my car needed an oil change, so i took her to the garage.
an oil change turned into new wiper blades, a new air filter, and a patch for a leaky tire.
a patch for a leaky tire turned into a corroded tire pressure monitor so come back tomorrow.
a corroded tire pressure monitor turned into needing to reset all four monitors turned into a trip to the dealership.
the trip to the dealership turned into having three recalls on my vehicle. one was for the screws that hold my rearview mirror onto my car. the other two sounded much more involved and i would tell you what they were for except i didn't understand a word that nice woman said to me.
it started as an oil change, and ended 5.5 hrs and $300 later.
all because a little bug went KA-CHOO!
perhaps i should think about developing a healthy fear of Friday the 13th.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
why not? bears do it.
hibernation seemed like a viable option this morning.
i realized after i got out of bed at 6:10am and into the shower that today was actually one of the few workdays that i could have legitimately slept in without any negative repurcussions, as i had scheduled Sophie an oil change at 8. since the garage is only 2 minutes from my house, i was officially awake way too early. so i did what any self-respecting, responsible adult-type person would do in this situation, and i finished my shower and i crawled back into bed.
i stayed in that nice warm bed through several more alarms. when the hubs woke up and got out of bed, i stayed put. i tried to coax myself out from under the covers, but the world outside of my protective layer of sheets and blankets was just so cold.
finally i reasoned with myself that if i was not out of bed before the hubs left the house, then i would no longer have any motivation to wake up, and it was all too likely that i would just stay in bed all day. looking back, i don't know why i thought that would be a bad thing.
about an hour after i began my hibernation, i slowly made my way out of bed. i got dressed. i brushed my teeth. i pulled my hair back into a pony tail and put on a little bit of makeup. i packed myself a lunch and was at the garage 4 whole minutes early.
i read a book while Ronnie changed Sophie's oil, replaced her wiper blades, discovered that her air filter was clogged, and found out that she had a leaky tire. he's ordering some parts, so i get to go back again tomorrow morning.
and thanks to a moment of complete randomosity, i am now the owner of a 1943 steel penny.
i get to hibernate again tomorrow. i guess today's not so bad after all.
i realized after i got out of bed at 6:10am and into the shower that today was actually one of the few workdays that i could have legitimately slept in without any negative repurcussions, as i had scheduled Sophie an oil change at 8. since the garage is only 2 minutes from my house, i was officially awake way too early. so i did what any self-respecting, responsible adult-type person would do in this situation, and i finished my shower and i crawled back into bed.
i stayed in that nice warm bed through several more alarms. when the hubs woke up and got out of bed, i stayed put. i tried to coax myself out from under the covers, but the world outside of my protective layer of sheets and blankets was just so cold.
finally i reasoned with myself that if i was not out of bed before the hubs left the house, then i would no longer have any motivation to wake up, and it was all too likely that i would just stay in bed all day. looking back, i don't know why i thought that would be a bad thing.
about an hour after i began my hibernation, i slowly made my way out of bed. i got dressed. i brushed my teeth. i pulled my hair back into a pony tail and put on a little bit of makeup. i packed myself a lunch and was at the garage 4 whole minutes early.
i read a book while Ronnie changed Sophie's oil, replaced her wiper blades, discovered that her air filter was clogged, and found out that she had a leaky tire. he's ordering some parts, so i get to go back again tomorrow morning.
and thanks to a moment of complete randomosity, i am now the owner of a 1943 steel penny.
i get to hibernate again tomorrow. i guess today's not so bad after all.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
an idea for food network's newest show.
i have discovered something. a revelation of sorts. a realization that there is a sizeable hole in the repertoire of cooking shows. or at least i think there's a hole, whatever size it may be. and i guess the filler for such a hole could exist somewhere out there and i just don't watch enough Food Network to know about it, but it's a novel idea to me and so i'm going to just throw it out there because i heard it here first, even if you didn't.
Cooking with Men Who Don't Know How to Cook.
i'm thinking it would be a big hit, and i'm going to go ahead and tell you why.
1. you've already got plenty of cooking shows hosted by women because a woman's place is obviously in the kitchen and thats why we dont wear watches because there's a clock on the stove and i feel like the whole 'woman in the kitchen' thing is already way overdone.
2. while men cooking on tv is nothing new, all those men have some sort of a background in the culinary arts. whether they're a chef or a baker or a foodie, they are masters of their craft and they know their way around their kitchen stuffs way better than i ever will.
3. it would be exciting. there would be knives and fire and the never-ending suspense of whether or not all of the sweat and tears and hard work would ever yield anything edible. and really, the tears enough should be all it takes to get people to tune in.
4. it would be hilarious. i know that sometimes when i read a recipe i just have to laugh because i don't understand a word of what they're trying to tell me to do. so it only follows that it would be even funnier to watch someone else try to figure it out from the comfort of my own couch.
5. it would be educational. men and women alike would learn new things about food, cooking, kitchen gadgets, and recipes, and maybe even get a glimpse into how very different the inner workings of men and womens' brains are.
6. men have a certain tendency to be creative in their problem-solving methods and the tools they choose to use. anything goes. don't know what an immersion blender is? use your drill and grout stirrer instead. bring on the power tools, boys. the bigger the better.
so where did i get this fabulous idea? the hubs decided to help out with tonight's dinner. in fact, he did most of the work for our rice-beef-vegetable-soup concoction. and then when i told him that we should probably leave a little more room in the crock pot because we didn't know how much water would cook out of the meat and the veggies, he got a little concerned. and then he came up with a plan.
so one cutting board, one sink, and one 50 ft extension cord later, our soup setup was prepared for any overflow-type-mishaps that may or may not happen while we are at work today.
perhaps 'reasonably sized extension cord' should move up to the top of our shopping list.
hey Food Network! call me!
Cooking with Men Who Don't Know How to Cook.
i'm thinking it would be a big hit, and i'm going to go ahead and tell you why.
1. you've already got plenty of cooking shows hosted by women because a woman's place is obviously in the kitchen and thats why we dont wear watches because there's a clock on the stove and i feel like the whole 'woman in the kitchen' thing is already way overdone.
2. while men cooking on tv is nothing new, all those men have some sort of a background in the culinary arts. whether they're a chef or a baker or a foodie, they are masters of their craft and they know their way around their kitchen stuffs way better than i ever will.
3. it would be exciting. there would be knives and fire and the never-ending suspense of whether or not all of the sweat and tears and hard work would ever yield anything edible. and really, the tears enough should be all it takes to get people to tune in.
4. it would be hilarious. i know that sometimes when i read a recipe i just have to laugh because i don't understand a word of what they're trying to tell me to do. so it only follows that it would be even funnier to watch someone else try to figure it out from the comfort of my own couch.
5. it would be educational. men and women alike would learn new things about food, cooking, kitchen gadgets, and recipes, and maybe even get a glimpse into how very different the inner workings of men and womens' brains are.
6. men have a certain tendency to be creative in their problem-solving methods and the tools they choose to use. anything goes. don't know what an immersion blender is? use your drill and grout stirrer instead. bring on the power tools, boys. the bigger the better.
so where did i get this fabulous idea? the hubs decided to help out with tonight's dinner. in fact, he did most of the work for our rice-beef-vegetable-soup concoction. and then when i told him that we should probably leave a little more room in the crock pot because we didn't know how much water would cook out of the meat and the veggies, he got a little concerned. and then he came up with a plan.
so one cutting board, one sink, and one 50 ft extension cord later, our soup setup was prepared for any overflow-type-mishaps that may or may not happen while we are at work today.
perhaps 'reasonably sized extension cord' should move up to the top of our shopping list.
hey Food Network! call me!
Monday, January 9, 2012
do you have a plan?
so. about this time last year, i decided that i needed to find a meal plan to use. something that would allow me to make new things, eat real food, and feel grown up. i found one that came with recipes AND a shopping list. it seemed perfect. it also required me to make at least three brand new recipes every day. most stuff was delicious. a few things were complete disasters.
i lasted about a week. and then i got overwhelmed at the thought of having to go through all that again the next week and i gave up and ran whimpering back to my frozen pizza every Tuesday night.
and yet, here i am again, with the first of my non-proritized un-resolutions for 2012 being to come up with a reasonable meal plan. so here's what i have for this week:
Monday: quesadillas.
Tuesday: homemade beef-rice-vegetable soup.
Wednesday: grilled chicken penne pesto pasta with roasted asparagus.
Thursday: fish, rice, and broccoli.
Friday: broccoli mac n cheese.
Saturday: leftover soup?
Sunday: chicken and potatoes.
the asparagus was one of our favorite things that i learned how to make during last year's meal planning extravaganza. other than that, none of these things have an actual recipe per-se. but they all sound good to me. they all seem simple enough to pull off on a weeknight without having to spend the whole evening in the kitchen. and best of all, none of them require me to wander my grocery store searching for the ever-elusive barley, gouda cheese, or green chiles. (i never managed to find any of them last year. i'm not entirely sure they actually exist. kind of like The Princess Bride.)
maybe in the weeks to come i'll get more adventurous with my meals. i might even blog about the new stuff that i try. or maybe i'll continue to stick with what i know. but either way, hopefully our Tuesday frozen pizza nights will no longer be a weekly ritual.
and if you let me know when to expect you for dinner, i'll have something special planned just for you!
(that last line sounded creepy and evil and stabby. that's not how i meant it. honest.)
i lasted about a week. and then i got overwhelmed at the thought of having to go through all that again the next week and i gave up and ran whimpering back to my frozen pizza every Tuesday night.
and yet, here i am again, with the first of my non-proritized un-resolutions for 2012 being to come up with a reasonable meal plan. so here's what i have for this week:
Monday: quesadillas.
Tuesday: homemade beef-rice-vegetable soup.
Wednesday: grilled chicken penne pesto pasta with roasted asparagus.
Thursday: fish, rice, and broccoli.
Friday: broccoli mac n cheese.
Saturday: leftover soup?
Sunday: chicken and potatoes.
the asparagus was one of our favorite things that i learned how to make during last year's meal planning extravaganza. other than that, none of these things have an actual recipe per-se. but they all sound good to me. they all seem simple enough to pull off on a weeknight without having to spend the whole evening in the kitchen. and best of all, none of them require me to wander my grocery store searching for the ever-elusive barley, gouda cheese, or green chiles. (i never managed to find any of them last year. i'm not entirely sure they actually exist. kind of like The Princess Bride.)
maybe in the weeks to come i'll get more adventurous with my meals. i might even blog about the new stuff that i try. or maybe i'll continue to stick with what i know. but either way, hopefully our Tuesday frozen pizza nights will no longer be a weekly ritual.
and if you let me know when to expect you for dinner, i'll have something special planned just for you!
(that last line sounded creepy and evil and stabby. that's not how i meant it. honest.)
Friday, January 6, 2012
things i would like to do in 2012.
in no particular order.
make a reasonable meal plan. paint the front door. run a 5K. go to Europe. enjoy that trip thoroughly. bring home at least one good souvenir. feel good about myself in a bathing suit. sit-ups. clean the front porch. have pretty flower beds. shower with the door closed. read the Lord of the Rings trilogy. then watch the movies. paint and organize my kitchen. invite more people to our house. smile. make curtains for all my naked windows. clean regularly. use my crockpot. read through my bible. run. dismantle the mountain-o-junk in the basement. decorate for seasons other than Christmas. yard sale. read a book by Jane
these are not resolutions, as they are not necessarily stamped with an expiration date of Dec. 31st and therefore cannot make me feel bad if i dont actually follow through with all of them in the next 365 days. rather, these are goals. things that i would like to accomplish. maybe this year, maybe not. some things involve major lifestyle changes and paradigm shifts. others are much simpler. there are things on the list that are one-shot kind of things, and once they are done that's all there is to it. but there are things in there that are longer-term kind of things, and they will hopefully stick around for a while. its not a comprehensive list, and it might grow as the year goes on. i might keep track of what i accomplish, or i might not. no biggie.
*****
the beginning of this year has been hard for me, and i'm not really sure why that is. i came home from my sister's house and i was just... sad. kind of deflated with a sprinkling of apathy to take away any and all flavor from my life. i've kept going, but it feels like i'm just barely scraping by. i don't want to get out of bed in the morning, i get mad at everything, i swear under my breath when i drop my keys under the front seat of my car. when i get home in the evenings, all i want to do is nothing.
the hubs has been super awesome about it. he's gone grocery shopping, done dishes, and laundry, and cleaned toilets, and made me laugh, and let me watch What Not To Wear and buy the green smart cover that i want for my iPad even though he thinks its overpriced. and while i really appreciate the help, i know that it's not fair for me to zone out and let him take over. i can imagine that it's stressful for him, and knowing that i'm stressing him out really doesn't help to put me in a better mood.
but i'm trying. and i'm starting with this list. the things on it are positive and attainable. it's not overwhelmingly long. i am not pressuring myself to do one specific thing every day for the next year, (i've tried that, and it just doesn't work for me) or setting myself an impossibly small goal weight, or even really resolving to do anything. i'm just identifying the things that i think i might like to do in the near future. and i'm putting it in writing so that i can come back to it for ideas when i have a free afternoon and can't think of anything to do. its a little bit of accountability, and i think it will be fun to go back to this post a year from now and see how i did.
i'm starting this weekend. we invited a couple of friends over tonight for dinner and a movie. it has all the makings of a really great evening. and even if it turns out to be a total flop, at least it's a good start on my goals to "invite more people to our house," "be a good friend," and "have fun." see how this goes? no pressure. just fun.
what would you like to do in twenty-twelve?
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
let's do the time warp again.
time warp - (n) a hypothetical eccentricity in the progress of time that would allow movement back and forth between eras or that would permit the passage of time to be suspended.
we spent last weekend in the most delightful time warp at my sister Stasi's house in WPA.
when we woke up on Saturday morning, it was Christmas all over again! there was a beautiful tree, an abundance of presents, and the best sisters, brothers-in-law, and niece and nephew who were all VERY excited to be all together in one place.
presents were opened in an unorganized flurry of wrapping paper and boxes and shouts of joy and excitement. the spoils included all sorts of happy things: tailgating stuff, bike stuff, sewing stuff, sleeping bags, a new camera, games, toys, and enough chocolate to keep us all nice and hyper for at least a week.
and if that weren't awesome enough, we also got to celebrate New Years all on the same day! we spent the afternoon preparing for the big party full of family and friends and food and drink and games and even a fancy cake. because a party just isn't a fancy party without a cake. a fancy cake.
Claire designed it. Aunt Stasi baked it. Nick helped with the icing.
and if that weren't awesome enough, we also got to celebrate New Years all on the same day! we spent the afternoon preparing for the big party full of family and friends and food and drink and games and even a fancy cake. because a party just isn't a fancy party without a cake. a fancy cake.
Claire designed it. Aunt Stasi baked it. Nick helped with the icing.
it was one of the fanciest cakes i've ever seen. just check out those delicate piping details and the way the flowers just pop right out at you. and it was delicious too. really, what more could you ask for in a cake?
it was a very great, very fancy party with fabulous people. we played fun games and ate good food and laughed til our stomachs hurt and almost lost track of time. but we managed to squeeze everyone into the same room just in time to watch the ball drop at midnight.
it was a fantastic way to end 2011. it was a fantastic way to kick off 2012. it was hard to come back home to my quiet house with its piles of laundry and dishes. it was sad to look at my Christmas decorations and know that i will have to take them down soon. i miss my sisters. i miss my BFITW.
let's do the time warp again. soon.
a quick look back.
i don't know that i've ever done one of these Year In Review type of posts before, so i'm not really sure how to start it. probably with some sentimental mumbo-jumbo about how the past year has flown by and how much i will miss it and how long it is going to take me to get used to writing 2012 at the end of the date. oh wait. that's pretty much exactly how i feel about the end of this year. it was a good year, full of new things and adventures, and i guess i could manage to scrape together one measly blog post to celebrate it before i throw myself into 2012 with wreckless abandon.
i apparently spent the entire month of January in the kitchen. wow that was a long time ago.
February brought us our first married valentines day, a new nose-piercing for Sophie, a ski trip with friends in New York, and some imaginary drama with an old friend that i apparently made up in my own little head.
in March i did some super-sale-shopping, and celebrated my 24th birthday with my BFITW, while the hubs did a little basement make-over.
April showers brought us some flowers, an impromptu visit to visit my sister in NYC, a fabulous easter dress, and the return of my seasonal allergies.
in May i discovered the joys of my mobile online photo albums, i found a polyester picnic blanket at Goodwill, we took a weekend trip to Virginia for an old-world wedding, and a memorial-day-weekend trip to visit my sister in WPA.
we stuck close to home in June. we ventured as far as the local carnival, but spent most of our time in the fireplace room working on that drywall project.
the highlight of our August was family vacation in Williamsburg, which included my first real (unofficial) 5K. we also started painting the fireplace room, and managed to survive both an earthquake and a hurricane.
in September we mostly kept working on the fireplace room. wow, that was a long project and a lot of work. i also did some good yard-sailing, and we took another trip to NYC to celebrate my niece's birthday with apple picking and an amazing cake.
October was an eventful month, as it not only marked the end of our first full year of marriage, but also the end of the fireplace room project! we also survived our first not-quite-a-pregnancy-scare, and celebrated Mark's 24th birthday. i made progress on refinishing the not-a-credenza, and transferred offices at my job. this month also holds claim to the saddest event of our year, which was when we found out about the death of Mark's college roommate's young wife Kortney and their unborn daughter Sophy.
we were very thankful in November. we spent our time doing some yardwork, spending time with friends, and painting all the things. we rounded out the month with a Thanksgiving trip to visit my parents and brother in Wyoming, and i sent my hubs out to hunt elk (and lose his phone) in the wilderness.
December was a happy mix of finished projects and Christmas. we finished painting all the things and hung curtain rods. we got our first real tree and named him Harold. we decorated at work and at home. we finished the dining room and the not-a-credenza. we celebrated Christmas for three days straight. we got Mark a new phone. and then we wrapped up the year with one more Christmas and New Years in WPA.
you were good to us this year. your days and weeks flew by so fast, and yet january still feels like it happened ages ago. you brought us tons of laughter, good times, and good friends, but you were not without the overwhelming sadness of friends lost way too soon. you were our first full calendar year of being married, and owning a house. you witnessed the start and finish of several large projects, as well as the slow demise of all our flower beds. you tried our patience, made us stronger, and blessed us immensely, and we praise God for His prescence and guidance throughout. we will miss you, and remember you fondly as we move on into a new year and all the adventures that it will bring us.
Love Always,
Mando
i apparently spent the entire month of January in the kitchen. wow that was a long time ago.
February brought us our first married valentines day, a new nose-piercing for Sophie, a ski trip with friends in New York, and some imaginary drama with an old friend that i apparently made up in my own little head.
in March i did some super-sale-shopping, and celebrated my 24th birthday with my BFITW, while the hubs did a little basement make-over.
April showers brought us some flowers, an impromptu visit to visit my sister in NYC, a fabulous easter dress, and the return of my seasonal allergies.
in May i discovered the joys of my mobile online photo albums, i found a polyester picnic blanket at Goodwill, we took a weekend trip to Virginia for an old-world wedding, and a memorial-day-weekend trip to visit my sister in WPA.
we stuck close to home in June. we ventured as far as the local carnival, but spent most of our time in the fireplace room working on that drywall project.
July was awesome. and busy. while Mark continued to slave away in the fireplace room whenever he wasn't busy playing softball, i worked on some other little projects and took a trip to the beach with some of the greatest girls in the world. we also made time to celebrate the 4th with family and friends, go to the movies, and spend a day helping out on a friend's horse farm.
the highlight of our August was family vacation in Williamsburg, which included my first real (unofficial) 5K. we also started painting the fireplace room, and managed to survive both an earthquake and a hurricane.
in September we mostly kept working on the fireplace room. wow, that was a long project and a lot of work. i also did some good yard-sailing, and we took another trip to NYC to celebrate my niece's birthday with apple picking and an amazing cake.
October was an eventful month, as it not only marked the end of our first full year of marriage, but also the end of the fireplace room project! we also survived our first not-quite-a-pregnancy-scare, and celebrated Mark's 24th birthday. i made progress on refinishing the not-a-credenza, and transferred offices at my job. this month also holds claim to the saddest event of our year, which was when we found out about the death of Mark's college roommate's young wife Kortney and their unborn daughter Sophy.
we were very thankful in November. we spent our time doing some yardwork, spending time with friends, and painting all the things. we rounded out the month with a Thanksgiving trip to visit my parents and brother in Wyoming, and i sent my hubs out to hunt elk (and lose his phone) in the wilderness.
December was a happy mix of finished projects and Christmas. we finished painting all the things and hung curtain rods. we got our first real tree and named him Harold. we decorated at work and at home. we finished the dining room and the not-a-credenza. we celebrated Christmas for three days straight. we got Mark a new phone. and then we wrapped up the year with one more Christmas and New Years in WPA.
Dear 2011 -
you were good to us this year. your days and weeks flew by so fast, and yet january still feels like it happened ages ago. you brought us tons of laughter, good times, and good friends, but you were not without the overwhelming sadness of friends lost way too soon. you were our first full calendar year of being married, and owning a house. you witnessed the start and finish of several large projects, as well as the slow demise of all our flower beds. you tried our patience, made us stronger, and blessed us immensely, and we praise God for His prescence and guidance throughout. we will miss you, and remember you fondly as we move on into a new year and all the adventures that it will bring us.
Love Always,
Mando
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