... your power juicer is clever, and it makes tasty juice... but i don't know if the lure for tasty vitamin rich, sugar-free juice is enough to be worth the hassle of cleaning fruit pulp off of my kitchen cabinets and ceiling.
so. tonight was my first experience with the jack lalane power juicer. mary carol and brad got it as a wedding gift and just weren't interested in having "another kitchen contraption" on their counter. "would you like to take it home?" she asked the kitchen contraption coveter. so...now it's got a home in my kitchen. i bought apples and oranges to try it out. setting it up and cleaning it up were a breeze. no problem. it was the operation that left a little to be desired. i dropped an apple in and smushed it down with the pusher thingy... when i dropped another apple in, it regurgitated some apple pulp right up the side of kitchen cabinets all the way up to the ceiling. i mean, it wasn't alot, but it was enough to make me say "damn". to do oranges, they need to be peeled first since the rinds are bitter.
then after the juice is made... what the hell am i supposed to do with the pulp from the fruit? maybe mr. d will be interested in it for fertilizing his tomatoes..
both juices were really tasty... however i think mr. lalane may be retired to the shelf except for the special occations i get to make breakfast for people. who wouldn't love fresh orange, grapefruit, or apple juice for breakfast?
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
the mason-dixon line
south of it is where i was for thanksgiving. we split our time between sparks-glencoe MD at his dads house and alexandria VA at his moms. his family is nice, the more i see them, the more comfortable i feel... i kind of miss thanksgivings past with my family in somers and chicopee. i feel like i haven't been together with them for a long long time. it's really beautiful in sparks. his dad has a big old house on the maryland countryside. at night there are lots of deer and during the day i also caught glimpses of foxes, woodpeckers, and blue jays.
we had thanksgiving dinner with mary carol's parents this year, instead of all of stephens uncles.. her mom is getting older, and her health is really starting to go downhill. she was sprung from the hospital from a fall she had just the day before thanksgiving.
when we went down to alexandria, his mom took us to mount vernon where she works. every time we go down for any holiday, we always go to mount vernon. i know more about george washington and the way he lived than i ever thought i would. it's actually pretty cool. every time we go, i learn something new, and see something that i didn't see the last time.
this time, we saw aladdin the baby camel and the process of making chocolate. they had the camel there because apparently back when washington lived there, he rented a camel for 18 shillings (about $75 dollars today) for his guests to see, because they had only ever seen camels in books. the chocolate was bought in the fruit form, dried, then pan roasted. after the beans were roasted, they would peel them and mrs. washington would make the peelings and make tea with them. after that they put them on a heated stone, and ground it into chocolate while adding spices and sugar. all in all the process takes about 2-3 hours.
we ended up driving home on saturday night. we got home at about 5:30 on sunday morning where i slept in super late... all in all... it was a great trip.
we had thanksgiving dinner with mary carol's parents this year, instead of all of stephens uncles.. her mom is getting older, and her health is really starting to go downhill. she was sprung from the hospital from a fall she had just the day before thanksgiving.
when we went down to alexandria, his mom took us to mount vernon where she works. every time we go down for any holiday, we always go to mount vernon. i know more about george washington and the way he lived than i ever thought i would. it's actually pretty cool. every time we go, i learn something new, and see something that i didn't see the last time.
this time, we saw aladdin the baby camel and the process of making chocolate. they had the camel there because apparently back when washington lived there, he rented a camel for 18 shillings (about $75 dollars today) for his guests to see, because they had only ever seen camels in books. the chocolate was bought in the fruit form, dried, then pan roasted. after the beans were roasted, they would peel them and mrs. washington would make the peelings and make tea with them. after that they put them on a heated stone, and ground it into chocolate while adding spices and sugar. all in all the process takes about 2-3 hours.
we ended up driving home on saturday night. we got home at about 5:30 on sunday morning where i slept in super late... all in all... it was a great trip.
if you're colorblind, the new killers album is not for you.
if you are, the cover of the album with probably make you crazy. it's done as an ishihara color test. i'm geeking out about it just a little bit. the actual music is taking me a little time to warm up to, but i like a few of the tracks so far.
i think that the killers have taken the spot as "favorite band" just a little bit. i still listen to alot of sheila divine and i'm still smitten with weezer, but as for bands that keep putting out consistantly good music... the killers are at the top of my list.
not to mention... brandon flowers is completely adorable.
the kitchen continues to transform from macaroni and cheese orange to a happy and soft yellow. it's making me happy. along with the painting, i'm also getting a ridiculous amount of organizing and purging done.
i've also started to re-arrange the room that my christmas tree will be staying in. i decided that this year, i didn't want to have a futon floating around my house that nobody can sit on. i'm arranging the room for maximum tree adoration seating. i also pulled the ornaments out of the basement. i can't wait to get our tree.
other than that... i'm glad to be home. our trip down south was pretty quiet this year. i'll post more about that with some photos later on...
i think that the killers have taken the spot as "favorite band" just a little bit. i still listen to alot of sheila divine and i'm still smitten with weezer, but as for bands that keep putting out consistantly good music... the killers are at the top of my list.
not to mention... brandon flowers is completely adorable.
the kitchen continues to transform from macaroni and cheese orange to a happy and soft yellow. it's making me happy. along with the painting, i'm also getting a ridiculous amount of organizing and purging done.
i've also started to re-arrange the room that my christmas tree will be staying in. i decided that this year, i didn't want to have a futon floating around my house that nobody can sit on. i'm arranging the room for maximum tree adoration seating. i also pulled the ornaments out of the basement. i can't wait to get our tree.
other than that... i'm glad to be home. our trip down south was pretty quiet this year. i'll post more about that with some photos later on...
Thursday, November 20, 2008
cat house
literally.
things have definately been a little noisy around here. garcia seems to think that he is a whole man again now that kumori has gone into heat.
the thing that makes this whole story all the more hilarious is that garcia's medical backround. he's been neutered since he was about 4 months old, but lost the rest of his manhood a few years ago when his bladder started forming crystals making it impossible for him to pee. so.. garcia is really, kind of, technically.... a tranny. now he seems very confused and not sure what to do with kumori. she is following him around mrrowing at him and doing her little dance. he gets all alpha male on her, then gets confused, and finally swats her, hisses, and walks away. it's really a very sad process as garcia will usually come to find me and jump on my lap where he'll sit and look at me like "what's happening mom?"
i've taken to squirting kumi with a spray bottle when she starts following him.
i've also made the appointment to have her spayed so all of the cat's lives can return to a peaceful existance of catnip mice and tinkle balls to chase.
people who mostly stay at home really should have cats. it's like having a daily soap opera in your house without having to pay for cable.
things have definately been a little noisy around here. garcia seems to think that he is a whole man again now that kumori has gone into heat.
the thing that makes this whole story all the more hilarious is that garcia's medical backround. he's been neutered since he was about 4 months old, but lost the rest of his manhood a few years ago when his bladder started forming crystals making it impossible for him to pee. so.. garcia is really, kind of, technically.... a tranny. now he seems very confused and not sure what to do with kumori. she is following him around mrrowing at him and doing her little dance. he gets all alpha male on her, then gets confused, and finally swats her, hisses, and walks away. it's really a very sad process as garcia will usually come to find me and jump on my lap where he'll sit and look at me like "what's happening mom?"
i've taken to squirting kumi with a spray bottle when she starts following him.
i've also made the appointment to have her spayed so all of the cat's lives can return to a peaceful existance of catnip mice and tinkle balls to chase.
people who mostly stay at home really should have cats. it's like having a daily soap opera in your house without having to pay for cable.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
tufts hospital: a black hole for time
how is it that hospitals seem to suck the time out of a day?
rain and i spent most of the day at tufts hospital with my mom, and unfortunately, audrey. every month, she comes to boston to see dr. luc so they can chat about her med levels and make adjustments to try and keep my moms temporal arthritis at bay. we left the house pretty early and got bagels at park street. we spent a good hour and a half with the dr. then waited around to have her blood drawn. after that, we got soup at au bon pain in the lobby together. i hated every minute of audreys endless yapping. every sentence that came out of my mouth had to be validated by her telling me some stupid story about how she went through something similar or saying "yeah". there were so many times where i just wanted to tell her to shut the fuck up.
mom was pretty disheartened by the news that it would take her 1 to 2 years to get off of prednisone. it's really hitting her hard physically. it's making her want to eat alot, and when that happens her weight goes up (isn't that the story with some of us laramee women?). when her weight goes up, her mobility goes waaaaay down. jack from dr. koppelmans office is working on getting her a physical therapist to visit the house... man i love jack and dr. k. not only do they keep super close tabs on mom, but they also call me every six months to see how i'm doing health wise, even though i have no insurance. she's such an amazing doctor.
after the visits, i helped mom get into the car, which was quite an undertaking. once she was in, i think rain kind of kept audrey occupied so i could have a few minutes to talk with my mom alone. she was crying and really upset about the time frame for the prednisone. she's starting to be more bed bound and depressed. i told her to try and look forward to the fact that she is slowly moving down and that she didn't have to be on it forever.... still. she's pretty down in the dumps.
by the time we said goodbye, it was around 4pm. rain and i wandered back over to the amazing (a local porn and sex toy shop) on stuart street. ever since she worked there, she's had some odd fascination with porn. silly, artistic, strange, movie spoofs.... she loves it all. she scoped out the new movies and tried to get me interested. i mostly just checked out the toys they had to compare prices and variety to what we have at hubba hubba. i need to take more control back over the ordering. alot of denises choices are just boring the customers.
with any hope, i will be able to make more progress on my kitchen repainting. maybe even a few loads of laundry.
maggiesan also may have a lead on a job... which is great news. i'm REALLY excited about the idea of having an "old school" friend in the boston area. i've known maggs for about as long as i've known kristen and nichele. it's gonna be fabulous. while i love the friends i've made in the boston area as an adult, it's somewhat comforting to know that there will be someone near who knew me as a kid. to know someone that long and still be friends... even after rough patches and great distances... it's good stuff. i can't wait to introduce her to sara, erin, and karyl... and to rain... and to have someone to go to concerts with... w00t!
it's almost christmas time, and i have to admit, i've been listening to christmas music on the sly when nobody else is around. i can't wait to get our christmas tree and dig out the ornaments... to make christmas cookies and send out cards...to watch the original "how the grinch stole christmas" on an old grainy VHS tape(the one where the box is in shambles from being so old) ... to anxiously wait to see fun envelopes in my mailbox.. the lights... drinking hot cocoa or tea by a lit tree and to watch the snow outside... also, abbe might come visit, maybe becky too? it could be reminiscent of having family around like going to grammy's in christmases past...... oh i love it. and to possibly spend christmas day with my sisters for the first time?! ever?! magical.
oh man, there are gonna be lots of pictures.... i just can't wait.
rain and i spent most of the day at tufts hospital with my mom, and unfortunately, audrey. every month, she comes to boston to see dr. luc so they can chat about her med levels and make adjustments to try and keep my moms temporal arthritis at bay. we left the house pretty early and got bagels at park street. we spent a good hour and a half with the dr. then waited around to have her blood drawn. after that, we got soup at au bon pain in the lobby together. i hated every minute of audreys endless yapping. every sentence that came out of my mouth had to be validated by her telling me some stupid story about how she went through something similar or saying "yeah". there were so many times where i just wanted to tell her to shut the fuck up.
mom was pretty disheartened by the news that it would take her 1 to 2 years to get off of prednisone. it's really hitting her hard physically. it's making her want to eat alot, and when that happens her weight goes up (isn't that the story with some of us laramee women?). when her weight goes up, her mobility goes waaaaay down. jack from dr. koppelmans office is working on getting her a physical therapist to visit the house... man i love jack and dr. k. not only do they keep super close tabs on mom, but they also call me every six months to see how i'm doing health wise, even though i have no insurance. she's such an amazing doctor.
after the visits, i helped mom get into the car, which was quite an undertaking. once she was in, i think rain kind of kept audrey occupied so i could have a few minutes to talk with my mom alone. she was crying and really upset about the time frame for the prednisone. she's starting to be more bed bound and depressed. i told her to try and look forward to the fact that she is slowly moving down and that she didn't have to be on it forever.... still. she's pretty down in the dumps.
by the time we said goodbye, it was around 4pm. rain and i wandered back over to the amazing (a local porn and sex toy shop) on stuart street. ever since she worked there, she's had some odd fascination with porn. silly, artistic, strange, movie spoofs.... she loves it all. she scoped out the new movies and tried to get me interested. i mostly just checked out the toys they had to compare prices and variety to what we have at hubba hubba. i need to take more control back over the ordering. alot of denises choices are just boring the customers.
with any hope, i will be able to make more progress on my kitchen repainting. maybe even a few loads of laundry.
maggiesan also may have a lead on a job... which is great news. i'm REALLY excited about the idea of having an "old school" friend in the boston area. i've known maggs for about as long as i've known kristen and nichele. it's gonna be fabulous. while i love the friends i've made in the boston area as an adult, it's somewhat comforting to know that there will be someone near who knew me as a kid. to know someone that long and still be friends... even after rough patches and great distances... it's good stuff. i can't wait to introduce her to sara, erin, and karyl... and to rain... and to have someone to go to concerts with... w00t!
it's almost christmas time, and i have to admit, i've been listening to christmas music on the sly when nobody else is around. i can't wait to get our christmas tree and dig out the ornaments... to make christmas cookies and send out cards...to watch the original "how the grinch stole christmas" on an old grainy VHS tape(the one where the box is in shambles from being so old) ... to anxiously wait to see fun envelopes in my mailbox.. the lights... drinking hot cocoa or tea by a lit tree and to watch the snow outside... also, abbe might come visit, maybe becky too? it could be reminiscent of having family around like going to grammy's in christmases past...... oh i love it. and to possibly spend christmas day with my sisters for the first time?! ever?! magical.
oh man, there are gonna be lots of pictures.... i just can't wait.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
it's all downhill after the dress
whoever said that is a fucking liar. what happened today.. i just don't know. maybe the gals at davids bridal were having a bad day or something, but my trip to get the dress was miserable.
to begin with, i never even got a call that it had arrived. i got an email instead. when i called, they told me "oh yeah, that arrived about a week ago. you should have picked it up then." well sure. it's not like i wanted to leave it there. like i want them holding my dress hostage? so i decided to take off for danvers to get it. when i got there, i stood at the counter for about 15 minutes in full view of a consultant helping another girl. there was nobody else in view, i know she saw me. she looked right at me and still ignored me. i wouldn't have minded standing there if she had just at least acknowledged me or said i'll be over in a minute. finally someone else wandered out and got my name to find my dress. when she came back, it was still vacuum sealed into the little bitty bag it came in. i mean really. i just paid you HUNDREDS of dollars for this dress, and they couldn't even put it into the garment bag (that i had to pay for in the first place by the way). it was wrinkled and well... there was just no "magic" to picking it up. the girls were just rude.. like... what, i paid you and you got your commission so... that's it? fuck me for customer service? in the big picture, i'm really glad i went to get it... but the whole experience kind of left me with a sour taste in my mouth.
after that, i decided to heal my emotional wounds with some retail therapy. the christmas tree shops are always good for some cheap interesting things.. i've also been toying with the idea of repainting my kitchen. so i went to home depot and picked up some swatches... so far, a bright sunny yellow is in the lead as far as colors go. i also bought some home things... a photo board... a new rug... picture frames... and some kitchen odds and ends. tomorrow, i will probably go pick up the paint and start the kitchen. to me, the orange it is now makes it feel smaller and darker.. i need something nice and bright to pick it up. i'm also going to re-design my blackboard by framing it and adding in the photo board i picked up. i love home improvements :)
to begin with, i never even got a call that it had arrived. i got an email instead. when i called, they told me "oh yeah, that arrived about a week ago. you should have picked it up then." well sure. it's not like i wanted to leave it there. like i want them holding my dress hostage? so i decided to take off for danvers to get it. when i got there, i stood at the counter for about 15 minutes in full view of a consultant helping another girl. there was nobody else in view, i know she saw me. she looked right at me and still ignored me. i wouldn't have minded standing there if she had just at least acknowledged me or said i'll be over in a minute. finally someone else wandered out and got my name to find my dress. when she came back, it was still vacuum sealed into the little bitty bag it came in. i mean really. i just paid you HUNDREDS of dollars for this dress, and they couldn't even put it into the garment bag (that i had to pay for in the first place by the way). it was wrinkled and well... there was just no "magic" to picking it up. the girls were just rude.. like... what, i paid you and you got your commission so... that's it? fuck me for customer service? in the big picture, i'm really glad i went to get it... but the whole experience kind of left me with a sour taste in my mouth.
after that, i decided to heal my emotional wounds with some retail therapy. the christmas tree shops are always good for some cheap interesting things.. i've also been toying with the idea of repainting my kitchen. so i went to home depot and picked up some swatches... so far, a bright sunny yellow is in the lead as far as colors go. i also bought some home things... a photo board... a new rug... picture frames... and some kitchen odds and ends. tomorrow, i will probably go pick up the paint and start the kitchen. to me, the orange it is now makes it feel smaller and darker.. i need something nice and bright to pick it up. i'm also going to re-design my blackboard by framing it and adding in the photo board i picked up. i love home improvements :)
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
did you vote?
i sure did. in fact, i had a voting date this morning. steve and i walked over as soon as the polls opened, voted, then got some breakfast. it was great. i am so anxious to see which direction our country goes in tonight. i have been glued to the TV (except for the time i was out on my interview and in court with rainy). i have practically been in a nail biting frenzy all day. it didn't help that this weekend i watched a few documentaries on how the machines used for voting can be simply hacked into, or that they keep on referencing our last voting day.
god... i can't wait for tonight to come.
god... i can't wait for tonight to come.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)