Tired Equals Meme

Today was great.

We ate Breakfast here:

And went shopping at an outlet mall and La-Z-Boy.

Then we ate lunch here:

Then we went shopping here:

And I got lots of neato kitchen gadgets.

Then I went shopping here and here:

Then I made french bread pizzas for dinner. And now I am too pooped to come up with anything else good to write so...I am going to do a meme. I stole this one word meme from hokgardner because I liked how simple it was. My brain needs simple right now.

Where is your cell phone? pocket

Where is your significant other? home

Your hair color? brown

Your mother? knitter

Your father? cook

Your favorite thing? home

Your dream last night? none

Your dream/goal? happiness

The room you’re in? living

Your hobby? reading

Your fear? loneliness

Where do you want to be in 6 years? together

Where were you last night? Houston

What you’re not? perfect

One of your wish-list items? ring

Where you grew up? country

Last thing you did? packed

What are you wearing? jeans

Your TV? tiny

Your pet? boyfriend

Your computer? ancient

Your mood? sleepy

Missing someone? Penguin

Your car? reliable

Something you’re not wearing? shoes

Favorite store? Wal-Mart

Your summer? crazy

Love someone? duh

Your favorite color? royal

When is the last time you laughed? tonight

Last time you cried? Wednesday

Shopping Trip

My parents are in town for the weekend. They do not get to come visit me often and I am glad they could make it. We are going shopping! The main purpose of this visit is to make a trip to IKEA tomorrow. They have never been before and I think they will like it. I know I am going mainly for cool kitchen gadgets but I think we will enjoy the whole place. So this post is short because I was busy at work today, cleaned up when I got home, then took my parents to dinner. And now I am going to bed. But I am going to bed happy, dreaming of IKEA.

P.S. My spaghetti and cheese turned out well, mother approved, and I promise to post the recipe with pictures soon!

Love Flowers!

This made me smile today!

One thing you should know about the Penguin is that he is a very practical person. He likes things to make sense. Flowers do not make sense to the Penguin. According to him they are a waste because all they do is die and you have to throw them out. Why give someone something that will only last a few days and then die? I tried to explain that it doesn't matter that they die, it matters how they make a person feel. But you know he has a pretty good point with the whole dying thing. Anyhoo, I have come to expect that the penguin does not give nonsensical gifts but instead prefers things that are tangible. But every now and then he does something that makes no sense at all, and I love him for it. (The first flower he ever gave me was a fake rose from the grocery store, a little bent, with the price tag still attached. I had asked him to pick up parmesan cheese for dinner and he was on his motorcycle so he had to put it in his backpack. So of course he chose this night to get me a flower, a fake one so that it would never die of course!, and so he had to bend it to get it to fit in his backpack. And I loved it! It is still on my table at home.) But anyway the point was that a few weeks ago we were out of town and visiting some friends of his. We were all out dancing when I suddenly noticed the Penguin was not beside me anymore. He snuck back up behind me and put a single rose in front of me. I turned around and smiled. He never does things like this, but he is a gentleman after all. So of course there was not only one rose but three, one for each lady there. And he succeeded in his mission to make all of us smile and make all of us feel special. These were not the freshest roses, the temperature was quite cold, we had no place to put them, nor water to put them in, and we had to carry them around the rest of the night. So by all measures this was something that did not make much sense. But he did it anyway because he knew we would like it. And I did like it. I liked it a lot. So much that even though I forgot the rose on the dashboard of the car overnight and through the next day, that I put it in my car to take home with me rather than throwing it away. I think leaving it in the car all day dried it out super fast and it did not mold or anything. So I still have it, it still makes no sense at all, and it still makes me smile!

Happy Love Thursday Everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

The Cheesiest!

Remember rolling your eyes at your grandparents or your parents when they would tell you how different things used to be? I am not talking about the cliche where they say they walked 5 miles to school, in the snow, uphill both ways. I am talking about when people say they just don't make things like they used to. I have to say that I am able to say that about a few things nowadays. I mean crayons for one thing. Crayons were better when I was younger. Now they are too waxy and you cannot color smoothly. I laughed when I thought about how crotchety I sounded saying that when I was younger they made things better.

But honestly things change over time. Things change due to laws like McDonald's french fries being done in different oil now. Things change due to trying to cut costs. Things change to try and accommodate more people.

Has anyone else noticed a change in this?

You can ignore the Spiderman, I just chose a good picture from google images and wound up with him on my cheese box. But seriously, Velveeta has changed. In the past few years they did something to it so that it no longer needs to be refrigerated. I swear it is a darker yellow now, like almost orange. It used to be a bright yellow. But you knew it was fake processed cheese and you never cared that it was bright ass yellow. Now it is orangey, like you already left it out to harden, except you didn't. And it just doesn't taste the same. I am not sure what makes it taste funny now, it just does. I really noticed it last Thanksgiving when we made the traditional spaghetti and cheese. It tasted strange. I thought it might just have been because my Velveeta was pretty old so I brushed it off. But then the next time I bought Velveeta my casserole came out funny again. I thought it might have been the off brand frozen broccoli until I remembered the Thanksgiving snafu. I gave Velveeta another shot though because the processed cheese just melts better. And it still tastes funny. This makes me really sad. I love spaghetti and cheese and it just won't be the holidays without it. So I have a new mission to find alternative cheeses with which to make our traditional casserole. I will be going to the grocery and looking for other cheeses and/or other ways to make the cheese melt smoothly. I am determined to make a decent spaghetti and cheese without Velveeta. I would rather have it taste too cheesy because I used real cheddar than taste sort of metallic like the Velveeta. If I am successful I will post the recipe here. It is pretty simple, and yummy to boot!

Is there something that has changed in your lifetime that makes you want to scream at the manufacturer to start making it the old way again?

Those things you wear on your feet...

I have a hole in my sock. On the right foot. On the inside of my foot near the toe. I have no idea how you can have a hole right there. Also, I just noticed the pair of socks on my bathroom floor has holes too. Lots of little holes in the heel. Again, I think it was my right foot sock. Those holes I understand better. They happen if I wear older socks with my crocs. I have to wear socks with my crocs or else my feet feel sticky and I cannot handle that. But crocs tend to destroy my socks. I feel like I am reading a Dr. Seuss book with the crocs and the socks and the box and the lox...

Perhaps it is time for new shoes which do not eat my socks. Nah, that would be too much trouble. I can never find shoes that fit right. Ever, I mean EVER. Well maybe once every couple of years or something. My feet are short. Seriously, like I measure a size 6 and a half. But I can wear anywhere from a size 7 to a 9. I usually wear an 8 or 8 and a half. But why you say? Well my feet are wide. And therefore I need a bigger shoe so my foot fits and my toes can wiggle and breathe. But then the arch of the shoe is never in the right place so the shoe feels funny. Or maybe the shoe fits perfect on my right foot and I fall in love until I try on the left one and scream in pain when I stand up. See the Penguin ran over my foot with the car a couple of years ago and my foot has just never been the same. That is a story for another time but suffice it to say it has only made finding shoes that much more difficult.

I think I shall just buy new socks. It will be cheaper. And it will make me feel better. Nice, new, thick, comfortable, really thick, white socks. The kind you get in big packs with grey heels. I think I need two packs of those. Or maybe even 3. Maybe I need the short ones I like and some long ones for winter. Cold wind blowing up the jeans is a no no.

Yes, I think new socks are in order. Thick, warm socks. The kind that make you feel good when you put them on. I think this time of year calls for good socks. And I do not feel like waiting till New Year's for Christine to bring them, I will go and buy them myself.

Cookies and Cat Butt

Yesterday was a good day. It was also a sad day. One of my good friends, Veggie Librarian is moving. Her husband got a new job in August and had to move. For various reasons she wanted to find a new job and/or be closer to him. She has finally found a job which will allow her to live in the same house as her husband again and she jumped on it. I cannot say I blame her. If my job here was not so awesome I would find any job to be able to move back with the Penguin in a heartbeat. So while I am happy for my friend, I am sad to see her go. We helped to load up what was left in the Uhaul yesterday morning. I gave her a present of cookies and this

Before you think I am totally wacko, she has 4 cats. Veggie and her husband do not have children yet and they love those cats as if they were babies. I had the honor of cat-sitting a few times when they went home to Tennessee for holidays and vacations. So when I saw this at the bookstore last weekend I just had to get it for her. If nothing else it will helped her to laugh a little on a day when I know she needed it. And it smells like hyacinth, not cat-butt. I figure she can hang it in the car or hang it on a doorknob at the new place. Hopefully when she sees it she will smile and think of me and call me. I do so want to stay in touch. And seeing each other will be even less frequent than it is now. For various reasons I just do not see our paths crossing that much. But I will have another place to visit. And she always has a place to stay with me.

I will miss her, but I know she will be happy, and that is what counts.

Happy Merry ChristmaHanaKwanzika and Festivus to you!

The Holidays are here! The Holidays are here! Can you tell how exicted I am!?!

I do so love the Holidays. And I declare that they are here. Thanskgiving is soon enough with Christmas and New Year's soon to follow. Along with all those other holidays added in if you are of various religons and ethnicities. I am happy. My whole demeanor has changed for the happier. Thinking of the holidays just makes me smile and feel all warm and cozy. I am already planning out what foods to make for Thanksgiving. I am already making my Christmas List so I can start getting presents together. I like to give. I like my family. I like tradition. Therefore I really love the Holidays because it gives me a chance to do it all.

I hope everyone else is as happy as I am about the Holidays. I hope you are able to visit everyone you want to visit and can balance the Holiday family schedule without hassle. I hope you get good home-cooked meals, traditional or not. I hope you get along with your families and no one gets too drunk or starts a fight. I hope you are not stressing about money or presents and you have all that you need. I hope that you make some new memories that help you look forward to future holidays. I hope that everything goes exactly as you want.



Happy Holidays Everyone!

I love Fridays!

Today is Friday.
It is my day off.
I am going to be home.
I am going shopping with my mother.
We will buy all sorts of great things.
Hopefully a pretty new dress for my Christmas party next month.
Hopefully some trinkets from bargain stores.
Possibly some early Christmas presents.
We will eat lunch in a resturant where I used to work.
We will have great Lebanese food.
We will shop some more.
We will look at new cars.
We will look at new buildings.
We will get take-out for dinner.
The mall has the best Chinese food!
We will go home.
I will go home to the Penguin baring gifts of wonderful Chinese food.
I will make yummy yummy chocolate chip cookies for friends.
I will eat some for myself, warm out of the oven, with ice cold milk.
I will watch trash on TV.
I will go to bed happy.

Do Bee Do Bee Dooo

I was sitting in my cube at work this afternoon and I looked over to see this,

(Well okay, not specifically this stuffed penguin, but this one was as close as I could find to the one I have without taking my own picture and I am lazy like that.)

And I bet you might be wondering why exactly I have a stuffed penguin in my cube. The answer to that is simple. We had this really fun class at work a few weeks ago and we all got to take a stuffed animal home with us. All the stuffed animals were marine life, to support the theme of the class, and I picked the penguin. He was by far the cutest one there. He is also really soft and cuddly. I have yet to take him home with me so he currently resides in a raised file tray in the corner of my cube. And honestly I think he might stay here. He makes me smile when I see him.

He makes me smile for a few reasons actually. The first is obviously that he is so cute and cuddly. The way the orange is sewn onto his beak makes him look like he is smiling. The second reason is a little more personal. I smile because the penguin also reminds me of my boyfriend. Odd you say? Not really. And no he does not resemble a penguin, thank goodness. (Though I am not so sure resembling a penguin would actually be bad. I have no intention of offending anyone who's significant other actually looks like a penguin, I am sure they are quite handsome.) The penguin reminds me of him because lately he has taken up the habit of saying Do Bee Do Bee Dooo, you know like that Bud Ice Penguin.

Oh come on you remember him, I know you do. He was in some super bowl commercials a few years back. You remember the Bud Ice Penguin right? If not, watch that video the link brings you to. (Yes, I suck and could not get the embed thing to work, deal with it, follow the link.)

Actually now I am starting to make myself feel old, which should not be possible. Apparently the Bud Ice Penguin was in super bowl commercials in 1996! I would have never guessed it was over 10 years ago. But I guess the good part is that since I feel old, you don't have to. So no one else gets to feel old because these commercials are from over a decade ago, everyone just gets to laugh at me for being so silly. Ha ha ha ha. All better right!?! I thought so. Also I thought I remembered the Bud Ice Penguin being cuter. I did not remember that in those commercials the penguin was scary and evil and plotting to steal the Bud Ice. The commercials kind of give me the heeby-jeebies. Okay so maybe I shouldn't have looked up those commercials and just kept my flawed but oh-so-much-better memory in my head. Sorry for planting evil Bud Ice Penguin memories in your head too.

Rainbows and butterflies and kittens and puppies and chocolate and shopping and money.....

There all better.

Okay so the cute, cuddly, soft, stuffed penguin in my cube reminds me of my wonderful, handsome, adorable boyfriend. Yes, that is much better. The penguin reminds me of him because he has taken to saying Do Bee Do Bee Dooo. He says it quite randomly, almost like a filler. He says it when our phone conversations stall. He says it while we are watching TV and a commercial comes on. He says it when we are riding in the car and not talking. Basically anywhere there is a lull he might unexpectedly burst out in Do Bee Do Bee Dooos. And it is quite silly and adorable. And it makes me laugh. And it makes me smile. I love the randomness of it. And it makes me love him more.

So today the penguin makes me smile because it reminds me of my boyfriend being silly and trying to make me happy. Happy Love Thursday everyone! I hope you all find something to make you smile today.

P.S. I am also happy because I have the day off tomorrow.

P.P.S. I think I figured out R's new name! From now on he will be referred to as the Penguin. Now if only I could settle on one for myself...