Recent Google Searches

Offered with minimal commentary.

Potato salad with raisins: I keep seeing this bouncing around & decided to find out if it's really a thing because that sounds disgusting. It's a Saturday Night Live thing and that explains everything.

Golden moneywort: I saw some ground cover that I thought might work in our back yard - turns out that it's (probably) Creeping Jenny & maybe that would be a bad idea? The jury is still out!

How to use Nads facial wax strips: I decided that I needed to move to the next level of mustache management. Heavy sigh.

Emperor Zhark: Character in a book I was reading - I wanted to know if there really are books out there where he is a character. I'm thinking not? Anyone else know?

Jayson Werth: I could NOT remember the name of the Nationals player that recently retired - thanks Google!

Angus Lennie: Actor in The Great Escape. I was trying to see if I'd seen him in any other movies. Nope.

Can you substitute cooking spray for parchment paper: Yes, yes you can

Can you substitute wax paper for parchment paper: DO NOT DO THIS UNLESS YOU WANT TO BURN DOWN THE HOUSE!

Doobie Brothers: I couldn't remember the name of the lead singer that I don't like (Michael McDonald - sorry Michael!).

Top Spin Lob: We were laughing at how a character in one of Dick Francis' books called a horse Topsy Blob instead of Top Spin Lob, and I had to just confirm that my facts were straight.

How many strikeouts does CC Sabathia have: Well, wouldn't you want to know too? 

2017: A random review

• We moved to NC in March and are so glad that we're here! 
• In May I had to start using a walker & had my second hip surgery in August, AND IT WAS A MIRACLE!!! You should have seen me running around at my nephew's wedding (IN HEELS) on Saturday, or playing ping pong on Sunday night. So so very thankful.
• I read 72 books in 2017. I used to post a monthly list of the books that I read, but I since I mainly read series books it was getting a little boring. But I like reading other people's lists, so maybe in 2018 I'll just post stand-alone books.
• I didn't participate in the Moogly Crochet-Along in 2017, but I am feeling antsy & I think I'm going to make two blankets in 2018. 
• Friday was my last day at my old job & that morning I tried to log in to do the handful of final tasks I'd allotted for the day & found out that they'd terminated me early. Oops! I still did a conference call, and later in the morning they got it sorted out so that I could log in. Then I clocked out early to go to my nephew's wedding rehearsal. It was such a weird day - very anticlimactic. However, onward!
• I start my new job tomorrow. Better go pack my lunch!

Monday Miscellany

I'm just sort of dipping my toe in here - not sure I have very much to report since my last post of three days ago, but here goes.

Crochet Madness: In addition to the two new blankets that I plan to make with the Moogly CAL again this year, I have committed to another year long project. And Dr. M will tell you, if asked, that I am OBSESSED with it. It's called a temperature blanket. The object is to check the temperature each day & crochet (or knit) one row in the color chosen for that temperature range. Here's my color chart (using leftover yarn from last year's blankets) and first three days of crocheting.

I'm checking the temp at 7:00 each evening and I was SO EXCITED about today. The low is supposed to be 11 degrees & I just knew that it would be below 22 by 7:00 so I could use a new color. Sadly, it's currently 30 degrees at 5:15 & not likely to dip below 22 in the next nearly two hours. However, you know that I will keep you posted on the situation. 

I'm Not Really Awake Right Now: After three weeks of mostly waking up whenever the heck I wanted to, I have been very annoyed at having to be somewhere and functional for the past two mornings. This afternoon I was staring blearily at the report I was editing and had to get up and WALK for twenty minutes. That's just sad. I think that eventually I'll start getting to bed at a reasonable hour. Maybe. 

This is Not a Resolution: I have two fitness/weight loss challenges at work right now. One is with my department - we're being challenged to lose 6% of our body weight by April 1. We also had to come up with a personal stretch goal. I decided that my goal will be to walk an average of 2.5 miles a day. Currently I average a little over a mile a day. This challenge is why I got up to walk when I was falling asleep at my desk, so I think it's already been a success! 

The other challenge is a pseudo biggest loser challenge, where we put money down & have to pay $1 per pound if we gain weight. We did it in the fall & I did a fabulous job of maintaining my weight. Ha! I'm never successful at these, but I like the little niggle in the back of my head that makes me think twice before I eat ice cream. 

Upcoming Events: I've been afraid to see how many books I've read since the last Book Review Tuesday. Maybe in the rush to Crochet All The Things before Christmas I didn't actually read that many. We shall see. Maybe next Tuesday. (OK, I peeked - 10 books. Ulp.)

OK, that's enough - what's random in your life? (Still 30 degrees at 5:37. Sigh.)

Various & Sundry

We have a winner! You remember - from this post. I put all the names on slips of paper & had an impartial coworker draw one out.

Congratulations! Send me an email & we'll discuss what you want. And everyone should check out her blog I Didn't Know That - she'll have you convinced that riding a bike is the only way to go. I totally credit her with making me decide to get my bicycle Daisy :)

Today my boss & I went over & checked out our new digs (our office is moving in December). The office is still under construction so we had to wear hard hats. And you know I had to take a picture, but it's a TERRIBLE picture. This is a heavily (heavily!) edited version of it. And you know that even though it's terrible I had to share it anyway. Ha!

The petunias in our gorgeous hanging basket are mostly done, but there are a few hanging on. Makes me smile when I see them.

I'll leave you with our Ohio sky for most of the day (well half of it looked like this & half looked ominous). I love fluffy clouds...

Happy Monday!

Randomosity

Is it bad that when I see this ad:

I immediately think “Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!”?

I have to say that not all things about getting older are bad. Used to be, if my feet were cold I would have to run a warm bath, turn my electric blanket on high, or invade Dr. M’s side of the bed before I could fall asleep. My frigid feet would just never warm up all on their own. Last night I stayed up late reading (& ignoring that terrible Cleveland/Tampa Bay game) & my feet were freezing when I went to bed. And after I lay there for a few minutes they started warming up all on their own! It’s a menopausal miracle!

I'm listening to a David Baldacci book (see my sidebar) & I just learned something new. I had no idea that Heckler & Koch was pronounced Coke, not Kotch. Interesting!

The Braves' first post season game is tonight, and you know how I love my Braves, but... Their regular season ended on a kind of meh note & well I don't want to be a naysayer, but I'm saying nay. Sigh. (Do you think this strategy of getting the Braves to win will work? If I act like I know it won't happen?)

I finished it a couple of weeks ago, but totally forgot to share a picture of the shawl I made myself out of yarn scraps. Makes me smile - especially because a lot of the scraps were from my friend Joanne who passed away earlier this year.

Brain Dump

·         I’m reading this series of books about a woman who is a forensic sculptor. She is no Kay Scarpetta (I know – not the same line of work, but that’s what I thought she might be like). And the author is certainly no Patricia Cornwell. This is one of those “used to be a romance novelist wanna be a thriller” kind of deals. And they’re light & fluffy & filled mostly with women who won’t do what they’re told (the best kind of woman IMHO). BUT. Almost every other book in the series involves going to Colombia to thwart some evil drug lord. Or has a prominent character who used to fight with the rebels. Or was a Navy Seal. I’m getting a little bored with the formula. Not only that, but the strongest epithet anyone uses is, “Son of a bitch!” All those Navy Seals/Mercenaries & not a single F-Bomb? Not that I like cursing in my books – it just seems odd. Of course, since I’m on book 11 of a 20 book series you know I’ll just keep chugging along. I’ll try to keep the whining to a minimum.

·         Does anyone know the significance of this? I had just done dishes & was sitting outside crocheting. Dr. M went back into the house & found this.

I didn’t put it there. He didn’t put it there. There’s not anyone else (I don’t think). Hmmm.

·         I felt slightly light-headed* today heading back to the office after some lunch-time shopping. So what did I do? I drove faster. Because by jiminy if I was going to pass out it was going to be in my work parking lot, not on the street! Does anyone else do this? Does it make even the least bit of sense? It reminds me of the time in Zambia when I was driving my mom & grandmother to Victoria Falls from Lusaka – I got REALLY sleepy so I started driving faster so we’d get there quicker. Aren’t we all glad I don’t drink?

·         This being Junior Warden is for the birds. We’ve got: a kitchen sink that drains into the floor, a ceiling coming down because of air conditioner condensation, a door that won’t shut properly unless it’s slammed, a ceiling fan that won’t work, an older congregation who can’t really maintain the landscaping (& no budget), and BEES. And the bees are probably honeybees so I’m not gonna be spraying those suckers – I’ll have to see if someone will come & get them. My initial research tells me the chances are slim & we’ll just need to coexist with them – even if honey DOES drip down the walls.

OK. All done now. So, how’s your day been?

*I’m fine now – this just happens occasionally.

At Least We Don't Have Cow...*

[Note: This started out as Thankful Thursday, but quickly devolved into my usual brand of random.]


I have a new computer at work – it’s zip-e-dee-doo-dah-licious! I want to take it home with me. I have a history that, no matter what fabulous computer Dr. M arranges for me (he’s in charge of the technology in our home), within a very short period of time I make it slower than Christmas. I have a special touch. The new work one has been in my clutches for several days now however & still seems to be very fast. Maybe they’re making them impervious to my obstreperous magic.

Dr. M posted a fabulous rant on Facebook about how the Yankees seem to be the only team in baseball that will postpone a game under the threat of rain. It does seem somewhat ridiculous to me – it still wasn’t raining two hours after the game should have started. Where’s the John Madden of baseball when you need him? A little mud never hurt anyone.

I’ve been running walking very fast hither & thither lately – up and down the stairs at work, around the house (almost running down Dr. M who might be innocently hanging out in the hallway), down the street from the parking lot to church for choir practice…And I thought to myself yesterday – why, this is just how my mother always walked! Full speed ahead, short legs making short work of any distance she needed to travel. I was always jogging to keep up with her, even though my legs are a bit longer. What a tee-total blessing to be able to motor like that now. I should use this new super power to power walk…

The bangs almost met their doom yesterday. Poking me in the eye – grr! Today I’m wearing a headband. Can I wear a headband for the next six months? We’ll see.

I’m turning into one of those women – the ones who sit in the choir & fan themselves furiously. Whoo-ee! So far it’s just a slow burn that creeps up on me & then recedes. I’m assuming that eventually I’ll start having the sweaty dewy upper lip & such, but for now it’s a dry heat, which is always better, right?

So how are you guys doing today?

*    The title of this post only makes sense if you read my comment on Kim’s blog post. And even then you might have to look sideways & squint to get it.