A Week in Review

 I don’t know if it’s just that I’ve been too busy or too tried to blog.   Sometimes.. you hit a lull in blogging desire and you just can’t do it.   I think it’s best during those times.. to just review of what you’ve missed.

**********

This past weekend we had house guests.    Lux and Tink came into town to attend the UT-Florida game.  We had a lovely time visiting with them and look forward to their upcoming wedding in 5 short weeks.  

It’s nice to have house guest.. but am I the only one who feels like you have to be on your best behavior when guests are around?   I don’t know why but its like having an out-of-body experience in your own home.  “Why is this house so clean??  Why is there food in the refrigerator??  Where the hell did all this fancy-schmancy interior decor come from?  Am I even in the right house ??”  Odd….

**********

So the UT-Florida game was everything I expected.   Our offense didn’t show up with any game at all.  I mean… I’ve see peewee football teams have better offensive communications than the Vols on Saturday.  Hell.. I’ve played in football games with a better offensive strategy.   Thankfully, our defense had enough sense to 1/2 ass keep us from getting romped on to the tune of 100000000 to 7.  I’m sick of hearing everyone talk about how this year could be like last year, where we were 1-2 after the Florida game, and still ended up going to the SEC championship game.  Guess what guys.. the only reason last year was even a slight success was because every team in the entire SEC decided that if they couldn’t be #1, no one could, so we (the SEC) all pissed in each others cheerios (OMG.. no offense General Mills).. and UT just happened to draw the long straw.  

That’s not going to happen this year.  This year there are a few teams that are just really good.  My biggest question is that there are currently 6 SEC teams in the top 25. These teams, for the past 3 or 4 years, have consistently been in the top 25.   What are they doing that UT isn’t?  Is it recruiting (UT has the largest college football recruiting budget of all Division 1A schools) ?? Is it coaching?? Is there some sort of technology they’ve invested in that we haven’t??  What are they doing right that we just can’t seem to do????   

I haven’t heard the alumni/fans/students this pissed off since the 2005 season.   Me?? I’m just disappointed.   I expect more from a supposed ‘world class’ college football program.  I expect that even if you know you’ll likely not win.. you at least show up to play some good football.   You’ve disappointed me UT… especially you Phil… especially you.     A.C ’s text after Saturday’s game sums it up well:  ”Wow.. we are not awesome”.     

**********

 On Sunday, I was introduced to something fabulous.  DISC (or frisbee) GOLF.    The arrangement was for the Engineer, myself, Lux and Tink to meet Hip-A and boyfriend for breakfast.  Then Lux, Tink, Hip-A and boyfriend were going to play a bit of disc golf.   I was intrigued.. as I had heard of disk golf before but never played.  The Engineer decided that he would rather trudge around in the hot sun than grade papers ( Oh.. yeah.. so I forgot to tell you that he’s teaching a graduate level engineering course this year at UT)  (Oh.. I also forgot to tell you that some time in the last 2 months he hurt his lower back/leg??  something something … pinched nerve… something something.. hurts to walk..something something.. three weeks of physical therapy so far….  so that kinda explains the  trudging comment) and therefore decided he wanted to go play too. 

Well I didn’t want to be left out, but we don’t own any disc golf equipment. Hip-A and boyfriend were happy to let us use some of theirs.    There happens to be a very large 18 hole disc golf course right by our house, so after breakfast/brunch we all headed over there to play.  I was a little self-conscious at first but MAN OH MAN.. I love it.   I don’t know why I’ve never played before.    We had  way too much fun and by the end of the day, the Engineer and I were the proud owners of 7 disc golf disc (which were smartly procured at Play It Again Sports.. because.. there was no way I was buying new discs just so we could play three times a year).   Anyway.. the Engineer and I played 10 holes on Monday after work.  After watching several other groups, It was painfully obvious that we have no idea what we’re doing.  But we’re outside, ‘moving’, having fun, together… so I’m not going to dwell to much on the fact that we have little/no technique right now.   I am, however, going to obsess about learning everything I can about disc golf, right down to disc golf fashion…….. because that’s how I roll…

**********

This weekend should prove to be more laid back just as busy.  I’d like to play another round or two of disc golf.. maybe with Hip-A and boyfriend.  I have some Amazon.com money burning a hole in my pocket, so I think I’ll be ordering a disc golf bag (OMG.. see.. already obsessed.. but we have 7 discs.. and 3-4 on the way (thanks to eBay) and we really need a place to put them all).   I’d also like to take the husband to the Pellissippi State Hot Air Balloon Festival, because he really likes hot air balloons (go figure).  Hopefully the weather will hold up.   I hear that my DIL had a birthday last week (my husband doesn’t keep me informed of these things until they have already passed), so we may also make a quick trip to Nashville… still unsure about that one.  

Oh.. and then there’s the UT-Auburn game … My Oh My.

 **EDITED NOTE:  Is there a reason I can’t end a question with one question mark?? Seriously.. bad habit.. must break it… **  

Wordless Wednesdays – “Fragile” … sounds Italian

Ummm...yeah.. so that means 'don't throw me around'. I'm lookin at you...UPS!!

The Tuesday Verision – Friday 5’s – No Way? Way!

Enjoy 

 

Who lets you have your way more than you should?  Let me see.. my mother (oh.. so very much), my husband (on a weekly basis),  and sometimes my father.. but I think he’s on to me.. I’ve noticed that I’ve gotten away with alot less here lately.   Every now and then… I get my way with my sisters.. but I think they’re on to me too… (Rats… I gotta change my MO)

 

According to the cliche, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but what’s the way to yours?   A pair of Italian leather pumps and a Hermes handbag.  Or a box of Nerds…you know.. whatever’s handy.    

 

What’s something that should have been put away but hasn’t been?  Two laundry baskets full of clean clothes that were washed two weeks ago.   Um… it’s on the to-do list people, it’s just that I’ve been too busy with the cookies and all…….

 

When did you last weigh yourself?  Yesterday morning. I try to weight myself in the mornings at least 3-4 times a week.  

 

What do the cops in the donut shop say?  “Hey Jim… get me a 1/2 dozen with sprinkles this time… I’ve gotta get to a domestic disturbance call on the other side of town…”.   Ohh… I’m just kidding.    All the cops in the donut shops say “Way Ohhh Way ohhhhh… Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay oh way ooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…. Walk like an Egyptian”.

 

 

 

 

 

C is for…. OMG.. 5 lbs. in 2 days?? WTF?

So lately, I’ve been on this cookie baking binge.. allow me explain.

My husband buys cookies at the grocery store.. in the deli/bakery section.  And it burns me up because for like $2.99 he gets 10 cookies.  TEN!!!  Which in and of itself is stupid.  Who sells ten cookies??  Everyone knows that if you are going to sell bakery type cookies.. you package them in some sort of derivative of a dozen… not TEN!   Anyway.. my husband buys two packs for 20 cookies (seriously… not 24… not 18… 20!!!) and then proceeds to chow thru them for the rest of the week.   This eats me up because I make good cookies and I enjoy baking said cookies.   Once.. a friend of mine was stuck in Iraq for Christmas and I baked him something like 15 dozen cookies.  I mean.. really.. I love baking cookies.     This love for cookie baking has gotten stronger since my then fiance, now husband, bought me a professional Kitchen Aid mixer as my graduation gift in 2006. 

 

Umm.... soo yummy

 

**Side Note ** There’s nothing like giving an MBA a kitchen mixer as a gift…huh??  No.. not a Coach leather briefcase or a nice Cross pen set… a stand mixer.  What kinda message does that send??   It says “I’m glad you felt the need to further your education but…Bitch.. you’ll stay at home and bake me a pie and a loaf of bread and some mashed potatoes.  You will not go out and conquer spreadsheets and establish a career and bring home more money than me.  Your place is in kitchen.  Oh.. and bring me a beer while you’re making me little weenies for the ballgame”.  

Or maybe it says this: ”Are you seriously asking me to buy you another kitchen appliance as a gift? You know I hate giving you kitchen appliances as gifts because it sends the wrong impression.   Seriously… STOP ASKING.   What are you doing!?!? Take that out of the cart this minute….Really??  You really think that pouting will get you a mixer… Grrr… Oh alright.. but this is the last time.   No more kitchen appliances for gifts….damn woman.  And don’t tell anyone about this…. “   (I am sooo spoiled)

I forget which was the actual conversation and which I just made up in my head.   Meh.. no biggie.

So to encourage myself to be less ‘lazy’ and far less “bored” and to keep my husband from buying 10 counts of cookies that just piss me off, I’ve been baking.   And when I say baking I mean “at-least-two-batches-of-cookies-or-somewhere-around-6-dozen-cookies-a-week” baking for the past 3 or 4 weeks.  YOWZERS.    *note to self… look for diet/light cookie recipes*    On the plus side, this baking spree has encouraged me to want to cook more during the week and it’s kick started me on a mission to clean up the spice cabinet (which thus far has involved me researching best methods to store spices and discovering where I can pick up some of those uber cool modern spice tins for c.h.e.a.p)

 So the past two weekends have been full of me stopping at the grocery store for random cookie ingredients (like reconstituted lemon juice, Mexican vanilla, and 60% cacao chocolate chips), then baking myself silly while the hubs transforms into the cookie monster taster.  

We did manage to get out to Dollywood’s Splash Country on Sunday.  It was good clean fun and nice to be out in the sun with our friends D & E for a while.  My only issue was that it was seriously windy from the leftover pieces of Ike and you either wanted to be totally dry or completely submersed in water, but not 1/2 in, 1/2 out.  Brrrrrrrrrrr   I was rewarded for venturing out in a swimsuit was a lovely lunch at my one of my favorite restaurants, The Old Mill.   They have this corn chowder that is simply to die for and their corn fritters taste just like little round balls of funnel cake!  YUMMM

This weekend should provide for interesting times.  Lux and Tink are paying us a visit.  Actually, let me rephrase that.  We have an empty guest room and this weekend is the Tennessee-Florida game (it was rumored that it was also the location of ESPN’s College Football GameDay, but according to the website… it is not.  Maybe that has something to do with a horrible loss to UCLA??  Anyone?? Maybe??) Since hotels have been sold out for a majillion months and are like $2000 a piece.. well.. you see where I’m going when I say that the Engineer’s brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law are coming to squat in our guest bedroom visit.   All kidding aside.. we love having them visit us and look forward to a fun filled weekend, even though the Engineer and I will not be attending the game. 

“I thought you were die hard fans! Why will you not be attending the game??”, you ask.   Well… because (A) this particular game isn’t a very fun game to attend.. with all the player/coach/fan animosity.. the air is always thick with spite, pride, snarkiness, and a dash of “look at me the wrong way you Gator fan and I will kick you in the throat.. oh and.. by the way… go (Bleep) yourself.”   Really.. we (UT) have great fans and for the most part (aside the drunks, those who have money on the games, and maybe 70% of the fraternity guys) we’re very pleasant fans/people.  This game however, brings out the worst in even the nicest fans.    And well.. the Florida fans (and I can only speak for the ones I’ve personally come in contact with) are not so much nice….EVER.   

And (B)  we’re kinda… gonna (umm.. how do I say this as quickly and pain free as possible) getourbuttshandedtousonabigolFLORIDAplatter.   Yeah… it’s a growing year.   =/

So for the rest of the week, the Engineer and I will be cleaning house like two people hyped out on ridiculous doses of meth in order to make it appear that we live in a museum with a $5 million dust and air filtration system, even though we have two cats, all whilst maintaining a carefree “meh.. welcome to our humble abode.. we didn’t do anything special when we heard you were coming’ attitudes.    

Man… I need a cookie.

OCD or in need of a 12 step program? You decide

So.. I have a small problem.   Really.. I never meant for it to get so out of control, but you see… it started in right after college.  (cue fuzzy mood lighting to initiate trip back in time)

I lived on campus all four years of college (what can I say.. once I got my own room, I loved the place), and the particular floor I lived on (my Sorority floor) didn’t have a kitchen (we had a study vault instead.. full of old test and cheat sheets  study guides for a gajillion classes.  Seriously.. there wasn’t a class that the university offered that we didn’t have tests/quizzes/information for.  There was hardly a teacher that we didn’t have a review on…but I digress).  Anyway.. so no kitchen meant very little cooking.  

Once I moved into my own apartment, I began to collect the necessary kitchen & cooking supplies, equipment, appliances, and of course, accouterments.   Being the science-y techish kinda girl I am, I had a natrual gravitational pull toward kitchen gadgets.   Who needed 10 different pots and pans and baking sheets in 12 sizes?   Umm… restaurants and professional bakers, that’s who.. and I was neither of those.   Oh noo… a professional cook I was not, but I did see a need for 3 different types of vegetable peelers, 18 spatulas with various handles, and 4 different types of wooden spoons.  At one time I owned 10 (yes… TEN!!) different sets of measuring cups AND spoons.   WTF??   Before I realized it… I had amassed a very substantial collection of kitchen gadgets and was running (at press time: had run) out of kitchen space.  

(Back to the present) …

There are two contributing issues with this gadget problem I have:

(A) I hate to throw away good kitchenware.  Even if I haven’t ever used it and have no idea when I’ll use it in the future (or..shamefully.. have forgot what it’s used for).  I feel like one day I’m going to be in a marathon cookie baking challenge and I’ll run out of cups and spoons.  Oh.. the horror!!!!  

Announcer #1:  “She was so close to victory Dan.. but then she ran out of measuring cups.. “

Announcer #2:  “A rookie mistake… that’s gonna cost her…”

Audience:  winching and ohhing on command

(B) I go through spurts of buying different types of kitchen items and when in said spurt, I get a little compulsive (who me??  ahahahhahahaha.. umm..  yeah).  For instance, I noticed one crisp fall afternoon that I didn’t own a pie plate.  No big deal… hop in the car, run to the EvilMart and buy a $9.99 Pyrex pie plate right??   Wrong….

1. Go online and Google “Best product for <insert use here>”
2. Spend hours analyzing who makes the best product, how many different colors/shapes/sizes the product can be purchased in, and what product has the highest ratings on Amazon.com
3. Spend subsequent hours analyzing how you can get  product cheap without ordering online because you prefer the ‘instant’ gratification of buying in a store to waiting for something to be mailed
4. Run to 100 different stores to price product
5. Huff and Puff when stores don’t carry same selection in store what they carry online.  Have small tantrum in cosmetic department
6. Decided that you will not only order said product online but will also pick up a ‘cheaper’ option in the store so you can use ‘cheap’ product until better product arrives
7. Buy three cheap product in store
8. Use product.  Determine now that you must have better product from gourmet/super chic online store
9. Order one online
10. Three months later, see ‘new and improved’, ‘better browning/crisping/rotating/flavoring/freezing/melting/nonstick” version.   Order One
11. Use product approximately 3 more times before you decide you’re no longer interested in product function.   Put in back of cupboard. 

This could explain how on said fall day, I ended up with not one but TWO Pyrex pie plates and this past weekend I bought a ceramic pie plate.   I will state for the record.. I have never, in 28 years, baked a pie. 

So by now dear readers, you’re wondering “where hell did all this come from” and with justification I might add.  

Well.. yesterday, as I was ’cooking’ dinner for my husband, which consisted of steamed corn and a bagged freezer meal (you know the ones with the sauce chips and frozen pasta and beef… ohh.. stop glaring at me.   At least I feed him….), I reached for a bamboo spoon and noticed that just maybe… my Pampered Chef utility rounder (that has become so heavy it wouldn’t spin anymore) was … well… umm.. a little… full??

The Front side

In this picture alone I see:  4 whisks, 4 wooden spoons, 6 rubber spatulas, 3 pairs of kitchen shears, an ice cream scoop, 2 plastic ‘flippers’, a can opener, and a plastic spoon.   

The Backside

Lets see.. what’s not in the previous picture?  Oh.. another can opener, a cheese knife, a little metal spatula, a pair of bamboo tongs (these ROCK), another ice cream scoop, a slotted plastic spoon, and a metal salad dressing whisk. 

**Side note:  In my defense, I was blessed with a Pampered Chef Bridal Shower in April.  It was given by a family friend and my maid of honor, the invitees were friends from home and my hometown church family, and it was simply delightful.    We pretty much got everything off our ‘wish list’ and restocked 80% of our kitchen gadgets from that shower alone!!   Again.. we were VERY.BLESSED!!  I very much love all of my Pampered Chef products.

Shameless plug break:   Pampered Chef… CALL ME… I’m available for R&D!! Seriously.. and have I mentioned that I have my MBA!??!!  No?? well I do, which makes me super awesome and completely capable to do…well…stuff.   I give great reviews!!!!  See here.

Funny story:  Being the gadget girl I am, well.. I registered for gadgets.   When it comes time to set up for the shower, my mother asks for some serving pieces to display the various shower foods on.  The Pampered Chef woman looks at my mother and says,” Well, I’d love to give you something to display the food on, but quiet frankly, you daughter didn’t register for any serving pieces so I didn’t bring very much”.  And then they both look at me like  had just told them I had signed a 3 year contract to design coats for Cruella Deville!!!  OMG… I got in trouble at my own shower for not registering for freakin Pampered  Chef serving pieces (really?? come on??  When you think PC, you think kitchen gadgets.. not plates and platters!!) Anyhoo …

I’d love to say that what is in the rounder is the bulk of it but.. well…

Yeah… a whole drawer full of more stuff.  Look closely.. in the back of the drawer is a plastic box full of little items that I don’t want rolling around and getting lost  (ie nut crackers, my cookie scoops, an egg separator, more rubber spatulas, a pastry cutter, a zester, a wine bottle opener, a garlic press, etc.).  Then there’s the front of the drawer, with another whisk, pasta strainer, a pizza cutter, 2 more ‘flippers’, a potato masher, citrus squeezer, cake tester, more wooden spoons, a whole bunch of crap I can’t make out, and that yellow thing.. yeah.. hold on to your chair.. that’s a banana slicer.  I begged and begged and begged for one last Christmas and found it in my stocking from the Engineer.   The best part is that it doesn’t just slice bananas, but it slices perfect 1 tbsp hunks of butter too! ‘Cause you never wanna find yourself without a tool that can slice a stick of butter!  No Sirree….

Finally, I show you my ‘measuring’ drawer (though only for plastic and metal measuring devices… the glass stuff [Pyrex] is kept in another location).   I count 3 sets of measuring cups, one set of measuring bowls (and OMG.. I got these at like TJMax or Homegoods… they come out with new colors every season.. it’s hard to only own 1 set), a PC rubber funnel set, a PC set of slanted measuring cups (the kind you look INTO the cup to measure), a mortar and pestle (what the hell is that doing in there!?!?!?), 4 – 1/4 cup measuring liquid glasses, and the lid to my smoothie blender (that’s where that went…).  Lets not forget about the basket that has at least 4 sets of measuring spoons, 2 citrus peelers, the pumpkin carving set, and our corn cob holders.  

And I forgot to take a picture of the drawer that keeps the silicon baking mats, rolling pin, cookie press and other devices in it.

OH… MY…

So this brings us to my problem.  It’s alot of stuff.. and I know I probably don’t need 3/4ths of it and that I should probably just simplify my life a little… you know… clean out the clutter, but I just can’t bear to part with it all.  I pacify myself by saying that it all has a home and fits neatly behind closed doors, and it’s out of the way.   But then.. I have a fit when I want a new gadget and don’t have room for it because..well.. THE DRAWERS ARE FUCKING FULL!   Stop the Lazy Susan (which in my house is where I house the plastic storage containers)….. I wanna get off!!!

If I didn’t know any better I’d say I have a kitchen-gadget hording problem.  OH GOOD LORD.. someone call Oprah!

 

 

Well…I might have been asking for it…maybe

So.. my cat.   I love my cat.  We got him from the humane society about two years ago when he was just a wee little tike.   I had never had an orange cat before and neither had the Engineer, so I figured.. why not?   Our The Engineer’s calico needed a playmate and I wanted an orange cat.  Seemed easy right??  So I waited and waited and waited until the shelter got a load of orange kitties and ran down to take my claim.  He was charming and adorable, and full of personality and he was to be mine…all mine.  

Well… I’ve learned alot in the last 2 years.    Namely that my orange cat is every bit as spoiled as his owner and a gazillion times as snarky/mean.   

Example:  Recently I’ve fallen back into the “OMG MY FEET ARE SOO FREAKIN COLD… WHY CAN’T WE AFFORD HEAT???” syndrome, only to have my husband remind me that it’s 9000 90 degrees outside and ”Over my dead body will we even THINK about turning on the heat… No not even for 5 minutes….. go put some damn socks on and quit whining”.  Humph…

Well… I’m not fond of socks and neither is my cat.  Apparently he believes he is a much better foot warmer than any 50% cotton/ 50% poly woven-in-Indonesia foot covering could ever be, and finds it insulting that I should even think about putting these offensive abominations on my feet.     He then makes it’s his mission to rid me of the horrors that are socks.   

Exhibit A

 

So.. yesterday.. while getting ready for bed… Buster is laying, belly up, on the hard wood floors in the living room, as if to say “Hey mom… look at my A.DOOR.A.BULL belly spots.  Don’t you wanna pet me.. and please, don’t exert any energy bending down.. your foot will do just fine”.   I.. feeling cheeky (and really knowing better), decide to torture antagonize taunt rub his belly with my socked foot (in my defense.. he looked soooo cute).  In my pursuit for cuteness (and to amuse my husband) I made up an on-the-spot clever ditty to go along with the torture petting.

[To the tune of a certain song by Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine]

(I may have been roughly petting the cat with a foot covered in a sock, which I know he hates… during prime “Time to pounce on anything that moves” hour… I do not recall the exact circumstances of the situation)

Me: The Puma Socks gonna get you, Puma Socks gonna get you, Puma Socks gonna get you … Ohhhh

Me:  Puma Socks gonna get you… To-ni………..OWWWWWW.  You Fucking BIT ME!   

Husband: <smirking>  Whoooooo’s going to get you??

Damn cat.   One day I’ll follow through on my threat to sell him to the circus, but not today.  Today.. he’s really too cute.

Friday 5’s – Orange

orange… Orange…. ORANGE!!!!!

Be still my beating heart! 

As a two time University of Tennessee graduate (BS and MBA) and a GINORMOUS Tennessee Vols fan (yeah… I sing “Rocky Top” and I own orange and white shakers, and a gajillion TN Vols Shirts and I have orange ‘game day’ panties, and I know what to do when you hear “Smokey’s on the Prowl” announced over the PA system in the best college football stadium in world!!!)  (and please don’t ask what stadium that is… it should be obvious).. where was I?  OH.. yeah… I was elated to see that today’s Friday 5’s have to do with all things Orange.   w00t! 

Oh and dear readers…. I must share that only those of us who went to colleges where orange was an official color know how hard it is to have a college color that rhymes with nothing.   Drunken cheers are soo much harder to make up and execute. *

Drunken College Student #1: “We’re the Tennessee Vols… The White and the Orange… We’ll Roll the Competition… and We’ll….”  Shit.. what rhymes with orange?

Drunken College Student #2:  ummm…. welll….

Drunken College Student #3:  ahhh.. fuck it.   

Drunken College Students 1, 2, & 3:   <at visiting team> <chanting> “You Suck!”

*  I am currently not at liberty to discuss the actuality of this example. 

 Enjoy the Friday 5’s!

 

What’s your favorite orange-colored food?   OMG.. Tang!  Or orange sherbet… or orange marmalade.  Or that cheddar colored popcorn… it’s orange right (or is it more like a yellowy color) ??  I like alot of orange colored foods (hey… I’m eating carrots right now!!)  

What’s the best way to drink orange juice?   In a glass.  A clean glass is preferable.. but you know.. sometimes you forget to load or start the dishwasher…   Oh.. and neat.  No ice for me please

Which candy’s orange-colored pieces taste best?   The orange Skittle is my favorite orange flavored orange candy, but the Recess Pieces are orange and they are quite tasty too…

What are your feelings about orange soda?  I heart Orange Sodas.  I drank a ridiculous amount of Fanta while honeymooning in Belize (mostly orange Fanta).   However, while state-side, I like my orange soda to be diet or “calorie free”.  

When did you last wear an orange item of clothing?  Really!?!?   Is this question even necessary.   Monday night was the opening game for the Tennessee Vols.  Therefore Monday night would also be the last time I wore orange.   However, it’s kinda  an expected/adpoted/required practice in Knoxville (actually most of East Tennessee) that during college sport seasons (football, basketball, baseball, hockey, lacrosse, swimming, badminton, table tennis, frisbee golf, archery…. umm.. you get my point), you wear orange to work on Fridays.  Today, I’m wearing green, but it’s an off week for us… so it doesn’t count.

You know what I mean…

While driving to the grocery store…

Husband:  Ohhh.. Rush on the radio.. that’s awesome.

Listening for a while

Me:  UGH.. this stuff sucks… how can you call this good makeup?

H:  Did you just say makeup?   Don’t you mean music??

M:  I was hoping you wouldn’t notice…..

*********************************************************************************************************

Just 5 minutes ago:

H:  Hey ..  what are you doing?

M:  Checking my google reader and my blog.   I got comments from two people who’s blog I read religiously (shameless plug here…. OMG… someones reading this!!!!)

H:  Can you pull up the calculator?

M: Sure.. what am I’m calculating?

H:  3000 divided by 8

M: <typing>  The answer is 375.

H:  Well, damn..that’s totally doable.

M: <getting excited that we’re going to be spending money>  What’s doable!?!?!?!?

H:  That <points at TV>

M:  <looking up to see Mythbusters on the idiot box> blank stare ….Did you just have me calculate something for MYTHBUSTERS??!?!?!?

H:   <smiles>

Grrrrrrrrrr

To pass the time….

I’ve got 10 minutes of work left for today.  I don’t know why but Thursdays always seem to be the slowest day of the week.   Time for some randomness in the form of a list.

• I have sneezed approximately 20 times today.  Twice in the shower this morning.  One incident involved water in the nose and designer shampoo spillage.   Not Good
• I began Twittering a couple of weeks ago.  I am officially bored of Twittering. 
• I set about making a new To Do List on Tuesday - Today it’s 2 pages long and consists of things that couldn’t possibly be important to anyone on the planet but me (ie: inventory wedding gifts for insurance purposes <—WTF??)
• I’m taking OTC meds for this crud that I’ve managed to acquire.  The OTC’s do funny things to my sleeping patterns.  The last three dreams that I can remember involve me and Michael Phelps hanging out in college and living with my sorority sister “E” in a furniture store.   None of which even remotely happened.     
• I have become obsessed with the Hurricane report on the weather channel.  I blame it on the fact that we desperately need rain.
• My snoring (due in part to the crud) has gotten so bad that my husband has exiled me to sleep in the guest room… which reminds me.. (note to self: check for uber high end sheets on sale at JCP.  Use wedding gift card… buy only queen sheets for guest room. Husband gets no comfy sheets..muwwhwhahahahahaha).
• I’m in love with Suede from Project Runway.   More so I’m love with his phrase “Wackadoodle”  I think it will become part of my phrase rotation.
• The guest bedroom has no TV (aka.. bedtime distraction) and so last night, I fell asleep reading the 2008 Fall Eddie Bauer catalogue.   I know… shameless
• What’s everyone’s deal with OBAMA?  I mean… it’s become maddening how everyone is falling all over themselves about him.  The masses are OBSESSED with him.   People… he puts his pants on the same way you do… get over it.  
• For the record.. I have yet to decide who I’m voting for… so all you out there who think that last statment was a hate on Obama…. chill.  I just want to know why every thinks he’s the bees knees, that’s all.     

And with that… I’m done being random for today.

San Pedro, Belize – Part 1

** Once again, these are our honeymoon pictures and all rights are reserved. Please ask permission before using them.

Ok, so you’ve all been following the post about the honeymoon (here, here, and here), and to catch you up, on the 5th day of our honeymoon, we left MRR and headed west back to Belize City. We were scheduled to catch a small cracker jack box plane to Ambergris Caye (pronounced: Key), which is a 25 mile island off the Belizean coast.

Maybe you’ve heard of the place. Madonna sings about it in her song La Isla Bonita (uhh yeah, and those who live on Ambergris Caye use the phrase “isla bonita” everywhere. If you know the song, you’ll be singing it the entire time you’re there). San Pedro is the main ‘town’ on Ambergris Caye and has a population of around 8500. There is a very small entry on wikipedia about the town here.

Anyhoo, the Engineer and I arrived in San Pedro after one of the most interesting flights we’ve had to date. We flew out of the municipal airport in Belize City. As previously mentioned, the plane was tiny and the runway… well.. it was made of dirt (ok.. maybe not all dirt, but mostly dirt).

Such a small plane. I'm surprised everyone's luggage fit!!

Side note: It turns out that one of the couples that was staying at MRR at the same time we were, was headed to San Pedro, on the same day, at the same time, and staying at the same resort as us!! Yeah… SMALL WORLD. They were big scuba divers and had a gajillion pounds of scuba gear! Hence my surprise that all of the luggage fit.

This was the view from my window seat.

That’s the Caribbean you sea see, along with a dirt-ish runway. We ran out of runway just as we got off the ground. That was a first!

The flight to San Pedro is relatively short (15-20 minutes) at low altitudes so it gives you a great view of the smaller Cayes off the coast of Belize.

Caulker Caye

The water was pretty (and sooo welcomed after 4 days in the jungle).

San Pedro

You also get really good views of the town as you arrive.

After purchasing 4 Belize travel books from Barnes & Nobles (no.. I didn’t think to check them out of the library first), the hardest part about planning the honeymoon was deciding on where to stay in San Pedro. We wanted to be on the beach, even though San Pedro isn’t really a beach-y place. There is too much sea grass right off the shore (which preserves the coral reef) to really swim on the beach.. but it smells wonderful and is pretty to look at (the beach that is. Not the sea grass). We wanted to know we were within walking distance of food food food activities, but not be smack dab in the middle of town. We also wanted the place to be clean and safe (another reason to stay a little bit out of town). We didn’t want to go all-inclusive in San Pedro because we had heard about all the fantastic eating to be had (and man.. it was better than good….more on that later), and we wanted a resort that could book good tours for us (spend time doing, not planning). Finally, we didn’t want to spend the equivalent of a semester of tuition at UT on the place. Ok soo maybe we were a little picky about what we wanted… but it was our HONEYMOON. Cut me some slack.

I was torn between staying North of the bridge (where San Pedro ’stops’) or South of town. The deal with staying on the North end of the island is that while the resorts are newer and plusher, they’re pretty secluded. Anything north of the bridge requires a mile hike to get into town, and if you, like we turned out to be, are the type to go to town everyday, that mile is a bitch. Plus, it’s like uber hot on the island.. and sandy.

Side note: Don’t get me started on the dirt. My feet have never been so dirty in my entire life as they were the week we spent in San Pedro. I actually had to WASH my flip flops the night before we headed home, just so I would have clean shoes to wear when I got to the airport. And as soon as we got to the airport, I ran like a mad woman strolled into the bathroom to wash my feet and put on clean shoes. Yes.. I’m that OCD about clean feet. Anyway.. I’m off topic. Where was I ??? Oh yeah…

After arriving in San Pedro, we immediately hopped in a taxi and headed to our resort, Xanadu. Xanadu was our 2nd choice for resorts (our first choice being North of town and booked); however, it met all of our criteria and was well within our budget, and turned out to be way more awesome than our first choice. Oh.. and Samantha Brown from the Travel Channel stayed here on her show Passport to Latin America. I mean.. would she stay at a bad place?? (I think not… most of the places she stays are crazy-insane-have-to-sell-your-first-child-and-your-identity-expensive kinda out of a reasonable, just married couple’s budget).

So we booked a suite with a semi-ocean view (the ocean view suites were already taken.. boo! And one of them was taken by our newly made friends from MRR! GRRRR). At the time Xanadu was running a special that took 10% off your room rate with a booked ‘adventure’ package. Since we wanted to go snorkeling, fishing, etc. I booked the “Nemo” package, which included a 1/2 day of snorkeling, 1/2 of fishing anda full day of a Beach BBQ with a catamaran trip.

Xanadu Suite #15

The view from our suite. We had a lovely deck and our own private hammock.

The accommodations were lovely. Each suite is laid out like a condo, with a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms and two bathrooms and plenty of air conditioning. We had more than enough room to spread out.

The inside of the condo after 2 or 3 days -- we were already 'at home' (read: messy).

We had two beds in the suite. A queen downstairs, which you can see was used for suitcase storage, and a king bed upstairs, which is where we slept.

The resort had a lovely pool and pier. The Engineer and I would sit on the pier every night, drinking rum and coke, and watch the sunset. The pier is also where most of the tour guides would pick you up for various tours (snorkeling, fishing, etc) and one night, we caught a water taxi from the pier to go to dinner at the lovely Capricorn resort.

The ocean view and Xanadu beach (taken from the pool area)

The Xanadu pier

The sunsets here were A.M.A.Z.I.N.G

The view of Xanadu from the pier

Shortly after arriving at Xanadu, the Engineer and I decided to head out for lunch at a nearby resort (that’s the one catch about Xanadu… no restaurant on site). The resort was about .5 miles away, and the walk was flat, but it was insanely hot. It was decided then and there that the wife (myself) was tired of walking in the heat and “wouldn’t it be wicked cool to rent the primary mode of transportation for the island??” Being a good husband, he agreed and we got..

Punchy -- the Golf Cart

A Freakin GOLF CART!! (OK.. we didn’t call the golf cart “punchy”, I just totally made that up, however, I think that “punchy” is an awesome name for the golf cart)

How cool is that!?!??! Please ignore the boxes on the back of our cart. I took this picture after we had a made a run to the beverage distributors for some Coke Lite [Diet Coke], Beliken Beer, and bottled water.

The only vehicles that are permited on the island are for the police and taxis. Everyone else drives either a motor-scooter or a golf cart.

Hummer H2 golf cart.

This was the Engineer’s favorite cart on the island. I was more into the pink cart behind it.

We can easily say that the golf cart (which cost us about $250 for the week) was the best unplanned investment we made for the entire honeymoon. The walk to town, even though it was only a mile, really would have been too much for the amount of time we spent in town, and it allowed us to plan meals at restaurants further out on the island than we would have normally ventured. We drove that thing around until the very last day and only had to put less than a gallon of gas in it when we turned it in.

I find that in various stages of my life there is always a funny story to be told about a golf cart, and why, my dear readers, should this time be any different?

So.. funny story about the golf cart….

The last night we were in San Pedro, I made reservations for us to have dinner at this super swanky restaurant not far from our resort (the restaurant at Victoria House). We drove the cart, parked it in visitor parking and went in to have dinner.

Dinner at Victoria House. Look at how lovely (and tan) we are. Such a cute couple....

After dinner, the Engineer decided he wanted to drive the cart back to Xanadu (naturally, I had driven to dinner), only we couldn’t get the cart to move. He put the cart in reverse and it wouldn’t go anywhere. So we did what any rationaly 28-year-old couple would do…. we pushed the cart back from the parking spot and then put the cart in ‘forward’. Yeah… so the car started to go in reverse! ??? It won’t go in reverse when you put it in ‘reverse’ but it will go in reverse when you put it in ‘forward’ ??? It’s at this time the Engineer is getting irritated, and not wanting to ruin a good night, I suggest that I push the cart forward and then he quickly put it in gear and we’ll see it if that will make it go forward (I know.. so right now you’re thinking “WTF???”, but to my defense, I was thinking about how when you can’t get your car started, you can put a car in neutral and roll it down a hill and ‘cold start’ it.. or at least that’s what I’d seen on TV).

So here I go… in my cute sundress, pushing the cart…. and then I yell to the boy to put it in gear, which he does, and then he slams on the gas, and what happens?? The golf cart immediately throws itself into reverse and I have to duck and dive to avoid being run over. We end up having to call a taxi to drive us the mile back to our resort. I’m all freaked out because I had read a news story about this couple and was paranoid about us being put in jail for a problem with the cart that wasn’t our fault. Luckily, Stacey at the front desk was very awesome, apologized for the cart issue, and gave us a discount on the rental for the inconvenience. Everyone good laugh about it. Sure, at the time it wasn’t funny. However, that next morning… the prior evenings events were hysterical.

We can’t speak highly enough about our experience at Xanadu. The staff was fantastic and if given the chance, we will definitely stay at the resort again (and I’m not just saying this because they gave us a discount when the golf cart got ‘punchy’ <– see the name totally works!). They met our every need, from reserving our golf cart, to scheduling all of our tours, to making dinner suggestions and reservations for us. Stacey even recommended an fantastic spa for me to try out while we were there (it was awesome!!). You can read more about Xanadu on TravelAdvisor.com .

Alright.. enough for today (OMG this post is forever long).

I’ll try to get the next honeymoon posts up soon. Up next for honeymoon talk: San Pedro – The Town, Our water adventures tours (or ‘After 12 years of swimming lessons and countless water excursions.. who knew Stephanie could get seasick??’), and San Pedro restaurant reviews.