A Lovely Thursday Evening

I had just a nutty day running errands for work. I'm not complaining, though, because despite four, count 'em, four trips to office supply stores in search of a folding machine that works, I was in the office for a total of 2.75 hours. Wahoo!

I got home around 5:30 and decided to try a new recipe for dinner. Poor Brad. I didn't warn him. See, my mother had a delicious dish with a friend a while back, in which chicken breasts were breaded with crushed French-fried onions. Sounds tasty, right? I've been wanting to try it and actually saw a recipe for it (as if you need it-- chicken, egg dip, roll in onions, bake) in my Everyday Food magazine the other day. I also made some instant (shhh!) mashed potatoes with a little garlic and butter thrown in, and some frozen veggies in the micro. It was ok, but not as wonderful as I had hoped. We ended up taking the onions off the chicken and eating them with the mashed potatoes, which gave me a whole other idea... mashed potato casserole varieties! Take a layer, maybe 2 inches thick, of mashed potatoes, sprinkle on cooked bacon and cheese, or french fried onions, or who knows what else, then bake for 10 minutes or so until the toppings look tasty. Mmm. I see mashed potatoes in my future.

Anyway, here's a pic. I do believe the one in the magazine was a bit Photoshopped. Posers.


Yes, the portions are small. We usually split a chicken breast for dinner. And yes, I made one plain, just in case Brad didn't like the oniony ones. We ended up eating most of our portions, but I don't think I'll make it again.

After dinner we went for our nightly ride in our new machine. Here is its first picture-- it's a terrible picture and Brad would much prefer if I would wait until it gets buffed on Saturday back at the dealership, but I must share just one pic. It is just so much fun.


We used our nightly ride to get Italian ice at Rita's, a little shack in the parking lot of Burlington Coat Factory. Quite the destination. But the ice is pretty darn good, especially the lemon, with little bits of lemon zest in it. And at $1.35 a serving, including tax, it's not too large an indulgence.


In other news, I just finished helping my dad make a rental car reservation. I LOVE doing that kind of stuff. Perhaps I'll have a career in budget travel planning someday. I really enjoy bargain shopping like that. Nine days of rental for $203 in season in Florida? Deal! Dad arrives on Tuesday night and will be with us until Thursday evening. Mom arrives on Friday. I'm excited. Visitors = excuse to go out and explore!

Ok-- I'm going to use the remaining 41 minutes of battery on my computer to play a little catch up with pictures.

How'd they do that?

I keep reading these gorgeous food blogs and am stunned by the beautiful pictures... of tomatoes, or muffins, or some other everyday item. The pictures are taken at a special setting that I don't know about, and I'm dying to learn! Can anyone help me? The part I like best is that one part of the picture is in focus, while everything else is a little fuzzy or blurry. How do I do that? Do I need a special camera?

Windy in Indy

Ah, what a lovely weekend we had. It all started on Wednesday, actually, when we received the call that our realtor would be showing our house over the weekend. We used Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Friday morning to patch cracks, touch up paint, straighten, tidy, and clean. By the time we had packed and left the house on Friday, the house was perfect. Our flight was scheduled for 2:15 p.m. so we left around 12:30 so we could grab lunch at the airport Chili's. I called Gordon-the-Realtor on the way to let him know he could show the house all weekend long... at which point he told me that the interested lady was going to be out of town all weekend, so it wouldn't be until later. Blah. But at least we had a spotless house to come home to. I mean, so spotless and beautiful that even the grocery bags lining our bathroom garbage tcans had been removed, just to make it look more pretty.

When we arrived at the airport we learned that our flight had been delayed until 6:45 p.m. because Northwest couldn't get a plane out from Indy to come get us. So we skipped the airport Chili's and went to the regular one on the west side of Fort Myers. Over lunch we talked about our latest treasure hunt... for a Mazda Miata. As in, two seater, convertible, cute, small, car. See, Brad had wanted a Miata a while back when we got the VW Jetta. He deliberated between the two, and I felt strongly that since his bass guitar didn't fit in the happy-meal-sized trunk of the Miata, and most likely a crash between a Miata and anything would mean certain death, and I'm not ready to be a widow, perhaps the Jetta would be a better choice. So we bought the Jetta last year and all has been fine. But a week or two ago I happened to drive past the Mazda dealership and of course there were huge sales going on, which got me thinking. Why NOT a Miata? There are only two of us, Brad's not playing in a band now so the bass isn't an issue, and if ever there was a place to have a Miata, it's here in Florida. So why not get one while we're here? Who knows what changed in my mind. I'm still not ready to be a widow. But I called Brad and told him to check out the sales, just in case there was a divine deal to be had.

Of course that launched Brad into a full-fledged search. There was one green and tan one at the Mazda place. There was a white one at the Toyota dealership. There were a few options up in Tampa, over 2 hours away. I started to wonder if I had made a mistake in saying anything as each of these options started to turn sour and discouraging. So by Friday we no great leads, but four free hours. So we stopped at the Mazda dealership again and found a navy blue one with a black top. Looked like a bruise to me, but Brad liked it. We spent some time with the sales guys and they just couldn't come down to our number.

After that discouraging conversation we headed back to the airport. Our flight was not delayed any further, so we got treated to a sunset out the plane windows.

We got into Indy about 9:30 p.m. where we were to meet up with three other couples from Brad's alma mater, Huntington College, now University. Rich and Stu picked us up and we all met for a late dinner at Jillians. Oh- one thing I forgot. In the airport there was a vending machine like none other I've seen before. It sold ipods and accessories!

Saturday we met for a late breakfast and went to Le Peep, home of huge, delicious granola pancakes. After a lovely breakfast and an education on Huntington's freshman weed-out class and its Inventories, we did some walking around and shopping at Circle Center Mall.

It was about 25 degrees and snowing big, gorgeous flakes all day, and it was gooooood for my soul. I was grinning pretty big most of the time as I took in the beauty of the season. How I miss seasons!

After shopping we went back to the hotel for naptime. Brad and I watched the first half of Drumline while waiting for our pizza snack to arrive... there was a Donato's about a half mile away. Happy Brad.

We met up for dinner around 6 and went to Jillians again, only this time to their hibachi grill section. Jillians is an all-in-one place, with an American-fare restaurant in one area, a hibachi grill in another, an arcade on the second floor, and a dance club and bowling alley on the third. We had a great dinner with terribly enjoyable conversation and then went up to see if we could bowl for a bit. The lanes were full so we killed some time at the arcade. We bought a $5 card with the intent to play skeeball, but there was a photo booth in the back that snagged my attention first. It was not your run-of-the-mill photo booth, either. It took a picture of me, then a picture of Brad, then morphed our faces together to show us what our offspring would look like. I have it at home and will scan it in foryou. Yikes.

After a while we got to bowl...

...and then went out for a late dessert. There's a chocolate place on the circle with excellent chocolate fondue for 4 for $15!

We sat in there and talked until the place closed at midnight. That was probably the highlight for me. I went to a small college after Purdue, much like Huntington, but didn't connect with a group of people like Brad's group. These people are incredible-- full of heart, with incredible marriages and kids, desiring growth and health in their lives, and remarkably open and honest. I feel terribly honored to be accepted into the group. The conversation around the fondue ranged from the profound to the mundane. I learned about the guy who carried a baseball bat around college, the girl with facial hair, the one that looked like a poodle, who Doris dated, why the rules have changed about weekend suspensions, and so much more. We also talked about men and church, or how men aren't being taught to be men in the church, but instead they're taught to be nice, to be mellow, and to be pansies. It made me want to gather us all up and start a gender-definition revolution. It was inspiring and touching and terrifically fun all at the same time.

Sunday we met for breakfast at the hotel, and then I had the good fortune to get a visit from my former roommate from Purdue, Gretchen! She lives in Indy now (again) and we've been in touch lately. We'd fallen out of touch for a while until I googled her last year and found her wedding pictures on a friend's blog. It has been so fun to reconnect and follow each other's ups and downs with jobs and moving,etc. She met me at my hotel and we got about an hour to chat.

Then we packed up and left. But not before discussing options for meeting up next President's Day weekend. We threw around all sorts of ideas--- Vegas, Tennessee, San Antonio... pretty much anything in the country was fair game. I'll let Chad and Jen break the news oncethings get closer.

Our travels home were uneventful except for a brief time searching for our car in the long-term parking. But that cleared itself up after about 15 minutes. We got home, had some dinner, and finished up theNetflix dvd we had. A lovely weekend in every respect.

We also talked on Sunday night about how to proceed with the Miata hunt. Brad was ready to buy the navy one if they would budge a bit more on the price, but I just didn't love it. I don't want to search in Tampa or Lauderdale where we have to drive for hours to see a car. I want it to just fall in our laps. We agreed to let it just happen instead of continuing to search high and low, and Brad pretty much resigned himself to the fact that it was never going to happen.

Then Monday came. I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment in the morning. I have been trying to see a doctor for a checkup since September. I scheduled an appointment with my sister-in-law's doc in October. They called to reschedule a few days before the appointment.
For December. When they called to reschedule again. For February. Which I eventually cancelled, because by January I was getting the idea that these folks might not have their ducks in a row. So I solicited names of doctors from colleagues. One of Brad's clients suggested another doc, so I made an appointment for February 19. And then they called to reschedule. I believe them when they say their doctors are snowed in at a conference in New York. It's just
frustrating because I've already had to grovel to my doctor at home TWICE to refill my no-baby-pills prescription, and last time she raked me over the coals and it was quite belittling. So now it's March 19th. I hope. I have just the worst luck with doctors in Florida.

So I stayed home and slept. I wasn't feeling terrible, but I was tired and not feeling great, and a personal day at home sounded divine to me. I got to try that pretzel recipe, I went partially through my stack of important-things-to-do, and I napped.

(Here is your free pretzel tutorial:

First, make the dough, let it rise an hour, then divide into pieces, roll into strips like Auntie Anne's does it, and make into pretzel shapes. Finish the dough, master the technique, and re-shape the first half. But only if you're a little obsessive like me.

Second, boil the pretzels in a bath of baking soda, sugar, and water so they will turn brown on the outside and have that soft-pretzel skin.

Third, bake for 15 minutes or so, until you just can't wait any longer.

Fourth, put on wire racks to cool.

Fifth, eat! Preferrably with a beverage, like orange juice. Now if only I had some fake cheese sauce...

End tutorial.)

And then I got a call at 5:30. Brad had been working in Naples and happened to drive past a used car lot after work. And The Car was there. British Racing Green, tan top, tan leather interior, year 2000, with 14,000 miles, no kidding. Would I be willing to drive down to see it?

So as of 9 p.m. on Monday, we're the proud owners of the green Miata. Brad was so giddy I thought he was going to sleep in it Monday night. It's beautiful and a lot of fun.

And it was a clear reminder that God has his own timing, and he'll work whether we're striving or waiting on him, usually when we stop striving and choose to wait. Which is a lesson I needed to be reminded of regarding the sale of our house. No one has seen it, no one is showing interest right now. But I am making the conscious decision to wait on God and not allow myself to worry. Little GreenCar is my reminder that he will work in his time.

Post Valentine's 50% Off Sale

Ya gotta love Walgreens and their post-holiday sales. First of all, you could probably shop Walgreens and nothing else for every one of your needs. Prescriptions? Check. Makeup? Check. Soaps of every kind? Check. Reading material? Check. T-shirts? Check. Gallon of milk? Check. A variety of frozen foods? Check. It's all there,including the dollar area which would satisfy anyone's stocking-stuffer needs. And to think I almost missed the bounty inside by waiting at the drive-through to pick up my prescription refill!

I just got some boxes of kids' valentines for a dollar apiece and a fun strand of valentine heart lights for $2.50! What a steal! (I buy the kids' valentines because I like to plaster them all over the outside of shoeboxes and then clear-contact-paper over them for cute and fun storage boxes.) Bounty indeed. By the way, this is how I spent our $5, Grandparents. Thank you for the cute card, too!

I also found Adora, which is similar to Viactive, which my sister turned me on to this past weekend. They're basically vitamins disguised as chocolate, but the Viactive ones are corn-syrupy whereas the Adora are made from good dark chocolate. Eight dollars for 30 of them is a little steep, but at least I'm getting some calcium these days. Yum.

In other news, I got a call from our Realtor yesterday-- he has someone who is interested in seeing our house. He's going to try to show it this weekend and we'll see what happens. This news, of course, prompted a terrifically productive two hours of house touch-ups last night-- we patched all the cracks in the drywall and touch-up painted those areas, as well as painting the baseboards in the master bathroom which have bugged me since we moved in. I think they were just primed but never actually painted. I dare you to find a flaw in the house now! Later we made our traditional Valentine's Day stir fry and rice and then watched four episodes of Arrested Development, Season 2 Disc 2, until I just about fell asleep. Great way to spend V-day, I tell you.


Oh-- I neglected to tell you about the surprise last week! Sorry to leave you in suspense so long! A few weeks ago the News-Press, the local Fort Myers paper, had a notice on their website that one could submit notes and/or pictures and at no cost be published in their annual Book of Love, a special section of the newspaper that comes out February 7. Not one to pass up a chance to proclaim my affection for my handsome love, and also not one to embarrass him willingly, I submitted a cute picture of our feet on the beach and a note that said something like, "Right next to you is the best place on earth." (Awww.) I had also put Brad and Kath in there somewhere, but that got left out. Thankfully, Brad recognized the picture and believed me when I told him that it was actually for him. I'll scan it sometime so you can see.

That's all for now. It's about 65 and rainy here, so not such a happy-looking day. But I can't complain or my mother will call me with her current outdoor temperature and chastise me with sarcasm. :) Rightfully so.

Happy Valentines Day, I guess

Yeah, so we're killjoys. Valentine's day doesn't really have a whole lot of meaning to us. We do exchange cards-- we made them the first year we were married and we write something new every year. We also make stirfry together and watch movies. But no huge bouquets or boxes of chocolate or anything. Sorry, Hallmark. We do celebrate meaningful holidays, like our birthdays, anniversary, Christmas, Easter. Thanksgiving is probably my favorite, actually, as there are no presents to buy and all the preparation involves cooking. :) But I equate Valentine's Day with Flag Day, which is special I suppose to some.

We spent last evening watching disc 1 of season 2 of Arrested Development. The poor Bluth family and their hijinx keep us entertained and, glory be-- no commercials! Thank you God, for inspiring someone to invent Netflix.

I'm feeling better after another bout with this damn cold. I've been sick since November and I can't say I like it. Sick two or three weeks, well a few days, sick two or three weeks... par for the course, I guess. Brad's family was sick a lot when they first moved down here. The mold and junk in the air never gets killed off like it does up north, and the bacteria is all different. I got some antibioticsfrom Mom on Saturday and I think I'm winning for good this time.

Speaking of Mom, I had a lovely weekend in frosty Chicago...

...with Mom and Steph. Can't say we did a heck of a lot, but it was nice. Friday I arrived at the tundra and we went out for dinner at Cheesecake Factory - yum. Hadn't been in ages. And, funny thing, I didn't really want dessert! That is really weird for me and my insatiable sweet tooth. Lately I've been craving salty snacks, namely soft pretzels and "cheese" from Rita's Italian Ice. Which is weird compounded as I don't normally favor fake cheese products. Whatever.

So after Cheesecake we vegged at Mom's place and just relaxed. Saturday I got a manicure in the morning--

--so fun as no one in the world compares to Linda the Nail Tech. She puts every other
manicurist to shame. That was really nice and pampering. Then Steph had a massage. When we all got back to Mom's we were treated to homemade chicken soup-- delish. Mom puts brown rice in it and lets it sit a while, and the rice cooks and turns inside out so it looks a little like rice popcorn and tastes fantastic. Excellent low broth to other-stuff ratio. Saturday afternoon we took naps, and then Mom had show and tell with some fun old dolls she found while unpacking. My old Mandy dolls with assorted outfits and even patterns to make your
own doll clothes! My Strawberry Shortcake dolls, Steph's My Little Ponies, and much more. It was nice to look through them and reminisce.

By Saturday night the cold I had started on Thursday was in full swing and I felt horrid. Mom found a Z-pack she had brought to Africa just in case her cold turned into worse and let me take it, saving me $80 to see the doc and pay the prescription co-pay. THANK YOU! And to
all you kids out there, don't try this at home. I just happen to know how my body responds to z-packs. And the answer is: favorably. That night we rented a movie and stopped by Max and Erma's for a take out of their pretzel stick and "cheese". Those haven't been on the menu
for a blue moon, and I'm thrilled they're back. We watched a movie-- Relative Strangers-- and we all gave it two thumbs sideways. Great cast, lame plot. But it was fun. Oh, and we had a lovely dinner of mom's pot roast, using a recipe I learned Grandmother made up. I am
just loving these hand-me-down recipes and the sense of heritage I feel when I make them in my own kitchen. Yum.

Sunday we slept in a bit, had breakfast, painted Steph's toenails

and I rescheduled my flight for an earlier one. Mom left to teach sunday school and Steph took me to the airport, where I got on an earlier flight. Unfortunately, when one flies standby one usually gets a middle seat... next to a very large man. And not being of the petite persuasion myself, this makes for a sardine-like situation, and I tend to get a bit claustrophobic and nervous. So after a few attempts to sleep and some yoga deep breathing, I got home in one piece and crashed. It was a great weekend, very relaxing, though I think next time I'll take my sister up on her suggestions to play games. I think I would have preferred to connect a bit more instead of watching a movie. Steph and I are notoriously bad at picking out movies anyhow.

And the cold weather was wonderful! It was painful, of course, but it was so nice to have a change from hot, hot, hot! Granted, February and March are the best months of the year here, so I can't complain about my 75 degree sunny weather. But I miss the seasons, and it was
refreshing to see my breath and snow and even salt.

That's all for now, I think. I owe you pictures and am so terribly sorry for being tardy with those. What time I don't spend packing onThursday night will go to blogging.

Brad's Saturday Encounter

Scene: Brad waits in line to purchase an item at a Borders Bookstore
in Naples, an upscale town in southwest Florida. Beside the line is a
table of discounted books.

Overheard: (reading the title of one of the books on the table)
Accomplishments of African Americans? That's a six-pager.

Brad: (chuckles like anyone would do when a stranger attempts a funny)

-pause-

Brad: (realizing the shocking degree of offensiveness, turns around to
address the speaker) Did you just make that comment about the book?

Man in line: Yeah.

Brad: That was offensive!

Man: (interrupting to try to improve his funny) Blah blah...

Brad: That was really offensive!

Man: Ha ha

End of scene.

Do I hear three hundred?

So last night was going to be quiet and relaxing, another night in front of Netflix's goodness. Disc 2 of Arrested Development Season 1 arrived, and we were going to have dinner and watch the whole thing and go to bed early.

But then this furniture store down here right by my work was advertising an auction, and I just had to go. It started at 6:30 and I got off work at 5:45, so instead of going home and coming back I ran an errand and went to the auction. And it was FUN. I love auctions-- the thrill of the bargaining, the atmosphere of excitement... it was fun. I was hoping to snag an 8 by 10 rug in the khaki/neutral family for $300 or less... high hopes, no dice. Everything was dark, expensive, or had lots of fringe- ugh. But the prices were amazing-- couches and loveseats for $450, oriental rugs originally priced at $20,000 went for $2,000! If I had means and way to sell, I would have snagged a few. But alas, there were no good deals for me.

So I went home and we had our relaxing evening minus the going-to-bed-early part. I made up some quick fajita chicken and onions and peppers-- yummm-- which I put in corn tortillas (note to self: corn tortillas fall apart real fast) and smart Brad put over a salad. Guess whose hands were cleaner after the meal. While we ate and for the rest of the night we watched the whole dvd-- I think I got to bed around 11:30 p.m. I'm a bit yawny today, though it has been quite a busy day already. Boss is here and we've just had a heated discussion about streamlining a few processes around here-- instead of just saying "jump" and expecting me to jump, howsabout if we put "jump" on the list of things I do every other Thursday, thereby allowing me to get other work done. Ok, so it was about jumping, but rather about examining insurance certificates, something I'm pretty sure Satan invented. I'm sure there's a little room in hell where people have to examine the certificates of each vendor and then call and ask for eensie weensie details to be fixed, get no response after faxing monthly, and then get blasted when they withhold payments. It's a tedious process which is actually a little bit enjoyable if there's nothing else on the docket for the day. Just takes concentration. Which is why I should do it twice a month instead of whenever boss decides to cut checks, which could be as often as every few days. (end rant)

Tonight we're having dinner at TGIFriday's with a couple from our former housegroup. They're due with their first baby next month and we haven't seen them in a while. I'm excited to have some friend time and also to try the new Friday's menu-- the pick-three-things-menu they keep advertising looks yummy. It's really noisy at our Friday's so we never go, but the other couple picked it so we'll go. I'm happy about that. I'm also happy about Sean and Jeannie's new little bowling ball, set to arrive any minute now. (She said it felt like a bowling ball, so I'm not being rude.) I just hope they name it something bowling-esque, like Biff or Lucille or something.

In other news, my sister who was diagnosed with Crohn's a few weeks ago is at the doctor today. I'm just sick about all she's going through and wish I could cast it into a herd of pigs. She's trying to be a full time teacher to the largest classroom in her school with eight severely autistic kids and a terribly unhelpful aid and incompetent administration, all the while dealing with constant pain and discomfort and unpleasantries of various types. Today she gets bloodwork and an x-ray and hopefully some relief from her latest flare-up. Meanwhile she's trying to get the insurance company to approve her new ongoing treatments for Crohn's-- apparently she gets an i.v. treatment every three weeks for a while, then every four weeks, building up to every 8 weeks, for life. If she ever stops taking the treatments she can never take them again-- her body will have built up resistance to it that can never be undone. It's supposed to be really powerful and helpful and the sooner she can get it, the better. We just have to wait for the insurance suits to get to that pile on their desk. You'd never know it to talk to her-- she's quite cool and collected, but please pray for her when she comes to mind. Many of you know chronic irritation and can sympathize. It's just not fun at all.

I'm headed up to Chi-town this weekend for a girls' weekend, sort of a comfort and support time for Steph. We're eating at Cheesecake Factory and getting massages and watching movies. I can't wait. I'm thinking of bringing supplies to make these homemade soft pretzels-- they look just amazing and so nice for a watching-movies snack. The pictures make me drool a little.

Back to work for me for now. Tomorrow I'll post about the surprise. :)

Debriefing on Sunday's Goings On...

I poked around this morning on the metafilter thread about superbowl commercials.  I even posted a comment... to which another person replied thusly:

--------------------
My comment: "Does anyone else wish that Prince had sung the National Anthem, and Billy Joel had done the half-time show?"

Other person's comment: "You are a bad person and should be medically evaluated."
--------------------

Ha!  Well, then.  Don't hold back or anything.  I guess that answers my question from last night, "Why is he up there? Does anyone still like Prince?"

My favorite commercial was the Chevy one where the girls are in the car and the guys start washing it and ripping off their shirts, etc. It's not my favorite because of the shirtless guys; I just love seeing gender tables turned.  Perhaps we're evolving.  And then the GoDaddy.com and SalesGenie ads came on and I was reminded that we're not so progressive a country after all.  Oh, well.  I did like the Coke ad with the Rube Goldberg machine inside the Coke machine.  I taught a Rube Goldberg class a few years back and just love stuff like that.

 

What was your favorite?

My little vintage-loving heart is all a-twitter

I got a catalog in the mail the other day - Antique Hardware and Home. I think it's because I'm on the Builder Magazine mailing list... anyway, I save these kinds of catalogs for the day when Brad and I get to renovate-slash-restore an old house. The catalog has old-style drawer pulls, door handles, you name it. Very cool. And in the Home section they have the sweetest vintage tablecloths like the cherry one above! Can you just believe it? At $29.99 it's a little much for an impulse buy, but I know it's there and when I get a little extra here and there, I just might go for it. They also have an apple one, fruit salad, and fruit cocktail and I want them all. Take a look if you like. I'm also drooling over the vintage half-aprons-- at 6 for $24.99 I almost consider it a sin not to partake. But alas, they are back ordered. I mean, hypothetically, if one was to put such item into one's shopping cart, one would receive a message that the item is backordered... busted. Also the vintage lunch box and vintage kitchen towel set put a twinkle in my eye.

I might need a second job.

I think you meant "breeding"...

From the story of the Fort Myers version of Punxsutawney Phil...

"Shell Factory Chief Executive Officer, Nancy Mitchell, said she hopes
the groundhogs can get along since the park is planning on breading
them."

A new show to eat up our evenings...

Michael Bluth: What have we always said is the most important thing?
George Michael Bluth: Breakfast
MB: Family
GMB: Oh, right. Family. I thought you meant of the things you eat.

Three episodes of Arrested Development gave us quite a few chuckles last night, thanks to Netflix and my sister's rec. Not as funny as the office, but not as painful, either. The family on the show is so very screwed up that I felt quite normal afterward. It's not too raunchy and not violent, and mostly just entertaining. I'll keep the other discs on the queue and will follow this family for a while.

After a delish dinner of Mrs. Grass's Chicken Soup and grilled cheese, we watched the dvds and then went our separate ways. By the way, the grilled cheese was quite good-- I'd seen on a blog or in a magazine the idea of using potato hamburger buns as the bread and pressing the sandwiches like a panini. I heated up a skillet and my heavier-than-a-car Le Creuset dutch oven and pressed the sandwiches between them. The sandwiches came out flat and crispy on the outside with no added butter. Yum.

After dinner and dvds Brad went to play World of Warcraft and I intended to blog some Africa pictures. However, since we have a mishmash of pictures from various generous family members, the pictures are in a weird order. And I just can't have that. So I spent some time putting them all in order and will soon be ready to post at least the first half of the trip. Saturday we don't have plans so I want to veg and blog then.

It's Friday and I'm hoping for a call from our realtor today. I called him last night to check in-- he has spoken with the interested party three times and she's thinking things over and researching the area. He said he'd call her again today. We shall see.

Pray for Brad if you think of it-- he's gotten an ear infection again. They tend to come on quickly and quite strong-- he's spent the last two days in bed quite a bit. Today he has a few things to do and then will go to the doctor to get some meds. Poor guy.

Police use stun guns on greased, naked student

The town we're hoping to move to just had an appearance on CNN.com. Doesn't dissuade me in the least, though. Kids will be kids. Loved the grease idea, though. That seems new to me.

No word from our realtor yet, no offer or anything. I'll keep you posted. I ran the numbers the other day after calling our mortgage lender to find out the payoff amount. It will have to be a generous offer which will only be evidence of the hand of God. Not impossible, just improbable. I read this quote somewhere a few months ago, maybe on a blog (sorry if it was yours-- let me know and I'll give you credit):

"To be a witness does not consist in engaging in propaganda nor even in stirring people up, but being a living mystery. It means to live in such a way that one's life would not make sense if God did not exist." Cardinal Suhard, archbishop of Paris 1940-49

I've mulled that over a bit here and there as it comes to mind, and I find that I love it more each time I mull. Consider it in the light of trying to sell a house in Lehigh right now-- seriously, that will be another miracle in my life of miracles. Improbable, but not impossible.

In other news, I've discovered a new product. These ciders from Celestial Seasonings come in cute red tins and I bought all three flavors last week. Electric kettle + honey vanilla cider mix = happy morning commute. Hey, it doesn't have to be 8 degrees to feel cold.

Tis all for now. Back to work.

Two lonely squares

Whoever was last in the bathroom here at work left me precious little
to work with. Two lonely squares. Of thin, cheap stuff, too. No
extras in the cabinet, and the paper towels are a fair distance to
waddle to. Two squares. Even a conservative girl like me can't work
with two squares.

On Netflix this week...

Week one was Season 1 and Season 2 of BBC's The Office.

Week two was The Office Special and Born Free.

Week three will be Arrested Development Season 1 Disc 1 and Cinema
Paradiso. I know I'll like Cinema Paradiso as it reminds me of the
summer outdoor movie nights in Baltimore. Their Little Italy area
closes up a few streets and a parking lot beside a three story
building. Old Fred who lives across the street from the parking lot
lets the town use his electricity and his attic window for their
powerful projector and they shoot movies across the parking lot onto
the side of the three story building, which has been painted white so
that the movies show well. When no movie is playing the painted brick
looks a bit odd, but everyone knows why its white so it doesn't
matter. The dessert store down the street is busy with sugar-buzzed
patrons getting ready to watch the movie, the authentic deli serves
brick-oven pizzas from the back, and the gelato store down the street
is busier than a beehive in July. Folks set up their lawn chairs in
the parking lot and streets as the popcorn machine is wheeled around
distributing free popcorn, and the local musicians play an Italian
singalong on a keyboard as a pre-show. Volare, oh oh, volare. And
something about a pizza pie hitting your eye. When it gets dark out
the cartoon begins, just like when we were kids. After the cartoon
are family-friendly movies, some with an open-air-movie or Italian
theme, like Return to Me or My Cousin Vinnie. One of the summers I
was there they played Cinema Paradiso, which makes you sound cool if
you pronounce it authentically-- CHEE nah mah pah dah DEE soh. So I
look forward to seeing it again.

Any thoughts on Arrested Development? My sister loves it and thinks
I'll like it, too. Anyone else seen it?

Busy night!

Last night I went to my high school reunion. It was held in Libertyville's public library which has a lovely garden atrium area. The funny thing about the reunion was that it was a dance, and no one was allowed to bring a date other than a high school colleague. I was sad not to bring Brad, but I went with a guy who was a mixture of guys I've known over the years. It was fun to get dressed up, but I don't keep in touch with many people from high school so I was anxious that I wouldn't have anyone to talk to other than my date. And when we got there, he was the entertainment for the night and had to play the piano all evening long. It wasn't nearly as much fun as I thought it would be and I woke up bewildered and disappointed.

But that's what I get for sleeping in the Room Of Weird Dreams, as it is now known. I tend to snore a bit and wake up Brad so I slept in the guest room last night. Sam and Erika also had some weird dreams in there this weekend. So now it is the Room Of Weird Dreams.

This past weekend was just wonderful. S&E arrived Friday night and we went back to the house and ate dinner. The pork loin in the crock pot turned out ok, contrary to my worries that it would be dry. It fell apart and we made sandwiches out of it. Afterward we went to get homemade ice cream at Sweet Things, a charming little store with a charming little owner who went on and on describing her various tea offerings with great passion. We went back to the house and chatted until bedtime.

Saturday we woke up late and had breakfast on the lanai. The weather hovered in the mid 70s and the breezes made it feel like vacation weather. After breakfast we went to the Six Mile Cypress Slough (ten points if you know how to pronounce that word!) for a walk around their boardwalk. We spotted quite a few bits of wildlife-- alligators, turtles, blue herons, egrets, ibis, those black birds which I call Solar Powered Birds as their wings are always spread in the sun to dry off, and more. When you come visit, we must go again. It was quite relaxing and fun.

Then we went to get lunch at Moe's, which is similar to Chipotle but with good queso dip for the free chips. Yum. We went to the wine store next door to look for some Florida-brewed beers for Sam, and then to Target to see if they had any good maternity swimsuits for Erika. (Yes on the beers, no on the swimsuits.) After we shopped we headed over to Sanibel for a quick relax on the beach before our sunset cruise. Unfortunately it was rather cloudy so we didn't see much of a sunset. We did see quite a few dolphins, however, and the boat ride itself was terribly relaxing. Afterward we got pizza at Gatsby's and ice cream at Royal Scoop, where the poor new guy thought pistachio ice cream was chocolate-colored and Sam ended up with two servings of dessert. Worse things have happened. Then we went home and watched Michigan State nearly recover from being 20 points behind Ohio State in basketball.

Sunday we went to the First Church of Learning Settlers. After breakfast Sam and Erika treated us to a game of Settlers of Catan. I had tried to play long ago but it never stuck, and Brad had never played. He picked up on it quite well and I followed along as best as I could. After that we took naps, wrote a paper for grad school, or played World of Warcraft (Brad and Kath, Erika, and Sam, respectively) until it was time for a late lunch/early dinner at Famous Dave's Barbecue. Word to the wise-- as good as it tastes, it's not worth the aftermath. At least that was my experience this time. After lunner we got shakes at Cheeburger (what would a trip to Fort Myers BE without a Cheeburger shake?) and said hello to Ralph and Chris for a bit. Then we headed home for a few more rounds of Settlers. By the time it was time for bed I was feeling like I had caught on and now I want to buy the game.

It was a fantastic weekend filled with relaxing activities. More importantly, however, Brad and I got to feel normal again. We connected with friends, people who know us and who we know, who are real and fun to be around. Both Sam and Erika are fantastic conversationalists and we talked about everything from midwives to crock pots to proofs about wobbly tables. Brad and I both lead rather isolated lives-- we work at desks, come home to each other, and do the same thing the next day. So we loved connecting with friends and just feeling more alive. Thanks, Sam and Erika, for the gift of last weekend!

One thing I left out-- on Friday night just as we were sitting down to dinner I received a phone call from a lady in New Hampshire who was interested in our house. To make a long story short, she asked what kind of deal we could give her if she paid us cash and closed in 30 days. (!!!!!) As of right now she is communicating with our realtor who is sending her information about the area. It may all fall through, or we may be moving soonishly. We're trying not to get too excited because it's quite likely it will not happen. But maybe it will. I'll keep you posted.

While the Seavers were here Sam showed us Google Reader. If you're not using it to keep up with your blogs, you must! It's a feature of having a google account like gmail and it lets you know which of your blogs has been updated! I set it up yesterday and was delighted to find out lickety split that Shanel posted 8 times yesterday with delightful stories and pictures and thoughts. One was this: "Buy yourself some flowers this week or a blooming plant at Jewel. Cheer your home up with some color. It is so drab out there and we have a long way to go till Spring." Hmm. Read metaphorically, this is so true for me right now. If you don't read Shanel's blog yet, I think you'll enjoy her musings. I love the pictures of her darling Audrey Anne and her stories about life taking care of the sick and dying.

And speaking of Shanel, she convinced me last week to try World of Warcraft. Any of my other girlfriends will be incredulous at that, but it's true. We made a date for last night to play together and we played for about an hour. I can understand the lure of it. The game is well-made and creative, and I have to say I enjoyed killing scorpions and warthog-things. But I can't say I'll do it again. I enjoy nurturing my girly side where there are no killings, only cooking and HGTV and pretty things, which is what I do when Brad plays his manly kill-things game.

Other random thoughts for today-- from Susan's blog: "From the beginning, our lives lay down clues to selfhood and vocation, though the clues may be hard to decode…. We do not find our callings by conforming ourselves to some abstract moral code. We find our callings by claiming authentic selfhood, by being who we are."

And "Depression is the ultimate state of disconnection--it deprives one of the relatedness that is the lifeline of every being."

I'm chewing on ideas of what I want to do with my life, and I keep coming back to being a principal. I can't seem to run away from it, as much as I'd like to and as much as I don't want to go to grad school. But "claiming authentic selfhood", as Susan quotes from Parker Palmer, it fits me to a T. I am a leader, I am an empowerer, an encourager, a delegator. I can steer the ship and pat the backs of my rowers. I have been fortunate enough to have had fantastic leader examples and have learned from them. So I'm thinking about that. I think ideally, we'd move to Ohio, work for a year, and then I'd start grad school next fall. Who knows.

And the second quote-- I'm feeling like I'm in full-fledged depression. It happened once before, right after we got engaged (!), and I became sort-of dead to the world. I was overwhelmed with my job and then I added wedding-planning to the pot, and after mustering-up for some time, something clicked inside and the chemicals turned off my happiness. A light dose of happy pills worked and I was off of them after 6 months. Then in October I was crying a lot and got some good prayer and the depression was completely lifted off of me for the past two years.

This time the click happened when I found out that the house I thought we were going to get in Ohio was sold to someone else. I felt the click happen, and ever since I just can't muster up. I can't make a decision worth anything-- menus are anxiety-producing to me. And this time I'm much more anxious-- full of nervousness at random times (watching tv, driving home) and heart-racing panic moments. I have a doctor's appointment next week and I hope hope hope she'll give me some small dose of something to take the edge off. It's an anxious, uncertain time of life and this time we don't have community here to rally around us. So the quote from Susan feels real-- I feel disconnected and unable and unwilling to try to connect to new people. I don't like myself and I don't trust my reactions so I'm just trying to get by right now until stability comes in one form or another. It's isolating for sure.

Thankfully I have a super husband who understands me even when I don't understand me and likes me just the same. We're getting by and enjoying our evenings at home together. We have some fun things planned-- next weekend is girls weekend for me in Chicago, then we both go to Indianapolis to see some Huntington friends, then we'll go to Mount Dora sometime which is a great town near Orlando, then my dad comes to town, and then my mom comes to town. All before mid March. And I just got an email from Spirit Airlines that they have some cheap fares down here in Feb and March, in case you want to visit! You never know how long we'll be here!

It's only 11:31 and I've posted three times today...

But they just keep coming! Right on US 41- main drag through Fort
Myers- there's a big billboard on a busy corner. It has two stick
figure people- man and women- and in big letters : www.my crappy sex
life.com (spaces inserted so I won't get googled). I saw it a few
days ago when they first put it up and thought, how tasteless and just
too much. Try explaning that to my seven year old niece or any other
child learning to read as you drive by on your daily way!

Today I remembered to actually check it out. It's an advertisement
for a CHURCH down here that is doing a series on sex. Unreal! I just
hate the hype and shock value that is employed like a hook to get
people to come to church. We actually tried this church-- it was one
we were excited about before we even got here!-- and couldn't take it.
The people have good intentions but the hype and hysteria is just too
much.

Unless I'm forgetting Jesus' stint in shock marketing, I thought our
job was to love God and love people. Nowhere were we instructed to
lure them in with over-the-top, potentially offensive marketing.

One more thing I'm looking forward to once we get to Ohio...

I have a black thumb, or a shriveled thumb, or whatever is the opposite of a green thumb. As a result we have absolutely no landscaping other than grass. Nothing. Bare lawn, that's it. And if we didn't have automatic sprinklers, the grass would be dead, too. So when we get to move, someday, my mother is going to teach me to garden. And I will get to have plants like these, which nearly move me to tears. There's something about peonies that is so comforting and soothing-- the delicate pink blossoms remind me of my mother's garden and my wedding bouquet.

Cooking experiment, and why I didn't post pictures last night

Believe me, I had good intentions to get some pix up here. But the
disappointment that is our little camera had a rather full memory card
and it took an hour to sort through things and clear it off. By 11
p.m. I had had enough. So that will have to wait until Monday. I
have some random stuff on there-- pictures of some of my cooking
endeavors, like the French onion soup and the calzones made with
Brandon's dough recipe, and some of Africa which I owe you badly. I'll
make an effort to post next week.

Last night I finished shaving off the edges of the plexiglass, and I
must say it looks goooooood. We both just love that table now. It
looks so cool and retro and modern all in one.

We also watched the end of the special from BBC's The Office. Oh, the
emotions. It was painfully good, just like every other minute of that
series. And I was happy with the way they ended it.

Last night was c-o-l-d in Florida terms. Brad had all the windows and
doors open to air out the house-- love that-- and by evening it was in
the 60s and quite brisk inside. I slept in socks, a sweatshirt, etc.,
with a heating pad on my feet and the down comforter last night and
got great sleep. This morning it was so cold in the house that Brad
turned on the heat! (I know, I know, wah wah wah.)

This morning I did a few things to get the house in order and also
threw a concoction into the crock pot for dinner tonight. Sam and
Erika arrive around 5:30 so I thought I'd cook something up for when
they get here. I got a pork loin at Costco last week with the
intention to cut it up and freeze parts. I put half of it- 3 lbs-
into the crock pot, along with some chicken stock, minced garlic,
creole seasoning, and a little cornstarch to thicken the gravy. I
sort of threw that recipe together from a few recipes I found online.
Unbeknownst to me, pork loin is different from pork roast, and the
loin is white and lean, therefore not a good candidate for the crock
pot. I was hoping for pulled pork sandwiches. Not so sure that will
happen. So we'll see how it works out. I figure if it doesn't turn
out well, I'll cut it into little chunks and put it in with some fried
rice and freeze it for lunches for me, and we can all go out to dinner
tonight. I love experimenting. I just wish meat wasn't so expensive
to experiment with.

Today will be slow-- boss is working from home so it's quiet in the
office. I don't have tons to do-- it's a slow market and we don't
have many new contracts. Since I'm contracts administrator, that
means I don't have a lot to administrate. Or administer. Whatever.

And in not fun news, my wonderful sister was diagnosed with Crohn's
Disease this week. She has a good doctor who is prescribing a good
drug treatment, but that treatment will be in the form of an IV she
has to take every 6 weeks without fail. I just hate that my baby
sister has to have this. So pray for her for comfort and for
reminders that God loves her.

Mom got the great idea of a cheerer-upper for Steph-- a girls' weekend
like we had in August! I just booked my ticket on Spirit for early
Feb and I'm excited to watch movies, paint nails, get massages, and
veg out together. It will be cold, but I can't wait to see them.
Chicago friends, please don't be hurt if I don't call. It's a weekend
reserved for girl-ing.

Have a great weekend, dear readers. We plan to do some sightseeing
and relaxing with Sam and Erika and hope to learn how to play
Settlers!

Spoiled Rotten

Last night I came home to a sparkly clean house, two dvds from
Netflix, and dinner already cooked! My husband is too good to me. We
had burgers and baked potato and salad-- yum. And glasses put in the
freezer for a few hours-- nice and chilly. We're trying to
incorporate more veggies into our diet so salad is becoming a daily
thing. We're both a little sick of it, but hoping it will become a
habit that we don't even think about. I got creative in my
salad-eating-- when I was finished with my half-of-baked-potato, I
thew a little cheese on it, broiled it, and then put my salad inside.
I then rolled it up like a little wrap, whose cross section looked a
lot like sushi, which led to an interesting dinner conversation about
what sushi really is. And that's another good habit we're
developing-- fewer dinners in front of the tv. It's just so nice to
have a conversation and unwind. Unless How It's Made is on Discovery.
That's a fun dinner show.

Anyway, after dinner we worked for a bit trying to shave down the
edges of the plexiglass for the table top which I thought would be a
relatively painless experience. My old glass grinder thought
otherwise. It took forever just to round one corner, and two of the
sides needed to be shaved-- all 26 and 36 inches of them. That would
have taken a week on the grinder, so we got out our router. The
router is mounted so that the blade hits about one inch above the
tabletop-- doesn't work so well when what we're working with is 3/16
of an inch thick. So we used some scrap wood to raise the table top
and got closer to our desired results. The thing still needs to be
sanded in places which I'm going to try to do tonight.

After that we watched Mythbusters, our Wednesday night special show
where Brad geeks out to fire and explosions and I geek out to
kinematics equations from physics class. Last night they had a myth
about what to do when you drive into water. They tried opening the
door while the car was sinking, opening the door when the car had
sunk, opening the door when the car had just hit the water, etc. The
answer is..... open the door as soon as you can. If you forget and
water has already risen inside the vehicle, sit calmly and wait until
the whole cabin is full. If you fight and struggle you'll run out of
breath and energy and will die. If you sit calmly you'll be fine.
Once it's full you can open the door easily. There's your public
service announcement for the day. It just happened down here a week
or two ago-- tragic story of a husband who's wife went out for takeout
Friday night and never came home. They found her in her van in a
rentention pond across the street from the restaurant. So very
heartbreaking.

After Mythbusters we watched the first half of The Office Special.
It's the last dose of BBC The Office that we have. And just like
Season One and Season Two, it was horrifically painful. Not in a
violent or offensive way. It's just that the main character is so
terribly... terrible. He says the most offensive or inappropriate
things and thinks more highly of himself than he ought to. It's
hilarious but painful. We made it halfway through and will finish
tonight.

So I am spoiled rotten. Lovely clean house and dinner made by my
husband, lovely evening of Mythbusters and The Office... I couldn't
ask for more.

A recipe I want to try... or maybe you try it and tell me if you like it!

Field's Famous Frango Mint Pie
1 cup Frango mint chocolates (about one-third pound), chopped into quarter-inch pieces
2 cups milk, divided
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
one-fourth teaspoon salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 9-inch graham cracker pie shells
Topping (see recipe)
 

In top of double boiler or on low power in microwave oven, melt Frango mint chocolates. In saucepan, scald 1and one-half cups of the milk. Stir in melted mints. Set aside. In top of double boiler, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and remaining one-half cup milk.
Add eggs and cook over simmering water until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Cool. Stir in chocolate mixture, cream and vanilla.

 

Freeze in ice cream freezer, following basic manufacturer's instructions.
 

Fill both graham cracker pie shells with ice cream. Sprinkle one-half cup topping on top of each pie. Freeze until firm. Makes two 9-inch pies, 6 to 8 servings each.
 

Topping
1 cup filberts, finely chopped
1 cup sugar
 

In very heavy saucepan, melt sugar over medium heat until sugar starts to liquefy. Lower heat. Add filberts. Mix thoroughly. Transfer to buttered cookie sheet. Spread with knife. Cool. In blender or food processor, pulverize into small pieces.
 

Calories per serving: 646, 7 grams of fat.
 

This is just to say...

...that I've learned how to post to the blog via email.  No more pesky signing in to blogger unless pictures are involved.  Hooray!

Can you feel the love tonight?

Last night we had ourselves a cultural experience, no sarcasm at all. We got to see The Lion King, Broadway style, at our very own Barbara B. Mann theater on the grounds of Edison Community College in Fort Myers. It was incredible. I've seen it a few times on Broadway, thanks to chaperoning field trips and visits to New York with my mom. This was Brad's first time seeing it. And after seeing these animals in Africa, it had a whole new meaning for me. It is such an incredible show-- so creative and just gorgeous. It moved me like it always does and tickled my creative itch.







It also inspired me to do something creative, which is the motto of one of my favorite stores, The Paper Source. Unfortunately there are no stores down here, so online shopping is my best bet. I've spent quite a few minutes browsing this week as I need a colorful paper to put on my new desk! Remember that metal table we had powdercoated a while back? We got it back in December, and I just love it. It's silver and beautiful and retro and shiny all at the same time. The only thing left to finish is the top. Originally it had an old linoleum top which dried out and was cracked and curled. We took it off but there is still a metal lip around the edge which framed the top. Well, the lip is too deep to ignore unless you want some killer lines across your forearms, and it's too shallow to put plywood or anything else one finds at Lowe's. So we decided to try plexiglass. I bought two little pieces at Lowe's, two different thicknesses, to try for a few days. The cost of the thicker one, which was the best one, would have been more than $50. Ugh. But we found a nice little unusual shop called The Lucite Outlet. Not so much a chain of stores, since I'm not sure there's a huge market of mainstream consumers for lucite. However, this place cut me a sheet of acrylic in 5 minutes for $22, and I'm thrilled. It's squared on the corners so I need so sand it down a bit to round them, but no big deal. So what will go between the acrylic and the desktop? Well, I could do pictures or a collage, which actually just came to me and sounds really cool. But I need a cool background, so to Paper Source I go. I'm going to order a roll or two of their wrapping paper and it will be just great. They also have paper flower kits which tempt me beyond my limits. I might have to order an orchid one and a magnolia one. I already asked my kind mother to check the local stores near Chicago as they were out of the daffodil kits and I just must have one. (Mom, you're too good to me.)

(10 minutes elapses)

Ooo-- just took a shopping break there. See what I mean about tempting?

In other news, some team from up north made it to the Superbowl. I've never been a huge pro-football fan, but this is pretty cool. I mean, I remember that other time happening when I was 9, and I even knew the whole Superbowl Shuffle. (You know you want to click on it. Go ahead.) "You're lookin' at the Fridge, I'm the rookie. I may be large, but I'm no dumb cookie..."

While I'm certain I'll watch at least part of the game, here's an alternative: The Puppy Bowl. Animal Planet will be showing puppies playing around, with a half time show featuring kittens. Sorry to break your heart, Dad, but I might be a channel flipper that night.

That's all for now. This weekend will be our first opportunity to host friends!!! Sam and Erika and Samika or Erisam or Baby Seaver, take your pick, will be here. We're super excited.

Real Florida Experiences

Brad and I both feel just a little more Floridian today. My Florida experience happened as I entered my office from the parking lot this morning. I noticed a lot of frog poop on the ground, a little more than usual, but didn't think much of it. But I had forgotten to look up. As I walked through the doorway a frog jumped down and stuck to my bare bicep. Once I realized what the wet thing was on my arm I made noises I didn't know I could make-- like a cross between a gasp and an audible shudder with some scared lalalalalas mixed in. My heart rate jumped as I brushed the rascal off my arm onto the floor. I got the broom and tried to brush him outside, but he fought me on it and kept jumping back in. Finally I got him outside and shut the door quickly. And then I called Brad and my mother for sympathy. EWWW. And then washed off my arm.

Brad just called to let me know of his success in running errands this afternoon. While he was at Lowe's returning some things, he had his own Florida experience. See, in Florida, people wear whatever they think might be appropriate for their own backyard. It doesn't matter whether they are in the privacy of their backyard or not. Brad spotted one happy Lowe's shopper sporting a remarkable outfit. White shirt, blue Speedos. Thankfully the beer belly hung low enough as to camoflage any, er, bulges.

It's a beautiful day in Florida. What fun experiences have you had today?

I just spent my Christmas money.

I joined Netflix. See, our Blockbuster here is just... lacking. If it's not the latest and greatest and a bit crude, it's not there. So in order to expand my choices, I joined Netflix. I considered joining Blockbuster online, but Netflix got much better reviews on the Ask Metafilter, which to me is on the same level as Consumer Reports but by real consumers. Ooo- I should have checked Epinions. Might do that.

Anyway, now we have a free two-week trial. I signed up for the $9.99 a month, one-at-a-time, unlimited monthly deal. Here's what's in our queue right now, in order. Care to make some suggestions? I'm stupid excited for The Office dvds to arrive-- they're the ones from BBC. We've already caught up on the Steve Carell version. Now it's time to see the originals. Thanks, Kerry, for the suggestion!

The Office: Series 1
The Office: Series 2
The Office Special
The Wool Cap (Thanks, Sam, for the suggestion)
Arrested Development: Season 1: Disc 1 (My sister loves this. I've never seen it.)
Arrested Development: Season 1: Disc 2
Arrested Development: Season 1: Disc 3
Arrested Development: Season 2: Disc 1
Arrested Development: Season 2: Disc 2
Arrested Development: Season 2: Disc 3
Arrested Development: Season 3: Disc 1
Arrested Development: Season 3: Disc 2
Mostly Martha (I must own this soon. I just love this movie.)
Nowhere in Africa
Bread and Tulips (makes me think of my roommate Susan)
Born Free (to reminisce about Africa)
Cinema Paradiso: Director's Cut (makes me think of Baltimore's outdoor movie nights)
Roman Holiday
Coach Carter
Glory Road
Cars
Jesus Camp
C.S. Lewis: The Magic Never Ends
Coupling: Season 1 (looked interesting-- like a British "Friends")
Coupling: Season 2: Disc 1
Coupling: Season 2: Disc 2
Coupling: Season 3: Disc 1
Coupling: Season 3: Disc 2
Coupling: Season 4
Monty Python: The Life of Python: Vol. 1
Monty Python: The Life of Python: Vol. 2
The Chorus
Children of Heaven

As you can see, Brad hasn't gotten to add to the list yet. I threw in some Monty Python because I knew he'd probably like that. It will have a more masculine feel soon, I'm sure. Something with war, car races, and general violence will do.

Things are ok right now, otherwise. Not a single bite on our house which is discouraging. But we only listed it December 22nd. Average time on the market around here is like 120 days. So I won't get nervous until April 22, which happens to be my half-birthday. That would be a great half-birthday present, God. A contract.

And speaking of birthdays and houses, I had a bit of a mini-epiphany the other day. Remember the red Cape Cod house we found on my birthday in Ohio? The one that I thought was my birthday present from God? And then it sold? The thought popped into my head the other day-- what if that feeling, that zing I felt, was given in order to nudge us to get moving? We had just been talking about it before then, not really making any purposeful strides. Perhaps the purpose of the red house was to tell us that it's time to list our Florida house. Ever since that epiphany I've felt a little better about things.

And we've found a church that will work for the time being. It's not home, but it's pretty good. And it's only 15 minutes away, which is nice. It will do for a while. We're going to stay anonymous for a bit.

I've been on a cooking kick lately. I spent a day in the kitchen right before Christmas and felt so alive afterward. Creating, being in the kitchen, cooking, it all makes my heart feel alive. As does Country Living magazine. I'm so hungry for an antique fair or flea market that I drool over the pages of CL mag, ogling the old, worn quilts and beat up, paint-chipped tables. I am midwestern at heart.

Oh, but about cooking. I made some french onion soup on Sunday night for dinner- yum. And then Jell-o popcorn, red for Ohio State, on Monday. And last night I mixed up oatmeal cookies from a mix I got for Christmas. I added mini chocolate chips and toffee chips. It has all been good for my soul.

Don't forget the movie suggestions! Thanks!

I don't mean to go on and on about why I want to leave, but sometimes I can't stop myself from sharing.

Seriously.

One boss just came in complaining about an Hispanic buyer who is having doubts about the mortgage process he's going through. Today the buyer decided to explore another option, which halts the process that we worked out for him. This wasn't what Boss wanted to hear. So he sighed deeply and then spat, "Ethnics."

OH MY GOSH. I just burst out in nervous, incredulous laughter. "Boss, that's a terribly racist thing to say!"

He laughed. "No it's not. It's purely a cultural thing. All those ethnics just have a different timetable."

He was so tickled at my comment that he pulled Other Boss into my office. "Did you hear about that mortgage situation, Other Boss? Those ETHNICS."

Other Boss said, "I KNOW! They just need to trust us on this."

And I said, "Other Boss, I just told Boss that he needs to watch his speech. Saying 'Ethnics' like that is a very racist thing."

To which Boss replied, "I don't give a shit."

I swear I don't make this stuff up

This is the reason I don't think I'll be going back to my gastro doctor, Dr. O'Mailia...

2 FM doctors accused of fraudulant prescriptions (misspelling theirs)

By news-press.com
Originally posted on January 05, 2007

Lee County narcotics officers have arrested two Fort Myers physicians for illegally providing medications.

Dr. James Joseph O'Mailia, 53 of 1806 Monte Vista Street, was arrested Thursday night. Dr. Eugene W. Williams, 70, of 301-V South Road, was arrested this morning.

Williams was arrested at Grace Medical around 10 a.m. After police received several complaints about inappropriate prescribing and dispensing of drugs, police obtained several controlled substances, including Hydrocodone and Soma, without medical justification. After a review by the state attorney's office, Williams was arrested and charged with one count of trafficking in illegal drugs, a first-degree felony.

O'Mailia was arrested at his home around 10 p.m. Thursday after deputies were informed by a local pharmacist of altered prescriptions. Investigation showed numerous prescriptions had not been signed by O'Mailia's former business partner, and that O'Mailia had picked up and paid for the fraudulently signed prescriptions. His activities date back as far as March 2004, deputies said. O'Mailia was charged with 13 counts of fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance, a third-degree felony.

O'Mailia's arrest was part of a Pharmaceutical Investigations Law Enforcement Strategy launched in October.

Some Christmas pics

Outside of Outback Steakhouse, near the upscale shopping center in Fort Myers, were these two very large lighted decorations. The tree alone must have had a mile of rope light wound back and forth. They looked really cool. See the car behind them? Yeah, the tree was like 20 feet tall. Very pretty.


Brad and I split up on Saturday morning to do some shopping separately. Turns out we both went to the glamourous Edison Mall (not glamourous at all, actually-- pretty ghetto). Betcha fifty bucks YOUR mall's decorations didn't include an evergreen dolphin.



And we got a tree from Lowe's in the afternoon. We wrapped it up in a canvas drop cloth to avoid needles being shed all over my car. I think I told you what it looked like. Here's a pic:


And after it was all up and decorated:


If the following picture looks fuzzy to you, you must have been smoking something above...


Grr. Not so happy with my camera. But the tree is really pretty.

Steph came into town on Sunday the 24th. Here she is looking all sophisticated, walking up the lane from the airport terminal.


Brad grew up with an Advent Wreath at Christmas time. I think we did, too, except I don't remember the wreath part. I think we just had candles on a mirror on the table. Is that right, Mom? Anyway, we were at Michaels a few weeks back as I needed to pick up a wreath form for the shell wreath I have yet to make. While we were there, Brad asked if we could buy an Advent Wreath. Well, they don't sell pre-made kits, so we made our own. We bought a fake evergreen wreath, candles, and a bunch of "floral picks", or fake berries and pinecones on sticks. When it was assembled, this is what it looks like. We are quite proud.


One fun thing about Florida is the abundance of fruit this time of year. The oranges are delish. At the orange place we go to there were ruby red oranges-- not just ruby red grapefruit! They're red and sweeeet!


And Mom sent us a care package a little while ago with some Christmasy paper plates and napkins, and a Grow-Your-Own-Snowman kit. Here he is before he got the magic crystal liquid poured in.


And before Steph left for cold Chicago, we spent an afternoon on Sanibel Island. We also went on a sunset cruise where we saw dolphins! It was really relaxing.

Sis and I did a successful self portrait on the boat:


We went under the drawbridge of the Sanibel causeway. Once upon a time I was all proud because the company I interned with in college, moving Lake Shore Drive from one side of Soldier Field to the west side-- Parsons Brinckerhoff-- is the same company that made the Sanibel causeway, a reallllly long series of bridges connecting the island to the mainland. But then, a few years ago, it turns out the construction was inferior on the causeway and now they have to make a new bridge. Eek. This picture shows the old causeway and the muuuch taller new bridge. It's supposed to be complete in June of 2007 or so.


The sun just kept on setting:


A few nights prior, it got really chilly for Florida-- lows in the 40s. Brad made a fire in the firepit and we sat outside for a while.

Then when it was time to go inside, Brad decided to gently extinguish the fire with a spray bottle. It was our version of a free steam skin treatment. Ok, so I suggested the spray bottle because I thought we might want a fire the next night and if we poured water on it the wood would all be wet. Anyway.

We had our Bressler Family Christmas on Thursday night. Afterward we took the kids outside and lit some fireworks in the street:

I held Kena, who vascillated between being excited and gasping with joy, to being scared and burying her head in my shoulder. Too cute. Chase is toeing the "safety line"-- no one was allowed to cross the line except for Uncle Brad.


This pic is from Christmas day, when Kena tried on her pretty princess dress-up dress for us, complete with velcro-on wings and high heels!


And I leave with two wonderful pictures of Brad and me. Ahh, the happy picture with a sunset:


Oh, and there was a wedding party on the boat as well-- a cute couple and their family in town from Minnesota. They were getting married on Monday and had brought their family on the boat to kick off the weekend of fun. In the spirit of weddings: