Merry Christmas
I can not wait for this week to be over and done with. I can not wait for the Christmas holiday to begin. I need some relaxation. In the meantime, enjoy this Disney magic.
Ode to a Good Dog
In 1995, we took a family vacation to Hawaii. We were introduced to Kona coffee. All the while my brother and I have been begging for a doggy addition to the family. Matthew wanted a pug dog. We returned home from the trip and finally convinced our parents to look at dogs. We went to an AKC dealer and picked out a little boy pug. He was the only pug who wasn't crazy or nuts. The dog just went over to my dad and sat near him. That was just what he needed to do to come home with us. The dealers said the dog was small and probably the runt of the litter given its action. But we didn't care. He would probably be a really small dog. Boy was that dealer wrong, wrong, wrong. We named the pug Kona Coffeebean.
For his formative years, Kona lived in the laundry room. He lived in a plastic crate for a while, until he had grown into a metal one. I remember only being allowed to take him out of the laundry room for short amounts of time when Kona first came home with us. He used to be so tiny - Silvio sized you could say. If you sat Indian-style on the floor, Kona fit right in the space left between your legs.
After Kona finally learned to not go in the house, he graduated to having run of the ground floor of the house. By run, I mean run. He would attempt to herd people and furniture for about 5-10 minutes if the whole family managed to be in the family room at the same time. We thought it was hilarious that he would do that. Now I am not surprised when Silvio does it as well.
The years sort of jumble together. I remember a summer, where it was sooo hot, Kona spent the entire day splayed out on the tile in the foyer. Winters when the snow was so deep - Kona tried walking on top of the snow and in an instant he had dropped underneath it. From then on we knew we had to shovel a potty area before we could take him out. Countless highschool mornings when I would have my Kona time watching some silly cartoons before I head off to school. Kona passing up everyone else to sit on Dad's lap in, by the by, a chair whose own time has passed. Kon-bone noticing the luggage coming up from the basement and getting sad because he knew we were going on vacation. Kona chewing on the family room carpet. His plastic bag fetish. Kona's ability to alert us to any danger - including those dogs (even animated ones) on the television. I left for college - Kona was so mad, he left...how shall we call it, a "present" in my room. The symphony that we call Kona's sleeping. The myriad of noises he made while we ate at the dinner table. Kona's love for mashed potatoes - which believe me, left me conflicted when I wanted to finish the last of the potatoes.
Kona got older. It was harder for him to move around. We started giving him glucosamin-chondrotin for his aches and pains. He stopped jumping up on people and the couch. It took him a long time to get up the stairs. I am very glad Kona stuck it through my wedding and getting to meet Silvio. He even perked up after Silvio's trip - he followed people around and was on the whole much more active. I wish he and Silvio would have had the chance to hang out together at Christmas again. But there will only be one silly pug dog at Christmas this year - not the fawn colored one. Kona passed away on Monday December 8, 2008. I am happy to have had such a wonderful dog for 13 years. He was a good dog and I hope up in doggy heaven that he gets all the mashed potatoes he wants.
Me 1, Scorpion squash
It's not a large secret - I am not a big fan of insects. Living beings that wear their skeletons on the outside and not the inside are just a little unnatural for me. We already know that I have issues with swarms of ladybugs. But I can look on that experience and laugh a bit now. This time, not so much. I walked into our office room this morning and saw a large (1-2 in) scorpion hanging out by the computer on the floor. Silvio follows me into the room at which point - I'm hysterical. I cry out for the dog to leave the room so he doesn't get stung. I run into the bedroom towards Andy's closet. I find the largest pair of boots Andy had (it's a good thing guys' feet are so much bigger than girls'). I run back into the office to find the scorpion hadn't moved. I then proceed to beat the living daylights out of the scorpion with Andy's boot sole. After I had ensured that it wasn't going to move again - I called Andy up to come back from class to help me clean up - cause I had no idea what to do. I'm from the Northeast what do you expect - anything with more than two legs gets a squashing. I think we deduced that there is a small crack between the screen and the window. Since we hadn't fully engaged the lock on the window - it probably crawled in that way. But the bigger kicker is that the bug/pest control guy was here at the apartment complex and I had just missed him when I spoke to the apartment manager about my run-in. But they managed to get him to come in tomorrow afternoon to spray. (I personally went on a spraying rampage once Andy got home). Keep your fingers crossed I don't see anymore of them.
Voter Registration
Yesterday afternoon a nice young lady knocked on the door of our apartment. She introduced herself and says she was canvassing the area to get people to register to vote. I told her that I was a registered out of state voter. (New Jersey represent! Although probably not for too much longer. I even filled out and got a new voter card after I got married. How good is that?) She responded with, "But you live here." I replied with "Yes, but I have an absentee ballot from my state." Sheesh. What part of registered out of state voter don't you get? If I know that information, one would come to the conclusion I know a thing or two about voting. It all ended with Silvio running out the front door to play in the muddy grass which led to me running around like an idiot to catch him.
Yes, I think it is great thing to get people to register. It's your right and privilege as a citizen of the United States of America. Personally, I think you should go to the county clerks office and do it yourself. Take some initiative. My reason for voting: it gives me the right to whine and complain or, alternatively, praise and take pride in how America is handling things.
With that, I need for people to not bother me about registering so I can make a decision for my absentee ballot. I'm still really quite muddled up to my ears in with this and all three recent debates have done very little to sway me in either direction. I guess I need to keep looking at Senate records and their proposed actions. At least -- my income tax class has given me a lot of insight into the tax code. Anyways, I should keep hush-hush on that - I hate it when people try to sway me with information they've found, so I don't want to do that here.
Back to the grind!
Yes, I think it is great thing to get people to register. It's your right and privilege as a citizen of the United States of America. Personally, I think you should go to the county clerks office and do it yourself. Take some initiative. My reason for voting: it gives me the right to whine and complain or, alternatively, praise and take pride in how America is handling things.
With that, I need for people to not bother me about registering so I can make a decision for my absentee ballot. I'm still really quite muddled up to my ears in with this and all three recent debates have done very little to sway me in either direction. I guess I need to keep looking at Senate records and their proposed actions. At least -- my income tax class has given me a lot of insight into the tax code. Anyways, I should keep hush-hush on that - I hate it when people try to sway me with information they've found, so I don't want to do that here.
Back to the grind!
Banking
My head, probably more aptly, my money is going in circles this week. Originally in Wachovia, which was supposed to be taken by Citigroup, and now this morning, looks like my money is going to be with Wells Fargo. I really don't have any worries about it though because the FDIC insures my accounts up to the first 100,000 dollars. (And no - I don't have 100,000 dollars, but I wish I did.)
Family Website
I created a family website for everyone to keep with what our little family (Andrew, Silvio, and myself) are up to. Right now it is still in its infancy. As time goes by, I am sure that it will become much more expansive. I have a bunch of more ideas, but at the moment I have a bunch of other projects - like my christmas stockings, gifts (holidays, birthdays, and the like), my income tax class (I'll probably write about that later), and so much more that is making the website building move along slowly. Anyway, below is the link to our site. It was quite easy to create with google, given I haven't made a website in about 6 years. Without further ado,
I have a bunch of other ideas for journal entries, and yes, it includes finishing off writing about the honeymoon. In the meantime, I have to get on my list of to-dos for the day:
I have a bunch of other ideas for journal entries, and yes, it includes finishing off writing about the honeymoon. In the meantime, I have to get on my list of to-dos for the day:
- updating our budget
- calling the vet to get the necessary papers so little Silvio can travel with me to NJ in the next couple of weeks
- domestically fun things - ie laundry and food shopping
- working on some gifts
- mailing packages
- working more on this website, christmas stockings, halloween decorations and the like.
- prepping for tomorrow's tax class
Thoughts
I think I might move my journal over to blogger - I can then add pictures without having to pay to use the site. I am also thinking about making either a family blog - which Andy, Silvio, and I can post to - or creating a family website through google. I'll let you know when it all goes down.
I swear I'll finish writing about the honeymoon - I've just been sidetracked. A bunch of tiny little projects like this have just bounced into my head and clearly I have succumbed to them. This past weekend the parents came to visit. So that was nice. A bit sad now, who am I kidding, a lot sad. Plus I have my first quiz today in my income tax course. Bah. Hope to be very domestically productive today.
Sleeping lap puppy says hello as well.
I swear I'll finish writing about the honeymoon - I've just been sidetracked. A bunch of tiny little projects like this have just bounced into my head and clearly I have succumbed to them. This past weekend the parents came to visit. So that was nice. A bit sad now, who am I kidding, a lot sad. Plus I have my first quiz today in my income tax course. Bah. Hope to be very domestically productive today.
Sleeping lap puppy says hello as well.
July 13- A Day for Knights
Our last full day in London began with another yummy breakfast at the hotel. Today was slated as a day for knights - that is we would actually be spending the day in London, whereas on the 12th we spend the day wandering around Westminster and the Palace. Instead of riding around on a bus all day, we started the day off with a walk around St. Paul's Cathedral. Unfortunately it was a Sunday morning, so we did not take a gander inside given that mass was going on. The Cathedral is the third largest domed cathedral in the entire world. It had to be rebuilt after the Fire of London but withstood the blitz during World War II.
While we were walking around our Blue Badge guide, Steven, told us to keep an eye out for dragons. Dragon statues are an indication that you are entering/leaving London. After walking around the Cathedral, we made our way to the Thames. On the way we did manage to find Knightrider Street. Alas, no Hasselhoff sightings. We crossed the Thames via the Millenium Bridge. It is more affectionately known as the "Wibbly-Wobbly" bridge. At it's opening, there was so much foot-traffic that the bridge began to "wobble" about 2 ft back and forth. Only after 2 days of being open, they had to close the bridge for repair.
After crossing the bridge, we caught a glimpse of Tate Modern and the Globe Theatre. We did not go inside either. The Globe is not the original, although it was rebuilt following the same design as the original. Walking along the edge of the river we met up with a bus which would take us to the Tower of London.
We drove over the Tower bridge to get to the Tower of London. What is interesting is that most people believe the Tower Bridge is the London Bridge. In fact that is not the case. London Bridge used to have many houses attached to it. It was replaced in the 19th century, without the houses. While at the Tower of London we learned about Traitor's Gate (which St. Thomas More traveled through); the Bloody Gate; the White Tower; the Crown Jewels; and the Fusiliers Museum.
The tour guides then gave us the afternoon off. They set us loose on the city. We walked from our hotel to the British Museum. It was quite crowded to say the least. We wandered through Soho to Piccadilly Circus to pick up a little something for my brother. We realized we were nearby the National Gallery. So we stopped in for a looksie before it closed for the day. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped for dinner at The Porterhouse on Maiden Street for our authentic pub meal. Andy had bangers and mash and I had fish and chips. We also had some yummy beers - of whose names I am blanking on at the moment. We meandered through Covent Garden on our return to the hotel. We slept quite well that evening.
While we were walking around our Blue Badge guide, Steven, told us to keep an eye out for dragons. Dragon statues are an indication that you are entering/leaving London. After walking around the Cathedral, we made our way to the Thames. On the way we did manage to find Knightrider Street. Alas, no Hasselhoff sightings. We crossed the Thames via the Millenium Bridge. It is more affectionately known as the "Wibbly-Wobbly" bridge. At it's opening, there was so much foot-traffic that the bridge began to "wobble" about 2 ft back and forth. Only after 2 days of being open, they had to close the bridge for repair.
After crossing the bridge, we caught a glimpse of Tate Modern and the Globe Theatre. We did not go inside either. The Globe is not the original, although it was rebuilt following the same design as the original. Walking along the edge of the river we met up with a bus which would take us to the Tower of London.
We drove over the Tower bridge to get to the Tower of London. What is interesting is that most people believe the Tower Bridge is the London Bridge. In fact that is not the case. London Bridge used to have many houses attached to it. It was replaced in the 19th century, without the houses. While at the Tower of London we learned about Traitor's Gate (which St. Thomas More traveled through); the Bloody Gate; the White Tower; the Crown Jewels; and the Fusiliers Museum.
The tour guides then gave us the afternoon off. They set us loose on the city. We walked from our hotel to the British Museum. It was quite crowded to say the least. We wandered through Soho to Piccadilly Circus to pick up a little something for my brother. We realized we were nearby the National Gallery. So we stopped in for a looksie before it closed for the day. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped for dinner at The Porterhouse on Maiden Street for our authentic pub meal. Andy had bangers and mash and I had fish and chips. We also had some yummy beers - of whose names I am blanking on at the moment. We meandered through Covent Garden on our return to the hotel. We slept quite well that evening.
Request
Does anyone have a simple flat knitting pattern for an old-timey classic christmas stocking? I'm looking for something - preferably on straight needles, no double pointed or circular ones. Thanks.
Recipe update
Last evening was the first time in a while that I tried out a new recipe. It was inspired by the fact that we bought some Oklahoma wine. We opened the bottled late last week to try it and we were....well, not so impressed. By not so impressed, it was the first time we decided to not finish or even make it halfway into the bottle. Thus, I was on the search to find a simple recipe to get rid of this excess wine. Here it is:
Steak with Mushroom and Wine Sauce
The meal turned out well and was pretty easy to prepare. We made some mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli to go with it. It probably would be better if we used a drier red wine - but hey at least we got rid of some of the not so hot wine.
Steak with Mushroom and Wine Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 large garlic cloves cut in half
- 1.5 - 2 pounds sirloin
- 8 oz presliced mushrooms
- 1 cup red wine
- black pepper to season
- In skillet, heat butter and oil over moderately high heat. Add garlic. Sprinkle steak with black pepper and place in hot skillet.
- For medium rare, cook about 7 minutes; turn, cook 2 minutes and add mushrooms. (Since we had two thin individual steaks and not one huge chunk of meat, I only cooked it for 3.5 minutes on each side. I added the mushrooms immediately after flipping the meat.) Cook 5 minutes more, stirring mushrooms several times. Remove steak to a heated platter in a 200 degree oven.
- Pour wine into skillet and stir to loosen browned bits. Mash garlic with a fork.
- Increase heat and cook 2 to 3 minutes.
- Slice steak thinly across the grain (if you have a huge chunk of meat). Spoon mushroom sauce over meat.
The meal turned out well and was pretty easy to prepare. We made some mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli to go with it. It probably would be better if we used a drier red wine - but hey at least we got rid of some of the not so hot wine.
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