Photo Friday- Parking Nazi edition

I tried my hand at adding text to these photos, but I see that it is too small. I think you can click on the pictures to embiggen them so that you can read my clever annotations.

Every once in a while, they have school on Fridays. It seems to happen about twice a month. On those days, I get to pick Madison up from school. On most other weekdays, Spencer picks her up. He and I have compared notes about what goes on in the parking lot and we have come to a conclusion: The school parking lot is not for the timid or weak-minded.

The lot where we park and wait for Madison is rectangular shaped. Cars park along either long end of the rectangle and in a row right down the middle. This leaves a "U" (or "O", but I will get to that later) shaped lane of travel, wide enough to accommodate two- way traffic. At 6 o'clock on the U, or O, is the chute through which the children emerge.
You can see that there is plenty of room to negotiate the turn. You may also notice that I have a good parking spot and think that I show up really early. Not so. For some reason, no one ever parks in this spot. For some reason, hardly anyone parks. Most of the other moms circle the parked cars like buzzards, trying to time their arrival at the chute with their child's. The SUV moms can see their kids coming. The more aggressive picker uppers make up their own parking space to the left of the Honda, above. The really aggressive ones mark to the left of that, which blocks the buzzards.(sorry that the windshield is all wet, but it is difficult to surreptitiously photograph someone directly in front of you)
Finally, the Taurus moved and the buzzards could resume circling.

Ptomaine Wednesday- Thursday edition

I did not cook on Wednesday, because I was home for all of about 20 minutes. I did try a new recipe tonight, from Rachael Ray-Spaghetti a la Carbonara, which I figured my family would like because it's bacon and egg pasta. I was right.

This 30 minute meal takes all of about 15 minutes, and it makes the house smell fantastic. We all wished I had made more. Here is the recipe, you should try it.

The coolest thing about tonight's dinner was that I got to use my new cookbook holder that I received in a blind gift exchange. I think this may be the best kitchen gadget, ever. When I opened the box and saw that it was just fairly thin wire, I doubted it could support heavy cookbooks, or worse, floppy paperbacks- but it does.

Just Tuesday

I've got lots of excuses, er, reasons for why I haven't been on the wiiFit lately. Not the least of which is that our house is small and we have one tv and I am rarely alone, so when I use it, it's the Kaycee on the Wii Show and I don't like that.
Also I think that no one really wants to read about it. I know I wouldn't. So.
I read this story today, and I think everyone else should, too. It's the story of a young college man who walks into the first day of a lecture one hour late and is asked to leave. The young man later sends an email to the professor, detailing his concerns about the professor's policies.
The professor's response should be required reading for everyone.

eight things no one really cares about concerning the first week with my new cat

1. He does not have a name. We were thinking of keeping to the Lonesome Dove theme and naming him Pea Eye, but he is no Pea. He has Woodrow potential, and he sometimes exhibits Blue Duck like behavior.

2. He was hit by a car about a month ago, resulting in a fractured pelvis. The person who brought him to the shelter found him injured. His fracture is healing, but he can't really jump up onto anything over 18 inches high. I don't know if that will improve or not.

3. He is hyper-alert. He notices noises outside and reacts as if they were inside. It took a while for us to figure out why he was spazzing out for seemingly no reason- it was because the car door closing outside scared him, and we didn't even hear it. I think he will chill in a few days.

4. He growls like some kind of pit bull. You know how cats make a low, growly sound right before they hiss or scream? My cat doesn't do that. He just growls like a dog, or a cougar. He does it when he hears the big dogs bark, or when Tina moves. It's getting better, though.

5. He's got weird little pseudo-claws on his front paws, called horned paws. They are callouses, I guess. His actual claws are trimmed very very short- in fact I had to check to see if he wasn't declawed.

6. He is aggressive toward Tina. (Although this behavior, too, is quickly improving.) I've never seen a cat move toward a dog, hissing and growling. That's what my cat does. Tina just shakes and waits to be rescued.

7. He lies on his back and looks at the TV upside-down.

8. He makes a real mess out of his water dish, as if he cant' drink right. I know that Scottsih Folds have a reputation for liking to drink from a drippy faucet, so I offered that to him, but he didn't seem interested. I'll give the bowl of water a few more days.

So, yeah. He's a quirky cat. But he is nice to people, and his unpleasant behavior really is decreasing rapidly as he gets comfortable. I try to imagine what he's been through, to fit the pieces of his life together like a puzzle to figure out his past. Maybe I can make up a really great story about him. But first, he'll need a name.

Things I learned this week- Mardi Gras edition

Last week sure was busy. I did a lot, and I learned a few things. Here are some of them.

*I learned that February 13 is Mistress' Day, but I think that's all wrong. I read an article on the internet about how the day before Valentine's day is the day when mistresses get taken out to dinner and romanced, because cheating bastards have to pretend to love their wives on Valentine's Day, which makes them unavailable to the other women on the 14th. But.
I asked Spencer to take me to dinner on the 13th because I thought the restaurants would be crowded on the 14th. So we went to Carino's, and I started looking around for mistresses.
All I have to say is that if the women in that restaurant, myself included, were examples of the kind of women that men stray for, we've got problems, and I am glad we didn't go out on the 14th to see the wretched wives.

* I learned that my kid has grown in the past 6 months, which surprised me. I thought she had plateaued. I think it was a half inch. In June we are going to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, where she will be part of a Turner Syndrome study. I bet I will learn a lot that week.

The cat story

I've been looking for a Scottish Fold cat for a while. Looking for a Scottish Fold is no like looking for a lab- they are a little more difficult to locate and often more expensive. There is one breeder in Oregon, in Klamath Falls, which for all intents and purposes is California. However, that breeder is the breeder closest to me. Unfortunately, that breeder sold a couple people cats with health problems, and those folks took their beefs (beeves?) to the internet, where I saw them and ruled out ever buying a cat from the Oregon breeder.
So I widen the circle.
In November, I found an adorable teenage Scottish Fold with straight ears for sale from a breeder in South Carolina. The cat was reasonably priced, $75 if I recall correctly, but I would have to pay for him to be shipped to me. I had myself convinced that I wanted that cat for my birthday/ Christmas. But. Animals can only be shipped in aircraft when the temperature is at least 50 degrees at all stops. So I had to wait until Spring. Meanwhile, she sold the cat to someone local.
I check craigslist about weekly to see if any cats are available, and last week to my complete overjoyed surprise, a couple in my town was looking for a new home for their Scottish Fold female because the cat didn't put up with the two-year old daughter's pokes and pulls.
My whole family went to meet the cat, and she was adorable. She was floppy and sweet and as cute as could be. I was smitten. But.
The owner asked for a couple days to make sure she was doing the right thing and to be sure she could bear to part with her cat of eight years. She sent me an email a day later thanking me, and apologizing for deciding to keep the cat. It's not me, it's her. I felt like crying.
Instead of crying, I sat down at the computer and typed in various combinations of "scottish" "fold" "oregon" "adoption" "for sale" "kitten" and then, I found one at a shelter in Klamath Falls. so I picked up the phone.
The nice lady who answered told me that the cat on the internet was a mixed breed, but a nice enough cat. She told me that she had another Scottish Fold that was just yesterday ready for adoption. She sent me a picture of a cat she called Judd who was recovering from a fractured pelvis he got when he had presumably been hit by a car, and I decided to drive to Klamath Falls.
So this morning, after setting up a Girl Scout Cookie booth, Madison, Tina the chihuahua and I headed south. 4 hours later we found ourselves in the fanciest animal shelter I have ever seen. No cages, just cats. Fresh air. Room to roam, light. And there was Judd.
He's on my lap now, we are becoming pretty good friends. Madison is absolutely in love. Even Spencer likes him and Tina seems tolerant. I think he was worth the wait, but he needs a new name. We are thinking Pea Eye.

Photo Friday- 2/19/2010

I've got a couple photos to share today. The first one I maybe should have shared on Wednesday, since it is what we had for dinner on Ptomaine Wednesday. You may recall that I failed to try a new recipe. I had a meeting of one sort or another and so Spencer cooked dinner. Since it was a big Olympic night- halfpipe and short track, we wanted something we could eat without paying too much attention to our plate- so knives and forks were out. He chose nachos. Uninspired? Hardly. I think that Spencer has been secretly inspired by my culinary endeavors. Here is a photo.
You will see that he used black beans instead of refried beans, even though we had refried beans in the pantry. And do you see the Iron Chef ingredient? That's right, corn. Those are Santa Fe Nachos.

My love of all things Olympic has me in front of the TV for hours on end in the evening. I am fascinated by the events, but I find it difficult to just sit and watch. I needed something to do with my hands. So I started this project, a crochet tote bag, and I fully intend to complete it during the closing ceremonies. Isn't it marvelous? I can't remember having more fun crocheting. I love the cables and bobbles. I have the front completed.

A week full of failure.

This week, I failed to use the wiiFit, I failed to try a new recipe yesterday, and although I was pleasant today, I wasn't particularly thoughtful. But I am okay with all of that- I have just been too damned busy to do any of it.

Today, Joe the Pilot flew his airplane into the IRS building in Austin, Texas. He left a suicide manifesto on his blog, which can be found on The Smoking Gun. I read it, and it's sufficiently nutty... but also suprisingly well written and, okay... not crazy. He mentions his disgust with the bailout of GM, which I found to be a disappointment, too. I think GM should have been allowed to fail. If I don't completely disagree with a wacko, does that mean I am a wacko, too?

Eight Olympians I've got my eye on

8. Johnny Weir- I know he isn't going to get on the podium, but I love to watch him be fabulous. I thank him for acknowledging the overwhelming gayness of mens figure skating.

7. Bode Miller- I loved him 4 years ago for not giving a shit. I am rooting for him this year even though I think he gives a little tiny shit now.

6. Lindsey Jacobellis- Even though I know that she didn't get a medal, if I had written this on Monday when I was supposed to I still would have held out hope. She's so darn cute and likeable.

5. Quatchi- My husband brought this home from Canada for my daughter last year. It's Quatchi, the official Vancouver Olympics mascot. I've had my eyes peeled for him at the games, but like the real sasquatch, he has proved elusive. Or maybe we have the only one.

4. ski cross(er) Errol Kerr, Jamaica's sole Olympian. I wonder if he will be on primetime TV. I would check nbcolympics.com, but I have to obstain because I just checked over there a minute ago for something else and there was a result from tonight's telecast right there on the front page! bastards. At least it wasn't anything I care about.

3. Shaun White. I am actually rooting against him, now that I know that he owns his own halfpipe on a mountain in Colorado. Seems non-Olympian.

2. Okay, not an olympian, but a gripe: The games are being held in my time zone, and I can't watch them live.

1. Louie Vito. He rides tonight, and I will have my fingers crossed. He's five feet of pure charisma and charm.

Things I learned this week- slippery slope edition

Hmmm.... where was I?

Oh that's right, Sunday.

I've had a busy weekend and there's no rest for me in the foreseeable future. The number one thing I learned this week is really something I already knew about myself- that if I don't keep up on something, if I let it go just a little bit, it all goes to hell. This is how my sink gets overfull of dirty dishes, how my pool turns green, how all the little things get neglected. So I need to get back to daily blogging, no matter how inane my days are.

What else did I learn last week?

It all went by so fast, I can hardly remember. I guess I learned the value of a good nap.

USA! USA!

I love the Olympics. I am super excited for the next two weeks. I am especially looking forward to the 17th, when half pipe starts. Louie Vito is my Olympic boyfriend this go-round. I had to break up with my previous Olympic boyfriend, Apolo Ohno, because he dropped his middle name and went Hollywood. Also, have you seen that NyQuil commercial?Terrible. And I get the feeling that he might not be my type... if you know what I mean. So I'm done wasting my time with him.
Even though I won't be emotionally invested in short track this year, I will be looking forward to all of the speed skating events, particularly Steven Colbert's Vancouver reports.
I'll be watching the luge, of course. I think they ought to just give gold medals to anyone who has the guts to get on that track.
I always say that I am not that interested in the figure skating, but by the time it rolls around, I am spellbound by the chiffon princesses.
I heard Wayne Gretzky say that the best thing for hockey in North America would be a USA vs Canada final. I think that would be terrific, and I like Wayne Gretzky, so I am going to hope for that.
I also really, really, really like Bob Costas. I could do without Chris Collinsworth and I can take or leave Mary Carillo.

Photo Friday- Radiothon edition

On Friday, I answered phones at the KRKT St Jude radiothon. The little girl in the photo above is Gracie, who lives in Albany, in my neighborhood. She shared her St Jude story on the radio and took over the radio station for a couple days. She's a bundle of energy and a terrific kid. Her big brother called in a pledge, and he asked if he could speak to her. She picked up, listened, and said "I love you, too."

I assumed that he was an adult who lives out of town, but I was wrong. He's in high school, and he lives with Gracie, and he called just to say he loved her.

We raised just under $78,000.00, about $20,000.00 less than last year, which was $35,000.00 less than the year before that. I hope this economy turns around so that people can give again.

Thoughtful Thursday- pensive Thursday edition

On Thursday, I had an opportunity to pay a sincere compliment to a stranger, but I didn't, because I didn't think it was appropriate.
A representative from a medical supply company brought lunch in for the doctor and the nurse and me. I had been trading emails with this guy for a while trying to get a lunch set up, and he seemed like a nice enough guy. When he showed up, he was not as good looking as most pharmaceutical sales representatives are, but he was clean and well groomed and nicely dressed.
And he smelled like Heaven.
I wanted to tell him that he smelled good and asked him how he achieved his pleasant aroma so that my husband could duplicate it, but then I thought I ought not.
Because even though I wasn't the least bit attracted to this guy, I think that telling someone they smell nice is the same as saying "I think you're hot."
I have also learned that if a guy is troubled enough, saying "Good morning" to him sounds the same to him as "I am really into you." But that's another story- the long story of why I don't talk to strange men at all.

So on Thursday, I wasn't thoughtful (I made up for it on Friday), but I did a lot of thinking.

Ptomaine Wednesday- Turns out you can go wrong with bacon.

You may remember that last week my family was needing some comfort food. I decided that this week, I would try a venison recipe.
Because I love adventure, I typed "Venison Recipe" into google and here is the first hit I got- a recipe for Grilled Venison Backstrap.

This morning I pulled the white package marked "bs '09" out of the freezer. My husband was a merciful hunter this year, but one of his pals got a deer and an elk and was kind enough to give us six or seven pounds of meat.

When I butcher a deer, I package the backstrap in 6 or 7 inch "rolls", like pork loin, and that is the way I thought everyone did it. Not Spencer's buddy. When the meat was defrosted I found that it was in fact small slices of meat, like carne asada. This presented a small problem since the recipe calls for two inch chunks of meat, but I forged on, deciding to use two small pieces strapped together instead of one chunk.

The recipe also calls for the meat to be cooked on an outdoor grill. Unfortunately, it was raining pretty hard here this evening, so I broiled it.

I thought that my family would really really like small pieces of deer, marinated twice- once in barbecue sauce- and wrapped in bacon. They weren't all that impressed. I think my daughter liked it, or at least the bacon, but my husband didn't finish his.
We decided that this recipe was written by or for someone who doesn't want to taste their meat. The meat almost tasted candied, which is how I feel about anything with barbecue sauce on it.

Also, I really missed Rachael Ray telling me what to serve with the main dish. I went with mac and cheese and asparagus because that is what was easy.

Fat Tuesday: Afraid to get old edition

My knee is at 100%, but my motivation is at about 50%. I've slacked off on the wii, but I have been walking more. Since I haven't used wiiFit, I do not know how much I weigh, but I imagine I haven't lost much since I am still wearing the same clothes.

I guess the whole reason I am concerned about gaining weight is that I don't want to get old and fat. But Here is a story about a guy who really, really doesn't want to get old... and is doing all he can to prevent it. In fact, he almost stopped his aging process permanently last week.

My top 8 Superbowl commercials

I took a couple days off. I'm back now. I was just too tired to sit in front of the computer for 15 minutes.

I will admit that I was rooting for the Colts to win the Super Bowl because I am fascinated by Peyton Manning. Did you know that he is practically an idiot savant? He need polaroids of his clothing to pick outfits, he was once mystified by a can opener, and his girlfriend, in Tennessee, had to call a Chinese food restaturant in a city he was playing in to order takeout for him. So you see, in the game of life, Peyton is an underdog. Guess what else? He licks his fingers all the time, not just on the field.

So the game was a bit of a disappointment, but not too bad. I am happy for the city of New Orleans. Of course, my favorite part was the commercials. Here are my top eight.

8. Joe Montana for Skechers ShapeUps. Only makes the top 8 because I remember it. I remember thinking, "Really? Is this one of those so-bad-it's good commercials? " I guess it was.

7. The Boost Mobile Shuffle. I gave this a "sorta funny" until Jim McMahon scooted out on His Free Rascal- that alone was enough for an immediate upgrade to darned funny.

6. The very sweet Google commercial. Was this Google's first commercial ever? I googled... it was.

5. The Doritos commercial with the dog in the shock collar.

4. The Doritos commercial with the protective little kid.

3. The e*Trade commercial with the milkaholic reference.

2. The Snickers commercial with Betty White and Abe Vigoda. Betty White is just all kinds of wonderful. She's a treasure.

1. The Worst Super Bowl Party Ever. I love David Letterman almost as much as I love Oprah. Stuff like this is why.

Photo Friday- Use Your Imagination Edition

I had today's photo all posed and ready, only to find that the batteries in my camera are dead-dead. I could go buy more, but they are rechargeable, and I have them charging now. Besides, it was going to be a boring photo anyway.

The only thing of consequence I did today was gather supplies for an ESA meeting tomorrow. We will be doing a team building exercise which sounds like a fun challenge:

We will divide into teams of seven or eight. Each team gets a 24 piece jigsaw puzzle to complete. The catch is that all members of the team except one are to be blindfolded. The team member who can see must not speak. She is given a noisemaker to use instead of her voice.

So, my picture was going to be of the noisemakers. I have one party horn, one whistle, one metal smashed oval on a plastic gear traditional noisemaker, one small set of wind chimes, a dog's squeaky toy, a dog training clicker, a yogurt tub with 12 dice in it, and an easy button.
I got everything except the easy button and the clicker at the dollar store today, and I wish I would have had my camera then... I would have taken pictures of the $1 hair dye.

Thoughtful Thursday: Guilty conscience edition

This morning, the first thing my kid said to me was "Hey, for Thoughtful Thursday, you can donate to OPB."
OPB is Oregon Public Broadcasting, and their winter pledge drive kicked off this morning. Madison knew that because the radio in her room is tuned to OPB 24/7. It's not unusual for her to roll out of bed talking about some international economic crisis or the latest political news.
For the past I don't know how many years, we have listened to the pledge drives, and she has asked me to join. I always tell her that I should, that I should cancel the newspaper subscription since it goes unread, and use that money to support a real local news-gathering organization. But I never have, until today. I made my pledge on line. The donation form had a field for comments, so I wrote in something clever about OPB being the reason my 12 year old is so smart and funny (even though I KNOW that she gets those qualities from her mother) and they read my comment on the air, as they do with all of them. Madison was listening and I think she got kind of a kick out of it- she called me at work to acknowledge the pledge.
I don't know if it is thoughtful to do something when part of the reason for doing it is to assuage guilt about not doing it. But I did it, and I am counting it.

Ptomaine Wednesday- My family is growing weary.

The thing about Ptomaine Wednesday is that ever since I started, I've been preparing new recipes almost every night, not just Wednesdays. Most have turned out really well, a few were just a little above average. We haven't had to call for pizza yet, but tonight my husband grumbled something about missing the old stand-bys. So I guess I will have to work those back in to the rotation. I suppose there is comfort in knowing that you will enjoy your meal. (He is taking Chantix to try to quit chewing tobacco so I am trying to be extra- accommodating and pleasant.)

This week, I have been focusing on Rachael Ray's lighter recipes. Last week, I made Israeli Spiced Chicken.
The rub for the chicken is similar to the Morroccan rub I made a few weeks ago, with ginger being the notable missing ingredient. The chicken turned out good, albeit powerfully flavored. The best thing about that meal was the zucchini cooked with mint. I would have never thought about cooking with mint... it is fantastic! The mint mellows when cooked, so it isn't like eating chewing gum.

Tonight, we had Zucchini-roni pizza and Asparagus and Plum tomato Pizza. (they are on the same page of the cookbook)

Rachael calls for store bought pizza dough, in order to come in under 30 minutes, I suppose. I did see bags of fresh pizza dough at Winco for $1.50, and I contemplated buying them for the sake of convenience, but I thought I might as well save three bucks and spend the extra 20 minutes to make my own dough. I am glad I did. I used this family recipe that my friend Kathleen posted on her facebook page last year, and generously gave me permission to share:

Osterman Family Pizza Crust
1 T dry active yeast
1 C water (a little warmer than body temperature)
1 t sugar
combine these ingredients and let the yeast work for about 10 minutes.

add when yeast combo is bubbly:
1 t salt
2 and 1/4 C flour, sifted

mix well;pour 1/8 C oil over top of dough; cover bowl and set on top of preheated oven; let dough rise for 20 or 30 minutes.

sprinkle pizza pans (or cookie sheet) with cornmeal. lightly cover hands with oil and spread crust thinly on the pan. top however you wish and bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.


The crust is to die for. The pizzas turned out great, although we all agreed that pesto on pizza, no matter how tasty it sounds, isn't that great. We all liked the pureed roasted red pepper sauce on the zucchini pizza, and we learned that we love fontina cheese.
Next week, I'm going to try a new recipe for the venison in the freezer.

Fat Tuesday- my sedentary life

I haven't used the wiiFit much this week. Last Wednesday, while I was doing 30 minutes of strength exercises, which I HATE, I felt a painful pop in my left knee. The pain quickly subsided and I was able to bear weight, so I continued for another three or four minutes until I had to flex my knee and I had the same painful sensation. I began to suspect a meniscus tear so I stopped and I have been taking it easy, and my knee has been fine ever since. On Friday, the risers that I ordered arrived, and I am anxious to use them. I think I will try tomorrow.
I have been making some of Rachael's "lighter" menus from the back of the book, and while they aren't as delicious, I feel lighter this week than last. Of course, that could be because I haven't weighed myself.
At Science Bowl, Madison was given a pedometer in her gift bag. She agreed to let me use it, so I strapped it on on Sunday while I checked coats at the square dance festival. That day, I took about 4500 steps.
I wore it to work on Monday, and I checked it in the early afternoon. I had taken about 200 steps. Two hundred. I thought it may have been malfunctioning, but it wasn't. The fact is that on the days that I go to the office, the most exercise I get is walking s from my desk to the fridge in the breakroom. The total for the day was a little over 600 steps. I hadn't realized how sedentary I am.

8 items to avoid at the thrift store

Last week, my list of eight was things that are a better value used than new. As promised, here is the list of things that should be avoided at the second hand store.

* Liquids. I have seen shampoo, perfume, vinegars and oils and I suspect that they are all contaminated with urine.

* Electronics. They don't work.

* Helmets. Cranial safety is no place to cut corners.

* Gifts. You night think this goes without saying, but you would be wrong. No one has said it to a certain relative of mine.

* Puzzles. Missing pieces.

* Mattresses. I know that they are 'reconditioned', but still. Pee soaks deep.

* And the obvious, socks and underwear. I still am amazed that they sell them.