Category: LiveJournal

Mary Kay Day

Before I get started, here’s a joke that’s on the girls’ fridge:

Q: How many Bush Administration officials does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A: None. There is nothing wrong with the lightbulb; its conditions are improving every day. Any reports of its lack of incandescence are a delusional spin from the liberal media. That lightbulb has served honorably, and anything you say undermines the lighting effect. Why do you hate freedom?

Hee hee!

Anyhoo, the weekend in progressing nicely. Last night, Becky & Michelle arrived for warm-ups & dessert. The pies were very good – I had pumpkin with real whipped cream (sorry elsaf) and apple pie with ice cream. Yummy! We then played a game of Scene It with me, Becky & Michelle beating the teams of Amy, mom & dad, and Rachel and her folks. Go us! Rachel’s folks headed back to their hotel while we ladies played Apples to Apples. Rachel won that game.

We slept in a bit today, but eventually everyone showered and dad made us all Egg McMikey sandwiches. Doug & Lynn arrived and we had turkey sandwiches and cheeseball for lunch. Mmmm, turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce on ’em are good!

Once the dishes were cleand up, we started setting up for a Mary Kay party. In addition to being an Episcopal priest, Lynn is a Mary Kay Consultant. Becky & Michelle again arrived and Amy gave us all hand pampering to start the session. Then Amy & dad headed downtown for coffee and other essentials. Doug braved the crowds at the Mall of America to see the World’s Largest Gingerbread House.

Folks who know me know that I am not a make-up wearer. I do very low maintenance work on my face & skin. But hey, this was going to be fun, so I partook of the session. (Michelle is another non-make-up person, but the night before we’d agreed to both go through with it.) The facial was quite nice and we discovered that foundation helps tone down my rosacea. We even put on blush (heh – me, putting on blush!), eye makeup, and lip stuff (lip liner, lipstick, and lip gloss – sheesh!) My least favorite makeup is still lip-stuff. I even let dad take a photo of me and I might post it tomorrow.

I decided to get a few things including the stuff from our hand pampering session and a foundation/moisturizer which I might use on days when my photo will be taken (to tone down my red cheeks). I think Lynn did some good business with our small group. Go us! She even gave us her sales pitch for the Mary Kay world, which, nice though it is, means you have to talk to people, so most of us declined completely. 🙂

We had a blast during the party and I’ll need to remove my makeup before bed. Heh. Something I haven’t had to do since I was in the school play.

Supper was leftovers from our Thanksgiving dinner. Everything was just as good as the day before – yummy stuff! We even polished off a few of the dishes – go us! Still some turkey and some mashed potatoes left, but most of the rest of the food is gone.

Lynn & Doug once again returned to their hotel with promise to meet at Key’s for breakfast in the morning. Becky & Michelle stayed for drinks & games. I had an amaretto sour (no suprise) but gin & tonics and Cosmopolitans were also present. We wound up playing Trivial Pursuit, Genus IV because Amy & Michelle like to play it, but Rachel & Becky do not. So mom & I entered the game to make 4 (which is more fun than two) while Becky knitted and Rachel cross-stitched. Dad read for a bit before retiring early.

Mom quickly lept to the lead, but was unable to sustain it as Amy & Michelle caught up. I lost with only 3 pieces when Michelle won the game. Go Michelle!

Tomorrow promises to be another fun day with the parental units & the girls. Go us!

Thanksgiving 2006

This holiday weekend has been only the second time that both families have been together (the other being Amy & Rachel’s wedding). Last night, Rachel made vegetarian lasagna which we had when Lynn & Doug arrived (having driven into town). The dinner was excellent and accompanied by salad, roasted squash, and rustic Italian bread (from their Co-Op). Good eats!

But the REAL banquet was saved for today. Amy got up early and started on the chestnut stuffing (chopping & browning the bread) and then the turkey (which had been soaking in brine in the fridge for nearly 12 hours). As the morning progressed, I made the sweet potato souffle (having made the cheeseball last night), Rachel worked on the rolls, Lynn made the green bean casserole (using green & wax beans from her garden), Doug made the mashed ‘tatoes (having made cranberries the day before), and Rachel made the apple pie. Mom and dad carved the turkey (which turned out beautifully). And then we feasted at 2pm.


The feast, lovingly prepared by all.

Once we got the kitchen cleaned up again, we all crashed, some napping, others watching Love, Actually on cable. I napped a little, and now I’m typing this up.

We still have pies. Amy & Rachel’s friends Becky & Michelle will be arriving around 7:30pm for games, leftovers, and DESSERT. Mom baked her pumpkin pies yesterday and as I mentioned just now, Rachel baked an apple pie.


Mom’s pumpkin pies.


Rachel’s apple pie (with snowflake cut-outs).

Oh, and just cuz I can, gratuitous cat photo:


Früvous helped out by staying out of the way.

We said thanks before we had our feast. Today in particular, I am thankful that we were able to gather for this. Thank you, Amy & Rachel for making all of this possible. 🙂

Sister Visit

Here we are at my sister’s apartment. Mom, dad, and I got up at 0’dark-thirty this morning to head for the airport. We had a 7am flight to Minneapolis/St. Paul. We arrived nearly 2 hours ahead of time and had no issues with security (though dad and I somehow managed to get in the express line while mom took the long way though – still, it gave me time to have breakfast – a Cinnabon Pecanbon). Though we had to wait for the plane to be de-iced, we arrived in MSP on time. We were at the far end of the airport, so it took us awhile to reach baggage claim. And lovely Rachel was there waiting. Yay Rachel!

Dad and I waited for the bags while Rachel walked mom down to Starbucks. And our bags arrived very quickly. Once we were all together again, Rachel drove us to Amy’s workplace and we enjoyed some coffee & cookies (turkey-shaped gingerbread) in honor of the upcoming holiday. The office space is very nice. As were the cookies, come to that. 🙂

As Rachel hadn’t had breakfast yet, we stopped at Bruegger’s Bagels for some bagels. I had rosemary & olive oil with cream cheese – very yummy! Rachel then took us to their apartment (home for now) and we greeted Früvous, who growled & swiped in response. (He’s such a cute, grumpy cat.) We vegged in the apartment some, then mom made the crusts for her pumpkin pies, then we vegged some more.

Around lunchtime, we headed back to Amy’s work and got to see her cubicle. Cute cubicle! And with the new park across the street, she even has a nice view. We walked a couple of blocks to a coffee shop in the Open Book complex. I had grilled panini (sour dough) with cheddar and their autumn minestrone soup. Very tasty! We were all happy to let dad foot the bill. 🙂

On our way back home, we stopped at their Co-op to pick up the turkey. It’s a 16lb free range turkey (though why Rachel had to pay for it if it was free, I’ll never know… 😉 Amy’s gonna be the Master Chef for tomorrow’s meal, so most of us will get to relax (and watch the parade, ha ha!)

We’re back in a vegetative state while we await Amy’s return from work. I decided to read my flist & update my journal in this time. The girls are reading and I believe dad is napping. Yup, this family knows how to par-tay! 😉

Men in Kilts

Well, I’ve been waiting for kilts as costume pieces almost since I first started playing City of Heroes. I like men in kilts. I wanted super heroes with kilts (as one does). So imagine my delight when City of Heroes finally made kilts a reality – woot! It’s not in the official game yet, just on the test servers, but that didn’t stop me from figuring out how some of my heroes will look. Hee!

My original Scottish hero is The Dominie (yes, named after the Sylvester McCoy character from the BBV spin-off audios). An alien who arrived in Scotland some 500 years ago, he’s as Scottish as they come. But as I love the color purple… Well, see for yourself:


The Dominie with kilt and full cape. I want to get him a shoulder cape instead, but they don’t seem to have that worked out properly yet. Soon!

Well, one Scottish hero isn’t enough, so I’m working on another Scottish hero who’s tentatively broadsword/super reflexes. Currently named Finn mac Cumaill after the Irish & Scottish folk hero, that may change.


Not sure yet about the face, but I like the braided ponytail. (Yes, I also like guys with ponytails…) Unfortunately, to get the braid, you need the cap.

And I’m of the opinion that you don’t have to be Scottish to wear a kilt (though it helps). So other male heroes will be given the kilt treatment when the kilts go live.


Mr. Alabaster, son of a Tsoo sorceror (Chinese?) and Carnival Illusion Mistress looks damn fine in a kilt.

And of course, Icy Hot Man, my main hero, will have to get the kilt treatment. Heh. (Orange skin with kilts certainly makes it interesting…)


Icy Hot Man in kilt – yay!

Now some of you are probably thinking “yes, men in kilts are cool, but we want REAL men in kilts!” Ah, well, you’re in luck! Coinciding with the release of kilts in CoH is the release of Men in Kilts, the calendar! Jennie Breeden of The Devil’s Panties cartoon fame has compiled photos of actual con-goers in their kilts when she blasted them with her leaf blower. She’s made a calendar from the photos and is selling them for $5 a piece. I’ve ordered mine, of course!

(I should probably make a “Men in Kilts” icon or somesuch. Heh heh.)

Autumn Harvest Concert

For the past couple of years, the First Universalist Church of New Madison has held an Autumn Harvest Concert with proceeds going to some worthy charity. Last year was Red Cross & the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund and the year before was Habitat for Humanity. This year they raised funds for Hospice. They had a wonderful mix of musicians, all of whom donated their time and talents for the cause.

We started off with a soprano who sang three songs, including a piece by Puccini (no, McGann fans, not Un Bel Di). She had a lovely voice – and what I found especially neat is that she’s a music therapist. She works for this Hospice organization in that capacity. I didn’t even know there was such a career, but I think it’s neat that there is.

The next treat was a Ragtime Quartet. We had a flute/piccolo, clarinets (alto & bass), oboe and trombone. Not what I normally associate with a ragtime quartet. They did several pieces by Scott Joplin, finishing up on his classic Maple Leaf Rag. The music was excellent and it drove home the point that I need some ragtime in my music collection. (Thank you Rhapsody for having a nice assortment of ragtime!)

From the sublime to the ridiculous, we finished with the Simple Gifts Duo (the top half of a quartet). They sang a couple of classics, but brought the house down with their “Sea Shanty.” Bemoaning the lack of playtime for sea shanties, they sang (with accompanying guitar) one sea shanty they assured us we would know. One that used to be played even up to the 1970s. As soon as the music started, the audience started laughing. Then they began to see The Ballad of Gilligan’s Island. Heh heh. They then sang a couple of other lovely pieces to finish the concert up.

It was a fun time and the president of the First Universalist Church advertised for the church. She said that any church that has a concert where Puccini, ragtime and Gilligan’s Island appear must be a very open church. Hee!

Jesus Seminar on the Road part deux

Well, the JSOR at Fort Wayne was really good. Bob Miller focused on the “Virgin Birth” story of Jesus while Tom Sheehan worked on the “Ressurection” of Jesus – basically the bookends in Jesus’ life. It was the folks’ first time to see Tom and mom and I fell in love with his voice. He’s a great speaker. Bob’s good too, but Tom has a Game Show Host Voice of the best kind. 🙂

One thing that I learned from their short talk last night and workshop today is that nothing really surprised me. Much of the scholarship that we have now really goes along with my instinct of the bookends of Jesus’ life. But there were some folks whose eyes were opened during the weekend. The pastor from the UU church we frequent also attended. He asked us at lunch today (and also asked Tom at the end of the talk today) “Why bother going to Church?” Now Richard, being a Unitarian Universalist minister, doesn’t rely on the Christ aspect of Jesus like some ministers probably do. But still, he was thrown by the scholarship that’s out there now.

Last night, we took Richard out for supper at Applebee’s. I bought drinks for all but mum (our designated driver). The amaretto sour was very good. The guys got red wines – dad a Cab, Richard Merlot. I had fish & chips – yummy yummy. The drive to the church was fun – we illustrated to Richard how our family drives like we do our calculus – using limits. Sure enough, we missed one road & had to go back to get to it. We arrived at the church just as it was supposed to start, but thanks to Tom having computer troubles, they hadn’t actually started yet. Yay!

Breakfast this morning was the Carbohydrate Buffet at the hotel. Love those free hotel buffets – but yeah, they specialize in carbs. No problem for me – I love carbs. 🙂 We weren’t late getting to the church today cuz I navigated. Hee! I bought a couple of books – one for me, one for judiang. Lunch, we headed off in Richard’s car and once again, found the place using limits. I don’t think Richard will ever drive or ride with us again. Heh. Still, we found Mad Anthony’s Brewery and had a wonderful lunch. And were late getting back again. But didn’t miss anything once again. Yay us!

The ride home was uneventful and mom stayed awake the whole time. We’ve no idea if Richard got back OK. When we left the church, he was in consultation with 3 folks and a map. We’ll find out tomorrow when we go to the Fall Concert at the UU whether he made it home OK. (He has to preach tomorrow. Pretty bad when the guy who has to preach is the one who asks “Why go to Church?” Heh. Still, it isn’t as bad as the one Fellow from Westar who e-mailed everyone on Easter Sunday saying “What do I preach about today????!!!!” Thankfully, he was on the West Coast, so the East Coast folks at least got to give him some advice.)

Jesus Seminar on the Road

The parental units and I are in Fort Wayne, IN for another Jesus Seminar on the Road. We left around 3pm and arrived about 15 minutes ago (aka 2.5 hour drive). When we arrived at the Holiday Inn Express, our room was still occupied. The other rooms were full, so the desk lady upgraded us to a suite. And, despite what the desk lady told us, there IS free wireless in the rooms. Yay!

A short report on Trick or Treat this year. We actually had “Beggar’s Night” on Halloween (always a treat IMO). However, my numbers were way down on the previous year. Only 41 kids showed up during the night. So sad! I think the rainy day put some folks off (though it didn’t rain during the Trick or Treat time). In a break from my usual tradition, I watched episode 3 of Torchwood and 2 DT episodes of Doctor Who (Tooth & Claw and The Girl in the Fireplace).

trinalin, party animal extraordinaire

Usually my most social time of the year is December, near the holidays. But things transpired that this weekend was also a big social weekend for me. Two nights in a row going to parties and tonight having Dinner & a Movie with my folks.

Friday night, our teacher’s association had a party to celebrate our first quarter. We were encouraged to bring games for play, so of course I brought Dutch Blitz. However, once folks got there, everyone just got into conversation groups and talked & ate the evening away. I was shocked when I finally looked at my watch to find it was nearly 11pm. It was quite nice, just chatting with folks I don’t get to see much during the school week. And yes, when teachers gather, they do talk about teaching. I noticed that we rarely discuss kids in particular, but we do talk about general trends that we notice. (For example, far too many parents these days are too busy being “best friends” with their kids rather than being parents. That makes working with some students difficult.) Thankfully, there are many other conversation topics that pop up too. So I didn’t get to teach anyone to play Dutch Blitz, but I still had a great time decompressing after the first quarter.

Saturday night was another teacher-filled night. Each year the Fisher’s have a Steak Grill party, and it happened to be the same weekend as our association party. The folks and I headed off to Gary & Marcia’s for good eats. Mom and I sat with Tammy, the art teacher, and my retired 2nd grade teacher, Jo. We had a lovely supper (great steaks – HUGE! Plus French Onion soup, salad, loads of wonderful bread, and baked potatoes). Mom brought a pumpkin cobbler, which was very popular (and tasty too). She’d had it before, but it was her first time making it. Dad was sitting with Gary and the Hoyings (my former government teacher who’s now at another school, and his wife) and having a lovely evening. It was nice seeing folks I don’t normally get to (like my former principal, Steve, the aforementioned Jo, and the Hoyings).

After two nights of being entertained at other people’s houses, I did my own entertaining here. When my folks and I shopped at Trader Joe’s two weeks ago, I bought some pesto, frozen artichoke hearts, and mozarella. I promised mom that I would make them pizza sometime and today was the day. I had purchased some Boboli crusts (one whole wheat, one regular) and Roma tomatoes last weekend. So I spread the pesto on the crusts, sliced the tomatoes thin and spread over the pesto, then sliced the artichoke hearts thinner and put them on top. Sliced mozzarella and shredded Asiago cheese went on top. When I opened the pesto, I knew we were in for a treat – it smelled just like fresh basil. Once again, Trader Joe’s wins the Internets!

When I have the folks over, I usually share one of my many DVD purchases with them. Tonight we watched Over the Hedge (which I hadn’t seen, but bought the day it came out). The folks brought salad around and I had several types of 100 calorie packs of snacks to choose from. The first pizza was done as soon as they arrived – yay me! We watched the movie and ate supper and were pleased with both. Best of all, I’ve got leftover pizza for two more meals. 🙂 Lucy let mom hold her when she came in, so she wins the Internets too! They were really interested in us when we first started eating, but then lost interest and fell asleep in various places.

So I survived a people-filled weekend. And I’ve got another one next weekend when the parental units and I head for a Jesus Seminar on the Road in Fort Wayne, IN. Hope it’s as fun as this weekend was!

Ducman to the Rescue!

I’ve lived in my house since Feb 1998. In all that time, I never actually had my ducts cleaned. I have central air (heating & air conditioning using same system), so I’ve got ducts. And they were filthy. Who you gonna call? Ducman!

I must admit, when I saw Ducman in my phone book (BBB registered) I couldn’t resist. The price he quoted me was reasonable (well, as far as I know – $325 was certainly what I’d be willing to pay someone to clean my ducts). So I hired ’em. They came today and did a thorough job, cleaning all my ducts and vents. The kitties were nervous, but towards the end, they no longer hid in the bedroom and just hung out with me in the den.

One of the fellows on the job said it looked like they’d never been cleaned. Heh – so it wasn’t just me who was lax on duct cleaning. Still, it’ll be nice to not smell dirty ducts whenever my heater comes on. 🙂

Music

From time to time, I see friends on my flist recommend songs and/or groups that are currently their most played. Normally, I just play whatever and don’t have any that are sticking or that are especially “true” to me at the time. But lately, I’ve been on a real kick for Kirsty MacColl and Neil Innes.

Neil Innes (whom you may know through his association with the Monty Python troupe – he’s Robin’s chief musician in Holy Grail, for instance) has been my favorite musician since forever. (Well, since I was a teenager at least.) Back when Amy and I used to go to record collectors conventions, she was buying up all the Heart that an 11/12 year old could afford and I was buying up all the Bonzo Dog Band and other Neil Innes related stuff that a 15/16 year old could afford. Needless to say, we both ended up with a lot of swag. 🙂

It was recent purchases of the Re-cycled Vinyl Blues and Sleeper (by GRIMMS) CDs which has re-awakened my love for all things Innes. My favorite solo album of Neil’s is How Sweet to be an Idiot, which is contained in the Re-cycled Vinyl Blues CD (in addition to some other tunes). And Sleeper, as I mentioned in an earlier post, had been my own holy grail since I was a teen. I was so pleased to discover it was a wonderful album. Some key GRIMMS songs for replay include “Backbreaker” and “Where Am I Now?”

Kirsty MacColl was introduced to me by a friend in England. He’d sent me the song “Here Comes that Man Again” which is about Internet chatting of the adult nature. Quite funny song. So I ordered her CDs and enjoy her music a lot. Kirsty’s songs are usually about a woman being wronged by some bastard – and always with a bit of humor and probably a Latin beat. My current favorite song of hers is “England 2 Columbia Nil.” I usually play it twice in a row when I hear it. Heh.

Another tune which I’ve been fixated on lately include “Just Desserts” by Chumbawamba. It’s about a group of protesters who use cream pies in their protests (slapstick anarchists, as the song says). Actually, there’s still a number of songs from Chumabawamba that I fixate on. Tis why I enjoy them so much. 🙂