Does this happen to anyone else?

I think like most mothers, when I attach a phone to my ear it is a signal to my children to either immediately start fighting or bombard me with *urgent* questions. Aside from the obvious problems resulting from all that, lately I have been struggling with the voice-activated menu functions found on most 800 numbers. Now these non-human operators allow you to either enter your information or speak it. That is all well and good until your toddlers start screwing up the maching b/c they won't stop yelling at each other or you while you are trying to get a human operator on the line. I keep getting this "I'm sorry, we were unable to understand your request. Please listen to the menu again and choose your...blah blah." I just called Target online services and I swear I think my kids nearly brought down the whole system. Did any of you see the movie Total Recall back in the late 80's or early 90's when Arnold is dressed as a woman going through customs and his computer chip malfunctions and he can't stop saying "two weeks". I think my kids will eventually do that to an 800 number automated system some day.

Barbaro

I had an entirely different post in mind for today. I will have to save it for another time as a sad thing happened today. Barbaro the horse was put down today due to a complication with an infection. My heart broke as I watched that fateful race when he injured his leg and I have been rooting for him ever since. I am thankful great lengths were taken to try to save his life and am sad that it just could not work out for him.

Something About Me...

I am not sure if I have ever discussed this here but I have been having a bout of culinary obsession lately so I figured I'd share. I love to cook. I adore food. I love to eat it. I love to cook it. I love to chop, swirl, roast, simmer, & baste. I especially love to make food for other people. As much as I love food, when I am alone I eat cereal. (except the first time SJ left me for a 3-week business trip to Asia and then I got stir crazy, cooked up a storm for myself and started photographing the dishes cuz no one was there share them with me.) When I get stressed out I escape to the kitchen and just cook, cook, cook.

I am reading a wonderful book right now called The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America by Michael Ruhlman. The author actually embeds himself at the CIA as a culinary student and writes a very detailed account of his experience. AHHH heaven. I would LOVE to go to culinary school. I am eating up (no pun intended) every word of this book. In it he references other books essential to the professional cook and as I read I look up these books on Amazon. I have checked a few of them out of the Library and peruse them when I have the time.

My sister-in-law loves to cook too. She and my brother have that in common. They often cook together at home which is such a nice way to spend time as a couple. Her food instincts are great and I love talking to her about food. We spend every weekend together in the winter at my parent's ski house and it is such a joy to plan menus and cook with her. She says she enjoys baking more than savory cooking but you'd never know it as she does both equally well. I am more of a savory cook than a baker.

I know many of you out there share my passion for food too. I have put some links to great food blogs toward the bottom of my page. Read and salavate!

It's Five O'Clock Somewhere...

As I sit chained to my desk burning DVD after DVD only to have my software fart in the middle and I have to start over, I decided to look for mindless things to put on my blog. Since it was too early to actually have a drink I decided to find out what kind of alcoholic drink I am. Here is what the survery over at Blog Things spat out at me...

You Are a Martini

Truly classy and refined, you drink like a lady. You know how to hold your liquor, and you always keep your composure. And you demand the same in a guy - especially if he can remain a gentleman while drunk. You prefer to date successful men, who can pay for your quality drinks.

What Alcoholic Drink Are You?

HUM... I don't care for Martinis but they sure look good. I guess I will take what I got as a compliment and perhaps see if I can find a Martini I like.

And another thing, who else out there is annoyed with the "check here to remember me" box that never remembers me! I swear, every time I log in I check that damn box only to be forgotten 20 minutes later. Its like calling your credit card, having to enter your account number and pin only to be greeted by the operater with a "Hello, can I have your account number please?" Jeeze!

Christmas Pickles

Here is a huge heartfelt thank you to Tawni who sent me 3 Christmas Pickles over the holidays. She apparently saw them and thought of me which was so incredibly nice. She sent one for each of my pickles!

The tradition of the Christmas pickle is a German one I think and it goes like this. The pickle ornament is the last one to be hung on the tree on Christmas eve and is to be hung by the parents without the children watching. The next morning, the observant child who finds the hidden pickle is said to have good luck for the next year and also receives a special "extra" gift. In our house we buy "pickle" gifts for each child and wrap them up. The child who finds the pickle gets to choose the present but no one gets left out. Perhaps when they get older I will only have one present but for now when they are young no one loses out. This year B found the pickle and got to choose his present. Last year his sister found it.

let me elaborate

I am just so annoyed that PZ and CNN give such morons a loud and far reaching voice. Don't get me wrong, the President of the Organization of Chinese Americans and David Youtz were great but she still allowed Roland Martin and the other hooligan more airtime. Those two should not be allowed to speak to more than a wall in a very small & potentially concrete room.

I gave up CNN long ago and this is just more evidence to support that decision. I heard a great line a month or two ago..." I am not sure which is more stunning, that Britney Spears has had 2 children and 2 divorces by the age of 24 or that I heard about her second divorce on CNN Breaking News." I rest my case!

CNN and Paula Zahn suck hog

nuf said.

Thank You my Firefly Pal!

Look at these beautiful gifts from my July Fireflies pal! How sweet she is to send me such great stuff. The theme for December was "bedtime" and she sent my daughter the cute teddie and blankie plus 2 Baby Einstein CDs! I assume the peppermint candle is for mommy! I have decided to start lighting a candle each night for my daughter who seems so very far away. Our wait is getting to be so hard and I just want to do something to honor her place in this family each day. Your candle is the perfect thing, so thank you!