I have returned from my travels. I was in Queretaro, Mexico. It is about 3 hours by car north on 57 from Mexico City.
Apparently the fates decided that the 22 hour roundtrip to Washington DC on Friday was enough to amuse them because the rest of the trip was fairly smooth sailing, especially for me.
Okay, granted the earliest I'd left work the week prior was 7:30 pm, and I finished breaking my jeep outta parking prison and returned home at 2 am Friday night and was back at work at 7 am on Saturday AND I was back at the airport by 6 am Sunday for the flight out AND the mucus-producing disease that my dear cousin gifted me with returned with a vengence but, all in all, smooth sailing.
Sunday:
Arrived at airport by 6 am, fell asleep in terminal, woke up long enough to board the plane to Charlotte, slept through flight, woke up long enough to leave plane in Charlotte and board plane to Mexico City, slept through flight to Mexico City.
Collected supplier, luggage and lucked into the correct *really freaking long* line at immigration. Got thru immigration with no problem, met driver, took off for Queretaro. I gotta say, I thought I was a nutso driver. Holy crap! It took the rest of the drive to remove my fingernails from the seats after careening thru Mexico City. Arrived in Queretaro, checked into hotel, went to fabulous restaurant (El Goucho, something like that) for dinner - it was Argentinian and they had delicious steak. Yum! And a lot of tequila.
Monday:
Boring work stuff all freakin' day (with a time out for lunch at a chain restaurent called 'Wings' which didn't suck), back to hotel, chased a pretty blue hummingbird around with the camera for an hour, then to dinner at Chucho de Rotto - which was even better than the first restaurant. I tried the cactus salad (it kinda tastes like green pepper) and an appetizer of goat (YUCK! Goats do not equal food.) Then the main course was 'chicken carolina.' OMG. It was so good - a stuffed (with cheese, squash flowers and some other stuff) chicken breast served with veggies, rice and a yummy sauce. This was served with lots of tequila, some of it in the form of margaritas. This is a possible explaination for me forgetting how to turn off the flash on the camera and having all of the pictures I took of the beautiful, very historic, downtown area turn out blurry (neat trick with an automated digital camera) and over-exposed. Maybe.
Tuesday:
More boring work stuff all freakin' day (except for a yummy lunch at a really cool restaurant, complete with tequila), dinner at the hotel and an uneventful evening, except for another humiliating defeat at the hands (wings?) of the hummingbird. Also, funny black birds with large tails proved quick only at eluding my picture-taking. I begin to sense a conspiracy.
Wednesday:
All day trapped doing work stuff. Brief appearance of hummingbird at window - the same one, now taunting me?? Then a large group of us returned to Chucho de Rotto to eat and I was very adventurous in trying some ant egg dish (Ugh - crunchy. Very crunchy. Tasted kinda green.) and a ceasear salad that was prepared at the table (mash the little fish in a wooden bowl, add garlic, oil, an egg yolk, etc, beat 'till your arm falls off then individually stir leaves of lettuce in dressing). Here's the awful thing - I prefer the taste of the artificial ceasear dressing. Foodies around the world are cursing my name right now. I had the chicken carolina again. Yum! And 3 margaritas and I don't even remember how many drinks of straight tequila. Returning to the hotel is kind of a blur, but I think a taxi was involved.
Thursday:
Wrap up of boring work stuff. Then me starring in my own reality show wherein I am turned loose in the streets of downtown Queretaro with $US40 worth of pesos (around $480), 45 minutes to shop, a bunch of trinkets to buy and no grasp of the native language. LOL - not surprising to those who know me, I managed to outshop even the Spanish speakers in our group and successfully procur everything on my list (including a lovely carved wooden owl, a tooled leather covered wooden box, a nifty crystal, postcards to mail, mini-postcards to make up for my camera disability, silver jewelry (there're mines nearby) including earrings, necklaces and a bracelet, and a cute frog magnet, plus some other stuff - all from different stalls/stores). It was fun. I love a challenge. Then we went to a really, really cool restaurant located in what used to be a family hacienda. It was just gorgeous, but I don't remember the name. The food was good too.
Friday:
The driver picked us up at 7:00 am, and we were on our way back to Mexico City to the airport. I got home around 10:30 pm. Then I slept all weekend. I've figured out how to get the pictures off the camera and onto the computer, so one of these days I'll share the picture or two that actually kinda turned out.
What I Learned About Mexico:
* They don't think about tequila the way I always have. I've always considered it a shot. They sip it, with a tasty little V8, tomato beverage called sangrita.
* It takes FOREVER to eat in Mexico. I have things to do. Feed me and let's move on. Lunch took 2 hours. Dinner took at least 4 hours. It drove me freaking nuts.
* They apparently have no rules of the road, except survival of the bravest. No one stops for stop signs. They slow down for lights IF there's already traffic in the intersection, lane lines are for losers and if your car isn't shaking from the stain, you aren't going fast enough. Just to add to the adventure, every now and then they have installed speed bumps. These things are over a foot high, a couple of feet wide with a dip in the middle and are not painted or marked in any way. You just need to know that they are there. And if you hit one going faster than 5 km/hr or so, you'd better kiss your ass goodbye 'cause it's over.
* You cannot judge Mexico by border towns or even resort towns. There is no comparison. Queretaro is beautiful and I yearn for a week or so of free time to explore at will.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Adventures in Traveling...
Today's lesson, kids, is this: Don't procrastinate. Get your passport NOW 'cause you just never know when your company is going to up and demand that you travel to Mexico to visit a supplier... in a week.
I've had all of the paperwork filled out for MONTHS. I did not have my birth certificate until last week, and I didn't get the pictures taken until I was home at Easter. But guess what I did yesterday? Yup. I drove to Washington DC, which is the location of the closest regional passport office and I spent the day getting my passport.
Aye carumba! I love my Jeep Cherokee, but it gets lousy gas mileage and it already has 104k miles, so I rented a car on Thursday. I now live in a tiny town. It does have a regional airport, and that is where the only car rental places are located. (This is important later.)
After managing to haul my carcass outta bed, I was on the road by 4:30 am. The drive wasn't bad. Okay, so most of it was through a torrential downpour, but it still only took 6 hours. It was easier than I expected in large part because in addition to Mapquest directions, I went to AAA.com and printed a TripTik as well. It took FOREVER to print but the maps were SO much better - it actually gives road names and everything! The passport place has a parking deck in the same building, which made things easier so I was through security and standing in the first line at 10:30 am.
At 11:30, my turn came around and I handed over my compulsively organized packet o'required information: birth certificate, 2 acceptable pictures, application form, itinerary to prove that I needed to leave the country on Sunday, and driver's license and the nice man behind the thick window gave me a slip of paper with my appointment number on it. Have you ever seen Beetle Juice- at the end where he's waiting in line and has some huge number and they're calling, like, 5? Well, I now have an all new appreciation for that. An hour after that, my number came up and I scurried over to another really thick window and handed over the packet plus the credit card to pay $157 for expedited service. The guy stamped some things, and had me sign some things and then handed me a receipt and told me to be back in the building before 3:00 'cause that's when they closed the doors.
I spent a couple of hours wandering around Washington DC. You know, it's a beautiful city, very architecturally interesting. I found a couple of really nifty stores and quite enjoyed myself. At the Chocolate Moose, I found this, which I HAD to have. All the holy grilled cheese samiches I can eat from now on! Eat your heart out, Golden Palace Casino! And I found a Borders. Oh, how I miss thee, temple of crisp new books! Then I scarfed down food and hustled through the doors at 2:55.
And that brings us to the next chance to wait in a really long line - to hand in the receipt, which apparently tells them that I'm in-house and waiting to pick up the passport. And then I waited. For a couple more hours. Then they called my name and I picked up the passport, checked to make sure it was right and scooted outta there... and right into rush hour traffic. Yay.
The drive home took a bit longer than I expected and I went straight to the airport to return the rental car... only to find that the airport was closed. Totally dark, not a soul around. I didn't know that airports did, in fact, ever close. You learn something new every day. So the most exciting part of my day was at one this morning, breaking my Jeep out of the long-term parking. I hope there aren't cameras there, 'cause I had to go bouncing over the curb, the sidewalk and some grass to escape.
And then I fell into bed around 2am, and I'm sleepy. *yawn*
I leave for Mexico tomorrow, and (hopefully) return on Friday. I'm sure my adventures will be many and varied. Have a great weekend!
I've had all of the paperwork filled out for MONTHS. I did not have my birth certificate until last week, and I didn't get the pictures taken until I was home at Easter. But guess what I did yesterday? Yup. I drove to Washington DC, which is the location of the closest regional passport office and I spent the day getting my passport.
Aye carumba! I love my Jeep Cherokee, but it gets lousy gas mileage and it already has 104k miles, so I rented a car on Thursday. I now live in a tiny town. It does have a regional airport, and that is where the only car rental places are located. (This is important later.)
After managing to haul my carcass outta bed, I was on the road by 4:30 am. The drive wasn't bad. Okay, so most of it was through a torrential downpour, but it still only took 6 hours. It was easier than I expected in large part because in addition to Mapquest directions, I went to AAA.com and printed a TripTik as well. It took FOREVER to print but the maps were SO much better - it actually gives road names and everything! The passport place has a parking deck in the same building, which made things easier so I was through security and standing in the first line at 10:30 am.
At 11:30, my turn came around and I handed over my compulsively organized packet o'required information: birth certificate, 2 acceptable pictures, application form, itinerary to prove that I needed to leave the country on Sunday, and driver's license and the nice man behind the thick window gave me a slip of paper with my appointment number on it. Have you ever seen Beetle Juice- at the end where he's waiting in line and has some huge number and they're calling, like, 5? Well, I now have an all new appreciation for that. An hour after that, my number came up and I scurried over to another really thick window and handed over the packet plus the credit card to pay $157 for expedited service. The guy stamped some things, and had me sign some things and then handed me a receipt and told me to be back in the building before 3:00 'cause that's when they closed the doors.
I spent a couple of hours wandering around Washington DC. You know, it's a beautiful city, very architecturally interesting. I found a couple of really nifty stores and quite enjoyed myself. At the Chocolate Moose, I found this, which I HAD to have. All the holy grilled cheese samiches I can eat from now on! Eat your heart out, Golden Palace Casino! And I found a Borders. Oh, how I miss thee, temple of crisp new books! Then I scarfed down food and hustled through the doors at 2:55.
And that brings us to the next chance to wait in a really long line - to hand in the receipt, which apparently tells them that I'm in-house and waiting to pick up the passport. And then I waited. For a couple more hours. Then they called my name and I picked up the passport, checked to make sure it was right and scooted outta there... and right into rush hour traffic. Yay.
The drive home took a bit longer than I expected and I went straight to the airport to return the rental car... only to find that the airport was closed. Totally dark, not a soul around. I didn't know that airports did, in fact, ever close. You learn something new every day. So the most exciting part of my day was at one this morning, breaking my Jeep out of the long-term parking. I hope there aren't cameras there, 'cause I had to go bouncing over the curb, the sidewalk and some grass to escape.
And then I fell into bed around 2am, and I'm sleepy. *yawn*
I leave for Mexico tomorrow, and (hopefully) return on Friday. I'm sure my adventures will be many and varied. Have a great weekend!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Stupid Work.
I'm really only awake and conscious right now because I had to go into work today. Blech. My stupid problem child supplier screwed up AGAIN and had to send 3 people to our facility first thing to rework a bunch of parts so they didn't shut down our production.
After I left work, I stopped at home to pick up library books, and I took the opportunity to maul my furballs so I'm totally covered in cat hair. It's a good look for me. Well, at least it's one I'm used to anyway.
I think I'll go take a nap - nothing exciting here, I'm afraid!
After I left work, I stopped at home to pick up library books, and I took the opportunity to maul my furballs so I'm totally covered in cat hair. It's a good look for me. Well, at least it's one I'm used to anyway.
I think I'll go take a nap - nothing exciting here, I'm afraid!
Monday, May 07, 2007
We Interrupt This Program...
Some day soon, I'll write about the hilarious antics of the furballs and their adventures in moving. And I'll post about my adventures at my cousin's wedding (the groom wore a purple zoot suit, and was attacked by shrubberies). And I'll whine and moan about the job.
Today though that's on hold. It's on hold while I curl up in a corner and rock and wish that my parents were close enough for me to hug. Right now I don't want them leaving the house, much less undertaking a road trip to come visit me. I don't want them leaving the cotton batting that I'd really like to wrap them in. I've been off living life in the real world, and it's been bumpy. My best friend's dad has been having serious hello-nursing-home-with-restraints health problems. My aunt had surgery on her cancerous kidneys. My brother split with his girlfriend of 2 years. And I make it back to blog-land, and all hell's breaking loose here too.
First, Sharfa lost her dad. Yeah, she knew it was probably coming. So what? Still sucks beyond words. But what really knocked me over, dropped me for the count, was MM's loss. Oh god, oh god, oh god. To have everything poppin' up daisies one minutes and then the next... gone.
I've got some baggage going on here that really makes this resonate for me. After 45 years, Dad is retiring from the really big tire company. This, even more than the grey hair and the aches and pains, has made me have to admit to myself that he is aging. And I gotta say that he is aging more gracefully than I'm accepting. So anything that makes me look at parental mortality right now hits a pretty big bruise.
And the other thing freaking me out is that I know that stretch of highway. I know it very well. I drove it every time I headed for home, and I had a couple of narrow escapes along the way. So seeing that was a shiver down the spine.
As much as it pains me, I know that I have no idea. Because I can call my parents and talk to them and they'll make it better or try to. So I don't know what he's going through, the pain that his whole family is experiencing. It's like a back injury, I think. Yeah, it gets better - with lots of time. But you're never all the way back to normal and you never know when you're going to turn or twist the wrong way and send a jolt of agony from your toes up through the top of your skull. So I'm sorry, MM, for your loss. I'd help if I could.
But...
There's another thing stuck in my craw too. I can find things. I've always been able to - it's a gift. With the introduction of the internet, there's very little that I can't track down in fairly short order. When MM posted about his Japanese sex book, I found him. Nothing like an image search if you know where to look. And I looked at the squiggly lines on the page, and I looked at the "translate this page" button... and I didn't. I closed the window and surfed away. Because I consider him a friend, though one I've never met who wouldn't know me from a hole in the ground. I'm invested in his life, in the stories he choses to share. And if my friend wants to tell me something, I'll listen. If it's none of my business, I'll walk away.
So him having to deal with being outed on top of everything else just fries my bacon. And the worst is that it's going to happen from people who also consider him a friend. Please, don't post links to articles about the accident. Or the obituaries. Don't mention names. Don't sign guest books. DO NOT show up for calling hours or funerals. As a friend, the best thing you can do is post a comment on his blog and then leave him alone.
Yes, I know it's with good intentions. And he really doesn't care now. But things on the internet last longer than you'd think. I know because I find them. And every link posted and shared and every comment on a guestbook will be there, waiting for someone to stumble across, like a little timebomb. And in time, when things are better - or at least, not as awful - I think he'll care. A lot. And I really don't want him to leave us for his own good. Please, just back away slowly and let him, and his, just be.
Today though that's on hold. It's on hold while I curl up in a corner and rock and wish that my parents were close enough for me to hug. Right now I don't want them leaving the house, much less undertaking a road trip to come visit me. I don't want them leaving the cotton batting that I'd really like to wrap them in. I've been off living life in the real world, and it's been bumpy. My best friend's dad has been having serious hello-nursing-home-with-restraints health problems. My aunt had surgery on her cancerous kidneys. My brother split with his girlfriend of 2 years. And I make it back to blog-land, and all hell's breaking loose here too.
First, Sharfa lost her dad. Yeah, she knew it was probably coming. So what? Still sucks beyond words. But what really knocked me over, dropped me for the count, was MM's loss. Oh god, oh god, oh god. To have everything poppin' up daisies one minutes and then the next... gone.
I've got some baggage going on here that really makes this resonate for me. After 45 years, Dad is retiring from the really big tire company. This, even more than the grey hair and the aches and pains, has made me have to admit to myself that he is aging. And I gotta say that he is aging more gracefully than I'm accepting. So anything that makes me look at parental mortality right now hits a pretty big bruise.
And the other thing freaking me out is that I know that stretch of highway. I know it very well. I drove it every time I headed for home, and I had a couple of narrow escapes along the way. So seeing that was a shiver down the spine.
As much as it pains me, I know that I have no idea. Because I can call my parents and talk to them and they'll make it better or try to. So I don't know what he's going through, the pain that his whole family is experiencing. It's like a back injury, I think. Yeah, it gets better - with lots of time. But you're never all the way back to normal and you never know when you're going to turn or twist the wrong way and send a jolt of agony from your toes up through the top of your skull. So I'm sorry, MM, for your loss. I'd help if I could.
But...
There's another thing stuck in my craw too. I can find things. I've always been able to - it's a gift. With the introduction of the internet, there's very little that I can't track down in fairly short order. When MM posted about his Japanese sex book, I found him. Nothing like an image search if you know where to look. And I looked at the squiggly lines on the page, and I looked at the "translate this page" button... and I didn't. I closed the window and surfed away. Because I consider him a friend, though one I've never met who wouldn't know me from a hole in the ground. I'm invested in his life, in the stories he choses to share. And if my friend wants to tell me something, I'll listen. If it's none of my business, I'll walk away.
So him having to deal with being outed on top of everything else just fries my bacon. And the worst is that it's going to happen from people who also consider him a friend. Please, don't post links to articles about the accident. Or the obituaries. Don't mention names. Don't sign guest books. DO NOT show up for calling hours or funerals. As a friend, the best thing you can do is post a comment on his blog and then leave him alone.
Yes, I know it's with good intentions. And he really doesn't care now. But things on the internet last longer than you'd think. I know because I find them. And every link posted and shared and every comment on a guestbook will be there, waiting for someone to stumble across, like a little timebomb. And in time, when things are better - or at least, not as awful - I think he'll care. A lot. And I really don't want him to leave us for his own good. Please, just back away slowly and let him, and his, just be.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Settling in...
Good heavens, time does fly. I'm still computer free, and depending on the library for most online access. And man, does THAT suck. There are some strange people hanging out here, let me tell you. Yeah, I'm probably one of them.
I've moved into the HUGE house that I'm renting. I pitied my tasty-looking movers this time. Just wait 'til I move out of this place, 'cause I've already added furniture and I've barely started.
As I'm now about half an hour from the coast, I'm even more of a vacation destination than I was in Chicago. So I'm in the market for several sleeper sofas, since I will have housefuls of people beginning soon.
Crap. Library closing. Gotta go! More later.
I've moved into the HUGE house that I'm renting. I pitied my tasty-looking movers this time. Just wait 'til I move out of this place, 'cause I've already added furniture and I've barely started.
As I'm now about half an hour from the coast, I'm even more of a vacation destination than I was in Chicago. So I'm in the market for several sleeper sofas, since I will have housefuls of people beginning soon.
Crap. Library closing. Gotta go! More later.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Stuck In The Middle With Me...
Honestly, I'll stop whining about changes soon, I promise. Just not quite yet. I'm almost at the point where I'm sick of listening to myself.
I'm back in Chicago for an extended weekend. Tomorrow, the movers will arrive between 8:00 am and 10:00 am to pack up all my stuff. Then on Tuesday, they'll show up again and load all my stuff. Then I fly out on Wednesday, pick up my keys on Thursday, and the movers will arrive with my stuff during the window of Friday, March 30 and Monday, April 2. Then the next weekend, I'll fly back here, load up the rental SUV with anything and everything that the movers wouldn't take, turn in my keys to the landlord, make sure the electric and such is in his name again and drive back to North Carolina - with a stop at home for my birthday.
I've got to tell ya, my apartment is currently a pretty depressing place to be. The cats aren't there, and it's very strange being able to set things down and leave them. And, most everything I REALLY needed I took with me, so my apartment is fairly barren. It's very strange. Feels kinda like it does when I go back to my parents' house - I'm visiting a place I used to belong. Weird. Very weird.
But I'm going over to a friend's and we're going to sit on her porch and enjoy the beautiful weather (I think I brought it with me) and possibly enjoy adult beverages and maybe leer at her lawn boy, aka fiance. Then, if we can still walk, we're going to go make her wedding invitations. Those should turn out well. And remind me, when I have the bottle in front of me and can remember what it's called - 'cause the alcoholic beverage to be inhibed is really freaking yummy! It's Belgian, I think, and it's raspberry soda flavored. Very tasty.
And, if you're in the Chicago area - ever - and in need of alcohol, check out Binny's. OMG. It's the best store EVER. There's a bunch of them and they have, seriously, damn near every alcoholic beverage available. Love 'em! Yay, alcohol! (Their prices are really good too. I'm tellin' ya, these people rock!)
Alrighty, off to drink.
Later!
I'm back in Chicago for an extended weekend. Tomorrow, the movers will arrive between 8:00 am and 10:00 am to pack up all my stuff. Then on Tuesday, they'll show up again and load all my stuff. Then I fly out on Wednesday, pick up my keys on Thursday, and the movers will arrive with my stuff during the window of Friday, March 30 and Monday, April 2. Then the next weekend, I'll fly back here, load up the rental SUV with anything and everything that the movers wouldn't take, turn in my keys to the landlord, make sure the electric and such is in his name again and drive back to North Carolina - with a stop at home for my birthday.
I've got to tell ya, my apartment is currently a pretty depressing place to be. The cats aren't there, and it's very strange being able to set things down and leave them. And, most everything I REALLY needed I took with me, so my apartment is fairly barren. It's very strange. Feels kinda like it does when I go back to my parents' house - I'm visiting a place I used to belong. Weird. Very weird.
But I'm going over to a friend's and we're going to sit on her porch and enjoy the beautiful weather (I think I brought it with me) and possibly enjoy adult beverages and maybe leer at her lawn boy, aka fiance. Then, if we can still walk, we're going to go make her wedding invitations. Those should turn out well. And remind me, when I have the bottle in front of me and can remember what it's called - 'cause the alcoholic beverage to be inhibed is really freaking yummy! It's Belgian, I think, and it's raspberry soda flavored. Very tasty.
And, if you're in the Chicago area - ever - and in need of alcohol, check out Binny's. OMG. It's the best store EVER. There's a bunch of them and they have, seriously, damn near every alcoholic beverage available. Love 'em! Yay, alcohol! (Their prices are really good too. I'm tellin' ya, these people rock!)
Alrighty, off to drink.
Later!
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Assorted New Things...
I'm not homeless! Of course, I'm not moved either, but I'm getting closer. I've put a deposit down on the house I'll be renting. Two trips back to Chicago have been scheduled - one to meet the movers for pack and load days and a second, over Easter, when I fly in and drive back for the final move. I need to go in and start figuring out where stuff is going to go, and start measuring things. I was going to do that today, but I ended up having to work.
While I continue to think that more and more of their practices are totally ass-backwards, I am settling into the job. One of the guys I work with forwarded a presentation that I sent as an FYI to him to the big cheese in the global headquarters. *Squeak!!* I chewed him up one side and down the other 'cause that was my first stab at it. An hour later, the big cheese sent something back saying that it looked great and he's going to use it for the basis of a huge meeting in a couple of weeks. So I spent most of today adding data to my spreadsheet to take it from six months to over a year. I didn't go in for that - there has to be a quality engineer in the building if production is running, and I volunteered for today 'cause I'm about the only one left who isn't currently sick. So, next week, I'll make like I know what I'm doing with Minitab and get all statistical on its ass. Take that, data!
I talked to my mom today and learned that my dad has filed the papers to retire from the really big tire company. They offered him a buy-out and apparently, he took it. He doesn't know his last day yet - the company has 90 days to get back to him. And they've still got him working seven days, with a double on the last day. The place is going to fall apart without him. For some reason, this is really throwing me for a loop. I think it's the idea that Dad is old enough to retire. I'd rather not think about him getting old. *sigh* Older. And there's that whole hating-change thing. He's been there, what?, 45 years or so? They try to sell their house and I'll really freak out. I can't even think about that. Next topic!
My poor Sophia is just beginning to forgive me for the car trip down here. Another two weeks and she's moving again. The Peanut was totally fine less than ten minutes after exiting the carrier... not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Sophia? Still not settled completely down.
I broke the washer in the temp housing this weekend. Apparently it locks during the spin cycle. Something happened to it and it just stopped. So I gave it an hour or so and then went to poke at it. I had to pry up the lid - breaking the hold-the-lid-down-thingie that was probably important, and it was full of water. Swell. So I wrung out my clothes, tossed them into the dryer, turned it off and then waited to see if the water would drain out on its own. It did, but I still need a washer. *sigh* Not like I work for a company that makes 'em or anything...
So, in the next three weeks, I will have all of my belongings here from Chicago, will be out of temp housing and into the beautiful house that I'm renting, will have renewed my drivers license and plates (in Ohio, let's not get all crazy with the relocating just yet, thankyouverymuch), found a bank here that isn't totally stupid, gotten a library card, and figured out how far I have to drive to get to a decent shoe store. (Already found the book stores, and the needlework stores.) And and and... I'll be much calmer when it's all done. I don't like being unsettled. But, it's getting there!
While I continue to think that more and more of their practices are totally ass-backwards, I am settling into the job. One of the guys I work with forwarded a presentation that I sent as an FYI to him to the big cheese in the global headquarters. *Squeak!!* I chewed him up one side and down the other 'cause that was my first stab at it. An hour later, the big cheese sent something back saying that it looked great and he's going to use it for the basis of a huge meeting in a couple of weeks. So I spent most of today adding data to my spreadsheet to take it from six months to over a year. I didn't go in for that - there has to be a quality engineer in the building if production is running, and I volunteered for today 'cause I'm about the only one left who isn't currently sick. So, next week, I'll make like I know what I'm doing with Minitab and get all statistical on its ass. Take that, data!
I talked to my mom today and learned that my dad has filed the papers to retire from the really big tire company. They offered him a buy-out and apparently, he took it. He doesn't know his last day yet - the company has 90 days to get back to him. And they've still got him working seven days, with a double on the last day. The place is going to fall apart without him. For some reason, this is really throwing me for a loop. I think it's the idea that Dad is old enough to retire. I'd rather not think about him getting old. *sigh* Older. And there's that whole hating-change thing. He's been there, what?, 45 years or so? They try to sell their house and I'll really freak out. I can't even think about that. Next topic!
My poor Sophia is just beginning to forgive me for the car trip down here. Another two weeks and she's moving again. The Peanut was totally fine less than ten minutes after exiting the carrier... not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Sophia? Still not settled completely down.
I broke the washer in the temp housing this weekend. Apparently it locks during the spin cycle. Something happened to it and it just stopped. So I gave it an hour or so and then went to poke at it. I had to pry up the lid - breaking the hold-the-lid-down-thingie that was probably important, and it was full of water. Swell. So I wrung out my clothes, tossed them into the dryer, turned it off and then waited to see if the water would drain out on its own. It did, but I still need a washer. *sigh* Not like I work for a company that makes 'em or anything...
So, in the next three weeks, I will have all of my belongings here from Chicago, will be out of temp housing and into the beautiful house that I'm renting, will have renewed my drivers license and plates (in Ohio, let's not get all crazy with the relocating just yet, thankyouverymuch), found a bank here that isn't totally stupid, gotten a library card, and figured out how far I have to drive to get to a decent shoe store. (Already found the book stores, and the needlework stores.) And and and... I'll be much calmer when it's all done. I don't like being unsettled. But, it's getting there!
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Hey, Check It Out, I'm Not Dead!
Oh, where to start? Well, I'm not dead. Cool. Moving on...
The trip... was hell. I couldn't fit my plants in the Jeep, so I'm going to have to either 1) depend on the kindness of strangers (ie the movers) to move my plantlets or 2) fly back to Chicago and do the drive again. Oh the rapture. At least I won't have to deal with two screaming cats.
First leg of the trip: home to Ohio wasn't too bad, except for the screaming cat part. Then I actually broke my personal vow to myself and stayed at my parents' house. Yes, in the acid green formerly-mine room. It was lovely. But, mom was being, well, mom and frankly I didn't trust her alone with my cats. Isn't that a sad state of affairs? She's got three indoor/outdoor cats with claws. I have two indoor declawed cats. I saw no value in further stressing my furballs with an introduction. And I did NOT want my cats getting outside. And I wasn't thrilled with the idea of my cats being exposed to whatever strange wormy little cooties that her cats have. Mom ignored all that and kept yammering on about how great it would be to see them all playing together. So I stayed, and rode herd on my mother.
Second leg of the trip: My brain has protected me by making that day a twelve hour long haze of stress induced fogginess. I was on the road by 8:30 am. The drugs worked on the Peanut briefly. That was the best three hours of the trip. It poured rain the whole way, unless I had my own personal raincloud following me. In the mountains, it was so foggy that you couldn't see a car length in front of you. I narrowly avoided a nasty pileup at a toll booth. I arrived in North Carolina at 9 pm in a pounding thunderstorm, heading into hour 14 of my day to find the keys to the temporary housing... not where they were supposed to be. A friend helped me hunt down a phone number for the HR guy at home and he arranged for me to stay in a hotel for the night. At least this time, unlike the interview, I was settled in early enough to find delivery pizza open.
So, I didn't start on Monday 'cause my boss was out of town so the HR guy said to just get settled into the temp housing and relax and then start on Tuesday. So I did.
I may have jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Their supplier situation is even more convulted than my last company. Eek! And there's confusion over who I actually report to - HR and all the paperwork says one person, someone in my office is saying that I report to him. We'll see how that works out.
I'm adjusting to the South. Sorta. I've gotta say, y'all have more pork products in your grocery stores than I previously knew existed. This is a rhetorical question 'cause I do NOT want to know what it really is, but pork crackings? Ugh. As I expected, the traffic is making me nuts. Too slow!!!! Get outta my way! And for god's sake, when the light turns green, don't think about moving for several seconds, GO! There's a little pedal on the right. You should play with it and see what happens when you depress it. Gah.
This morning was exciting. I was walking down the outside stairs of my temp housing when an older pickup came screaming into the lot and stopped directly behind my Jeep. The driver jumped outta the truck, pounded up the stairs and started beating on my neighbor's door. "Open up you )(#*)@#$*%)@(*)$! I know you're in there, you )#*)#(%*)#@(." Good heavens. Ever willing to rush in where angels fear to tread, I yelled up at him to please move his truck. He snarled over the edge for me to do it myself. Since his keys were still in it, I did. Apparently he wasn't expecting that, 'cause the look on his face was priceless. I think he wanted to yell at me, but he just sputtered. I moved his heap back enough to escape, hopped out, smiled at him sunnily, wished him a nice day, jumped in the Jeep and took off.
I've got scads more to babble about (I know this shocks you) but it's almost closing time at the library. The new company is very strict about the internet. They've got all outside email, all blogs, all music and video, and all auction sites blocked. There's a bunch more too. I've GOT to get moved in and hooked up at home. Not seeing everyone's blogs every day is KILLING me.
The trip... was hell. I couldn't fit my plants in the Jeep, so I'm going to have to either 1) depend on the kindness of strangers (ie the movers) to move my plantlets or 2) fly back to Chicago and do the drive again. Oh the rapture. At least I won't have to deal with two screaming cats.
First leg of the trip: home to Ohio wasn't too bad, except for the screaming cat part. Then I actually broke my personal vow to myself and stayed at my parents' house. Yes, in the acid green formerly-mine room. It was lovely. But, mom was being, well, mom and frankly I didn't trust her alone with my cats. Isn't that a sad state of affairs? She's got three indoor/outdoor cats with claws. I have two indoor declawed cats. I saw no value in further stressing my furballs with an introduction. And I did NOT want my cats getting outside. And I wasn't thrilled with the idea of my cats being exposed to whatever strange wormy little cooties that her cats have. Mom ignored all that and kept yammering on about how great it would be to see them all playing together. So I stayed, and rode herd on my mother.
Second leg of the trip: My brain has protected me by making that day a twelve hour long haze of stress induced fogginess. I was on the road by 8:30 am. The drugs worked on the Peanut briefly. That was the best three hours of the trip. It poured rain the whole way, unless I had my own personal raincloud following me. In the mountains, it was so foggy that you couldn't see a car length in front of you. I narrowly avoided a nasty pileup at a toll booth. I arrived in North Carolina at 9 pm in a pounding thunderstorm, heading into hour 14 of my day to find the keys to the temporary housing... not where they were supposed to be. A friend helped me hunt down a phone number for the HR guy at home and he arranged for me to stay in a hotel for the night. At least this time, unlike the interview, I was settled in early enough to find delivery pizza open.
So, I didn't start on Monday 'cause my boss was out of town so the HR guy said to just get settled into the temp housing and relax and then start on Tuesday. So I did.
I may have jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Their supplier situation is even more convulted than my last company. Eek! And there's confusion over who I actually report to - HR and all the paperwork says one person, someone in my office is saying that I report to him. We'll see how that works out.
I'm adjusting to the South. Sorta. I've gotta say, y'all have more pork products in your grocery stores than I previously knew existed. This is a rhetorical question 'cause I do NOT want to know what it really is, but pork crackings? Ugh. As I expected, the traffic is making me nuts. Too slow!!!! Get outta my way! And for god's sake, when the light turns green, don't think about moving for several seconds, GO! There's a little pedal on the right. You should play with it and see what happens when you depress it. Gah.
This morning was exciting. I was walking down the outside stairs of my temp housing when an older pickup came screaming into the lot and stopped directly behind my Jeep. The driver jumped outta the truck, pounded up the stairs and started beating on my neighbor's door. "Open up you )(#*)@#$*%)@(*)$! I know you're in there, you )#*)#(%*)#@(." Good heavens. Ever willing to rush in where angels fear to tread, I yelled up at him to please move his truck. He snarled over the edge for me to do it myself. Since his keys were still in it, I did. Apparently he wasn't expecting that, 'cause the look on his face was priceless. I think he wanted to yell at me, but he just sputtered. I moved his heap back enough to escape, hopped out, smiled at him sunnily, wished him a nice day, jumped in the Jeep and took off.
I've got scads more to babble about (I know this shocks you) but it's almost closing time at the library. The new company is very strict about the internet. They've got all outside email, all blogs, all music and video, and all auction sites blocked. There's a bunch more too. I've GOT to get moved in and hooked up at home. Not seeing everyone's blogs every day is KILLING me.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
T Minus One and Counting...
Right. So, it's finally starting to sink in. Tomorrow is my last day here. And even though the last few months have been rough, I'm now getting ridiculous. Completely, hormonally nuts... as in *sniffle* "This is the last time I just jumped for my life out of the elevator" and "I'll never sit in another meeting with you, you gassy, obnoxious pain in the @$$ coworker. *sob* I'll miss you!" I think I've finally lost it.
Let's not get into all of the things that need to be done. No, really. Let's not. My head will explode, I'm almost sure of it. So I'm just going to go sob because this is my last blog from *this* computer. Then I'm going to try to soak the craziness outta my head. I may drown first.
See you on the other side!
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Here Goes Nothin'
Well. My time here in Chicago is drawing to a close. This morning, I verbally accepted an offer for a really big company in North Carolina. I start there on February 26th. Eep. Totally freaking out here. I haven't put my notice in yet, 'cause I'm chicken and I'm stalling. I want to go, but I want to stay. I'm going to go, it's a very good opportunity. But, I'm going to cry the whole time.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Vicki the Biker?
*sigh* Here's the thing. I'm mostly (in my own head, anyway) a very normal, boring person. White bread, middle America, straight down the line. I go to work. I goof off at work, playing on my blog. I go home, eat something approximating dinner and then fall into the soul-sucking depths of my recliner. Sometimes, I wake up there the next day. You'll have that. Then I do it all again. The excitement of my life is stupifying. Really.
But there's another side too. That's the side I try to keep under wraps. The same one that got one tattoo, and is wondering where to put the next one. My evil twin, except the Sybil-living-in-my-brain version. She thinks that an occasional bar fight is the perfect stress relief, and that we (um, I) don't have nearly enough things pierced. She's the one that worked up the nerve to take off for California for several months, and the reason (most probably) that I had the gumption to leave everything I knew to move here for the job.
Lately, I'm afraid she's getting out more than she used to. And, others are starting to suspect. What led to this confession is a pair of shoes. I'm quite the stereotype girl when it comes to shoes. Oh, I loves me some shoes. And shoe shopping? All over it. Like white on rice, baby. My friends and family have laughed at me for years, 'cause no one knows how tall I am at work because I'm always in shoes with at least 3 inch heels. Always. Even my snow boots have heels.
Someone sent me a link to a store, where they bought a dress. I arrowed straight to the shoe section, where I found these. OMG. They are wonderful!! I must have them. I must.
Yes, that's my confession for the day, folks. I don't just love shoes, I love hooker shoes. Silver and clear, 6" platforms THAT LIGHT UP. I've found nirvana.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Pay Attention Much?
Last night, I had a phone conference with my esteemed colleauges in Japan and Singapore. Just out of curiosity, if WE are the global headquarters, why is my ass at work for a call until midnight?! Fucking time zones.
At any rate, I went home, snarfed down some cereal and fell into bed. I did not, as per my usual, pack a lunch. Or set out clothes. Or ready the coffee pot (which died on me the other day. *sob* Oh, faithful friend, how I miss thee.)
I'm just now getting around to eating the lunch I packed this morning. Wow. No wonder I do this sort of thing the evening before. I have 3 apples and 3 string cheese things in there. Apparently this morning, I just circled helplessly from the fridge to the lunch bag and back for a while. *headshake* Alrighty then.
I did only grab one granola bar. But here's the thing. I've been buying the same brand and the same flavor of granola bar for YEARS. [yes, I enjoy my rut - thankyouverymuch] I vaguely remember having to fumble around with a new box this morning, but until I pulled the thing out of the bag a minute ago, I didn't notice that it is totally the wrong size. And brand. And flavor. So instead of my yummy chewy granola bar, I have 2 bars of strangely flavored rock which are crumbling to dust in my keyboard as I speak. Um, type. How the hell did I end up with these things? I must have been unconscious in the store too.
More terrifying is the thought that I AM turning into my mother - she's renowned for going to the store and coming back with the wrong thing (ie going for sour cream, coming back with french onion chip dip, that sort of thing). I'm so doomed.
At any rate, I went home, snarfed down some cereal and fell into bed. I did not, as per my usual, pack a lunch. Or set out clothes. Or ready the coffee pot (which died on me the other day. *sob* Oh, faithful friend, how I miss thee.)
I'm just now getting around to eating the lunch I packed this morning. Wow. No wonder I do this sort of thing the evening before. I have 3 apples and 3 string cheese things in there. Apparently this morning, I just circled helplessly from the fridge to the lunch bag and back for a while. *headshake* Alrighty then.
I did only grab one granola bar. But here's the thing. I've been buying the same brand and the same flavor of granola bar for YEARS. [yes, I enjoy my rut - thankyouverymuch] I vaguely remember having to fumble around with a new box this morning, but until I pulled the thing out of the bag a minute ago, I didn't notice that it is totally the wrong size. And brand. And flavor. So instead of my yummy chewy granola bar, I have 2 bars of strangely flavored rock which are crumbling to dust in my keyboard as I speak. Um, type. How the hell did I end up with these things? I must have been unconscious in the store too.
More terrifying is the thought that I AM turning into my mother - she's renowned for going to the store and coming back with the wrong thing (ie going for sour cream, coming back with french onion chip dip, that sort of thing). I'm so doomed.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Wish Me Luck...
I fly out on Sunday to an interview in North Carolina. The town sounds neat, the job sounds good, we'll have to see how it goes. I really don't like interviewing. I don't like change. I'd really rather just stay in my comfy little rut.
But, my job has reached all new levels of hell, and the writing's on the wall - I really think that they'll be phasing out my department. It would be good to be the one to make the decision to leave.
So, off I toddle to try to impress these people. Now, am I dazzling them with bullshit or baffling them with brilliance? I get so confused. I'll be back on Tuesday. Cross your fingers for me.
But, my job has reached all new levels of hell, and the writing's on the wall - I really think that they'll be phasing out my department. It would be good to be the one to make the decision to leave.
So, off I toddle to try to impress these people. Now, am I dazzling them with bullshit or baffling them with brilliance? I get so confused. I'll be back on Tuesday. Cross your fingers for me.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Mascot Trauma
You know, my life didn't start out this way. I attended the same school from kindergarden through graduation, and our mascot was the viking. It varied from a hairy, Hagar the Horrible type to the sleek profile used by the Minnesota football team. But, all in all, a mascot to be proud of.Then I went to college. To the University of Akron. And what exactly is our fearsome mascot, designed to strike terror into the hearts of our foe?
Yup. Zippy the Kangaroo. Not only that, but the sordid truth of the matter is that something is um, well, off with Zippy. Everyone has always referred to him as a him, but the picture above clearly shows... a pouch. Boy kangaroos don't have those, as I understand it. So, Zippy is transgender, or a hermaphrodite, or a cross dresser.The friendly, happy Zippy is the one that I'm used to. Shortly after I graduated from UA, they gave Zippy a makeover. He's now a fierce, frowny, 'roided out, blue Zippy. Maybe just me, but I'm still not overly intimidated by him. It. Her. Whatever.
About the only sport I feel is worth watching (quit throwing beer cans at me, it's not nice) is baseball. And which team do I follow? Cleveland of course. With Chief Wahoo. Another mascot dud. (Although here I must add that I'm very change-adverse, and if those wackos with nothing better to do than bitch about non-pc mascots get their way, and Chief Wahoo goes the way of the dodo, I'm probably going to be pissed off enough to stop following the Tribe. What can I say? I hold grudges for things like that.)
It could be worse. I could follow Cincinnati. The Gapper? What's up with that?? What is that thing anyway?
And now, the teams getting national recognition right now - Ohio State and Florida State. Florida's mascot makes sense. Think of Florida, and what comes to mind? Oranges and gators (and that overly commercialized rodent, but that's neither here nor there). What's Ohio State's mascot? The buckeye.
Hello, folks. It's a nut. From a tree. That's even worse than the kangaroo. Although tailgate parties could include those tasty little candies... Maybe that's what they were thinking. Hmm.
So, what's your school/team mascot?
Friday, January 05, 2007
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
And Here We Are Again...
It doesn't feel like a brave new year. Feels just like the same one I fled last week. The re-org announcement finally came out, so I've spent most of the day fielding paniced calls from people wondering who is going to be doing all the stuff I've been doing. So that has been marginally amusing - sending everyone over to the turncoat.
In other news, I'm beginning to understand what people mean when they say that getting older isn't for the faint of heart. I ache, dammit. In those wild salad days of yore, I spent 22 hours straight driving a standard transmission from Phoenix through to Dallas. (It took 22 hours 'cause I got REALLY lost and wandered back into New Mexico at some point.) Yesterday I spent less than seven hours (zoooommmmm!) driving from Northeastern Ohio back to Chicago's southwestern suburbs. Today, I hurt. My butt is sore, my knees are complaining and even my elbows are unhappy with me. WTF? And I have a sinking feeling that it's all downhill from here. *sigh*
In other news, I'm beginning to understand what people mean when they say that getting older isn't for the faint of heart. I ache, dammit. In those wild salad days of yore, I spent 22 hours straight driving a standard transmission from Phoenix through to Dallas. (It took 22 hours 'cause I got REALLY lost and wandered back into New Mexico at some point.) Yesterday I spent less than seven hours (zoooommmmm!) driving from Northeastern Ohio back to Chicago's southwestern suburbs. Today, I hurt. My butt is sore, my knees are complaining and even my elbows are unhappy with me. WTF? And I have a sinking feeling that it's all downhill from here. *sigh*
Friday, December 29, 2006
The Good Old Ways?
We used to need these signs, when I was growing up. There was a sizable Amish population around us, as well as a large number Mennonites. They had hitching racks outside the stores in town, and sometimes there would be horses and buggies attached to them. The area has grown up too much - the Amish have retreated. The signs still hang, 'cause my little town has become quite the tourist mecca, and tourists love shit like those signs, but it's been probably 15 years since I've actually seen a horse and buggy clopping down the street.Right now, I'm thinking they have the right idea. I have no right to whine, really, 'cause I'm more fortunate than most - but that's not going to stop me. Yes, I realize that without a slightly more modern vehicle, the trip home could not have been accomplished in the six and a half hours that it took. Still...
When Dad asked what I wanted for Christmas, I said that the best thing he could give me was time - car maintanance time. My Cherokee went over 98000 miles on the trip home, and some things needed worked on. For one thing, it was oil change time again. For another, I'm really freakin' sick of not having a working heater. The air conditioner not working didn't phase me, 'cause I'm usually freezing and I never turn it on. The heat, though, that's a bit more critical.
So Wednesday, I hauled myself and my Jeep over to my parents' house so Dad could work on it. My brother even promised to help. Well, in the course of changing the oil and lubing everything, they discovered that my U joints were about shot. So I had to haul it over there again so they could replace those. Then on my way back to my aunt's, the damn thing overheated and dumped coolant all over the driveway. Then they got the u joints replaced, and it started shaking at 55 mph. Now they're going to change the thermostat to the radiator and I have to bring it back tomorrow so they can fool around with it some more.
And... my heater still doesn't work. Dammit.
If I feel like being really picky about things, I'll whine about the rest of it too. Like how the pull-thing for the hood broke off a while ago, and I'm currently yanking on the fish stringer line sticking out from under the hood to get it open. And how the driver's side map light only works when it wants to. As does the overhead light when I open any of the car doors - sometimes it comes on, sometimes not. And how passengers can open the window occasionally, and other times the Jeep doesn't like 'em and won't listen.
*sigh* I'm just very lucky that I have people willing to work on it for me. I've tried the mechanic route - last year, I dumped over $3000 into the damn thing 'cause my mechanic replaced the radiator (for nearly $400) and then 'discovered' the crack in the block that required someone to machine it out for over $2600 and THEN my service engine soon light came on - and the son of a bitch charged me another almost $400 to replace an oxygen sensor. Rat bastard. My brother is of the opinion that whatever they did to the radiator probably broke the block. Since they charged me $168 to do the "diagnostic" last time - after I told them what was wrong 'cause Autozone checked it for free - I've decided to find someone new. For now, that would be my brother and my dad.
Just for the record - don't trust a mechanic named Sparky. Especially when he's got $40,000 worth of Matco tool cabinents in his garage.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Glad Tidings, And Yummy Cheese, To All
Well, Gentle Readers, I'm off shortly to brave the mall to finish up my Christmas shopping. Then I will go home, and in the time available before Sunday, I will wrap gifts, clean my grungy home, pack, organize all the things to go home, and load the vehicle. I must also stop by the post office and the bank and the library - and do a bunch of other stuff I really hope I have written down somewhere - all the things you do when preparing to leave for a week.
Once I'm home (and I've been dreading the several hour long car trip for days), my computer time will be fragmented at best. I will pick up as much of my former life as possible, meeting with friends and family, visiting old haunts, etc and who knows how much time I'll have to slave over a hot keyboard.
It is December 21, and here in Chicago, it's raining and 51 degrees. There are worms all over the pavement. It just doesn't feel like Christmas - especially, I suppose, to the worms. I'd rather drive in rain than sleet/ice/snow, so I'll postpone my wishes for a white Christmas until I'm a bit closer to home. But for all of you, I hope your holiday season - whatever you happen to be celebrating - is all that you want it to be.
If, like me, you have a huge annual New Year's party to go to, try this recipe - it is SO good.
Marinated Cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp minced green onion
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (2 oz.) jar diced pimiento, drained
1 5 1/2 x 2 x 1 inch block sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz), chilled
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, chilled
Combine first 10 ingredients in a jar, cover tightly and shake vigorously. Set marinade mixture aside.
Cut block of cheddar in half lengthwise. Cut crosswise into1/4 inch thick slices, set aside. Repeat procedure with cream cheese. Arrange slices alternately in a shallow baking dish, standing slices on edges. Pour marinade over cheese slices. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 8 hours.
Transfer cheese slices to a serving platter in the same alternating fashion. Spoon marinade over cheese slices. Garnish with fresh parsley sprigs, if desired. Serve with assorted crackers.
Cheers!
Once I'm home (and I've been dreading the several hour long car trip for days), my computer time will be fragmented at best. I will pick up as much of my former life as possible, meeting with friends and family, visiting old haunts, etc and who knows how much time I'll have to slave over a hot keyboard.
It is December 21, and here in Chicago, it's raining and 51 degrees. There are worms all over the pavement. It just doesn't feel like Christmas - especially, I suppose, to the worms. I'd rather drive in rain than sleet/ice/snow, so I'll postpone my wishes for a white Christmas until I'm a bit closer to home. But for all of you, I hope your holiday season - whatever you happen to be celebrating - is all that you want it to be.
If, like me, you have a huge annual New Year's party to go to, try this recipe - it is SO good.
Marinated Cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp minced green onion
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (2 oz.) jar diced pimiento, drained
1 5 1/2 x 2 x 1 inch block sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz), chilled
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, chilled
Combine first 10 ingredients in a jar, cover tightly and shake vigorously. Set marinade mixture aside.
Cut block of cheddar in half lengthwise. Cut crosswise into1/4 inch thick slices, set aside. Repeat procedure with cream cheese. Arrange slices alternately in a shallow baking dish, standing slices on edges. Pour marinade over cheese slices. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 8 hours.
Transfer cheese slices to a serving platter in the same alternating fashion. Spoon marinade over cheese slices. Garnish with fresh parsley sprigs, if desired. Serve with assorted crackers.
Cheers!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Ummm Yeah
So, photography is kind of a hobby of mine. I take a lot of pictures. I'm fairly good at it. If you were to wander through the homes of my friends, you will find pictures that I took framed in all of them. I've been told on several occasions that the pictures that I took turned out better than the professional photographer hired for the occasion, and a couple of friends on budgets have just had me photograph their weddings for them.
I have a point and shoot type camera that I love - partly 'cause it's got a super cool little remote. I also have a Pentax ME Super that my dad got me for my birthday years ago. It's an older one, and completely manual. (I'm still figuring out some of the buttons and dials.) I've got a couple of flashes and several different lens, and a very official-looking bag/suitcase thing to lug them all around. I have gotten into places I had no business being 'cause people assumed I was a news person.
So, the taking pictures part of the program is not the problem. The problem is the rest of the procedure. I currently have nine rolls of film, spanning a couple of years (plus two rolls of film from eleven years ago - curse you, Seattle Filmworks!) that still need to be developed. That, unfortunately, is only part of the problem as well.
The rest of the problem is what happens after they're developed. I have 2 dresser drawers, plus an entire drawer of one of those huge four drawer lateral filing cabinets, plus a couple of boxes FULL - stuffed full - of pictures, and frames. I have some things organized into albums, but not many. Most of them are still in the packets from the developer, waiting for me to do something with them.
It's one of the things on my "to-do" list for the new year is to organize them. Of course, that has been on the to-do list for a couple of years... But now that I have a kitchen table, I have a work space, so maybe it'll happen. Hey, it could happen!
I will look, lookingUp, for the tree-rock picture. And I will develop the pictures of the new (now six months old) kitten. And I will find the wedding/baby/random cool pictures that I owe to so many people. And hopefully it will happen this year. Sometime. But not now. Now I'm busy freaking out over the holidays. But, if, erm when, when I find them, I'll post. Promise!
I have a point and shoot type camera that I love - partly 'cause it's got a super cool little remote. I also have a Pentax ME Super that my dad got me for my birthday years ago. It's an older one, and completely manual. (I'm still figuring out some of the buttons and dials.) I've got a couple of flashes and several different lens, and a very official-looking bag/suitcase thing to lug them all around. I have gotten into places I had no business being 'cause people assumed I was a news person.
So, the taking pictures part of the program is not the problem. The problem is the rest of the procedure. I currently have nine rolls of film, spanning a couple of years (plus two rolls of film from eleven years ago - curse you, Seattle Filmworks!) that still need to be developed. That, unfortunately, is only part of the problem as well.
The rest of the problem is what happens after they're developed. I have 2 dresser drawers, plus an entire drawer of one of those huge four drawer lateral filing cabinets, plus a couple of boxes FULL - stuffed full - of pictures, and frames. I have some things organized into albums, but not many. Most of them are still in the packets from the developer, waiting for me to do something with them.
It's one of the things on my "to-do" list for the new year is to organize them. Of course, that has been on the to-do list for a couple of years... But now that I have a kitchen table, I have a work space, so maybe it'll happen. Hey, it could happen!
I will look, lookingUp, for the tree-rock picture. And I will develop the pictures of the new (now six months old) kitten. And I will find the wedding/baby/random cool pictures that I owe to so many people. And hopefully it will happen this year. Sometime. But not now. Now I'm busy freaking out over the holidays. But, if, erm when, when I find them, I'll post. Promise!
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