A Sequential Smattering of Thots (so...ya know, scroll down for most recent)
Week of Jan. 6, 2004Want to read what happened in February?
When I first started this page for my web class, it was supposed to be a blog...but I got all carried away with flashy effects and pictures and what not. So, now that it�s a shiny new year, I�ll start again. Fitting, don�t you think?I should have started this over Christmas break, but I was too busy being lazy. No, actually, it seemed like we were busy all the time with family, shopping (will Lands End Inlet ever be the same?), cooking, wrapping, decorating, etc. not to mention making our entry for the Christmas competition. The highlights of my break were spending time with Lenore and her family, most of whom descended on Chicagoland for several days prior to Christmas, and then surprising my parents with a visit from my brother on Christmas day. Check out Laura�s Christmas competition page for the results (which, I�m happy to report, turned out quite favorably for Lenore and me). Here's a link to Laura's results page. Be sure to click on each entry for the full story and additional pictures. There is also now a trailer for your viewing pleasure.
We also spend a fun New Year's Eve at Evantson's First Night with Roland and Amy, Julie, and Gary and Nina. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures. But all the music, including the Crystal Lake-based Bucket Boys, were excellent, and the fireworks almost made me forget how cold I was (I forgot my warm coat and had only a fleece between me and the elements!).All for Lack of Cheese
Last night, after a long board meeting (why do I say �long,� as if that�s something different?), I procrastinated going to bed in such a way as to create a wildlife diner. I think I really do have a gift for that (procrastinating). I wish it were, say, piano playing, or maybe wood carving, but it�s not. Here�s how events unfolded. I decided to assemble the makings for lasagna so I could bake it the following night. But, alas, I forgot I had no shredded cheese. Well, why not make soup? And, while I�m at it, boil some eggs for breakfast and some noodles for lunch. Note, this was all in the name of efficient water usage � my tap water is nasty and cannot be boiled, because when you boil it, it turns brown and the large amounts of iron in it become unsuspended, turning all things immersed (eggs, pasta...)orange. It�s gross. So, anyway, using a ration of imported water (from Elk Grove) I boiled some eggs (which, by the way, turned out perfect with nice yellow yolks), removed the eggs and then boiled some noodles. Clever, eh? But I digress (imagine that). While rummaging around for crock-pot soup ingredients, I got sidetracked by all the expired stuff in my pantry. Why do I have three boxes of Italian dressing mix from 2001? Why did I buy jello? What the hell is this stuff? I even found a can of mandarin oranges that was bulging from both ends. Eek. It made me wonder: How long does a can of cream of chicken soup really keep? I am not daring enough to find out. But also not devil-may-care enough to just toss it. Why not feed the animals? So I mixed a delicious casserole of soup, oatmeal, cream of wheat, Spaghettios (sad to let that go, especially since it was a Garfield-shape variety), dry cereal and some macaroni and cheese (the can of oranges was tossed unopened). Then I braved the minus-one degree temperatures to serve it (OK, dump it behind the shed). I wonder if anyone besides the neighbor�s dog will enjoy it.Week of Jan. 12, 2004
Jeeze, my house is broken again. More plumbing issues. Note to self, next time you buy a house, make sure the prior owner understands the importance of the term �licensed professional� when remodeling. The good news is, after Tim (my fearless handyman) installs some new copper pipe, maybe my kitchen faucet won�t belch such a disturbing odor when I first turn on the water. I�m thinking maybe the black iron pipes he�s gonna replace have a little bit to do with the problem. Or not. At least there�ll be one less half-assed plumbing line to worry about. One down...Now That I Have Cheese
Tonight�s project is to make that lasagna. Most of it will go to Nick, my friendly neighborhood attorney who has helped me with a couple of things FOR FREE. What a guy. So he will get a low-fat vegetarian version, in keeping with his new healthy regimen. I�m planning to use vegetarian sausage...the dry run (prototype?) came out swimmingly. Some recent lasagna discoveries (i.e. diversions from the original recipe in my cookbook):
Low-fat ricotta cheese tastes just as good
Fresh chopped spinach is just as good if not better
Vegetarian sausage can be added in the middle layer for a flavorful surprise
You can cut way back on the cheese in the middle layer with little to no negative effect. I used a bit of fresh parmesan and then just put some cheese on top, and it was greatFilm at ll.
Varmint! This Means War!
I�m not necessarily opposed to other creatures sharing my house, as long as they�re quiet and discreet (after all, who�s paying the mortgage here?). Like spiders. I generally leave them alone, cuz I figure they�re eating other bugs and what not. But when they get all messy with their webs, or, worse yet, start pooping on my walls (I really HATE that!), we have to have a talk. Ditto for box elder bugs (although I don�t know what useful function they provide, they seem to just come into my house to die). And, considering the age of my house, I�m sure there are other varmints shacking up in the rafters and floorboards. I�ve never seen a sign of them...until NOW! I appears I have a rude mouse! How do I know this? By the telltale nibbles to a baggie of cereal and a package of crackers I carelessly left out on my counter. Oh yeah, and the turds the little bastard left behind! I just don�t like feet on my counter, let alone poo. Call me picky. I don�t even like it when Lenore�s cat gets up there...actually, it drives me nuts. �Hmm, I think I�ll go take a dump in the litter box and then walk across the counters.� Yuck. But I digress. This morning I stopped at the hardware store and purchased two different types of mouse traps. There were way too many to choose from! Is there a better mouse trap? Time will tell. The sticky variety is now out, and I have two spring loaded snacks of death as backup. Except it dawned on me on my drive to work that if I actually catch a mouse in the little tray of sticky goo, it will still be ALIVE! Ick. Is that worse to deal with than the traditional spine-snapping variety? The thought of either one working gives me the willies. But so does a rodent crapping all over my kitchen. I contemplated a so-called live trap, but where does the mouse go after you set it free? Presumably, back into my house! Or it freezes to death. Plus those suckers cost like five bucks. Stay tuned...
Lasagna Report
This last version was excellent, if I do say so myself. I used vegetarian sausage and garden primavera sauce in addition to low-fat Mexican and Mozzarella cheese. Wouldn�t it suck if Nick hates lasagna?
Plumbing Update
The leak is fixed, I have a shiny new copper supply pipe, and, as I had hoped, some of the sulfur smell is gone too. Now I just have to brace myself for the bill.
Battle Two: In Which We Serve The Snack Tray of Death
My mouse has left me no alternative. This morning I looked gingerly in the direction of the glue traps, kind of hoping to find them empty. What I found was that glue trap number two was still there, untouched. Glue trap number one was...GONE!! WTF?! Further inspection revealed said mouse had indeed gone for the bait, gotten mired in the goo and dragged the entire trap off the counter and into a paper grocery bag of canned tomatoes I had left sitting on the floor. After depositing a fair amount of turds in the process, it apparently jumped or climbed out of the bag, leaving one parting poo in front of the bathroom door (which is just off the kitchen). D�oh! So, I set out the old fashioned spring loaded traps baited with peanut butter and a morsel of sunflower seed this morning. This is just gross. I am, however, impressed with the force of these trapping mechanisms. I tested one and I didn�t even see the wire thingee slam into action. My pencil will be forever scarred. (I always screw up scared vs. scarred. Isn�t it kind of funny how scarred and scared can often be interchanged without really changing the meaning of your sentence? I was scared for life...it works.) Well, since I woke up grumpy this morning, I�m off to rant a little on my Pet Peeves Page.
Mouse Report: This Means Chemical War!
Apparently, those little snack trays of death are not all they�re cracked up to be. I put out two traps baited with peanut butter, and the mouse-like varmint cleaned them both out, leaving the traps otherwise undisturbed. I, on the other hand, almost lost a finger when I picked one up to inspect it. Oh, and it left more fecal deposits on my counter. Dad says go for the poison, that they�ll go outside to die because they try to find water. Back to the hardware store... Dad also said mice leave trails to find their way...trails of PEE! I almost didn�t want to know that. Ick ick ick.
At Least He�s Not Interested in Uranus
On the Pet Peeves Page (the PPP), I mentioned that I think W�s proposal for space exploration is stupid and a waste of money. Hi, have we forgotten about the gazillion dollar deficit? Anyway, I�m validated to know that others, as reported in the media, agree. Also, I watched Howard Dean last night. He rocks.
Mouse Tails: The Sequel
Turns out chemical warfare wasn�t needed after all. Little Houdini Mouse ate its last supper sometime yesterday between 5:30 and 10 p.m. I got home and found trap number two had been sprung. It�s worth noting that this was one burly well-fed mouse. Using a paper towel tube and trying not to look very closely, I carefully shoved the trap and corpse into the trash and then disinfected the whole north end of the kitchen with cleanser and Lysol. I hope there will be no friends and relations of said mouse to follow.
TGIF
It�s been a long week...and I�m looking forward to the upcoming three-day weekend. I took Monday off and have a busy agenda of power lounging to attend to. But there�ll be some activities too. Lenore, Arlene and I are going to see Calendar Girls Saturday, Sunday Lenore, hopefully Linda and I are going to see the Chicago Blaze play, and in between we have at least three DVDs to watch that I ordered from the library and all came in at once. Frida, Office Space and ... something else, I can�t even remember.
But It�ll be Chilly
Holy crap, I can�t believe what it�s costing to heat my house! I just got my gas bill and it was $150!!! And that�s with the thermostat set at 65. I turned it down to 62 this a.m., but that means my bedroom will be about 58. Cripes. I may have to buy another space heater. I like those sealed oil ones that work like radiators � they take awhile to warm up, but they�re nice and silent and seem safer to me than the blowing kind.
Week of Jan 19
Weekend Report: Movies Movies Movies
I had an excellent three-day weekend despite the fact that it was very cold and blustery. So much so, I think I�d like another. Soon. The basketball game was pretty good (a decidedly different crowd in white-bread Naperville vs. downtown Chicago though), and we saw three movies:
Calendar Girls: Hilarious and visually pleasing (to me) because I love movies set in those seemingly quaint little villages of England and the like.
Office Space: Pretty lame, but had a few funny moments.
Frida: Awesome! Not what I expected, but still riveting. And kinda makes me glad I didn�t become a famous artist, which was a career path I devised when I was about 7 but then abandoned in college when I realized a.) I had very little real talent and b.) I didn�t want to wear black all the time. I could never survive such a tormented life, which seems to be part of the "famous artist package for success."
I also saw...
Pirates of the Caribbean: It had a very Disney-like feel to it, but the legend was intriguing, and Johhny Dep's portrayal of his character was awesome. Orlando is nice to look at too, but I miss the blonde locks (wink). The special effects are visually very cool, even though they have that animation fakeness to them. Then again, maybe that's how skeletons really move, who knows.
Once Upon A Time In Mexico: The short review is: Huh? It was being shown free here at the college, so I didn�t feel bad walking out after about an hour. I couldn�t figure out what the hell was going on, other than random acts of violence and mayhem in which what appeared to be the bad guys (but who really knows) can�t seem to hit *anything* despite the fact that they have machine guns, while Antonio Banderas, glaring reproachfully through his hair, can pick guys off while executing summersaults, dives over church pews, simultaneously playing a guitar (really!) and, well, without looking, basically. Johnny Dep, as always was cool, but not really believable either.
Week of Jan 26
Wow is it cold. Today�s high: 2. Yesterday it got up to like 4 I think. Like it matters at this point. Sheesh.
A Snow Day Tuesday I took a snow day, even though my employer didn�t declare one. Traffic reports were very scary, and plus I wanted to go skiing. Which I did, and it was pretty good. I�m glad I went because then the temperature plummeted to flesh freezing levels. I won�t go into all the movies I see, but I have to report on...
Mystery Men: What a HOOT!! A really odd mixture of cast members (William H. Macey, Geoffrey Rush, Ben Stiller and Hank Azaria, to name a few). Really cool visually (had a definite Tim Burton feel to it I thought) and some very funny dialogue. Like if Tim Burton had directed Fargo.Over the weekend we celebrated mom's birthday by making an almost fat-free Lazagna dinner (turned out excellent -- even though we could not find the fake sausage) and the infamous carrot cake. Then we had a little party with John and Rose Marie. Last night we went out to dinner w/the parents, Roland and Lenore for mom�s birthday on the actual birthday day. We are such the Normal Rockwell family.