a person can hardly wait but if they can't make it to the bathroom in time, I don't think a role of toilet paper in the living room is really going to be much of a help. Just saying.

And last of all, the phone books in the closet may have been a couple of years old but considering they were the only phone books in the entire house, I don't see where you thought it was okay to throw them out. It makes me wonder what else you threw out and so now I'm forced to go through the two huge trash bags you filled to see what else you deemed unnecessary in my life (thank goodness the dogs weren't here when you were throwing things out!).

In short, you created more work for me to do than there would have been if I'd just cleaned my house myself when I got home. So next time I need my house cleaned, I will definitely look elsewhere.

I also have a couple of things to say to others that weren't hired to do things. . .

To my friend that watched my house for me. Could you please return my calls and let me know where a month's worth of my mail is? Did you forward it after I told you I was coming home or are you still holding on to it? It doesn't matter either way but I'd like to know what's going on and your avoiding my calls and not returning my messages is aggravating as all get out.

To my neighbor who tossed his trash in my backyard. Knowing I was gone is no excuse. And telling me that you were waiting until I got home to clear it out doesn't fly. If you'd cleared it out while I was gone, I would've never known what you'd done. Waiting until I got home only caused me inconvenience because I had to lock my dogs up while you cleared out something that never should've been in my backyard to begin with. Not terribly neighborly if you ask me.

So there you go. That's what I came home to and had to deal with. They were all things I would've thought didn't need to be said but apparently they did. And now they're said. All that's left is for me to clean up behind the people I paid to clean up after themselves.

I know, long rant but well, I think it's over now. :)

Hope you're all having a great weekend.

~L

Snow Bound

A few years ago my car needed some repairs because part of a tire was flung up onto my car on the highway, doing approximately $3000 worth of damage to my car. The only vehicle the rental car place had was an extended cab, Ford F-150 truck. I was scared spitless of driving it because it was like a tank. I was the person on the road who was driving 5 miles an hour (no matter what the limit) and hugging the line on the driver's side. It was ridiculous, but it was all I had to drive.

Fast forward a few years when I was driving to see my step-father for Christmas and got stranded in the snow in Little Rock. Scared the crap out of me! Spent two nights in a Little Rock hotel and then turned around and went home. Never even saw my step-father.

Two years ago at Christmas I got to see my step-father but it snowed after I got here. We were in town when it started snowing and enough snow had fallen by the time we got home that I didn't think we were going to make it up the mountain to his house (did I mention he lives at the top of a mountain? yeah, he does.). Again, scared out of my mind. We finally made it up the mountain but were stranded for a couple of days. I was supposed to leave the next day so I had to extend my stay because I couldn't get down the mountain.

Well, I've been up here at my step-father's for a while now (still up here helping with his recovery from his car accident) and we've been lucky in the snow department (although it DID snow Christmas day - the roads were passable though). That is until this weekend. It snowed Saturday night and all day yesterday. My step-father is at the nursing home in town and I haven't been able to get there in two days because I'm stranded on the mountain (fortunately I had stocked up on food a couple of days before this happened - I hadn't planned to but when I got to the store to pick up a couple of items, I decided it would keep me from having to go again in a few days so it worked out great!).

Anyway, his friends called me today and wanted me to check out his car because it has 4-wheel drive. Well, the battery is deader than a doorknob so they walked me through charging the battery. Which is all well and good, except I think they expect me to drive into town now! Did I mention that it's a suburban and makes the truck the rental place gave me feel like the tiniest of cars? Who in their right mind would want someone who is not comfortable driving a big car and is scared spitless of driving in the snow, driving a big car in the snow??? Seriously, are these people nuts?

So, if you hear a news report that some crazy lady is driving a big ass suburban and has traffic backed up for 20 miles because she's driving so slow, well, just know it wasn't my idea!

Best Of. . .

If I remember correctly, one of my goals for 2009 was to read more books than I had in 2008. Well, I was two shy of reading twice as many books this past year! That happened, in part, because I had more books to read for classes and in part because I've added 25 books to the list since I left my house on November 8th to come to Arkansas to be with my step-father during his recovery from his car accident.

Anyway, here, in no particular order other than the order they were read, were my favorite reads of 2009:

Book Read for Pleasure
Zombie Queen of Newberry High by Amanda Ashby - the first few pages started slow but then I loved it!
Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich - I couldn't tell you what it was about but I can say with confidence that I've loved all of the Stephanie Plum books
Bunco Babes Tell All by Maria Geraci - I loved this debut book of Maria Geraci. I used to be part of a bunco group (and miss it!) and this was just such a fun book to read. :o)
Names My Sisters Call Me by Megan Crane - this book was about relationships between sisters. I could relate to so much about the relationships and normally this would not be a good thing, given my relationship with my own sisters, BUT it was written in such a way that I had a good feeling when I finished it. I really enjoyed it.
Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson - when I think about this book, I can't remember what exactly made me really like it, but I do remember that I did. :o)
Finger Licking Fifteen by Janet Evanovich - see comment to other Stephanie Plum book :o)
What Happens in London by Julia Quinn - Julia Quinn's books are always so easy to read - light and fun. It feels like she sat down and wrote it all in one day, it flows so well. With the exception of one random scene that felt like it was thrown in to add pages, this was a typical Julia Quinn read for me.
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella - by far my favorite book of the year. I've been a fan of Sophie Kinsella's since I read the first in the shopaholic series but this has been my favorite book of hers to date. Absolutely loved it.
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - I loved this story and the way it was told. I think it would be aweseome in audio format. This one is a list topper for me too.
Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins - I asked for recommendations of books and Jamie recommended a different book by this author. Since I had this one already, I read it and it was a lot of fun.
Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson (audio version) - This had a sweet storyline that I really liked. It's what I listened to on my drive up to Arkansas.
Bunco Babes Gone Wild by Maria Geraci - The second in Maria Geraci's Bunco Babe series. It was as good as the first. :o)
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper - Gabrielle Luthy recommended this one on her blog and so I thought I'd give it a shot. It was hysterical! I was reading it the day we had to take my step-father to the emergency room with his gall bladder. People were in the waiting room with injuries and illnesses and I was laughing hysterically. They probably thought mine was a head injury. ;o)


Books Read for School
Changing Places by David Lodge - This book was a lot of fun to read. The author made fun of writers, teachers, academia, life in general. Out of context the material may not be as funny but in the context it was written, it was great. Loved it.
Lysistrata by Aristophanes - funny
Emma by Jane Austen - I really enjoyed this book.
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi - based on her life and told in cartoon form, this was a very unique book and I really enjoyed it - enough to buy the second part and read it.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - I really liked this story a lot. Loved the way it was told.

So, those were my top picks of what I read in 2009, what are some of your top picks?