Controversy

Oooohhh.. controversy on my blog! WOW!

I'll say now that I hope everyone knows that a lot of my posts come from my own weird sense of humor. A sense of humor that I admit is not always easy to recognize - mainly because its odd and usually I am the only amused by it. I will also add that I am very aware of how blessed and freakin' lucky Jeff and I are that we were able to get pregnant. I am certainly not *truly* mad at my baby!

And since its the New Year I'll share some of my New Year Resolutions with you!

• 1. To declutter our tiny house and make room for our baby. (Sounds easy, right? Well our house is only 950 square feet and we have only one spare room that needs to be cleaned out, painted, insulated, and carpeted. Oofah!)
• 2. Work out - I just ordered a workout DVD specifically for pregnancy and I'd like to start doing it as soon as it arrives. I've read that this makes pregnancy easier, so I'll let you know how it goes!
• 3. Pay off one of my credit cards before the arrival of above mentioned baby.
• 4. Learn to cook - and I mean cook. Not bake, not boil water.... cook. Okay.. let's make this more reasonable, I'd like to learn to cook two meals before the baby comes!!

I can keep adding more and more, but I'll leave it at that for now! Happy New Year's to everyone and may your 2009 be a good one!

Baby

Dear Baby,
It's been 14 weeks and I feel I must tell you I'm having a problem with our relationship. It seems to me that all the compromise and self sacrifice has been on *my* part. Now, I understand that you're no bigger than a lemon right now, but since we've been together 24 hours a day for the past 14 weeks, I would imagine you could start to make some concessions of your own.

For example. I had to leave work at noon today to come home and lie on the sofa like a lump. I don't think I need to tell you how bad my cold is, runny nose. stuffed up sinuses, sore throat, and the inability to sleep without getting up to either blow my nose or to pee. This, baby, is not acceptable. See, previously I would dose myself up with whatever over the counter medicine I could find (Dayquil, Tylenol Flu and Sinus, Theraflu) it didn't really matter. I'd take it all, and take it repeatedly until I had numbed my body into compliance and completely masked all the symptoms that were making me miserable. But now, now I cannot do that because there is concern about you. So no medicine. No cherry flavored cough syrup or blue liquid Nyquil to get me through this misery, it's just me and my tissues and my achy head. Oh, and do I need to add that my poor nose is almost bright red from all the tissues I've been using???

I can't live like this baby. I don't think I need to remind you that I *need* my job and going home sick is not good in showing just what a fabulous employee I am and how they need to keep around forever. Baby, my paycheck is what helps keep a roof over my head and I think having a place to sleep is fairly important in life. You might want to think about that as you're floating around in my belly. Because I hate to bring it up, but currently you are not contributing financially at all to this situation and well, nobody likes a freeloader baby!

I am hoping that you will think about what I've said today and that tomorrow we can start fresh. Oh, and perhaps let me get some sleep tonight baby? See, if I can't sleep - your father can't sleep.. and if your father goes one more night without rest I think he may leave us. And baby, not to be cold, we need his paycheck.

Now I hope I wasn't too hard on you baby, seeing as how you are still so new and tiny, but I thought it would be good to get this all out in the open. You know, clear the air! It's the sign of a healthy relationship when you can talk about these issues!

Love you baby!

Love, your exhausted, sick, mucousy and sore mother

Pregnancy

Well I'm at 14 weeks and I've already learned some very interesting tidbits about pregnancy... and I thought I'd share.

1. The pregnancy glow? A lie. A big fat lie.. there is no pregnancy glow when you're exhausted and nauseous. All my pregnancy glow comes from the make-up brush thank you very much.
2. I can't even begin to describe the hunger that comes when you are pregnant. It's a hunger ALL THE TIME. From the time you wake up until the time you go to bed. And God forbid you not give in to the hunger and eat something - your body *will* get even by sending you running to the bathroom with a nausea that has you retching.
3. That pre-natal vitamins will give you fabulous skin and hair. Another lie. My skin is completely broken out and my hair is AWFUL. I am NOT looking good if you get my drift.
4. Do NOT mention you are pregnant if you can help it. If you do, be prepared for everyone to tell you complete and utter horror stories about pregnancy, labor and delivery, and raising children. EVERYONE wants to tell you some graphically detailed nightmare that will leave you ready to yank your hair and run screaming down the street.
5. Grape juice first thing in the morning is bad. Just trust me on this one.
6. Say goodbye to your favorite foods - apparently they are all lethal and should be avoided at all costs. Sushi, caffeine, deli meat, rare meat, raspberry tea (who KNEW??) are all bye bye. I don't need to mention booze, do I???


I'm sure I'll have more tidbits to share, but I just wanted to set the record straight for all of you in case you're curious! Happy New Year and see you all in 2009!

Baked Ziti Part Two

So this is the recipe I followed for the baked ziti.. I was completely lured in by the "quick" part in it:
Quick Baked Ziti
8 ounces ziti1 cup ricotta chesse (go for the part-skim to shave off some fat and calories)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
divided into 1/2 cup portions1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 24 ounce jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook ziti according to package directions. Drain.While ziti is cooking, combine ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, egg, and seasoning. Stir ziti into the mixure.Using a 2-quart casserole dish, pour in 1/2 of the tomato sauce. Add the ziti mixture, then top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup or parmesan and 1/2 cup mozzarella on top and bake for about 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

And I followed it pretty exactly. I don't know what the problem was, I used a red sauce with cheese and pretty much did everything else I was told. The end result though was underwhelming. Maybe I didn't have enough sauce.. maybe it needed more spices.. I have no idea but it was really not good. On the plus side, I DID make my famous Sweet Potato Casserole with brown sugar and pecan topping for Christmas Day at Jeff's relatives and it came out really, really well.. So apparently I can cook SOME things... just not good things like say.. meals. You want something baked and really fattening.. I can do that. You want a MEAL.. or something that could be served for dinner... apparently I'm not equipped for that challenge of life.

Any suggestions?? I really have no idea what I could be doing wrong.. then recipe is so simple and so easy.. I thought for sure I couldn't mess this one up.

my renewed appreciation for people

I sobbed like a baby after seeing this, kind of renewed my faith in people.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Baked Ziti

So we all know I am not exactly a chef. Cooking is not something I do well and I am trying to get better at it. Tonight I tried baked ziti for the second time in my life. The first time being a few years ago where I managed to serve a baked ziti that was uncooked in the middle and burned on the outside. This time was not as bad, but still not good. I don't know if it was the recipe I used or what, but it really didn't taste all that great. Which is a shame since I really like baked ziti and I'm wondering how I can manage to mess up such a deceptively easy recipe. Any thoughts or suggestions people?? I'm willing to try again, but I'm getting just a wee bit frustrated.

maternity wardrobe

I'm starting to outgrow some clothes and while I realize that I am going to need to change my style to be more 'mommy friendly", I draw the line at certain things. This for example:

http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.CM_SCID.coll.item.A75264.desc.Quacker-Factory-Embroidered-Critters-Knit-Top-Denim-Skirt

Once again, I can't get the picture, but it's called the "Quaker Factor Embroidered Critters Knit Top and Skirt". The day I show up wearing an animal tee shirt and matching, shapeless denim skirt - is the day I want you to say something. Please people, I'm begging you.. don't let me walk around in this. Okay?? It would be mean, really mean. And you're not mean people, are you??? No, good. I'm so glad!!!!

Snow Day

As much as I hate snow, I love how it looks. I love seeing how pretty it is outside, I love how it blankets the world and makes everything look like a winter wonderland. I HATE shoveling snow and icy roads and the fact that we live on an enormous HILL that we need to salt and sand continuously otherwise I don't make it up.. but it's still fun to get that first real snow of the season. Even Monty thinks snow! We took him outside in his custom made dog jacket and snood and he LOVED it.. went all crazy dog on us. Jeff even took pictures are proof!

And here's Jeff and Monty back inside after their romp in the snow!

Mortgage

As people with a mortgage Jeff and I have been following the whole mortgage crisis with rapt attention. Now we didn't get as screwed as some people did because we didn't do any of the following:

1. Buy a McMansion

2. Take out a home equity loan and completely upgrade our house (though my God I would love to do this)

3. Roll credit card debt into our mortgage

Some people did these things for various reasons and it looks like the market is tanking. Ugh.. now what we DO have is an adjustable rate mortgage. And while we have two more years on our mortgage before we deal with the ramifications of this, we have been trying to figure out ways to change that. Re-finance if you will. Well, apparently you CANNOT refinance if you have been paying your mortgage. Who knew?? Apparently to get any good deals or any sort of help we need about $10,000 more in credit card debt and to stop making mortgage payments for like 6 months... than we will get help. How insane is this??? We're doing our best to be fiscally financial, and need I remind everyone that we're still living with a shower like this:

Not because I LOVE it... and I think that electrical tape is fabulous, but because we're trying to prioritize. Sigh... I hate being an adult some days!

Love for Cheesy Holiday Movies

I love, love, love all the old Christmas movies. You know, with the bad animation and everthing. Happy the Baby New Year, Rudolph, the Bumble and the Island of Misfit Toys. Love them. Well two of my very favorite characters were the Miser Brothers. You know, Heat Miser and Snow Miser and they fought ALL the time and sang the best song ever. And now... there's a sequel. Yes people, our dreams have been fulfilled, and my favorite song from the hour long special is as follows:




I'm getting emotional watching it right now...excuse me for a moment....

Trip to Wrentham

I went to the Wrentham Premium Village Outlets with my friend Jen and we had quite a nice time. I ventured into a maternity store and Jen actually found me a super cute black maternity dress that I plan on wearing tonight and I could also wear to work. I also got a pair of very comfortable black flats from Easy Spirit and two gifts. Something for my father and something for Jeff. I did have a couple of interesting experiences. At the maternity store I went up to pay for my dress and the woman asked for my phone number and zip code, fairly standard at some stores. Next she had my verify my address, which I thought was odd, but whatever. Next thing I know she is telling me I was APPROVED for some sort of maternity credit card. WHAT??? I didn't ASK to have her run a credit check on me, and I thought that I needed to agree to that? Not just wander into a store and have them running a pre-approval system without my knowledge. Is this legal??? I was PISSED. Is it me??? Is this normal and it's just been so long since I've been shopping that I have no idea anymore??

Second thing was Jen and I went into Zales to look around. Why not? We're girls, we love sparkly things... So in we went. And I saw this GORGEOUS, I mean seriously drop dead gorgeuos ring made with diamonds and BLUE DIAMONDS!! I didn't even know blue diamonds existed and the ring was to die for. Just to die for. Of COURSE I ask to see it because I enjoy taunting myself with expensive items that I can't afford... and the ring won't even fit on my baby bloated fingers, so Jen tries it on and OMG it was so beautiful. I scoured the Zales site looking for it and no dice. Here's something kind of similar:

Except instead of the gold band and diamond, it was encrusted with a row of sparkly and beautiful blue diamonds! It was seriously stunning and I was practically drooling with lust! Price? Well the *original* price was something like $2200. But of course the sales lady came over with her little calculator and chunka, chunka, chunka, it was now half off for $1100 and change. She next suggested we open a Zales credit card that is no interest for 12 months and then that gorgeous piece of bling would be all MINE!!!! <> Except... well.... no. I did think about it for like.. a second. I wanted that ring BADLY. But common sense prevailed and I left it behind. Sure I may have shed a tear when I left it behind in the glass case, but I did it. Sigh.... the price of being an adult I suppose.

Anyway, if anyone would perhaps like to know the perfect gift for me for Christmas I just so HAPPEN to have the item number and the sales lady business card. You know... JUST IN CASE! :-)

thoughts on parenthood

I don't really comment on parenthood or child rearing ideas because.. I'm not a parent. It's hard for me to judge because I haven't been in that situation. But since I'm pregnant now, I thought I could throw my two cents into the ring.

I just read this on MSNBC:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28112285/

A 70 year old woman in India gave birth to a baby girl thanks to IVF. Does anyone else think this is crazy?? At 34 I am worried about having the energy to deal with a newborn, I can't imaging being 70 and trying it. It just seems insanity to try something like this. Am I alone in this view? Should I just get over the whole age thing and just be happy that she and her husband have the baby they wanted?? I just can't get over the age thing though... odds are not good they will live long enough to see their child grow up and I'm wondering if they have a plan in place for that.. I don't know. Maybe I'm just over thinking the whole thing.

Three Jobs

Jeff and I were talking about finances and budgets - thoughts that have been consuming us what with the whole baby coming thing and I am trying to figure out how much longer I can keep working 6 days a week without snapping. The goal is to keep it up through January for the extra moolah, but everytime I mention I have three jobs there are questions. So here they are:

Monday - Thursday
Working at a Pediatric dental office in Lexington from about 7:15am until 5pm. It's my full time job and I gotta tell you, it's a soap opera every day. I had no idea that dental offices had so much drama. Insane.

Friday
Work at HomeInstead Senior Care (this is my favorite job right now) as the Recruiting Assistant. It's from 9:00am to 2:30pm.

Saturday is my day off.

Sunday I work at Elements at Woburn as a massage therapist from 10:00am until 3pm.

Those are the jobs. They're not TOO bad, and I have to say that one of the reasons I'm staying at Homeinstead is that I love it so much. The office is tiny, but the people are so nice and very encouraging and understanding and willing to work with you. ALSO.. it would be right next door to the Melrose YMCA which is one of the places we are looking into for daycare.

I'm thinking though that massage I'll only realistically be able to do for a few months longer, but I hate the idea of giving it up. I love getting the extra money and giving that up will stink. Though I confess having a full weekend to myself will be a wonderful thing!

Meanwhile this weekend I'm going to the Wrentham Outlets and there are actually baby shops that I'm going to go into and look for me. Me!!! I know, freaky!!! If I do buy something I'll be sure to share it!

QVC order

At night now I sit in bed around 9pm and watch QVC. It helps make me sleepy and I find it really soothing. Plus they have some REALLY cool stuff. And guess what I want??

http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx?view=2&app=detail&params=item^K20139,frames^y,from^se,cm_scid^isrc,cm_ssi^Item:%20K20139&cm_re=PAGE-_-SEARCH-_-K20139

It's the Technique 10 piece Silicone Collapsible Bake and Carry Bakeware set. It's SOOOO cool! And everything collapses into one tidy littly carry piece so you can keep it all neat and pretty. Love it! LOVE IT! See.. we don't have a lot of storage in our house and the idea of keeping all my bakeware in one place is really nice. You have NO idea how hard it was not to order it IMMEDIATELY because I wanted it badly. Normally while I am watching QVC I just watch and have no real impulse to buy.. but this really called out to me. If they offerred it on their "easy pay" option I would totally get it.

So score me for not getting it and sticking to our budget but oh boy do I want it!

Jeep

Are you ready? Because God only knows Jeff and I weren't ready.
$687.39

I wanted to DIE!!!!! They kept my Jeep until this evening and they replaced the following:
car battery
Power steering hose
Pressure Hose
replacing the steering fluid
and a whole lot of other stuff I just don't understand,

And?? AND... they are suggesting we get the coolant replaced and spark plugs replaced at some point. Sigh.... I love my car and I am determined to pay it off so we won't have a car payment but still.. this is the problem with used cars. They need MAINTENANCE!

I think I'm going through my bookcase to see if there are some other books to sell!!

Budget, budgets and more budgets

So yesterday Jeff and I were feeling pretty darn smug that we were starting to get the money situation under control. I got my third paycheck from my new job and I was checking off all the bills I could pay and how much I could contribute to the mortgage. AND I got a Christmas present for Jeff. Life is good, right?

Well.. I don't know what signal I sent out to the universe but BOTH our cars needed car repairs this weekend. BOTH OF THEM! GAH! My car, Liberty Jeep that used to be Jeff's was making this HORRIBLE whining noise whenever I turned. It started on Wednesday and just got progessively worse and worse. So today I took Jeff's car to work and Jeff took the Jeep in to be looked at. Turns out there are two pinprick holes in the power steering pressure hose and steering fluid had been leaking out AND spraying my engine. Lovely. But wait... there's more. The battery is apparently also dead. Sooo... the car is STILL at the shop and I can't pick it up until Monday night. That means I need Jeff's car for my trip to New Hampshire tomorrow and for work on Monday. Jeff is going to work from home on Monday (thank GOD he has the flexibility for emergencies like this) while I take his car to my job.

I did however, mention that BOTH cars needed work, right? Well Jeff's car has a bubble in his front tire. A bubble that has been there for QUITE awhile and means that any second he can have a tire blow out. We'd been ignoring it because we wanted to get a little caught up money wise before getting a new tire. Can't do that now... AND his windshield wiper broke. I swear, it's like the universe does NOT want us to get ahead. It's really ironic the sense of timing. So while my car was at the shop Jeff brought his car in and got those issues taken care of. Sigh.

The good thing? We can do this. We have two cars and the flexibility for one of us to work from home while the other uses the car for work. Not a lot of people have that option. Still... so frustrating!

The other good thing? I have two Christmas presents for Jeff purchased (NOT ON CREDIT CARDS!!!), and I have one present for my father. My sister and I decided we would get together for dinner rather than exchange presents, and we already decorated our Christmas tree so I'm trying to stay in the Christmas spirit. I may hate that I work three jobs, but I CAN work three jobs. And hopefully between those three jobs we'll get through this and actually have, oh, a savings account again! Wouldn't that be nice????

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and a better Saturday than we did! Oh, and the Dial soap at the Dollar Store? Don't get it, it really doesn't seem to lather well and I now have like 5 bars of the stuff. Double sigh there. ;-)

issue with Suave products

Okay, on Roxanne's point about quality over quantity - its definitely something I am mindful of. Meaning, most of my shoes are of higher quality. Why? I LOVE shoes (hello, they always fit, and how you can you not love that??), and I think the right shoe can totally make an outfit. So most of my shoes tend to be in the $50 and up range. I do have one pair of black wedge heels that I bought on sale for $29.99 and I've worn for three years straight, but for the most part I tend to pay retail for my shoes. I know its never a waste of money with me as I keep them FOREVER and have been known to have my favorite shoes re-soled and re-heeled. I kept one pair of super pricey black slingbacks for 4 years by having them re-soled and re-heeled over five times. Until the cobbler told me it just couldn't be done anymore. God I loved those shoes.

Where was I? Yes, Suave products. Now, normally I am a Sephora girl and my hair products tend to be Paul Mitchell, but its time economize. So Target was having this massive sale and I got two HUGE bottles of Suave conditioner for like 99 cents each. What's not to like? Well the Suave Refreshing Tangerine conditioner smells absolutely NOTHING like tangerine. In fact, there's no real scent to it at all. I'm not sure WHY they term it "tangerine" when there is nothing remotely citrusy to it. It's odd. It's not a BAD conditioner per say, but it's not the best. It does the job, but I'm not used to conditioner being so watery in texture. I'm used to super thick hydrating conditioner. Anyway, I'm going to use it up regardless because, well, I'm stubborn like that.

Does anyone else have an experience using the "cheaper" or "generic" product?? Anything I should stay away from?

Plan for tomorrow

I got a fabulous coupon to Kohl's for friends and family, a discount for 15% and I am already scoping out what I want.
I'm definitely getting a flannel shirt for my senior guy, and it seems I can get some really nice ones for a VERY nice price.

I am also thinking another blanket for our sofa. We have one down blanket that we fight over, and it might be helpful to have a second one. But we'll see... I don't want to spend more than $75 on this trip and I'm also planning to get some small Christmas gifts. You know, stocking stuffers, maybe some items for my father, some dress socks for myself... Oh, and maybe a new pair of work pants. I am too fat for most of my dress pants so I've been wearing the same black pair and gray pair every week. Alternating with a few dresses and skirts, and I'm thinking maybe another pair of pants would not be a bad thing.

Now, as a former compulsive shopper with an addiction to the, ahem, higher priced items in life, I never really shopped at Kohls or Target for clothing or shoes. If the shoes weren't insanely pricey, I wasn't interested. And that my friends, is how credit card debt adds up! SO.. in my efforts to be more fiscally responsible I've been rediscovering.. or discovering for the first time... bargain shopping. Now, wish me luck with this people because bargain shopping and comparing prices is NOT my strong suit. I'm the "see it, love it, buy it without a seconds' hesitation" kind of gal so actually comparing prices, using coupons, and THINKING about a purchase is all new. But if Jeff and I want to maybe someday finish our never-ending list of home improvement list, we need to save money and pay down debt. So I'm trying to be smarter. And on that note, I discovered this fabulous web site that lets you sell your old books. They even pay for shipping. It's :
http://cash4books.net/index.php?ref=41667

I just sold about 6 books for $12.00 and while that's NOT a lot of money.. that's still money back in my pocket for books I don't read anymore. Anyway, have a great weekend everyone, and happy shopping!!

desire to be warm this winter

It's chilly in our house. Mainly because our house is insulated with chicken wire and newspaper, and also because we only keep the heat at 65 degrees. It's not COLD, but you can get chilly. As a result we have multiple blankets to cuddle up with and I tend to walk around with a fleece jacket on. BUT, I am very tempted by the following:

It's called a "blanket wrap" and I kind of want it. Yes, it's hideous and I'll feel like I'm a hundred years old when wearing it. But I also think I will be nice and snuggly warm, and snuggly warm JUST may win out over vanity. What do you think?

Christmas Giving

Every year one of the companies I work for, Homeinsead Senior Care, put together a tree where senior citizens who don't have family close by or in their lives at all are asked what they want for the holidays and its placed on a tree. People pick an ornament and select their senior and get them the gift they want. While I was in the grocery store this evening with Jeff I saw that the tree was up and I went and took a peek. I wound up picking a senior who requested a flannel shirt and Diet Pepsi. That's it. That's all he wanted. I picked it because, what an interesting combination! I mean, Diet Pepsi and flannel?? Talk about two things that don't really go together. It's just so weird. But if that's what he wants, that's what he's going to get.

Last year I picked a senior who wanted a Christmas Sweater and I actually got her a "Quacker Factory" sweater from QVC. Okay, I got her two because I could NOT resist. I will never have an opportunity to indulge my passion for holiday sweaters ever again. If you haven't seen "Quaker Factory" and all the bedazzled sweaters that get sold, you are missing out. It's THE most entertaining television ever and I constantly tell friends that they're getting a sparkly snowman sweater for a gift. Check it out here:
http://www.quackerfactory.com/index.php

Anyway, even though money is tight for Jeff and I this year I still wanted to do something nice for someone else, so that's my good deed for the season. And btw, how much Diet Pepsi should I get this man? A case? A liter??? He kind of left it wide open to interpretation!

Weeks past

HELLO! I am soo sorry that I've been so bad about updating. I've been sick and started a new job, and well, the list goes on and one. So let's start it, shall we?

1. Started my new job as a "Relationship Coordinator" at a pediatric dental office in Lexington. It's VERY nice getting a regular paycheck again, but it is NOT nice having to be at work by 7:30am. I am NOT a morning person and adjusting my already insomnia prone clock to this change has been hard. As a result I am tired, very tired. Bone tired.
2. I have learned that because I am at a pediatric dental office that kids are petri dishes and I have gotten sick. Nasty cough, sore throat, and while I am slowly getting better, Jeff is now sick as well and we can only imagine what a barrel full of laughs Jeff and I are when we are BOTH sick. It's not pretty people, that's all I'm going to say!
3. Jeff and I went to "The Melting Pot" in Burlington for dinner and learned that you should NEVER have cheese fondue with only water to drink. Apparently that makes all that lovely melted cheese form into a hard block of cheese in your stomach and making you feel lousy with a capital L. So have the wine people!!!
4. Working 6 days a week sucks. I don't care who you are, it blows. I still work as a Recruiting Assistant on Fridays and doing massage on Sundays. I'm keeping up the insane schedule until Christmas so I can actually get Jeff a Christmas present this year!
5. No matter how big my pity party is - there is always someone worse off. I was at my Recruiting Assistant job and got a call from a gentleman who wanted to work as a live-in caregiver in exchange for free housing. He was a teacher who got laid off and lost his house recently and has no place to live. How awful is that??? Made me want to cry actually. And made me appreciate the fact that though our house is tiny, its still ours.

That's it people! Hope you're all doing well and I promise to be better about updating in the future!

Seven Things About Me

I thought this was a cute idea so I am writing down seven things you might know about me.

1. I love video games. I especially love games where I can control the characters and completely and utterly dictate the way their lives turn out. SIMS, Viva Pinata, World of Warcraft - I love them all. I think it's a control thing because I really do like to control every aspect of their world and tailor it to how I want it to be.
2. I'm a metalhead. Some of my favorite bands are Megadeth, Slipknot, Disturbed, Drowning Pool, Red, Tool, Breaking Benjamin, Five Finger Bleeding, and Hurt. Ask Jeff, he DESPISES the music I listen to but I find it strangely soothing.
3. I've suffered from insomnia for 10+ years and can go months without a problem to suddenly being unable to sleep a wink. When I can't sleep I turn into a raving maniac and ANY noise/light irritates me. Monty is forced to sleep in his crate downstairs, and Jeff has to let me fall asleep first otherwise I spent the night telling him to turn over because he's snoring.
4. Completely fascinated by TLC shows that depict families with lots of kids. "Jon and Kate Plus 8" and "17 Children and Counting" being two that I watch very regularly.
5. I used to play the flute and was even a member of Junior MYWE (That's Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble). Meaning, I was pretty darn good at it for awhile.
6. I can go weeks without cleaning the house and suddenly, out of nowhere, I will become EXTREMELY upset about our messy house and go on a cleaning binge. It's 2am on a Friday? Doesn't matter to me, I will still be mopping the floor in a cleaning frenzy.
7. I hate to talk on the phone. I'd much prefer email or Facebook or the blog. Something about the phone I'm just not into. Maybe because during my typical workday I am on the phone almost the entire day, the idea of coming home and getting on the phone again is NOT appealing.

So, anyone feel like sharing 7 things about themselves???

Newest Crock Pot Recipe

Cranberry Chicken!

It actually came out really well, and Jeff is really excited that he has a wife who can cook! But let's face facts people, I can stick food items in a crock pot and then walk away. That's my kind of cooking! Fix it and forget it was completely designed for people like me. Mainly because my problem with cooking is I forget that something is on the boil and walk away. Anything distracts me when I'm cooking. A television show, Facebook, Monty, something shiny.... really anything will have me walking away from boiling food until Jeff finally figures out why the smoke alarm is going off. So the crock pot is the best thing for me since you REALLY get to walk away!

On to the recipe:
Cranberry Chicken
4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 can whole cranberry sauce
2/3 cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 package dry onion soup mix

Place chicken in Crock-Pot. Combine remaining ingredients and add to Crock-Pot, coating chicken well. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or high 4 hours. Serves 4 to 6.

We made it with 6 Chicken Breasts and have plenty of leftovers. We made baked potatoes with it and it was YUMMY!!! Enjoy!

great idea for a Christmas Gift for Jeff

So gmail had another great advertisement today, it was for this:

http://www.daviddeangelo.com


That's right people, it's VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PROPERLY KISS A GIRL!!! Marketing genius I think!!! I'm totally getting this for Jeff only so I can laugh my ass off when he opens it!

Oh, and one of the guy shares is the following:
Fun places to take women that are FREE - no paying for expensive dates...


Because a first date is TOTALLY the time to penny pinch! Women are VERY impressed when a guy takes you out for the first time and its to the local Starbucks for amateur poetry night!

dislike of talking baby commercials

I really, really, really dislike talking baby commercials. I don't understand them, don't understand the point of them, and am just generally disturbed by them overall. Does anyone REALLY think they are cute?? Because Monty sleeping in his fleecy jacket is cute, a talking baby trying to convince me to use ETrade and then throwing up is not cute. Maybe it's just me?

Plans for the Christmas Season

Jeff and I are not alone this year in trying to cut our spending budget for the holidays. I'm definitely making a list and checking it twice and I've also found that the older I get the less I want "stuff" as presents. Oh I love opening gifts as much as the next person, but I really don't have a lot of "wants" this year. We don't even have kids, but I find it much more entertaining getting things for other people than I do thinking about what I would actually want. So basically I stink to shop for because all I usually answer the "what do you want for Christmas" question with "Nothing really". Anyone else like this? I know I *will* enjoy putting together a gift basket for my father filled with assorted food-related goodies. (Sorry for the spoiler Dad.. but since you've been getting this gift from me for the past few years I figure you're smart enough to know you'll be getting it AGAIN. Also there's the well known fact that my father saves EVERYTHING and seeing all that stuff in his apartment makes me insane. Consequently I think long and hard before getting him something because odds are good he'll have 10 years later).

So for my father I usually fill a basket with fudge, candies, licorice, baking items, fancy jams and other things that he would never buy for himself. Last year I included the DVD set of "The Girls Next Door" Season 2, just for fun! Once again, something he would NEVER purchase for himself.

My mother is HARD to shop for. Don't even get me started on the Christmas where I killed myself looking for the perfect gift and she was blown away by the stuffed toy my sister picked up for her at the LAST MINUTE! Bitter, party of one, your table is ready!

Jeff is easy to shop for. Can we say Amazon.com Wishlist?? He's not allowed to buy things from his wishlist from the month of November on, and I usually also get him a few items of clothing and stocking stuffer stuff like jellybeans and the such. Oh and gift cards so he pick things out later himself. He loves gift cards!

My sister is another hard one and since I have NO ideas I won't even speculate what I'm going to get her. I've given her jewelry, clothing, shoes... you name it... usually I manage to find SOMETHING cute for her, but it's always a surprise.

The animals. No. I do NOT get the animals presents. I love them to death and would not hesitate to drop large sums on money on them (see any post below!), but presents I don't do. THEY don't realize its a holiday, and they don't miss out because of it. I MIGHT sneak them some bits of turkey.. but really that's the extent of it.

So what is everyone else doing for the holidays?? Oh, and I know its early to be talking about holiday shopping but I'm planning on getting gifts little by little so I can pay CASH for them! Wish me luck!!!

just because its cute

I thought I'd share this Youtube video that is just too cute and funny about a cat named "Sparta"!

Being wrong about "Undead"

You know how I ranted about how "Undead" was the world's worst movie. That it was just beyond awful and had no redeeming value to it at all? I take it back.

That's right people, I take it back because I am currently watching the worst piece of film making ever produced. It is.. are you ready?

"Jason Goes to Hell"

Words really cannot describe how awful this movie is. I want to try and write something funny about it, but I can't. It's so annoying, such a waste of my time... really, this is an hour of my life I have just WASTED. WASTED. Standing in line at Target would have been more interesting. Doing my laundry would have been more interesting. Hey, I would at least GET something out of laundry, like clean clothes. But this movie, God. Awful. Awful. Awful. The absolute bottom of the barrel of awfulness.

And I realize I've done a lot of movie reviews, and I'll try to get back to writing more interesting posts but I started my new job and my nerves are shot from trying to learn a new database, billing, terminology and also resetting my internal clock so that I can get up at 6am for work. NOT easy!!

New Shoes!!!

My mother took me to Macy's today and got me THE most adorable shoes! I love, love, love them!!! She got two pairs of shoes for herself (the woman actually met me at the Cheesecake Factory wearing SLIPPERS!! SLIPPERS!!! I swear I almost had a coronary when I saw them!!), and I got the third pair. Macy's was having a massive sale and here's the link to my lovely shoes:

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=316398&CategoryID=26769&LinkType=EverGreen

I wish it would let me copy a picturew, but take a look at the link. They are soooo cute and I can't wait to go somewhere casual yet fun, wearing them with some nice jeans and a cute brown sweater. Maybe something of the cashmere variety?? God, why wasn't I born a millionaire?? It's just so unfair!! ;-)

my favorite video spots

Target: Women

This one is about Disney princesses and I laughed my ass off:
http://current.com/items/89416957_target_women_disney_princesses

Desire for a heated cat bed for my Lily

I so want this bed for Lily: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3261+1883+17753&pcatid=17753

Isn't that cute? And it's HEATED!!! You can plug it in and it maintains the perfect temperature for my zombie kitty cat. As you all know, Lily has a tendency to pee on things. Her beds, Monty's bed, OUR bed... and right now this is what she is sleeping in:

That's her bed. A box with clothes in it. We did this because if she DOES pee on the clothes.. they're old clothes and we can just toss them without guilt. BUT... it is getting cold. And her back room is insulated with NEWSPAPER and gets pretty darn chilly at times. I feel bad for her, she IS my baby... so I was thinking of getting her a heated bed. I just can't bring myslef to PAY for a heated bed since odds of her peeing on it are good. Sigh... what should I do?????

Visit to the Cheesecake Factory Tonight

I'll post pictures a little later but Jeff and I went to the Cheesecake Factory with his father, stepmother and Grandfather to belatedly celebrate his Grandfather's 90th birthday. A good time was had by all and I highly recommend the Bikini Martini which was deelish! But the whole point of the Cheesecake Factory is the dessert. And we're talking every possible option of cheesecake flavor and a whole bunch of other treats that are as big as your head. Jeff and his Grandfather split a piece of carrot cake (one piece is roughly the size of Canada), Jeff's father had a dish of ice cream, I had the Chocolate Tuxedo Cheesecake (which is vanilla cheesecake layered in fudge chocolate and chocolate sauce and crust) and Jeff's Step-Mother had the Low Carb Cheesecake.

Let me say that again, with the option of ANY kind of cheesecake to choose from. And there was Pumpkin cheesecake, Strawberry cheesecake, Chocolate Coconut cheesecake, Snickers Bar cheesecake, Cookie Dough cheesecake - the list just goes on and on. She CHOSE.... Low Carb Cheesecake. That's not a dessert. That's punishment on a platter. Why in the name of God would you pick that??? It came with a teeny tiny bowl of strawberries.. REALLY tiny bowl, like for dolls. And some whipped cream. She also kept trying to tell me how yummy it was and how there was a "Slight nutty aftertaste" on the cracker crust. I told her she was insane.

Why would you get that??? WHY??? Why bother?? Why not just sit there and chew on your napkin instead??? Of ALL the yummy choices that you could make, ANYTHING you could want with cheesecake - you pick the low carb option. I so do not understand this. I will NEVER understand this. I understand about trying to lose weight and all, and I was proud that I only ate half my meal and half my dessert (though the Bikini Martini was gone in seconds) but I was still HAVING dessert. With chocolate in it. Because without the chocolate it's NOT DESSERT!

Problem with horror movies

Particularly these old movies. The women in these movies... dear lord. Have they not heard the term "fighting back"? No. For the most part they scream and cry and crawl uselessly away from the psycho in the hockey mask. I've seen them throw plates and books and only one person threw something useful - a television set that she smashed over Jason's head. But they ALWAYS seem to leave him alone after they think he's dead. Do we not WATCH horror movies?? Do we not know how this works??? I swear to God that if I am EVER chased by some serial killer wearing a mask and carrying a machete I am going to MAKE SURE HE IS DEAD. A head will be cut off, limbs will be removed. I might even jump up and down on the lifeless body until said attacker is well and truly DEAD. In one movie the characters were hiding in a loft and when Jason was climbing the ladder to get to them.. they LET HIM! Nobody kicked the ladder out, nobody hit him over the head as he came up.. and NOBODY took away his machete. Hello!! Take the machete away from him!!! TAKE IT! Do NOT leave the machete with the crazy person... It's just common sense. Let's do a little thinking people, okay??? Thanks, now back to the movie!

Friday the 13th Marathon

Jeff got a bee in his bonnet to watch ALL the Friday the 13th movies in honor of the Halloween holiday. He borrowed the full set from his friend and last night we watched movies 1 -3. Yes, you read that right, the first three movies in one night. Color me HAPPY! As you have probably already guessed, when Jeff gets something in his head, he needs to do that ASAP! So tonight we'll be watching 4, and most likely 5 as well.

Did I ever mention it was our shared love of crushingly bad horror movies that brought us together in the first place? One of our first dates was watching "Jason 2000 - Friday the 13th part X"- that was Jason IN SPACE, where nobody can hear you SCREAM!!!!!! Oh yeah, I think we both knew we were in it for the long haul after watching that gem of a picture!

hunt for a Halloween Costume

This past weekend Jeff and I attempted to find Halloween costumes since we have plans of going to Salem and walking around and enjoying everything. I have noticed however, that costumes for women are either one of the following:

Sexy/Slutty

Matronly

There's no happy medium. You can either be a slutty pirate, or a matronly pirate. What if I just want to be a pirate? A lady pirate. Not a pirate wench, a PIRATE. There's nothing out there. Now I have no problem with women dressing up this Halloween in whatever they darn well please, but it would be nice to have a few more choices out there.

For example, here's some costume choices that I've seen:

Want to be a lion? No? How about SEXY LION!!!!

I admit to being confused by sexy lion. There are a lot of adjectives that come to mind when I think of LION, and "sexy" has never entered into the top 100. Maybe it's me.

So what about a nun? A religious icon? Not for me personally, but how about SEXY NUN!

And the name of this costume??? Are you ready??? I don't think you're ready. Okay.. It's "Nasty Habit". GET IT?? She's NASTY!!!!! Bad nun, bad!!!

Still not finding anything? How about someone who is on the verge of a mental breakdown?

It actually says in the description of the "mental patient" costume that "just because she's locked up, doesn't mean she isn't hard to handle". See.. she still has cleavage in her straight jacket! No matronly straight jacket for our girl! No way!! Let's be cleavin' while the cleavin' is good! You never know just WHO you might meet in the ASYLUM!

So say you're getting tired of the sexy costumes and you think to yourself... "Self, why don't I dress up like a Disney princess? I have happy memories of those innocent, carefree movies, why don't I dress like, oh... Snow White"?

Yes, we have SEXY Snow White!

Sigh. All my happy childhood memories are being destroyed as I look at this picture. Snow White is now SLUTTY SNOW WHITE!

Can I get a happy medium PLEASE? I don't mind showing a little skin, but does ALL my skin have to be on display? I'd like to keep some of the candy in the basket, if you get my meaning. And I THINK YOU DO!!!!!!

BTW, at the very least they could do the same thing to the men's costumes. If I'm going to be walking around with everything hanging out I think guys should have to do the same. Really it's only fair.

views on pinching pennies

I realize that in today's economy we're all trying to pinch pennies. Jeff and I certainly are, and if you go on MSNBC.com that's all you read about. So I was looking on Allrecipes.com for a potato soup I could make in our crock pot, and this recipe popped up:

Slow Cooked Squirrel
SUBMITTED BY: Bobbie Jo "This stew recipe is for those of us who are hunters and are more of the country ilk. It is easy that you can go to work while it simmers in your pot and when you return home, dinner is ready."

RECIPE RATING:Read Reviews (6)
PREP TIME
20 Min
COOK TIME
8 Hrs
READY IN
8 Hrs 20 Min
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
2 squirrels - skinned, gutted, and cut into pieces
4 large potatoes, quartered
1 pound carrots, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 onions, sliced
2 cups water
1/4 medium head cabbage
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
In a slow cooker, place the squirrel meat, potatoes, carrots, green bell pepper, onions, water, cabbage, salt and ground black pepper.
Cover and cook on low setting for 8 hours.

Wow. That's all I can say. I mean, Squirrel stew?? First of all, is there really enough meat on those animals to make it worthwhile? And second of all, no thank you. Seriously, no thank you. I'd rather eat ramen noodles again than have squirrel stew. Call me a snob and hypocritical because I certainly do eat meat - but squirrel. No. Not happening. I won't even discuss the fact that the person who submitted the recipe is named "Bobbie Joe" and it can't get more stereotypically country than that.

Doggie Flannel Sheets?

Yes or No

Flannel sheets with dogs on them? Too kiddie for an adult bed, or possibly cute? I was looking at winter bedding on The Company Store online and I really, really like the "woof woof flannel sheets"

They're kind of cute aren't they? Especially with that quilt, the whole bed looks so comfy and cozy and I kind of like how different they are. BUT, doggie sheets. Too much? Too childish? Let me know what you think!

Sticker Shock for Christmas this year

So I guess the "it" toy for the holiday season this year is a baby DINOSAUR you can RIDE!!!! And retails for about $300. Take a look:

It's by Hasbro, called the Kota the Triceratops and MSNBC has this whole article on equally insane toys. A Wall-E toy that responds to voice commands, Lego's Mobile Command Center, and okay - this sounds cool to me. A Jakks Pacific Inc.'s Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker that makes cupcakes in the microwave and FROSTS them. I am a little icked out by the idea of baking in the microwave, but since I lusted after an Easy Bake Oven when I was little and NEVER GOT ONE, I have a soft spot for anything similar.

Now when I was young, and does anything make you feel older than THAT phrase? The "it" toy was Cabbage Patch Dolls. My very good friend, Sage, had OODLES of Cabbage Patch kids. She had the Preemie versions, a boy and a girl, I think she even had a KOOSA which was like a weird animal Cabbage Patch Doll. If I remember correctly.. she had like 10 of these toys and I was so jealous I could hardly stand it. I did get a Cabbage Patch girl for Christmas and LOVED her. She had blue eyes and red hair just like me, and her name was awful. Emmanuelle Geneva. Horrible name. Like the people at the Cabbage Patch had some sort of random name generator and that came out. But I did love that doll, and I suspect that she didn't cost ANYWHERE near $300!

Cold House

It's getting cold out. We haven't turned the heat on yet because its not even NOVEMBER! What happened with Fall?? It's crazy that it's this cold! I know its winter though because Jeff and I had our standard argument over Monty. Is he cold, or is he fine? Monty has an array of clothing options, and his fleece jacket is his primary piece of clothing when its cold out. Last night the poor dog was curled into a little ball on his bed as Jeff and I dove under our thick down blankets. Looking at him I decided he was cold. Downstairs I went to get his fleecy jacket where I put it on him. Jeff thinks I'm insane and its not cold enough out for this step. He also mentioned that if we have kids I'll have them bundled up in helmets, pads and other methods of protection like the overzealous, worry wart I am.

BUT this morning.... I was right. It's COLD in here. Not only is Monty still swaddled in his fleecy jacket, but I am as well! And a down blanket here on the sofa. Now if I could only get that heat seeking missile called Princess Lily to come sit on my lap all would be right with the world!

Meanwhile.. Brrrr..... I'm going to shop online for some more down blankets!!!!!!

attempt at losing weight

I've been tracking my daily food count via http://www.sparkpeople.com/ and am distressed to find out that a normal days worth of food is like WAY over 2,000 calories for me. Since my idea of working out is a "Walk Away the Pounds" DVD, clearly I am not doing heavy weight lifting or training for a marathon that would justify this level of food consumption.

Sigh.

Choices need to be made. As of right now I am hungry. Very hungry. But I've already reached my 1550 calories for the day and have no room left for even a snack. So I'm sitting here. Hungry. Daydreaming of a small chicken Parmesan sub with extra cheese. And not the chicken Parmesan sub where the chicken isn't breaded... that's crap and not a REAL chicken Parmesan sub. I want the true thing, the breaded chicken, the marinara sauce, the mozzarella cheese.. the toasted bun. I want it all. God I want it.

Damn diet. Damn it. So I'm sitting here having food porn fantasies that largely consist of mozzarella sticks and chocolate fudge cake. It's a sad day when you realize that your deepest and darkest fantasies consist of forbidden, deep friend, chocolaty food.

Update: a friend of mine just reminded me how yummy a Thanksgiving sub would be! There's one by my old work which is turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and GRAVY on the side. God I'm actually DROOLING into my keyboard now! I may cry.

Saturday Night and the World's Worst Movie

Jeff and I went to his cousin's last night for a smorgasborg of food, wine and laughter. The laughter? Watching the absolute world's worst movie, "Undead". I would like everyone to know I did not pick this gem of a movie. Oh no, it was Jeff and David's choice, and here's a look at the website:
http://www.undeadthemovie.com/

You can even watch the trailer and fully understand my pain. It's just awful. Awful, awful, way beyond B movie awful so that it crosses into painfully horrible awful. In a nutshell, the tagline for the movie is "Crazy has come to town for a visit". And yes, the movie DOES live up to its tagline, but oh dear God is it awful to watch. David and Jeff laughed and laughed during the movie, and I watched in disbelief as Judith slept. It was THAT good. All I have to say is that MY choice of movie would have been much better. I wanted to watch "The Nun"...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371853/

See, isn't that better??

Lack of discipline as a Dog owner

Apparently I am the sucker of the family, and the animals know it. I was not here this morning and Jeff told me that Monty heard the alarm go off, got up, looked at Jeff, and went downstairs. He did NOT do any of the following:

• 1. Shove his nose in Jeff's face until Jeff opened his eyes
• 2. Run back and forth from the bed to the stairs and back again
• 3. Shove his whole head into the bed, tail wagging like a helicopter
• 4. Sit and stare at Jeff until Jeff couldn't stand it any longer and got up

Monty did NONE of those things. None. Nada. Instead he saw that Jeff was the only person there and went DOWNSTAIRS AND WAITED. Patiently. Let me emphasize that Monty does NOT do that for me. Instead he pokes his head in at me and does not leave me alone until I get up and take him out. So the animals know I am a sucker and are using it to their advantage. Apparently if we ever do have kids I should leave the discipline to Jeff!

Fascination with financial books

I've been slowly trying to get out of debt and the process has been long, long, long. Basically it's just a long time of paying it down and not using credit cards. During the process I've read tons of financial and get out of debt books and I've discovered that there's really only one way to get out. Are you ready? Because I'm saving you a lot of money by telling you the secret.

• Don't buy what you can't afford.
• If you have to use a credit card to buy something you probably can't afford it - thus you should not be buying it.
• To get rid of debt you need to pay more than the minimum, and pay as much as you can towards your debt. Concentrate on one debt, pay it off, than take that money and apply it to the next debt.
• Oh, and don't break out that credit card to charge again.

That's it. Those are the tips in a nutshell. It's been working for me, so far and I've made some great progress, and I never carry a credit card since I am a credit card companies wild dream come true. I would charge, charge, charge until I had carpal tunnel syndrome. So if you have credit card debt like I do, just follow those steps and you'll get out! You're welcome!

Bowing to Peer Pressure

and joined Facebook. I am fascinated by the whole time suck that IS Facebook. You can add pictures and "flair" and all sorts of other things. I was just on it for like an HOUR and I didn't even notice the time passing.

So if you're on Facebook, feel free to add me!

Being Bored

I am so bored. Got up at 9am and took Monty out, took a shower and proceeded to watch the following:
"It's Me or the Dog" on Animal Planet
"Ghost Hunters" via Tivo
"Cold Case Files" where I'm learning about a guy who killed a woman and kept her in his fridge for 11 years. Creepy. I have also determined that every single job out there is from a temp agency/recuriting agency and they are crap. Crap, non existent jobs that are solely listed to taunt me. Specifically me. I truly believe that every morning they are all thinking the same thing "Katharine needs a job, let's stuff the internet full of jobs that she is overqualified for and not call her if she inquires about them". Yes sir, that's EXACTLY what's happening!

Bah I say. BAH! And why is there no ice cream in this house when I so clearly deserve ice cream???? Double Bah!

Update: Jeff is stopping at the store and getting something sweet for me on his way home! Yippeee!!!!

Job as a Massage Therapist

I get quite a few questions from clients, especially clients who have never had a massage before, and I thought I'd answer some of them here.

1. Most women will say something like "Oh I didn't shave my legs beforehand, I'm so embarrassed". Now, trust me ladies when I say that as a therapist I do not care. You have NO idea just how hairy some of the men are who come in for a massage and your leg hair stubble just does not compare. So no worries there.

2. Some will ask if I have a "body preference", meaning does it matter if the client is really heavy or really thin. Honestly? No. No preference. If someone is REALLY, REALLY thin I find it difficult to give them a deep tissue massage because I feel like I might break them. And if someone is very heavy its hard to massage them properly as well. But for the most part, no preference. If you can get on my table, I can give you a massage.

3. Is my husband okay with me performing massage, asked primarily by male clients. Yes, yes he is. I think this question is more like a "is my husband okay with me touching naked men" question. And yes, he is. Mainly because, it's a massage. Not a date. For the most part, each guy is just another guy and then another guy and I really have no interest in anything beyond that point.

4. Underwear, on or off? I prefer you to take all your underwear off. But that's me and I can work around it if you keep it on. Though I do prefer that women take their bra off, it's easier to massage your back without that in the way.

5. Do I get under the sheet? Yes, please for the love of everything get UNDER the sheet. I so do not want to see your bits and pieces all on display.

6. What are the terms?
Swedish Massage - generic massage, usually a light massage but it can be used to describe just about any therapeutic massage session.
Deep Tissue Massage - just what it sounds like. Now a LOT of people say they want a deep tissue massage and they don't. A true deep tissue massage will leave you sore, and you will be limping and bruised the next day. It will hurt like hell.
Hot Stone Massage - a massage session done withe heated, flat stones. Usually the stones are warmed in a crock pot like container and they are placed on different points of the body and also in the therapists hand. This is a relaxation massage, it warms and soothes tired muscles, it is NOT good for deep tissue or injury work.
Sports Massage - good for specific injury work and includes a lot of stretches and specific focus on a particular muscles.

7. So what do I want? Most people want a massage that incorporates stretches, deep tissue work, and light Swedish massage all in one nice little session.

What have we learned? Talk to your therapist, tell them SPECIFICALLY what you want and what areas of the body you want worked on. Your therapist should listen to you and do what you want (within reason people!!!), and also make sure to tell your therapist if what they are doing hurts. Remember they have no idea what your pain tolerance is so you need to speak up. Long and short, you will not hurt my feelings if I'm doing something you hate. I will change my technique to what will best suit you to the best of my ability.

Any questions?

Update: Roxanne brings up a good point - its sometimes nice to "switch things up" a bit and try a a different therapist. I have no problem with my regular clients doing this and will generally spend a few minutes before their next massage with me asking what the other therapist did, what they liked, and what they didn't. That way I can maybe bring in some new things that we might not have previously tried. It doesn't hurt my feelings, and I promise you I don't hold it against you as clients if this happens! ;-)

Seriously messed up Gmail advertising

I really think my Gmail advertising is messed up. If it isn't first telling me how I need a colon cleansing, it's giving me recipe ideas such as this:

Spam Imperial Tortilla Sandwiches - To serve, cut each roll in half
Curious? Here's the recipe
SPAM IMPERIAL TORTILLA SANDWICHES

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 cn SPAM Luncheon Meat (12 oz)
1 pk Cream cheese, softened (8oz)
1/3 c Chopped green onion
2 tb Chopped fresh dill
3 Flour tortillas (8")
1 md Cucumber, peeled and thinly
-sliced
1/4 c Sunflower seeds
1/2 c Alfalfa sprouts

In bowl, combine SPAM and cream cheese. Stir in green onion and dill.
Spread 1/3 of SPAM mixture evenly over each tortilla. Top with 1/3
each cucumber, sunflower seeds, and alfalfa sprouts. Roll up tortilla
jelly roll fashion and wrap in plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining
tortillas. Refrigerate 2 hours. to serve, cut each roll in half.


Now I'm certainly no chef, but this just doesn't sound appetizing AT ALL. Spam in tortilla form??? No thank you Gmail, I'd rather sit down to a dinner of saltines and peanut butter than bite into that.

Book Ideas

So I haven't posted a part three in my book idea because I've been kind of disenchanted with my characters. I've started and stopped about four other short stories, and also started a "young adult" book since I was completely inspired by the millions that the "Twilight" series is raking in. Hell, if there's money to be made writing a bad young adult book, than I should be making it. I don't have an English degree for nothing people! But I'm feeling kind of blah about it, I think just because I'm job hunting and that's sucking all my spare energy, not to mention the whole in and out of the hospital game that marked my summer. Oh, and the fact that every freakin' day there's another spider running around our house in some sort of weird parody of the movie "Arachnophobia". Before I post part three, let me know what you think, do my lovely readers care enough about Gwendolyn and Thomas to see what happens when the power goes out? Should I scrap them and rewrite another story? Send me some inspiration people, I need it desperately!

Tom Tom

Okay, it's not MY Tom Tom GPS Navigational Device, it's really Jeff's navigational device. But guess who uses it ALL THE TIME? That would be me. See, I'm an idiot with maps and directions. If I need to go ANYWHERE by myself I can pretty much guarantee that I'm going to be calling Jeff at some point sobbing hysterically because I missed a turn or a road was blocked off or something along those lines. Jeff than winds up being forced to find me via Google Map (and I NEVER know where I am), so he can direct me to wherever I need to go. He loves this. Maybe *loves* is a strong word, what I really should say is that he HATES this with a deep and passionate loathing. So we have the Tom Tom. For the most part, the Tom Tom works perfectly, telling me when to turn, how to turn around if I've messed up and it requires almost no thought on my part because its like listening to a back seat driver take you wherever you need to go. I do, however, have two complaints about the Tom Tom.

First: If you are say, speeding down a highway at 75 MPH waiting for an exit (remember, Tom Tom doesn't TELL you what exit you need, it will just tell you to turn) and the Tom Tom doesn't take into account that you're say on a HIGHWAY and tells you to turn MUCH TOO LATE. I'll hear "Turn right" and I'll blink and the exit is gone. Grrrr.. that's so annoying.

Second: Tom Tom is a bit like an unreliable boyfriend in that it will get you MOST OF THE WAY to your destination, but will leave you stranded outside a strange area while repeating the helpful phrase "You have reached your destination". Over and over again. I'll find myself arguing with the Tom Tom, "No I haven't, I have no idea where I am, don't you crap out on me now"!!!!

But otherwise I adore the Tom Tom and since I started using it I have only called Jeff crying once. And that's because I hit "New Hampshire" by mistake when plugging in directions. But we won't talk about it because I like to pretend it never happened!

Movie Night with Jeff and my Father

I don't know what it is about having my father over for movie night that compels Jeff and I to put in a movie that we *know* he would never in a million years choose to watch. Last night we watched "The Orphanage", which was actually really good, spooky movie. I wouldn't call it a horror movie, but it was definitely a thriller, ghost story of sorts. Frankly, it creeped me out QUITE a bit and I did not, I repeat, did NOT sleep well last night. Ask Jeff, I wound up watching QVC at like 1am just to get to sleep. And the ending, oh my. Brutal, brutal in the sense that you were just horrified at the ending and how wrong it was. Not wrong in the way that it didn't fit in the with story, but wrong in the sense that it was just plain wrong. They try to lighten it up a little bit with the end scenes, but its still pretty bad. If you're looking for a scary movie, kind of like "The Others" but with a few more twists and a REALLY creepy kids game that is played with ghosts, than this is for you. If not, well pass this over because OOFAH, I didn't get to sleep until like 4am.

Fall Bedding

Fall is one of my favorite seasons - I love fall fashions that consist of boots and chunky sweaters and tights, love it. This weekend we got ready for the fall weather, putting away our summer clothes, taking out the window air conditioners (thanks Dad for helping us!), putting away our patio furniture, and..... I change out our bedding. Our summer bedding was a cheerful quilt of flowers and Jeff hated it. But our fall bedding is much more masculine - dark blue sheets and a quilt of darker colors with leaves on it with matching pillow shams. Take a look:

and

Kind of makes our bedroom look like a log cabin, doesn't it? Does anyone else change their bedding for the seasons? Because when the really cold weather gets here I'll be changing it again to flannel sheets and down blankets! What can I say, I get bored easily!

Oh, and because Monty is feeling neglected, here's a picture of him enjoying our new bedding as well! In case you're wondering, yes I DO make sure he's covered with blankets at night in case he gets cold!

Make Up

I love make-up. I really, really love make-up. And today is very special, I can *finally* wear make-up, most specifically eye make-up again. Hallelujah! I still have a bruise on my cheek, but it's smaller now and kind of looks like a birthmark of sorts so people are too polite to comment on it. But I can wear eye make-up again and all is right with the world. Last weekend I went to a child's birthday party in Salem and I could not wear my normal eye make-up. One of the women there commented that I had "lovely blue eyes" and I responded that they're normally even prettier when I've got some eye make-up around them. She disagreed and said she likes the "natural" look. Now, I like the "natural" look too and it require a nice little supply of make-up to achieve this look. Here's what I normally wear:

1st. Some sort of moisturizer with sunblock in it, I have no allegiance to brands here and tend to flit to brand to brand.

2nd. Laura Geller's luminizer powder in "Balance and Brighten" which I sweep all over my face. I've tried other bronzers and powders and this one works for my pale skin, and if I *don't* wear it people ask me if I'm feeling okay because apparently I look like death without it!

3rd. I love Benefit for its packaging and cute names, and I'm a huge fan of "High Beam" which looks a little like nail polish and is applied in a similar way. I dot it around my eyes and brow bone and it makes me look like I had a good nights sleep.

4th. Some sort of eye shadow. Once again, I'm a huge whore for eye shadow and I will try anything and everything under the sun. I have darker eye shadow colors for night, I have lighter and cream based eye shadows for day. Love eye shadow!

5. Mascara. I love mascara, love it, love it, love it. I would totally have an affair with mascara if I could. And being a pale redhead there is only one mascara I wear. "Just for Redheads" mascara in Spice. It's absolutely the only mascara out there that works for me, brown mascaras are too dark for me, and black, forget it. Total raccoon eyes with the black.

6. Finally lipstick. I either wear lipstick or gloss or SOMETHING on my lips. It just "finishes" your face if you get my meaning. Lipsticks are also hard for me, and I usually wear "Just for Redheads" lipstick, but my friend Jen got me some Lancome lip glosses called "Juicy Tubes Smoothie" and they are just lovely. I've been having fun playing with the different shades and they all have a pretty shimmer to them which is also very nice.

So that's my "Natural" look, and I am so excited to be embracing this look again! When I came downstairs after doing my make-up this morning I think Jeff was surprised by how very pretty I was! ;-)

Least Favorite Interview Question

I hate this interview question.

"Where do you see yourself in five year"?

Hate it, hate it, because I never know what to say and feel like I am always spouting some bullshit answer like "I want to be with the same company, growing and expanding on my knowledge and responsibility within that organization." Or something along those lines. What I *really* want to say is any of the following:

"A lottery winner who sits at home eating Ben & Jerry's Phish Food ice cream all day long"

"Dear God I plan on being anywhere but at this crappy administrative job".

"I plan on staying here until another company offers me more money and then I'm leaving faster than you can say 'resignation letter'".

"Decorating my summer home in Hawaii with Juan the pool boy".


I just feel like its such a lousy question, and considering all the job hopping that a lot of my generation does, not a good example of a persons' potential within the company they are interviewing at. But then, I'm a little burned out with job hunting already so it could just be me having a cranky day!

Lunch

Any questions?

Holy Crap

Remind me to have a nice long conversation about the possibility of this actually happening. I know the shark was actually stuck and not trying to get at the divers, apparently he was just trying to get OUT of the cage, but still. I would be dead of a heart attack at the bottom of that cage. Note to self: compile nice long list of safety questions before booking shark diving trip!

Lack of anything interesting going on in my life

Aside from the FABULOUS dinner that Jen took me to tonight at "Houstons" where we had the following:

• Spicy Tuna Sushi
• Chicken tenders with french fries (Which sounds very McDonalds, but at Houston's it's VERY expensive and gourmet style chicken tenders and french fries! Yummy!)
• Banana Cream Pie

Otherwise I have nothing, absolutely nothing going on in my life. I suppose this is a good thing because lately this blog has turned into a run down of all the Emergency Rooms in the North Shore area, but I feel bad not posting so here we go, The Two Talking Cats! CUTE! And after the talking cats is the cat who talks and it just cracks me up so I'm adding it here as well! See, I'm slack ass lazy tonight with posting!

Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise

I blame Jeff for my obsession with Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise. I can, and have, played it for hours at a time. My favorite pinata? My little crabby pinatas called "Custaceans". You can name them, dress them up, and you basically run around your little garden trying desperately to keep them happy. But they're so cute I can't help myself. Take a look:

Cute, right? And when you make them happy they do a little happy dance for you! And BONUS, I got to name one "Sebastian" which is my most favorite name ever and Jeff hates. He hates the name "Sebastian" so much and I just love it, it just screams "English Gentry" to me and I love it. So since Jeff hates it and has striked it off our "Who knows if we'll ever have kids list", than I can at least name my virtual crab "Sebastian", and I did.

Stitches!

Stitches are out, and while I still can't wear any eye make up (BOOOOOOO!) and have a yellowish/purple bruise on my cheek, I don't like *quite* as scary as I did previously. Hopefully in a few more days I can resume my sordid love affair with mascara!

Visit to the Square One Mall

Went to the Square One Mall last night with my mother and Jeff last night. My mother was looking for some sort of GPS system that she couldn't find, and Jeff was just looking to browse Best Buy. I was looking for a birthday present for a 6 year old's birthday party we are going to do today and my mother was WAY too excited about the boy toys. The Tonka Trucks, the Transformers, the Hot Wheels, she was gushing all over them. Did I mention that my mother wanted boys instead of the girls she got? She's ALL about the boy toys. I told her to move along, there's not grandkids to buy for because she was just so freakin' excited. Than we went to CVS so I could get some Mederma($18 for one litttle tube of scar stuff and at the rate I'm going I'll need to buy it in bulk at Costco!!!), and my mother to tell random teenagers that she has a rash on her back that itches. Seriously. I'm down the aisle looking for Calamine lotion for her and I hear her telling these MAYBE 14 year old kids that she has a rash. And that it ITCHES! WHAT?? I had to rush back and get her, "Who are you talking to" I asked, and she was all embarassed. "I don't know why I said that". Thank you Mom, aka The Woman Who Says Exactly What's on Her Mind Regardless of Who She is Talking To! It was actually pretty damn funny and I managed to hustle her out of there fairly quick.

We left the mall with the following:
Mom with Calamine lotion and a birthday card for my Uncle.
Me with Mederma for the multitude of scars that I currently have.
Jeff with "Harvey Birdman" that he got them to mark down to $12.50 when it was marked at $29.99. He just showed them that the Best Buy online site had it listed at the cheaper price and they gave it to him. Score!

Oh, and my Mom paid for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Not a bad night all around!

Newest Twist of Fate

So I just downloaded one of Izzy's songs called "Hammerhead". Now I don't want to read too much into this, but I HAVE a hammerhead shark tattoo on my back. And now he has a song called "Hammerhead". Does anyone else perhaps think this more than just a coincidence?? I don't think it is, I think it's a SIGN! ;-)
Sigh.. don't mind me while I watch this video about 5,000 times in a row!