When Life Hands You Lemons

Tonight we went to the Provo Library's grand prize drawing for their summer reading program. After a rousing game of Jeopardy, staffed by three volunteer contestants from the crowd and a glued-on-mustached 'Alex Trebek', it was time for the door prizes. The announcer was a petite, four and a half foot woman with a voice as slight as her stature who didn't ennunciate clearly into the microphone and there was a long pause after the first name was read before I realized she had said my name. As exciting as it was win something, I spent the remainder of the drawing wondering how I was going to unload my prize - Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium. I was bummed as I listened to the other DVDs being handed out. Mr Mablah blah blah was definitely the lamest win of the night.

As the activity came to an end, I decided that I didn't feel up to the hassle of regifting or Craigslisting the undesired movie. So I approached one of the non-midget library workers and said thanks but no thanks and I'd rather the library just kept the movie for their own collection. The woman I talked with said she felt bad about it and suggested I take extra candy on my way out. I was okay with that but one of her coworkers spoke up and suggested we take the unwanted movie to WalMart and swap it out.

That's how I came home with a copy of Stargate Continuum (something both Nathan and I were wanting to see). I've never been so grateful for WalMart and it's easy return policy. Makes me want to never shop at Target again.

Good for a chuckle

I was at a department store and had to use 'the facilities'. While sitting down, I noticed the door handle. It said Hiney Hiders. Not much is funny in a public restroom, but that was. Maybe you had to be there.

A Peeve

Got my ads today with the Sunday paper. Browsing through the store sales like I usually do and . . . Shopko is having an 'end of the season' sale. For summer things. In June. Which is funny, because when I went there last week I saw a clearance rack full of coats - winter coats. I guess I better shop ahead so I'll have short sleeve shirts in August and can't find any in the stores because sweaters are on sale.

that can't be good

had a dream last night that I was fired because I was sick and had to miss 3 days of work. thankfully that didn't happen. but today at work the office manager - my boss - asked my if I'm always sick or if it's just working there that was making me sick. yikes! i emphatically said that it was just coincidence and I rarely got so sick for so long.

Are We Better Yet?

Yeah, no. Saw the doc for a 2 week check up on the pneumonia. Good news is the lungs sound clear. Bad news is I have a double ear infection topped off by a sinus infection. He sent me home with more drugs and I'm staying home from work tomorrow. Send healthy vibes my way.

Blog Stalking

This is what happens when you make a habit of reading an old friend's blog without telling them. One day they decide to go private and then you have to explain that, even though you haven't visited or called or emailed in months and months and months, you want to be 'invited' to read their blog. Because, yes, you're a blog stalker and like to keep tabs on your friends in a rather one-sided, silent, distant sort of way.

Customer Service

I recently bought a box of hanging folders - you know, for filing papers. Well, the package said that there were 20 folders inside but when I counted (and recounted) there were only 19. I wrote a short email to let the company know about this descrepancy. They replied with an apology and said that a replacement product would be sent. While not the response I was expecting, I wasn't going to argue with getting something for free.

Yesterday I came home to find a package waiting on my doorstep. Yep, it was the "replacement product." The same file folders I had complained about, with one difference. This box had 18 of them. So much for quality control.

Happy Anniversary To Us!

What did we do for our 7th wedding anniversary last weekend?

Saturday:

• Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point
• romantic dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory

Sunday:

• made breakfast together and had muffins, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, and sausage
• skipped church
• stayed overnight at a cute Bed & Breakfast
• ate curry at an Indian restaurant

Monday:

• stayed home from work and enjoyed a 3 day weekend together
• exchanged gifts

What we postponed because I was Sick:

• Thanksgiving Point's Museum of Ancient Life (for him)
• The Hogle Zoo (for me)
• Pampering at a local school of massage therapy (for both of us)

Wow, Seven Years

I haven't written about our anniversary because I've been SICK and haven't done much of anything since last Thursday, which is when I got Really Sick. So, I've been sick with some degree of cold nastiness for this entire month and all of last month too. I tried to do something about it at the beginning of March, but (after 2 doctor's visits and 2 courses of antibiotics) I thought I'd just have to wait out the sniffles and coughing. I felt like a commercial for Nyquil. Except Nyquil wears off after about 4 hours and I would wake up around that same time - coughing.

What changed? Last Thursday, April 24, I had a strange tightness in my chest all day. Thinking that perhaps I was simply tired, I laid down for a bit after work. Later that evening the pressure was still there so I decided it was time for a visit to the Urgent Care Center. This doctor listened to my history and lungs, then diagnosed me with a combination of reactive airway and post nasal drip from allergic rhinitis. Basically, asthma-like symptoms prompted by seasonal allergies. I had an albuterol treatment at the office that made it so I could take a deep breath without coughing. Since that worked for me, I was content to take home the asthma medicine and give that a chance to help me.

Um, no. On Friday, my cough got worse, the aches set in, my nose dripped, and my head felt like it was struck by a hammer any time I blew my nose or coughed. That was my weekend. To make an already long story not as long, I went to the doctor on Tuesday, April 29, and was told I have pneumonia. Yippy Skippy.

Seriously?!

While I was making phone calls at work today, reminding parents of their kids appointments tomorrow, I came across a name that made me pause. Stiletto Heaven Smith*. Honestly, what was she thinking? That little girl better love high heels. Or change her name at age 18. I've seen some unusual names while working at a pediatrician's office - names I would never use for a child of mine - but this takes the cake.

(Last name has been changed to protect the innocent, but believe me when I say it only added to the humor.)

Movie Review

* disclaimer - my reviews are highly biased and does not mean that you will not like the show* I just finished watching Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and I am not happy. I don't find it the least bit satisfying that Will and Elizabeth get to have a long term relationship in which they only get to see each other once every 10 years. For me, this is a sad ending. Honestly, how lonely would that be. She's now a single mother who isn't free to pursue other romances because the love of her life is still 'alive.' Yeah, I cried - a lot.

Buyer's Remorse

Toilet paper is supposed to be a simple purchase. Not much thinking needed, right? Well, we were running low last weekend so I went to the store and bought the cheapest one that wasn't generic. (I've had bad luck with generic TP in the past) I used the first roll today only to discover that I'd gotten 1-ply. It feels like tissue paper, but not as thick. Ick. Why do they make this stuff?

So I remembered that I am picky about toilet paper. There is a good reason why I was buying Charmin and Cottonelle. They're thick and absorbent - isn't that what you need to do the job?

A Crockpot Recipe

Crock-pot Roast
Ingredients:
1 beef roast
1 envelope Italian dressing mix
1 envelope brown gravy dressing
1 envelope ranch dressing
1 envelope Lipton's onion soup mix
1/2 cup water
Veggies as desired (carrots, celery, and potatoes)

Directions:
Place roast in crock-pot, sprinkle seasonings on top of roast. Place the water around the roast. Add carrots and celery. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, adding potatoes for the last two hours of cooking.

My Results:
I didn't have an Italian dressing mix, so I used some actual Italian salad dressing. I'll use this recipe in the future without my substitution. Also, the celery was too limp and soggy after cooking for so long. Overall, it tasted good and was very tender. I got compliments from my father-in-law.

photobucket meme

Rules of the Game (courtesy of The Sassy Lime):
1. Go to http://www.photobucket.com/
2. Type in your answer to the question in the “search” box
3. Select a picture using only the first page
4. Copy the html (from the lower left side of the page) and paste for the answer.

• What is your first name?

• Relationship status?

• Favourite candy?

• Favourite color?

• Celebrity crush? (don't really have one, but if I had to pick) * This is Agent Vaughn from Alias. James Bondish but younger and doesn't sleep around as much.
  
• Favourite band? (not much into music...)

• Favourite movie?

• Favourite TV show?

That's Bones people.

• What is your job?

• What is your hobby?

• 1 word to describe yourself.

Excuses People Have For Not Going To Church

I found the following list in "The Laconia Daily Sun" that my mom used as padding for a package she sent me. It made me laugh, maybe you'll like it too.

The No-Excuse Sunday

1. Cots will be placed in the vestibule for those who say, "Sunday is my only day for sleeping in."
2. Eye drops will be available for those whose eyesare tired from watching TV too late on Saturday night.
3. We will have steel helmets for those who believe the roof will cave in if they show up for church services.
4. Blankets will be furnished for those who complain that the church is too cold. Fans will be on hand for those who say it is too hot.
5. We will have hearing aids for those who say, "The pastor talks too softly." There will be cotton for those who say he is too loud.
6. Scorecards will be available for those who wish to count the hypocrites present.
7. Relatives will be in attendance for those who like to go visiting on Sunday.
8. TV dinners will be available for those who claim they can't go to church and cook dinner too.
9. One section of the church will have some trees and grass for those who see God in nature, especially on the golf course.
10. The sanctuary will be decorated with both Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies for those who have never seen the church without them.

* My biggest problems are with numbers 1, 2, 4, and 7. But mostly the first one*

A Wish List

What I Want To Do With My Tax Rebate:

1. buy a newer, faster computer - so it's easier to play with my digital camera
2. buy a washing machine - so I don't have to hang out with the creepy people at the laundromat
3. buy a mattress that doesn't scratch me
4. visit relatives in Texas

What I Will Actually Do:

1. refund my savings account for the amount I owed the IRS
2. use the rest to pay Maaco to make my car look beautiful again after yesterday morning's incident

Happy St Patrick's Day

I was a little scared to try something with leeks in it, but I thought this soup turned out really yummy:

Cock-a-Leekie Soup
Ingredients
2.5 to 3 lb chicken, cut up
4 C water
1/2 C chopped carrot
1/2 C chopped celery
2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
2 medium leeks, thinly sliced
1 small potato, peeled and diced
1/3 C quick-cooking barley
2 C milk

* We used more carrots, celery, and potatoes and only 1 leek.

I Was Distracted

I didn't write any updates this week because I was distracted by looking at blogger backgrounds. I thought that I would change my template but - after spending too much time looking around online - decided that it was too much work and that my current blogspot design is good enough. But hey! I loaded a picture of myself :)

Time Flies

Working days has given me less time and energy to write. Earlier this week I thought up a plan that I would write on my day off (I only work 4 days a week at my new job). I still think that's a good idea, but it didn't happen this time around because of a Plumbing Problem. And because it's already 11 o'clock at night and I always read in bed a bit before actually sleeping, that is a story that will have to wait until tomorrow. Just wanted to drop a note to say that I'm planning on blogging on a weekly basis. Maybe twice a week, but let's not set our expectations too high.

Thanks for your concern...

I went in to work Monday morning. I didn't feel healthy, but I went. I stayed until noon and then threw in the towel for the day. It was slow for a Monday so I didn't feel that badly about it. Today I called in sick and spent quality time with Mr Couch and Mrs Kleenex. Stupid germs.