Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Hell has apparently frozen over...

...I have a two hour delay.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Things I love

The following things made my life better today:

The Magic Pants


My parents gave me these pajama pants for Christmas, and they are without a doubt the most comfortable pants I've ever worn in my life. I look forward to getting home just so I can put these pants on, and I fervently wish they were not so obviously pajama pants, because I would wear them everywhere.

Butterball



I first discovered Lush on a trip to Toronto, back when their only store in the US was in California. Their bath bombs are awesome, and none so much as the Butterball. I can't even describe how soft my skin feels when I get out of the tub after using one of these. They're amazing.

McGinty's


Back when I worked at Ruby Tuesday, I had my bar. I could walk into Champions and the bartender would have my drink ready before I even sat down. There was always someone to talk to, and it was a very comfortable place for me to be. Things change, obviously. I don't work at Ruby Tuesday anymore, Champions has gotten progressively rougher, and I don't have a bar to call my own anymore. But I suspect that McGinty's could become mine. Good food, good drinks and good friends--a lovely night was had by all.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Gnudi. Yes, pronounced Nudie. Get your chuckles out now.

I am not known for my culinary prowess, so when I actually manage to cook--and make it taste good--I am usually very proud of myself. Sometimes I take pictures, like tonight.

During the inaugural speech, I was clicking around the Internet, because these days watching something on TV just isn't enough. I found my way to Big Red Kitchen, (I have no idea how. I don't even remember what I was searching for) and found Robin Sue's post about Gnudi. I followed that over to the Food Network. All of a sudden, I was inspired. Also, intimidated. I went into this with the assumption that it would be a godawful mess.

Instead, voila. Gnudi.


It is basically described as the inside of a ravioli, without the outside. O. and I agreed that it tasted very much like the filling of a spanakopita. Best of all, it was easy. Prep time was only about fifteen minutes, and the biggest problem I had was timing everything, which is an ongoing issue for me. The gnudi was finished before I'd even thought about boiling my pasta. As a time saver, I boiled the pasta in the same water as the gnudi, which worked out perfectly. This is definitely one I'll try again.

The finished product:

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

In case you were wondering...

No heat in the library...day 5. Or 7, counting the weekend.

DCPS rocks!

Friday, January 9, 2009

Things that irritated the ever-loving crap out of me today

1. The schoolbus. It was not the bus itself that irritated me. Rather, it was certain inhabitants of said bus. The bus was pulling up as I was getting ready to leave my house this morning. No problem. The kids load, then the bus turns right and I turn left. It's a delay of about two minutes. Well, not this morning. This morning the bus loaded, then the driver waited for a kid who was running for it. As that kid boarded, another kid appeared over the crest of the hill, also running for it. As he boarded the bus, a girl appeared over the crest of the hill, casually strolling like she had not a care in the world. By the time Her Highness finally boarded the bus, I'd been waiting for about six minutes, and the line of cars behind the bus stretched all the way around the curve.

2. No heat in the library, day 2. I would imagine most people reading this would be in the DC metro area, but in case you're not familiar with our weather conditions, I offer the following math problem. DC + January = f@&!ing cold. I had preschoolers in there turning blue. By midway through the day, I was inventing reasons to go into the teachers lounge. There, the heat worked so well all the windows were open to make it bearable. (Your tax dollars at work, DC residents.)

3. No cable or internet at home, day 2. I am currently blogging via iPhone, which is not the most efficient method of writing lengthy messages. We came home yesterday and our front lawn looked like someone had driven heavy machinery through it. We suspect that this is because someone did indeed drive heavy machinery through it, and cut our cable wire while they were at it. Comcast is coming to look at the problem, which means it should be fixed sometime in early 2011. Meanwhile, the series finale of Stargate: Atlantis is airing right now, and I'm not watching it. Dammit.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

99 in 2009

I downsized this year. 109 in 2009 seemed very daunting, so I scaled back to 99. Which is still daunting, but less so. It's under 100, anyway. In a day or so, I'll post a 2008 roundup, but here's a preview: I did a whole lot of nothing last year. It ain't pretty, folks.

I have great hopes for this year, however. Bring it on. Happy New Year, everyone.

Health/Personal Care

1. Develop a workout regimen.
2. Develop a skincare regimen.
3. Get braces.
4. Learn to apply makeup.
5. Ride the Sligo Creek Trail.
6. Go kayaking.
7. Ride my bike at least once a week during the months of May-September.
8. Take my lunch at least four days a week.
9. Drink 48 oz. of water daily.
10. Limit Diet Coke intake to meals.
11. Play tennis at least once.
12. Do yoga often enough for it to have a cumulative effect.
13. Go skiing.
14. Get tested for hypoglycemia.
15. Personal
16. Floss daily.

Financial

17. Cut up all credit cards except one, which will only be used for work-related purposes that will be reimbursed immediately.
18. Save at least $250 per month.
19. Pay all credit cards on time.
20. Stick to a zero-based budget.
21. Pay cash as often as possible.
22. Consolidate IRAs.
23. Do my taxes before March 1.
24. Make $2,000 during the summer.
25. Write a will and a living will.
26. Get renters insurance.

Career/Professional Development

27. Get my certification in DC
28. Apply for certification in Virginia and Maryland.
29. Take one Spanish class.
30. Take one professional development class through WTU.
31. Read one professional development book per month.
32. Plan for the week by Saturday night.
33. Get involved in a professional organization.
34. Write two booktalks per week.
35. Do not leave for the day with unshelved books.

Household

36. Hire an organizational consultant for the house.
37. Redecorate the bedroom.
38. Implement the FlyLady strategies and make a serious effort for at least a month.
39. Plant a garden and keep it tidy.
40. Rent a community garden plot and plant a vegetable garden.
41. Make sushi.
42. Make salsa.
43. Waste less food.

Travel

44. Visit Rochester.
45. Visit one state I’ve never visited before.
46. Take a road trip.
47. Visit the Thousand Islands.
48. Go camping.
49. Visit Chapel House at Colgate University.

Personal/Social

50. Have friends over to visit at least once a month.
51. Plan a wine club meeting for at least ten months of the year.
52. Join WIN.
53. Join the Young Benefactors of the Smithsonian.
54. Send birthday cards.
55. Send Christmas cards.
56. Have all Christmas shopping finished by December 1st.
57. Personal
58. Read the entire Bible.
59. Attend church services from four different denominations.
60. Take lessons in a musical instrument.
61. Write a novel.

Environmental

62. January - Use a reusable bag for all purchases.
63. February - Begin recycling at work.
64. March - Eat vegetarian three nights a week.
65. April - Take public transportation to work at least twice per week.
66. May - Plant vegetables.
67. June - Plant a tree.
68. July - Develop a strategy for recycling more.
69. August - Eat locally for one week.
70. September - Buy as much as possible from farmers markets.
71. October - Eliminate all single-serving food purchases.
72. November - Switch to environmentally friendly cleaning products.
73. December - Calculate my carbon footprint and develop a strategy for reducing it further

Culture and Local Attractions

74. Go to the top of the Washington Monument
75. Take a tour of the White House
76. Tour the Holocaust Museum
77. Visit Mount Vernon
78. Visit Harpers Ferry
79. Go to a movie at the AFI Silver Theatre
80. Take a duck tour
81. Attend an event at the Kennedy Center
82. Attend a formal gala
83. Go to a DC United game
84. Go to a Nationals game.
85. Got to a Capitals game.
86. Visit the Anacostia Community Museum.
87. Try a new restaurant (January)
88. Try a new restaurant (February)
89. Try a new restaurant (March)
90. Try a new restaurant (April)
91. Try a new restaurant (May)
92. Try a new restaurant (June)
93. Try a new restaurant (July)
94. Try a new restaurant (August)
95. Try a new restaurant (September)
96. Try a new restaurant (October)
97. Try a new restaurant (November)
98. Try a new restaurant (December)
99. Go stargazing.