I tossed a very simple chili into the crock pot this morning. It's just beans, tomato and seasoning. I turned it on low, and left for work. It should make a filling, long lasting series of meals. Tonight for dinner I had a bowl, and it was yummy. Not as good as it is with all the other stuff in it, but still warm and filling. Goal accomplished!

---

I've been meaning to write about agility, but I keep getting sidetracked. Mostly I've been the one working in class with Lucy for agility, while Tigs has been focusing on the obedience/rally & tracking side of things.

Lucy is a very driven dog and not the most patient either. Start line stays (when you sit or down the dog prior to beginning your run) are a struggle, and she isn't the most forgiving of any mistakes or breakdowns in communication on my part. If I am not giving her the direction she's looking for she tends to react in one of two ways: she either nips at my pants, or she runs off to do her own thing. Mind you, this is entirely my fault as the handler, and simple little mistakes can turn into big misunderstandings in the ring. Body position is a big deal. For instance, I have a tendency to stoop slightly when giving Lucy commands, (I'm not entirely sure why) but Lucy responds better to me when I stand (or run) with my back straight. Slight changes to how I hold out my arms can change the direction Lucy will go in, and I have to keep talking to her and directing her (not exactly easy when running at the speeds Lucy goes) otherwise we run into the nipping issue.

The thing about all that, is that I'm learning. I can actually see progress! On my end!

---

I managed to see the eclipse last night. I didn't think I would, because it had been snowing up until I went into class at 6. But when I got out at a little after 9, the sky had completely cleared. It was great!

Of course its supposed to snow again tonight, and then turn into sleet and freezing rain tomorrow. Ah well, I guess it still is winter.

I figured it was going to happen. I mean, I work in a hospital, and half the department has some illness, be it the GI bug, the flu, or an upper respiratory ailment. I've been doing my best, using the alcohol gel, washing my hands, not getting coughed on, avoiding the sick people, going to bed early, drinking lots of OJ. *sigh* And yet I've managed to get the respiratory thing.

Couldn't pick a better time for it. Monday is agility class, Tuesday I'm election judging, Wednesday is the housing inspection and school. Thursday is school, and oh yeah, Valentines Day.

In happier news I'm cooking a roast.

Doesn't it look yummy? Now I only have to wait 6 more hours before it's done...

First post of the New Year! Kind of exciting really, for as I've said before, there's going to be a lot happening. I don't know how it'll impact my level of posting, or even if it will at all. I tend to post 2-3 times a week, and they are rarely posts of particular depth or insight. This may be because I don't spend a whole lot of time thinking about things of great depth or insight. I'd work on that, but I think I'm gonna be a bit busy this year. Maybe for '09 that can be my resolution? Either way, we'll see what happens here. I'll do my best to keep you all informed of the major goings on.

I started my econ course Wednesday night. I bought the book, signed up for the web site, and then worked through about 2 hours worth of online tutorials. Not exactly fun. Plus the school library closes at 7:30, so I spent the second hour out in the hall using one of the public computers. Not the most conducive working environment.

When I got home Wednesday night I pulled out a vegetable soup mix that has been in the cabinet for a while. It's mostly beans, but I also tossed in some rice. Truth be told, it's kinda bland, but I can deal, and I made enough that it kept me warm at lunch for the rest of the week. This weekend I'll probably make a chili for next week, something with a little more kick in it. I'll need to pick up some things for it though. Actually I think I'll need to pick up most of the things for it.

---

In a shocking turn of events I will be packing away all of my miniatures.

All of them!

And I expect that they will remain packed away until we move. I don't foresee enough time over the next 5 months to spend any of it painting or modeling. I'll keep a case of minis handy in case I can get a game or 3 in with my cousins, but aside from that… I'm taking a break from the hobby until summer. *Deep breath* It's kind of a scary thought actually, especially as I still have tons of thoughts and ideas about things I want to build and a ton of unpainted minis that I want to paint.

In further depressing news, I got a call from corporate HR telling me that my (future) accounting certificate isn't enough to qualify me for a staff accountant position. I know how stupid this all is considering that once I have my CPA no one will really care that much what degree I have. Unfortunately to take the CPA I have to have accounting experience. I may end up looking outside the corporate system I'm in to find a new accounting job. I'd hate to do it, for a number of reasons, but if I need to in order to advance in the direction I'm going, then I wont hesitate.

---

I just finished the first online graded quiz. Now only if I knew how to check the grade...

Peace, Love, & Hope!

Snow! Finally some snow! I must admit I was a bit jealous that those north of here had already gotten snow, where as we’ve only seen cold winds, and a tiny bit of ice. Up until yesterday anyway! Now we have about 1.5-2 inches of snow on the ground, which looked peaceful as it was coming down. Of course it’s cold out and so cold in the house too. It was a mere 55 degrees in the living room this morning. Brrrr.

Not that I’m looking for an excuse to turn on the heat. I like my BG&E bills to stay down below $70/month, and while the house is chilly it isn’t cold. I do however need to get another sweater, as Tigs has all but stolen it from me, only to return it long enough that it starts to smell like me before she steals it again. At this point I only have that one sweater and a Naugatuck High School Chamber Singers sweatshirt. Hmm. That means its 12 years old now.

The group project for management class was completed successfully. I’m pretty sure that just about everyone in the class will be getting an A. Unless of course the participation reports that are getting turned in strongly say someone didn’t participate.

Meeting with the mortgage councilor on Tuesday raised more questions then I think it answered, and I’m not really sure I’m comfortable with the answers I did get. That means it’s time for some verification from an independent source!

Accounting class last night was… well it was mostly empty. There are about 25 students total (maybe more), and I think there were only 8 that showed up. That’s rather poor turnout for the last class before the final. The final is going to be a lot of theory, rather then problems, which I must admit I prefer when taking multiple choice tests. He hasn’t graded the extra credit yet, which was actually the thing I was most looking forward to getting back. He did let us out early due to the weather, which was nice.

This weekend I made a stew, using up a lot of left over stuff that we had in the house. Some potatoes, red beans, 2 onions, a bunch of garlic, mushrooms, and some vegetable broth. Final verdict – eh. The textures are good, but the flavor is a little lacking. I may try adding some mustard, which I found works really well for bland chili.

So far today I've:

• Gone to the farmers market in Baltimore with tigergladys.


• Danced with Lucymonster


• Baked a pumpkin pie using my own recipe (we'll see how that works out) (eggs & pumpkin from the farmers market)


• Cooked bacon so we could have BLT's for lunch (bread provided by farmers market)


• Put a stew in the crock pop, made of many ingredients from the farmers market.


• 2 loads of laundry


• 1 sink of dishes

I think that makes it a very good day so far!

Now we're off to an open house. Later!

This was an exciting weekend. Not all of it exciting in a good way. Priya late last week had once again injured herself. A little scratch on her throat, which over the course of a few days became irritated and infected. Tigs noticed how bad it looked on Saturday morning, and we decided to take her to the vet. There aren’t a whole lot of emergency vets who know anything about hamsters, but one of them happens to be in Bel Air. We didn’t have to wait too long before they sent us in to be seen by the vet, and unsurprisingly Virginia predicted *exactly* what the vet would say. There was a funny moment while the vet was checking out Priya's cheek pouches, and he said, “There’s something green in here…” and out pops a small, green, slightly chewed sphere. “Mung bean,” Virginia and I said together. Priya just looked mad, and has not stopped looking mad since.

We were given antibiotics and benebac, as well as a sheet on hamster care. Giving Virginia a sheet on hamster care is kinda like giving Michelangelo a how-to-paint book, but it’s the thought that counts.

After that I trekked up to Lancaster to visit with my cousins. Dragging along a planet and some starships, we quickly divided up the fleets between the 4 of us. Cory and I took the Chaos fleet, and Alex and their friend Aubrey took the Imperial ships. There will probably be a separate post about that, once I go through all the pictures I took. The game was fun, and close, including things like one ship getting shot at by 18 torpedoes, ships ramming, and a light cruiser that survived far more then it should have. In the end the Imperials had crippled most of the chaos fleet and held the board, though they sustained some very serious losses. End result would have been a minor victory. We then played some Halo. I never want to play against Cory again. He’s insanely good at it! He switches between the sniper rifle and the missile launcher (which he uses at close range) for his kills. We ended up playing the 3 of us against him. By the time he got his 50 kills, we had only killed him 11 times. Total.

Last night I chopped up a bunch of stuff for chili, which is in the crock pot right now. There is a green pepper, a yellow squash, a potato, a quarter cup of dry roasted peanuts, and red, black and pinto beans, as well as a can of beets. It’s been cooking all day, and I can’t wait to taste it.

Tonight for dinner I made shepherds pie!  Only instead of meat I used quorn grounds.  Yum!


YUM!!

( Doing things with the help of a monster! )

Things I should be doing right now:
Sleeping

Friday Five!

What was the last thing taken from you without your permission?

My CDs.

Who was the photographer the last time a picture of you was taken?

Tigs :-)

When were you last taken by surprise?

No.

When were you last taken for a ride (interpret literally or figuratively!)?

Tigs took me to Glen Burnie this past weekend.

Where were you the last time you wished to be “taken away from all this?”

Work.

What was the most sick that you've ever been?

Really bad GI infection.

What disease are you afraid of getting?

MRSA

Are you a big baby when it comes to taking medicine/shots for your illnesses?

No, just a big baby about getting sick.

Is going to the doctor really THAT bad?

No, it’s just not really worth it for me.

Would you have the flu twice a month if you were paid $1,000 for having it?

For just one month? Sure. To have it every month? It would have to be a lot more then that.

What do you consider to be your strongest talent?

Procrastination.

Do you have any other talents that you're particularly fond of?

Figuring out unusual tricks for strategy games. Painting.

Describe one talent you wish you possessed?

Piano, and I’m working on it.

How do you display or make use of your talents?

Well, I post about it here!

What do you think drives so many people to watch and/or participate in talent shows and competitions?

The adrenalin rush.

---

This past week… Lets see. Business Management got out way early so the prof and half the class could watch the Ravens game. Then there was agility class, which you could see a bit of here. Wednesday was accounting, which went really well considering I hadn’t done the homework, and had only read the chapter (most of it) right before class. Normally I try to read the chapter twice before the class. Yesterday I ended up staying late at work to make a bunch of last minute changes to a all the stuff for the Friday morning meeting. Don't worry, I won't bore you with the details. Then I ended up making some garlic mashed potatoes (SO MUCH YUM!!) and biscuits for dinner.

Tonight was a trip to Goodwill where i picked up a Michael Buble CD and Tigs got a new shirt, and a CD. Then we went on to Trader Joe's, which maybe we shouldn't have done hungry... But we got some really really good strawberries.

Currently stewing away in my crock pot is a little dish I threw together last night. It’s a potato stew of some sort. All measurements are questimates.
2 lbs. chopped potatoes
½ Large red onion
1 cup of orange and tan beans? No, I don’t know what type they are, we got them from Tigs’ sister.
½ cup of TVP
About a tablespoon of sea salt
1 cup of boxed french onion soup
4 cups of water

One of the best things about using the crock pot is the fact that the house always smells so wonderful when it’s been going all day and I come home from work. Well see how it turns out when I get home tonight!

**Edited to add**
It's kinda like mashed potatoes, with a little more flavor. Toss in some shredded cheese and pepper and it's really good! Very filling too. All in all a success!

---

Lucy has a cold. Or something. It could be the flu. Whatever it is it has a few less then pleasant side effects. She also hasn’t really been sleeping through the night. She’s been waking up around 3 or 4 to go to the bathroom. We tend to keep the bedroom door closed at night, so when Lucy decides she needs to go I get up and open the door for her. It then takes her a little while to settle down. I thought that this would bother me more then it does. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t jump up all cheerful with bells on or anything, but I can get up, open the door, even fill her water bowl if its empty and fall back into bed without it feeling like it’s interrupted my sleep.

I just hope she (and Tigs) feel better soon.

A big thank you to Tigs, without whom my posts would be a mess of miss-used grammar.

From Thursday:
Subtitle: I am a giant dork when it comes to food, and I will probably never be a food writer.

Last night I did a fair amount of cooking. I put a potato and bean soup in the crock pot in the morning, and when I got home I fried up some onions to toss into it. I chopped up the onion, and put it in the frying pan. Then I returned to the fridge and thought, “Well, I might as well toss in some garlic too!” and looking into the fridge I noticed some mushrooms from a little while back. “Those are going to go bad if I don’t use them up.” So I grabbed the mushrooms and the garlic, chopped them up and tossed them in the frying pan. Then I thought to myself “I can have the soup, but what will Tigs eat for dinner?” You see, Tigs doesn’t eat soup, potatoes, or beans (unless it’s in good chili) because they are gross. Also she had a terrible migraine. So I looked in the freezer (there was't much else in the fridge) and pulled out a bag of Quorn chicken bits. I nuked them to defrost them, and then tossed them in the frying pan as well, and put on a pot of rice. It ended up being a very yummy dinner. I thought a lot while making this, as you can tell. I ended up adding a couple of tomatoes to the soup, along with a seasoning packet that came with the beans, salt, pepper, and basil. After I finished my rice dish I then had a bowl of soup. It was good too! I ended up filling the 3 remaining Pyrex bowls with all that I made, and put the biggest one in the freezer. I still have some chili in the fridge too!

---

From Today:

Saturday Tigs and I took the Toyota Camry in for its safety inspection so we can officially register it here in MD. Seeing as it had been inspected not all that long ago when it was registered in North Carolina, and was inspected again back in August, and had new tires put on it 2 months ago, we felt reasonably sure that it would pass or only have a small amount of work to be done. Nothing more then $500 or so. However, when we got the call saying that there were over $2,000 worth of repairs, we were to say the least, shocked. According to the place we took the car to the damage is as follows:

The outer CV boots are split with no grease ($710)
All 4 wheel bearings are loose and need to be replaced ($478)
All 4 struts are bottoming out and need to be replaced ($993)

Oh plus new wiper blades. *rolls eyes*

Mind you the car, being 17 years old, is worth maybe $900.

We were not yet panicking, as the car still seemed to be driving fine, so we picked up the car and went home. We have until the 16th of February before the temporary registration expires to make a decision. Unfortunately, just going without the car is at this point is not an option. While there is some public transportation in Baltimore none of it goes where we need to go. The route to Tigs’ workplace was discontinued in December. The route to mine would be somewhere around 4-5 hours round trip every day, and would be more expensive than gas. (Also, we just renewed the insurance to the tune of $1300 last week.)

So, what are we going to do? First, we’ve scheduled an appointment with the Toyota dealership to take a look at the car. Somehow I doubt that this level of damage occurred in the last couple of months. If there is that much damage, then we are looking at replacing the car, using this one as a trade in before the temporary registration runs out. The most likely replacement will be a used Camry, Civic, or Accord. (Tigs wants a Camry, you've got to admit that 17 years is pretty good advertising.) Right now we are researching online, and tonight we plan to visit a dealership. On Thursday when we deposit our paychecks we’ll be talking to the bank about financing through them.

If only we could hold out another month or two, financially it would be a lot better. We’d have a lot more cash available for a down payment.

The thing about it is we aren’t panicking. (Tigs is panicking.) There isn’t a need to, amazingly enough. (Because she has bad credit and no money and she has to be the one to get the loan.) We are finally at the cusp of being financially secure, and while this is a pain, it’s not going to break us. (Although we may not eat for several months.)

Comments in parenthesis were written by tigergladys.

---

I sorted through more of the miniatures that I have all boxed up, and picked out which ones I actually want to do something with, and which ones I don’t. For instance, back when I was at Sarge’s, a company called Foundry wanted us to carry their stuff, so they sent us a box of some random minis. Vikings, witch doctors, chicks with guns, elves… random. Those can now be found on e-bay. On the other hand there were a couple of Mordheim minis that I’m looking forward to painting. At the moment there is a warlock that is high up there on my want-to-paint list. I’m going to hold off on painting anything I really want to keep, and see if I can clear through some of the massive backlog of minis I just want to paint and then sell.

Sometimes it’s nice to have all the variety I could want, but sometimes it’s just overwhelming. It is especially overwhelming when it is hard to fit in the closet.

---

Sometimes Star Trek makes me sad. Other times... no, wait, still sad. What is it with these people?? Trek is supposed to be about a bright future for mankind. Yet they aren't giving me anything to be hopeful about now...

I'm gonna go practice the keyboard now.

What a way to start the day! When Tigs and I were about to leave this morning I went to grab the puppy who was laying half under the table. Now we normally have a game where she tries to keep from getting locked up for the day, so we can’t leave, and I chase her. This morning, I thought I had caught her unprepared. So I quickly reached down, and she bolted. I tried to adjust my angle of attack, and instead of getting a handful of puppy fur, I got a thumb jammed into the rattan side of the table. Ouch!

I called my contact at the temp agency this morning. It turns out that my boss here hasn’t called them yet. Odd, but whatever. Anyway, she asked me what I was looking for in terms of my next job. The obvious answers being 1) Something that pays me 2) Something that pays me and 3) Something that pays me. I didn’t say that of course, but I did say just about anything. Turns out there are some help desk positions that are open at Johns Hopkins University. I’m currently waiting for the e-mail with the details to arrive in my inbox.

Now that the shock of having been let go/downsized/fired is wearing off, I must admit I’m actually looking forward to moving on to another job. I mean, I was bored doing what I was doing. Working here is little better then working in a mail room. And whatever I move onto, it’ll probably pay better, and be a little more mentally stimulating! Besides, it’s not as if this is the only job that would offer educational benefits, which really is my primary need (after pay of course).

Last night, in addition to applying for lots of jobs, Tigs and I also made a vegetable stew. It is currently stewing in the crockpot right now, and will both make the house smell good and drive the puppy nuts! It also makes it so welcoming to come home to.

In addition to everything else, Wednesday is supposed to be the night I go to Games Workshop to game or paint, and for the 3rd week in a row I didn’t make it. The first week it was a tractor trailer that was lying across all 4 lanes of the beltway, and had traffic backed up for miles! Last week I was just too damn tired, and this week, well I felt the need to get out as many resumes as possible last night. To make up for this Friday is going to be a Movie & Craft night. Gaer is coming up and we will all sit and watch movies and work on our various crafts. Elspeth was invited, but will be out of the area, and… well… we don’t really know anyone else in the area to invite!

Things I am Thankful For: My Furry Kids
All my life I have had animals around me. I grew up with Gaesa, my Mum’s German Shepard until I was 21. Besides her there were always other dogs, cats, rodents, birds, fish, and every once in a while a reptile. It’s been one of the constants in my life. They have been (and still are) my friends, my confidants, and sometimes my bedwarmers. I can't imagine my life without them.

Friday the 13th

I don't know about your day, but mines been ok. Busy, even a little stressful, but nothing horrible has happened. I've been waiting for a clawed hand to reach through the chair and drag me to a nightmare dimension, or a William Shatner mask wearing psycho, or acid spitting aliens, or anything like that. But so far, nothing. Oh well.

1. Are you superstitious? Why or why not?

Only as much as it is fun.

2. What is the strangest or most unusual superstition you've ever heard of?

Oh there are so many to chose from! Most of them have some kernal of truth to them, so the only strange ones are the ones so old that the reference to them is so far back in the past as to be not remembered.

3. Do you feel lucky?

Not especially.

4. Would you ever plan a major event for the thirteenth day of any month? How about Friday the thirteenth?

Sure. I'd even invite a total of 13 people to it!!

5. How does your answer to question 4 change your answer to question 1?

It doesn't!

---

In other do-it-yourself related activities, the closet door broke this past weekend. ( The Door! )

Yup, that’s hot glue you see there. Not wood glue, not epoxy, hot glue. Such quality work isn’t it? We will be fixing it with not only wood glue, but also with a screw or two. Once again we will end up leaving this place in better shape then we found it.

And sure, we could just call the leasing office and tell them to fix it, but wanna take any bets on how long it would take them to get around to it? How about on the quality of the repair? Didn’t think so.

---

The other night Tigs and I played Pirates. As usual I took the British, and she the Pirates. Using ships we’ve not used before we played a simple 40 point game without terrain other then islands, and no crew. We played on the living room coffee table, so long and kinda thin, but we covered the glass top with a piece of blue fabric that serves rather well as an ocean backdrop. It wasn’t what I was looking for when we went to the fabric store, but it was close enough. I was actually looking for something with a little more green in it. The game went well, and in the end I won by a single coin. However at the end of the game I had only one of my original ships still afloat, and a captured ship serving in my fleet. Tigs still had her sea monster, one ship under sail, and one ship adrift, but it looked like it would quickly be towed back to her home port and repaired. So while technically I won, it was a close game, and I’m looking forward to the next time we play. ( The game board! )

---

North Korea now has nuclear weapons. You know what? Good for them. If I was in their place it’s exactly what I would have done. I mean, think about it; the crazy president of a nation that has shown itself to be aggressive lists you as 1 of 3 members of an “axis of evil”, and then he proceeds to invade one of those other countries. Which of the other 2 are next? The one right next to the one he invaded, or the one way out on the Pacific Rim ? Probably the one right next to it, but who can say for sure? But now that his military is all bogged down in 2 Middle East wars for now all he can do is bluster! China will veto anything in the Security Council that comes up, so you’re even safe there. It’s the perfect time to really get your nuclear program going. A couple of years later, you test one of your weapons, and BAM instant protection from invasion!! North Korea never needs build up an arsenal beyond… a dozen nuclear weapons, and they need never use them again. Sure, over the next year or two there will be some upset people. China will feel slighted that you didn’t listen to their advice, and allow sanctions. They won’t last all that long. All the while you can promise to be rid of your weapons, just as soon as the US gets rid of theirs. It’s a win-win scenario!

---

So there is one civic activity that I've always wanted to participate in. Jury Duty. Yes, I'm that much of a geek. I registered to vote when I turned 18, I pay taxes on the car, and just waited for the summons. Well, it came today....

From Connecticut.

*Sigh*

---

Tonight I made ( steak! )

Have a great night!

Peace, Love, & Hope

Written over the past week at work, in between writing about Raoul.
( Trick or Treat )

---

Some reviews!

Casanova – Fluffy but fun. I was a little surprised at the R rating considering there wasn’t any nudity, the language wasn’t anything beyond what you see on TV and the violence was mild save for an inquisitorial torture session that was well below what you might see on 24. The costumes, sets, mat paintings, and cgi were all very pretty, if mostly inaccurate. And the pigs were very cute! If you are looking for a 2 hour fluffy love story with some decent actors check it out. Definitely a renter though. I doubt you’ll want to add it to your collection.

House season 2 – Wow! Seriously wow! There were some really good episodes, and I can not wait for season 3 to come out on DVD. Yes, I know it’s still on TV right now, and I’ll have to wait nearly a year to see what happens, but I want it NOW! So good!

---

Monday night Tigs and I did some preparing for the change of season. Well, I cleaned the hamster tanks and helped her sort her wardrobe. The dresser is a little full (and by a little I mean some of the drawers didn’t close all the way), so we looked through everything, and bagged stuff she didn’t like or that didn’t fit for goodwill. Her summer clothing is now all packed away, and her warmer winter clothing is all in the dresser. We also found some of my clothing that had been mixed in towards the end of packing in Worcester . This included a stash of socks, which is very exciting for me as I’ve had to toss a number of them lately due to holes in the toes.

---

There is a Jimmy Buffett song that starts with the line “A broken promise I’ve kept too long” This line resonated for me most recently as I’ve been trying to deal with my feelings towards old friends and ex’s, the ones who hurt me. I’ve always felt strongly that people are in general good at heart, and that while they may screw up, it usually isn’t a malicious act. But am I right? More and more I’m beginning to think I’m wrong about that, at least in some cases. You see, even after they hurt me, I still cared about them, even forgave them without their asking for it, and kept it all to myself. Now ask just about anybody and they’ll tell you that isn’t healthy behavior. If one of my friends did that, I’d tell them to stop sucking it up and let it out! It’s ok to be angry about getting hurt. Getting angry is good, it’s a release. You don’t have to act on that anger and go out and shoot people (in fact if you let it out rather then pent it up for 20 years you are less likely to shoot a bunch of Amish school girls).

So the hurt is still there, and somewhere down deep where I buried it, the anger is too. I’ve been writing letters, and I have more to go, trying to confront that anger. And the more I think about it, the more letters I add to the list. I think the letters help. They are concrete physical manifestations of my feelings in black and white. Actually blue and white, but it works the same way.

---

On Soap
For years now I’ve experienced a burning sensation when I am exposed to too much soap. Doing a sink full of dishes would make my hands burn for an hour at least. Showers weren’t much better. Little amounts I could handle, say washing my hands, or a couple of dishes. I was always frustrated by that, and when I told someone about it the reaction was always a look, half a step back, quick sniff, and then saying something like “Allergic to soap hua? That sucks.”

Last night though, without even noticing, I did 3 loads of dishes. And no burning! Was it a miraculous cure? No. It was merely a cleaner soap, one that is without additives. What is this magic soap? The Method! http://www.methodhome.com/ Even better is that it’s not just dish soap. It’s a whole line of products that don’t aggravate my skin! It’s amazing what natural products can do, and not do!

Another thing that natural, healthy products have managed to do is to help me lose weight. I’ve found that not only do healthy foods taste good (often better then the alternatives) but I eat less of them because my body knows that it’s taken all the nutrients that it needs. I’ll have to post some of my favorites for you soon. This is actually a well known phenomena when it comes to pet food (advice we were given often when we were talking about getting a puppy, and something we did already for the hamsters, and have for years!), however people seem to forget that it works the same way for us. We are still meat machines that need fuel and like any machine, we need high quality fuel to run well. It also helps to cook your own food, rather then rely on pre-packaged crap or fast food. Something we've learned by being poor. I'm down from almost 200 lbs to 170 without really trying! That whole lifestyle and exercise thing really works. Try running with your puppy every day and eating healthy food, and it's amazing the things that happen.

---

Good night all. I'm being licked, which means it's time for bed.

Five on Friday

1. What are your five favorite stores?
The Book Barn - Luckily/sadly in New England
Games Workshop
That's Entertainment - Sadly in New England
The Whiz - Also in New England
Ikea

2. Is there any store you absolutely hate going to?
I've never been a big fan of going to the Mall.

3. Do you pay with cash, credit, debit, or something else?
Credit since I get points!

4. Do you prefer to shop in person or online?
I definitely prefer shopping in person. I like to be able to feel the things in my hand.

5. In the last six months, what single purchase has been the most important to you?
I think most of my expenses in the last 6 months have been involved in moving, and that is most definitely important to me! (Though I really would like this and this)

---

This morning at work I was a little stressed (and by a little stressed I mean it felt like I had been punched in the gut) to find that the piece of amber that is set into the ring I wear had fallen out. As soon as I realized it (about 8:15 am) I checked everywhere in the building I had been, didn't find it. I walked all the way back to the car during my lunch break, checking the ground as I went. I then searched the car, and then the ground again on the way back. It wasn't until the end of the day when I went into the bathroom to change and I looked into the bottom of the bag that had my shorts in it did I find it. Now that I've found it I now need to figure out how to reattach it to the ring. I was thinking super glue, but wasn't sure. Any ideas?

The temperature is down to 76 degrees! And tonight it's going to get down to 70!!! I can't believe how happy that makes me... Maybe I'm actually getting used to the weather?

( Hot Dog! )

I've finished the 3 books that trigger a 50bookchallenge, however it can wait till tomorrow.

Keep cool everyone!

So our grocery bill has been significantly higher here in Baltimore, as compared to what it was in Worcester. The biggest problem is our pantry is empty, which means that anything we want to make, we have to get everything for it. There is no buffer of pre-bought supplies. No cans of this, no jars of that, and as a result we have to keep picking those things up as we go. We should be able to live for a week on nothing but what is in our cabinets without having to go to the grocery. Right now, we might be able to do that, but it would be nothing but pasta and pineapple chunks.

It's hard to remember everything that we would normally keep in stock. Plus being summer it's hot and we don't really want to cook anything, which limits the options. I can't wait for it to cool off. Autumn can't come soon enough!

New Icon!

Domestic things I have done recently:
Cleaned hamster tanks
Washed dishes
Cleaned oven
Made pancakes
Took Nebula for a walk
Bought travel cages for 2/3 hamsters
Baked a cake (which I will be frosting shortly)

I also just finished reading Star Trek The Lost Era 2298 The Sundered.

Mostly I went for this book due to the events in Star Trek Titan. I wanted to know the back story that leads us into the second book in that series. I actually wish that there had been a historical note that said to read The Sundered first. While it didn't exactly spoil anything, I think it would have been a little more enjoyable reading them in order. Definitely a good read. I started and finished it today!

I am also in the middle of Star Trek DS9 Prophecy and Changes. I'm not normally a big fan of short stories, but for some Star Trek tales, it really works...

I think I have washed my hands at least 4-5 times with soap, washed some dishes, and showered and washed my hair, and my hands still smell like onions!!

I need a cooking icon...

As I pulled into the parking spot on the hill next to the WPI library, I noticed that tigergladys was just walking up the hill. Talk about timing. We immediately went to the physics building, where the room the movie was to play in was dark and empty. I turned on the lights, and sat down. Eventually a total of about a dozen people arrived, and Ghosts of Rwanda began. It was very moving and sad. I looked away a couple of times. Afterword, as Tigs and I were walking back to the car, she brought up a good point about the film. It was very USA centric. Yes, the UN and the Red Cross were the main actors, much time was spent talking about what Clinton didn't do, what the Congress didn't do, and yet there was a line that was spoken by Kofi Annan that he went to 80 nations, and asked for help, and all refused. 80 Nations! And all because no one had any interest in what was going on. Not because they didn't know, but because they didn't care.

Yet that isn't why I was crying my eyes out tonight. After we got back from the movie, I decided that I would make the French Onion Soup that I've been talking about. It is very hard to chop up 6 onions and not cry. They are currently cooking in the crock pot, before I add all the other stuff.

Peace, Love, & Hope