From Another Planet

I know, I know. I have been stacking on my blogging duties again. I suddenly found myself on the planet "Making A Living Takes Up All My Spare Time". Even as I write this I am scarfing down a peanut butter and jelly sandwich so that I can hurry off to go grocery shopping. On my planet we don't eat, we scarf, so that we can rush to do the next task, and IT NEVER ENDS.

I have been spending a lot of time it work, and so there is some speculation as to what Bear does all day when me and Mike are gone. I know she goes places she is not supposed to be like on the couch and the futon. I know this because of the pile of hair and the tousled blankets, BUT I CAN NEVER CATCH HER IN THE ACT. I have been close before, because I have felt the warm spot where she was laying on the couch, but she is just too damn sneaky. Other than being sneaky, she is probably really bored at home alone. Mike and I have considered leaving the t.v. on for her because SHE WATCHES TV. I don't mean she glances at it when she walks past. I mean, when Mike and I get ready to watch a movie SHE GETS READY ALSO.



Here is Bear in her favorite place right in front of the t.v. I keep telling her she is going to ruin her eyes, but she never listens.

Fully Loaded and Ready for Adventure

Now that we have established that I have no future in poetry, I can get back to blogging.

Yesterday Mike bought me my first ever piece of grown-up luggage! Did you hear me?! LUGGAGE! Ok, so maybe you aren't as excited as me, but for me it is a big deal. I have wanted luggage for so many years I can't even remember. That may seem like and odd want, but luggage is not something you usually have extra money to blow on when you are on a limited budget. I'm lucky if I get a smoothie or a book after all the bills are paid. Also, to me, luggage represents a step toward being able to travel, which is a huge dream of mine. Not only travel, but travel in comfort, because this luggage has wheels my friend. It is fully-loaded and ready for adventure! You would understand if you saw me and Mike on our honeymoon in Las Vegas. We were the only two nerds lugging our insanely heavy NON-WHEELED luggage through the hotel lobby. Everyone else was breezing by us effortlessly with their mobile suitcases, and we were stopping every two feet re-analyze whether or not we would make it to our room. Now I never have to go through that again, and I am over the moon!

A Poem

Everyone's feelings are hurt.

I don't know if I can continue to write this way.

This sucks.

The end.

Oh Well

One of the little pleasures I have in life is organizing. Notice I didn't say cleaning. Organizing and cleaning are totally different. Cleaning involves chemicals, and bad smells, and slimy things, and places that haven't seen the light of day in years. Organizing, on the other hand, is simply arranging my world in perfect order. Ahhhh.... I don't know why I have such a strong urge to organize, but it brings me pleasure for some odd reason. That is why I was overcome with joy when Mike and I bought a new storage shelf for the garage a few days ago. I have been wanting one ever since we moved into our current place, which was months ago. I now have a place for board and games, and puzzles, and whatever else I deem appropriate to be on that shelf. (Go figure that I like puzzles. They are like the ultimate organizing task.) Every once in a while I now peek into the garage and giggle with glee at my new-found order. Next I will organize the rest of the house and then.....THE WORLD!



Other than the excitement of the shelf this weekend (I know you can hardly contain yourself) Mike and I took Bear to the Ogden River Parkway for some much needed outdoor time. From the way she acted, you would think that dog was kept in a darkened cell and only let out once a year. She was all over the place and pulling on her leash like you wouldn't believe. Bear is a very, very, very, very, very friendly dog. However, when people first meet her they don't always realize this because she is pulling so hard on the leash that she is breathing like a dog gone mad. Try as we might, Mike and I have failed to teach her to relax and contain her enthusiasm while on the leash. Oh well, we still love her. To tell the truth, we were all pretty happy to get out into the fresh air. Just look at the view we came across......



That picture is why I love Utah.

Sweat Is The Devil, Falun Dafa Is Good

I would like to apologize to my non-existent readership for my lack of blog posts over the last few days. Somehow I got busy. Seriously, that never happens. What can I say? It was a fluke.

Wednesday was a less than ideal St. Patrick's Day. Basically, I worked, I paid bills, and I helped my brother and his wife move. Those three things are probably three of the most un-enjoyable things in the world for most people. But I was actually looking forward to helping my brother move. That is because I am STUPID. My brain seems to have a problem remembering how un-enjoyable moving is until I am right in the middle of doing it. Before I start doing it, I think I will happily carry a few small boxes to the moving van and be done with it. In reality, I am dragging a 1000-pound bookshelf down the stairs and sweating profusely before I realize, THIS SUCKS! However, I am pretty proud of my work ethic, thank you very much! Also, I'm sure the workout didn't hurt my less-than-toned body, but I still hate sweating. Sweat is the devil. In the end, not a drop of alcohol or a nibble of corned beef on St. Patrick's Day. *tear*

Yesterday, I got my hair done for THREE HOURS. You would think most adults would savor the opportunity to sit and do nothing for that long. Not me. When my butt starts to go numb and I begin to forget how to walk, I know I have been sitting too long. It didn't help that I went to a beauty school to get my hair done, so the guy who was doing my hair was a bit timid and slow when it came to doing hair. At least I didn't complain like the lady who was sitting next to me. Apparently she had come in before and gotten a bad dye-job and wanted it fixed. She was very picky and fussy about the whole situation. I wanted to say, "I'm sorry, did you not realize you are in a beauty school? People here are still LEARNING HOW TO DO HAIR. If you want to be picky about your hair then go to an expensive, high-end salon and pay the hairstylist a lot of money to care about your hair. Otherwise, SHUT UP!" That is only what I was thinking, but since I am who I am, what I actually did was smile politely at the the lady.

Later that evening my husband and I went to a Chinese dance show that we had bought tickets to a while ago and had been looking forward to ever since. After all that anticipation we were sorely disappointed to find out that the show was really just propaganda for a new Chinese religion disguised as song and dance. Sure there was some beautiful dancing, but there was also occasional repetitive songs about Falun Dafa being the truth. Near the end, there was a particularly strange scene where a modern-day Chinese man is being persecuted for his belief in Falun Dafa. Actors pretend to beat and TASER the man and then throw him in jail where he is miraculously healed by blue-haired gods. I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP. Mike and I felt like they were trying to brainwash with entire audience. Of course it didn't work. I would just like to say, Falun Dafa is good.....

Cooking 101

The other night I made the most amazing chocolate bread pudding! It is Paula Dean's recipe and I think she is my favorite chef because she believes in using as much fat and sugar as humanly possible. I know I said in a previous post that I am not much of a chocolate person, but with this recipe it really doesn't matter because of all of the other flavors, and did I mention the FAT AND SUGAR? I'm sure I gain about five pounds every time I eat a piece of this dessert, but I really can't help myself. It calls to me.....

I developed my love of cooking, or more precisely baking, at a young age. I'm not sure what my parents were thinking, but it seems like me and my brothers were always in the kitchen, unsupervised, concocting our own recipes and wasting food in general. I remember one particular experiment that turned out horribly wrong - the Cheese Whiz and jelly sandwich. To this day I will not eat Cheese Whiz, which is not a great loss if you think about it. I'm not sure if they even still make Cheese Whiz. Anyway, my brothers and I developed some pretty bizarre tastes from all this cooking. I have one brother who loved drinking un-jelled jell-o and sucking on pickles until there was not a drop of juice left. (I realize that last statement sounds very dirty, but it is not my fault your mind is in the gutter.) Another brother of mine picks the most difficult recipes in the world to attempt, such as making root beer, WITHOUT ROOT BEER EXTRACT. My third brother lives off beer and steak, but mostly beer. As for me, I have an unhealthy love of vinegar. Still, I am glad I was able to experiment as a child because now I can make things that are actually edible. Also, it seems like so many people now are growing up eating fast food or boxed kits such as Hamburger Helper, that they wouldn't be able to cook to save there lives. This is just a tragedy to me because there is nothing like a home-cooked meal, yet that art of cooking is being lost.

Overstimulated

It seems to me that these days people are overstimulated with useless information. I realize that I am contributing to the problem with my blog, but I don't really expect anyone to read this besides my husband. He seems amused by it, and I enjoy writing my little thoughts, so it works out. The useless information I am talking about is more like updates on Twitter and Facebook, endless junk mail and junk e-mail, the majority of television shows, advertisements, and even a lot of books and music. Now I know people have a choice as to what they pay attention to, but I sometimes feel almost bombarded by all this information. How can you truly know what information is useless until you screen it yourself? The problem is, so much to screen and too little time. I couldn't possibly read every newspaper, every advertisement, every piece of mail, every instruction book. I couldn't watch every news broadcast or listen to every piece of music that is on the radio or internet. I'm sure a lot of people will say, "Well it is pretty easy to tell when something is not worth reading or watching." Maybe so, but I still think almost everyone gets overwhelmed by the sheer volume of data out there once in a while. Anyone can have a web site now, and anyone can write a book or a blog. If a friend of yours writes a blog, does that mean it is something important that you should read? What if everyone you know writes a blog? How do you keep up with that? As you can probably tell, I am one of the overstimulated. Sometimes I almost wish there was no internet or cell phones. Sure it would mean less convenience, but I also think it would mean more peace of mind and more actual human interaction.

I also see the over-stimulation of society reflected in newer movies. I see a change that many others don't seem to see. I see more and more movies that are fast-paced, crammed with more and more action and information, and overall scatterbrained in general. Yet these movies are the "top rated" movies. The movies everyone wants to see. The movies that get great reviews. Maybe this means that people like all the stimulation, or at least they are used to it. As for me, I wish to go more in the direction of Henry David Thoreau -

Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life?

Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumbnail.

Cursed

Sometimes I sure feel cursed because I am so clumsy and absent-minded. I cursed the curse today as I realized that I locked my keys in the car.....AGAIN. Yes friends, this is not the first time I have done this, although it wasn't quite as bad this time because I didn't have a freaked-out dog in the car. (Let's be glad I don't have kids yet.) Of course I have a spare key.....ON MY HUSBAND'S KEY CHAIN, and of course he is at work 20 minutes away. Luckily I have a very dependable dad who I sheepishly called and asked for a ride home. Now he has yet another story to tell of his incompetent daughter. *sigh*

Today I also managed to get raspberry jam all over the front of my shirt while making my breakfast. In my defense, it was 5:00am. As a self-proclaimed "neat freak" it is unfortunate that I spill stuff on myself almost every other day. This means I spend a lot of time scrubbing spots off of my clothes. Good lord, what will I do when I have kids? The only highlight of my day was playing with Bear outside. She is just soaking in all the sunlight and loving it.

Las Vegas Vs. The Cabin

My husband and I are planning a trip to Las Vegas in June because once you become a member of the working class, you need a vacation every so often just to keep your sanity. We went to Las Vegas for our honeymoon and we usually choose it as our vacation destination because it is close, affordable, and has free alcohol. Believe me when I say that if I could afford it I would be traveling all over the world, but for now Las Vegas is the closest we get to a foreign country. This year we are going to fly to Las Vegas as opposed to driving, which is how we traveled last time. This has several benefits such as - 1. I won't feel like I am slowly killing my car in the hot desert sun. 2. I won't have to navigate the insane TWELVE LANE ROAD which is "The Strip". 3. Flying just makes you feel high class and important even if you are in couch.

Honestly, I don't know how we will wait until June for this trip. Mike has already found about a hundred activities on the internet that we can do in Vegas. By the time June comes he will have thousands and we will spend all our time in Vegas deciding what thing to do next. I am usually the one who has to have things all planned out, but when it comes to vacation I am more content to just go with the flow. I mean, Las Vegas has so many things to do and so many things to see, I would be content to just walk around for days and stare at things. That is, if the walking is done inside. Have you ever been to Vegas in the summer....OUTSIDE?! I don't know how people survive there. During our honeymoon, Mike and I foolishly stepped outside during daylight hours for a few short minutes. In those few short minutes I experienced what it must be like to WALK ON THE SUN. Needless to say, I would prefer to stay inside on our next trip to Vegas so as to keep my flesh intact.

I am hoping that this year's Vegas trip goes better that last year's camping trip in Colorado. I should have known better than to take Mike camping because within a few hours of being away from electronics he begins to go through withdrawals. But I thought I could get him to like it because of all the many happy times I have had at the family cabin in Colorado. I was wrong....dead wrong. Ok, that was a little dramatic, but I added it for spice. Anyway, our first mistake was going by ourselves. I love spending time with my husband, but camping really requires a group of people to interact with or else it is called "being alone in nature". Our second mistake was not taking my dad. I never realized after all those years of going to the cabin with my family, that my dad is the one who took care of everything. Yeah, he may tell endless stories about things that happened there and relatives that lived there, but he ALWAYS COOKED BREAKFAST. I cannot even describe how valuable that is at the cabin. You will never know until you have spent a sleepless night there because it is cold, and you don't have enough blankets, and you are sick, and your dog who is sleeping with you because it is so cold gets something in her ear and keeps shaking her head all night, and your husband is afraid of being in the middle of nowhere and won't let you light the gas lantern for fear that we will all die of toxic fumes. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH YOU NEED A HOT COOKED BREAKFAST WAITING FOR YOU AFTER ALL THAT. Now I will never get Mike to go back to the cabin unless I trick him and tell him we are going to Las Vegas.

Shock and Awe

My brother and sister-in-law, David and Stephanie, where kind enough to take my husband and I too our first professional sporting event last night. We went to a basketball game between the Jazz and the Clippers. For anyone who knows me, sports are certainly not my cup of tea. I probably have the coordination and skill of a walrus. However, I have to admit that I enjoyed myself at the game. Even my 3-year-old nephew, Holden, who probably had very little idea what was going on, enjoyed the game simply because it gave him free reign to scream as much as he wanted. Screaming is his specialty after all. I liked watching the game and even the screaming part. The problem I have with professional sporting events is the hype. Now I don't mind a little hype here and there, but this hype is the "We're going to Disneyland.....everyday....for the rest of our lives!" kind of hype. While at the game I kept imagining what would happen if someone from the past time-traveled to that exact location and time. I concluded that the person would probably think everyone in the future had gone insane and then drop dead from a heart attack at the shock of all the screaming, flashing lights, jumbo t.v.s, streamers, dancers, music, and, oh yeah, those little tiny basketball players. At least the players looked tiny from where we were sitting, and they almost seemed like the most insignificant part of the whole event. I will probably go to another game sometime because, well, who doesn't love screaming freely and free stuff being flung in your general direction?

On a more serious note, my husband and I got the shock of our lives when we returned home from the the game. We found a check in the mail for a sum of money that may not be considered large to some people, but was very large to us. It turns out that Mike's aunt, who he loved dearly, had remembered him in her will. We feel blessed and grateful for the money, but also deeply saddened at the sudden passing of this wonderful woman. I never had the privilege of meeting her myself, but I can tell how special she was just from what my husband has told me about her and from the cards she sent to us. The money seems insignificant when you consider matters of life and death. You will be missed Aunt Ghislaine.

Long Live Potatoes!

There are few foods I love more than ice cream. Last night my husband and I watched a show about the history of ice cream and it looked so delicious I almost started licking the screen. I guess it all comes from my love of milk. I know people who don't like milk and that just seems crazy to me. I love how milk is so creamy and slightly sweet.....mmmmmm. Also, the more fat the better, as in CREAM. But I usually stick with the 1% variety since I have no desire to be morbidly obese. If I had whole milk around the house I would NEVER STOP DRINKING IT. When you make milk or cream into ice cream it takes it to a whole new level. Not only do you have cream, but also sugar and flavors! Personally, I usually go for the fruity flavors since I don't always love chocolate. I know - a women who doesn't love chocolate - who thought that could exist? Well here I am and I sure hope I exist. I will choose fruit over chocolate almost any time, and ice cream over almost everything else (except potatoes - Long live potatoes, rulers of all food!).

I also want to mention that my little baby niece, Shalyn, is having a birthday tomorrow. Ok, she is not really a baby. She is turning 11. But I remember her as a baby, and I can't believe she is growing up so fast. She was my first niece/nephew and I loved being an aunt for the first time. Suddenly I had this little person to play with and buy things for. It was kind of like having your own child except you get to pass her off to her parents when you get tired of it. Now Shalyn is on the brink of teenage-hood and almost too cool for aunts, or grandparents, or parents, or just about anyone. However, she is the most responsible kid I know, and an incredible reader, so I will give credit where credit is due. I miss my baby Shay, but I think she is growing into a fine adult. Happy birthday Shalyn!

The Couch Is Calling

I must admit that at 28 I already feel old sometimes....like right now. Work has been hectic lately and I ended up working a 10 hour shift yesterday. Now for any sort of desk job that would be nothing but a slight annoyance. For my job that means aches and pains for days to come. Although most people would not consider my job a "physical job", I do a good amount of heavy lifting, squatting, and overall not sitting for the majority of my work day. While I enjoy being able to move around at work, on days like yesterday I do not enjoy it. The moment I got home from work all I wanted to do was pass out on the couch, but could I do that? NO! Yesterday was payday and although I enjoy payday greatly, it happened to come the day before my husband's birthday. So after work I had to run out and buy his present and a card before he got home from work. I was driving around in a delusional state thinking of nothing but lying on the couch. Even as I write this the effect has not quite worn off because every few minutes I stop typing and just stare into space.............Where was I? Oh yeah, blogging. Well now my husband is visiting a friend and I, being the good wife that I am, will go make dinner before he gets home. One foot in front of the other. Happy birthday honey!

Green Time

You know it is getting close to Springtime when you take your dog outside and she acts like she has never been out in the light of day and proceeds to run in circles like she is completely insane. Actually, for Bear, this is normal. But I think we are all getting a little bit of Spring fever. Yesterday, Mike and I spent the good part of an afternoon driving around hunting for a place to buy herb seeds. When Spring starts to roll around I feel and incredible urge to plant things, and what better to go with our new sometimes-almost-partly-vegetarian-organic diet than herbs? I don't know if is a normal thing to feel so compelled to grow things. I think I got it from my dad who always planted a vegetable garden every Spring when I was a kid. I always loved that vegetable garden even if I did very little to actually take care of it. I'm sure my brothers and I were the only kids who ever tried to sell zucchini door-to-door. Or at least the only kids since 1900. Vegetable growing seems to be becoming a lost art, but once you eat a home-grown vegetable, you will never look at store-bought produce the same. It is only about A MILLION TIMES BETTER when you grow it yourself. It makes me believe there is something seriously wrong with what we are buying at the store. My green thumb is not so green as it is sickly yellow, however, I will always attempt to grow vegetables because the finished product is so yummy!