31 March 2004
things that need to be done....
Sorry for the late of posting...I had to fill out evaluations (3 of them!!!) for work today. One for the lab its self, and two for HR; for the up and coming year and one for the past year (or 8 months in my case) that I have been here...
I enjoyed writing up the lab one much more as it was more personal as directed more at the things that (I think) really need to be covered. The HR ones were more about how valuable am I to the University as a whole...joy of joys!
I enjoyed writing up the lab one much more as it was more personal as directed more at the things that (I think) really need to be covered. The HR ones were more about how valuable am I to the University as a whole...joy of joys!
30 March 2004
Ooooo!
Very Exciting! You can now have my postings e-mailed to you...it does not do much for my site stats, but this is more for the readers rather than for me! Let me know yea or nay on this one.
Big events in life...
1. When John F. Kennedy was shot (November 22, 1963)
Not even a thought as of yet.
2. When Mt. St. Helens blew (May 18, 1980)
I guess that I was either at nursery school or at my grandparents house...I do remember seeing pictures later on.
3. When the space shuttle Challenger exploded (January 28, 1986)
I was off from school and my mother was making bread in our kitchen. Whenever I smell bread being made, I always think of that.
4. When the 7.1 earthquake hit San Francisco (October 17, 1989)
I was in school. I found out later on. I remember watching parts of the freeway falling while it still had cars on it and the SF Bay Bridge shaking...I just remember it being really scary...
5. When the Berlin Wall fell (November 7, 1989)
Don’t remember. Once again I remember watching the world news that night and then the president speaking about how wonderful that another communist county had fallen and how democracy now had another chance.
6. When the Gulf War began (January 16, 1991)
One of my friends called me up and told me. His father had already been sent to the Gulf.
7. When the first World Trade Center bombing happened (February 26, 1993)
I was in school when they told us. I remember getting really upset as one of my Aunts worked in the building. I remember just waiting to get home so that I could find out if she was okay (which she was). Her office soon moved out of that building and moved closer down to Avenue of the Americas (Nearer to Canal Street). Her new office had a perfect view of her beloved Twin Towers.
8. When OJ Simpson was chased in his White Bronco (June 17, 1994)
It was a Friday night! I had some friends over and we were getting ready to go out to the movies when it all started. Needless to say, those plans were scraped and we watched. Afterwards, we went to diner and everyone was talking about it!
9. When the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed (April 19, 1995)
I was off from school that day for one reason or another, I think that I had just gotten back from a school trip in Italy. I remember it being a beautiful day outside that suddenly had gotten very dark.
10. When Princess Di was killed (August 31, 1997)
In the states we found out about it on the 30th of August, which was a Saturday. I had gone to bed early for some reason or another. My roomie was thinking about waking me up, as she knew how much I liked her. But she decided that it could wait until the morning. The 31st (here in the states and my 20th birthday) I woke up early and put the TV on low in our room. When I heard, I shouted “Oh My God!!!” And my roomie mumbled “Yeah, I was going to wake you up and tell you last night, but I did not want to ruin your birthday!”
11. When Bush was first announced President (November 7, 2000)
At Work at NIH (National Institutes of Health). We all groaned at the though of what would happen to our research…and it looks like we were right to be upset.
12. When the 6.8 earthquake hit Nisqually, WA (February 28, 2001)
I missed this one…
13. When terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center (September 11, 2001)
I was sitting in the HR department getting ready for my first day of work then this Freshmen Work Study (my job was at a University) said “Oh boy! A plane just flew into one of the World Trade Buildings! I hope that it was not the one with the restaurant! I really wanted to go!”
Me: “Plane don’t ‘accidentally’ fly into a building that big! Where are you from?”
Student: “Nebraska! We don’t have big buildings like that out there!”
We then sat there and watched the other plane fly into the other tower. I was flipping out as I know a number of people that live and work in NYC and a few that work at TWC. I then heard about the pentagon and really flipped out. I could not get through to anyone except my roomie Dave who works across the river from the Pentagon for the Navy. He was trying get through to my family on the phone for me, as I could not. (Because he works for the government, he had secured lines.) Soon all of the cell phones and land lines were gone. I sent some e-mails out to my family (the DSL still worked thankfully) and finally Kate got through to me about 3 hours after it all happened. I remember my first words to her were “What was in those planes other than those poor people? What have these people done?” Later on that night, I talked to my Aunt in NYC. She said that she had been late for a meeting and was packing up her laptop when she saw the first plane hit. She then called my cousins school to tell them to let my cousin know that she was okay. She then called her husband as the second plane hit. She was on the phone to my Mother as the buildings fell telling her “I feel totally safe living in NYC! There is no other place I would rather live!” My Mother thought that my Aunt had lost her mind. But I think that she has the mentality of most people that live and love NYC (and D.C.). After all that has happened, I really don’t think that any place is really safe anymore.
14. When Columbia disintegrated during re-entry over Texas. (February 1, 2003)
I was coming back from an early Saturday morning appointment with the Kitten, it was time for his yearly check up. I remember calling Kate and her telling me that they could see things falling and it was scary. It brought me back to 11 September 2001 and how helpless I felt then.
Not even a thought as of yet.
2. When Mt. St. Helens blew (May 18, 1980)
I guess that I was either at nursery school or at my grandparents house...I do remember seeing pictures later on.
3. When the space shuttle Challenger exploded (January 28, 1986)
I was off from school and my mother was making bread in our kitchen. Whenever I smell bread being made, I always think of that.
4. When the 7.1 earthquake hit San Francisco (October 17, 1989)
I was in school. I found out later on. I remember watching parts of the freeway falling while it still had cars on it and the SF Bay Bridge shaking...I just remember it being really scary...
5. When the Berlin Wall fell (November 7, 1989)
Don’t remember. Once again I remember watching the world news that night and then the president speaking about how wonderful that another communist county had fallen and how democracy now had another chance.
6. When the Gulf War began (January 16, 1991)
One of my friends called me up and told me. His father had already been sent to the Gulf.
7. When the first World Trade Center bombing happened (February 26, 1993)
I was in school when they told us. I remember getting really upset as one of my Aunts worked in the building. I remember just waiting to get home so that I could find out if she was okay (which she was). Her office soon moved out of that building and moved closer down to Avenue of the Americas (Nearer to Canal Street). Her new office had a perfect view of her beloved Twin Towers.
8. When OJ Simpson was chased in his White Bronco (June 17, 1994)
It was a Friday night! I had some friends over and we were getting ready to go out to the movies when it all started. Needless to say, those plans were scraped and we watched. Afterwards, we went to diner and everyone was talking about it!
9. When the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed (April 19, 1995)
I was off from school that day for one reason or another, I think that I had just gotten back from a school trip in Italy. I remember it being a beautiful day outside that suddenly had gotten very dark.
10. When Princess Di was killed (August 31, 1997)
In the states we found out about it on the 30th of August, which was a Saturday. I had gone to bed early for some reason or another. My roomie was thinking about waking me up, as she knew how much I liked her. But she decided that it could wait until the morning. The 31st (here in the states and my 20th birthday) I woke up early and put the TV on low in our room. When I heard, I shouted “Oh My God!!!” And my roomie mumbled “Yeah, I was going to wake you up and tell you last night, but I did not want to ruin your birthday!”
11. When Bush was first announced President (November 7, 2000)
At Work at NIH (National Institutes of Health). We all groaned at the though of what would happen to our research…and it looks like we were right to be upset.
12. When the 6.8 earthquake hit Nisqually, WA (February 28, 2001)
I missed this one…
13. When terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center (September 11, 2001)
I was sitting in the HR department getting ready for my first day of work then this Freshmen Work Study (my job was at a University) said “Oh boy! A plane just flew into one of the World Trade Buildings! I hope that it was not the one with the restaurant! I really wanted to go!”
Me: “Plane don’t ‘accidentally’ fly into a building that big! Where are you from?”
Student: “Nebraska! We don’t have big buildings like that out there!”
We then sat there and watched the other plane fly into the other tower. I was flipping out as I know a number of people that live and work in NYC and a few that work at TWC. I then heard about the pentagon and really flipped out. I could not get through to anyone except my roomie Dave who works across the river from the Pentagon for the Navy. He was trying get through to my family on the phone for me, as I could not. (Because he works for the government, he had secured lines.) Soon all of the cell phones and land lines were gone. I sent some e-mails out to my family (the DSL still worked thankfully) and finally Kate got through to me about 3 hours after it all happened. I remember my first words to her were “What was in those planes other than those poor people? What have these people done?” Later on that night, I talked to my Aunt in NYC. She said that she had been late for a meeting and was packing up her laptop when she saw the first plane hit. She then called my cousins school to tell them to let my cousin know that she was okay. She then called her husband as the second plane hit. She was on the phone to my Mother as the buildings fell telling her “I feel totally safe living in NYC! There is no other place I would rather live!” My Mother thought that my Aunt had lost her mind. But I think that she has the mentality of most people that live and love NYC (and D.C.). After all that has happened, I really don’t think that any place is really safe anymore.
14. When Columbia disintegrated during re-entry over Texas. (February 1, 2003)
I was coming back from an early Saturday morning appointment with the Kitten, it was time for his yearly check up. I remember calling Kate and her telling me that they could see things falling and it was scary. It brought me back to 11 September 2001 and how helpless I felt then.
29 March 2004
E-mail exchange
Me: They brought back some beautiful shoes for me! But sadly the summer boots (the leather is so soft it feels like butter!) gave me a very nasty blister! :( I'll have work with them to fix this problem.
Lisa: What's a blister or two when Italian leather is involved?
Lisa: What's a blister or two when Italian leather is involved?
27 March 2004
Babies and Aliens!
First of all, a very big congratulations has to go out to Audrey and Mike on the birth of their daughter Gracie!
So even though it is Saturday, there is much to be done today. I have to finish all of this laundry, clean up the house before the owners return, go to work for a few hours to get some things done and then get ready for Andrea’s dance recital. I am very excited about this as her parents are coming down to see it too and I have not seen them in awhile. Also, I’ll be able to see Bill and give him my congratulations on asking Andrea and her saying “Yes!” They are so sweet and cute together! After the recital we are going out to go out to dinner…very exciting! I told Andrea that I feel like I am 6 years old here and not 26, but it is fun!
Yesterday I never made it to work. I went to my apartment to do some quick cleaning and discovered that my neighbors had once again backed up my kitchen sink. The ironic thing was that my building manager had told me (just before I went into my place) that the one way valve for my drain had just come in…So hopefully that will install it early in the coming week and I will no linger have to worry about this problem.
My doctors appointment went pretty well, he has ordered more “fun” tests and some out patient surgery…got to love it!
When I was on my way to the doctors, Abs called and asked me to check in on Nick has he has been under the weather for a few days now with some stomach problems. I told her that I would check in on him after the appointment, so that is what I did. When I got back to my apartment I called Nick and he said that he was unable to get a doctors appointment. So I asked him if he wanted to go to the ER. He then asked me “Do you mind?” It was a good thing that we were on the phone, as I just wanted to smack him – Would I mind? If I minded, I would not have asked! Not to mention, Abs may have killed us both if he did not get checked out! I told him to come down to the front of the building and that we would go to the ER before the rush got there. We then had a short discussion of what drinks and food would be served at the “ER Happy Hour!”…It is funny even if one of us is on deaths door, we can still make the other one laugh. At the ER we ragging on one another, drawing in other patients and making the staff laugh…in the end Nick was fine, he just needed to have some fluids and what not – the doctor told us that he would live and doubted that Nick really had an alien living in his bowels (My dx) and that if there was an alien, it did not show up on the x-ray which means that it is a very small one…I am very disappointed. I was looking forward to selling Nick and his alien on E-bay.
So even though it is Saturday, there is much to be done today. I have to finish all of this laundry, clean up the house before the owners return, go to work for a few hours to get some things done and then get ready for Andrea’s dance recital. I am very excited about this as her parents are coming down to see it too and I have not seen them in awhile. Also, I’ll be able to see Bill and give him my congratulations on asking Andrea and her saying “Yes!” They are so sweet and cute together! After the recital we are going out to go out to dinner…very exciting! I told Andrea that I feel like I am 6 years old here and not 26, but it is fun!
Yesterday I never made it to work. I went to my apartment to do some quick cleaning and discovered that my neighbors had once again backed up my kitchen sink. The ironic thing was that my building manager had told me (just before I went into my place) that the one way valve for my drain had just come in…So hopefully that will install it early in the coming week and I will no linger have to worry about this problem.
My doctors appointment went pretty well, he has ordered more “fun” tests and some out patient surgery…got to love it!
When I was on my way to the doctors, Abs called and asked me to check in on Nick has he has been under the weather for a few days now with some stomach problems. I told her that I would check in on him after the appointment, so that is what I did. When I got back to my apartment I called Nick and he said that he was unable to get a doctors appointment. So I asked him if he wanted to go to the ER. He then asked me “Do you mind?” It was a good thing that we were on the phone, as I just wanted to smack him – Would I mind? If I minded, I would not have asked! Not to mention, Abs may have killed us both if he did not get checked out! I told him to come down to the front of the building and that we would go to the ER before the rush got there. We then had a short discussion of what drinks and food would be served at the “ER Happy Hour!”…It is funny even if one of us is on deaths door, we can still make the other one laugh. At the ER we ragging on one another, drawing in other patients and making the staff laugh…in the end Nick was fine, he just needed to have some fluids and what not – the doctor told us that he would live and doubted that Nick really had an alien living in his bowels (My dx) and that if there was an alien, it did not show up on the x-ray which means that it is a very small one…I am very disappointed. I was looking forward to selling Nick and his alien on E-bay.
26 March 2004
Finally!
I woke up this morning to a beautiful day. It is about 60F, sunny and beautiful. I have to leave work at lunch time today for a visit to the doctors, hopefully things will go okay and then I'll be free to take an afternoon nap! But before I head off to work, I have to go do a bit of cleaning as I have been selected to have a county housing expectation! (The county I live in "randomly" check apartments in the area to see if the rental company is keeping everything up to housing standards - I am not so worried about the how the apartment complex is doing, I am more worried that these people will think something bad of me if the carpet is not freshly vacuumed and everything is not sparkly clean! Odd, I know.)
Last night I went out to coffee with the Boys, and I decided to take the Doggie. She was very excited to be out in the city. I picked Dave and Kevin up in the Circle and poor Dave was stuck in the back seat of the Probe with Doggie, thankfully it was just a short ride to the coffee house. As we were early for meeting Patrick, Andreas and Andreas' friend, the three of (and Doggie) took a walk around the neighborhood, which was very nice. At 8:00 Dave and I headed for the coffee house and Kevin went off to meet some friends from work. I did not stay too long as I had to go over to KD's place and change her burn bandages and make sure that they looked nice as she has a job interview today! Doggie and I ended up getting back home at about 11:15 pm! I think that she was happy to get home to her Kitties, but I know that she is looking forward to our next adventure out in the world. I am thinking that with it going to be so nice this weekend that maybe I'll take her to a coffee house and then over to the Dog park on Saturday...But we'll have to see what the weekend holds!
Last night I went out to coffee with the Boys, and I decided to take the Doggie. She was very excited to be out in the city. I picked Dave and Kevin up in the Circle and poor Dave was stuck in the back seat of the Probe with Doggie, thankfully it was just a short ride to the coffee house. As we were early for meeting Patrick, Andreas and Andreas' friend, the three of (and Doggie) took a walk around the neighborhood, which was very nice. At 8:00 Dave and I headed for the coffee house and Kevin went off to meet some friends from work. I did not stay too long as I had to go over to KD's place and change her burn bandages and make sure that they looked nice as she has a job interview today! Doggie and I ended up getting back home at about 11:15 pm! I think that she was happy to get home to her Kitties, but I know that she is looking forward to our next adventure out in the world. I am thinking that with it going to be so nice this weekend that maybe I'll take her to a coffee house and then over to the Dog park on Saturday...But we'll have to see what the weekend holds!
25 March 2004
Life is pretty good...
...The weather is FINALLY getting warm, this weekend it is going to be beautiful...
...I am having dinner tonight with a friend and the old roomie, after all if has been 4 days since I last saw them...
...My naturally curly hair has decided that it wants to do "cork screw" curls today, and they are not frizzy as of yet...
...Saw someone from my past yesterday, and yup - still nuts and getting nuttier by the day...
...Andrea called me this morning to let me in on her very exciting news...
...I have fun plans for the weekend...
...Wonderboy and I are going to leave work early today as he has a med school interview by my place...
...Life is pretty good...
...I am having dinner tonight with a friend and the old roomie, after all if has been 4 days since I last saw them...
...My naturally curly hair has decided that it wants to do "cork screw" curls today, and they are not frizzy as of yet...
...Saw someone from my past yesterday, and yup - still nuts and getting nuttier by the day...
...Andrea called me this morning to let me in on her very exciting news...
...I have fun plans for the weekend...
...Wonderboy and I are going to leave work early today as he has a med school interview by my place...
...Life is pretty good...
23 March 2004
What happens when you don't hear "knock, knock" but there is someone there?
There was much excitement around here last night. I got back from work at about 6:00 pm, just in time to watch the news and maybe take a short nap. I got up off the couch at about 7:15 pm, shut off the T.V. and went upstairs. At about 8:00 pm as I was upstairs putzing around, all of the sudden heard Doggie flipping out! I looked down the steps (the front door opens up to the stairs) and I could see that the front door screen door was closing. “That’s funny” I thought to myself “The screen door was locked.” (I can be extremely OCD about locking doors…I just have this fear after what happened with my apartment that someone could get in!) As the front door has glass at the top of it I could see one person was moving quickly away from the area where one of the front windows is and someone else backing away from the front door. I ran down the steps, flipped on the outside lights, and looked through the peep hole and ask “Can I help you” and the whole time Doggie was acting like she was going to attack and kill! (This is so very unlike her!!) It seems that they were having some deal for pizza and movies and were going door to door selling these tickets. They kept on asking me to open up the door so that they could talk to me about their deal better. I went to one of the front windows and opened it a bit. They proceeded to try and get me to open up the door so that we could talk this deal over. They said that our other neighbors had been more than willing to partake in this deal! When I refused, the one guy accused me of not opening up the door because his friend was black. Now excuse me here – if two large men don’t even bother knocking on a darken door, well after “door to door” hours, and when they are caught, keeps on telling the female (person) in side, that they just want her to open up the front door so that they can sell her some things…I really don’t think that it would matter who they were…I really don’t know anyone that would open up that door! Not to mention that there have been some cases of this happening in the D.C. area and when the door is opened - almost always by a female, and it seems always alone – she ends up raped and beaten and the house is robbed! So for me – it did not matter what colour they were or anything like that…I was not going to open up the door!!! I told them that if I opened up the door that Doggie would kill them, and that I was not willing to pay the increased homeowners insurance that would then ensue. I called the pizza place that they had said that they were from. They had no clue as to what was going on. The said that they had not sent anyone out to the area at all for any type of deal. I then called 911. Needless to say, the police thought that I over reacted and that they probably were just nice guys (perhaps a bit mislead about how to approach people) trying to make a buck. After totally flipping out on them, they agreed to send a police officer over to area to take a look around, but that it was probably just a case of my over reacting…you have to love the police sometimes….Oh and the front screen door – the lock WAS broken…but you know, it is probably just a case of my being an over reacting female like the nice police officer said…
Oh, and tonight I was out talking with one of the neighbors and I told her about what happened last night…She lives in the house that they pointed out to me last night saying that they had bought lots and lots of these “special coupons”…And guess what?! No one knocked on her door last night and there has not been anyone around to sell her these “very special coupons”.
Oh, and tonight I was out talking with one of the neighbors and I told her about what happened last night…She lives in the house that they pointed out to me last night saying that they had bought lots and lots of these “special coupons”…And guess what?! No one knocked on her door last night and there has not been anyone around to sell her these “very special coupons”.
Yummie!!!
I had to make it this weekend, and people always ask how I make it...so here it is out on the wed where anyone can find it if they need it!
Enjoy!
Fine a good cut of corn beef brisket, there should be some fat on it, but it should not be totally covered. It should also be pretty “juicy” in its sealed pouch.
Open the pouch(s) and dump all of the contents in to a LARGE pot. Be careful as some companies put plastic pouches of seasonings in with their beef. If you buy a brisket with out this seasoning pouch, you can use the following: mustard seed, celery seed, peppercorns (whole), and a bay leaf. (Even if I have the seasoning pouch I still add extra peppercorns and bay leaves).
For EACH brisket add one small whole pealed onion and a clove of garlic (however you wish to prep it). I prefer to leave the onion whole as I can scoop it out later on, although it has been known to dissolve during the cooking process.
For each brisket add one can of beer (or as my Mother prefers a pony bottle of rolling rock). I have found that cheep beers (MGD, Miller Light, etc) work very well, while darker beers (lagers the such) tend to be over powering. Fill up the rest of the pot with cool H2O (filtered for the people with leaded lines!). The liquid level should cover the briskets. Leave enough room (and have a big enough pot) for the veggies that will be added later, so that the liquid will not end up all over your range top – not a whole lot of fun to clean up – trust me on this one. You can start the cooking on a high flame, but once the liquid starts to boil, turn it down and allow it to simmer until it is done.
According to Better Homes and Garden’s you need to cook this for 50 minutes per lb. Considering that this past weekend I cooked 15 lbs of beef, I would have started this cooking process at a VERY ungodly hour…
My usually rule of thumb is about a hour to an hour and half per brisket. So this weekend, with my 4 briskets, I started cooking it at about 1:00 pm and it was finished by 6:30 pm.
About an hour before the beef is done cooking, add your veggies! Usually I add cabbage cut up into quarters, add a bunch a cut up carrots, and quartered potatoes. You can also add some rutabagas and turnips too. Yummy! The potatoes are a person issue. I usually use red potatoes as I can just scrub them and cut them up with out worrying about peeling them. I think that they tend to hold together a bit better than white skinned (thus peeled) potatoes, but it is up to you.
Remove your briskets from their pot and turn off the heat. Your veggies are fine staying in their nice warm broth – they will be soaking up extra flavor, just keep the lid on the pot to keep the heat on! Put your briskets in a Pyrex dish that is large enough for them to lay down in. They should be placed fat side down.
Now for the glaze there are two methods – My Mother’s and mine, you can pick which on you would rather do.
My Mother’s Method:
Take Dijon mustard and coat the tops of the briskets. Then take brown sugar (either dark or light) and sprinkle it on top of the brisket. Pop it into the oven (apx. 350F) until the sugar melts (about 5-10 minutes).
My Method (as I really like the glaze!!!)
In a bowl mix slightly hardened brown sugar (one again, it does not matter - either light or dark) with Dijon mustard in a one to one ratio. Coat the tops of the briskets totally with the glaze. Put enough of the pot juice in the Pyrex dish to have a shallow coating on the bottom to keep the beef from drying out. Cover the whole thing with Al Foil and bake (350F again) for about 15 minutes or until the sugar has melted and the beef looks well glazed.
As I have gotten a few questions about the horseradish sauce, here is how I make it.
A good brand of horseradish (Double H Brand or Penn Maid are good!)
Hellmann's Mayonnaise (Regular, high fat – total favor is the only type I use)
Freshly ground pepper
Mix together - about half as much horseradish as Mayo, add pepper to taste and put it back in the fridge. I usually make this right after I put the beef on the stove. The time in the fridge allows the flavors to mix.
Enjoy!
Fine a good cut of corn beef brisket, there should be some fat on it, but it should not be totally covered. It should also be pretty “juicy” in its sealed pouch.
Open the pouch(s) and dump all of the contents in to a LARGE pot. Be careful as some companies put plastic pouches of seasonings in with their beef. If you buy a brisket with out this seasoning pouch, you can use the following: mustard seed, celery seed, peppercorns (whole), and a bay leaf. (Even if I have the seasoning pouch I still add extra peppercorns and bay leaves).
For EACH brisket add one small whole pealed onion and a clove of garlic (however you wish to prep it). I prefer to leave the onion whole as I can scoop it out later on, although it has been known to dissolve during the cooking process.
For each brisket add one can of beer (or as my Mother prefers a pony bottle of rolling rock). I have found that cheep beers (MGD, Miller Light, etc) work very well, while darker beers (lagers the such) tend to be over powering. Fill up the rest of the pot with cool H2O (filtered for the people with leaded lines!). The liquid level should cover the briskets. Leave enough room (and have a big enough pot) for the veggies that will be added later, so that the liquid will not end up all over your range top – not a whole lot of fun to clean up – trust me on this one. You can start the cooking on a high flame, but once the liquid starts to boil, turn it down and allow it to simmer until it is done.
According to Better Homes and Garden’s you need to cook this for 50 minutes per lb. Considering that this past weekend I cooked 15 lbs of beef, I would have started this cooking process at a VERY ungodly hour…
My usually rule of thumb is about a hour to an hour and half per brisket. So this weekend, with my 4 briskets, I started cooking it at about 1:00 pm and it was finished by 6:30 pm.
About an hour before the beef is done cooking, add your veggies! Usually I add cabbage cut up into quarters, add a bunch a cut up carrots, and quartered potatoes. You can also add some rutabagas and turnips too. Yummy! The potatoes are a person issue. I usually use red potatoes as I can just scrub them and cut them up with out worrying about peeling them. I think that they tend to hold together a bit better than white skinned (thus peeled) potatoes, but it is up to you.
Remove your briskets from their pot and turn off the heat. Your veggies are fine staying in their nice warm broth – they will be soaking up extra flavor, just keep the lid on the pot to keep the heat on! Put your briskets in a Pyrex dish that is large enough for them to lay down in. They should be placed fat side down.
Now for the glaze there are two methods – My Mother’s and mine, you can pick which on you would rather do.
My Mother’s Method:
Take Dijon mustard and coat the tops of the briskets. Then take brown sugar (either dark or light) and sprinkle it on top of the brisket. Pop it into the oven (apx. 350F) until the sugar melts (about 5-10 minutes).
My Method (as I really like the glaze!!!)
In a bowl mix slightly hardened brown sugar (one again, it does not matter - either light or dark) with Dijon mustard in a one to one ratio. Coat the tops of the briskets totally with the glaze. Put enough of the pot juice in the Pyrex dish to have a shallow coating on the bottom to keep the beef from drying out. Cover the whole thing with Al Foil and bake (350F again) for about 15 minutes or until the sugar has melted and the beef looks well glazed.
As I have gotten a few questions about the horseradish sauce, here is how I make it.
A good brand of horseradish (Double H Brand or Penn Maid are good!)
Hellmann's Mayonnaise (Regular, high fat – total favor is the only type I use)
Freshly ground pepper
Mix together - about half as much horseradish as Mayo, add pepper to taste and put it back in the fridge. I usually make this right after I put the beef on the stove. The time in the fridge allows the flavors to mix.
20 March 2004
Weekends...
I woke up yesterday morning as the B&J in the middle of a sandwich. On my front (left side of the bed) was the Kitten and against my back (the right side of the bed) there was something larger than another kitty and it was breathing against my back...But what was it???
Now, I have had a moment like this before, I woke up to find someone sleeping with me in my bed in college. For a few moments, you try to take stock of what is going on around you before you open up your eyes. You go through the check list:
I went to bed alone last night - check
I did not go out and party last night - check
I did not drink last night - check
No one had an opportunity to slip anything into my drink last night - check
I REALLY DID GO TO BE ALONE LAST NIGHT - CHECK
There IS someone in my bed with me RIGHT NOW!!! - CHECK!
You then (without opening up your eyes, just in case you did invite someone into bed with you at some point!?!?) you "feel out" the other side of the bed.
In the case of college, there was a recently shaved leg and the sounds of Saturday morning cartoons and of someone eating cereal in my bed....After feeling the leg up to about mid thigh there was no denying it.
There was a woman in my bed, with me!
Now this then led to another round of questions in my head:
While I think that there are other women out there that are attractive, I have not had the desire to sleep with any of them – check
I don’t remember asking/allowing any other females to sleep with me last night – check
If there is some strange woman in my bed, I have no idea how she ended up here in the first place – check
I don’t remember anything of last night after going to bed – check
If something did happen between us, it could not have been that earth shattering as I do not remember it at all – check
Thus, I am still attracted to men, I want to be with men, and I will have to explain this to this nice lady that I will not be starting a relationship with her – check
I was about to open up my eyes when I heard “Excuse me Sweetie! What do you think you are doing?”
Ah Ha! I knew that voice! I knew it very well! It was none other that wonderful and beautiful creature Katie-Kate! It seems that she was up nice and early (7:30am), hungry, and a bit lonely so she had taken my key (it was the spare, she had mine and I had hers) and come down to my dorm room (she and I both had double rooms for a single person, a very nice set up I must say) for some breakfast. She knows that I can sleep through the second coming, so she turned the TV on, got herself a bowl of cereal, and as it I like to keep it a bit cold, climbed in to my very comfy and warm bed to enjoy her Saturday morning.
After we dined on Lucky Charms (pilfered from the dinning hall as it was one of their finest meals) and got our fill of Saturday morning cartoons (it did not take us long) we decided to go back to sleep.
But this story gets better, my Mother called later on (at about 10:00 am!!! What was she thinking – I was in college!!! Getting up before noon on the weekends is sacrilege for most college students) and we had the following conversation:
Mom (in a good mood and almost singing): “Are you up and ready for another beautiful day? It is so beautiful here! I am going to go to my yoga class and then go out and work in the garden. What are you up to?”
Me (very grumpy and still half asleep): "No! Kate and I were just sleeping right now.”
Mom (with some shock in her voice): “Doesn’t Katie live down the hall? ALONE? Don’t you live alone?”
Me: “Yeah, usually. But we were asleep in bed just now.”
Mom (the voice was quivering at this point): “Is there something that you would like to share with your Father and I?”
Me: “Yes! You call too early in the morning!”
Mom: “No, something else…Are you and Kate [deep breath here and in a whispering tone]…More than just friends?”
And then it hit me! Oh boy! I had a lot of explaining to do, and not for the reasons that she feared! So I explained the whole situation of the morning to her, and she felt much better...
But anyway, back to yesterday morning. Thankfully after going through the first check list in my head and everything check out, I felt the creature along my back…it was the Doggie! She knew that she was in trouble as soon as I started to feel around…She is not allowed up on the bed (she has been sleeping there during the day while I am at work, as when I return from work, the neatly made bed is all fussed up and has a Doggie imprint on it!). She quickly got down from the bed and ran away…While she thought that she was in a lot of trouble (and she was), I was just glad and relived that it was the Doggie and not a person, as Katie-Kate is living far away in Texas!
There is too much to do, not enough time. You have to love all of this running around that we all do on the weekends! I think that the kitten has gotten use to the idea that I HAVE to get up everyday early now that the Doggie has to go out...why can't she just learn to use a box like the kitties? The Doggie has found a real friend in the Kitten in that respect. The Kitten knows that if I am up, then ALL of the animals (the other kitty, the fish, the Doggie and most importantly the Kitten himself) will get breakfast. I think that relations would be perfect if the Doggie would just stop eating the Kitten's food! I need to find a nice high place to put his food when the Doggie can no longer eat it all...Just another thing to add to the list of things to be done today...
Now, I have had a moment like this before, I woke up to find someone sleeping with me in my bed in college. For a few moments, you try to take stock of what is going on around you before you open up your eyes. You go through the check list:
I went to bed alone last night - check
I did not go out and party last night - check
I did not drink last night - check
No one had an opportunity to slip anything into my drink last night - check
I REALLY DID GO TO BE ALONE LAST NIGHT - CHECK
There IS someone in my bed with me RIGHT NOW!!! - CHECK!
You then (without opening up your eyes, just in case you did invite someone into bed with you at some point!?!?) you "feel out" the other side of the bed.
In the case of college, there was a recently shaved leg and the sounds of Saturday morning cartoons and of someone eating cereal in my bed....After feeling the leg up to about mid thigh there was no denying it.
There was a woman in my bed, with me!
Now this then led to another round of questions in my head:
While I think that there are other women out there that are attractive, I have not had the desire to sleep with any of them – check
I don’t remember asking/allowing any other females to sleep with me last night – check
If there is some strange woman in my bed, I have no idea how she ended up here in the first place – check
I don’t remember anything of last night after going to bed – check
If something did happen between us, it could not have been that earth shattering as I do not remember it at all – check
Thus, I am still attracted to men, I want to be with men, and I will have to explain this to this nice lady that I will not be starting a relationship with her – check
I was about to open up my eyes when I heard “Excuse me Sweetie! What do you think you are doing?”
Ah Ha! I knew that voice! I knew it very well! It was none other that wonderful and beautiful creature Katie-Kate! It seems that she was up nice and early (7:30am), hungry, and a bit lonely so she had taken my key (it was the spare, she had mine and I had hers) and come down to my dorm room (she and I both had double rooms for a single person, a very nice set up I must say) for some breakfast. She knows that I can sleep through the second coming, so she turned the TV on, got herself a bowl of cereal, and as it I like to keep it a bit cold, climbed in to my very comfy and warm bed to enjoy her Saturday morning.
After we dined on Lucky Charms (pilfered from the dinning hall as it was one of their finest meals) and got our fill of Saturday morning cartoons (it did not take us long) we decided to go back to sleep.
But this story gets better, my Mother called later on (at about 10:00 am!!! What was she thinking – I was in college!!! Getting up before noon on the weekends is sacrilege for most college students) and we had the following conversation:
Mom (in a good mood and almost singing): “Are you up and ready for another beautiful day? It is so beautiful here! I am going to go to my yoga class and then go out and work in the garden. What are you up to?”
Me (very grumpy and still half asleep): "No! Kate and I were just sleeping right now.”
Mom (with some shock in her voice): “Doesn’t Katie live down the hall? ALONE? Don’t you live alone?”
Me: “Yeah, usually. But we were asleep in bed just now.”
Mom (the voice was quivering at this point): “Is there something that you would like to share with your Father and I?”
Me: “Yes! You call too early in the morning!”
Mom: “No, something else…Are you and Kate [deep breath here and in a whispering tone]…More than just friends?”
And then it hit me! Oh boy! I had a lot of explaining to do, and not for the reasons that she feared! So I explained the whole situation of the morning to her, and she felt much better...
But anyway, back to yesterday morning. Thankfully after going through the first check list in my head and everything check out, I felt the creature along my back…it was the Doggie! She knew that she was in trouble as soon as I started to feel around…She is not allowed up on the bed (she has been sleeping there during the day while I am at work, as when I return from work, the neatly made bed is all fussed up and has a Doggie imprint on it!). She quickly got down from the bed and ran away…While she thought that she was in a lot of trouble (and she was), I was just glad and relived that it was the Doggie and not a person, as Katie-Kate is living far away in Texas!
There is too much to do, not enough time. You have to love all of this running around that we all do on the weekends! I think that the kitten has gotten use to the idea that I HAVE to get up everyday early now that the Doggie has to go out...why can't she just learn to use a box like the kitties? The Doggie has found a real friend in the Kitten in that respect. The Kitten knows that if I am up, then ALL of the animals (the other kitty, the fish, the Doggie and most importantly the Kitten himself) will get breakfast. I think that relations would be perfect if the Doggie would just stop eating the Kitten's food! I need to find a nice high place to put his food when the Doggie can no longer eat it all...Just another thing to add to the list of things to be done today...
19 March 2004
Morning Edition...Don't play with me, it's too early!
As I was waking up this morning I heard a story (that I hope will be repeated and I need to make sure this is what I heard)!
Announcer (said something like this): “India has started to test a new missile that could be used for firing nuclear material. Thus far the missile could make it to the capitol of Pakistan. The India government says that tests like these are routine. Relations between the two countries have been improving the past few days! For Morning edition I’m…”
Now, maybe it is just me…but you are testing a missile to see if it could make it into another country, a country have you have a long bad history with, and they whole world wants you to kiss and make up as you BOTH have nuclear bombs, how does test firing help these relations? If someone understands this and can explain it, I would love to listen…
Announcer (said something like this): “India has started to test a new missile that could be used for firing nuclear material. Thus far the missile could make it to the capitol of Pakistan. The India government says that tests like these are routine. Relations between the two countries have been improving the past few days! For Morning edition I’m…”
Now, maybe it is just me…but you are testing a missile to see if it could make it into another country, a country have you have a long bad history with, and they whole world wants you to kiss and make up as you BOTH have nuclear bombs, how does test firing help these relations? If someone understands this and can explain it, I would love to listen…
18 March 2004
I woke up this morning at 6:45 am EST. The first alarm to go off in the morning is the radio. About 10 minutes later the beeping goes off. If I have gotten enough sleep the night before or if I am really excited about what is going on that day I’ll get up when the radio goes off…but let’s be honest here. I usually hit the snooze button when the radio goes off, I’ll hit it again when the buzzer comes on, and finally get up when the radio goes back on. This morning, I was good even though I was not really excited to get going (especially when I heard how cold it was out side, 32 F, brrr!) but I laid there petting the Kitten, who was very excited that I was awake and giving pets, and on the other side petting the doggie who was standing on the floor waiting for me to tell her to get into the bed, where she is not allowed, but has been sleeping during the day while I am at work. I know this as a fact as the sheets are messed up when I get home - I make it before I leave in the morning.
I usually take the Metro into work in the morning. Since I have been at Phil’s I have been driving and was thinking of parking the car at my place and then walking to the Metro and taking that in, thus giving me a chance to finish re-reading “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason”. (Some events of my life recently have driven me to re-read the Bridget Jones books as I can relate to her on some, okay MANY levels. I just hope that my journal is as entertaining as her is, but you’ll have to let me know on that front.)
But the local news said that there was a fire this morning on the Metro and that big parts of the system were shut down as well as Connecticut Avenue (one of the main streets in and out of D.C.). The news suggested leaving a bit later (if possible) and also not to take the Metro. Which as I am sure most of you can figure out leaves us with buses or cars. I took the car option.
“*&%$@#*&(^(*%$*%$^%$^%#^%^Z&!!@#$%!!@!!” and
is all that I can say about my 1.5 hour commute this morning! (It usually takes 20 minutes!)
I have decided to make up, print out, and distribute the following rules the next time I am in a traffic jam such as the one that I was in this morning.
1.It is not proper to speed up and then slam your breaks on when traffic is not moving.
2.The only thing that the above accomplishes is:
a.The burning gas, wearing down of breaks
b.A net gain of about 2 feet for you and your car
c.And upset for everyone around you!
3.I will not “move up” and block any of the following:
a.A cross walk
b.An intersection
4.I will not honk at the person driving in front of me if they do not move as soon as the light turns…you should wait at least 3 seconds to make sure that some other jerk is not about run a red light and cream you, after all that will just make a bigger mess and you’ll have to stick around as a witness which will make you REALLY LATE!!!
5.Do not try and intimidate me with your gas guzzling SUV while I am driving my very cute and pretty gas efficient sports car…and as a side note you get much better gas mileage when you drive a stick! :)
6.Do not cut me off to get one car length ahead and then switch back (and forth again and again and again) you are making the whole back up worse!!!
7.As to those lovely gestures that you are making and those lovely words that keep on coming out of your mouth – I am sure that your parents raised you with manors. How would they feel about your behavior?
I got back from the Radiation Safety office (they called in the middle of my writing this and said that unless I came down right away I, and everyone else in the lab, would no longer be allowed to use Radioactive materials.
I saved what I had written and went down with the binder and got everything fixed (nothing that I personally had done, but I am the one that needs to use it next, and before I could order my materials I had to fix what had been mixed up before). They were very nice and then I went with them over to the Match Day Results Party at the Med School. (Match day is a national day when 4th year medical students find out where they will be doing their Intern/Residency Program.) I came back to find everyone gone…okay pretty much everyone except for Chris and Ana. Chris then disappeared (to class) and the solution happened to be that the University of Maryland game is on….ahhh…so that is where most of the Male population of the building (and some of the women) when to…there is a motion opf those left in the lab about closing it down…with only two (three when Chris gets back) of us to vote on it, I think that it will pass and carry! Weee! I’ll have a nap this afternoon!!!!!
I usually take the Metro into work in the morning. Since I have been at Phil’s I have been driving and was thinking of parking the car at my place and then walking to the Metro and taking that in, thus giving me a chance to finish re-reading “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason”. (Some events of my life recently have driven me to re-read the Bridget Jones books as I can relate to her on some, okay MANY levels. I just hope that my journal is as entertaining as her is, but you’ll have to let me know on that front.)
But the local news said that there was a fire this morning on the Metro and that big parts of the system were shut down as well as Connecticut Avenue (one of the main streets in and out of D.C.). The news suggested leaving a bit later (if possible) and also not to take the Metro. Which as I am sure most of you can figure out leaves us with buses or cars. I took the car option.
“*&%$@#*&(^(*%$*%$^%$^%#^%^Z&!!@#$%!!@!!” and
is all that I can say about my 1.5 hour commute this morning! (It usually takes 20 minutes!)
I have decided to make up, print out, and distribute the following rules the next time I am in a traffic jam such as the one that I was in this morning.
1.It is not proper to speed up and then slam your breaks on when traffic is not moving.
2.The only thing that the above accomplishes is:
a.The burning gas, wearing down of breaks
b.A net gain of about 2 feet for you and your car
c.And upset for everyone around you!
3.I will not “move up” and block any of the following:
a.A cross walk
b.An intersection
4.I will not honk at the person driving in front of me if they do not move as soon as the light turns…you should wait at least 3 seconds to make sure that some other jerk is not about run a red light and cream you, after all that will just make a bigger mess and you’ll have to stick around as a witness which will make you REALLY LATE!!!
5.Do not try and intimidate me with your gas guzzling SUV while I am driving my very cute and pretty gas efficient sports car…and as a side note you get much better gas mileage when you drive a stick! :)
6.Do not cut me off to get one car length ahead and then switch back (and forth again and again and again) you are making the whole back up worse!!!
7.As to those lovely gestures that you are making and those lovely words that keep on coming out of your mouth – I am sure that your parents raised you with manors. How would they feel about your behavior?
I got back from the Radiation Safety office (they called in the middle of my writing this and said that unless I came down right away I, and everyone else in the lab, would no longer be allowed to use Radioactive materials.
I saved what I had written and went down with the binder and got everything fixed (nothing that I personally had done, but I am the one that needs to use it next, and before I could order my materials I had to fix what had been mixed up before). They were very nice and then I went with them over to the Match Day Results Party at the Med School. (Match day is a national day when 4th year medical students find out where they will be doing their Intern/Residency Program.) I came back to find everyone gone…okay pretty much everyone except for Chris and Ana. Chris then disappeared (to class) and the solution happened to be that the University of Maryland game is on….ahhh…so that is where most of the Male population of the building (and some of the women) when to…there is a motion opf those left in the lab about closing it down…with only two (three when Chris gets back) of us to vote on it, I think that it will pass and carry! Weee! I’ll have a nap this afternoon!!!!!
this could be fun...
Please sum up your opinion or impression of me in one word, leave it as a comment in this posting, and then post this sentence in your own journal.
17 March 2004
St. Patrick's Day in America
So today is St. Patrick’s Day. I must say growing up in an Irish (well at least half Irish) household things were always very different than in most houses. No one goes out to the pub at 6:00 am to start drinking green beer (green alcohol? That would be a sin!), no one parties all day, or many of the other things that American’s do. In Ireland it is a holiday. Yes, schools and shops are closed. You go to Church and then have a big family meal. Okay so there is drinking at dinner, but that it more to deal with the long hours that you have to spend with your family. Growing up with my Mother’s family it was like that. It was not until 1999 that I went out with a few friends who broke me down stating that they were not going to watch me sit in my dorm room for the third year in row while all of the campus, the city and the country went wild.
How did the night end?
Did I finally come to understand the “True Meaning” of St. Patrick’s Day as my American (an non-Irish household) friends claimed?
In a word: NO!!!
I (the only sober one left at the bar) ended the night taking my very drunk friend home - a 10 minute walk that took us about a hour to do – along the walk home he proceeded to get sick down my back, yup right down my sweater and my jeans that were a bit to big so it just slid right down the back of my jeans when it finally escaped in my new and very cute black paten leather sandals and then blew in nose in my hair…
Needless to say I have never felt the need to go out for what should be reserved as a Holy Day not a Holiday…
I have heard from my relations in Ireland that the American ideas and ideals for the day have invaded and that some of younger ones are missing from the dinner table, as they are busy celebrating down at the local pub…
So you may be wondering what I am planning on doing today to celebrate. I’ll probably do as I was raised to do on this day - Go to church, and then go home to have dinner. But I will make one small detour in my plans as we are in the States. I am going to go get my taxes done today, as April 15th is less than a month away now.
Who knows, maybe someone will call me for a ride home from the bar. It has happened before, as I am usually one of the only sober people home on this “American Holiday”…
Oh and on a funny note, over the weekend my mother said that she was FedEx-ing me a package with something in it that she got at the Local (PA) Irish shop. So I stopped by my place yesterday to pick up the Post (Phil does not get the Post and it is killing my morning routine I end up reading the paper from the day before to make up for it, but it is just not the same thing!) and found the package. I opened it (okay more like ripped it open as my Mom usually sends some totally fab gifts!) up. Now my mother said that the gift was “Something that I could use in the future but would not be using right now.”.
An odd statement to say the least.
What was in the package?
A candle that said “Bless this Irish House Hold” and on the back it had a poem about an Irish marriage…
Something to be used in the future I thought?
Had she joined on to the Jewish bandwagon of getting me married off?
What happened to the whole thing of my Aunt Mag (my Mother’s older sister who did the “right thing” by marring an Irishmen) of telling me that I was not going to get pressure until I was at least 35?
I had been counting on those 9 years!!!
I can take the pressure from one side, but not both! I thought to myself!
My mother has been the one that has been saying for the past few years:
“There is never enough time for a bad (hasty) marriage and always time for a good one.”
I what was thinking that she was supporting me?
What happened to taking my time and finding the right person?
What was this???
I wrapped the candle back up and put it away until I had thought of something to say to my Mother about this issue and I would not lose my head in the process…Then my Mother called this morning to wish me a happy St. Patrick’s Day.
The converstation from this morning follows:
Mom: “Did you get that package I sent to you?”
Me: “Ummm…Yeah…”
Mom: “I bought that for Mag and George and accidentally sent it to you and they got your gift. Sorry!”
Me: “Thank God! I’ll send it to Mag right away! I have the Fed Ex Account number!” (I was thinking to myself how I could not get rid of that candle fast enough!!)
Mom: “Oh Mag said that you could keep it for the future. She’ll send your gift down to you today! She said that she does not need it.”
Me: “Oh….I guess that I’ll have to thank her for that…”
But now I wonder what she sent to Mag instead of to me…my Mother has been know to buy me some pretty crazy things such at the end of my first week of college she sent me some really cool tie dyed underwear…she has sent me some nice “going out” clothing…And one year for St. Patrick’s day she sent me clover underwear, which I still have and is VERY cool!…She does send normal mother gifts like books and what not, but she knows how much I like “fun” stuff so if she sees it, and if it is a good price, she’ll buy it and send it to me…So she sent me something that I cannot use now, but can use in the future…I cannot help wondering if Mag got the shock that I did when she opened up the package that was to go to me…I hope Mag sends that package over night!
How did the night end?
Did I finally come to understand the “True Meaning” of St. Patrick’s Day as my American (an non-Irish household) friends claimed?
In a word: NO!!!
I (the only sober one left at the bar) ended the night taking my very drunk friend home - a 10 minute walk that took us about a hour to do – along the walk home he proceeded to get sick down my back, yup right down my sweater and my jeans that were a bit to big so it just slid right down the back of my jeans when it finally escaped in my new and very cute black paten leather sandals and then blew in nose in my hair…
Needless to say I have never felt the need to go out for what should be reserved as a Holy Day not a Holiday…
I have heard from my relations in Ireland that the American ideas and ideals for the day have invaded and that some of younger ones are missing from the dinner table, as they are busy celebrating down at the local pub…
So you may be wondering what I am planning on doing today to celebrate. I’ll probably do as I was raised to do on this day - Go to church, and then go home to have dinner. But I will make one small detour in my plans as we are in the States. I am going to go get my taxes done today, as April 15th is less than a month away now.
Who knows, maybe someone will call me for a ride home from the bar. It has happened before, as I am usually one of the only sober people home on this “American Holiday”…
Oh and on a funny note, over the weekend my mother said that she was FedEx-ing me a package with something in it that she got at the Local (PA) Irish shop. So I stopped by my place yesterday to pick up the Post (Phil does not get the Post and it is killing my morning routine I end up reading the paper from the day before to make up for it, but it is just not the same thing!) and found the package. I opened it (okay more like ripped it open as my Mom usually sends some totally fab gifts!) up. Now my mother said that the gift was “Something that I could use in the future but would not be using right now.”.
An odd statement to say the least.
What was in the package?
A candle that said “Bless this Irish House Hold” and on the back it had a poem about an Irish marriage…
Something to be used in the future I thought?
Had she joined on to the Jewish bandwagon of getting me married off?
What happened to the whole thing of my Aunt Mag (my Mother’s older sister who did the “right thing” by marring an Irishmen) of telling me that I was not going to get pressure until I was at least 35?
I had been counting on those 9 years!!!
I can take the pressure from one side, but not both! I thought to myself!
My mother has been the one that has been saying for the past few years:
“There is never enough time for a bad (hasty) marriage and always time for a good one.”
I what was thinking that she was supporting me?
What happened to taking my time and finding the right person?
What was this???
I wrapped the candle back up and put it away until I had thought of something to say to my Mother about this issue and I would not lose my head in the process…Then my Mother called this morning to wish me a happy St. Patrick’s Day.
The converstation from this morning follows:
Mom: “Did you get that package I sent to you?”
Me: “Ummm…Yeah…”
Mom: “I bought that for Mag and George and accidentally sent it to you and they got your gift. Sorry!”
Me: “Thank God! I’ll send it to Mag right away! I have the Fed Ex Account number!” (I was thinking to myself how I could not get rid of that candle fast enough!!)
Mom: “Oh Mag said that you could keep it for the future. She’ll send your gift down to you today! She said that she does not need it.”
Me: “Oh….I guess that I’ll have to thank her for that…”
But now I wonder what she sent to Mag instead of to me…my Mother has been know to buy me some pretty crazy things such at the end of my first week of college she sent me some really cool tie dyed underwear…she has sent me some nice “going out” clothing…And one year for St. Patrick’s day she sent me clover underwear, which I still have and is VERY cool!…She does send normal mother gifts like books and what not, but she knows how much I like “fun” stuff so if she sees it, and if it is a good price, she’ll buy it and send it to me…So she sent me something that I cannot use now, but can use in the future…I cannot help wondering if Mag got the shock that I did when she opened up the package that was to go to me…I hope Mag sends that package over night!
16 March 2004
Tuesday...
It is raining and ugly outside right now...It is going to get icy according to the news reposts...It is times like this that I worry about driving someone else's car...But I must get to work! I have to run by my place as I still have not brought all of my clothing over here...I will have to finish picking up my stuff on the way back from work today...It is going to be one of those days at the lab, we have a WIP (work in progress) meeting today, even though they are usually on Thursday...But oh well...I may also stop by the food store on the way back tonight...I need to get a few basic supplies including 1/2 & 1/2 for my coffee...I forgot to pick it up on the way over here last night...But at least I was able to find some coffeemate so all is not lost!
The Kitten is making noise and raising a fuss at the door right now. I had to closed Tabitha's door (where the computer is and where I am right now too) as the Doggie has been breaking in and eating all of her food. She was not pleased when I gave her her morning meal of wet food as there was no dry food and very little water. It took me a few moments to realize that the Doggie was the reason for this...So much for all of that food and water that I put down for her last night. The Kitten's supplies had also been eaten...Doggie!!!
The Kitten is making noise and raising a fuss at the door right now. I had to closed Tabitha's door (where the computer is and where I am right now too) as the Doggie has been breaking in and eating all of her food. She was not pleased when I gave her her morning meal of wet food as there was no dry food and very little water. It took me a few moments to realize that the Doggie was the reason for this...So much for all of that food and water that I put down for her last night. The Kitten's supplies had also been eaten...Doggie!!!
15 March 2004
Birthday Day!
What day are you?
The funny thing about this, is that Aunt Beth claims that Wednesday's line is actually Friday's as it describes me better...She is so cute!
Animals...
So I am sitting here, and just made a disgusted noise and Tabitha just hissed at me...Both she and Burt are a bit ticked off with the Doggie...She got into their rooms and ate all of their food...Tabitha is now sitting on the floor growling...She will not let me even pet her...I think that she misses Phil a lot!
Oh and for some reason every single dog in the area is on a barking rant tonight...Got to go...Burt and Dusty are chasing one another again...I just hope that they do not break anything!
Oh and for some reason every single dog in the area is on a barking rant tonight...Got to go...Burt and Dusty are chasing one another again...I just hope that they do not break anything!
Dogs...
You have to love how dependable (and yet depended in the fact that they have to be either walked or let out) dog are! Dusty the Doggie (she is a lab) was standing there staring at me this morning when I (finally) opened up my eyes. As soon as I got out of bed she started running around and doing the "Happy Dance"! The Kitten on the hand was just waiting for me to get up so that he could steal my warm place in bed. He looked very bored by the Doggie...
12 March 2004
random spring thoughts...
I saw my first cherry blossoms yesterday as I was leaving work/school. They were pink, the really deep pink ones…oh so pretty!
I came to work/school via a different route today. There was a parking spot by some ones lawn a bit further down the street than I usually park. They had cut their lawn really short, and had planted a bunch of bulbs that were now flowering with daffodils and the starting leaves of hydrangeas and tulips (one of my favorite flowers). It was such a contrast!
I poured another gel today, it only had a few bubbles in it, and so it can be used as I can just avoid running a sample in those spots.
It is really windy today and I am now worried that the petals from the cherry blossom trees are going to be blown off. I think that they may be kind of safe as they are brand new.
The trees are really starting to bud! The bud casings are all over the place.
My contacts are starting to stick and I have been waking up with my eyes glued shut due to the increase of pollen in the air.
I came to work/school via a different route today. There was a parking spot by some ones lawn a bit further down the street than I usually park. They had cut their lawn really short, and had planted a bunch of bulbs that were now flowering with daffodils and the starting leaves of hydrangeas and tulips (one of my favorite flowers). It was such a contrast!
I poured another gel today, it only had a few bubbles in it, and so it can be used as I can just avoid running a sample in those spots.
It is really windy today and I am now worried that the petals from the cherry blossom trees are going to be blown off. I think that they may be kind of safe as they are brand new.
The trees are really starting to bud! The bud casings are all over the place.
My contacts are starting to stick and I have been waking up with my eyes glued shut due to the increase of pollen in the air.
11 March 2004
Why!?!?
Have you ever had one of those days where you have a plan and then the plan gets shot to hell?
This morning before I left:
1.* The Kitten knocked over my glass of water (he jumped on the table, a place that he knows that he is not allowed).
2.* The Kitten then knocked over a vase of flowers (also on the table).
3. I hit my finger and it started to bleed all over the place again – it took about 15 minutes to stop bleeding. (The Kitten was not involved).
4.* The Kitten removed my afternoon snack (some lunch meat and cheese) from my book bag and ate it (how and when did he figure out how to open sandwich baggies?). I did not have any more, so I am going to hope that I have some popcorn left in my desk.
(*Can you tell that the Kitten was really bad this morning! What is up with him?)
But thankfully, I got into work thanks to Phil who just makes me smile and laugh; it is so nice working for someone (and with a whole group of people) who makes worth wile to come to work – it is so lovely! I got sweet/sad e-mail from Abs (she’s a bit homesick right now) and a cute one from someone else. I e-mailed Abs back and told her that I would call her tonight and chat. It is no fun being homesick. Who would have thought that we would be 26 and still get home sick? I was going to answer the cute e-mail, but considering that I just wanted a few minutes to think about what I was going to e-mail, I thought that I would set up a DNA sequencing gel first as getting everything ready takes about 20 minutes and then it has to sit for 2 to 3 hours before it is ready. So, I got started at about 9:45 am ran into SO MANY problems had to take a break at 11:00 am for a meeting. After the meeting I went right back to trying pouring the gel and at 2:30 pm I gave up. Others tried to pour it too, but the DNA sequencing gods are against us here in the lab today. I am going to try again in the morning and if it works (lets all keep our fingers crossed) which then means that I’ll come in on Saturday to clean up the machine as you cannot leave the gel in the machine over the weekend as it will dry out and be impossible to get off the glass plates that we use and that cost $600.00 each!!!
Okay, I am not nuts here! You may be asking why this whole procedure is so hard, the long and the short of it is that you need to pour a 2mm thick gel – but it is 12-inches by 18-inches…and you cannot have ANY air bubbles in it at all or your DNA will not be read correctly. Here is an example (from the net) of what a DNA sequencing gel looks like when it has been run and then analyzed by the computer.
From the picture above, I then get something that looks like this:
And that is where I figure out if there is something different, added or missing from a gene.
But at least I finally got to write my reply e-mail and eat my lunch…all at about 3:00 pm…I just hope that my gel pours in the morning, or I don’t know what I’ll do!
Oh! I got a google hit today under the topic of shortest women . Hmmm…(eye brow is arching)
This morning before I left:
1.* The Kitten knocked over my glass of water (he jumped on the table, a place that he knows that he is not allowed).
2.* The Kitten then knocked over a vase of flowers (also on the table).
3. I hit my finger and it started to bleed all over the place again – it took about 15 minutes to stop bleeding. (The Kitten was not involved).
4.* The Kitten removed my afternoon snack (some lunch meat and cheese) from my book bag and ate it (how and when did he figure out how to open sandwich baggies?). I did not have any more, so I am going to hope that I have some popcorn left in my desk.
(*Can you tell that the Kitten was really bad this morning! What is up with him?)
But thankfully, I got into work thanks to Phil who just makes me smile and laugh; it is so nice working for someone (and with a whole group of people) who makes worth wile to come to work – it is so lovely! I got sweet/sad e-mail from Abs (she’s a bit homesick right now) and a cute one from someone else. I e-mailed Abs back and told her that I would call her tonight and chat. It is no fun being homesick. Who would have thought that we would be 26 and still get home sick? I was going to answer the cute e-mail, but considering that I just wanted a few minutes to think about what I was going to e-mail, I thought that I would set up a DNA sequencing gel first as getting everything ready takes about 20 minutes and then it has to sit for 2 to 3 hours before it is ready. So, I got started at about 9:45 am ran into SO MANY problems had to take a break at 11:00 am for a meeting. After the meeting I went right back to trying pouring the gel and at 2:30 pm I gave up. Others tried to pour it too, but the DNA sequencing gods are against us here in the lab today. I am going to try again in the morning and if it works (lets all keep our fingers crossed) which then means that I’ll come in on Saturday to clean up the machine as you cannot leave the gel in the machine over the weekend as it will dry out and be impossible to get off the glass plates that we use and that cost $600.00 each!!!
Okay, I am not nuts here! You may be asking why this whole procedure is so hard, the long and the short of it is that you need to pour a 2mm thick gel – but it is 12-inches by 18-inches…and you cannot have ANY air bubbles in it at all or your DNA will not be read correctly. Here is an example (from the net) of what a DNA sequencing gel looks like when it has been run and then analyzed by the computer.
From the picture above, I then get something that looks like this:
And that is where I figure out if there is something different, added or missing from a gene.
But at least I finally got to write my reply e-mail and eat my lunch…all at about 3:00 pm…I just hope that my gel pours in the morning, or I don’t know what I’ll do!
Oh! I got a google hit today under the topic of shortest women . Hmmm…(eye brow is arching)
10 March 2004
Better late than never!
The DNA sequence that I ran yesterday went pretty well, but a few things did not show up and the ones that did were a bit too heavy to get a good reading – so I redid the whole reaction and will rerun it in the morning when I come in…I think that I am going to make it an early day today as I did not get a good night sleep last night. Why you may ask – well the Kitten has started to bay at the “moon”. No, I am not kidding here. We need to get this habit cut out as the “moon” that he is baying at is actually the lamp on the outside of the building that above my windows. (My place is located on the inner corner of the building, as if it was the inner corner of the letter “L”.) We have been living in the apartment since November, but now with the warmer weather there have been some bugs starting to come out and they are attracted to the light. I think the Kitten is upset, as he is not able to participate in one of his favorite activities – bug catching. I need to figure out how to break him of this new and fun (at least for him) past time. Any suggestions?
Here are two funny stories from my friend Beck – yes, sadly this is a true story!
From Yesterday’s Mail Bag:
"This just in...
Last night at 9:30 PM, a man with a few warrants was arrested after a high-speed police chase with the MD State Police. The stolen car had temporary DC tags on it and was spotted by the police. The driver slowed down when the police flashed their sirens, but then sped up and drove off starting the chase in Greenbelt, MD and ending in College Park, MD. The driver jumped out of the car and was apprehended. A second man was arrested last night as well.
The 2 men apprehended were arrested in vehicle theft and taken into the precinct where it was discovered one of the men had been wanted for several crimes in 2 different states (MD and VA). According to the police, the man who was driving the car is under suspicion of murder and other auto thefts. The car, a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am, was stolen approximately 3 weeks ago from VA and is now the prime target of the police crime science units to determine if they can obtain the evidence necessary in the crimes. According to the police, the car is thought to have been present at several crimes and a major evidence piece for these reasons. Currently, the car is on lock-down in MD.
The car had no comments last night, but looked well enough. She had lost a tire and was driving without one for a while in the chase and has no front bumper anymore. She obviously has a tough spirit. She has been through a lot and deserves this rest for a few days."
And today I got this:
"Well, I got just a *few* phone calls today about my lovely lady. It appears my news report from earlier was a little different than what actually happened. I spent a greater part of my day learning about the real circumstances of what happened. So, here goes nothing....
She was abducted from VA approximately 3 weeks ago by probably the same men who were arrested. She was part of a high-speed chase that ended up in 2 arrests last night. Everything in between gets more crazy. It appears this past Saturday night, the passenger (not the driver as previously thought) was the gentleman who had the warrants out for his arrest. Why was he a passenger?? Oh..do let me tell you....
He and his brilliant friend decided to rob a guy in Alexandria by gun-point, but the poor victim had no money. The two gunmen finally found out the victim had a cell phone. And they took it. (could they be traced?..oh, I don’t know - DUH) While they were running away from the scene, the guy with the warrants had put his gun in his pocket. [edited for obscene laughing] The gun went off!...that’s right ladies and gentlemen, he shot his own “privates.” So, he could no longer drive the vehicle. As the police officer told me today after relating the story, “there is justice in this world.”
He and his brilliant accomplice then went to the hospital (good gracious! what IQ do we have here?) and checked in. Well, the accomplish was arrested and turned on his friend. (couldn’t possibly see that one coming from a MILE away) So, then the police know all the facts of the crime and the whereabouts of the guy they have been looking for.
My car is being given a rape kit today for blood samples and for other evidence of this crime as well as others that may have taken place. She has a few more things wrong with her, but appears to be in fairly good shape. They drove her a total of 2,100 miles over the last 3 weeks. Dear goodness....
She may be released to the public’s attention, cameras, or interviews in approximately one week. At this time, my insurance will have first claim to spruce her up. Or, she may be held because of what evidence they find in her. We shall have to see how this plays out.
At least, I know one thing...the idiot won’t be spawning any others :)"
Here are two funny stories from my friend Beck – yes, sadly this is a true story!
From Yesterday’s Mail Bag:
"This just in...
Last night at 9:30 PM, a man with a few warrants was arrested after a high-speed police chase with the MD State Police. The stolen car had temporary DC tags on it and was spotted by the police. The driver slowed down when the police flashed their sirens, but then sped up and drove off starting the chase in Greenbelt, MD and ending in College Park, MD. The driver jumped out of the car and was apprehended. A second man was arrested last night as well.
The 2 men apprehended were arrested in vehicle theft and taken into the precinct where it was discovered one of the men had been wanted for several crimes in 2 different states (MD and VA). According to the police, the man who was driving the car is under suspicion of murder and other auto thefts. The car, a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am, was stolen approximately 3 weeks ago from VA and is now the prime target of the police crime science units to determine if they can obtain the evidence necessary in the crimes. According to the police, the car is thought to have been present at several crimes and a major evidence piece for these reasons. Currently, the car is on lock-down in MD.
The car had no comments last night, but looked well enough. She had lost a tire and was driving without one for a while in the chase and has no front bumper anymore. She obviously has a tough spirit. She has been through a lot and deserves this rest for a few days."
And today I got this:
"Well, I got just a *few* phone calls today about my lovely lady. It appears my news report from earlier was a little different than what actually happened. I spent a greater part of my day learning about the real circumstances of what happened. So, here goes nothing....
She was abducted from VA approximately 3 weeks ago by probably the same men who were arrested. She was part of a high-speed chase that ended up in 2 arrests last night. Everything in between gets more crazy. It appears this past Saturday night, the passenger (not the driver as previously thought) was the gentleman who had the warrants out for his arrest. Why was he a passenger?? Oh..do let me tell you....
He and his brilliant friend decided to rob a guy in Alexandria by gun-point, but the poor victim had no money. The two gunmen finally found out the victim had a cell phone. And they took it. (could they be traced?..oh, I don’t know - DUH) While they were running away from the scene, the guy with the warrants had put his gun in his pocket. [edited for obscene laughing] The gun went off!...that’s right ladies and gentlemen, he shot his own “privates.” So, he could no longer drive the vehicle. As the police officer told me today after relating the story, “there is justice in this world.”
He and his brilliant accomplice then went to the hospital (good gracious! what IQ do we have here?) and checked in. Well, the accomplish was arrested and turned on his friend. (couldn’t possibly see that one coming from a MILE away) So, then the police know all the facts of the crime and the whereabouts of the guy they have been looking for.
My car is being given a rape kit today for blood samples and for other evidence of this crime as well as others that may have taken place. She has a few more things wrong with her, but appears to be in fairly good shape. They drove her a total of 2,100 miles over the last 3 weeks. Dear goodness....
She may be released to the public’s attention, cameras, or interviews in approximately one week. At this time, my insurance will have first claim to spruce her up. Or, she may be held because of what evidence they find in her. We shall have to see how this plays out.
At least, I know one thing...the idiot won’t be spawning any others :)"
09 March 2004
spring is in the air!
Okay…today’s posting…not much going on. I had to write up the weekly WDAVRadio.com column which is always fun. I was going to do it on personal ad’s, but I ended up doing on another topic due to a conversation that is on going on a different site. I ended up slicing open my ring and pinky fingers on my right hand as someone in the lab that shall remain nameless left the plate sitting out with the broken edge up and towards people. Needless today, my fingers are very bandaged right now and I had to cut the tips of some gloves off to protect the bandages, so I am not really able to type that fast right now. But at least this happened after I finished this week’s article. I have noticed an increasing number of bud casings on the ground and yesterday they announced that the cherry blossoms will be in peak bloom from the 27th of March until the 3rd of April and that they should last until the 7th of April. (For all of those that are not familiar with cherry blossoms – they are SO beautiful!!! They are white and pink…oh so pretty!) But of course then the blossoms pop, something else does too…the tourists…but that is a rant for another day!
To make up for the diagram of the female reproductive system, here is a picture of our beautiful blossoms that will be here soon!
To make up for the diagram of the female reproductive system, here is a picture of our beautiful blossoms that will be here soon!
testing
08 March 2004
Family disapointment....
I knew that it had been way to long.
I had not heard the line for about 3 months.
She called last night and left a message asking me to call her back either that night or in the morning before I left for work.
I don’t know why I did it.
I don’t know why I did not wait until I got home tonight from work.
At least then, I could call someone up and ask that they come over for a drink or I could have called Kate and we could have a drink together (long distance) while I ranted.
But called this morning I did…I was late for work because of the line and the latest plea.
I should know better that there is no such thing as a short phone conversation with her.
Who is this person you may be asking yourself at this point.
It is my grandmother in Florida.
The line in question: “You know you are not getting any younger, and you need to settle down so that you can have babies. You know, my mother lived to see two of her Great-Grandchildren. You are my own hope as Alex[andria] just turned 13 this year. So, when are you going to settle down and start having babies? You are beautiful! Why don't you just settle down? Don't you want to settle down?”
She has decided (along with her friends at the JCC (Jewish Community Center) who are in the same situation with their grandchildren) that I need support. Her suggestion: internet dating. She has been on this kick for a while now. She sends me flyers when she see them for things like “e-mode”, “Match.com”, and of course “J-Date.com”.
The best quote of this morning:
“Don’t go to bars! Men you’ll meet in bars only have sex on their minds. They are only looking for one thing! You know what that is? It’s sex! Yes! Men in bars are only thinking about meeting women for sex! Men in bars are always very sexually aggressive! This is why you need to start Internet dating!” (I asked her to slow down while talking so that I could get every word – I told her that I was going to write this up for all of my friends that may be tempted to go out to a bar and then (gasp!) except a date from a guy that they may meet there).
I had not heard the line for about 3 months.
She called last night and left a message asking me to call her back either that night or in the morning before I left for work.
I don’t know why I did it.
I don’t know why I did not wait until I got home tonight from work.
At least then, I could call someone up and ask that they come over for a drink or I could have called Kate and we could have a drink together (long distance) while I ranted.
But called this morning I did…I was late for work because of the line and the latest plea.
I should know better that there is no such thing as a short phone conversation with her.
Who is this person you may be asking yourself at this point.
It is my grandmother in Florida.
The line in question: “You know you are not getting any younger, and you need to settle down so that you can have babies. You know, my mother lived to see two of her Great-Grandchildren. You are my own hope as Alex[andria] just turned 13 this year. So, when are you going to settle down and start having babies? You are beautiful! Why don't you just settle down? Don't you want to settle down?”
She has decided (along with her friends at the JCC (Jewish Community Center) who are in the same situation with their grandchildren) that I need support. Her suggestion: internet dating. She has been on this kick for a while now. She sends me flyers when she see them for things like “e-mode”, “Match.com”, and of course “J-Date.com”.
The best quote of this morning:
“Don’t go to bars! Men you’ll meet in bars only have sex on their minds. They are only looking for one thing! You know what that is? It’s sex! Yes! Men in bars are only thinking about meeting women for sex! Men in bars are always very sexually aggressive! This is why you need to start Internet dating!” (I asked her to slow down while talking so that I could get every word – I told her that I was going to write this up for all of my friends that may be tempted to go out to a bar and then (gasp!) except a date from a guy that they may meet there).
05 March 2004
:)
It is a beautiful day here!
It is in the 70's!!!
I am going to finish up a few things and then head back to the house to take care of the kitten!
Working on Saturday to make up for yesterday!
It is in the 70's!!!
I am going to finish up a few things and then head back to the house to take care of the kitten!
Working on Saturday to make up for yesterday!
dinning out...
Okay, so I guess that I have a few things to explain. I did not write yesterday as I was busy praying that my head did not explode…and then praying that it would so that the pain would just go away. In other words, I had a migraine. I got up when the kitten alarm went off and my head was a little sore. I made my coffee, got the post from the hallway, read it, drank the coffee and then started to read a few papers about –863A/C mutation and the ramifications on disease status and outcome…before I knew it…it was almost 8:30 am! Now, usually by that time – I am on the Metro and on my way to work…I called work and let then know that I would be in, but that I was running a bit late. I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth and it just hit me…the tummy was not happy the head got VERY unhappy and I knew that I was finished. I ended up calling into work saying that I would not be in…now I have medicine that I can take for the migraines, and when I take it, I am better in about an hour or so…not bad. But! Here’s the problem with the medicine…I have to have someone around me when I take the medicine as it is a shot that quickly expands my blood vessels, I have to have someone around, just incase the medicine causes bleeding etc…I have not been able to teach the kitten how to dial 911 as of yet, so I could not take that wonderful medicine, so I took something else that just kind of knocks me out so that the migraine can run it’s course…The kitten was very good, he checked on me every once in awhile and gave me licks and cuddled with me all day…
So, today I am feeling much better, my head has that “the day after a migraine feeling” but otherwise – things are pretty good.
Okay, I promised that I would explain to Mike how it is not possible for me to be pregnant…
Sex…Sex…Sex…isn’t that the way most women get pregnant? It’s fun, it’s exercise, it’s something that most people enjoy – right? I waited much longer than many people to experience this “life event”. It was something that just kind of happened one night with a guy that I was dating and who was also “inexperienced” in this area. We had talked about it for about a month before hand in detail, talked it to death – and then things just happened one night…I felt like it was the right time – he had been stating that it was right time…and well… I don’t regret it…It was not just some random guy. It was someone that I loved and loved me. Maybe it is the reason that one night stand sex, random sex, many partners just does not feel comfortable to me. For others, if it works, that’s great for me…but it something that I just have not been able to get into.
The following is an actual conversation that I had with a guy one night about the whole situation, which now has become the standard that the guys I date get judged on. Dave always ask me if a guy can be considered up to the either the “appetizer or dinner standard” …
Him: “Why do you not want to?”
Me: “I just don’t want to.”
H: “You don’t like me? You don’t want me? You just don’t like it?”
M (laughing): “No, I like you. It’s not that I am not interested in trying new things with you or that I do not like it…okay here…let me explain it this way…You know when you find a really great restaurant. It serves all of the best food. It has a great atmosphere. And when it comes time for dinning out, all you think about is THAT restaurant. You want no other restaurant. Now, if you live near that restaurant and you pass it but cannot go in and eat at that restaurant for some reason or another - you get upset. I want to be able to eat my favorite restaurant pretty much whenever I want. Or if that restaurant wants me to dine there, say it is serving up something special – I want that restaurant to want me to be the one that the special is for. I also want no other people to be dining at that restaurant. I want that restaurant to cater to me and dinning needs, I will do the same for it.”
H (smiling): “Did you ever think about calling up the restaurant and asking for reservations? And maybe you could get calls from the restaurant for reservations. Did you think about that?”
M: “But can the restaurant assure me that no one else will be dinning there?”
H: “If you really wanted it that way, and the restaurant agreed, it could be arranged. I think that I know a restaurant that is looking for a long-term reservation. ”
M: “I will have to think about that, as I fully admit, have been sampling appetizers at other restaurants, so I have to give some thoughts about the restaurant that I enjoy the most. Which restaurant is likely going to stay open and is looking for a long-term reservation. I don’t want to have to worry about having dinner at too many restaurants. Also, if the restaurant that I pick, I want that restaurant to want my want only my reservation. Does that make sense to you?”
H: “Okay, but would you consider trying this restaurant’s appetizers again? You don’t have to say for dinner, but you could take the edge off your hunger.”
God… the appetizers were very nice at that restaurant…I never sampled the full course, and I am happy with that decision…I know that at some point there will be a restaurant that I will enjoy dinning at, and I know that my appetite will not have been ruined by having eaten dinner at restaurant that is sub par…
Mike – Just for your peace of mind, I’ll keep you posted on the “appetizer/dinner” standard of the restaurants that I go out to visit…how does that sound?
So, today I am feeling much better, my head has that “the day after a migraine feeling” but otherwise – things are pretty good.
Okay, I promised that I would explain to Mike how it is not possible for me to be pregnant…
Sex…Sex…Sex…isn’t that the way most women get pregnant? It’s fun, it’s exercise, it’s something that most people enjoy – right? I waited much longer than many people to experience this “life event”. It was something that just kind of happened one night with a guy that I was dating and who was also “inexperienced” in this area. We had talked about it for about a month before hand in detail, talked it to death – and then things just happened one night…I felt like it was the right time – he had been stating that it was right time…and well… I don’t regret it…It was not just some random guy. It was someone that I loved and loved me. Maybe it is the reason that one night stand sex, random sex, many partners just does not feel comfortable to me. For others, if it works, that’s great for me…but it something that I just have not been able to get into.
The following is an actual conversation that I had with a guy one night about the whole situation, which now has become the standard that the guys I date get judged on. Dave always ask me if a guy can be considered up to the either the “appetizer or dinner standard” …
Him: “Why do you not want to?”
Me: “I just don’t want to.”
H: “You don’t like me? You don’t want me? You just don’t like it?”
M (laughing): “No, I like you. It’s not that I am not interested in trying new things with you or that I do not like it…okay here…let me explain it this way…You know when you find a really great restaurant. It serves all of the best food. It has a great atmosphere. And when it comes time for dinning out, all you think about is THAT restaurant. You want no other restaurant. Now, if you live near that restaurant and you pass it but cannot go in and eat at that restaurant for some reason or another - you get upset. I want to be able to eat my favorite restaurant pretty much whenever I want. Or if that restaurant wants me to dine there, say it is serving up something special – I want that restaurant to want me to be the one that the special is for. I also want no other people to be dining at that restaurant. I want that restaurant to cater to me and dinning needs, I will do the same for it.”
H (smiling): “Did you ever think about calling up the restaurant and asking for reservations? And maybe you could get calls from the restaurant for reservations. Did you think about that?”
M: “But can the restaurant assure me that no one else will be dinning there?”
H: “If you really wanted it that way, and the restaurant agreed, it could be arranged. I think that I know a restaurant that is looking for a long-term reservation. ”
M: “I will have to think about that, as I fully admit, have been sampling appetizers at other restaurants, so I have to give some thoughts about the restaurant that I enjoy the most. Which restaurant is likely going to stay open and is looking for a long-term reservation. I don’t want to have to worry about having dinner at too many restaurants. Also, if the restaurant that I pick, I want that restaurant to want my want only my reservation. Does that make sense to you?”
H: “Okay, but would you consider trying this restaurant’s appetizers again? You don’t have to say for dinner, but you could take the edge off your hunger.”
God… the appetizers were very nice at that restaurant…I never sampled the full course, and I am happy with that decision…I know that at some point there will be a restaurant that I will enjoy dinning at, and I know that my appetite will not have been ruined by having eaten dinner at restaurant that is sub par…
Mike – Just for your peace of mind, I’ll keep you posted on the “appetizer/dinner” standard of the restaurants that I go out to visit…how does that sound?
03 March 2004
All Smiles!
I am all smiles now as I am going to go back to my place and feed the beast!
Have a wonderful night...i am looking forward to a nice night of sleeping!
Have a wonderful night...i am looking forward to a nice night of sleeping!
p.s.
For some reason my weather chick will not update right now...it is about 68F right now and just beautiful!
bite me!
I ended up getting into work late as I had to go see my GP about the sinus infection - which is getting better – but I still wanted to talk to her about the pain (the one that sent me to the hospital awhile back) as it is still there – not as bad as it was that one time, but not exactly the most comfortable feeling to say the least. So we agreed that I should go back to see a specialist that I had seen awhile ago…no problem. I told her that I would call her with him info today. So I got into work and got some things done – my sequences look pretty good, very exciting! – And then I got down to looking up that other doctors number. I finally found it and tried to call the nurse to leave the info as requested by my GP. Instead after being hung up on, transferred 5 times, I got Amanda. It took her 10 minutes to get the message (a name and phone number) correct as she was too busy playing doctor to me. Checking to see what I had been in to see my doctor this morning about, and then told me that she was reading MY medical chart and started commenting on it!!! I flipped to say the least…she admited to me, after I questioned her, that she has no mendical training, no medical degree, or at least is she a RN/LPN - and she is asking if MY medical decision - ones that I have made along with my doctors were the right ones...Where the hell does she get off? I like my GP but the health care company that she works for sucks!!! And Amanda's boss will be getting a nice letter from me!
Sorry about the late posting Michael…but I had work and a few meeting this afternoon…but I am staying late just so you can have your daily read…
Sorry about the late posting Michael…but I had work and a few meeting this afternoon…but I am staying late just so you can have your daily read…
02 March 2004
Oy!
Last night I had the lights off and was in bed by 10:50 pm (EST for those readers in other time zones). I had left work at 7:00 pm, gone to the food store and caught the bus back to my place. It was a beautiful night to say the least. You could smell spring coming in the air. Becky called and I caught up with her for a bit. I chatted with Kate while I made and then ate my salad. I called my mother – and then I took a HOT bath. You know, the kind of hot bath where your whole body turns red, wrinkly and your shave is just perfect because you soaked before hand. I even used the bath salts that my mother gave me for Christmas that smell like heaven. I woke up at 6:15 am, started the coffee pot and went back to bed for another 15 minutes. I had a wonderful cup of coffee and The Post read by 7:30 am (it is Tuesday which means that I get the Health section to read in addition to my usual readings) and was about to go get ready for work. And then, the phone rang…It was a number that I did not know, but it had my grandparent’s area code, so I answered it. It was my grandfathers live in girlfriend (she is his age) telling me that she needed to get in touch with my Father. At first I thought it was because today is his birthday. He is 50 today! A big birthday…but no, it ends up that my grandfather has bladder cancer that may or may not have spread to his kidneys and she needs my father to come down to Florida to help her out as she cannot handle everything. What if he dies? He won’t marry her, so she’ll be left with nothing! She cannot handle this…this went on for about 45 minutes before I got the whole story of what was going on with my grandfather. Now for all those that do not know, Florida is not a common law state. So unless he marries her, she is out, legally. But, my grandfather has left her a good amount of money in case he dies. But she is upset that she does not get it all. As far as I am concered, now my grandfather is in the hospital and sick, and the most important thing right now is that he gets good care and gets better. But she is upset that the doctor that has been suggested that he see about his cancer is not covered by his medical insurance. I told her, we’d just pay cash. It will be fine as long as we get in to this doctor that has been recommended by everyone and we’ll move on. But no, she is worried because what if he does not have any money left after this? I told her that it should not be a problem…her comment? “What if he dies? What is going to happen to me? What do I do then?” and then she goes on to tell me “And don’t go telling everyone! I cannot handle the stress! And don’t you go telling your grandmother, I don’t need her around!” Now my grandparents were married for 25 years and now have been divorced for 27…yes, they still care about one another, by my grandmother has re-married (very happily) and has her own life…if my grandmother were to go see him, what’s the big deal? It is not like they will be getting back together! But for Rita, it is a bit deal…something that I still cannot understand. Families! Agggg! So I finally got in touch my Father, and I feel like a total shite having to tell him this on his birthday…but at least I also got in touch with my Aunt Sue who is a medical doctor and in charge of all my grandfathers health issues. She said that as long as we get things taken care right away, everything should be fine. And she agreed that while it is good that my grandfather has someone there with him, that Rita can be a bit over the top sometimes…
01 March 2004
update
Well it is almost lunchtime here in D.C. on a beautiful Monday and I am ready for a nap. But sadly, I am at work so there will be no nap for this afternoon! I have set up my sequencing reaction – but I have not decided if I will do it today or wait until Tuesday to actually run it. I am still thinking about it…Last night Jeanie and Matt came over for dinner and to watch the Oscars. I made a pork tender loin with apples, hot applesauce, creamed spinach and tomato risotto, a salad with a mustard vinaigrette and then for dessert we had freshly made banana’s foster, Godiva chocolates and girl scout caramels (we all agreed, the girl scouts should stick to making cookies). It was enough to render us all in to a food/sugar coma…but I do think that everyone enjoyed themselves and at least ate well…
Lets see…what else did I do this weekend…I cried over “Forest Gump”…wanted to kick myself for it afterwards…cleaned my place up pretty much all day on Sunday before everyone came over…went for a little run…caught up (on the phone) with Andrea and Donna – but not with Kate, oh well I am sure that I’ll talk to her this week…over not too exciting of a weekend over all…but they can be nice every once in awhile!
Lets see…what else did I do this weekend…I cried over “Forest Gump”…wanted to kick myself for it afterwards…cleaned my place up pretty much all day on Sunday before everyone came over…went for a little run…caught up (on the phone) with Andrea and Donna – but not with Kate, oh well I am sure that I’ll talk to her this week…over not too exciting of a weekend over all…but they can be nice every once in awhile!
