Playing tour guide

I haven't had much time to post lately because I've been playing tour guide to my niece. We went to Garden of the Gods. She took some really nice pictures. I took some pictures of her.

We also went to the zoo to feed the giraffes and laugh at parents who tell their children that emus are "ostriches" and gorillas are "monkeys." (Yes, I judge.)

I think I look sufficiently touristy in that photo.

Ever wonder who's really on display?

I'm a Mac

After many years of being a PC person, I have purchased a shiny new Mac Book. Does that make me pretentious? Probably. Does it make me materialistic because I love the fact that it's my very own and not a hand-me-down? I don't care.

After almost as many years with Windows, I am learning how to navigate the Mac. It's different but not like learning a new language. And the Mac Book is actually portable, as opposed to my previous lap top, which was a 17-inch wide-screen monster. It was great for some things but far from truly portable.

Add to that the awesome iPod Touch and printer I'm getting rebates for, and I am truly now an Apple person... and I'm not sure how I feel about that. But I love my new techy stuff.

My Big Backyard

A little columbine makes a valiant effort to survive in my backyard, springing up next to our tiny aspen grove. It's like I live in Colorado or something.

Thinking of you

It doesn't get any easier.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

I'm doing this from now on

So busy

You know what sucks? My part-time job taking up so much of my time. I barely have time to get in a game of solitaire, let alone write on my blog!

Here, let me distract you with a picture of the dog and the S.O.

The cuteness has made you forget there is no true substance to this post.

That's not my name

I've been listening to the Ting Tings, and they have me be-bopping in the car:



Thanks, Kate!

Hail! Hail!

This is my backyard after the storm today:

This is my dog during the storm:

Who doesn't love a pillow fort?

More kitchen fun

We got a new refrigerator yesterday. It's shiny and black and 6 cubic feet larger than the old one. It actually fits in the space allotted for a fridge in our kitchen (the old one kind of floated in the spot). The freezer in the old fridge was pretty much packed to the gills, while this one is mostly empty. Time to stock up on chicken breasts, frozen pizzas and gelato.

And it has ice and water in the door! I know not everyone is a fan of the ice/water-in-the-door feature (and yes, I know it makes them less efficient), but I've wanted that since I was a kid. It was my first major sin -- I coveted my friend's refrigerator because it had chilled water and ice. Right. In. The. Door!

I tried to take some pictures, but it's so reflective, they didn't really turn out. The pic to the right is from BestBuy.com.

The S.O. said he was going to leave me and marry the new refrigerator, but I think he got the idea of marrying ourselves off to inanimate objects from me. And there's no way he's getting rid of me that easily. Especially not after having this fridge installed.

It's so nice to be able to get so much in it and to be able to find things without pulling everything out. And it's clean. Wouldn't it be nice if I could keep it that way forever?

I didn't die

As I mentioned last week, the S.O. and I rode our bicycles 25-miles Sunday as part of the Elephant Rock Cycling Festival. It was a great day for a ride (we finished well before any tornadoes spun through the area). Cool in the morning, warming to a sunny day.

I'm not going to say it was easy. It wasn't. It was 25 miles, and I swear at least 90 percent of it was uphill. It was tough. But I never had to get off and push the bike up a hill. I made it the whole way. I'm pretty proud of that accomplishment. Sure, there were people who rode 34, 62 and 100 miles, but I can't compare myself to those folks. This is the longest bike ride I've ever done, and that's cool. I honestly don't think I could have made it if I wasn't doing the boot camp workouts. My endurance has definitely improved.

The route passes through Castlewood Canyon. There was some very pretty scenery along the way.

We had a rest and aid stop at 12.3 miles. They gave us plenty of carb-loaded snacks and refills for our water bottles. Plus, they had port-a-potties. Here we are at half-way, after refueling.

Because this stop was at about the halfway point, I thought the second half would be a breeze. I was sorely mistaken. The second half was more on-road, and my little mountain bike just isn't built for such climbs on the road -- neither are my knees, apparently.

Here I am at the top of one of many climbs. This one was just after the second aid and rest station -- about 19 miles from the start.

As I said, I made it -- and with hardly any complaints.

An interesting read

This article from Newsweek is quite enlightening (if a bit long). It talks about how Oprah is promoting some misleading -- and maybe even dangerous -- health practices on her show.

An excerpt that made me laugh:

But (Dr. Christiane) Northrup believes thyroid problems can also be the result of something else. As she explains in her book, "in many women, thyroid dysfunction develops because of an energy blockage in the throat region, the result of a lifetime of 'swallowing' words one is aching to say."

I have thyroid problems, and as the S.O. will attest, and most of you reading this already know, I don't really hold back when I want to say something. As the article's writer says, "An interesting theory—but is there anyone who believes that what Oprah suffers from is an inability to express herself?"

Another funny little bit:

On one of the Secret shows, Oprah gave an example of the scientific power of the concept. She said that once, while she was hosting an episode about a man who could blow really big soap bubbles, she was thinking to herself, "Gee, that looks fun. I would like to blow some bubbles." When she returned to her office after the show, there, on her desk, was a silver Tiffany bubble blower. "So I call my assistant," Oprah told the audience. "I say, 'Did you just run out and get me some bubbles? 'Cause I got bubbles by my desk.' And she says, 'No, the bubbles were always there. I bought you bubbles for your birthday and you didn't notice them until today'."

There are many lessons that might be drawn from this anecdote. One is that if you give Oprah a thoughtful gift, she may not bother to notice it or thank you for it. This is not the lesson Oprah took away from her story. Because the way she sees it, her assistant hadn't really given her the gift at all. She gave it to herself. Using the power of The Secret, she said, "I had called in some bubbles."

As I said, it's a fairly long article, but worth the read. I admire Oprah and -- as the article points out -- she worked hard to get where she is. But it just goes to show you can't believe everything you see on TV.

[crosses self and prays for Oprah's mercy]

The Elephant in the room

The S.O. and I are going to ride the 25-mile off-road ride at the Elephant Rock Cycling Festival this Sunday. To prepare (perhaps a bit belatedly) we took our bicycles out this morning for the first time in many, many moons.
We rode about 7 1/2 miles, with plenty of climbs thrown in. It felt pretty good. (Thanks, Boot Camp!) The shortest ride you can do at Elephant Rock is the 7-mile ride. I'm pretty sure that would be way too easy for us. The 25-mile ride will probably be a bit of a challenge, but I'm confident I'll do fine.

This morning was perfect for a bike ride. It was a little cool but not chilly. The sun was shining, and all the people we passed who were riding or jogging were smiling. That's a good ride.

I'm looking forward to this Sunday. There will be refreshment stations along the way, so I won't have to worry about crashing -- figuratively or literally. And there will be a great crowd of people, all enthusiastic about getting out on their bikes. All, that is, except the ones who who rather be sipping lattes and watching "Meet the Press" but were dragged there by a spouse, parent or significant other all gung ho about a long bike ride.

Goodbye, Earl

So, another show bites the dust. NBC has canceled "My Name is Earl." Ok, sure the show didn't live up to its first-season greatness (I blame the bleeping writers' strike that put a kink in most scripted shows) but it was still better than the reality-show dreck we're being fed. Wasn't Stephen Baldwin on "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here" before? Do we really need to see more of Stephen Baldwin or they-who-shall-not-be-named from The Hills?

And it's true that I had to take Jason Lee off "the list" for his parts in "Underdog" and "Alvin and the (effing) Chipmunks," but I still had a soft spot in my heart for his portrayal of Earl -- so cute, so sweet, so dumb.

I guess I'm just tired of reading about all the scripted shows (my love for "Pushing Daisies" is well documented) that have been canceled and all the new reality shows. I get enough reality every day. Television is my escape. Thank goodness for USA Network. Although I don't want to say anything too loudly. If they find out how much I love "Burn Notice" and "Psych," they may cancel those shows, too.

Here's a nice little tribute to "Earl" from Gael Fashingbauer Cooper of Pop Culture Junk Mail.

Overwhelmed

I'm not sure why but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. Maybe it's something in the water. Maybe it's trying to keep a food journal and becoming a bit obsessive about that. Maybe it's that I have to train tutors this week (standing up in front of a group!). Maybe it's the dreary, rainy weather. Whatever it is it's got me suffering angst and I don't like it.

It's quite the vicious circle. I'm feeling anxious. Then I feel anxious about why I'm feeling anxious. Then I think maybe I'm crazy for feeling this way and I get down on myself for being so down on myself. You get the idea.

Whatever the reason, my heart or my shoes, I'm just sitting here, hating the blues.*


*With apologies to Dr. Seuss

What I watched: "Star Trek"

After hearing really good things about the new Star Trek movie, from some reliable sources, the S.O. and I slipped out of "work" early to catch a matinee today. This isn't a review of the movie. I enjoyed it -- a lot, but not nearly as much as the guy who sat to my left (the S.O. was on my right). In fact, I'm not sure if anyone has ever enjoyed a movie quite as much as this late-40-something fanboy.

He was giggling like a schoolgirl from the moment Kirk appeared on screen until the credits rolled -- possibly beyond, but we left at that point.


This guy bounced in his seat. He pumped his fist and said, "Yesssss" whenever a line from the original series was spoken or something mildly cool happened. The only way he could have been geekier is if he'd come in costume and shouted, "I love you, Captain Kirk!" Seriously, he was like a pre-teen girl at a Jonas Brothers concert.

I could also hear him whispering to his friend -- which is normally annoying, but I was so fascinated by the geekitude, it didn't really bother me too much. I have to wonder if the friend was as giddy as my neighbor.

We probably should have waited for the end of the credits. Now that I'm thinking about it, I bet they gave each other the Vulcan sign and said, "Live long and prosper." That would have been awesome.

My T-Shirt Love

My dear friend turned me on to this T-shirt site and a sale code that got me 15 percent off my order. Today, my T-shirt came, and I love it.

Cute cuddly panda bear with crossbones. Love! I have wanted this shirt ever since I saw John Sheppard sporting one (in a men's version naturally).

I bought this one for the S.O. He didn't get as excited as I did about the shirts. (I think he has his own little crush on John Sheppard and wanted the panda shirt so he could be like his hero. Shhh.) But I'm pretty sure he likes it, and if he doesn't wear it, it's a great night shirt for me. Bonus.

Yeah, I'm not as trim as the model here, but the shirt is pretty damn flattering on me anyway -- and will be more so as I continue my boot camp fitness.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to wear this four days out of the week when tutoring starts back up. It not offensive or anything. We're just not supposed to wear T-shirts. Bummer.

He knows more than you do!*

The S.O. received his Masters of Electrical Engineering today. Our seats weren't very close to the stage. But they projected everything on to the big screen. Here he is accepting his diploma ...

cover. The actual degree is sent by mail late this summer.

I'm quite proud of him. He's the only one in his immediate family to attend college, let alone receive an advanced degree. I think he's allowed to be smug* for a while.

*Just ask Dr. Science!

More healthy, yummy food

Because I'm still a lazy cook, but trying to actually be a cook and to also eat and serve good, healthful meals, here's another kitchen-tested recipe from "Healthy in a Hurry." Or you can find the recipe at the Eating Well Web site (they include all the nutrition info over there).

Adobo Pork & Potato Packets

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 small sweet potato, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 medium yellow-fleshed potato, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 bone-in pork loin chops (1 1/2-1 3/4 pounds), trimmed of fat
Preparation

1. Preheat grill to high.

2. Combine oil, vinegar, paprika, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a blender; process until creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Place sweet potato, potato and onion in a medium bowl. Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons of the sauce; toss well to coat. Rub both sides of pork chops with the remaining sauce.

3. To make a packet, lay two 24-inch sheets of foil on top of each other (the double layers will help protect the contents from burning); generously coat the top piece with cooking spray. Spread half the potato mixture in the center of the foil in a thin layer. Bring the short ends of foil together, fold over and pinch to seal. Pinch the seams together along the sides to seal the packet. Make a second packet in the same fashion with the remaining potato mixture.

4. Place the packets on the hottest part of the grill and the pork chops in the front or back. Cook the pork for 3 to 4 minutes per side and the packets for 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates and let rest while the packets finish cooking. Open the packets (be careful of steam) and serve the pork chops with the vegetables.

Makes 4 servings

I don't consider potatoes to be a vegetable, so I served this with candied carrots -- which probably aren't all that healthy, what with the 4 tablespoons of butter, but are delicious and, I'm told, can be made with less butter -- but I think a tossed green salad would go well with this dish.

In with the new

We took out the old ceiling fan in our living room. It was shiny brass and very ornate. It also hung only about 6 feet off the floor.

I think this room was meant to be a dining room. But it's carpeted and sits at the front of the house. It's weird. Instead, we use it as our "music room." The piano is there, and my guitar rests there when I'm not jamming out.

The picture to the right -- action shot! -- is the new fan. It sports a more modern design and finish. I like it so much I want to totally redecorate the room around this one piece.

Here's the S.O. working away. He reads instructions! He installs fans! And yes, his hand is still partially immobilized.













Here's the old fan, already removed. You can see how shiny it is. But, as they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure. So we're planning to donate it. Just because I think it's hideous, someone else may love it.

Still here

Hello! I'm still here. Don't worry. I didn't keel over from my Boot Camp workouts. In fact, I've been blogging for my "drill sergeant."

So, I'm working out and still trying some new recipes. Last night's dinner was Chili-rubbed Tilapia with Asparagus and Lemon from "Healthy in a Hurry." You can also find the recipe at EatingWell.com. It was quite yummy and good for you -- but you don't have to tell anyone that. Serve brown rice or couscous with it to make it a little more filling or if you have an S.O. that must have a side dish besides veg.

I recommend this dish because it's quick and easy, as well as healthy. And it is quite tasty. Tilapia doesn't taste too strong, so it's a great way to add fish to your weekly menu without a lot of work.

Melting the muffin top

I'm sticking with the Boot Camp training and completed my fourth day this morning.

Summer is just around the corner, and I really want to be ready for it. Although I have no plans to put on a bikini this summer, I know it's impossible to keep completely covered up. With the heat come shorts, skirts and sleeveless tops. Plus, the significant other and I are planning to ride in the Elephant Rock Bike Festival, as well as try some backpacking this summer. So, I need to build my endurance, as well as try to look good in bike shorts (although very few people look good in Spandex!).

It isn't just vanity that gets me out to the park at 7 a.m. on a foggy Monday morning. I'm fighting genetics, in the form of heart disease, high blood pressure and an under-active thyroid. So far, I have been lucky and have kept my blood pressure low. I credit working out. Unfortunately, at a certain age, I began struggling with allergies, asthma and a lagging metabolism, worsened by my thyroid. And now, I find myself with a bit of a "muffin top."

So when Joe asked me this morning what I'd like to focus on, I told him I want to increase my endurance and whittle away at the love handles. I haven't really gained weight, but it seems to have redistributed itself around my waistline. I guess that's age for you. But like my dad always says, "It's better than the alternative."

Still, I have no intention of settling for a slow metabolism and a jiggly middle. Today, we did lots of exercises for the obliques, including side planks and V-sit tosses with a partner. We also did plenty of cardio exercises and work for our arms and legs, lest you think we only focus on one body part each day.

There's no boredom at boot camp. Friday, as I was running, pulling a tire behind me (nope, not a euphemism for my butt) a couple of women walked by with their dogs. "Were you bad?" they called out to me. "Nope," I answered, "This is the fun part!"

Remembering the Cake Lady

Mom was always "the cake lady." Whether she was making cakes for her own kids' birthdays, graduations or weddings or creating elaborate cake concoctions for the celebrations of friends, neighbors and friends of friends, for several years there, it seemed like she was baking and decorating cakes 24 hours a day, seven days a week (she probably was!).

Sometimes the cakes were a source of fun and creativity. A lot of times, they were a source of headaches and annoyance. But everyone who knew Mom knew she was "the cake lady." And everyone always commented on how beautiful her cakes were.

This was long before Ace of Cakes and the dearth of fondant on cakes. Mom created scenes -- from roses to critters -- for the most part using buttercream frosting. Sometimes she would use royal icing, chocolate molds or marzipan when it was absolutely necessary.

Like so many of her talents, I didn't inherit the cake gene. I can bake a cake, but I can't make it look the way she did. She once made a cake that looked like a huge basket of strawberries -- the basket was "woven" with buttercream frosting, the handle was royal icing over wire, and the berries were made of marzipan. It was amazing.

Another day of torture... I mean training

Today was day two of my Boot Camp training. As someone who is easily amused, I am equally easily bored. After slogging away at the gym on cardio machines and free weights for years, I had hit a major burnout in my exercise routine. I dug out some old fitness DVDs I have. They're fine for once in awhile. But I can only hear the same tired jokes so many times before I can't stand it.

Recently, I started working out with kettlebells, and they're great. But I'm not always able to motivate myself enough to really see results. I tried a DVD and an MP3 download. Both are good, but I run into the same problem as other fitness videos -- they are the same every time you do them.

Boot Camp offers motivation -- in the form of Joe, our "drill sergeant" -- variety, camaraderie and fun. Yes, I said fun. "Our bodies want to have fun*," Joe says.

And for all the jokes about it being torture, this workout really is fun. Think about it. Would you rather:

• Spend 30 minutes running on a treadmill or spend 30 minutes running around the yard with your kids (or spouse or dog)?
• Spend 30 minutes "climbing" a StairMaster or spend an afternoon climbing an actual mountain?
• Go to the gym or go out dancing?
• Workout alone in your living room (or a gym) or workout with a great group of women in a sunny park?

I think it's safe to say most of us would chose the second option in each of those scenarios. Exercise doesn't have to feel like a chore. This Boot Camp isn't easy -- but neither are chasing kids or climbing a mountain -- but it is fun and it can make those other activities easier. Because working out really should prepare us for real life challenges.

A great added benefit to working out at 7 a.m. (there are even earlier classes!) is how much more I accomplish throughout my day.

*I wanted to include Cyndi Lauper here, but I can't embed the video. Go here to enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVwFeQpy_Us&feature=channel_page

Oh deer!

Today, I had an interview at Mount St. Francis. Tucked away in the foothills, it must make the deer feel safe there. St. Francis is the patron saint of animals, after all.

This photo was taken through the windshield of my car, but only because it was starting to rain. I was able to walk pretty close to them before pulling out the camera. There were more of them off to the right, out of frame.

Deer are a common occurrence here. But I still think it's cool to see them and to get so close.

On a -- somewhat -- related note, I saw a fox jump to the top of 6-foot fence, not far from where this picture was taken. I guess they're more cat-like than I realized. I wish I'd had time to get a picture of that.

I poach halibut

No. Not in the illegal-hunting way, in the basically-boiling-fish-in-wine sort of way. And even though that sounds kind of disgusting, it was actually very tasty. I impressed myself with how yummy this dish was.

Once again, it's a recipe from Real Simple: Meals Made Easy. I'm waiting for my personal copy to arrive from Amazon. So far, I've manage to keep the library's copy neat and clean, despite the fact that I am so in love with this cookbook I want to marry it and have little half-human/half-cookbook babies with it.

The recipe is quite simple: halibut, white wine, chive, salt, pepper, with boiled red potatoes and green beans on the side (although I could make a full meal out of just the fresh green beans and red potatoes in a heartbeat).

Once you have the potatoes boiling away, you start heating the fish and wine to a simmer. I used a Pinot Grigio, because it's what we had on hand. (It's called Birdman and it has a screw top. Gasp! Cool label though, right?)

Once the potatoes are "fork tender," you add the beans to the water. I don't normally boil beans, but the recipe called for it, and it saves washing another pan.

If you want the exact recipe, I can type it up for you. But as I said, it really is easy. And comes out making the cook -- me! -- look like an expert. Thanks Meals Made Easy!

Do you maggots understand that?

My dear friend Kate invited me to join her this week at the fitness boot camp (www.womensbootcampfitness.com/womens-colorado-bootcamp/index.aspx) she attends. She's been going for a while now and loves it. So I thought what the heck. I work out. I can handle it.

The alarm went off at 6:10 a.m. yesterday morning, and I popped out of bed, ready to face this Joe character I'd been hearing about. With spring here, Joe plans to conduct these sessions outside at a park. But the morning was foggy and 40 degrees, so we worked out in a gym. But this isn't your typical gym. There are no cardio machines or namby pamby free weights here.

Joe smiled at me and introduced himself as if he were a kind soul. Hidden beneath that friendly exterior is the heart of a drill sergeant. We started out with a pretty simple warm up, then moved on to exercises with a partner. From there we did two rounds of the circuit -- which was set up to look a bit like a torture chamber, with resistance bands, medicine balls, a stability ball, kettlebell and more.

Ok, I'm exaggerating. It only looked like torture because I hadn't had my coffee yet. It is funny, though, how long 45 seconds can seem. This morning, I can really feel it in my ab muscles.

When I thought my recent Kettlebell workouts were tough, I had yet to meet this man. Now, this isn't to scare you away. Because he's tough but he's motivating. I don't think he'd make the entire group drop and give him 50 if I had pooped out halfway through a set of crunches or squats, but I wasn't going to test him.

So I pushed myself and made it through the circuit twice, just like the other people in the group. I have a bit of a competitive side, and if those other women can do it, so can I, dammit! It didn't matter to me that they'd been doing it longer or that some of them were younger than I am. I was not about to be the one who quit. And I'm not positive there wouldn't have been push-ups to do latrines to clean if I'd wimped out.

What I watched: "My Bodyguard"

The recent appearance of Scott Bakula on the season (and quite possibly the series) finale of "Chuck" set off a bout of nostalgia in me, prompting me to rent the film debut of "Chuck" cast member Adam Baldwin. He isn't one of the Baldwin brothers (Alec, Stephen, William), but you may recognize him as Jayne from "Firefly."

He debuted way back in 1980 as Ricky Linderman in the film "My Bodyguard" (not to be confused with "The Bodyguard," which I hated). The movie also features Chris Makepeace, a gangly and adorable Joan Cusack and budding teen heartthrob Matt Dillon.

Tormented by Moody (Dillon) and his group of bullies, Clifford (Makepeace) hires Linderman to be his bodyguard. Linderman, troubled and misunderstood, helps Clifford but doesn't want to be friends. In true buddy-film fashion, the two do become friends, along with a group of misfits that includes an uncredited Jennifer Beals.

Although there are predictable moments in the movie, it never becomes trite. It's sweet without becoming saccharine. And it's fun and funny without becoming cheesy. If they made it today, it would probably have to be an independent film in order to keep it the way it is. I hope no one decides it should be remade with Hayden Panettiere and Zac Efron.

If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. If you watched it long ago, watch it again. It holds up despite it being nearly 30 years old.

In short, I love this movie. It was a perfect way to end a stressful week.

Happy May Day!

.

Don't you just love Ogden Nash?
.

Chicken soup for the actual body

My experiment in cooking continues this week, starting with a roast chicken and vegetables Sunday night. Simple, easy, tasty dishes are perfect for me, because (1) I'm a lazy cook, (2) bland is boring and (3) I'm a lazy cook.

The recipe (once again from Real Simple: Meals Made Easy) calls for carrots, onions and potatoes to roast alongside the chicken. A one-pot meal is an extra plus. I added a beet and some parsnips (left over from my Steak with Root Vegetables experiment). It's a tasty meal and ends up looking like you spent a lot of time slaving away in the kitchen. I think it would be a good meal to cook to impress friends -- simple and yummy, with that touch of a Sunday dinner at Mom's house.

The best part is that with just two people eating, there's plenty left over to make soup. My attempt at chicken stock involved putting the chicken in the slow cooker overnight, then picking it apart to get off all the good meat and using the liquid to make a broth. It wasn't great soup, but it was pretty good for a first attempt with homemade stock. To the broth and meat, I added carrots, celery, onions, potatoes and a healthy portion of herbs (sage, parsley, thyme) and some Creole seasoning. (I don't care what anyone else thinks, that stuff is awesome.)

There was enough soup for two dinners, which meant I didn't have to cook while playing Florence Nightingale.

"Hey, Pammeey, what's on the menu tonight?" you ask. Tonight, I attempt Soy Salmon with Noodles. I have to look at the recipe again because I'm pretty sure you serve it with ice-cold green beans. Um, no. I've not eaten ice-cold green beans since I was a kid. And that was only because I had to sit there until I took three bites. It's part of the reason I shun canned vegetables* as an adult.

*Canned beans like kidney, black, pinto, Garbanzo and cannellini don't count. Canned green beans and peas are strictly off my menu.

Call me Florence Nightingale

The S.O. underwent orthopedic surgery today to repair his broken pinkie. It took longer than originally planned because there were so many little pieces, his doc said. They placed pins, but the pins wouldn't hold, so a piece of bone from the S.O.'s wrist had to be grafted in to hold things together.

The upside is this cute picture of the S.O. in pre-op.

The downside is the pain blocker they gave him pre-op wore off about 12 hours before they thought it would, and he has some severe pain. Thank goodness for strong meds.

Here's the S.O.'s new paw:


I played nurse for the S.O. a few years ago when he had to have some work done on his nose (no, not awful plastic surgery). He's only slightly less whiny this time. He's lucky I love him.

What I saw: Bumper Sticker edition

"Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but she did it backwards and in high heels."

-- Faith Whittlesey

Recommended for you

Amazon has a nifty little feature that recommends items for you based on your purchases, your ratings and things added to your Wish List. Sometimes it confuses me.

Today, my recommendations include a Korg GA-30 Ultra Compact Guitar and Bass Tuner, "because you purchased Planet Waves PW-GH Acoustic Guitar Humidifier," and "Animaniacs, Vol. 3," "because you purchased 'Pinky and the Brain, Vol. 1.'"

Those make sense.

But what about "There Will Be Blood"? I haven't seen it. I don't know much about the film. But does it really seem like a movie I might like because I rated "Lars and the Real Girl"? Or "3:10 to Yuma" because I rated "Stardust"?

I've seen both "Stardust" and "3:10 to Yuma" and I while I liked them both, I'm having a hard time thinking of their commonality? They're both about a rescue? Sort of. But then one is set in the old west, with lots of gun play. The other is about a fallen star, witches and finding true love. Oh, there's a battle there, too. So, maybe the battles?

Maybe there are actors or actresses common to these recommended movies (I haven't checked) but I don't think that necessarily means you'll like the western with this guy just because you liked the fantasy movie with that guy.

But my favorite today: "Battlestar Galactica - Razor" because I rated "Futurama - Bender's Big Score." Because, you know, they're both "sci-fi."

Pete Rose, he ain't

Pete Rose played for the Cincinnati Reds way back in the '70s and '80s. He was probably best known for his head-first slides. He had a .303 batting average and holds multiple Major League Baseball awards.

The S.O. plays recreational softball. He has not learned the art of the head-first slide.

The photograph to the right shows Rose executing a picture-perfect head-first slide.

The photograph below shows what happens to your hand when you attempt a head-first slide and you're not a 17-time MLB All-Star.

The finger is broken "in several places" and will require a specialist. On the upside, the S.O.'s team won the game.

It's a very small upside, in my opinion.

Fun with Typos: Construction Edition

Today in Fun with Typos, we examine the word "expect," as in "Construction ahead. Expect delays."

What do you get if you swap the "c" and "p"? You get the word "except." And you get a sign that says: "Construction ahead. Except delays." Which means what, exactly? That there is construction, except there are no delays?

Big flashing sign on the side of the road. Most people probably drove by without given it a moment's thought. What is wrong with me that it is still bothering me some five hours later?

My experiment continues

This week I have vowed to try a new recipe for dinner each night (or in today's case, lunch). I have pulled five recipes from Real Simple: Meals Made Easy, because I am a lazy cook, and a cookbook with both the words "simple" and "easy" sounds good to me.

Today's lunch was Steak with Root Vegetables -- very simple, very tasty. Here's what it looks like in the cookbook:Here's how mine turned out:Not as pretty, but not bad. And it was quite tasty. Someone recently said to me, "If you can read, you can cook." I beg to differ. I can read and follow directions, but my meals are never quite as tasty as my friends' meals.

On the other hand, I think my first two experiments this week have been fine. The S.O. hasn't complained. But I think he's just happy I'm cooking.

Making music

Slowly but surely I am learning the guitar. I surprised myself this weekend by picking up a friend's guitar and actually pounding out a bit of a song. No one can tell what song it is yet, but it's coming along.

For a while, every time I walked by my guitar I avoiding looking directly at it. I could feel the failure radiating off it. Now, I can pick it up and make sounds that resemble music, and we have a much better relationship.

My new favorite thing

It's called a Coffee Frappuccino Light Blended Coffee, but I don't think you have to say all of that. In a tall, it has just 90 yummy calories and .5 grams of fat. If you're a real health nut, you will probably stay away, because I'm pretty sure it has artificial sweeteners in it. Mmmm ... artificial ...

But it's creamy and cold and full of coffee goodness. A nice little pick me up after dealing with uncooperative kids or an office full of (boorish, backstabbing, gossipy, whiny) co-workers.

If drinking a Starbucks Frappuccino makes me pretentious or "hoity toity," well, that's fine by me. 'Cause it's delicious, and my taste buds and tummy win out over what other people might think of me.

What I read: "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant

I really want to tell you something about "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant, but I can't seem to think of anything of substance to say about it. I read this book like you would devour an entire bag of potato chips while watching a cheesy movie on the SciFi channel. You're full and you're entertained but you don't have a whole lot to show for it (except greasy fingers).

I didn't get greasy fingers reading "The Red Tent" and, although it was a page turner, I didn't really come away with anything meaningful.

My good friend Lisa told me that when this book first came out about 10 years ago, many women's bible study groups read this book. And while the book uses some characters from the bible -- the main character is a minor player in the Old Testament -- I don't think this is really a book for Christians. Many of the men worship "the God of Isaac and Abram," but the women worship their household gods, the river goddess and others.

Of course, I'm not much of a bible scholar. Mention Goliath and I'm picturing a talking claymation dog. As for the Egyptian gods, I'm probably imagining the system lords from Stargate SG-1. So, I guess I'm a poor judge of what constitutes bible study.

I go back and forth as to whether the book is all about female empowerment or just a study in how women have been controlled. Some women are very powerful, while others are naked slave girls. And all have husbands, fathers or brothers to answer to.

The book made me happy and angry in turns, so I suppose it's more powerful than I am giving it credit for. Then again, it has enough "drama" to be a soap opera. I think if I look at this book as a fun read for a snowy weekend, I really like it. If I try to look at it as a serious study of female empowerment, I don't care for it as much.

Happy Easter from Colorado!

Remember this?

Well, here's what Easter looks like here:

Poor Easter Bunny.

I cook eggplant

Not being much of a gourmet, I don't try a lot of new dishes that contain ingredients I've never worked with. But a recipe on the back of a pasta package caught my eye. No, I don't make pasta from scratch (or sausage, for that matter). It was Barilla Ricotta & Spinach Tortelloni (yum) and the recipe is for Ricotta & Spinach Tortelloni with cherry tomatoes and eggplant.

At this point I was going to link to the Barilla Web site, so you could get the directions straight from the horse's mouth. But would you believe it's not listed there? Oh well, I made a couple of changes anyway. So, no pretty pictures, but here's the recipe:

Ricotta & Spinach Tortelloni with cherry tomatoes and eggplant

Ingredients
1 8 oz. bag Barilla Ricotta & Spinach Tortelloni
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small eggplant, salted, peeled and cubed
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
6 basil leaves, thinly sliced (2 tablespoons) (I used dried basil and it was fine. I know you purists are probably cringing.)
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste (I eliminated the salt, deciding there was plenty from salting the eggplant.)

Directions
1. Cook tortelloni according to package directions. (If you're the type to make pasta from scratch, carry on. You know what to do here.)
2. While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet.
3. Add garlic and saute over medium heat for about 2 minutes.
4. Add eggplant and saute for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add tomatoes, 1 1/2 tablespoons of basil, 1/2 cup water (This amount of water made the dish a bit runny. I would cut it by about one third.) and salt to taste. Continue to cook for 5 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and combine with drained pasta.
7. Top with remaining basil and serve with a multi-grain baguette (or whatever tickles your fancy.

The S.O. gave this dish his seal of approval, and I liked it a lot (despite my love/hate relationship with tomatoes). If you try it, change it, improve on it, be sure to let me know.

Beautiful

Watching TV this evening, an ad for Botox came on.

It's tagline is: "Freedom of expression." Immediately following that commercial was this one:



It really struck me as funny to be told I should think about having a toxin injected into my face so that I can somehow fight the aging process, then to see these images of amazing, beautiful, OLD women who are so vibrant and natural. Take that Botox.

When I grow up, I want to be an old woman.

Today's Tip

After a new really hard workout, don't go to your local bakery, thinking you'll walk out with just that loaf of whole wheat bread you went to get. No, you'll be tempted by and give in to a sausage and jalapeno kolache.

I can't imagine they are very good for you, but the kolaches taste so yummy and are fresh and local, so they can't be all bad, right? Right? Oh, who cares? They're scrumptious.

Everything we buy from this bakery is made on site, and the staff is super friendly.

Easy, my Aunt Sally's Sister

I've been working out with kettle bells pretty regularly since Christmas. Mostly, I've been working out with this DVD. But I've also created a workout of my own. I switch off when I get sick of the video or when I feel like I'm not motivating myself enough.

My good friend Kate (the Bootcamp Queen) suggested downloading workouts for my iPod. So I did a quick search and found a free workout at www.liftkettlebells.com: http://www.liftkettlebells.com/Workouts/Easy-Kettlebell-Workout.aspx

Not only was it free, it says "easy." So, I figure I'll give it a go. As you can probably guess from this post's title the workout was free, but it was nowhere near easy. Granted, I tried it with my 20-pound kettle bell. Next time, (and yes, there will be a next time, because I'm a glutton for punishment, as anyone who knows anything about my history with men knows) I'll start out with the 10-pound kettle bell.

This workout is butt-kicking. From 60-second sets of two-arm swings to military presses, it works your whole body in 30 minutes and certainly gets your heart thumping. I downloaded both the 20- and 30-minute workouts (hoping for some variety) with music. The music is fine, probably not something I would listen to on a regular basis but good for this workout.

I will admit that I didn't quite make it all the way through -- I had to skip a couple exercises that are unfamiliar to me. Now I have a goal: Get familiar with all the exercises and make it through this workout without falling over.

My arms still feel shaky as I type this post.

Rock-a-bye Sweet Baby James

A dear friend died 14 years ago today. I think of him often. He was just a few years older than I was -- he was 30 when I was just 25. When he told me I would understand life better once I turned 30, I laughed it off. But he was right, even if it was just because I better understood loss. Fourteen years and many losses and disappointments later, I still think of him. With my 30s behind me, I can tell my younger friends they'll understand better once they turn 40 ... and I can smile.

He also helped me appreciate the songs of James Taylor. So, this is for him. Rest well.

I didn't dream it

Over at Shakesville, they have a little feature they call Two-Minute Nostalgia Sublime. Today the video is from "Tales of the Gold Monkey." I was so happy to see it. Despite the fact that it appears on IMDb, I could never find anyone else who remembered it.

It was totally cheesy and a complete rip-off of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." But I loved it.

Another thing no one else seems to remember is Freakies Cereal. But thanks to the magic of YouTube, I can take you back to 1974 (even if you weren't born yet) and show you:


I'm sure the cereal was loaded with sugar and probably tasted terrible. But I had to have my very own Freakie. There are probably still Freakie figures tucked away somewhere at my mom's house. Next time I'm there, I'm totally going on a Freakie treasure hunt.

Yay for firefighters!

Yesterday, as I left my literacy center gig, one of the tutors and I noticed some strange smoke coming from down an alley. A huge pile of junk was on fire, just blazing away. It was right next to a garage and dangerously close to the surrounding houses. The tutor made the 911 call while I stood there rubbernecking. As soon as he hung up, we heard the sirens. The firetruck pulled up moments later, and the firefighters sprung into action. It suddenly occurred to me that I had never actually seen firefighters working on an honest-to-goodness fire. It was quite exciting, with the helmets, jackets and gas masks and the big red truck. Alas, I didn't have a camera with me so I don't have any photo documentation of the event. But I can definitely appreciate why so many women find firemen attractive. Who doesn't love a hero?

If there's something strange in your neighborhood

Today's "Get Fuzzy" gives a nod to "Ghost Hunters" while poking a little fun at the same time.

Here are Jason and Grant from "Ghost Hunters."


A pretty good likeness. But they're from TAPS (not ARSE).

I love both "Get Fuzzy" and "Ghost Hunters." So I was pretty excited by this. Yes, I am quite easily amused. Why do you ask?

Then it came back -- an update

Now, it's snowing and there's thunder and lightning.

Then it came back

I'm sure some areas got hit pretty hard by last week's blizzard. But it kind of fizzled at my house. Although it started out promising. This is what it looked like at 1 p.m. Thursday.


This is what it looked like at 6 p.m.


By Sunday afternoon, the temperatures were back in the 60s and I was hanging out in the sunshine on the deck.

Then, it came back. This is what it looks like at 8:30 a.m. today.

You just have to love springtime in Colorado.