Being a restaurant reviewer isn't as easy as it looks!

I know being a restaurant reviewer sounds like a dream job. And honestly, it still does. But it is a lot harder than you would think! I am not talking Mike Rowe Dirty Jobs hard....but it isn't a cake walk!

Tonight I had the unique pleasure of being a restaurant reviewer......at least well kinda. A friend of mine, Kristy (aka cakegrrl) was doing a preview review for the upcoming Dine Downtown Restaurant week (ending on MY birthday, btw!) and asked me to join her (thank you, Kristy, SO very much.....what a welcome respite in an overly crazy day/week). Okay, so how fun does that sound?? We went to Capitol Garage and got to order off the special $30 prix fixe menu that will be available starting on January 7th. Our meals included a salad, entree, dessert, and a glass of wine. I don't drink but if I did, I would tell you that they had some very nice wines to compliment their offerings. Kristy gets to do the "real" review so you can check out pictures of my lovely dinner along with her professional review over on her blog! I had to "pay my way" by giving her feedback about everything. So here goes!

I started with the Chipotle Caesar salad. You probably know I usually go for the spinach salad, but tonight was a night for trying something new! I am so glad I did! The dressing was spicy, maybe too spicy for me but Jeff would have loved it and probably asked for a soup bowl of it! lol! But the dressing was easily balanced by the avocado and I wouldn't hesitate to order it again....and again....and again. The crispy tortilla strips were a terrific topping and I will take them any day over croutons (or popcorn, potato chips, or just about any savory snack).

For my entree, I had the Crab Cake Linguini. This was tasty, tasty, tasty and they gave me so much food! I had expected one measly crab cake along with pasta and bread but there were two HUGE crab cakes covering a major portion of my plate. In fact, the crab cakes were so big I could have skipped the pasta completely and been a happy camper! Regarding the pasta, it was just good. Even though the menu forewarns you that there is prosciutto, it still comes as a shock. I found the pasta a little salty but expect that most others would be fine with it. As for the main feature, I was surprised by two things: how moist the crab cakes were and that they had potato chunks in them. We decided they were moist because they had so much crab meat in them and the potatoes provided a great texture balance for the flaky crab meat. Another positive, the flavor of the potato gave my taste buds a break so that the next taste of crab was as wonderful as the first taste. I had intended to eat one of the crab cakes but was enjoying them so much that I had almost finished the second before I caught myself. (I hope Kristy posted a picture of my plate. It was so pretty looking!)

Dessert was cheesecake. In this case it was Black Bottom Cheesecake and Butterfinger Cheesecake. They were personal cupcake sized desserts and almost too pretty to eat! The Butterfinger came home as a loving surprise for the boys. According to them, it had a strong butterscotch flavor. I couldn't understand what Ryan said because his mouth was full.....of a second bite! The Black Bottom started with a chocolate cookie crust (yum!), followed by a berry puree cake with a delicate taste. The top layer, the cheesecake, was so light that it felt almost like a whipped cream. This was topped with a sprinkling of cocoa and some juicy blackberries! As a dense cheesecake lover, I was surprised how much I liked this dessert! Looking at the cheesecake you would have expected a heavy chocolate and fruit and a heavy cheesecake to stand up against the rest. Instead, it was a delightful end to the meal. Perfect to linger over along with a cup of coffee and good conversation!

End result: I would go again. I would go again and eat the same thing again.

So about it being so darn difficult and oh poor poor Susan having to eat this awesome food.....seriously, this isn't for most people!
First off, you have to STOP AND TASTE YOUR FOOD! No more shoveling it down so you can get it all plus dessert down before your stomach tries to tell you its full! You have to take small bites and let them sit on your tongue and pay attention to the texture and how the flavors mingle.
Second, you have to realize that YOU ARE NOT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE!! What does this mean? When you taste something you have to think whether you like something but also how other people might like it. Some of the food I ate tonight wasn't seasoned exactly how I would have if I were the chef. Having said that, I know that the other 9 out of 10 people that will be eating the same thing would have loved it the way it was.
And third....I can't remember the third thing but it was really important. Oh yes, I had to TALK ABOUT WHAT I ATE! Who does that? I am not some critic on the FoodNetwork so what gives me the right to tell anyone if food is good or bad and whether they should or should not try it? And if we talk about the food during dinner, when oh when can we get caught up on all the fun things? (Rhetorical question.....you sit around enjoying the restaurant and the company after you eat. No rushing off to the next thing! What a welcome joy!)

So, while I will not be quitting my day job, please know I will suffer through tasting excellent meals, considering others, and talking about my food again, just for you! Aren't I a peach?

Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do

I thought this one was really easy.....but it was made quite a bit more difficult when a friend reminded me that you just shouldn't mention certain things. 'nuff said about that!

another friend stated that she never wanted to involuntarily lose her house. 2 years ago I think I would have agreed with her. but through my own unemployment (thankfully short and sweet) and J's waytoolong unemployment, I had to face the thought that this might come to pass. and since (gosh, you might just know this about me already) I am a total control freak, I started planning for the worst. yes, we had Plan A and Plan B. heck, I even had Plan C.....but that might make the Top 10 list of things I hope never to have to do! Plan B involved losing the house. and while at one point in time this would have resulted in a serious acting up of my IBS and many sleepless nights and trips to the chiropractor, I have determined two things: it would not be the end of the world, and home ownership is overrated! lol!

so back to the question.....how about eating some nasty disgusting food like they have on the Amazing Race because that is all you have to eat?

I am a snob....

atleast when it comes to water. We get bottled water delivered to our office. I don't know why but the company doesn't pay for it. We all chip in 3 or 4 bucks a month for water service.

Well......we have been waterless since Monday. The water dude gave Thanksgiving as an excuse but that was 2 weeks ago at this point. I noticed last night that I was getting ddehydrated so today I broke down and filled my water bottle from the tap. UUUUUGGGHHH!!!!! It tstes like DIRT!!!

So now I am drinking extremely overpriced water from the soda vending machine! At this rate I am going to be a POOR water snob!

nothing but pathetic!!!

thank GOODNESS I didn't do any challenges like "post every day for a year" because I obviously would have lost!

the new job.....and yes, I still call it the "new" job to differentiate it from the "old" job! lol! well.... it is about killing me! on top of that I am trying really hard to get to the gym on a more regular basis. oh, and remember how I said I could mobile blog? the last time I tried it bounced back to me. maybe if I can get THAT working again I COULD blog from the gym...... treadmilling and typing away! I could be skinny AND current all at the same time! lol!

speaking of the gym....I found a great treadmill motivator = JEOPARDY!! I was just about at my distance goal last night when I noticed Jeopardy was on. so I plugged in my headphones to the little tv on my treadmill and stayed moving until the game was over!

so.....despite my blogging drought I actually DID take my photos on the 12th of October AND the 12th of November. I doubt I will post them but know that Oct 12th was busy doing things like waiting for SMUD to give us electricity and Nov 12th was so unmemorable that I can't remember anything to tell you about it. the highlight of that day was getting on the wrong train and luckily figuring it out at the next stop so I could get off and get over to the correct stop to get picked up! and before you think "what a ding dong you are, Susan" let me tell you that I was not the only one! for some reason there were about 5 or 6 of us who did the exact same thing that night!

anyway.................. PEGGY!!! your turn!

12 of 12 .....the I can't count edition

yeah, so I THOUGHT I had 12 pictures! uuugh! and uploading I even numbered one of my pictures #12. I just skipped #11! lol!! I even looked for a picture from another day that would have fit in today perfectly (which is cheating) but couldn't find it. that makes me worried. needless to say.....here is my 11 of 12......a cheap imitation of the original! (and if you are clueless at this point about what I am talking about......check out Chad Darnell's blog over there on the right)

the handy dandy odometer on the Santa Fe. YIKES!!! thankfully this is J's Santa Fe and not mine otherwise you would have thought that we spent the month driving around in circles. in fact, MY Santa Fe is gone. traded in. we got a Sonata. we had to keep his Santa Fe though because it has the AWD, 3rd row seating, and tow hitch for Scout expeditions. I miss my sun roof! now I drive J's Santa Fe to the train station and he drives the Sonata round trip to work and R's school and racks up the miles. (you'll see when we get to that shot). my intentions are to still take odometer shots and combine them into the same photo but since I didn't even get 12 this month, I didn't bother!

here is me waiting in traffic metering to get on the freeway. being a Friday it wasn't really that bad. and if you look at the freeway you wonder why they even bothered turning on the metering! but........about 1 mile up everyone is almost at a standstill so don't let this photo fool you! lol!!

we had a big meeting this morning and they said they were feeding us breakfast. that meant I just needed a cup of caffeine (I mean coffee). this is one of two Starbucks by my office, both about the same distance, but this one is a train stop. for the record I had a grande non-fat decaf mocha. I should have kept the caffeine but was so tired I forgot to change my regular order!

Starbucks was packed so by the time I got back out I only had a 2 minute wait for the next train. normally I just walk to the office when I get coffee, but I was feeling lazy. the next stop is across the street from my office. perfect for me to be lazy!

they are putting in a restaurant on the bottom floor of our building. it makes a LOT of noise! but I have loved seeing the open building and ceiling with everything exposed. makes it fun to walk by (more when I am leaving than when I am coming! lol!!)

after work, waiting for the train, I took a picture of my recently pedicured toes. aren't they pretty? and can't you tell that I like to trim them down? I really need to let them grow a bit if I am going to have polish on them.

the train home making the turn. the minute this happens, people start popping up from everywhere to get ready to board. until the train starts to make the turn there are usually about 10 people visible waiting for the train. by the time it gets to us there are usually 30 or so! crazy!!!

had to drive out of my way to get a gas sign this month. everyone was saying earlier in the day that gas prices were zooming up courtesy of Ike. I wish I had noticed the price yesterday and in the morning to compare, but I didn't. we got gas back on the 5th and it was $3.64 at Costco so I don't think prices increased out here. probably went down as AMPM is usually a couple cents higher than Costco. it will probably hit us over the weekend!

J was a sweety and went and picked up my books at the library on his way home. I am going to start reading two new series so I requested all the books in them both from the library. this is what has shown up so far. I am missing the 1st book in one series and the 2nd book in the other so I can't start either one. but it looks like I might be covered for reading material for a few weeks now! lol! I just finished reading Denise Swanson's Scrumble River series and really enjoyed it!

here is the Sonata's odometer. check out all those miles!!! we got her/him the Friday before Labor Day weekend so we have had her/him exactly 2 weeks!

dinner.......was leftover chili and some yummy bread! this is actually me going for seconds! lol!! I should have taken a wider shot so you could see the cool bowls we use. there is a little compartment on the left side that is perfect for holding things like a dip or a piece of bread while the main compartment could hold chips or chili! we get a lot of use out of these!!

so that was it.......after dinner I cruised to Mervyns to try and find some workout stuff. I wasn't about to take photos in the dressing room. then I came home and went through some photos hoping to scrapbook today. which I am going to do now! lol!!

thanks for stopping by......I will try to make October's more exciting!

chivalry in the age of mass transportation....

So tonight I almost missed the train. I probably left the office a tad late and walked a bit slower because these shoes hurt my feet and I was chicken to bring flip flops to wear with my nice business skirt.

Anyway, I wasn't quick enough to get my pass validated and get on the train. It wasn't for lack of trying. I yelled out asking someone to hold the door. A man actually put his bike in the doorway so it couldn't close!! But I fumbled too much trying to get out my ticket and ended up boarding the train unvalidated. The man told me I could hope out at the next stop to get it validated and he would hold the door with his bike again!

And here people think there aren't anymore gentlemen out ther!

12 of 12......the man about town edition

or really it should be the WOMAN about town......but whatever!

sorry I haven't been blogging recently. it isn't as though nothing has been happening.......just no time. I really need to get mobile blogging set up! really I do!

and with that........ on with the show!

a little different order to my photos and you will see why at the end! but in general this is a tour of the art pieces and odd/interesting things I see in my day to day life as a downtown worker! this first one is the clock/sign from an old nolongerinbusiness bank. if I get off the train a stop early I get to see it after getting my Starbucks. I didn't think it worked and am still not sure. it was only off by about 10 minutes when I took this photo, but that might have been a coincidence! lol!
because the 2 blocks between that sign and Starbucks can be a little dicey, I instead walk through the downtown mall. it has security, business traffic, and a Jamba for those mornings where I don't want Starbucks but still want something. while waiting to cross the street, I can watch the Hard Rock guitar spin around and around.

supposedly they are going to get rid of this and update this end of the mall. I have heard they are going to replace it with a Time Square kinda rolling marque. I say forget it and keep the guitar! anyway........just past the guitar are the granite guards to the mall.

rather odd looking. this is the female of the pair. I actually like the tiles cascading down the column but have no clue why she is holding a ball, wearing that mask, or even there for that matter! pre-caffeine this is even more confusing.

not to be outdone by the cool statues and such located in our classy downtown area, our building has its own piece of art.

I actually tried to get a photo with a person IN it so you could see how tall and skinny this thing is. it has to be 20 feet tall. blech!

for lunch, I met a scrapping friend, Deb. she only works a couple blocks away so I walked over to meet her. on the way I passed the world's ugliest building. I believe once they actually finish it Guiness will be out to authenticate the title.

yes, that blue stuff is permanent! at first I thought it must be some plastic coating that was protecting something while construction was going on.......but no! and the tan stuff is a mottled fake marble kinda stuff. the darn thing looks like a hospital. a really ugly outdated hospital where people never seem to get better because it is depressing just being there!

but lunch was nice! we met at Il Forniao. not a regular haunt of mine, but it was really nice to have an enjoyable grown-up meal with a friend. (and get a rare photo of us together at the same time)

on the way back to the office, I snapped a photo of a statue that still catches me off guard when I see it.

perfect for a real estate broker's building, don't you think?!?!? it is actually a really neat statue and the detailing is wonderful. I don't know why I am still startled when I see it.

after that I snapped a nice photo of our building. not a super exciting building......but not a contender for world's ugliest either! lol!!

after finishing my day of work, I trot on over to catch Light Rail home. I took a photo of the Capitol, but you have already seen one in a previous 12of12. it looks the same! lol! though maybe I should do monthly shots of it like I used to my office window so we can see the changing seasons?!?! we shall see!

anyway, at the spot where I get off Light Rail (if I don't make a Starbucks or Jamba run) there is this sign. depending on how the lights are running I also pass it on my way to catch Light Rail in the other direction.

that is it! just this marker on the side of the light pole. ta-da! no synagogue, just a sign.

when I got to my Light Rail pick up spot about a week or so after starting to work downtown, I first noticed this building. it is the Stanford Home. I KNEW I wanted to get a picture of it! this is where famed Leland Stanford of the Big Four, former governor, etc used to live. I love the irony of his old house being dwarfed by the huge building behind him. I am sorry about all the street lights and such in the photo but atleast I waited for the vanpool bus to pull away. I was told that there is a state agency that uses the house for their offices!

then I catch the train and start the first leg of my trip home (or would it be the second leg after walking to the train being my first leg?!?!?) anyway, I take the train and on the way home we pass the Sacramento Cathedral. I don't have time to get off the train to take a picture, but can see it through my window twice a day.

sorry for the glare from the strip lighting in the train. guess it gives it all that *real* feeling?!?! anyway, I finish my ride home, walk to my car, and then die of heat stroke.......

yep! it was 70 when I got in the car this morning. and it got up to 109 while driving home. l-o-v-e-l-y!! and while usually one can brush it off with a quip about it being a dry heat........it has been MUGGY here recently! an energy sucking horrible heat! (which is why this didn't get posted last night)

that is my 12of12 for August! thanks for checking me out!

the building that cried "FIRE!"

admittedly it is a new building. and admittedly there is a LOT of construction still going on. but the whole false fire alarm is getting out of hand. to top it off they have decided that it isn't safe for us to wait around and see if they tell us it is a false alarm and have to evacuate just in case. SWELL!!! so today we were halfway down the stairs (from our 8th floor office) when they announced it was a false alarm. does that count as my exercise for the day?!?!?

and in an update from yesterday.......my nose and throat have become a full blown cold. but, I was able to get the lost memory card images back. whew! but sadly, LM is still down. one out of two isn't bad I suppose! lol!

doing my civic duty today......

I have/had jury duty this week. my county has a 1 day or 1 trial service so most people end up being there a day. today was mine. I was called for the 3rd jury group and was then drawn for the first group of those interviewed for actual service. I ended up at one point being "juror #4." I truly thought I was finally going to get the experience of serving on a jury. I even started to get a tad anxious realizing that I would ultimately have to help decide someone's guilt or innocence. THEN they called up another set of potential jurors and I was excused by the defense. still not sure why but I somehow think it was because I was female. J said it was because I was obviously too smart and no defense wants a smart female. not quite sure but I think that was a compliment! lol! needless to say, I got a long long lunch and hen spent a couple hours back in the jury pool not getting called before I was sent home.......done with service for atleast the next year. (though prior to today I thought it was once every 2 years)

the cool thing was that since I took public transportation, they gave me a replacement pass for the one I used in the morning and one to use to come home. and I ended up catching my regular train home!

12 of 12 - the HELP edition!

so I guess I kinda failed this month. I didn't get 12 pictures. but really I failed because the 12th wasn't anything close to a regular day so the whole "random photos on a random day" thing went out the window......or down the elevator shaft........so to speak. that and as a scrapbooker, I didn't want to minimize the event that brought about the one photo I did take. somehow afterwards picture taking wasn't really important.....


this is a photo of the call button on elevator #4 at my office. this is me really trying to remain calm and get a decent photo.......while I was stuck in the elevator for 15 minutes. it wasn't that long of a period of time.....but I was alone......and a little claustrophobic. I started off thinking it was a little funny when I was just stuck there thinking I was at the 8th floor but couldn't get the elevator to open. but when the guy at the other end of that help button said "I'll send someone out" and "push the alarm button every once in awhile so the building knows you are in the elevator" I got a little worried. then when the elevator went to the 25th floor and started bouncing around a bit I got more worried. then when the elevator dropped down to the 22nd and then 21st floor I was as close to freaking out as I could be. funny how something like not-waterproof mascara can keep a person from crying.

luckily........at the 21st floor when I laid on the alarm button, some guy walked by and opened the elevator door. he was so casual about it and I can't figure out how I managed to stand up and walk out of the elevator.

needless to say.....I walked 13 floors down the stairs to get back to my office.

I promise to do better next month.

bookend birthdays.....

things have been crazy around here. trying to get in the swing of the new job has taken quite a toll on my free time. dh is working on taking over making dinners and R is helping out a bit more around the house. thankfully summer is almost upon us and that means that atleast I won't have to do the morning carpool before catching Light Rail to work.

today, being June 2nd is the calm in the eye of the storm. R's birthday was yesterday and D's birthday is tomorrow. we celebrated this year with a miserable day at Great America. it was cold and windy and the boys lasted about 5 hours before wanting to head home. on top of that lunch almost killed us all it was so gross. if anything might push me to becoming a vegetarian......it was that hamburger! all in all we spent more time driving back and forth than we did at the park.

yesterday we went to Melting Pot for the next part of the ongoing party train. we joined a grown up couple for a lovely dinner. thankfully no hamburger there and the food is always superb!!

today was our day to rest from stuffing ourselves and tomorrow we will be off to Red Robin for the last of our great birthday parties. seems silly but Red Robin is our traditional place of celebration. we go every year on Gotcha Day and for birthdays.

D turns 10 this year. it isn't as shocking as when R turned 10. I wonder if that has anything to do with being the second child or because he hasn't actually been with us for all those years? not really sure other than it is still strange to think that he is 10.......

so anyway........hopefully I will be back up to speed and blogging AND scrapping more. I sure hope so!

12 of 12....... the EMPLOYED edition! lol!!

so today was my 4th day at my NEW JOB!!!! I am really enjoying it though I feel a bit scattered right now. it is weird knowing so much and yet so little all at the same time. but......more about that as we go along...... and for those of you who haven't been following along at home.......Chad Darnell started all this craziness!
as is tradition, there is my odometer shot. 1,400 miles in the past month. probably has a little to do with that trip to Reno to see the Gin Blossoms?!?! and maybe that trip to the Jelly Belly factory with Stanley?!?! and maybe all those trips to Periwinkles in Folsom for Webkinz Extravaganza?!?!?! and the several trips downtown for interviews?!?! and well.....you get the point! I will be interested to see what it looks like next month after I am taking Light Rail everyday.......and the boys being out of school.
here is my train stop. exciting, isn't it?!?! today I had time to take this picture because I missed the train. why did I miss the train? well......because I missed one light on my morning carpool taking the boys to school and......
because I have to buy a train ticket every morning. I can actually buy a monthly pass but it is more expensive then buying a ticket every day. crazy, isn't it? I might still buy one just for the convenience. I am SOOOOO not good at walking around with a bunch of $1 in my purse to pay for train fare. luckily, though, I can get transportation expenses withheld from my pay pre-tax! so unlike filling up my tank, I CAN get a little break on my train costs!
me.......on the train......in my business suit........we normally don't get this dressed up but we were having out of town company visitors. the jacket actually came off when I got to the office and never went back on. nice fish-eye kinda picture......but atleast I only have one chin! lol!
staples of my train trips.......my iPod and a book. this is the second in the Dexter series. I think I like the books better than the tv show.....no surprise there I suppose. this morning's music was shuffle.....I believe I got some Yaz, Collective Soul, and Bonnie Raitt. our building.........our nice big ol' new building. course, they are still doing lots of construction on it. in fact, several people opted for an early lunch when what sounded like a jackhammer started going off. though considering how high up we are I am pretty darn sure it wasn't a jackhammer! on my way in to the building this morning, a fellow train rider stopped to take a picture (that I might take in a coming month) and I ended up talking to him as we crossed the street. couldn't help but ask him if he was doing 12 of 12! lol!! (he wasn't .......bummer!)this job feels like a seriously official job. why? because I have TWO badges! not just 1 but TWO!!! one is for the company and one is for the building. sheesh! at my last job we had a code for the building but never ever actually used it. in fact, I think I still have it somewhere! lol!
this is my cubicle. envious, aren't you?? actually.......as cubbies go it isn't too bad. the walls are high enough to offer privacy yet you are close enough to people to be able to get answers without spending all day walking around in circles. good thing when you are the new girl! I am slowly bringing stuff in to personalize my space more. the whole train thing is limiting in that way! oh....and you might be able to see my lunch of a pannini sandwich and some triscuits. tres exciting! lol!
this is the view out my window. technically not MY window......but the window of the cubby next to mine.......or at the end of my walkway. I am close enough to the window that I can get the sun coming in without the glare. and.....with a quick couple steps I can see outside. today I watched a plastic bag get blown up the side of the building from the crazy winds we were having. but......they kept it nice and cool. I hear we are breaking 100 by the end of the week! YIKES!
Light Rail drops me off literally across the street from my office (sweet!) but to catch the train back home I have to walk a whole humonguous block! and this is what I walk towards (though more even keel than this photo might suggest). crazy that I work so close to the capital! that is something I never ever imagined I would be doing.
on the way home I exited the freeway one exit early so I could drive by a gas station. this is one of the cheapest places in the area......and is still 14 cents more expensive than this time last month. so......even if my $4 in train fees is only break even with the 1 gallon of gas I might be saving.......I am also saving a minimum of $7 a day in parking. I think I deserve a nice treat for saving so much money, don't you? lol!!
and what 12 of 12 would be complete without a fully devoted food shot?
like I mentioned before, one of the biggest changes with this new job is dinner. Mondays are still easy since we generally have pizza, but J and R are going to be doing more of the cooking. R was in charge of cooking the pizza tonight. looks good! tasted even better.

and with my days starting at 5am now.....I am exhausted and off to bed.
thanks for joining me this month!

think of 2008 as the year of opportunity....

I have a layout in mind showing the front door of my previous employer. I am going to use the quote "when God closes a door he opens a window" and talk about my old job and how hard it was to deal with the office closing and everyone being laid off. I figure I can have an accompanying page titled something like "hello window" about my fortune in finding a good job so quickly. (not really QUICKLY but in a whole lot less time that I thought it would take)

add to that the timing made it so I was able to take the boys up to see my mom, nana, and stepdad during Spring Break.

add to that my being able to go see the Gin Blossoms in concert in Reno.

add to that the fact that next week I will start getting paychecks from the new job and will still be receiving a little severance from the old job. we have plans to use that money to pay down some debt and trade a gas guzzler for a nice hybrid so that we can start saving more money.

add to that the fact that now I am taking public transportation to work. it is definately an interesting experience but I am saving a couple $$ every day and helping make less pollution. my new employer will also let me do pre-tax withholding for my transportation expenses.....so I will be making less taxes for myself at the same time! lol!

add to that the fact that J's employer has started a nifty new health plan. they will pay our gym membership as long as we go 3 times a week. sounds pretty simple except that I am getting home a lot later with my new job than with my old job. but I figure if I go Sat and Sun and 1 night during the week it will be a lot better than I am doing now. the company they have partnered with is putting in a new club about 1 mile from our house. no excuses!!! I just hope they have a yoga class on Weds at 7pm. life would be pretty darn close to perfect then!

oh yes.....and about that gym......from what I can see from their website, R will be able to use the facilities too. most places say they have to be 13, but it looks like this place goes down to 12. which is good because R really needs to work on some physical fitness!

so......while things looked rather bleak....it seems that 2008 might be a darn good year afterall! now if I can just get back into scrapbooking! lol!

the end of the first fiscal quarter.....

used to be the end of a fiscal quarter would bring about reports, reviews, and more reports. but......not this time around. nothing special about it when you aren't working.

HOWEVER.......I still have my quarterly to-do list at home. see, I have found that I am not good at remembering the last time I changed my toothbrush, or when dh changed the air filter, etc. sure we could write that stuff on the calendar. but do I really want my in-laws to know that today I am going to replace my razors in the shower?!?!? NOPE! so since the quarter end was such an easy point in time to remember, I have used this as my reminder.

• toss and replace toothbrushes
• toss and replace razors (I use 2 different ones in the shower so think that changing them every 3 months instead of the recommended month is fine)
• check all medicine and toss out of date stuff
  
• check canned goods and toss out of date stuff (anything going bad in the next 3 months either make a plan to use or donate to charity)
• replace air filters
• pull out magazines over a year old and reread before cutting things out or recycling

ideally I think the toothbrush industry should really focus on the whole fiscal quarter brush replacement idea. instead of a steady stream of commercials telling us how great a brush is they should have a campaign to target changing them every 3 months. you know plenty of people don't and this way they could save on advertising dollars AND sell more toothbrushes at the same time! seriously........I don't jump up to buy a new toothbrush when I see a commercial. but I WOULD put it on my shopping list if I saw an ad that said "hey....this is your reminder that next week is time to change your toothbrush. buy ours!" lol!! heck, if they were uber smart they could sell toothbrushes in packs of 4 with seasonal themes! snowflakes for winter, flowers for spring, sun for summer, and leaves (or a nice teeth-cleaning apple) for fall!

maybe I should be looking for a job in advertising?!?!?

12 of 12 - the unemployed edition

can't say this is very exciting! in fact, I had to find a few things to do so I would have some photos to take. hopefully by April 12th I will have a job so I won't have to work so hard to take pictures! lol!!

the first is my traditional odometer shot. we are in those fine spring days where it is cold in the morning and beautiful in the afternoon. except it never quite got beautiful yesterday. I guess a storm is coming in. but look how dark this photo is. that is because it is PITCH BLACK OUTSIDE courtesy of ridiculous daylight savings.

I missed my normal gas price shot. actually I took one but because it was SO FREAKIN' DARK you couldn't see anything. but.....J filled up both cars Tuesday night and paid $3.41/gallon at 6am and $3.44/gallon at 6pm.....at the same station!

breakfast. remember those wonderful days of Strawberry Frosted Mini-Wheats? well those days are over.....kinda. I had a physical a couple weeks ago and it was determined that my cholesterol is a bit high. (not shocking considering what I eat, huh?!?!?) no heart attack yet.....but I need to work on it. thus....oatmeal! I have compromised with myself.....I alternate off and on between the oatmeal and the mini wheats! today was an oatmeal day.

blech! don't so much like the oatmeal days! one of the reasons is because I get hungry really quickly again. trying to be a little healthy I had cottage cheese and carrots. I really like this as a snack but don't frequently have cottage cheese around. this was leftover from the lasagnas I made last week.

while eating my snack I decided I needed to do something so you all wouldn't end up with a day of food shots. I called and made appointments for oil changes on the cars. mine was for 1pm this afternoon! on the way out to run a few errands beforehand I saw this lovely sight......nothing better than packages........especially when one of them is from LM!

J changed the antennea topper on the car a couple weekends ago so I took a shot of it. with Easter so early it really won't be there for long. sad, huh?!?!?

before getting to the car dealership I ran a few errands.....one being going to Bath & Body works. I am getting near the end of my shower gel (currently cucumber melon) and the boys were out of their all-in-one stinky shower stuff! I got myself sweet pea this time and them frozen daquiri and banana split. there was one other flavor, frosting, but it smelled gross! I don't think I could handle the boys smelling like that for the 15 minutes before their stinky boy smell took over! lol!!

after dropping off the car I walked over to Frys. I had seen a cafe inside the last time I was there and thought it HAD to be a better lunch than Sonic. on the way I passed a guy getting on his motorcycle with this cool denim jacket. I knew I could always use a few more photos and since it was really nifty (the mouse......not so much the machine gun) I asked if I could take a picture. he said his girlfriend free-hand drew the picture and did the jacket for me. how cool!!

I got a pastrami sandwich (YUM!!!!) and some loaded potato soup (not as lovingly loaded as Black Angus but decent potato soup) for lunch and sat reading my newest mystery series. I found this one because I needed a name for my new black cat Webkinz. I am naming them all after fictional mystery characters and wanted someone Halloween or witchcraft related. so great what search engines at bookstore sites can find for you!! I am almost halfway through the book now and it is holding my interest. kinda slow starting but I think she is trying to build the foundation for the characters. I ordered the rest of the series from the library. (you can see my lunch a little in the background.)

picked up my car. you can see that I drove about 25 miles from the start of the day until the time the oil change was done......courtesy of the morning school carpool.

Wednesday is bowling day/night for R. since I am not working I take him over early so he can get a little practice in before league. tonight their team shirts came in. the shirts are a little thin (good because R sweats like his dad) and oversized. the boys want them to last the next 2 years. I think they will! R might be able to wear this through high school! lol!!

dinner was leftover/fendforyourself night courtesy of all the cooking I have been doing so there is no cute shot of my dinner: a couple mouthfulls of lasagna, some green beans, and pasta alfredo. wow! how nutritious!! I had a dessert of leftover Baskin Robbins from Tuesday $1 scoop night for dessert. probably totally counteracted that healthy oatmeal, huh?!?!?

with R we watched the most recent episode of New Amsterdam. not a bad show! I am trying to figure out how long they can keep the whole "love of a lifetime" thing going. after R went to bed dh and I enjoyed the sanitized version of Dexter. we don't get HBO so hadn't seen it yet. I can't say they did a decent job of cleaning up the language. it is rather obvious and most of the time you can tell what the guy originally said. but if the FCC doesn't mind then neither do I!

finally........like almost always......I am at the end of the day and have no photo of myself. so here I am with my newest Webkinz, Ophelia. isn't that a great name for a black cat?? I really need to remember to take my self-portraits earlier in the day so I don't look like crap!

what? no photos of me submitting resumes or surfing Monster.com to find a great new job?!?! yeah.....well.....I have applied for the TWO jobs in my field that were out there already. one I was already turned down for. I am trying to think about what nifty new field to enter. I need to think quickly!!

no one has filed a missing person's report....

but I have really been MIA around here. fact is, I am not big about posting negative things and I am struggling to find the positive right now.

I was laid off and I am worried. the economy bites and my industry has really been hit hard. yes, I am smart, well-educated, and have lots of experience. but all that doesn't matter when there aren't jobs.

so.....instead of posting totally fake posts or whining about how I am depressed I just haven't posted.

and NOW I need a nap......

today was the office/company Christmas party. we checked out a new restaurant in town, Paul Martin's American Bistro. and no matter how light I plan on eating, I always come away from office lunches STUFFED and in serious need of a nap! today was no exception!!

one of the guys in the office ALWAYS does the honors by ordering appetizers......this time was no exception: artichokes, clams, calmari, shrimp, and spinach dip (you can look at the menu on the site for specific into) along with the greatest bread!! J would be happy just eating bread there! lol!!

prior to going, I had planned on Clam Chowder (because I love it and rarely get it because the family doesn't like it) and a chopped salad. well.......in what would have astonished J, I actually ordered it. but......in what wouldn't have surprised my dh, I changed my mind before the waitress left the table and ended up ordering the Cedar Plank Salmon. (the link is to a review blog so you can see what it looks like!) I loved the spinach! I loved the mushrooms! I loved the salmon! I didn't love the bacon and onions on top or the broth type sauce. that was too salty. so....is it really too salty or am I just a picky person where salt is concerned?!?! probably a combination of both. but overall it was YUMMY!!!!

so after the appetizers, several pieces of bread (OMG! the bread! lol!!), and my meal, I still managed to eat dessert. in normal life I wouldn't have had dessert, but it is kinda tradition that we have dessert. so I ordered the banana cream pie. it was good. it was too big of a piece......... and looking back I kinda think I wish I had ordered the devil's food cake with sour cherries. but really....I can't complain! except that now I need a nap! lol!!

oh.....and as a side note......in case you don't check out the link to the restaurant's site......I will tell you that everything was organic. all the meat, produce, etc is organic and supposedly pretty much locally grown. I would say that they hold truer to the organic versus the local part as it looks many things come from other parts of the state and even some meat from Arizona. but it is a start, right?!?!? continuing on that side note......I read an article the other day about how organic fruits & veggies have MORE (significantly more) vitamins, antioxidants, nutrients, whatever than produce grown using pesticides!! that makes me feel even better about us trying to buy organic.

and now it is beddie bye time for me!!! (I wish! lol!)

aaaaah! 12 of 12 for August!!

let's start off my post by saying that the bonus word for this month was HOT. (and if you don't know what 12of12 is, check out Chad Darnell's blog - link in the column to the right). now anyone knows that California is hot pretty much all summer. in fact, last week we were at 110!! so this bonus word should have been easy!!! but it wasn't!! I have had the windows open in the house for the past 2 days because it hasn't gotten hotter than the mid 80s!!! with that......we begin our journey into my not-hot day! lol!!

the first photo is of the S and J bears I bought at Starbucks over the weekend. hey, they were half off and don't they look just like J and me?!?!? currently they are cuddled up on J's pillow!


the monthly odometer shot! I have driven 582 miles this past month. not many....but still not sure where I drove them all to!! (see the temperature - totally NOT HOT!)


and another monthly shot (won't my kids just LOVE all these weird and quirky photos I take each month?!?!) of the price of gas. this is the same station just the sign on the other side! down 8 cents since last month.....and it was $2.89 the week before. how sad when you get so excited to see gas less than $3/gallon!!

and while at the above Safeway, I got myself a lovely frapp and muffin for breakfast. should have gotten my coffee hot, huh?!?!? oh well....the frapp sounded really good! I have been rather good and haven't gone to Starbucks in over 2 weeks. aren't you impressed??? also while I was there I got oodles of Lean Cuisine panini sandwiches. they are on sale so I am stocking up! both J and I really like them!!

at my desk, on my rolodex, lives my stress penguin. I am supposed to squeeze him when stressed out. see those bulging eyes?!?!? they weren't like that when I got him. okay, okay....actually they were! if I actually squoze (sp??) this poor guy when I was stressed, he would be in a million pieces all over my desk. instead he just looks at me all day! doesn't everyone have a stuffed penguin in their office???

lunch.....the previously mentioned panini. this is my current favorite: steak, cheese, and mushroom! YUM!!! and thanks to the mocha this morning, I had water for lunch. and yes, lunch at my desk. Thursdays are my early days so even though I still CAN I always feel guilty if I take a real lunch.

J called!!!! yep! talked to him for an entire 4 minutes and 22 seconds! WOW!!! and while the icon says he is calling from home, it is really his cell. I use that icon for everyone because I am too lazy to go change them! lol!

this is a house we drive by every day. one day last week they painted in ORANGE! and this photo really doesn't do it justice. it isn't as calm or dark as it looks in the photo. painting the trim brown hasn't improved it much either. maybe I should have gone back later when the house wasn't all shaded?!?! see that little part at the bottom where it is brighter? yeah.....imagine the whole house looking like THAT!!! sooooooooooooo not-hot! lol!!

mail time!!! little package waiting for me......or more accurately waiting for R! too bad he isn't here. guess I get to keep whatever was inside for myself! lol!! (just JOKING!!!!)

it was time to drop off the old dvd at Blockbuster and get a new one. I am more than halfway through the first season. not quite addicted to it, but enjoying it none-the-less. I kinda like being able to see multiple episodes in a row.

Thursday night is chiropractor night (right now). so we made our trip for adjustments. I was really tight. I probably should have gone in earlier in the week for an extra visit.

tonight was also Taco Tuesday night. yes, I am totally aware that it isn't Tuesday. but that is when the tradition started. then it got moved to Wednesday because it made more sense for us. we would go on the way home from the chiropractor. then when we moved the dr visit to Thursday to accommodate summer bowling league, we moved taco night too. the boys even still CALL it Taco Tuesday! lol! and, oh yes, I had to grab some HOT sauce! because....well.......because I needed my hot bonus picture!! (oh, and can you see LM on the computer screen in the background? yep! having a big album sale! had to stock up!!!)

I enjoyed dinner in front of the tv......watching All My Children. usually I don't get anywhere near the tv weeknights, so this was a total treat!

that was my day......somewhat! I didn't get a picture of the 3 motorcycle cops lined up on the main street waiting to ticket speeders. it would have been really cool but I probably would have crashed trying to get the shot! lol! and lucky you, I also didn't take a picture of the HUGE bruise on my thigh from running into my desk at work. it hurt so much when I did it that I thought I was going to be sick to my stomach!! and now it is nasty looking and swollen.....just YUCK!!!

hope you had a great July 12th!!