Archive for April, 2007

acceptable risk (and other book stuffs)

Thursday, April 26th, 2007

ok, so i finished acceptable risk (by robin cook) damn was it good. i had suspicions about some aspects of the ending, but i SO didn’t expect it to turn out the way it did. it was good. scary. disturbing. i LOVED it.

now i’m reading legion, by william peter blatty. which as far as i can tell was the basis for exorcist III. which is a great movie, by the way.

gage has many books, and i wonder if i should keep them all or sell/trade the ones he doesn’t seem to be interested in and replace em with different ones. when he was just born, and right before he was born we got a bunch of books for him… classic kids books, our favorites, that sort of thing. falling up, the giving tree, charlotte’s web, stuart little, where the wild things are, etc… he likes the giving tree… and sometimes falling up. the others he hasn’t really enjoyed having read to him.

speaking of children’s books… before gage was born, woody found one of my favorite childrens books of all time on ebay and bought it (and 2 others w/ the same character) for me. i wanted it for the baby. blue bug’s vegetable garden. i haven’t read those to gage in awhile. i should try this weekend. he might love em. i’d be tickled pink at that.

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there’s nothing like…

Thursday, April 26th, 2007

that feeling when gage cleans up after himself without any direction. he’s very good about picking up food he’s spilled on the floor, wiping up liquid spills (often at the expense of his shirt), and throwing things away… usually. he puts dishes in the sink, sometimes the wrong side of the sink, but who’s counting. and i can’t help but laugh when i find a paperplate in the sink.

i’m thinking this summer will be time to introduce chores. oh yes. chores. he’s doing really well. and i’m not thinking about anything huge (hey gage, go mow the lawn! LOL). little things. helping me clean his room, for example. maybe he can help me with the kitchen and bathroom floors… things that don’t use chemicals, of course… that would be nice.

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*sigh*

Thursday, April 26th, 2007

so stuff a friend and noah’s ark animal workshop have merged.? which on one hand is nice, it expands the selection by quite a margin — so that’s pretty cool.? there’s also bella bee which after reading about it really appeals to me.? i could certainly see doing some bella bee workshops in the future.

on the other hand… now it’s a new company, new rules, new commission structure… i have to re-think things and figure out how to proceed all over again.? plus there’s the stuff a friend promotional stuff that i’ve got.

i did buy a domain name to redirect to my SAF/NAAW page, http://www.bearyspecialhugs.com? did some preliminary advertising today… hung some flyers and stuff.? i need to get a new color cartridge for the printer so i can make colored flyers.

there are some other groovy benefits.? i signed gage up for mojo’s birthday club, which kids 13 and under are eligible for.? he should get a birthday card and a little present from mojo every year.? i’m hoping i signed him up soon enough to get it this year… i’m really curious.

i need to buy a starter kit for NAAW.? there’s a pretty good one that comes w/ 3 animals, complete iwth outfits, and a fuckton of advertising materials.? plus 60 promotional mailings in my zipcode… not too bad for $129.

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round 2 picks…

Wednesday, April 25th, 2007

round 1 ended and i went 8 or 8 on my picks.

and so round 2 begins…

buffalo sabres vs ny rangers — i gotta go with the sabres.? i think they’re the better team and the hungrier team in this series.

new jersey devils vs ottawa senators — maybe it’s the jersey girl in me, but i think the devils have this series.? brodeur is no doubt disappointed with his play in round 1 which has a tendency to make him that much more determined.

anaheim ducks vs vancouver canucks — this one is really a coin toss for me… so i’m going to err on the side of goaltender playoff experience and say the ducks.? of course, the thrill of being in the playoffs for the first time could work in luongo’s favor… i’m not sure it will.

san jose sharks vs detroit redwings — i honestly think that the sharks have it in them to beat the wings.? and wouldn’t it be interesting to see the western conference final come down to 2 california teams?

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when it rains…

Wednesday, April 25th, 2007

it motherfucking pours.? damn.

now on top of the cold crap going thru my system… i have tooth pain.? blah.

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oh the yummy

Tuesday, April 24th, 2007

in the assortment of groceries that were delivered today, i got a package of fun size candy bars. the new reese’s crispy crunchy bar. oh my god is it good. it’s like a reese’s peanut butter cup and a butterfinger had a love child that was rolled in nuts or something.

if i had to list my 10 favorite candy bars (and candies), most reese’s products would be on that list. i mean, peanut butter cups are just the ultimate, that goes without saying. and while they’re not at the top of my list, the “variations” on the classic reese’s peanut butter cup are quite good as well. then there’s reese’s sticks — the reese’s kit kats, if you will. those are delish. reese’s pieces… without nuts. the original version, you know… ET’s favorite candy? yeah. i was the odd kid who usually opted for reese’s pieces over m&m’s. and while it’s not a favorite, i do really dig the reese’s fastbreak, too. it’s one of woody’s favorites — when he’s in the mood for candy, that is.

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picture of the week

Tuesday, April 24th, 2007

usit’s not a really great picture… but it’s got a great story behind it. gage brought his pillows into the living room one night and put them in the middle of the couch.? since i was starting to get sick (and he was still a little sick) and i was feeling a lot like crap i put my feet up on the arm of the couch and laid my head on the pillows.? gage got the blanket off the back of the couch and covered me up, then he grabbed a blanket from his room and laid the other way, covering himself up.? since the camera was on the coffee table and in reach, i couldn’t resist getting a picture (albeit a bad picture) of the cuteness.

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groceries acquired…

Tuesday, April 24th, 2007

and it is good.? started chicken soup.? the groceries arrived around 5, so it was a little late to have soup tonight (my chicken soup takes all day to cook).? this variation on the theme, since i make it different every time i make chicken soup is:

  • ? take 1/2 c. chopped onion and saute in a tablespoon of butter (in your stock/soup pot)
  • add 1 14oz can of chicken broth, stir and get up any onion stuck to the bottom of the pot
  • add 1 whole chicken (rinsed) and enough cold water to cover, plus a generous pinch of salt, pepper and garlic powder and a dash (literally, just a dash!) of cayenne pepper.
  • bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered about 2 hours

that’s where i’m at now.? tomorrow the chicken will be disassembled.? bones, skin and the like discarded and meat returned to the pot where i will simmer until it’s reduced by about 1/3.? i don’t think i’ll be adding any noodles.? just chicken and broth.

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feeling more of the blah

Tuesday, April 24th, 2007

i woke up with clear but painful sinuses.? they’re stopped up and running again.? i went 15 minutes without coughing, tho my chest did hurt a little.? now i’m coughing constantly.

4-6pm can’t come fast enough today (that’s when i get my grocery delivery which will bring medicine for me).

i took an antibiotic this morning.? i’m gonna try to drink mostly warm beverages all day, i’m hoping it’ll help me feel better.? i’m out of regular tea and almost out of honey (both are being delivered later, along w/ lemons).

i’m hoping a nice hot shower will be hepful… at least for some of the blah.

gage had a little bit of a fit this morning.? didn’t seem to want to put shoes on, tho he was very eager to go out in the rain.? i got a good deal of exercise trying to keep the umbrella over him while we waited at the bus stop.? and either we’ve got gigantic raindrops falling or there was snow mixed in with the rain.

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memory trick

Tuesday, April 24th, 2007

when i was in college, psych 101 to be precise, we learned this trick for memorizing a list of 10 items. 1 person was asked to make a list of 10 things you’d find in a department store for us to commit to memory for a little quiz later.

i’ve never had a need to use the technique outside of that class… but 10 years later, i STILL remember that list!!!? so i thought i’d share the technique.? basically, you take a few moments to visualize the item in these situations:

  1. run –? item running around a track
  2. zoo — 2 monkeys playing with the item
  3. tree — the item sitting at the top of the christmas tree
  4. door — a door opening, and the item being there
  5. hive — a swarm of bees flying around the item
  6. sick — the item laying in a hospital bed
  7. heaven — st. peter at the pearly gates wearing or holding the item
  8. gate — railroad crossing gates down with the item on top of them
  9. wine — a bottle of wine wearing or sitting on the item
  10. den — a pair of lions pacing around the item

the list my class memorized was:

  1. shoe
  2. curtain rod
  3. coffee maker
  4. dress
  5. wrench
  6. rake
  7. suit
  8. towels
  9. jacket
  10. picture frame

it’s amazing what the mind can hold onto.? LOL

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