Earthworms are Easy

The theme of the story part of the parade was "Where do we go from here?". This was part of the "Into the Earth" segment. I enjoyed it.

This woman was really nice and actually posed for me. I had other pictures of the butterfly people but they were terrible. I couldn't catch the wings at the right time. Thank You anonymous Butterfly woman.

 

 

Look Big Heads 

I thought this dog was pretty hilarious. 

May Day

We went to the May Day parade yesterday in Minneapolis. A yearly spring event that I always enjoy - despite the weather. Quite a few times it has been cold, but yesterday was especially bad. It actually snowed. It was interesting though because it would switch back and forth between somewhat warm and sunny and then cold, dark, and snowy.

Marla

Today I made my car payment over the phone and the woman I spoke to had the name of Marla Singer. I'm hoping she's undercover and will somehow make all my debts disappear - or maybe just what I owe on the car.

85th rule of fight club - you must verify the name, address, and routing number.

just a suggestion

Wondering what's in store for the Catholic Church?
Well if this anagram is any indication it sounds like a party.
Pope Benedict XVI - Expect Bovine Dip

perhaps sour cream?

I think we should note that he is against factory farming and genetic manipulation - so this will be hormone free non-GMO bovine dip...

OK - I need to just stop with the anagrams now

Who knew I was such a dork?Oh, yeah - everyone.

anagram

Cool - i found a site that makes up anagrams. It's random of course so you have to search for good ones.

My favorites so far are Emily Haskell = Keylime Halls, Cherish Haskell = Search Hell Sikh (nothing against sikhs), and Denise Purvis= Dive Up, Sirens.

http://www.wordsmith.org/anagram/

Most amazing life changing thing ever....

... but i can't afford it.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=104910&RN=53

I am seriously impressed by this garbage can. OK - $200 bucks for a garbage can is a lot. But our CATS drive us insane and get sick from knocking over the garbage can and eating from it. They do this if we are asleep, leave the house, or even leave the room. We have a flip top lid one now - bu the problem there is that they get their paws under the lid and then wrap same paws around the top and WHAM it's a kitty smorgasbord. Also (and of more concern to me) the plastic bag sticks out a little bit from the top and they tear at it with their teeth. Cats eating palstic in NOT a good thing. It can actually get wrapped around their intestines and they can die. Also a problem if your cat is on who tries to eat his glitter balls (like Spaz).

I can't believe I did this - again

I locked myself out of my house. I had a job interview today for a hotel desk clerk position (ok not a great job but i need to get out of my house). It went really well - in fact I was really early and then it didn't last very long (in a good way though).

Anyway - I was headed home and I rounded the bike path to my house and realized I had no keys. I locked myself out of my house for the third time this year (that I remember anyway). So CJ is in the city until about 9 (maybe later tonight). So I've been wandering around town by myself. It hasn't been too horrible actually.

Minnetonka Orchards

I think CJ and I found the perfect wedding site yesterday. We could get it for later this summer but twe are considering moving it up until next spring. I'm actually excited. I wasn't before the whole thing was causing me stress and I was finding no joy in it.

Actually the whole area around the orchard was nice as well. It reminded CJ and I of New England quite a bit. I sent Blake a link to website and he commented on how it looked like New England as well.

Here's an arial view.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=6530+County+Road+26,+Mound,+MN+55364&ll=44.976085,-93.690709&spn=0.004882,0.007607&t=k&hl=en

Childhood

I found a song yesterday that was called 28 Bittersweet Lane. Very close to my childhood home address - 29 Bittersweet Lane. Pretty sure it wasn't the same Lane though - there were mentions of a lemon grove? No lemon groves on Cape Cod - cranberry bogs, yes - lemon groves- no.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=wareham+massachusetts&ll=41.793237,-70.635223&spn=0.004216,0.007253&t=k&hl=en

Ah - the old neighborhood.

Dee - Lish - Us

So yummy.

I've been cooking a lot lately. I forgot how much I really like to cook.
I've been thinking I should actually write down recipes or something.

Today I made some Leek and Potato Soup. Mmmmm... I used yukon gold potatoes and chicken stock rather than vegetable.

Also - I have a pot roast in my slow cooker. Not sure how that will turn out. iwas being sort of nostalgic. I didn't have any carrots though. That made me sad. I couldn't find a recipe that I liked so I sort of winged it. I considered using the roast too make a shredded beef for sandwiches - but that's a lot of beef. THis is a little more versatile. It can be used for sandwiches and maybe even a stew made with the leftovers.

Yesterday for dinner Cj and I had turkey sandwiches made with roast Turkey, Muenster cheese, avocado, romaine lettuce and a yummy basil and garlic pesto sauce - all on toasted whole wheat. Mmmmmm.... put it in the oven until it's all melty and warm.

Sadly there is a somewhat lackluster chicken soup in the fridge as well. It's good - but not amazing. I was thinking about adding some andouille to it. I did add some hot sauce and that helped.

I was feeling pretty crappy this morning - but I found something to cheer me up.
http://www.paperdollheaven.com/conanobrien.php
It's absolutely the funniest thing ever. OK - maybe not because there's also
http://www.paperdollheaven.com/conanfeaturingusher.php and http://www.paperdollheaven.com/usherfeaturingconan.php .

Yep - I feel pretty cheered up now.

Scrappy Memorial

Today Scrappy the Corydora passed away.

He will be missed by all who knew and loved him

This is my favorite picture of Sketchy bc she looks sort of bitchy and well - she is. 

CJ complained that I didn't have enough cat pics on here. So Oscar gets to be next in line. He's an absurdly cute cat who is afraid of anything and everything... but most especially the vaccuum and (gasp) going outside. 

Here is Tricksy - this is one of the few pictures I have of her where she doesn't look stoned. Usually, she half closes her eyes and it makes her a not very photogenic cat. 

I am so tired of my back hurting all the time. Yesterday it was fine and then today it hurts if i stand. It's just so hard to get anything done.

I was talking to Denise the other day and she actually brought up those stupid metal things from inside the magnetic barcode thingies and how they cut up your hand and you don't realize it until later. I think you have to understand that this is a friend who would also join me in slamming our hands together so hard that bruises would form and the pain would last for days. Oh the memories!

Also - yesterday Tricksy and I learned a new trick... I guess it just A trick considering she doesn't know any others. She is a very whiny and clingy cat when I'm annoyed with her. When she's been good I prefer to call her "talkative" and "affectionate". Yesterday I would say she was better than most days - she didn't break anything. She has this habit of standing on things next to you (chair, couch, table, desk, etc) and reaching her paws upward and stretching as far as she can in an effort to get you to notice her, pick her up, and pet her until she gets sleepy or distracted. So yesterday she did this and I took a step back. She held her paw out into the air like she was trying to reach me - but there was no way she could. So I faced her and said "Jump, Tricksy" and she did. ha ha ha. It was the cutest thing she's ever done. I got her to do it two other times throughout the day. I'll have to make sure to do this often so she gets used to it.

For those who worry this could cause another injury - no need to be concerned. She's a pretty slim kitty and she has no front claws. So it's pretty much 100% cute.

Today I noticed a new injury. Those who know me well also know that I somehow get injured a lot - usually it's pretty much my own fault. This is sadly not an exception.

Yesterday, Cj took one of those magnetic strips off the back of a cd. I tore it apart to get to the metal strip. I started relating a story to CJ about one night in HS when I was at the mall and accidentally cut my fingertips with one of those.

"I don't think they really make them thin enough to do that anymore - let me check" - at which point I half heartedly ran it on his arm.

"Stop!" - CJ

"ok, fine, but I already told you that it won't do that anymore. See." and I demostrated on the back of my hand. It seemed that nothing had happened, but this afternoon I noticed a cluster of little thin cuts on that hand.

Sometimes I'm an idiot. Fool me once - shame on me. Fool me twice... um.. well yeah.

The Spizzlemeister - also known as Spaz, Stinky McButton Eater, Boots, and whatever else happens to pop into Cherish's head

Cherish thought that I should put pictures of all the cats on my blog. I generally humor here when it takes so little effort and doesn't hurt anyone. Plus - he looks so cute here.

the infamous shoe 

woo hoo

My back is back!

That's the quickest recovery yet. I reinjured my back this past Sunday and today it's back to where it was before. I could walk pretty normally on Wednesday but it still hurt. Today it didn't even hurt when I got out of bed. It's definitely a nice way to start my day.

Thoughts

Ok - so this is a quote from about a year ago - but it's still relevant.

"I want an America where mothers can take their children to a
family doctor, instead of going to the emergency room every time because there's
no health insurance.

I want an America where hard-working Americans don't live in
fear of losing their jobs because that means losing their health care too.

Where corporations care as much about the communities that make
their products and buy their goods as they do about their profit sheets.

Where CEO's don't make 531 times what workers earn, even as they
ship their headquarters to Bermuda and their jobs to China.

I want an America where men and women have an opportunity to go
to college, get good jobs, and maybe even start their own businesses -
regardless of their background. Where the kitchen table is a place to share
dreams - not to worry and struggle over paying the credit card bills, the
mortgage, the tuition payments.

I want an America where 'no child left behind' is something we
pay for and guarantee, not an empty promise sold by Washington politicians to
the rest of us.

I want a fair America that doesn't let soldiers risk their lives
for us only to be told they can't get overtime pay for jobs that use the skills
they learned in the military.

I want an America where we are more than cogs in a machine,
where there is nourishment for our human souls. Where there is true community,
and we recognize and affirm that we are all in this together.That's the type of
America I want us to take back."

Governor Howard Dean, M.D, February 17, 2004