& that's the way life goes

H A P P Y H A L L O W E E N!

I kind of look like an evil kitty in this pic. And yes I’m a cat, not a mouse. Note my gray contacts. Only a select few at work have noticed. But no worries I have another costume for tonight that is much more interesting

MEOW

I stole this from kristen at vingtage journalizations.  Because we all know that I want to be a Disney Princess (don’t judge me!)  What is funny is that this was my nickname on my basketball team in junior high.  That’s what I got for being on an all boy team.  They were always asking me where my John Smith was.  I know where my John Smith is now
You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.
Which Disney Princess Are You?

One last note: This was one of my choices for my halloween costume.  It was won out by another Disney Princess.  Can you guess which one?  You’ll find out!

Matt from Delicious Nothings just told me about http://www.lala.com.   It sounds pretty cool.  You can listen to any song once in its entirety for free.  This definitely helps you decide if you want to buy a whole album or not.  Below are the bullet points from the email I received after signing up.  Oh and if you sign up, the first 50 are free

6 million songs are waiting…

• Start listening! Play any song or album once for free. Search or browse to find music you like.
• Keep songs you like. Build an online collection and add web songs for only 10 cents (the first 50 are free!), or download the MP3 for 79 cents more. All MP3s are DRM-free, compatible with iTunes and Windows Media Player.
• Bring all your music to the web. Use Lala’s Music Mover app to quickly match the songs on your computer to our catalog. A free and easy way to play all your music online!

What are you waiting for?  Go check it out!

I’m so fucking angry right now.  Actually that’s not true.  I was for like 5 minutes but now I’m just indifferent.  For those of you that read my posts about my ‘grams’ (here and here) this is the conclusion.

She called me twice on my mom’s birthday, and I wasn’t ready to talk to her.  She called me again last night and again this morning.  I was at tae kwon do last night and not at my desk this morning.  I was going to sit down and write a letter today but because I AM the bigger person, I called her back.  This was our conversation:

g: where are you at?

me: I’m at work

g: so you can’t talk

m: not really

g: so why are you ignoring my calls? is this how it’s going to be? you don’t want to talk to me?

(please keep in mind she is not some nice elderly lady.  her voice is filled with sarcasm and neediness.  also i called her crying on Labor Day and she never returned my call.  she just happens to find my number on my mom’s birthday when she’s probably feeling an emptiness now that her daughter is gone)

me: I’m busy, much like you were too busy while you were here to see me

g: oh no.  you didn’t make any effort to come see me!

(OMFG are you serious?!  I tried on 3 different occassions to try and work something out with her until i finally decided to give up.  Not to mention that C’s dad died during the middle of her stay here)

me: you had a car!  I called you!

g: so this is how it is?

me: yes I’m done

g: ok bye (hangs up)

I’m pretty sure this isn’t what normal grandmothers are like.  They aren’t this self absorbed.  I’ve had plans to meet my cousin T for dinner tonight.  I hope that the topic of ‘grams’ doesn’t come up.  C thinks I should say something to T so maybe she can talk to ‘grams’.  But you know what?  I don’t care enough to want someone to show her my point of view.

As far as I’m concerned I haven’t had a grandmother since my surrogate Grandma died when I was 15.  She babysat me every day from the time I was 6months to 12 years.  She was a grandmother: warm, loving, kind.  She baked me cookies, held me when I cried, let me talk about my problems (even when she knew I was  in the wrong), she apologized when she was wrong and she never made me feel nonexistent.

The ever awesome Kat from Tough Girl 101 awarded me with this beauty:

I want to pass this on to all of the fabulous bloggers on my blogroll —> (aka Blogs I Voyeur)

Jessica Maria from tried to live forever every day of the year, not only awarded me a badge but she created it herself!  How awesome is that?   Jessica Maria is an amazing chick with a social life I could only dream of! Most recently she went to the live rehearsals of SNL!   She also has the most adorable kitties you have ever seen! They have names that are as interesting as they are adorable.

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Jessica Maria and a few others have commented about how my blog is very personal (and random LOL).  I guess I don’t really think about that when I write my posts.   The things I share are stories and feelings I would share with any of my friends.  When it comes down to it I wear my emotions on my sleeve.

Happy Monday!

Today would have been my Mom’s 53 birthday.  If you haven’t noticed the weather is a huge part of my life.   It can majorly influence my mood.  Remember in Men in Black II Agent Kay tells The Light of Zartha that it rains because she cries?  No?  Well he does.  Sometimes the sun warms my soul like a mother’s hug.  Today it rained lightly with the sun out and then the sun shone through the trees.  It was SO windy though!

With that said, remember the post I wrote about my grams, who is definitely not maternal?  I wrote that back at the beginning of September and I still haven’t heard from her.  Until today.  I’m sure it’s not because she actually misses me but because she’s feeling sorry for herself today.  When the phone rang I pushed the ignore button and then erased her voicemail.  I know I need to let her know why I’m cutting her out of my life.  I just haven’t sat down to write the letter yet.  Mostly because I’m busy, and when did she take the time for me?

Fettuccine with Artichokes & Basil

(from my trusty Better Homes & Garden Cookbook I inherited from my mom)

25 Minutes/low fat

4oz fettuccine or fuilli

1 9oz package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed or one 14oz jar or can artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained.

1 1/2 cups chopped red or green sweet pepper (2 medium)

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

2/3 cup seeded & chopped tomato (1 medium)

1/4 cup fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Cook fettuccine 8-10 minutes or till tender but still firm.  Drain; keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, place frozen artichoke hearts in a colander under cold running water to separate.  In a large skillet cook and stir artichokes, sweet pepper, onion and garlic in hot il over medium-high heat about 5 minutes or till vegetables are tender.
3. Stir in tomato and basil.  Cook and stir about 2 minutes more or till heated through.  Add vegetable mixture to fettuccine; toss gently to mix.  If desired, sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.

5 years ago today I met C.  I should tell you the story sometime.  I’ll think about it.  Anyhow we actually spent the day together running errands.  Fun stuff huh?  I felt like making something for dinner and this is what sounded good.

Note: I forgot to rinse the artichoke hearts…And I forgot to buy the tomato…And next time I’ll add more than 3 cloves of garlic

But it was good for us and tasty

This makes me cry and laugh at the same time.  Snow should not be in the forecast until at LEAST November (though this is for a city north of me).  But seriously does that say “Check Boat and Beach Forecast”?!  Pretty sure all the boats should be winterized now