Monthly Archives: November 2011

1. There’s nothing quite like the overwhelming scent of decaying rat wafting through your nose and assaulting your senses to make you move from point A to point B just a little bit faster. What is it about theatre basements and rats? Definitely my least favorite part of working in the theatre. Every day a little death.

2. My new favorite beverage to indulge in at the CCM Starbucks where I read/write/do work while I wait for Ted to be finished with work twice a week is the CCM Special – hot steamed apple cider with a mint tea bag. Sounds weird but it’s tasty and totally refreshing. Apparently all the MT (musical theatre) majors get it and claim it does wonders for their vocal cords. I don’t know about that, but it sure is delicious.

3. Haagan Daz Five is my new favorite carton ice cream in existence (other than their special edition chai latte which is fab). It’s all natural and has only five simple ingredients in it, which makes for the smoothest, creamiest, purist, most flavorful ice cream in grocery stores. It’s so rich that after five spoonfuls I’m done for the night. Plus it has less fat and calories than most ice creams, which makes me feel better. I’m also all over a fantastic broccoli pasta recipe lately that is healthy and super good too. All it is is lots of freshly boiled broccoli, whole wheat spiral pasta, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, freshly grated parmesan cheese, and a shake of salt and pepper. It’s way better than it sounds. Google Annie’s Eats Spicy Broccoli Pasta.

4. Last night was filled with our first snowfall of the year (a few flurries), the making of another fresh batch of homemade applesauce, and cuddling on the couch with some mindless TV. Excellence.

5. I’ve been in denial lately. But as my hands turned blue and wind-burned from a simple walk from parking garage to building today, I think I can no longer deny that it is now winter. I have yet to wear my sweet new winter coat, a scarf, gloves, winter boots, or cozy sweaters even though it is cold out, or to put up even one Christmas decoration or listen to Christmas music on my own accord because I cannot accept that it is winter already. I cannot accept that it is almost December. I cannot accept that fall is gone and Thanksgiving has passed and that it is already time for me to wear thermal underwear under my jeans. But damn, it’s cold out! And so out comes my winter coat and gloves and scarf and boots.

What are your thoughts for this hump day?

It’s amazing what can be accomplished on a 3-day weekend.

Productive

– Squeaky clean apartment
– Thanksgiving feast cooked
– Office organized
– The last of the moving boxes unpacked and disposed of. We are officially moved in!
– Wall hangings, clocks, and pictures hung
– Wii set up
– Applications mailed
– All 3 wedding, wedding weekend, and honeymoon albums completed, detailed, and ordered…hallelujah!
– All Christmas gifts for kiddos ordered and mailed
– DIY mechanical tests done on the battery and glow plug relays of Ted’s truck
– Tools and hardware in our storage unit organized into bins

Play

– Football games thoroughly enjoyed
– Sleep and naps caught up on
– Blessings appreciated
– Thanksgiving meal devoured
– Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas, Garfield’s Thanksgiving, and Charlie Brown watched
– Leisurely breakfasts at Ihop and The Original Pancake House eaten
– Black Friday “shopping” checked out and fun look-see errands run
– Outdoor walks around the neighborhood taken
– Mall Chinese and Mexican dinner at our fav Mexican restaurant downed…be still my arteries!
– “A Dolphin Tale” and “The Help” watched at the dollar theatre for a total of $3. That’s $0.75 per person per movie. Bam!
– Quality time together well spent…check!

What have you gotten done lately?

I’m the type to hunker down in my pj’s the day after Thanksgiving and stay put with my cat, a hot cup of peppermint tea, a good book, and a few movies. I figure I don’t need anything badly enough to wake up from my food coma at 1 a.m. when it’s 23 degrees out, spend 57 minutes sharking for a parking space, be trampled to death in a midnight Wally World stampede, or stand in a 2-hour line for $19.99 jeans that I had to punch a soccer mom in the face for to secure the last pair of size 6 in the weekend blues rise.

Not. Worth. It.

Like I said, I usually stay put. But last year was our first Thanksgiving as a married couple, my first Thanksgiving hosting at our new home, and my parents were in town. We figured, why the heck not go see what all the hullabaloo is about, right? I mean, it must be good if people are willing to risk life and limb for it. So we waited until early afternoon on the day after Thanksgiving to venture out – you know, after all the loons were back at home soundly sleeping with their plethora of shadily procured treasures. We decided to try for Target, thinking that’s where we’d be likely to see some action. There was nothing. The parking lot was only 1/4 full, there was no line at all for the check-outs, and the only awesome deals were a couple bucks off some Wii accessories and a $7 puffy winter vest. Not too shabby, but nothing to write home about.

So this year we thought we’d try our luck again. We had a small list of things we were in the market for – a new quilt for our bed, some jeans for me, a belt for Ted, and the Wii Party game. A small yet diverse list, all things we’d like to have but nothing we needed right away. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at The Original Pancake House around 10 a.m. and then drove over to Kenwood Mall which is, arguably, Cincinnati’s most posh and crowded mall. Good luck finding a parking space there on a normal day much less Black Friday. The parking lot was packed but we lucked out and in less than two minutes we had a fantastic parking space right up front – Jackpot! We dropped in about 8 or so different stores, took one look at the raging lines and walked right back out. Only two stores had sales that even remotely impressed me (60% off at Gap and 50% off at Ann Taylor Loft until noon – but both of those sales were online as well). So we left the mall empty handed and went to Target and Wal-Mart where the sales were even more non-existent. We left with the highly exciting Black Friday purchases of cough syrup, paper towels, and a $5 “Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas” DVD.

Party. Animals.

Now, here’s what I don’t get: If I’m going to stand in a check-out line of 78 people, or wake up at 1 a.m. to go shopping, or risk my life and sanity to beat other wackos to a parking space or a sale on towels, the sale better be damn good. I’m talking upwards upwards of 50% off. More like between 60-80% off. Now that might be worth it. But even then, most of these stores are offering similar deals online with free shipping too.

But none of the sales I saw today or last year were all that impressive. 10% off here, 15% off there, spend $150 and get a $20 gift card. Please. That’s your average run-of-the-mill sale. How is that worth all the uproar?

So I ask, what’s up with all the Black Friday Hullabaloo? Am I missing something? Can someone clue me in? Did you score any major Black Friday wins?

We slept in past 7 a.m. for the first time in a month and then went to Ihop for pumpkin pancakes and crepes. I cooked. We watched the Packers win and indulged in a day of football. We opened the blinds and watched the boys out back play football and the dogs out back play chase. We called our parents and wished our families a Happy Thanksgiving. We ate game day snacks and a Thanksgiving feast. We watched Garfield’s Thanksgiving, Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas, and some Charlie Brown. We ate pie and caught up on our sleep. Amen.

On the menu: Taco dip, garlic citrus Cornish game hens, green bean casserole, whipped potatoes, cheddar parsley biscuits, cranberry-pear sauce, Italian chicken sausage and herb stuffing, strawberry-rhubarb pie, pumpkin pie, and black cherry wine.

And that’s how it’s done.

Happy Thanksgiving indeed.

Today I was supposed to have an awesome post for you. Today I was supposed to have a fun story to tell. Today I was supposed to have amazing pictures to share.

Today was supposed to be Turkey Bowl.

Yes, turkey bowl.

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It’s just as wonderful as it sounds.

Bowling. With a frozen turkey. On the outdoor ice rink at Fountain Square. To help feed the homeless.

I love bowling. I love ice rinks. I love turkeys. I love a good cause.

Could this sport be any more awesome?

Believe me when I say that I was stoked for this.

The price to play was two canned food items to benefit an organization that houses Cincinnati’s homeless. I was so incredibly ready to fling that frozen turkey across the ice and strike out that I went to Kroger and purchased four of the best cans of food I could find. I was so incredibly ready that Ted and I devised an entire scheme complete with detailed schedule to meet up during our lunch hours and get our turkey bowl on together. I was so incredibly ready that I wasn’t even phased by the chronic rain that’s been plaguing us for the past three days or the half mile walk we took from my work to Fountain Square in the rain.

I was so incredibly ready to donate my two canned goods and fling that frozen turkey across the ice and strike out…

…until we got there and saw an utterly empty ice rink.

WHAT KIND OF A WEENIE POSTPONES TURKEY BOWL BECAUSE OF A LITTLE RAIN!?!?

I was/am devastated.

It has been rescheduled for tomorrow (supposedly…pending RAIN), a day that I do not work at a theatre that is conveniently located 0.5 miles from said Event of Epic Awesomeness and that I do not have a lunch break that allows me to participate in said Event of Epic Awesomeness.

Again, devastated.

I cannot fathom why I have to miss out on such a fabulous opportunity.

Although I’ve asked four times, Ted refuses to let me set up my own turkey bowl in the apartment (why not is simply beyond my level of comprehension – something about not having 60 ft. or a sheet of ice….minor details that I was working on solving before he thwarted my crafty plans to ice over the kitchen floor), so I may have to force him to go without me tomorrow and take a crap ton of pictures so I can be slightly less bitter about my misfortune of not getting to participate in turkey bowl.

Alas, Turkey Bowl and I just were not meant to be this year. (Because whoever runs turkey bowl is a pansy)

But if I find a frozen pond before April, all bets are off and turkey bowl is mine.

Next year, Cincinnati.

Next year, turkey.

My canned goods and I will be waiting.

I was carded for purchase of both cough syrup and cooking wine today. As if anyone enjoys the taste of tangy cough syrup or salty cooking wine enough to get drunk and/or high off of it. But my sincerest of thanks to the young man ringing up my groceries who was not yet old enough to purchase either item, but who carded me on my purchase of these items anyhow. As I checked out my total came to $7.77.  I considered buying a lottery ticket on my way out.

Then I made another gargantuan batch of healthy, hearty and tasty homemade applesauce because we’re addicted to the stuff, and a pan of gooey, delicious, sugary and tart lemon bars – for good measure. I devoured three before hauling the rest off to hungry lighting students on their second of three straight midnight work calls at CCM. They definitely need them more than I do.

Also, my basil plant is thriving. I’m super proud. I remember when I planted the little guy back in April. He took forever to finally peek through and he was so tiny! But look at him now…so tall and handsome! He’s the only one of my herbs to have made it through the fall. What a champ!

P.S. I only have to make it through two more days of work and then I’m off for three whole glorious, luxurious days. I haven’t had a full day off since October 31. Stoked!!

Productive

• Rockin’ Christmas cards designed and ordered – check!
• Christmas flights home to Texas booked  – check!*
• Christmas gifts for the fam & baked goodies for the pals decided upon – check!
• Modern Thanksgiving menu selected and grocery list made – check!
• Wedding photo books finally finished and ready for print – check!
• Several theatre jobs starting summer/fall of 2012 found, resumes updated, cover letters written, headshots attached, and applications submitted – check!

*Clear your calendar between the 19th & 25th, friends!

Were you playful or productive this week?

Comfort Food

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In the form of chicken pot pie soup and fresh rosemary garlic Parmesan biscuits.  I’m looking forward to dinner tonight! Cold and rainy weather requires comfort food. Feeling left out? Recipes included in the links. Bonus: It’s all healthy.

Christmas Cards

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I’m really digging the look of modern nativity cards with a pop of pattern and a wash of color. They’re a little traditional, a little contemporary, and a little unexpected while still keeping in mind the true intention of the season. The one above can be found on Etsy (link included) and while it’s not the one I’m considering (because what would be the point of ordering them if I just show it to you now?), it’s similar.

Christmas Flights

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Must make decision. Must book this week. Must quit being a pansy about dates and do it NOW.

Maybe we could just make it there in one giant leap. Or sled to Texas. Or wrap Ted’s truck in Christmas lights and drive down.

Tempting.

Blurb Wedding Books

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92 pages. I am so close to being finished I can smell it. Such a great, worthwhile keepsake. Such a time-consuming pain in the ass with endless possibilities and opportunities to screw up and second-guess every photo and layout. I can’t wait for it to be completely finished, partly for the relief and joy of having a real wedding album and partly because I don’t want to deal with it anymore.

What are you thinking today?