MUSINGS ABOUT STUFF

I’m sitting here eating this “eating right” bar of the peanut butter crisp variety and I am really wishing that it was a Tiger’s Milk Bar. It almost tastes like one but it isn’t. When I was young, I would go on trips to Sears with Mom and Sisterhead and we would go to this section where there were treats and I would get Tiger’s Milk Bars and this absolutely divine red licorice that I think was slightly raspberry flavored and it had a panda on the box. Sears, like many of my childhood memories, is Sepia toned. The yellowish nature of the memory could also be due to cheap fluorescent lighting. I have no recollection of what was around this section of the store but I do remember shelving and these brightly colored treats staring at me from the dull metal shelving.

I wonder if Mom had other reasons for going to Sears. Was there generally other shopping involved? Did we just go there for Tiger’s Milk Bars and Licorice? Was it even Sears? Were there other treats that I don’t remember as well? Luckily, Mom reads the blog so she can probably answer some of these questions.

The building that was once Sears isn’t anymore. I don’t know if it is anything. I don’t know if it is even standing. I don’t know much about how the old neighborhood looks. Whenever I go home I rarely stop by. There isn’t much there and what is there makes me a little bit sad. I remember driving past the condo where I lived from age 2ish until right before my 10th birthday. I turned into the alley and everything looked so sad. It was dirty, silent, and empty. It wasn’t the way I remembered it at all. I remembered running though the “yard” and down the sidewalk with friends. I remembered hiding throughout the complex and all the friends Sisterhead and I had living nearby. It didn’t look like the place I played.

The house we moved into after leaving the condo is where my parents live today. It’s a happy place. The yard is lush and green, there is a garden. There are trees I used to climb and it looks better now than it ever did before. When we moved there, Sisterhead and I didn’t want to go. We loved our new house but there was something about the old one that was special. Sisterhead was born there. I had my first room that was all my own there. Our friends were there. I never really hung out with the neighborhood kids at the new place. Sisterhead found a few friends there but it wasn’t the same. Then again, I was a teenager and playing tag in the backyard didn’t have the same feel to it. There were different things to do and the world was larger.

Now that I am older the world seems small again. Going home doesn’t seem to take too long and when I get there things are just where I left them, but with some minor changes. My home in Chicago seems closer to my parent’s house than my parent’s house seems to the old neighborhood and Sears. I guess that is just part of life changing.

1. Horses in my dreams/ Like waves like the sea/ They pull out of here/ They pull they are free

2. Oh here we go again/ It’s time for the same arguments about/ About that and a little bit of this

3. What about the time/ You were rolling over/ Fell on your face/ You must be having fun

4. Unexplainable things will happen when we really see into each others eyes/ Right/ So why is it we rarely find the time to see each other in the eyes

5. You consider me the young apprentice/ Caught between the scylla and charybidis/ Hypnotized by you if I should linger/ Staring at the ring around your finger. Wrapped Around Your Finger, The Police (well actually it was a Tori Amos cover but have The Police version too and it is by them) identified by Katrina

HOW STRANGE TIMES TURN OUT WELL

I had a most wondrous Friday night. I must admit it started off rather disappointing but it was all nice in the end. I met Monica and Jamie for a quick stop at “free happy hour” at Howl At The Moon. While there were free creepy nacho fixings, that were okay but if I opted not to get seconds when free food was involved they couldn’t have been that good. The free drinks actually cost $1 and I vowed not to drink one on principle. Monica and Jamie offered to get me drinks but I told them that it wouldn’t jive with my stand. There were some INTERESTING people there. The place was full of people in their 40s who were just having a swell old after work time and people in their 20s who were dressed like scandalous hot messes and couldn’t wait to get picked up by the first standard frat boy that offered to buy them a cosmo. I can’t remember the last time I saw so many people who were wearing clothes that didn’t fit them, heals they couldn’t walk in, and thought they were doing their thing. What can I expect from a place that played dueling piano versions of Gin and Juice and that Soulja Boy mess?

After that we went and got tickets for Avenue Q!!!!! Hooray!!!! Although I don’t know the songs how can I not enjoy such gems as: What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?, Everyone's A Little Bit Racist, The Internet Is For Porn, and I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today? Then when you add on the fact that the cast is full of Muppets you realize that this must be the best play EVER.

Jamie and I headed back North so I could meet up with Dave and go to Cake Chicago, a live music review that takes place on the last Friday of the month at the Red Line Tap (behind the Heartland Café). I must admit that I wasn’t particularly looking forward to it. I tend not to like music I haven’t heard of and hate paying covers, even $5 for said unknown music.

The first act was spoken word, and I was certain I would be in for a long night. The second act was a guitar/harmonica playing lady who was pretty good. The third act was this lady named Ripley who organizes the event and was also pretty good. We ordered some Nachos & Guac from Heartland drank plenty of beers and I was feeling like my night was worth the $5.

It suddenly got better. The last band, The Gwen Mitchell Experiment, was amazingly outstanding. Dave and I have big old crushes on Gwen Mitchell. After the show Tina told Gwen and Gwen’s girlfriend that the gay boy and the straight girl were completely hot for her, which was a little embarrassing. The thing is that Gwen is totally hot. I thought she was pretty cute when she got on stage but as she was performing she went from cute to amazingly hot. That girl really gets into her rock star persona. Look at her, she’s adorable. She kind of looks like Kevin Barnes. The band is a Chicago group made up of drums, bass, guitar, and electric violin. They have this kind of funk/gypsy/chick/Celtic/jam band/rock kind of thing going and it was absolutely wonderful. Tina and I bought the CD. I can’t remember the last time I bought a CD at a show, if ever. I must say the CD was a little less funky than the live show but there are a few cuts where they really do their thing. I think they are awesome. If you are in Chicago and they are playing it will be totally worth it to check them out.

1. Horses in my dreams/ Like waves like the sea/ They pull out of here/ They pull they are free


2. Oh here we go again/ It’s time for the same arguments about/ About that and a little bit of this

3. This old sun is slowly sinking down/ And the moon is slowly rising. And this old world must still be spinning round/ And I still love you. You Can Close Your Eyes, Richie Havens. Identified by Mom.

4. What about the time/ You were rolling over/ Fell on your face/ You must be having fun

5. Unexplainable things will happen when we really see into each others eyes/ Right/ So why is it we rarely find the time to see each other in the eyes

THE IMPLICATIONS ARE STAGGERING

An old professor of mine sent me an email talking about some legislation that just passed the appropriations committee and is headed to the full House in Arizona called measure SB1108. It would ban public schools from teaching materials that "overtly encourage dissent" in regard to core American values. Another piece would bar teachings, or organizations affiliated with public schools, community colleges, or public universities that are "based in whole or in part on race-based criteria," I find this incredibly terrifying.

From what I have read in the emails that have been going back and forth as well as this article, the target appears to be a La Raza studies program that focuses on cultural history and instilment of pride in that history. Some of the texts used in the program have rubbed people the wrong way.

It is one thing to complain about a text or two used in a program and maybe even talk to the school to get those texts removed or to choose laternate texts. I’m not saying I think this is necessary in this case because I don’t have all the information, I haven’t read the texts, I don’t know about the student organization mentioned, and so I honestly can’t comment on their ethos. However, I certainly can comment on the implications that type of legislation could have statewide.

Imagine a world where the only culture allowed to be taught is the dominant culture. How fundamentally un-American is that? While the article states that teaching about cultures would be acceptable, “race-based” classes would not. I can just see Asian Studies, Diaspora Studies, Chicano Studies, etc. disappearing from Arizona’s public universities and it makes me want to cry.

The language is so vague. I think if you asked ten people what it means to "overtly encourage dissent" from the values of American democracy and Western civilization you would get ten different answers. Debates could come to a raging halt. Any sentiment of radical change or even not so radical change could be squashed out of the brains of many children and young adults. People could essentially be taught that everything single thing about America is right and good and I am certain that type of thinking will only do our country harm.

Since Mom guessed all the songs yesterday here are five new ones

1. Horses in my dreams/ Like waves like the sea/ They pull out of here/ They pull they are free

2. Oh here we go again/ It’s time for the same arguments about/ About that and a little bit of this

3. Moon Sammy walks/ Across the floor/ Below the floor/ There is a wall. Moon Sammy, Soul Coughing. Identified by Mom.

4. When apple leaves fall/ You may feel something in your mind’s eye/ When the earth drinks in squall/ You may plan to escape on the sly. Apple, Cibo Matto. Identified by Jamie

5. It’s coming on Christmas/ They’re cutting down trees/ They’re putting up reindeer and singing songs of joy and peace. River, Joni Mitchell. Identified by Chatty Knitter.

A MAJOR DECISION

Tony and I have decided to buy a television. To those of you who have frequented my house and seen the television that we already possess you might be wondering why we would do such a thing. Although not top of the line or huge, out television is certainly quite a nice piece of equipment. When we purchased it we said we wouldn’t need to get another TV for 10 years. We were wrong.

Although it has HD capability, it must be like on of the very first HD type TVs because it doesn’t have a place to plug in an HDMI cable thus making our HD not as awesome as it could be. It runs at 1080i and at 420 but not at 720 or 1080p. Because of these specifications we cannot enjoy our PS3 to its full abilities. Most games run in 720 and we have to view them at 420 instead. Some of the ones that run at 1080 will run optimally but not all of them. It really is rather frustrating.

Last night we took a trip up to the Evanston/Chicago border (because Tony didn’t want to get on the red line and insisted it wouldbe an easy commute) to try out a Greek restaurant up on Howard street and then take the bus to Best Buy in Evanston. The food was pretty good but we both ordered the wrong entrée. I think others would have been better than pretty good. The appetizers were AMAZING. We hopped on the bus and saw this big conglomerate suburban edifice that contained a Jewel/Osco, Best Buy, Office Max, and Target. It was wonderful. I really wanted to go to Target but we didn’t really have time.

Best Buy is a wonderful place full of big pretty televisions. While we aren’t completely sure if we will end up getting one from there, Internet shopping could possibly be an option, we needed to scope things out. After looking around for a long time we basically found the two TVs that had the best picture. Picture quality is really the most important thing. Both of them were a little out of our target price range but we can always save a little more. One was a 40in Sony Bravia LCD screen. I had never seen such picture; it looked like I could reach in and punch Spiderman in the face. The shots of video games were amazing, they showed Drake’s Fortune and it looked like a completely different game than what we had been playing. We started to drool. However, it was a little small for us to. To put out new TV the way we want to in our living room we’ll be sitting at least 12ft back from it. Since we know we’re going to plop down a nice chunk of change we want it to look big from 12ft back, not just up close. The other one we liked was a 52in Samsung LCD the picture was essentially the same but it wasn’t showing any video games so we were left a little in the dark. When we got home we realized we just should have put the DVD that was playing on the Sony into the Panasonic but we didn’t do that. Right now we are leaning toward the Panasonic. To get the Sony in the size we want would be SERIOUSLY out of price range rather than a little out of range. We already feel a little silly paying so much money for a stupid TV. I mean, seriously.

Although a very helpful salesman tried desperately to have us buy the TV last night it wasn’t going to happen. We need to save some money and completely rearrange our living room before we’ll be ready for the TV. It was tempting though. My sound Financial Fitness hat must have been on though because I was able to say no. This time last year I probably would have got a TV. Yeah for being somewhat financially responsible.

Oh, after we were done at Best Buy we went to wait for the bus to go back to the city. One passed on the other side of the street and told us that we would be waiting for about an hour unless we went three blocks east and took another bus. We got to the other bus stop as our bus was pulling away and had to wait another 20 minutes or so for one. I knew it would have been easier to go to the one off the red line.

1. Love Love Love/ Love Love Love/ There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done/ Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung. All You Need is Love, The Beatles. Identified by Mom

2. I am/ Doll eyes/ Doll mouth/ doll legs. Doll Parts, Hole. Identified by Mom

3. Two weeks in a Virginia Jail/ For my lover/ For my lover. For My Lover, Tracy Chapman. Identified by Mom

4. I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more/ No I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more Maggie's Farm, Bob Dylan. Identified by Mom

5. It’s more fun to compute/ It’s more fun to compute/ It’s more fun to compute. It's More Fun To Compute, Kraftwerk. Identified by Mom

I THINK I MIGHT WIN THIS ONE

So I was playing Scrabulous with this dude on Facebook that I won't name because I don't know if he would want me to and he proceeded to kick the pants off of me. It was somewhat embarrassing. Not having too many games going, I decided to start another game with him and keep my fingers crossed that I would lose not quite as badly as I did before. He has quite the impressive record. The first set of letters I got were

MN?UEDW

I thought, “Huh, those look like promising letters.” I began to think of words and came up with "mewed", the noise a cat makes. The remaining letters were “un”. I wondered if unmewed was a word. I put it on the board, although not in the smartest place cause I didn’t really think it would work. It worked. The definition doesn’t have anything to do with the cat sound. Apparently, "mew" means to confine and to "unmew" means to set free and therefore someone can be "unmewed". Nifty, I scored me 78 points, learned something, and got my next letters.

TORANIE

I thought, “Huh, these look like very promising letters.” I really wanted to spell “anterior” but the other r was nowhere to be found. However, there was a D on the board and “rationed” soon appeared on the board netting me another 70 points. I don’t know if I have ever scored two seven letter words in a row and certainly not the first two moves of a game. My opponent wrote an “aw HELL no” after my move. I just smiled to myself and got my next letters.

TESET?O

I thought, “Huh, these look like very promising letters.” I mixed them and mixed them and wasn’t having much luck. Then I thought ETTE is a pretty common ending of things. I mixed the rest of the letters around and was oh so glad I watched Project Runway like a mad woman because “rosette” was suddenly staring back at me. I couldn’t believe it. It even fit on the board, and over a triple word score. I netted another 70 points.

There the game sits. Three moves in and I have a score of 218. The last time I played dude I had a total score of 274. After his first two moves he is sitting on 60 points, not a shabby score at all. While he could catch me I think I might have this one wrapped up. I don’t have another seven letter word on my board though; at least I don’t think I do.

EDYOEED

No, "doeeyed" isn’t a word. Even if I had one and you saw it I couldn’t accept help cause that would be cheating and cheating is for losers. Then again, since I have been all self-congratulatory on my blog I will probably lose anyway due to overconfidence. That would suck.

1. Well I’m reading this poem and it’s so profound/ and I/ I like its rhythm/ and I/ I like its sound. Lies, Violent Femmes

2. Can I come over/ Tonight/ Can I come over/ Tonight/ What do you think I wanna do/ That’s right/ Can I come over/ Tonight. Real Cool Time, The Stooges

3. I got bullets in the clip/ So what you want/ I got a lyric I can spit/ So what you want. Ghetto Pop Life, Dangermouse and Jemini

4. Andy would bicycle across town in the rain to bring you candy/ and John would buy the gown for you to wear to the prom/ With Tom the astronomer who’d name a star for you. The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side, Magnetic Fields

5. Loyal fans and new found followers/ What’s up ya’ll/ Hello how are you doing out there/ You chillin/ I’m winnin/ Oh by the way the album’s out/ Go get it. Here We Go Again. DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince

6 THINGS ABOUT ME

Colleen tagged me with the Six Quirky Things About Me meme. I am struggling with the idea because I can’t think of anything I haven’t already talked about before. I’ll give it a try though. Who knows, I might come up with something new. I just spend about 20 minutes not being able to come up with anything so I decided I am going to narrow things down and stick to quirky food things. This too may be hard.

1)I eat my pizza like a weirdo
I prefer to eat my pizza with a knife and fork. Although a little strange it is certainly not unheard of. However, utensils are only the beginning of my pizza neurosis. I always start by cutting off the crust, or ripping it off if there are no utensils. I do this because it is one of my least favorite parts of the pizza. I then cut (or rip) a one inch strip from directly below the crust. If there is some cheese that has crept upon the crust and gotten nice and brown I will generally take it off and put it on the side of my plate to eat later. As I pick up little squares of pizza to eat I bite the crust part first, put down the fork and then eat the cheese part. Sometimes I try to eat cheese and crust together but I invariably separate them in my mouth. After I have eaten the top third of the pizza slice I turn my plate and work at it from the tip up. Eventually I am left with the middle third of the pizza slice. This third is where most of the toppings and goodness tend to be. I will peel the cheese off in one big chunk, eat the crust, and then savor the last wonderfully full cheesy bite. It doesn’t matter whit kind of pizza it is the process will be the same. This process may be why deep dish is one of my least favorite pizzas. It can be very hard to separate the cheese and crust because of the way they are constructed. Stuffed crust is easier. With that I usually will eat away the bottom crust and eat the top crust and the stuffing together. I despise pizza being cut into squares because it really messes up my flow.

2)I will always save the second best nacho.
If eating nachos, I will find the one with the second best combination of toppings and set it to the side of my plate. The best nacho should be eaten immediately while everything is nice and hot and melty. If there are tons of nachos and I won’t finish them in one sitting I eat the second best nacho just as I am about to be full. I will eat nachos as leftovers but they are never as good as the first time and I don’t want to waste my perfect one. My little sister, Shoshana, has this nasty habit of stealing my second best nacho. I don’t blame her, it is the best one left on the plate. For a while, she tried to play it off like she thought I put it to the side because I didn’t want it but that only worked once or twice. She will still try to steal it though.

3) I eat my burgers and sandwiches from the outside in
Yes, they are veggie burgers. I always start by nibbling around the edges and then slowly making my way to the middle. I bet you can guess why…the middle has the best mix of all the yummy goodness. With a sandiwch I try to leave the center for the last bite as well. Sometimes this can be hard because of all the things in the sandwich. You can bet my last taste won't have any crust though.

4) For most of my life I would turn down desert for more dinner
I didn’t have a huge sweet tooth but I sure loved a savory dish. Typically I would rather have a taco or some pasta than a bowl of ice cream. However, lately I have been craving sweets to end a meal. This has been a bit of a problem because I have never really kept sweets around as I would rather have some cheese. I’m going to have to make some changes.

5) I eat candy bars in layers
Chocolate is certainly not one of my favorite foods. I do like candy bars though. I like to meticulously eat as much of the chocolate from around the edges of a bar as possible so that I am just left with whatever is inside. This I particularly easy with things like Kit-Kat bars and Twix bars. Twix may be the easiest. With those I like to eat the cookie part separate from the caramel part. I like the caramel part better. They separate quite nicely.

I have just realized that most of food quirks revolve around getting the best bite possible. I wonder if they are all that quirky. Doesn’t everyone want the best bite possible? Anyway, I tag anyone who wants to do the meme.

1. Well I’m reading this poem and it’s so profound/ and I/ I like its rhythm/ and I/ I like its sound

2. Can I come over/ Tonight/ Can I come over/ Tonight/ What do you think I wanna do/ That’s right/ Can I come over/ Tonight

3. I got bullets in the clip/ So what you want/ I got a lyric I can spit/ So what you want

4. Andy would bicycle across town in the rain to bring you candy/ and john would buy the gown for you to wear to the prom/ With Tom the astronomer who’d name a star for you

5. Loyal fans and new found followers/ What’s up ya’ll/ Hello how are you doing out there/ You chillin/ I’m winnin/ Oh by the way the album’s out/ Go get it

MEETING DAVID WILSON

So this Friday I watched the documentary Meeting David Wilson on MSNBC. It was about this young Black man, David A. Wilson who was researching his family history and came discover not only his own family history but that of the white Wilson family who once owned his own. Turns out there was a guy still living in the same town where the plantation was who was also named David B. Wilson. David A. calls up David B. and says something along the lines of, “Hi, I think your family used to own my family,” and David B. says, “Well that could be.” They then proceed to have a short conversation about the weather. Eventually they decide to meet.

This was one of those documentaries that tore me apart. I couldn’t turn it off but I couldn’t stop crying. Slavery really messes with my head. I cried because he found this guy. I cried because he wanted to meet him. I cried because he went down to the plantation and found an old shack in the slave quarters and stood inside thinking of the joy and the tragedy that must have happened inside. I cried because the two Davids got along. I cried as they got both Wilson families together for a mini reunion even though DNA showed no relation (that didn’t make me cry though, it made me happy). I cried as David A. went further back in his roots and traveled to Ghana, as he stood inside a slave castle looking at the “Door of No Return” and thinking of how long it took him to go back to his ancestral home. Mostly, I cried because I never could have done it.

As I mentioned, slavery really messes with my head. I get incredibly angry. When I get angry I cry. I could imagine myself having that conversation. It would have been full of cursing, name calling, shouting, and tears. I probably would have been hung up on. Then again, I probably wouldn’t have ever made the call because I already know how the conversation would go. It wouldn’t be healthy for anyone involved. It would bring back the recurring nightmares I had as a child of being chased through dense woods by dogs. Whatever poor white person I called and went crazy on would have nothing positive to think about and would probably look down on Black folks and think we were raving crazies after our interaction.

The Davids touched on a question that I have heard so many times. Although I think that it was worded less offensively than I am doing here in the film, “Do you think you have more opportunities living in an affluent society here in America than if your ancestors had never been brought here as slaves?” David A. gave an awesome answer, “America wouldn’t be the affluent society it is if it hadn’t been for slaves.” That comment was one of the few things in the film that made me smile.

1. Well they say that birds do it/ Bees do it/ Time the freak Money B gets to it. The Freaks of the Industry. Digital Underground.

2. If the music make you move/ Cause you can dig the groove/ Groove on/ Groove on. Do Your Thing. Isaac Hayes

3. Went down to the mountain I was drinking some wine/ Looked up in the heaven lord I saw a mighty sign. One More Saturday Night, Greatful Dead.

4. What’s the matter/ Why don’t you answer/ What’s the matter with me. Stockholm Syndrome. Yo La Tengo

FOODIE FRIDAY- A CHIP

A bad bad thing has happened to me. I found a good Dill Pickle chip. I have been on an eating better kick for the last few months and it has certainly done my body some good but I seem to have hit a plateau. I actually don’t mind plateaus, I mind backtracking. I really can’t complain. This morning I stopped by Dominick’s on my way to work to raid the salad bar and thought I might want something more than a mere salad. By the deli there were many chips, I love a salty snack. Then I saw Dill Pickle flavored chips and I got excited.

Let me tell you a little about the Dill Pickle chip. When I first saw them I thought it was so incredibly disgusting that I had to try it. I believe this happened sometime during the mid 90s. Old Dutch (a very popular brand over in good old Minnesota) was the maker and I couldn’t wait to eat the nastiness that I was sure would come out of the bag. Why I was excited to eat nasty food I do not know, but I was. However, the chip was far from disgusting. In fact it was quite possibly the most delicious chip I had ever tasted. It was a regular potato chip and was dusted with these dill pickle flavored specks, similar to what you might see on a sour cream and onion chip. I was hooked.

When I went off to college I had my mom send me a bag of Dill Pickle chips in a care package. It got completely pulverized. Friend and I ate the entire crumbly bag in about 30 seconds. She had been wary but they were a hit with her too. Over the years there have been a few other attempts at dill pickle chips. Lays has one but there are no flecks on it and, therefore, I feel it doesn’t have the charm. It tastes a little too much like a salt and vinegar chip to me, like they just dunked them in pickle juice. Lays are also notoriously greasy.

The bag I saw today was of the Kettle Classics brand. A kettle cooked chip is generally a good thing so I figured even if the pickling wasn’t right on I would still enjoy the chip. When I opened the bag (it was actually the hardest to open chip bag I have come across in a long time) I was greeted with crunchy kettle chips, pickle flakes, and a light pickle taste on the chip itself. I bit into it with anticipation and I was disgusted. The chip was so damn good. I’ll have to stop myself from eating them all the time. I haven’t had a dill pickle chip craving in years because there haven’t been any good ones to crave. It may all fall apart. For shame.

And now for something completely different. I watched Sweeny Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street last night. It was absolutely wonderful. I loved the whole look of the film and was thoroughly entertained. Unless you hate incredibly bloody and stylized musicals I suggest that you watch it as soon as possible.


1. Well they say that birds do it/ Bees do it/ Time the freak Money B gets to it

2. If the music make you move/ Cause you can dig the groove/ Groove on/ Groove on

3. Went down to the mountain I was drinking some wine/ Looked up in the heaven lord I saw a mighty sign

4. What’s the matter/ Why don’t you answer/ What’s the matter with me

5. Tie yourself to me/ No one else knows you’re not rid of me/ No you’re not rid of me. Rid of Me, PJ Harvey. Identified by Brooke.

GUEST BLOGGER: MAGDALENA HOTTENTOT

I moved into this quaint one bedroom house and furnished it sparsely, but tastefully. I started to wonder what kind of people would come into my life. I’m a quiet person who doesn’t need a lot of contact with others and has a strong thirst for knowledge. After I got settled into my new home, my neighbors, the Smith family stopped by for introductions. I immediately hit it off with Jenny. Although plain, she and I got along wonderfully. I can’t say the same about her husband, Pollination Tech 9. It isn’t that I don’t like aliens it’s that I don’t like old people. The elderly creep me out with their hunched backs and their slow moving ways. I ignored him and continued talking to Jenny.

Over the next few days things happened very quickly. I got a job as a paramedic and spent the time I wasn’t at work with Jenny. Then one night she kissed me goodbye. That was it, I was in love. I asked her to move in with me and couldn’t wait for her to leave that gross old husband of hers. She agreed to come and live with me but couldn’t quite bring herself to officially leave Pollination Tech 9. It was a real mess; he caught us kissing and had the nerve to start a fight with her in front of our home. It got pretty physical but she kicked his ass. I really wanted her to leave him but she kept telling me it just wasn’t an option.

Much to my dismay, I found out that Jenny was no spring chicken after she moved in. In fact, she was destined to grow old in three days. I had to do something to remedy this situation because I hate old people so I got some Elixir of Life to keep her young and pretty. I also got her a serious makeover, that ponytail was doing nothing for her. Now she is almost as cute as me. Jenny also works in the medical field but I thought that our overlapping careers were a little creepy. No matter, I had a real urge to become a criminal mastermind so I quit medicine and became a pickpocket. Things were looking a little too wholesome in the Hottentot house and I needed to spice things up.

Jenny had to go over to her old house to celebrate her teenage son growing up into a man. I suppose the fact that she had a teenage son should have clued me into the fact that she was not as young as she appeared. It didn’t matter, that elixir was doing wonders. Back at the old abode, they got into another fight and it was the last straw, they broke off the marriage. It was the best thing that could have happened. As soon as she came home I asked her to be mine and she said yes. We planned a small wedding at home and invited a few close friends. We did NOT invite Pollination tech 9 but he came anyway. I had to ask him to leave.

Ever since we have been back from our amazingly refreshing honeymoon Pollination Tech 9 has been trying to ruin our lives. He comes by early in the morning and steals our newspaper. He comes by late at night and kicks over our garbage can. This is quite a problem because the garbage lying out sometimes brings roaches. I can’t tell you how much we have spent on bringing the exterminator to our house time and time again.

Jenny and I are managing though and actually are enjoying each others company quite a bit. We spend our time playing chess, swimming in our new pool, and watching The Yummy Channel. However, it seems there is something missing in our lives, it might be time to call up the adoption agency. Jenny has been promoted to a surgeon and I am bringing in good money as a Bookie. It just may be that time.

1. Well they say that birds do it/ Bees do it/ Time the freak Money B gets to it

2. If the music make you move/ Cause you can dig the groove/ Groove on/ Groove on

3. Went down to the mountain I was drinking some wine/ Looked up in the heaven Lawd I saw a mighty sign

4. What’s the matter/ Why don’t you answer/ What’s the matter with me

5. Let’s get out of this country/ I’ll admit I’m bored of me/ I drowned my sorrows and slept around/ When not in body at least in mind. Let's Get Out Of This Country. Identified by Monica

THE RETURN OF THE ADDICTION

Tony’s new job has him working late a lot and it has left me home alone many nights. It took me a little while to decide what to do on these long nights alone. Sure, my apartment could use some serious cleaning (I did one room so that is better than nothing) but that isn’t going to keep me inspired. I have a jigsaw puzzle that needs some serious attention but the thing is all the same color and I can only handle that for so long. I can watch food network all day (and I do) but it is better for background stuffs and I can’t devote my full attention to it. I couldn’t think of anything.

Then it came to me. Last Friday I went to Monica’s house for tacos. They were delicious. She reminded me that I had been asking her for the SIMS discs back and she gave them to me. My addiction has come back full force. I LOVE SIMS. I haven’t downloaded any custom content yet so I just have the basic ones. I am having such a good time with them but no one is getting kidnapped by aliens and I am a little bummed about it. The joy I am experiencing with this game makes me wonder why I stopped playing in the first place. Then I went back and read this old post that explained it really well. I suppose in about six months or so that could happen again.

I then read this other post where I had entertained the notion of making a blog from the point of view of a SIM. It was a little bit funny. I then realized that my old posts were much funnier and had a larger dose of cracked outedness than my recent posts have had. I must be running out of ideas. Maybe I will have SIMS guest blog for the rest of the week. Even if the world was bored I think I would be entertained. Keep your eye out; I think the next post will come to you courtesy of Magdalena Hottentot.

1. Well they say that birds do it/ Bees do it/ Time the freak Money B gets to it

2. If the music make you move/ Cause you can dig the groove/ Groove on/ Groove on

3. Six o’clock in the morning/ You’re the last to hear the warning/ You’ve been trying to throw your arms around the world. Trying To Throw Your Arms Around The World, U2. Identified by Katrina.

4. Went down to the mountain I was drinking some wine/ Looked up in the heaven Lawd I saw a mighty sign

5. What’s the matter/ Why don’t you answer/ What’s the matter with me

MUSINGS ON LEARNING

Today I looked over graduate programs and I have concluded that I am probably going to embark on a journey to get another useless degree. While I firmly assert that I got an excellent education and that my Liberal Arts degree is totally worth something the reality of that statement is up for review. I like to say that I have a degree in everything but I also have a degree in nothing. The programs that sounded remotely interesting to me are as follows:

Curriculum Studies
English
Human Services and Counseling
Interdisciplinary Studies
Media, Culture, and Society
Organizational and Multicultural Communication
General Psychology (which I probably won’t do because I would have to take the GRE and I am lazy and I hate standardized tests and I don't want to get a bad score and worry that I am stupid)
Sociology

Seeing as the guy who meets with undecided students works in my office, I should probably go and have a meeting. Maybe I can get some help. Help just isn’t really like me though, I tend to just make decisions and live to regret them or live to love them. In fact, the only education related regret that I have is taking the MCAT instead of the GRE and not figuring out that I didn’t want to be a Dr. before I took all of those science classes. In the grand scheme of things that isn’t too bad.

SOME THINGS ARE JUST DUMB

Can I just say how upset I am over this whole overpayment of Road Home Grants thing and now thousands of people who lost their homes in Katrina are going to have to pay back tons of money. Between one and five thousand people are going to have to repay money with the largest repayments being 150k and the average being 35k. Assuming everyone paid back the maximum (which they won't) they would repay 750 million in total. The company is being paid 912 million to run the program. Something just doesn’t add up to me.

Time for the reveal.

2. The fat is in the fire/ A fryer made of chicken wire/ Gettin sick and tired of a friggin liar. Crosshairs, Dangerdoom

4. You are a splendid butterfly/ It is your wings that make you beautiful/ And I could make you fly away/ But I could never make you stay. All My Little Words. Magnetic Fields.

FOODIE FRIDAY- CHEESY PASTA AND YUMMY BEANS

I have actually been cooking a fair amount this week. I’ll share what I think was the most successful meal. As far as the pasta goes, for something in a cheese sauce it keeps very well. I know because I have been eating it at lunch more a good chunk of the week. For an even better reheating I put a little in a mini ramekin and covered it with parmesan to get a nice baked thing going for dinner one night. It certainly isn’t the most healthy of dishes but in small amounts it fit into my not eating horribly plans quite well and, like I said, lasted a really long time. Since the smoked gouda has such a strong flavor I didn’t need as much as I would for other cheese sauces I have made.

Sauce
3tbsp butter
3tbsp flour
1 grated shallot
1 clove garlic pressed
3oz smoked gouda
3 cups skim milk
5oz frozen spinach cooked and drained
2 packets boca ground burger (I could have done without this but Tony wanted it and it added a nice boost of protein so it wasn’t a bad addition)
Salt and pepper to taste

It’s just your typical cheese sauce preparation and would go well with any pasta but I used whole wheat rotini.

Melt the butter, add the shallot and garlic, stir in the flour, let it cook together for a min or so, add the milk, stir until the flour mixture is dissolved, add the cheese, add the boca meat, spinach, and seasonings, let it thicken.

So go with it I made the most delicious bean dish I have had in quite a long time. They complimented each other very well

1 can small white beans
1 can whole tomatoes each tomato cut in thirds
1 zucchini
3tbsp fresh basil
1tbsp lemon zest
Juice form ½ lemon
2 shallot diced
1 clove garlic pressed
.5 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute shallot and garlic in the olive oil, add everything except the basil, let cook about 5-7 min or until zucchini is soft, add 2tbsp basil and adjust seasoning if needed, let cook for a few more minutes, serve with a light dusting of freshly grated parmesan and the rest of the basil as garnish

Tony isn’t usually excited about eating beans. He'll do it but without enthusiasm. He was LOVING these

1. You had all of them on your side/ Didn’t you/ Didn’t you/ You believed in all your lies/ Didn’t you/ Didn’t you. Ruiner, NIN. Identified by Brooke.

2. The fat is in the fire/ A fryer made of chicken wire/ Gettin sick and tired of a friggin liar

3. Three hits to the heart son/ And it's poetry in motion/ One can send you down the river/ Three's a strange way to be delivered. Three Hits. Identified by Citizen of the World

4. You are a splendid butterfly/ It is your wings that make you beautiful/ And I could make you fly away/ But I could never make you stay

5. You can't hide/ Behind your social graces/ Don't try/To be all touchy feely. As Is, Ani. Identified by Brooke.

I LIKE MY JOB

My issue of Money arrived today. I don’t know why but I am very excited about receiving it. I haven’t had a regular subscription to a magazine since the days of Cricket and Ranger Rick. Man, were those ever good magazines. I kind of wish I still got Cricket but I think I might be a little mature for Ranger Rick. Then again, animals are pretty awesome. Regardless, my magazine came and I can’t wait to read it.

The April issue of Money is filled with exciting articles like How to Pay Zero Taxes, Smart Moves in a Mean Economy, and Steer Clear of the New Gold Rush. Only a year ago I would have not even thought about reading a magazine like this but, now that it is my job, I can’t wait to go through this thing cover to cover. I’m certainly not the pinnacle of financial knowledge but being good at my job is important to me and I like learning. I’m actually going to start working on my certification to become a financial planner during the summer quarter. Who would have thunk it? I’m a firm believer in teaching what I do and I know I have some work to do in order to get my financial house in ideal shape but knowing how to do that is important.

Oh, potentially important news for people is this FICO ’08 thing that the credit bureaus are rolling out. It won’t make huge changes for most people but the big thing is that if anyone is/has an authorized user on a credit account that information will no longer factor into the authorized users credit history. Many people add family to their cards to bring up bad credit or create non-existent credit. Once this plan is actually implemented, that "piggybacked" credit information will drop off reports. Seems some people with good credit have essentially renting their credit out and people with bad scores are paying to be added as authorized users to help them improve their score. Apparently privacy laws make it impossible to tell who is family and who is a scammer so all authorized users are going to lose the benefit. Joint users, however will have see no change. This is a big thing for a lot of the students I work with who are authorized users on their parent’s cards.

On another topic, my iPod has gone crazy and has started to play albums out of order. It doesn’t always bother me but I certainly won’t be listening to Dark Side of the Moon anytime soon.

1. You had all of them on your side/ Didn’t you/ Didn’t you/ You believed in all your lies/ Didn’t you/ Didn’t you

2. I’m in a crisis/ I need help/ Come on mood shift/ Shift back to good again. Heimsdalsgate Like a Promethian Curse, Of Montreal. Identified by Monica

3. Rose/ I’m feeling older/ I was lucky/ Like a four leaf clover. Razzle Dazzle Rose, Camera Obscura. Identified by Janna

4. I am just a poor boy/ Though my story’s seldom told/ I have squandered my resistance/ For a pocket full of mumbles/Such are promises. The Boxer, Simon and Garfunkle. Identified by Chatty Knitter

5. 50 years they’ve been married/ They can’t wait for their 51st to roll around/ Yeah, roll around. 51st Anniversary, Jimi Hendrix. Identified by Jamie

CALL ME, I'M YOUR ROBBER

As many of you may have heard, the stupidest criminal ever resides in Chicago. This fool had the nerve to go rob a store and when he found out that the present employees couldn’t open the safe he left two phone numbers and told them to call him when the manager got in. He said if they didn’t call he would shoot them. Of course he was called back, and when he arrived at the store was met by plain clothes policemen. They shot him in the leg while he was waiving his gun around trying to rob folks.

This isn’t the first time I have heard of criminals leaving numbers. The fool who stole my sister’s cello was also a number leaver. After he stole the cello he brought it to a music resale shop. The merchant had a pretty good idea that the instrument was stolen so he gave the guy $50 and said they would call him when they found a buyer. The shop was right down the street from their apartment building (yes this fool lived in the same building as my sister) so it was one of the first places she checked. She came away with her instrument, and the name and number of this fool. She promptly called the police to press charges. Even if she hadn’t pressed charges the state would have because it turns out cellos are expensive and the amount was large enough for the state to prosecute.

I guess the moral of these stories is a simple one. If you plan to go around robbin folks don’t leave a number.

1. The Bloom/ The Swoon/ The Sugars on your block/ The Planets land in flesh in the corners of New York. Nickel Bags, Digable Planets. Identified by Monica

2. I want you/ I want you so bad/ I want you/ I want you so bad/ It’s driving me mad. I Want You/She's So Heavy, The Beatles. Identified by Mom.

3. Blue moon/ You saw me standing alone/ Without a dream in my heart/ Without a love of my own. Blue Moon, Identified by Mom. This version happened to be Billie Holiday but there are so many it doesn't really matter.

4. Sit around and watch the tube but nothing’s on/ Change the channels for an hour or two. Longview, Green Day. Identified by Danielle

5. You had all of them on your side/ Didn’t you/ Didn’t you/ You believed in all your lies/ Didn’t you/ Didn’t you

Wow, my iPod must have intuited that songs were getting a little obscure. These should be a breeze.

TWO OUT OF THREE AIN'T BAD

I didn’t really claim a winner for Dance so we just won’t count that. Plus, a fall in dance is almost unheard of so how was I to know Belbin and Augusto were going to be out before things really even started. They were lucky to pull up to fourth. No one was predicting Buttle would walk away with the gold in the men’s event. As far as pairs, I called first and the couples that came in 2nd and 3rd (The Zhao’s and Dube and Davidson) were mentioned in my post. For ladies, Mao Asada came out on top even with the fantastic opening fall below. I've taken that fall before and it really knocks the wind out of you. I can't believe she got up and did as well as she did. Just as I predicted and Kostner and Kim were right behind her. It’s good to be right.



Other than watching skating I had a pretty calm weekend. Tony was working a lot so I really got to take it easy. We did have time for a few movies though, Bee Movie and No Country for Old Men. I enjoyed them both. Bee Movie was technically pretty horrible but there were some nice messages in there, like we all exploit each other for the good of the world. An odd message for a children’s film but an interesting one. As far as No Country For Old Men is concerned, I didn’t see the other nominated films but this one was pretty freaking good. It left me with one question though, who came up with the idea for a silencer for a shotguns. It’s just evil.

Lyrics reveal

1. Identity/ Identity is the crisis you can’t see/ Identity/ Identity. Identity X-Ray Spex

2. Did I/ See a moment/ With you/ In a half-lit world. Mourning Air, Portishead

3. Ghost, ghost I know you live within me/ Feel as you fly/ In thunderclouds above the city/ Into one that I. Ghost, Neutral Milk Hotel

4. I’m tired of wasting gas living above the planet/ Mister show me the way to earth/ The boys from quadrant 44 with their vicious metal hounds don’t come round here no more. Ballad of Maxwell Demon, Shudder to Think

5. Downtown/ We’ll drown/ We’re in our never splendor/ Flowers/ Showers/ Who’s got the new boy gender. I’ll Tumble For You, Culture Club.

WORLDS WEEKEND

It’s the happiest time of the Figure Skating Year! It’s World Championship time. Events will air as follows:

• Tonight: 7:30-11 Pairs short & long and the Original Dance on ESPN
• Friday: 7:30-11 Ladies short & Free Dance on ESPN
• Saturday 3-6 Men’s Short and Ladies Long on ABC
• Sunday 4:30-7 Men’s Long ESPN

I am super excited and here’s my rundown.

Men’s: The best event in Skating.
From what I hear Evan Lysachek (US champ) is out with an injury, US almost champ Johnny Weir could certainly be in the running for a medal. As usual the men’s field is deep and depending on how everyone skates it could go a number of ways. French powerhouse Brian Joubert but he has been sick and looked awful at the European championships. Swiss champ Stephan Lambiel has had a rough season. Czech and European champ, Tomas Verner, has been skating very well and could certainly be a contender. However, I’m going to predict this one goes to Daiske Takahashi of Japan. I’m crossing my fingers on this one because I think he is my absolute favorite skater of the moment.

Ladies: What people think is the best event in skating
This is going to be a rough one for the US team. Since only one of the top three finishers from US nationals was old enough to compete at Worlds and former champ Kimmie Miesner has had a most embarrassing season I don’t see a medal for any US athletes. Kimmie did change coaches and it did wonders for Weir so anything could happen. The best female skater in a long while, Yu-na Kim, from South Korea, has been out with an injury and that could possibly hurt her skating. Then again, she could be fine. Her chief rival, Mao Asada has been having an up and down season but has been on fire recently. She has a good shot at the title. Then again, so do her teammates Miki Ando reigning world champ but she has been imploding recently and Yukari Nagano who I almost always forget about but is great. Italy’s Carolina Kostner will probably be in good standing after the short program but typically struggles in the long. She will still be in the running. My prediction is that Asada will take it all.

Pairs: Can the Chinese reign be broken?
In this event I’m putting it all on German Pair Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy. I absolutely love them and I don’t think a person of African descent has ever stood atop the World Podium. I gotta cheer for the Brother. Not to mention that they are absolutely fantastic, innovative, and all around awesome. The Zhang’s and Pang and Tong of China will probably put up a good fight but don’t count out the upcoming Russians and Dube and Davidson of Canada (you may remember them from the amazing blade to the face spin injury of a few seasons past it's just below if you want to see it again).

Dance: It’s almost gotten interesting again
I don’t know or care enough about dance to put too much into this category. Belbin and Augusto will probably be the best chance the US has for a medal this year. I just hope to see that one team whose costumes look like straight jackets and skate to DJ Shadow.

1. Identity/ Identity is the crisis you can’t see/ Identity/ Identity

2. Did I/ See a moment/ With you/ In a half-lit world

3. Ghost, ghost I know you live within me/ Feel as you fly/ In thunderclouds above the city/ Into one that I

4. I’m tired of wasting gas living above the planet/ Mister show me the way to earth/ The boys from quadrant 44 with their vicious metal hounds don’t come round here no more.

5. Downtown/ We’ll drown/ We’re in our never splendor/ Flowers/ Showers/ Who’s got the new boy gender

MY SUBCONSCIOUS THINKS I'M CHILDISH

I went to the optometrist this morning. My prescription has changed a tiny bit but my eyes are not the source of my lightheadedness. I’m calling my Dr. back tomorrow. Today my pupils are dilated and it has enhanced my feeling funny. What fun. I did get really nifty glasses though. they have sparkles on them that you can kind of see in the side view.

So the other night I had this dream that Monica, Patrick (who is Monica’s friend and I have never met but have seen pictures of), and I were playing on this playground after winning some crazy boat race or something. That part of the dream is a little fuzzy. Patrick in the dream didn’t look like Patrick in real life; he looked more like Phillip Seymour Hoffman, which is very funny because it is almost the exact opposite of real Patrick. Anyway we had this tent thing that we draped over a round climby thing on the playground and were playing fort. Fort rules.

So we are in our fort having an awesome time when this little kid comes in. The kid’s dad is standing on the sidelines of the playground watching. The kid looks up at us and asks how old we are. I say 28, Monica says 29, and Patrick says 30 (I have no idea how old he really is). The kid looks at us and says, “Oh, that’s old. I’m 4. What are you doing in this fort?” We just looked at the kid and then at each other and packed up in shame. Then some other strange dream type stuff happened that I don’t remember. I think that the remembered part was the important part though.

The thing was my dream kind of hurt my feelings. I mean sure, I like to play around but I think my friends and I are fine examples of people in their late 20s. We have jobs, we pay rent, we function as adults, and we are generally accepted to be grown type folks. So what if we like forts? Who doesn’t? Just cause we don’t have kids of our own to play fort with doesn’t mean we should be shut out from playing. Play is important. Anyway, I’m mad at my dream.

1. Identity/ Identity is the crisis you can’t see/ Identity/ Identity

2. Did I/ See a moment/ With you/ In a half-lit world

3. Ghost, ghost I know you live within me/ Feel as you fly/ In thunderclouds above the city/ Into one that I

4. I’m tired of wasting gas living above the planet/ Mister show me the way to earth/ The boys from quadrant 44 with their vicious metal hounds don’t come round here no more.

5. Downtown/ We’ll drown/ We’re in our never splendor/ Flowers/ Showers/ Who’s got the new boy gender

IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING

Well I am back in the land of the living and still have no idea why I was out. I can’t say I feel 100% because I would be lying but I have made it through half of a workday and I am pretty sure that I will make it through the rest just fine. If I am still feeling off in the head by mid-week I’m calling the dr. again.

Needless to say things have been pretty uneventful since my last post. My bloodwork was perfect. I guess that is good to know but since I felt imperfect I was kind of hoping for some validation and tangible illness. I did run a fever on Friday, which was my first measurable symptom and I was very excited about that. I watched a bunch of movies, many of which helped to confirm that I was not feeling well. Can I just say how much I LOVED The Gameplan! Yes, that is the movie where The Rock is a football player and his unknown daughter appears on his doorstep. Man did it ever make me cry. Then again, every movie makes me cry. I can’t really remember the last movie I watched that didn’t get me a little choked up.

I did manage to go to the grocery store on Sunday and made a delicious fruit salad. Even though it isn’t Friday I feel like sharing food stuffs cause it’s all I got.

• 1 container strawberries, halved (obviously Monica was not coming over)
• 1 container blueberries
• 2 pluots chopped
• 2 nectarines chopped
• 3 kiwi chopped
• 2 banana chopped

It would have been great just like that but during my time confined to my bed I saw this lady, whose name I never remember but she is the Healthy eating lady with short dark hair and blue eyes, make the best looking fruit salad dressing ever so I had to have a fruit salad. I now want to put this dressing on everything because I haven’t had anything so yummy in a long time

• 2 tbsp honey
• Zest of one lime
• Juice of one lime

Stir and put on EVERYTHING
Awesome

1. Identity/ Identity is the crisis you can’t see/ Identity/ Identity

2. Did I/ See a moment/ With you/ In a half-lit world

3. Ghost, ghost I know you live within me/ Feel as you fly/ In thunderclouds above the city/ Into one that I

4. I’m tired of wasting gas living above the planet/ Mister show me the way to earth/ The boys from quadrant 44 with their vicious metal hounds don’t come round here no more.

5. Downtown/ We’ll drown/ We’re in our never splendor/ Flowers/ Showers/ Whose got the new boy gender

NOT DEAD YET

My dizziness is slowly dissipating. I went to the Dr yesterday and she was utterly perplexed by my symptoms. My neurological processes seemed fine so I probably don't have a tumor and didn't suffer a stroke. My blood sugar was a little low but not low enough to cause the symptoms. I'm waiting on the results of my other bloodwork. I feel better but not normal. I hope I will feel normal tomorrow because I have my first one-on-one financial advising session with a student. I am excited about it and want to do it well. As my iPod is in the other room I won't be getting up and putting new songs on because sitting up all day is my mission, walking...not so much.