1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.
He had only one name for these two kinds of work: gardening.
2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch?
kitchen table chair (with no cover on it, since i washed a M-induced stain off of it yesterday and it's drying)
3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
The Office Season 1 (we don't have TV, just rented movies)
4. Without looking, guess what time it is.
8:15
5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?
8:09
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
M pushing his popping car around while he crawls, the air conditioner (yes, even at 8:09 in the morning), my tummy growling
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
about and hour ago to drive R to his bus stop
8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
my blog to see if anyone had visited this early in the morning
9. What are you wearing?
some brand new jean capris i found on sale yesterday at old navy, a green, white, blue and yellow striped polo and bare feet
10. Did you dream last night?
yes, but i'm not sharing
11. When did you last laugh?
a few minutes ago when M was eating, he's pretty funny with food!
12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
a calendar, a picture of Jesus Christ, a very large painting of tulips, a clock, some bookshelves, and very funny note from my 7-year-old sister who spelled things like "guys" as "gise", and "few weeks" as "fyu weeks"
13. Seen anything weird lately?
R and i had N and K over last night (his brother), and while we were talking a cricket hopped out of the kitchen onto the carpet. primitive killing urges then activated in the males and they proceeded to smash it with a flip flop
14. What do you think of this quiz?
hopefully i'm not sounding too boring because of it
15. What is the last film or video you saw?
The Producers (the new one with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick)
16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
mine and R's freedom from the student loan powers-that-be, a new car (probably a Saab), a trip to Italy, to Carmel (CA), to Hawaii, and many other amazing places. i'd also buy lots of clothes, for the whole fam. i'd also pay for my sister's beauty school tuition, and for her car.
17. Tell me something about you that I don’t know.
i used to bite my nails until last year, and since then i've had nice long nails that i can paint and use for scratching backs, and that i can drum on the table, etc.
18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
i would magically reverse the effects of global warming (i just read an article on this at the NYTimes site)
19. Do you like to dance?
i hope so
20. Comment to George Bush:
i won't get into this here
21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
Zooey Lyn
22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
Well, I DO call him M, but if we have another I'll imagine to call him Colter James
23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
absolutely
24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
it's okay, you did just fine
25. 4 people who must also do this quiz on THEIR blog: blah blah blah blah
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Lazy Sunday, OR The Happy Nappies
i'm currently skipping church due to M's crazy sleep habits, which have only been exacerbated by his mouth deciding to sprout 3 new teeth, all next to each other creating one bumpy, red, sore set of gums. so church is at 2, and M fell asleep at 1:30. of course. but i can't bring myself to wake him up, poor thing. he's just a tiny little guy trying his best to behave while his teeth race to the surface. i wish they'd hurry up. so while he snoozes i'll relate to you all, my most surreal night out EVER, which was last night, and is something i can't stop thinking about:
I had the most amazing dining experience of my life! R and I were invited to Mastro's Steakhouse, where there are attendants in the bathroom, the waiters wear tuxedos, and they have a Personalized Iced Seafood Tower on the menu. The dinner was courtesy of R's hiring partner, who evidently has lots of money, since my halibut was $35 and R's prime, prime rib (yes, 2 primes) was around $40. and that's just the main dish...
we had lovely green salads with lots of exotic cheeses (i.e. Gorgonzola, i know it's not really that exotic, but i've never had it before), lobster mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, sauteed veggies, and then our steaks and lamb and fish fillets served on 400 degree plates plopped in front of you while still sizzling. then of course there was the warm butter cake for dessert: caramelized sugar crusted cake topped with raspberry syrup and vanilla ice cream and berries and whipped cream, which we all ordered after hearing the waiter describe it and proclaim that it was the best thing on the menu. this food was even better than my favorite thing ever: sushi at Yuri's in CA. i was full and happy and sleepy.
however, the food aside (did i mention it was the best food ever?) it was also one of the most uncomfortable things i've ever done. i'm not used to tuxedoed waiters hovering about and recommending lavish desserts with an air of culinary superiority. i'm not used to R needing Jay's advice on proper tip amount for using the restroom during dinner. and i'm certainly not used to living the rich life on summer internship weekends while having had regular conversations with R about paying off student loans, etc. and the strangest part of all was that everyone else, even R, was more okay with it than me. and i don't mean this in the "exalted poor" sense, like i felt guilty for enjoying an expensive meal. i was just plain out of place, like a little kid swinging her feet off of a too tall chair. but tom and his wife were old pros, it seemed, and 2 other couples were already working for the firm and used to it (i'm guessing), and even R has been out to lunch several times already in his workin' clothes.
basically i was finally backed into a corner with a real adulthood situation (with no way out) and it was weird. but at the same time, i'm glad it's over and i can do it again in the future without near-paralyzing anxiety. instead i'll be a regular, expecting this type of thing on birthdays and anniversaries. i've mentioned this to R and his eyes got really big. then he laughed and realized i was kidding. mostly. but seriously folks, if you have the means, i highly suggest it. yummm!
I had the most amazing dining experience of my life! R and I were invited to Mastro's Steakhouse, where there are attendants in the bathroom, the waiters wear tuxedos, and they have a Personalized Iced Seafood Tower on the menu. The dinner was courtesy of R's hiring partner, who evidently has lots of money, since my halibut was $35 and R's prime, prime rib (yes, 2 primes) was around $40. and that's just the main dish...
we had lovely green salads with lots of exotic cheeses (i.e. Gorgonzola, i know it's not really that exotic, but i've never had it before), lobster mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, sauteed veggies, and then our steaks and lamb and fish fillets served on 400 degree plates plopped in front of you while still sizzling. then of course there was the warm butter cake for dessert: caramelized sugar crusted cake topped with raspberry syrup and vanilla ice cream and berries and whipped cream, which we all ordered after hearing the waiter describe it and proclaim that it was the best thing on the menu. this food was even better than my favorite thing ever: sushi at Yuri's in CA. i was full and happy and sleepy.
however, the food aside (did i mention it was the best food ever?) it was also one of the most uncomfortable things i've ever done. i'm not used to tuxedoed waiters hovering about and recommending lavish desserts with an air of culinary superiority. i'm not used to R needing Jay's advice on proper tip amount for using the restroom during dinner. and i'm certainly not used to living the rich life on summer internship weekends while having had regular conversations with R about paying off student loans, etc. and the strangest part of all was that everyone else, even R, was more okay with it than me. and i don't mean this in the "exalted poor" sense, like i felt guilty for enjoying an expensive meal. i was just plain out of place, like a little kid swinging her feet off of a too tall chair. but tom and his wife were old pros, it seemed, and 2 other couples were already working for the firm and used to it (i'm guessing), and even R has been out to lunch several times already in his workin' clothes.
basically i was finally backed into a corner with a real adulthood situation (with no way out) and it was weird. but at the same time, i'm glad it's over and i can do it again in the future without near-paralyzing anxiety. instead i'll be a regular, expecting this type of thing on birthdays and anniversaries. i've mentioned this to R and his eyes got really big. then he laughed and realized i was kidding. mostly. but seriously folks, if you have the means, i highly suggest it. yummm!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Blockbuster Online vs. Netflix
A pal has challenged me to persuade her to adopt Netflix into her life. I am a former Blockbuster Online user, and current Netflix user. Here is my report:
1. (Disclaimer): R and I used Blockbuster Online from last September until about 2 weeks ago. Since September we've used one free trial of Netflix (in February). So I'm much more familiar with Blockbuster Online than with Netflix.
2. What is the SAME for both Blockbuster Online and Netflix:
--if you want the deal where you can have 3 movies out at once and have an unlimited number of movies to rent per month, the cost is almost exactly the same for both services: $19 and some change (after taxes)
--they both use a queue where you save names of movies and put them in priority order
--they both have very large selections of movies
--they both ship movies fairly quickly, usually in 2 days
--they both allow you to pay online and view your payment history very easily
--they both allow you to change your address very easily, and the changes are effective immediately
--they both charge month to month and allow cancellation at any time
3. What I LIKED about Blockbuster Online:
--they gave you 2 e-coupons every month to use at a Blockbuster store nearby for one free rental each
--if you got a wrong movie/damaged movie in the mail, you could notify them and get a replacement disc/next movie sent the very same day (you didn't have to wait until you returned the wrong/damaged movie)
--their website was very user friendly and visually pleasing (to me)
4. What I DISLIKED about Blockbuster Online:
--their website, while nice looking, didn't function that well, especially in my queue; there were several times where I wanted to receive a DVD set in order and it would arrive out of order; also, sometimes the movie in position #1 would be skipped for no reason and you would get #2 or #3...frustrating!
--the availability of DVDs was sometimes bad and you'd have to wait until more copies became available (one time it took 2 weeks)
5. What I LIKE about Netflix:
--the availability of every DVD I've put in my queue so far has been "available now" and ships immediately
--the shipping is more consistent than Blockbuster; i've always received DVDs on the day they are supposed to arrive, never later
--they recommend movies to you as you add them to your queue and as you rate them looking around the site; i've come across a few already that seem like good recommendations
--i've had no trouble with the website functioning; my queue hasn't made a mistake so far, even with DVD sets in order
6. What I DISLIKE about Netflix:
--if you have a damaged disc and DON'T want the same disc sent again you can't get the next movie in your queue until the damaged disc is returned
--if you DO want another copy of the disc sent, it doesn't ship until the next day from when it's reported
--no e-coupons, since they only do online renting
--I've already had to report 3 discs damaged and ask for replacements; i'm hoping this is a fluke, since they were all from the Twin Peaks Season 1 collection
In conclusion: I think that I like Netflix a little better, mostly due to the non-messing-up they manage with my queue order. It's nice to get what I actually want. I also prefer getting the movies a little quicker than with Blockbuster, and also having the better availability with the movies i choose. I'll probably stick with them at least for another month or so.
1. (Disclaimer): R and I used Blockbuster Online from last September until about 2 weeks ago. Since September we've used one free trial of Netflix (in February). So I'm much more familiar with Blockbuster Online than with Netflix.
2. What is the SAME for both Blockbuster Online and Netflix:
--if you want the deal where you can have 3 movies out at once and have an unlimited number of movies to rent per month, the cost is almost exactly the same for both services: $19 and some change (after taxes)
--they both use a queue where you save names of movies and put them in priority order
--they both have very large selections of movies
--they both ship movies fairly quickly, usually in 2 days
--they both allow you to pay online and view your payment history very easily
--they both allow you to change your address very easily, and the changes are effective immediately
--they both charge month to month and allow cancellation at any time
3. What I LIKED about Blockbuster Online:
--they gave you 2 e-coupons every month to use at a Blockbuster store nearby for one free rental each
--if you got a wrong movie/damaged movie in the mail, you could notify them and get a replacement disc/next movie sent the very same day (you didn't have to wait until you returned the wrong/damaged movie)
--their website was very user friendly and visually pleasing (to me)
4. What I DISLIKED about Blockbuster Online:
--their website, while nice looking, didn't function that well, especially in my queue; there were several times where I wanted to receive a DVD set in order and it would arrive out of order; also, sometimes the movie in position #1 would be skipped for no reason and you would get #2 or #3...frustrating!
--the availability of DVDs was sometimes bad and you'd have to wait until more copies became available (one time it took 2 weeks)
5. What I LIKE about Netflix:
--the availability of every DVD I've put in my queue so far has been "available now" and ships immediately
--the shipping is more consistent than Blockbuster; i've always received DVDs on the day they are supposed to arrive, never later
--they recommend movies to you as you add them to your queue and as you rate them looking around the site; i've come across a few already that seem like good recommendations
--i've had no trouble with the website functioning; my queue hasn't made a mistake so far, even with DVD sets in order
6. What I DISLIKE about Netflix:
--if you have a damaged disc and DON'T want the same disc sent again you can't get the next movie in your queue until the damaged disc is returned
--if you DO want another copy of the disc sent, it doesn't ship until the next day from when it's reported
--no e-coupons, since they only do online renting
--I've already had to report 3 discs damaged and ask for replacements; i'm hoping this is a fluke, since they were all from the Twin Peaks Season 1 collection
In conclusion: I think that I like Netflix a little better, mostly due to the non-messing-up they manage with my queue order. It's nice to get what I actually want. I also prefer getting the movies a little quicker than with Blockbuster, and also having the better availability with the movies i choose. I'll probably stick with them at least for another month or so.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
strange movies you should all see
Mystery Men is a very ridiculous movie that i happen to love. i was introduced to this choice movie back at BYU when i was dating R. he and his roommates (P and J) somehow got me to see it and i fell in love. i remember that P's sister, HATED it and warned me about my agreement to see it. i admit it's weird, it's hated by some, but mostly it's just a heartwarming tale of some misfit superheroes and their wacky adventures.
this movie is also loved by my husband R (obviously) who for the first time, was a real father on Father's Day this year. so i subsequently bought him (among other things like a striped tie and some reese's pb cups) a DVD copy of this movie and am currently watching it. it's so funny! just to give you a taste of it: Ben Stiller (aka Mr. Furious) is currently apologizing to William H. Macy (The Shoveler) very angrily, and then asks him if he's seen his address book since he stormed off. "It's denim, says 'hang loose' on it, picture of a kitten..." Yeah, like i said, ridiculous. yet funny. I challenge you to go and rent this movie and see what i mean. some of you may have already seen it, and for this i commend you.
other shows i've been watching and enjoying lately: Twin Peaks Season 1 (very david lynch-y), Whale Rider (SO exellently good), Serenity (visually cool looking), The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe (definately did justice to one of my favorite books), and Seinfeld Season 6 (always a pleasure, regardless of season number). On it's way from netflix as we speak is The Office, which ryan and i have both never seen. we tend to like renting things from TV to watch after The Boy goes to bed and R is home from work but homework free (for the next 2 months). we rent tv shows because we have no tv stations to speak of, not even basic cable. as long as you're willing to wait for your favorite shows to be released on DVD it's quite the money-saver. plus, no commercials!
well, the mystery men are about to go have their end-of-movie battle with the evil Casanova Frankenstein, and i must give moral support. happy viewing :)
this movie is also loved by my husband R (obviously) who for the first time, was a real father on Father's Day this year. so i subsequently bought him (among other things like a striped tie and some reese's pb cups) a DVD copy of this movie and am currently watching it. it's so funny! just to give you a taste of it: Ben Stiller (aka Mr. Furious) is currently apologizing to William H. Macy (The Shoveler) very angrily, and then asks him if he's seen his address book since he stormed off. "It's denim, says 'hang loose' on it, picture of a kitten..." Yeah, like i said, ridiculous. yet funny. I challenge you to go and rent this movie and see what i mean. some of you may have already seen it, and for this i commend you.
other shows i've been watching and enjoying lately: Twin Peaks Season 1 (very david lynch-y), Whale Rider (SO exellently good), Serenity (visually cool looking), The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe (definately did justice to one of my favorite books), and Seinfeld Season 6 (always a pleasure, regardless of season number). On it's way from netflix as we speak is The Office, which ryan and i have both never seen. we tend to like renting things from TV to watch after The Boy goes to bed and R is home from work but homework free (for the next 2 months). we rent tv shows because we have no tv stations to speak of, not even basic cable. as long as you're willing to wait for your favorite shows to be released on DVD it's quite the money-saver. plus, no commercials!
well, the mystery men are about to go have their end-of-movie battle with the evil Casanova Frankenstein, and i must give moral support. happy viewing :)
Thursday, June 15, 2006
weekend in sedona
last weekend i made the decision to abandon my baby for a few hours and join R at his work's weekend retreat in sedona. sedona is in the middle of red rock country. so grandma came to babysit and i drove up there and met lots and lots of very accomplished people. i kind of felt like i was at a bizarre job interview. at the end of the summer, based on R's work the next 8-10 weeks, they might offer him a job for post-graduation. so i felt like maybe i could sweeten the deal for them if they met me and i was wonderfully witty and memorable, etc. hopefully this was accomplished, because i started having such a good time with those crazy folks that i mostly forgot my goal to be charming and instead just laughed with them all night. those attorneys know how to have a good time, who knew! here is my report:
1pm: M is down for a nap, grandma arrives, i depart and drive for two hours. about 1 hour into the drive i get cut off by a grandpa and honk angrily at his boat of a car.
3pm: arrive to the hilton lunch deck where the "taco challenge" is underway. a young clerk is attempting to eat 30 taco bell soft tacos in 1 hour. he looks very sick. i meet lots of people, most of which are friendly and dressed in silly outfits made for playing golf (which they had just finished an hour or two before). R has ordered me a Reuben sandwich. yummmmm!
4pm: lunch disperses and R and i go to see our room. i change into a swimsuit and shorts and head over to the spa for my deep tissue massage. oh baby, i'm excited! R goes to the gym while i get my robe and flip flops from the counter. i change into the robe and head into the "stillpoint lounge" to find mental serenity while waiting for my appointment. 2 other ladies are there talking about their salt scrubs and facials. I read a book called "doing nothing and doing it well" or something like that. i feel very zen-like and wise.
4:30pm: my masseuse comes to get me and i finally get my massage. she is now my new best friend. afterwards she offers me a cup of cucumber water. surprisingly cucumbery.
5:30pm: in a relaxed stupor i find the whirlpool with the jets already running and sit in it for 20 minutes. finally i drag myself out to the gym to fetch R. he has done every lift available in the weight room and is then sore for the next three days. this was the most entertaining when he said "ow" for each stair he climbed at home after we returned.
6:45pm: changed into "business casual" for dinner. we go out for drinks and hors d'oeuvres. i meet a few more people, including a somewhat recovered taco challenger. then we all go to the dinner hall to sit down.
8:00pm: for the next 2 or 3 hours R and i are eating and talking. mostly i just remember being impressed with how much people knew about broadway. i've only heard of the show Wicked, but none of the others he spoke of. i realize that i am uncultured swine.
10:00pm: R and i are party poopers and go to sleep in our fabulous beds. best pillows ever!
4:30am: we get up to drive home so i can breastfeed miles when he wakes up at his usual 6:30ish.
6:30ish: we get home and knock on the door to see M looking a little confused as to why we're knocking on the door in the first place. 10 minutes go by and he starts clinging to both of us, having just realized that we DID, in fact, leave him at home and he's shocked and appalled.
so that was my first time away from M for longer than an hour and a half. according to grandma he woke up from his nap and was completely fine with us being gone. he stayed that way through the rest of the day, tromped around the house with grandma and grandpa, and went to bed like a good little boy. so i guess he won't die without me, and that's good to know :) more massages for me.
1pm: M is down for a nap, grandma arrives, i depart and drive for two hours. about 1 hour into the drive i get cut off by a grandpa and honk angrily at his boat of a car.
3pm: arrive to the hilton lunch deck where the "taco challenge" is underway. a young clerk is attempting to eat 30 taco bell soft tacos in 1 hour. he looks very sick. i meet lots of people, most of which are friendly and dressed in silly outfits made for playing golf (which they had just finished an hour or two before). R has ordered me a Reuben sandwich. yummmmm!
4pm: lunch disperses and R and i go to see our room. i change into a swimsuit and shorts and head over to the spa for my deep tissue massage. oh baby, i'm excited! R goes to the gym while i get my robe and flip flops from the counter. i change into the robe and head into the "stillpoint lounge" to find mental serenity while waiting for my appointment. 2 other ladies are there talking about their salt scrubs and facials. I read a book called "doing nothing and doing it well" or something like that. i feel very zen-like and wise.
4:30pm: my masseuse comes to get me and i finally get my massage. she is now my new best friend. afterwards she offers me a cup of cucumber water. surprisingly cucumbery.
5:30pm: in a relaxed stupor i find the whirlpool with the jets already running and sit in it for 20 minutes. finally i drag myself out to the gym to fetch R. he has done every lift available in the weight room and is then sore for the next three days. this was the most entertaining when he said "ow" for each stair he climbed at home after we returned.
6:45pm: changed into "business casual" for dinner. we go out for drinks and hors d'oeuvres. i meet a few more people, including a somewhat recovered taco challenger. then we all go to the dinner hall to sit down.
8:00pm: for the next 2 or 3 hours R and i are eating and talking. mostly i just remember being impressed with how much people knew about broadway. i've only heard of the show Wicked, but none of the others he spoke of. i realize that i am uncultured swine.
10:00pm: R and i are party poopers and go to sleep in our fabulous beds. best pillows ever!
4:30am: we get up to drive home so i can breastfeed miles when he wakes up at his usual 6:30ish.
6:30ish: we get home and knock on the door to see M looking a little confused as to why we're knocking on the door in the first place. 10 minutes go by and he starts clinging to both of us, having just realized that we DID, in fact, leave him at home and he's shocked and appalled.
so that was my first time away from M for longer than an hour and a half. according to grandma he woke up from his nap and was completely fine with us being gone. he stayed that way through the rest of the day, tromped around the house with grandma and grandpa, and went to bed like a good little boy. so i guess he won't die without me, and that's good to know :) more massages for me.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
paranoia paranoia, everybody's coming to get me...(name that song)
is anybody else concerned with their nonstick teflon pans releasing toxic gases? maybe you'll think i'm paranoid, and maybe you'll be right, but i'm still one of those worriers who is, in fact, worried about this very thing. i've heard talk of the problem on the radio, the TV, and just now, online while checking the new york times. just fyi, the concern that i've been hearing about is that if anything with a nonstick surface made of teflon is heated up to 700 degrees then it releases said toxic gases. you may be thinking that is very unlikely to happen, but since all the hoopla has been going on, some tests have been done. so don't dismiss my paranoia yet please. thank you. so it turns out that an empty pan left on a burner set to high can reach 700 degrees in as little as 3 minutes. reading this bit of info was where i had a medium-sized mental "yikes!"
and now that i know the problem is real, and that we are currently using teflon coated things, i have a little task that's been added to the relatively-long-term agenda in my mind. i know we have no money to replace pans, and i know that if we get nonstick non-teflon pans this summer it means that we'll have to drive them all back to MI come August, etc. so i don't have a plan or anything. i just know that eventually it'll be worth it for me to purchase new pans. sigh. in the meantime, i'll just be very careful with the ones we've got. no more absent-minded, leaving empty pans on high-cookin' burners, toxic gases cooking for me.
according to the author of the article i just read (which is on the nytimes.com "10 Most Emailed Articles" list on the main page) he recommends Le Creuset most of all as replacement pans, or secondly Cephalon pans. so i visited good old amazon and filled my wish list with some fancy pants Le Creuset cast iron pans and will hope for the best come September 11 of this year. not because it's a national day of remembrance for obvious reasons, but because that is my unfortunate birthday date. so maybe this year i'll remember and enjoy new cookware at the same time.
and now that i know the problem is real, and that we are currently using teflon coated things, i have a little task that's been added to the relatively-long-term agenda in my mind. i know we have no money to replace pans, and i know that if we get nonstick non-teflon pans this summer it means that we'll have to drive them all back to MI come August, etc. so i don't have a plan or anything. i just know that eventually it'll be worth it for me to purchase new pans. sigh. in the meantime, i'll just be very careful with the ones we've got. no more absent-minded, leaving empty pans on high-cookin' burners, toxic gases cooking for me.
according to the author of the article i just read (which is on the nytimes.com "10 Most Emailed Articles" list on the main page) he recommends Le Creuset most of all as replacement pans, or secondly Cephalon pans. so i visited good old amazon and filled my wish list with some fancy pants Le Creuset cast iron pans and will hope for the best come September 11 of this year. not because it's a national day of remembrance for obvious reasons, but because that is my unfortunate birthday date. so maybe this year i'll remember and enjoy new cookware at the same time.
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