.Honey Bunny Blog.

My Pastry School Blog

2011-03-10T19:32:00.002-06:00

I'm woefully behind, but check out my blog about pastry school at Stiff Peaks!

New Year, New Adventures

2011-01-05T22:40:00.003-06:00

It's been way too long since I've posted anything here. I'm hoping to start this up again as I'm making many new changes in my life.

I decided about a month ago to go back to school. Not just any school - Pastry school. It's something I've been wanting to do for years, but never had the time or money to do so. I have the money now, and I'm hoping that I will also have the time. I'll have to make the time since I've been accepted at the Art Institutes here in Minneapolis and I start classes on Monday. I have my orientation tomorrow afternoon. I don't know why I'm a nervous wreck about it, but I am. Probably because I haven't been to an orientation since I was 17 years old.

I'm both excited and nervous. Some days I wonder if this was the right decision. I know in my heart that it is, so now I just have to get in the door and start my first class to solidify in my gut that this is the right choice.

I hope to write about my experience in pastry school, both good and bad, as it progresses. It's only for 44 weeks, so I know I can do it. It's just getting rid of that lump in my throat and the butterflies in my belly so I can breeze through it.

Modern Cafe, Northeast Minneapolis

2010-01-03T10:16:00.004-06:00

I had a delicious dinner with our friends Molly and Walter last night at the Modern Cafe in NE. The restaurant had been on their list of places to try for a while. Since I made a resolution to try new places in the city, I was pretty excited to go.

The restaurant looks and feels like an old diner. We sat in a booth at the back which was adorned with an art deco mirror and a few graffiti hearts carved into the wooden bench. The server brought Molly a Mexican Coke and we decided to go with the Duck and Shiitake Rillet as an appetizer. It was delicious. I'm not a fan of mushrooms, but I hardly noticed them in the rillet.

The dinner menu is pretty limited, but we found something we all wanted to try. I had the Pot Roast, Walt had the Meatloaf, and Molly had the Mussel Stew. I'm also not a huge fan of mussels, but I tried Molly's dish and it was very tasty. My pot roast was so tender I didn't have to use my knife at all. Walt said his meatloaf was very delicious as well.

We ordered Pots de Creme for dessert, which was also wonderful. Walt and Molly had espresso, but I passed as I'm an old lady and it would have kept me up all night.

I hope to go back to Modern Cafe again soon. The service was great and the food was amazing. I also like the fact that they use local resources and ingredients in all their dishes. Go, now, if you haven't already been.

Top 10 Best Comedies of the 2000's

2009-12-29T16:23:00.001-06:00

Yes, I'm back! I've made a New Year's Resolution to get back into writing in my blog. I have been away for so long that it's going to take me a year to play catch-up.
But in the mean time, here are my picks of the Top 10 Best Comedies during the past decade:

1. Shaun of the Dead

2. Kung Fu Hustle

3. Super Troopers

4. 40 Year Old Virgin

5. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

6. King of Kong: A Fist Full of Quarters

7. Napoleon Dynamite

8. Superbad

9. C.R.A.Z.Y.

10. Shrek 2

Asian Beef with Snow Peas | Food | Disney Family.com

2009-05-31T12:35:00.001-05:00

Asian Beef with Snow Peas | Food | Disney Family.com

Shared via AddThis

Going Back to Where I Came

2009-05-11T07:59:00.004-05:00

I'm leaving in about 3 hours to travel to Upstate NY to be with my Mom. She was diagnosed with cancer 5 days ago. I am on a leave of absence at work since I don't know how long I'll be there. I started my leave on May 7th. Today is May 11th. I swear to you these past 4 days have been the longest days of my life.

I had to co-ordinate my flight based on a number of factors. First, what flight can we get on short notice that flies direct from Mpls to Alb? Not only does it have to fly direct, it must be on Northwest. Not only does it have to be a direct flight on NW, but it has to be paid for with my Mom in Law's frequent flyer miles. And on top of all that, this magical flight has to land in Albany between the hours of 3pm and 5pm. Why? Because my Uncle has a conference in Albany that finishes up between those times and he will be picking me up from he airport and driving me to the hospital. For those of you who don't know, I don't drive. I mean, I am physically able to drive and hold a license from the state of MN, but I haven't driven any sort of distance since 2003. The thought of renting a car and driving the 2.5 hours to my Mom's house was making me more nervous than the plane ride. I hate flying.

I don't have details at this time as to what kind of cancer my Mom has, how bad "bad" is, how big the tumor is, and what course of action her Oncologist is recommending she take to have it removed. I know radiation and chemo are in the works; I just don't know when it will start.

To be perfectly honest, I'm dreading this trip. I've never traveled by myself before. I've also never been away from Phillip in the 6 years we've been together. I think that will be the hardest part. I'll miss Lola and all my friends here, too. I know I won't be gone for more than 3 or 4 weeks (although this can change at any time), but it seriously feels like forever.

But I need to help my Mom and be with my family right now. My sister needs me and my help (she's planning a wedding for November!) and my grandparents need someone to help them get to and from the hospital (I can handle that driving as it's not very far from their house). I just have to get through the next couple of hours and I'll be in NY.

Then I have to take things one day at a time.

Long, Long Time...No Post

2009-03-14T21:55:00.006-05:00

Work has kept me so busy that I haven't had time for myself. I'll be with my company for a year next month. Some days I feel like I've been working there forever, while other days I feel like I just started. These are both good and bad. I'm coming into my own and have been given many more responsibilities. Some days I'm completely overwhelmed, while other days I'm confident I can take on more. That's what I like about my job; I have no idea what I'm going to be getting into once I step in the office on any given day.

In other news, I got new glasses today. They are the same shape as my old ones, but solid black and not as thick. Oh, and sunglasses. Check 'em out.

Thankfully Vision World was having a 50% off complete glasses, or I'd have paid $800 total for both pair. But I paid a little under $400. It really sucks being blind sometimes, for sure!

I'm going to try and post more on here, if time allows. Or, rather, I should make time to post. I bought myself an awesome MacBook Pro for Christmas, so spending time online and sitting in front of a laptop is a dream. I also can work from home now that I have a functioning laptop, which rocks in all sorts of ways. Not having to go into work on the weekends is awesome. That's all I gotta say about that.

I'm off to bed. Sad, but true.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T09:55:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year!
Originally uploaded by thehoneybunny

Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve

2009-01-01T09:54:00.001-06:00

New Year's Eve
Originally uploaded by thehoneybunny

Happy New Year, everyone!

Rock Out With Your Cock Out

2008-12-14T13:07:00.000-06:00

When The Hubs and I lived in Boston we had a handful of local bands that we liked and saw quite often. One of my favorites was The Information. I think we saw them at least 10 times in three years. They have some catchy tunes and put on a great live show. They are pretty rad, so you should check them out.

So when The Hubs and I moved to Minneapolis, we wanted to find some local bands that we could enjoy and see on a sorta-regular basis. That has not happened. I think mostly because The Hubs is more of a new wave synth-rock guy and picky about his music, and I tend to like stuff he's not into (can anyone say Leslie and the Lys?) So we don't agree on much when it comes to seeing bands. Although after discussing this with him over breakfast, he reminded me he enjoyed our friend Wes's band The Drags (now called Noble Rot) a lot, so I have to give him credit for that.

Over the past month or so, I've been searching for local bands who have more of a guitar driven sound. Not that I don't like electronic music, but I was sort of getting sick of seeing bands who rely on their Mac instead of instruments to get through the set, you know?

I went to happy hour with a friend and old co-worker on Friday and he was talking about the band he's in and how he'll be playing somewhere on some date (TBD) in January and how he wants me to go. This started the conversation of local bands and how eventually there is No Degrees of Separation between musicians and people who hang out with musicians. One guy played with this band who had a drummer who played with this band and the chick who just brought me my beer was the merch girl for the two bands at one time. And on and on it goes.

Anyway, the point is that I started listening to some local (MN and WI) bands about a month ago and I'm hoping to see them live at some point. The Rockford Mules are really great, and they are playing at The Entry on Friday next week with Chooglin' and The Mighty Mofos (who don't seem to have a Myspace wtf?).

A guy I know? knew? turned me on to Drunk Drivers, who I find myself listening to on repeat these days. It took a while for me to get into them, but now I pretty much recommend them to everyone I talk to. My coworkers are getting tired of hearing Bourbon Legend play on repeat all day long.

Winter seems to keep everyone indoors here in MN, but this year we're trying to get out more and take in more shows. The hardest part for us is getting from our house to the bus when it's -35 degrees (but feels like -75). So, yeah. Please let me know of any other great local bands I should check out in the comments.

What Does This MEAN?

2008-11-30T10:53:00.003-06:00

The other night I had a dream that I had to take a CPR course for work. Now, I work as a Technical Analyst, so there's no way my job would require me to be certified in CPR. Anyway, in my dream, there were no plastic dummies on which to practice. Instead, we were paired with other people. I thought this was super creepy and weird, but I had to do this for my work, so I went with it.

When it came time to being paired with a partner, I look over to see who I'll be breathing into, and it's none other than Al Franken! I thought it was odd that he'd be in this class, too, since I didn't think Senators needed to know CPR.

If all of this isn't weird enough, the instructor informed us that we are supposed to really choke on something, in order to make the experience "realistic". I said "What? This is CPR training, not Heimlich training!" and Al said "Just go with it. I'll be fine!"

So Al proceeded to choke on something (I don't know what and the why of it all still boggles my mind) and it was my job to save him. Only I couldn't because this was a CPR training class and I had no idea what I was doing. So I pinched his nose and breathed into his mouth and pounded his chest like you see in the movies. I'm freaking out because the next Senator from Minnesota could die right in front of me AND IT WOULD BE MY FAULT because I don't know how many times to push on his ribcage to get him breathing again and deep down I know this isn't going to work because he's got something lodged in his throat which means he won't be getting any of the air I'm breathing into him and I feel like all the pressure of the world is on me TO SAVE AL FRANKEN!

Just when I thought all hope was lost, Al started coughing and looked me right in the eye and said "OK. Not bad. Your turn."

Then I woke up.

WTF?

2008-11-13T10:55:00.003-06:00

I was reading the Huffington Post today and saw this ad:

So, let me get this straight. If you go on this diet (which has Rachael Ray's name attached to it), you'll change from a fat black woman to a fat white woman? I guess by just changing the color of your skin you can drop 90 pounds! Am I wrong? I mean, that's exactly what the pictures are showing me! What the fuck?!?

This made my day. I needed the laugh, for sure.

Montreal!

2008-11-12T22:19:00.000-06:00

The Hubs and I spent a week in Montreal. We returned last night. We had a fantastic time, although the weather could have been better. The Hotel we stayed at was gorgeous, the people were super trendy and nice, the food was out of this world, and the city itself is beautiful.

Here are some of the things we did/saw:

Went to La basilique Notre-Dame. Absolutely gorgeous. I was happy that the place didn't come crashing down on me when I stepped foot inside. I haven't been inside a Catholic church since 1993.

Walked down St Catherine's Street, did some shopping, had some lunch, and saw a movie:

Took a romantic ride through Old Montreal on a horse drawn carriage. The horse was named Jerri and the driver was Ben. Awww...how cute!

Ate some really great food. Of course, I had to get poutine! I ate it three times while in Montreal. I couldn't help myself. It's so delicious.

Went to the Science Museum and spent a good two hours playing with all the stuff there. I think we were the oldest people in there, not counting parents with their small kids. We saw the 3D IMAX movie, which made me a little nauseous, and learned about the Canadian logging industry.

And we got dressed up on Saturday and went to see a bunch of comedians. The best part of the night was when one of the local comedians said to The Hubs "you look like a mortician, only sexier!" HA! Oh, and another good part was when an audience member told a heckler to SHUT UP! I was just about to do it myself, but another woman beat me to it.

We also got to see the Sympathy for the Devil exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art. No photos were allowed, but when I saw a dude snapping pictures, I thought I'd be sneaky and take one of this huge mural of Ian Curtis. If you're in Montreal, I urge you to see the exhibit. It's awesome.

And lastly, we spent a lot of time in our awesome hotel room, cuddling on the couch in front of the fire. I've never been in a hotel where there was a working fireplace in the room. And we had a separate bedroom and there was a huge soaking tub. If we go back to Montreal, we'll totally stay there again.

I know that's an abbreviated version, but I'm tired and this folding chair hurts my back when I sit here too long. I just wish I didn't have to go back to work on Saturday. I wish vacations lasted forever.

Halloween!

2008-11-01T15:52:00.002-05:00

Last night, The Hubs and I went to our friend Molly's house for a Halloween party. It was fun. Here is proof that I had a good time. Enjoy.

I'm Still Alive

2008-10-03T20:59:00.002-05:00

Just busier than I've ever been in my entire life. Here's what's been happening:

1. We moved! We live in the bestest, most swanky apartment I've ever seen. I can't hardly believe it's ours.

2. My job is awesome and I got a fat raise after being there for only 6 months.

3. Due to the fat raise, we can now afford PREMIUM CABLE! So I've been watching my favorite shows (Dexter, Weeds, Real Time, Entourage, It's Always Sunny in Philadelpha, etc) when I get time to sit down.

4. Exploring our new neighborhood.

5. Planning parties, like the one we're having tomorrow for my Birthday

6. Keeping up with politics, and loathing every second Sarah Palin gets TV/Radio air time.

7. Being crafty

8. Working

9. Sleeping

10. Trying my best to stay in touch with friends and family

A proper update is in the works. I just have to get through the weekend. I promise.

We Are Scientists - Varsity Theater

2008-08-08T06:43:00.002-05:00

Last night we went to the Varsity in Dinkytown to see We Are Scientists. Of course, we had to suffer through a seriously boring local band and then a mediocre hipster band from NY before getting to the good stuff. Anyway, I thought there would be more people, but it was surprisingly empty. Maybe people just don't know WAS?

Anyway, the show was AWESOME! I wish I had time to go into it now, but I'm going to be seriously late for work. I loved every minute of it. But the best part? I got to meet and have my photo with Keith, Chris, and Max. And they signed my ticket stub!

Of course, that wouldn't have ever happened if The Hubs didn't snap me out of my stage fright and approach the dudes. Man, I'm sure glad he did. He's awesome.

This Had Me Cracking Up!

2008-08-05T18:50:00.001-05:00

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch - Jungle Theater

2008-07-31T12:57:00.005-05:00

Last night, the Hubs and I went to the Jungle Theater to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch. We got there at 6:45 and there was a SOLD OUT sign at the ticket counter. We were sad and started to turn away when the guy behind the counter said he had two cancellations. SCORE! So we were not only able to get two tickets, but two front row tickets! It was our lucky night.

Oh man, the show was totally AWESOME! Now, I love the movie, so I was a little skeptical on how the play would translate (to, me, in my mind) but I was not disappointed. The Hubs has seen Hedwig in NYC (with the original cast) and in Boston, and he said that the show here in Mpls last night was comparable, if not better than, the one he saw so many years ago in NYC. He said it was absolutely better than the Boston production. I have never seen it on stage, so I can't offer any opinions on other productions.

The set was awesome, the costumes were fabulous, the music was excellent, and I thought Jarius Abts played a fine Hedwig. He looked awesome in the Hedwig get-up, and I swear there were times where I forgot I was watching a man performing as a woman who used to be a man. Ha!

Photo © Michal Daniel, 2008

I think I might want to go see it again! It was funny and loud and a general good time. My favorite part was when Hedwig came off the stage and into the audience and made The Hubs touch him. That made me giggle.

I wonder, though, what people who didn't know anything about Hedwig thought of the play? It's raunchy and kind of crude at times, but I knew all about that, so it wasn't a shock (not that jokes about BJs and same sex relationships shock me at all). But I wonder about the Midwestern Ma and Pa who sat behind us thought about it. Probably nothing, and I'm just perpetuating the uptight, conservative mentality stereotype of Midwesterners, right? Shame on me.

So, yeah. Go see Hedwig and the Angry Inch. You will thank me!

Places You Should Avoid: The Amazing Thai

2008-07-15T22:18:00.000-05:00

When The Amazing Thai first opened a year or more ago, I had a really great experience. The food was delicious, the service was speedy, and I thought we got a really good value. Tonight? Not so much.

We got to the restaurant at 8:15. The waitress came to ask us what we wanted to drink about 5 minutes later. 5 minutes later, she came back with a beer for The Hubs and an order of egg rolls we ordered. So far so good.

15 minutes later she came back to ask our order. We placed our order and then waited. And waited and waited.

The water boy took away our plates from the appetizer and refilled my glass 4 times.

Our waitress vanished. People at the next table came and went and new people were seated.

Over an HOUR later I decided that we're just going to leave $6 (to cover the beer and the appetizer, both on the $3 happy hour list) because waiting over an hour for our food to arrive is unacceptable. But what's even MORE unacceptable is the fact that our waitress never once came by our table to check on us.

Now you're probably thinking that she was busy or that the kitchen was backed up or that they were short staffed. This is not the case at all. The place was empty and all the people who decided to show up 45 minutes AFTER us and sat out on the sidewalk were served first. Over and over again we watched people around us get their food while we sat there staring at each other. Other waitstaff walked past us more times than I can count, too, without saying a word.

Just as we started to get up to leave, our food arrived. And it was cold. And to make things worse, I asked for NO SPICE. It had a lot of spice to it. The Hubs suggested I send it back, but I really didn't want to wait another hour for a new dish to arrive. I was pissed.

The Hubs loved his meal, which made me happy. But I had to track the waitress down to get our bill. And in order to not drag it into the second hour, I gave her my credit card right away. The last thing I needed was for her to disappear into the abyss with my Visa.

I did not leave a good tip. If the waitress was more attentive, she would have gotten more than the amount I left. But she wasn't. I also left a note at the bottom of the receipt voicing my concern on the wait, the meal, and her being absent.

Of course, The Hubs was cringing through the whole thing (because he doesn't like to cause trouble), but goddamn, why not let people know what a bad experience I had at the Amazing Thai? Should I just let this establishment keep on with their shitty service and cold food? Should I leave a tip to a waitress who really didn't care if we were there or not? NO!

I felt bad for about 2 seconds when I got up and left the bill, but then I realized it would be going against all I believe in if I'd pretended I had an 'Amazing' dining experience tonight. I didn't, and we will NOT go back there ever again.

My Tribute to Don Berg on MNSpeak

2008-07-02T16:25:00.004-05:00

For any of you that are interested, MNSpeak picked up my story about Don.

And here's a great article about him in the Star Tribune.

It was a great ceremony. I've never been to a funeral where there's music and dancing and people telling stories. Man, that's the way I want to go.

Here's a little video of Mimi dancing with her sister. Don would have loved to see that, for sure.

Rest in Peace - Don "Doggie" Berg

2008-06-27T20:30:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday, my father in law Don "Doggie" Berg passed away. It was a sudden heart attack that took him on his way back from his daily power walk. The doctors say that it was so sudden that he did not suffer at all. This is a comforting thought for me. If there is anyone on this earth who did not deserve a second of suffering, it was Don.

I went to River Falls, WI as soon as I got the news from Mimi (my mother in law). It was the longest hour in the car I'd ever spent. Phillip and I hugged Mimi for a very long time and cried with her. See, Don wasn't just some guy that I met in 2003. He wasn't just a step-father-in-law. He was probably the nicest, kindest, most generous man I'd ever known. He would do anything for anybody. And that is absolutely not an exaggeration. He was one of my favorite people, and I looked up to him like a father. He was always there to offer advice and guidance, and that's what I will miss so much about him.

Don was an accomplished Jazz musician, playing drums in many bands in Minnesota as well as around the world. He was the founding member of the Hall Brothers Jazz Band, which was recently inducted into the Minnesota Historical Society, and part owner of the Emporium of Jazz located in Mendota, MN. He's also played with the The Bill Evans New Orleans Jazz Band and has toured extensively all over the world. He would play the last Tuesday of every month at Mitch's Supper Club (now called Bennett's) in St Paul. I got to see him play last year and I only wish I'd gone to more of his shows.

Don was also a super funny, extremely intelligent man. He loved to tell jokes and goof around. He always made me laugh. But he also engaged me in really deep, meaningful conversation, usually over a can of Leinenkugel and a cigarette. I'll never forget how warm he was toward me the first time I met him, hugging me at the airport as we met him and Mimi at the baggage check. It was like he'd been my friend for years.

And he gave a wonderful speech at our wedding. I was also happy I got to dance with him that night, too. He bonded with everyone that day. There wasn't a person in the room who didn't fall in love with Don. He and my brother bonded within minutes, and Don always asked me how Chris was doing. He cared and asked about my family, even though he didn't really know them.

Don will be missed by friends and family all over the world. He had no enemies at all. There will be hundreds of people coming to the funeral on Monday. Mimi is planning a traditional New Orleans funeral for Don. It will be a wonderful event with wonderful people talking and sharing stories about a wonderful man we will miss so deeply.

Donald Lee Berg
April 21, 1930 - June 25, 2008

Donald Lee Berg "Doggie"
Renowned Jazz Drummer
Spanish Professor Emeritus:UWRF

Don Berg, a long time resident of River Falls, was born April 21, 1930 in Wausau,WI.He died suddenly and unexpectedly on Wednesday, June 25. He was 78.

He leaves behind him a stellar career as a college Spanish Professor who specialized in Linguistics and Latin American Studies. He was the catalyst for the Semester Abroad Program to Mexico for UWRF students in the early 80's.

His famous connection with the world of traditional New Orleans Jazz music titled him "the best snare drummer of his generation." He was the founding member of the Hall Brothers Jazz Band and part owner of the Emporium of Jazz located in Mendota, MN.

He and his dedicated wife of 20 years, Mimi Trudeau, traveled the world to various jazz festivals having just completed a European tour in June of 2007.

Doggie was nothing short of a class act: a raspy, bluesy singer, a wordsmith and a walking dictionary. His life was filled with optimism, joy and hilarious jokes.

He is survived by his wife and sons, Clint (Freya Larson) of Nashville and Jason (Wa Stella) of Minnetonka. Also two step sons, Brent Griffin of Burnsville and Phillip (Jeanne) Griffin of Uptown, Mpls. Also one brother Stuart Berg of Wausau and three special grandchildren: Derrick, Juliana and Charles Berg all of St. Paul. Plus many, many affectionate nieces, nephews and in-laws.

Don enlisted in the Marines following high school school graduation during the Korean War. He then attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison and joined the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.

He continued his graduate work at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and was hired as a teaching graduate assistant while he completed his Ph.D. Don retired from teaching in 1995 and spent 18 glorious years of retirement visiting New Orleans every spring as a driving force with his drumming and singing, playing primarily with the Ponchatrain Owls International Jazz Band and the Happy Pals from Toronto.

Locally he has been a long standing drummer for the Bill Evans New Orleans Jazz Band and the Moldy Figs and various others. He also played with the Norrie Cox New Orleans Stompers based out of Milwaukee.

During his college years in Madison he played and sang with the Riverboat Rascals, the hottest band in town in the 50’s.

Loved and respected by all, the world has lost a true gentleman with a whit and style uniquely his own.

Memorials are preferred to:
New Orleans Musicians Clinic
2820 Napoleon Ave # 890
New Orleans, LA 70115.

A Celebration of Life will be held Monday, June 30th at the River Falls Golf Club, 101 County Road M, with social hour beginning at 4pm and remembrances beginning at 5pm. Interment of his cremated remains will take place at Fort Snelling Cemetery with full military honors and a New Orleans style funeral march at a later date.

Holy Crap 2

2008-06-23T07:09:00.000-05:00

Now George Carlin is dead. What's going on around here?

Holy Crap

2008-06-13T15:30:00.001-05:00

Tim Russert is dead. That's insane. I watched and/or listenened to him every Sunday on Meet the Press.

Wow.

New York Observer, You Suck

2008-06-10T10:49:00.001-05:00

I have not heard back from the NY Observer after I emailed the Editor back in response to his email to me asking what compensation I want. I named a price (which is amazingly reasonable, considering I could sue them for thousands since they stole my art!) and, now, there's radio silence from them. I expected that. Why would a company who grossed $4M in 2007 fork over a benjamin or two to some nobody in the Midwest? I'm sure they expect me to just go away, but I won't. They will be hearing from me shortly.

But what I really want to say in this entry is that Nowpublic contacted me twicein two days to use two of my photos. Did you read that, New York Observer and Mr Tom McGeveran? They sent me a simple little email asking me if they could HAVE MY PERMISSION to use a photo or two. They also asked me how I'd like to be credited. Then, they (gasp!) told me exactly how the photo would be used, in what article, and how I would be able to read/access the article. These people are obvious professionals, whereas the New York Observer is not.

So with that said, here is the link to the NowPublic article on Chinese food and Health. My photo taken of the Chinese food my brother's friend made at his restaurant in Vegas is one of many. And you should note that every single one of the photos is credited. You can see the other two photos they asked permission to use here.

The NY Observer really needs to be punished for stealing. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. If I don't make them pay, how many other people will they do it to?

My Bill Paxton Summer

2008-06-07T13:03:00.003-05:00

I've decided to make a separate blog for My Bill Paxton Summer. Please click the link to go to the blog. Enjoy!

Thanks, New York Observer!

2008-05-28T08:40:00.002-05:00

Doing a Google search on flickr+thehoneybunny brought me to this New York Observer* page from early this month.

Looks like they decided to use the photo of the bowling balls I took while in Vegas.

I have an issue with this. First of all, my creative commons license states that anyone can use any of my photos on any website as long as they credit me. But, the license also states that they must ask my permission before using. I never got any communication from the NY Observer asking for my permission. And that really fries my cheese.

So what should I do? Let the issue go, since it's almost a month since they posted it and I wasn't even aware of it til now? Or, should I write to them to let them know that the Creative Commons License cannot go without notice. I mean, I chose that one for a reason. I could have it set so no one can do anything with my photos but look at them in their browsers, but I didn't. If I was that hardcore, my photos wouldn't have ended up in the Minneapolis and Vancouver city guides.

Maybe I'll just send a "Hey! Just because you're a big online "paper" doesn't mean you can't ask permission to use a photo." And then I'll mutter under my breath "...douchebags".

* the NY Observer is the "paper" that first featured the real Carrie Bradshaw (Candace Bushnell) and the Sex in the City column and grossed $4M last year in sales. I'd like to note, for the record, that I have never read a Sex in the City column nor have I ever watched a single episode of the show. My brain cells thank me every day.

I'm A Dork

2008-05-27T17:46:00.000-05:00

The Hubs bought a new camera the other day. Here's the first video he made. Of course, I look and sound like a dork, but it cracks me up!

Notice... I'm not wearing black!

I Really Need To Get Back on the Blogging Wagon

2008-05-21T22:05:00.004-05:00

I'm neglecting my poor blog. Not on purpose, of course. I'm just so busy with work that the last thing I want to do is spend more time in front of the computer. But I'll try and get back into it.

Like I mentioned, work is busy, but awesome. I love my job and (almost) everyone I work with. It's challenging, and at times, stressful, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I'm just so glad that Spring is finally here. When The Hubs and I went for our nightly walk, all I could smell were lilacs. I love lilacs. And then when we passed one house on our block, the air smelled like lilacs and garlic. It was surprisingly delightful.

Now it's 10:15 and I'm exhausted. I have to go to bed. One of these days I'll be able to stay up and watch The Daily Show and Colbert Report. And hopefully soon I'll be able to post a meaningful blog entry.

Til then....

Momentarily Star Struck

2008-05-13T06:15:00.004-05:00

Last night The Hubs and I went to 2 events; the Does This Offend You, Yeah? show at the 7th Street Entry and the Goth Prom. I'll get it out of the way now when I say that the Goth Prom was boring and the same-old same-old so we left there after about an hour.

Does This Offend You, Yeah? were awesome. The only complaint I have is that they didn't play longer. But they were the opening band, so I guess I can't complain too much. They had a lot of energy and the crowd totally loved them, which is always good.

After the band finished playing their set, The Hubs and I started making our way out. But then we decided to stay for the encore. As we're waiting for the band to come back out, I look to my left and who do I see standing 2 feet away? Bret McKenzie! I said to myself, "no way! That CAN'T be Bret!" but the closer I look (without trying to stare) I realize that, holy shit, it IS Bret McKenzie!

So I'm doing my best to draw this to the attention of The Hubs, without looking like a complete fool. Just as I say to The Hubs "I wonder where Jemaine is?" I turn around and he's standing right behind me! Not, like, a few feet away, but more like inches. Jemaine Clement is practically breathing on me.

But here's where it all goes wrong. Instead of saying "Hi Jemaine. I'm Jeanne and I think you're awesome!" I just froze. I stood there for what seemed like forever, not doing or saying anything because I was completely star struck. It's no secret that I like Jemaine better than Bret and I can't believe he was two inches away from me and I didn't even say "hi!" in that casual I'm-too-cool-to-acknowledge-that-you're-a-big-star-and-I-love-you kind of way.

We left the Entry after the encore (Whip It, made famous by Devo, no less!) and I hung around outside hoping to see Jemaine or Bret again, but they didn't come out. After about 5 minutes of feeling like a total obsessed fangirl, we headed over to the Goth Prom where we were suffocated by pretentiousness.

Moral of the story: don't give up the chance to say "hi" to someone you think is awesome because you might never have the chance again.

Hi! I'm In Love With Miss Platnum

2008-05-09T21:40:00.005-05:00

Because 1) she's hot 2) she's got a great voice 3) she's hot and 4) she has great style (minus the traditional Romanian garb).

So, yeah. Check out Miss Platnum.

BUSY

2008-05-05T18:25:00.000-05:00

busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy

busy

busy

busy

Here's Where I Try To Play Catch-Up

2008-04-20T18:53:00.004-05:00

Wow. A lot has happened since I wrote last. I can't believe it's been about 2 weeks. D'oh!

Well, I got my dream job! I officially start tomorrow. I'm both excited and nervous. YAY!

I played too much Guitar Hero and now I have severe pain in my left wrist. I guess old ladies aren't supposed to play Guitar Hero every weekend. Booooo!

I got these fabulous Keen shoes from onlineshoes.com! I paid $85, which is the most I've ever paid for a pair of shoes in my life. But they are super comfy and I think they are pretty fabulous and cute. Plus, you can wear them with both a skirt or pants, which is pretty important for me. I'm hoping to get another pair in a different color as soon as I can save up another $85. YAY!

My allergies are bothering me again. Not so much the stuffiness of the head and nose, but more of the drippy eye and froggy throat. I'm really glad that Spring is here, but damn, I am tired of the pollen in the air. And I know it's only going to get worse. Booooo!

The Hubs and I decided on a vacation to Montreal for later this month. If you hadn't noticed, we're pretty much sticking with Canada for our vacation destinations. That's OK with me. I can eat Poutine for every meal if I so wish. YAY!

I will have to go back for the second round of lightening-then-dying of my hair very soon. I could put it off for another month, but then I'd be a 32 year old with 3" gray roots. NOT very sexy. Booooo!

I finally cleaned out my closet and sold a boatload of sewing patterns that I was never going to use. I organized my closet by color, got rid of shirts and sweaters I won't ever wear, and hemmed and altered a bunch of skirts and pants so I have more options of what to wear to work. I still need more pants, but that's for another time. YAY!

I spilled a whole glass of soda on my laptop last night. Booooo!

It still works with no issues. YAY!

We're finally able to think about moving out of this dump and into something really nice, now that The Hubs and I are making a pretty good chunk of change. I can't wait to live in a place where the power doesn't go out all the time, the toilet flushes, it's not freezing in the winter, and there isn't mold and mildew everywhere. YAY!

So, yeah. I think that's it. Things are going really well here with The Hubs and Lola. I hope to update more often, but, yeah...life kind of gets in the way.

TGIF'nF

2008-04-04T09:32:00.001-05:00

I am so glad it's Friday. It's been a stressful week. I'm looking forward to doing nothing this weekend. Maybe a little sewing and some computer games. But besides that, I'm really going to do nothing.

I wish the work week was 2 days long and the weekends were 5 days long. That would be bliss. Not that I hate working or anything, but less work and more sleep would be ideal.

What Happened to Calhoun Square?

2008-04-02T17:58:00.003-05:00

Tonight The Hubs took me to Chiang Mai Thai to celebrate my new job, and as we were leaving we walked through Calhoun Square to kill some time before getting on the bus.

What happened? I'm not a stranger to Calhoun Square, but admittedly, I don't spend a great deal of time there, either. I was so sad to see that so many stores and restaurants have vanished!

What happened to Sox Appeal? What about that cute pet store that had the adorable kitty and puppy costumes? How about the sporty/outdoors-y store across from it? Where did they go?

And last week I learned (the hard way) that Lotus is closed, too! We had planned to meet for dinner there and, well, there was no dinner to be had. I was so sad because I was really craving some Vietnamese BBQ. *Sigh* I loved the Lotus! Say it ain't so!

What's going to happen to Calhoun Square? I know it's taking a turn for the worse, since, you know, Victoria's Secret and American Apparel have settled there. But seriously. I'm nervous. Are the empty stores due to the bad economy or because something else is happening in Uptown? Will Calhoun Square be demolished and replaced with un-needed and unwanted condominiums? Are we going to have to put up with more shitty mall stores? Should I worry that a Hot Topic is making its way to Hennepin Avenue?

Because if that happens, I'm, like, totally moving closer to Lyndale.

Could This Be LOLA?

2008-04-01T15:14:00.003-05:00

Could this be my Lola in a former life? She was, after all, passed between homes before we got her. I will have to examine her arm tonight when I get home to see if she has the same markings.

It looks an awful lot like her. And I'm sure Lola is a Monty Python fan (but she keeps it a secret) just like her Mama.

edit: Nope. Not Lola. Oh well.

Happy Second Birthday, Lola!

2008-03-27T19:01:00.002-05:00

Today is Lola's second Birthday as a Griffin! Yay! Since I couldn't keep a party hat on her last year, I decided to make this very silly purple neck thingie. She kept it on the whole time and I was proud of her. Happy Birthday, Miss Lola Kitty!

Happy Anniversary to Us

2008-03-26T07:07:00.004-05:00

The Hubs and I have been together five years today. Well, we think it's today. It could have been yesterday. We're pretty sure it's not tomorrow. Although, we're not absolutely sure. I just know that about a week after The Hubs and I met it was April 1st. My ex-fiance thought I was playing an April Fool's joke on him when I told him I was leaving. Yeah. I wasn't.

Five years. Wow. Good times.

Why Does Jason Lewis Have To Yell At Me?

2008-03-23T10:50:00.006-05:00

During my morning commute, I listen to MPR on my mp3 player. I'm only on the bus for maybe 20 minutes, so I basically just hear the weather, a brief update on the world's news, and then part of a story that they are featuring on Morning Edition®. When I finally settle in and begin my work (after going to Caribou to get a coffee and then beating myself up that I paid $3.14 for something I could bring from home) I listen to one of the many podcasts I've downloaded the previous day. I mostly listen to the news-y ones fist, followed by some Slate, and then finished off with either a Lost podcast or Movies You Should See. And then, by that time, it's 4pm and time to head home.

While waiting for the bus at the end of the day, I switch my tuner to 100.3. I do this because I had a hard day at work and I'd like to listen to something so outrageous and so comical that it makes me laugh and laugh and therefore I unwind a little. I did this while living in Boston, too. I'd listen to NPR all day long, but then when it was time to leave for the day, I'd listen to Jay Severin on 96.9. You'd think it would have the opposite effect on me, that it would stress me out you know, hearing all these lies and mis truths about the Crazy Liberals that are taking over the world, right? But it doesn't. NPR is serious business. Talk radio? Not so much.

When I switch on KTLK I immediately get my ears blown out by Jason Lewis's voice. I don't understand this man. Why must he scream? about 90% of the time I can't follow what he's saying because I can't get past the screaming! Does he scream when he's off-air, too? Is that his normal voice? WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING, JASON LEWIS? There are some occasions when the volume of his voice comes down a decibel or two, but that's really rare. Do you think Jason Lewis is capable of whispering? Something tells me he hasn't been able to whisper a day is his life. Does he yell at his wife and kids (if he has any) the way he yells on the radio? "HELLO, HONEY! HOW WAS YOUR DAY? TODAY I TALKED MORE ABOUT HOW THE LIBERALS ARE DESTROYING AMERICA! THEN I RECORDED A COMMERCIAL FOR MY 'JASON'S JUGGERNAUTS' CAMPAIGN TO GET MORE PEOPLE TO LOVE GUNS! ISN'T THAT GREAT? HONEY?" I picture his wife putting earplugs in her ears 10 minutes before he's due home. I wouldn't be able to live with that. I mean, ok, I could probably tolerate his screaming over his political views, but I think after a while even that would drive me bonkers.

So every weekday evening as I listen to Jason Lewis scream and yell -even when he's trying to whisper- I can only picture this character Will Ferrell created for SNL. The Voice Imodulation guy. Yeah, that's Jason Lewis in a nutshell.

Leslie & The Ly's

2008-03-20T21:24:00.003-05:00

More photos and a recap of the show coming this weekend. I just have to get through my Very Important Thing at work tomorrow and then I'll have time to think more about the awesomeness that is Leslie Hall. Enjoy these photos for now.

I really wanted one of these awesome t-shirts, but I'm presently broke. Oh well. Next time.

I want to be BFF's with Leslie Hall. She rocks the spandex so hard.

Leslie Hall ROCKED!

2008-03-20T08:55:00.001-05:00

I had the best time at the Leslie & the Ly's show last night (despite having to sit through the awful opening bands and dealing with the stink of unwashed beards and dreadlocks) and I can't stop thinking about Gem sweaters and gold lame. I'm now in love with Leslie Hall (don't tell Barack, ok?) and I want to be her BFF. She is gorgeous and funny and put on an amazing show. I am totally going to see her again when she comes back to town.

I got less than 5 hours sleep last night. I'm exhausted. But it was worth it.

Pictures forthcoming.

sigh

2008-03-19T10:24:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends,

I think I'm in love with Barack Obama.

Sincerely,

Honey Bunny

Leslie and The Ly's!

2008-03-16T11:12:00.002-05:00

I got our tickets to the Leslie & the Ly's show at the 7th Street Entry on Wednesday. I can't hardly wait! I missed her last year and I wasn't about to miss out on getting tickets this year.

I'm pretty sure everyone is familiar with Leslie Hall, but if you aren't, here's a great piece from NPR on her, her music, and her awesome gem sweaters.

I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it! It's going to be an awesome show.

I hope she plays Midwest Diva, my new favorite Leslie & the Ly's song. Take a listen. It's awesome.

New Cookin' Blog Post!

2008-03-15T18:41:00.001-05:00

Yes, I'm trying to get back into it. I just made a delicious chicken pot pie/chicken -n dumplins 'hot dish'. I think it can be considered a hot dish, right?

Check it out. It's super easy and totally delicious.

Holy Crap!

2008-03-13T22:25:00.002-05:00

Tonight's episode of LOST has blown my mind. I can't believe what I saw! The show keeps getting better and better. I'm sad, though, that next week is the last episode until the end of April. Stupid writer's strike.

I'm overjoyed that tomorrow is Friday. This has been a long week. I'm looking forward to doing a whole lot of nothing (and laundry) this weekend. I'll try to make a proper post at some point. I've not been a very good blogger as of late.

I'm Alive and Breathing!

2008-03-10T21:12:00.002-05:00

I've just been really busy with work. And my best friend from Boston came to visit last week which was awesome. Right now I'm watching the latest episode of No Reservations. I love Mr Bourdain. He's my hero.

How are you?

Minnesotans Are Winners!

2008-03-01T19:53:00.001-06:00

Before my nap today, I briefly looked through the stacks of food and craft magazines my friend Tammy sends me in the mail. For some reason, looking through magazines I would normally never purchase makes me feel better.

The one thing that I kept noticing over and over is that the majority of the contributors and winners of contests in these magazines are women from Minnesota.

What makes women in Minnesota 1) enter crafty, baking, or cooking contests and 2) more likely to win said contests? Is it in their blood? Is it just something Minnesotans enjoy doing? Are they drinking some special water than makes them Champs of the Kitchen? If so, I want in on that action.

For example, this month's winner in the Everyday with Rachel Ray* magazine is Jamie Miller from Maple Grove. She submitted a recipe for the best cheeseburger. Unfortunately, there's no write up on the website, only her recipe for Jerk Pork Cheeseburgers with Green Apple Slaw. If you'd like to read the mini write up about her, it's featured on page 96 of the March 2008 issue. I'm sure the library or your local supermarket is still carrying it.

Also, there are two Minnesotans who had recipes good enough to make it to this years Pillsbury Bake-Off, where the winner gets ONE MILLION DOLLARS! There are tens of thousands of people who enter their recipes every year and to be in the top 100, well, that's impressive for sure. And, since 1960, SIX Minnesotans have won the top Bake-Off prize. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty impressed.

I've been trying to ask the Internets for the past 20 minutes to tell me what's the percentage of Minnesotans that win competitions, as compared to the rest of the country. I'm really curious to know if Minnesotans just tend to win more competitions, or if they enter more, therefore the likelihood of them winning is higher. Why do people in MN like to compete so much? I can't find anything. But then again, I'm pretty sick, and honestly, this might all be a dream right now.

*i'm not a Rachel Ray fan, but I read her magazine because it's free and sometimes it has a good recipe or two

Honey Bunny is Sick

2008-02-29T19:22:00.001-06:00

Takin' some time off. Got that nastiness that's going around. I just need a lot of fluids, a lot of sleep, and a moderate amount of Entourage.

Bye Bye Amanda

2008-02-28T12:35:00.002-06:00

You're off the show. Your fainting spell didn't work as planned. Boo hoo and ha ha ha.

Amanda "Faints" on Big Brother

2008-02-26T21:25:00.006-06:00

Ok, if anyone was in doubt of Amanda's camera-whoredom, tonight's episode is the icing on the cake.

I'll make this brief. I'd also like to state that I still don't watch the show. The Hubs watches it, but when he tells me that something's going on with Amanda, I walk into the living room to watch it. Ok, glad that's out of the way.

One contestant, Allison, had some sort of allergic reaction to something, I'm guessing a nut of some sort. Her throat was closing and her tongue was swelling and they had to call a nurse in to shoot her up with nut antidote to prevent her throat from closing.

Not 5 minutes later, Amanda is suddenly hypoglycemic and passes out! You see her talking about how she feels bad for Alison, and then she talks about how she needs sugar, and then...she's on the floor! Well, that's how it was edited for TV. Here's what the live feed saw:

She's totally fine, and then, all of a sudden, she starts saying she's not feeling well. That's what it showed on the TV today. People were all upset over Allison, and then Amanda, feeling left out, "faints" and has a "seizure".

She returned in a few hours? the next day? as if nothing was wrong. She then went on to tell the cameras that her little trip to the hospital won't stop her from winning the million bucks.(Oh, man, I wish they had that part up on the Youtube) The sad part? She got everyone back on her side after everyone hated her AND her baby voice just last week.

Sorry, I don't buy it. I don't buy it for a second. If she really was hypoglycemic, the producers would have known and she would have been able to eat fruit or bread or whatever. But because she's an attention whore, she kept that a "secret", just so she could bust it out when the cameras were focused on someone else. Creative editing? Maybe. Amanda being Amanda? More likely.

Yep, that's Amanda.

Poutine! At the Triple Rock!

2008-02-25T21:51:00.005-06:00

Well, it's Canada month (week? month?) at the Triple Rock, so The Hubs and our friend Molly decided to eat there after seeing Be Kind, Rewind (which was hysterical, by the way). The only thing I wanted to eat was a big plate of Poutine. So Molly and I both got some poutine and The Hubs got some plain 'ol hot wings. Boooring! Haha! Anyway, we got the poutine and a few Big Ass cans of Molson Canadian and proceeded to eat and drink ourselves into a carbohydrate and cholesterol coma.

It was heaven. Just look at that pile of delicious, artery clogging goodness!

So, yeah. Those of you who have been craving the poutine, or, more importantly, those of you who haven't ever tried it (for shame!), get your ass to the Triple Rock and get some. Now!

It isn't as good as the real deal I had in Ottawa, but it came close. And that's all I was hoping for. Totally delicious. And only $6.99!

ps) Wednesday is Free Bacon night. I don't know what that means, but it cracks my shit up.

Vegas Vacation - Day Three

2008-02-24T18:30:00.003-06:00

Wednesday was our last full day in Las Vegas. The first thing The Hubs and I did was wake up, go swimming, and hit the hot tub. In the morning in Vegas, it was about 45-50 degrees. Now we hate the heat, so that was perfect for us. It was a bit chilly getting out of the hot tub, but it was still heavenly.

We met up with my family at about noon at Harrah's once again. This time we were skipping the buffet and heading to Ming's Table, a delicious Chinese restaurant. My brother's friend Victor is the head chef and he had alerted him that we were coming. Chef Victor kept bringing out the most delicious appetizers I've ever tasted. I'm not a sushi fan, so I skipped that course. Then crab Rangoon and shrimp tempura came out. It was the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted. I had never tried shrimp tempura before, but now I will probably order it wherever I can get it. We all ordered meals, which we probably shouldn't have as there was way too much food. I had the sweet and sour shrimp, The Hubs had General's Chicken, my mom had beef and broccoli, my sister had chicken lo-mein, and I can't remember what my brother had. If you can tell from the photos, there was way too much food for five people. And then the chef brought out wok friend lobster. Absolutely delicious. The best Chinese food I'd ever had. I recommend eating at Ming's Table if you're at Harrah's, for sure.

After lunch, The Hubs and I went back to the Gold Coast to chill out. I did some gambling and The Hubs watched some soccer. He also walked across the street and checked out the Palms. If we have the money to go back next year, we'd like to stay there. At about 5:00 we met up with my family to head out to the Old Las Vegas and Freemont Street. It was pretty nice, but I was hoping for more old neon signs and 1950s kitsch. I bought a shot glass in an old souvenir shop and we stopped to watch the light show above us. It was interesting. See for yourself. It was going on above our heads:

I walked around and took a bunch of photos of Old Vegas. I wish the neon turned out a little better.

At about 6:30 or so, The Hubs and I seperated from my family. They wanted to hit the buffet at the Golden Nugget and, well, we just couldn't stomach another buffet. So we went walking to find a bar named after us. We found it, and it was totally swanky inside. Perfect for a first or second date. It's too bad we were the only people in there at the time. We had a beer and relaxed.

We decided to check out a few punk/rockabilly/psychobilly bands playing at the Four Queens. The funny story behind this adventure is that we walked in the wrong door and may or may not have skipped the entrance fee, until a bouncer asked us if we were with the band. I can't lie, so I said "no". The Hubs was pretty mad at me at first, but the way the club is set up, we wouldn't have been able to go to the bathroom unless we had a wristband. So we paid and I felt better. Anyway, we didn't really enjoy the first band. The second band was better. The third band, The Pink Spiders, were awful (mostly because they were obnoxious and mean to the crowd), but the headliner, the HorrorPops were pretty good. I didn't know that there was such a huge Rockabilly scene in Vegas. Anyway, I didn't get may good photos since the place was packed and I couldn't get very close.

We left at about 10:30 or so and we asked one of the bellhops at the Golden Nugget if there was a shuttle service to the strip. He said "no", but that the Freemond Hotel had one. So we walked over and asked the bellhop there where we should get the shuttle. He said they didn't have a shuttle. We see a sign for the shuttle we took on Tuesday that took for-ev-er so we stand next to it. A shuttle that goes to the Vegas shopping district pulled up next to us and asked us where we wanted to go. We said "the strip" and so the dude told us to hop on. I'm pretty sure he was off the clock and he said it would be $5 per person. We knew that would be cheaper than taking a cab so we got on. The driver was super nice and he ended up taking us all the way to our hotel! It took us about 8 minutes to get from Downtown to our hotel, which totally rocked. That dude was so nice. I wish I got a photo of him. Oh well.

When we got back to the hotel, we were starving so we ate at the Monterrey room. We had sandwiches and fries and cheesecake. It hit the spot. I did some more gambling before heading up to the room where I found The Hubs zonked out. I fell asleep shortly after and slept pretty well.

Our third day was also a lot of fun. I knew that I would have to pack up and go home the next day, which made me kind of sad. Tomorrow, day four.

Interrupting the Vegas Vacation to Bring You More Amanda

2008-02-24T11:22:00.005-06:00

While we were on vacation, the entire Big Brother house came down on Amanda. I don't feel bad for her at all, since she's a total attention whore and really does talk shit and gossips about everyone. I don't feel bad for her at all, although I don't condone the multiple use of the "C" word, or do I condone making fun of the fact that Amanda's dad killed himself. This is not safe for work, so keep that in mind.
I hope you can get through it all, you know, with the nails-on-a-chalkboard voice of Amanda.

The last video is the video where they make fun of Amanda's work attire, which, as you know, I've seen first hand. And yes, Amanda is F'n clueless.

Vegas Vacation - Day Two

2008-02-23T18:24:00.005-06:00

The second day in Vegas was pretty awesome. The Hubs and I went to breakfast (buffet #2) with my family. After breakfast, I did a little gambling while The Hubs went back to the hotel room to sleep off the bacon and eggs. I don't remember if I won $15 on Tuesday or Wednesday, but at any rate, I was up $15. Sweet.

When The Hubs woke up from his nap, we put on our swim suits and headed to the pool. It was heated and felt so good. After swimming a few laps we relaxed in the hot tub. Man, that's the life! When our fingers and toes were sufficiently pruned, we took showers, got dressed, and headed out to the Venetian.

It was a short walk from Harrah's (where the shuttle dropped us off) to the Venetian where we saw the enormous 2 mile canal and the gondola rides. The Hubs suggested we take the tour, but after hearing the gondola driver singing on the top of his lungs I said I'd pass.

We made our way to Madame Tussauds to see the wax replicas of celebrities. It was pretty fun. The only part that was totally lame was the "Terror!" tour part. I guess it was supposed to be scary, but there weren't any movie monsters to look at at all. The only thing that happened was some dude jumped out of the shadows with a chainsaw and said "Arrrgh!" I saw him coming, so I wasn't scared at all. It's a good thing we didn't have to pay extra for that part. I would have been pissed.

Here are some photos I took in the museum. And just like yesterday's disclaimer, click each photo to see it full sized. You'll thank me.

The rest of the photos can be found here.

After the wax museum, we decided to get on a shuttle to go to Mandalay Bay. Well, it took an hour to go about 3 miles down the strip because the shuttle stopped at every location along the way. That was pretty annoying, but cheaper than taking a taxi. We walked all the way through Mandalay Bay to get to the Shark Reef exhibit. I have to admit, I wasn't impressed. Ok, for an aquarium in the desert I'm impressed, but if it were anywhere else I'd demand my money back. We were in and out of there in about 15 minutes. $1 a minute. Sheesh. But I did get to take some great photos.

When it was all over, we walked all the way back through the Hotel, where we saw at least a half-dozen conventions going on. Vegas is the convention capital of the world, I suppose. We took a cab back to our hotel because the shuttle took way too long. The cab driver we had was a native upstate New Yorker like me, but moved to Vegas 20 years ago. He had a foul mouth and liked the Yankees. He would have lost points for that, but he was very nice. I'm pretty sure we took a nap and then walked over to the Rio where we met my family for dinner at the Carnival World Buffet (aka Buffet #3).

As you can see from the bottom left photo, they had pretty great desserts. But by this time, the buffet scene made me nauseous. I ate way too many shrimp and The Hubs ate too much prime rib. When dessert time came around, we could hardly eat another bite. Although I did have a bite of both of those tarts as well as a scoop of Creme Brulee gelato. Delicious.

Oh, the photo of that dude on the right? He was a supreme asshole. He kept bothering the table in front of him. There were three good looking women in their early 20s and he hit on them relentlessly for about an hour and a half. He kept asking them if he could buy them drinks. Ugh. He was smarmy and disgusting. Oh, and he kept complaining about how this country is going to hell all because of the "Flaming Liberals!" Yeah. He's a real catch, huh? I just like how you can see a sliver of The Hubs in the photo because I was being sneaky. Hehe.

After the Rio buffet, The Hubs and I passed out again. I woke up at midnight and decided to go downstairs and do some more gambling. I think this is when I won "big" and on these two machines. If you're in Vegas, play the Money Island and Tabby Cash penny slots. Tons-o-Fun!

I sat at the slots for about 2 hours. When I was up $50 I decided to call it quits. I went back up to the room and woke The Hubs up to tell him what I won. He was pretty happy. We watched some TV and tried to fall back to sleep, but we couldn't. So at abut 2:45am we went to the 80+ lane bowling alley above the casino to play a few games. They have 'graveyard bowling' from Midnight-8am. Shoes and games are only $1! And they have $1 beers as well. So we got our shoes, played two games and drank two beers. The whole event cost us $6. Not bad.

By the time we finished bowling, it was about 4:00am. We didn't fall asleep until 4:30. It was a pretty good day. We did a hell of a lot, that's for sure. Looking back now, that's the life! Being able to get up at 3am and go bowling? Stumble home at 1am and get some breakfast? Play the slot machines and drink free alcohol 24 hours a day? Yeah, I liked Vegas for sure.

Tomorrow, part 3. Until then, here's another random photo. That guy blows bubbles out of his butt. I wish it weren't so windy when I took the photo or you'd see what I mean.

Our Vegas Vacation - Day One

2008-02-22T15:40:00.004-06:00

Thinking back on our 4 day, 3 night stay at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas makes my head spin. I feel like we did so much that I'm forgetting most of it. So, instead of making an enormous post where I cram in the details of all 4 days, I'll break it up into sections and post over the next few days. Yeah. That sounds like a plan.

Also, the photos will be scaled down. I urge you to click on them to see them in their full glory. The way nature intended.

The flight to Vegas was unremarkable. By that I mean that we got on the plane, spent almost 3 hours either sleeping or watching videos on our MP3 players, and then we got off. Pretty painless. When we got to the airport we found a taxi that took us to Harrah's where we met my mom, my sister, and my brother. My brother works at Harrah's, so pretty much all of our meals were comped (which was awesome). We had breakfast at the buffet. I have to admit, I hate buffets. Something about eating until you vomit isn't so appealing. But my family likes them so The Hubs and I went along for the ride. We were pretty sick afterward, but a nap at the hotel made us feel much better.

I was pretty overwhelmed with all the slot machines and poker tables and sports booking rooms. My only exposure to casinos as an adult was at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. And that's nothing compared to just one room in Harrah's. This was the very first thing I saw when we got to Harrah's, and it pretty much sums up the Vegas experience, real or imagined.

After breakfast and a short nap, we decided to walk down the strip and take in the sights. The Hubs and I aren't gamblers (ok, I gambled a little, but The Hubs wanted nothing to do with it) so we eventually separated from the family. We saw Paris and New York, which, I'm sorry to have to admit, was pretty cheesy. I mean, nice to look at, but the over all concept screamed "cheese" to me. The best part about New York New York was the pizza at a place called Sirrico's. Seriously. I took one bite of that pizza and it brought me right back to my childhood. I haven't had pizza that good since I left New York. I wanted to go back and get another slice, but there was so many other things to do.

I liked the statue of Liberty, but could have done without the plaque describing the heroes of 9/11. Call me an asshole, but yeah, didn't need to see that.

We stopped at an Irish Bar and had some really expensive drinks. The Hubs had a Guinness and I had a drink called a Michael Collins. Seriously, the best drink I've had in a very long time. It should be good, since it cost $10! I can't seem to find the recipe for it on the Internets, but it had vanilla vodka, caramel irish creme, some sort of butterscotch, and something else. SO GOOD!

After walking for what seemed like miles, The Hubs and I went back to the hotel to rest up. At dinner time, we took the shuttle back to Harrah's and met my family at my brother's restaurant. He's the executive chef of the Oyster Bar. For the next (almost) 2 hours we were treated with some of the best seafood I've ever tasted. I'm not joking when I say that the meal I had at the Oyster Bar was the best meal I've had in the 32 years I've been on this planet. Everything was super fresh, the presentation was outstanding, and the flavors were delicious. My favorite dishes of the night were the shrimp Crostini and the crab cakes. TO DIE FOR! If you like seafood, and you're in Vegas, you really need to try out the Oyster Bar.

The plan was that The Hubs (who doesn't eat seafood) and I would share a steak. Well, I could hardly finish these appetizers that just kept coming out so I left the steak to The Hubs. I did have a bite and it was very tender and flavorful. When I go back again I will have to make sure my brother lays off the fanfare and tells the chef on duty to stop bringing out so much food. Don't get me wrong, I appreciated it and it was delicious, but it was just too much for five people.

We took the shuttle back to the Hotel where we promptly passed out. We wanted to check out the local goth/industrial dance night, but the two of us were so exhausted that we didn't even have the energy to change out of our clothes! We literally passed out on the bed in our jeans and t-shirts, only to wake up at about 2am feeling hung over from the food coma we just endured.

That was Monday, day one. Stay tuned for Tuesday, which I hope to post tomorrow. Here's a random photo from our stay. Enjoy!

Vegas Was Awesome

2008-02-21T21:46:00.002-06:00

We're back! We had the bestest time ever in Vegas. I loved every minute of it. I will post a larger blog post tomorrow, but here's a photo of one of the hundreds of slot machines I fed at least five cents to. Top gun. Awesome.

More tomorrow, I promise. I'm tired and I need to give Lola lots and lots of love. She missed us almost as much as we missed her.

More on Amanda from Big Brother

2008-02-15T20:02:00.004-06:00

I have a friend who still works at the office in Golden Valley where I had the experience of knowing Amanda. My friend tells me that she's the talk of the office -- and not in a good way. That doesn't surprise me, because, duh, she's an idiot. I guess she provides lots of LOL's to those who haven't laughed at someone in a while.

Here's another example of how dumb she is. Watch at 1:08 where she screams like crazy, picks up her Big Brother house key and says "What does this mean?"

Then fast forward to 1:29 where I'm pretty sure your head will explode from watching Princess Amanda tell the world that she "gets what she wants". Yeap.

But the best part is at 3:00 where one of the dudes says "I hope there are some intelligent girls in there, cuz I'm really sick of dealing with girls that are, like, talking to a wall."

Cut to Amanda where we see her having her legs rubbed by an Asian man as she yells "Bueno! Bueno!" Hot damn, I wish I could make this shit up.

If you got through all that without feeling your brain leaking out your ears, I applaud you. I seriously feel like I lost some brain cells. To be fair, Amanda is pretty dim, but the rest of the crew in that house don't look too bright either.

Amanda on Big Brother - I Worked With Her

2008-02-13T22:30:00.005-06:00

OK, I hate the show Big Brother. I mean, I really have no stomach for it at all. It's The Hub's favorite show. He turned it on about 20 minutes ago and settled in to watch 20-somethings act like morons on national television. I walked by and saw a chick that looked totally familiar to me. I couldn't put my finger on it at first, but then it dawned on me. I worked with her at my last job in Golden Valley!

It's true and it's undeniably Amanda.

She's a hopeless romantic and wonders where all the good men are in the world. She sends her friends a daily motivational quote of the day by text message. Her favorite activities include running, shopping, dancing and entertaining. She loves football and played powder puff football in high school. She has two cats, and one, Chloe, thinks she's a dog.(from the CBS website)

I can't find the post I made a year ago about Amanda. I assumed it would be under the "annoying people" tag, or the "stupid girls" tag, but no. I am pretty sure that I wrote about how Amanda stopped me in the break room to ask me why I chose to drink the coffee out of the machines. You know, the machines that you put the flavored package in and delicious coffee comes out? Yeah, well, she seemed to have a problem with me liking it (she looked at me and said "ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww" right before plunking change into the vending machine to eat whatever processed bagged thing popped out). She kept asking me "why?" Why, what? Why do I like coffee, or why are you a total moron? From that point on, my friend Tracy and I would laugh at her, especially when she'd wear her clear stripper shoes to work. We worked in a law firm and in would clomp Amanda in her stripper shoes and impossibly tight clothes. We also made bets on how many days she'd go without brushing her hair. Or, maybe, that was the look she was going for? We didn't know. All I know is that she was a sight for sure. I won't even start on how annoying her voice is. Just watch the show and you'll see what I mean.

I guess she won Head of Household so she's on the show for at least another episode. I still hate Big Brother, but I might just watch it to see the train wreck known as Amanda.

Edited to ad: OMG. Listen to Amanda describe someone else as a train wreck. I love how she says she's going to "pretend" to be dumb on the show and use it to her advantage. Uh, what?

Vegas, Baby!

2008-02-13T08:10:00.001-06:00

T minus 5 days til I'll be in Las Vegas. It's snowing and 14 degrees
here in Minneapolis. Today's high in Las Vegas is 71 degrees and
sunny.

I am not a lover of hot weather, but man, I can't wait to feel some warmth!

Bad Day Gone Good

2008-02-03T13:36:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning with another splitting headache. On friday I smacked my head on this low beam in my office and now I have a god sized goose egg as a reminder. It hurts! And it's giving me a headache. It's either the bump on my head or the fact that my house is so dry even Lola has dandruff and sinus problems :(

Anyway, I decided that today would be the day that I clear the clog/slow drain in our tub. I got a bottle of Drain-o and poured it in. I waited the recommended hour before pouring hot water down the drain for 10 minutes. It didn't work. At all. All I was left with is a tub full of dirty Drain-o water.

Yes, now the drain doesn't move the water down at all. I plunged it to no avail. I sat there and cried for 30 minutes, hoping my hot tears would move the clog along. Swearing really loudly didn't help, either. Kicking the tub REALLY didn't help things along. Hey, I've got the PMS. That's how I roll.

And then I had a brainstorm.

I went to the kitchen and rifled through the cupboards. I found what I was looking for (thankfully!). I poured 1c baking soda, 1/2c salt, and 1/2 cup white vinegar into the drain. Or, as close to the drain as I could get, seeing that it was murky and disgusting, and made me pretty nauseous.

The baking soda and vinegar fizzed like the volcano I made in 5th grade science class. I let it fizz and bubble for about 20 minutes. I made sure I took myself out of the bathroom because it was driving me crazy watching the water go nowhere. After about 20 minutes, I went back into the bathroom and, to my surprise, the water was going down.

IT WAS GOING DOWN!

I waited another 30 or so minutes until there was about an inch or two left in the tub, and I repeated the process. 20 minutes later I turned on the faucet and let the hot water run. I figured two things would happen. 1) it would sit there like the last time and I'll have to call the slumlord who won't ever come over to fix it, but will call is "friend" who may or may not come within in the next two weeks to "see what he can do", or, 2) it'll take care of the clog and I'll finally be able to shower.

So I decided to wait and do some vacuuming. 10 minutes into my vacuum session the smoke alarm starts wailing. Lola positively freaks out! I drop the vacuum and run down the hall. All the steam coming from the bathroom had set the alarm off. So I frantically start waving a catalog in front of the smoke alarm until it stops beeping. I bust into the bathroom to find that the drain has been fixed.

I FIXED IT, PEOPLE! NO MORE CLOG!

I'm unsure if it was a combo of the Drain-o and the baking soda/vinegar mix, or just one of the two. But I don't really care. I fixed the clogged drain and I couldn't be happier. I was so happy that I did a little dance right there, with Lola watching me from around the corner.

Now I can shower and shave my legs without having soapy water almost up to my kneecaps. Ahh...the luxury!

-----

In other news, I bought this Ultimate Shine shampoo bar at LUSH at the Mall of America last night and, I have to say, It's worth the $10.08 I paid. If you're not a LUSH lover, you should be. Their stuff is amazing.

Welcome to the FundRace 2008

2008-02-02T08:21:00.000-06:00

Via Huffington Post, I thought this little graphic was pretty interesting. You can see who donated how much and to whom in the Twin Cities. I'm sure you can check all of Minnesota, but I was just curious about the Metro area.

Curious about who your neighbor, employer, or co-worker supports? Well, now you can check.

I typed in the name of my employer and two lone names popped up. One person donated cash to Ron Paul, the other gave to John Edwards. Both of them just average employees in my office. Employees who apparently have four spare Benjamins to give away.

I just wish you could search by candidate. I'd like to know the percentage of Obama and Clinton supporters here. Also, who supports which Republican candidate (who are they again?!).

As interesting as all this information is, it's still a little creepy. I now know where those two coworkers live. I know it's public information, but still. I know I wouldn't want my name up there for everyone to see. Not because I'd be ashamed in revealing who I support, but I don't think anyone needs to know how much I can (or can't) afford to contribute to a candidate OR my exact address. Ok, maybe it's more shame in the fact that I can't contribute anything, since I'm so far in debt. If someone wanted to rob me they would shake their heads and say "man...is this IT?"

edit: I also found this striking. I went to a private, very expensive, very liberal college in Beverly, MA. I always knew the town was kind of uptight and straight-laced, but not this bad:

Seriously? I can't hardly believe it. Wait, yes I can. Because MA is more conservative than it lets on. It's the only state I know that still has most of it's blue laws still in effect. Ya still cahnt get yah Turkey on Thanksgivin' since the Stawp and Shawp is closed.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2008-02-01T08:48:00.001-06:00

Two years ago today we moved all our stuff (well, the stuff that
wasn't stolen) from Boston to Minneapolis. It was stressful and
painful (due to a serious case of strep throat I brought on myself the
day we left Boston) but totally exciting and joyful. It's been two
years of ups and downs, many good times, some bad times, and lots and
lots of unemployment. But, you know what? I wouldn't change it for
anything.

I love Minnesota and am proud to call it my home.

Happy Anniversary to US!

Dramatic Chimpmunk Has Nothin' on This Guy!

2008-01-31T17:59:00.001-06:00

Dramatic chipmunk, if you aren't already familiar.

Thank you, Metro Transit!

2008-01-29T19:47:00.000-06:00

Dear Metro Transit,

On this bitter, bitter, bitter cold night, I want to thank you for not only keeping your buses toasty warm and running on time, but also not letting the Uptown Transit Center smell like piss and Mad Dog 20/20. This really, really pleases me (and the rest of the riders too, I'm sure).

If you were the MBTA and I was in the ICA Station, I'd be huddling near the exits, freezing my ass off, just to escape the overwhelming stench of urine and drunk homeless people.

I love you, Metro Transit!

Love your frequent rider friend,
Honey Bunny

Lazy Saturday

2008-01-26T14:21:00.000-06:00

I'm hanging out today, not doing much of anything. Just enjoying the last two days I have off before going back to work on Monday. I'm not dreading it at all. In fact, I can't hardly wait. Being out of work for a week sounds like a good time, until you check your bank account and realize you're broke.

So, enjoy this photo of The Princess. I'm going to chill and play some video games.

Super Diamond - A Neil Diamond Tribute Band

2008-01-25T13:06:00.001-06:00

Ok, Super Diamond totally rocked last night at the Fine Line! I had so much fun I can't even explain. I'm not ashamed to admit that I love the Neil Diamond. He ROCKS! And Super Diamond did all this hits (and more) and rocked out for a full two hours. Awesome!

It was also awesome that yesterday was the real Neil Diamond's birthday! How frickin' cool is THAT??

Unfortunately, there was a strict No Photos rule in effect, but I managed to be sneaky and take this photo of Surreal Neil:

I was a little sad that they played Cherry, Cherry as their second song. Only because it's my favorite and I was hoping that it came later in the show. I'm sure that sounds weird, but that's how I roll when it comes to shows. Anyway, they played 30 songs, which rocked my world. I am glad that they kind of did a mashup of all the slow songs (Heart Light, September Morn, Hello Again, etc) and condensed it down, because the slow jams are my least favorite. I'm super happy they played Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon and Sweet Caroline. Thems my favorites.

If you have the chance to see Super Diamond in your city, you totally need to go. They put on an awesome show, and are decked out in shiny shirts, bell bottoms, and platform shoes. Even if you're not a big Neil Diamond Fan, you can't deny the awesomeness of his music. And the experience alone is worth the ticket price.

We Are Wolves

2008-01-24T12:10:00.000-06:00

The Hubs and I have decided to make more of an effort to see live music in 2008. We went to a few shows last year, but we'd like to get back into the volume of shows that we used to attend when we were in Boston.

So last night we ventured out into the bitter, bitter cold to see We Are Wolves at the Entry. We got there at 9 and saw a sign that said they wouldn't be going on til 10:30. So we went to O'Donovans on the corner for a beer and fancy cheese and crackers. We were hungry, but not hungry enough to get a sandwich or burger. It was very tasty and filling and after we were through eating, we bundled back up and crossed the street to the Entry.

I felt kind of bad for the band, since there were maybe 25 people there. They are from Montreal and I think that they are only playing a few cities in the US on this leg of their tour. I think that they are in Winnepeg tonight and then they make their way over to Vancouver and then head to Seattle, Portland, and then SF and LA. I hope there's a larger turnout for them in those cities, for sure.

They put on a great show. I love how their first language is French and they spoke to their sound guy in French. Man, I love Canadians. I should brush up on my French for when we go to Montreal. Anyway, their sound is kind of punk and dance and electro and, well, fun. If you're looking for something new to listen to, I recommend checking them out.

The Hubs and I were right up front. I got to snap a few really great photos:

When the show was over, I snatched one of the flyers that was hanging on the walls. My goal is to get a flyer/poster from every show we see this year. Tonight we're going to see SuperDiamond, and I really hope I can get a flyer from that show, too.

Eczema Is Ruining My Life

2008-01-23T12:37:00.000-06:00

Last winter I broke out with an insane rash on my arms and stomach. It started right after we got home from Vancouver and lasted until Easter. My doctor put me on this nasty steroid cream that did nothing. It was weird how it lasted from October to April and then went away like nothing ever happened.

Well, it's back. It started up around the first of November. To be more precise, it started as soon as the heat was turned on in my building. So I've drawn the conclusion that this eczema is caused by the dry steam heat used to heat my apartment. I mean, it has to be. It starts when the heat is turned on and stops when the heat is turned off.

This year's rash is 10 times worse than last year. It's all over both my arms, all over my stomach, and now on my legs. I even have a bit on my chin. I can't get any relief. The itching wakes me up at night. I scratch all through the day. I slather on moisturizer to no avail. I use moisturizing soaps in the shower and that does no good, either. I do my best not to scratch, but I can't stop.

Does anyone have any home remedies for eczema? I'll try anything at this point. I'm so tired of having unusually sensitive skin. It's driving me crazy and I have 3 months of hell left to go.

Woah. Heath Ledger is Dead?

2008-01-22T20:32:00.000-06:00

I can't hardly believe it.

I'm having a hard time processing this. Not only that he's dead, but that Amy Winehouse has outlived him.

What's this world coming to?

edit: from the articles i've been reading this morning, he seems to have died from complications due to pneumonia, not a drug overdose like most of the tabloids are stating.

Cloverfield

2008-01-21T20:23:00.001-06:00

This afternoon The Hubs and I went to see Cloverfield. If you don't know anything about this film, it's the widely-anticipated film by JJ Abrams that first made a buzz during the summer. I did not see the trailer that was hooked onto Transformers, but as soon as it was leaked onto YouTube, I watched it over and over again. If you're still not familiar, here's the trailer for your enjoyment:

I absolutely LOVED this film. From the minute it started til the second it ended I couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen. Now, keep in mind, I am not a 1) SciFi fan or 2) a monster movie fan. But man, Cloverfield was amazing. The shaky handicam visuals were slightly annoying at first, but then I got used to it. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the film, and at one point, I had to take a hold of The Hubs's hand and squeeze it tight. It was that intense.

I thought the fact that unknown actors were cast in the leading parts was a smart idea (a la Blair Witch). It was shot entirely by one camera (or so we are made to believe). A camera that takes a beating but keeps on filming. That was a little hard to digest, but whatever. The monster was huge and gross and scary and some of the most stressful/tense scenes involve the monster. There's hardly any blood or gore (which is a plus for me) but there's a lot of screaming and running and freaking out. The CGI is pretty damn good and you really believe that Manhattan is being destroyed. And wrapped up in it all is a love story, which I never thought would be in a film like this.

If you're a big JJ Abrams fan, or if you don't even know a thing about this film, I urge you to see Cloverfield. It's 90 minutes of pure adrenaline. I left the theater wanting to pay another $6 and see it again right away. Yes, it's that good.

Taking a Small Break to Post a LOLCat

2008-01-17T20:40:00.002-06:00

moar funny pictures

sniff sniff

2008-01-17T00:01:00.001-06:00

I miss The Hubs. I've seen him for about an hour in the last four days. It's awful. Working these long shifts is really hard. It's really hard coming home at 4:30am and he's fast asleep. And it's tough getting up at 11 and he's already at work.

I miss my hubby :(

The good thing is that I have only one more day left of this crazy schedule and then a bunch of days off. I'm looking forward to being able to watch TV with him and cuddle and do lots of schmoopy stuff.

I'm WORKING, People!

2008-01-15T01:26:00.001-06:00

It's 1:25 AM and I'm at work. I'm working 4pm-4am for the next three days.

It's killing me.

I say that now because I'm about to fall asleep. I bet that in 30 minutes I catch my second wind. I hope, anyway.

The payoff, for working until 4 in the morning, is that we're only here for a half day on Thursday and we've been given Friday off.

Flippin' sweet, y'all.

Long Time, No Post

2008-01-11T09:55:00.000-06:00

Well, 6 days. But that's a long time. At least it seems like a long time.

Speaking of long times, this has been the longest week in recent memory. My schedule at work has changed. Instead of working 8-4:30, I now work 4p-12a. It's totally thrown me off. Sure, it's nice to be able to sleep in til noon if I want, but trying to stay up (and alert and functioning!) until Midnight is sort of a struggle. I'm usually in bed and asleep by 10pm. On top of it all, I'm sick with a sinus infection and chest congestion. So that's why this week seems to be lasting forever. I even work on Saturday!

This will only be for the next two weeks, so that's okay. And I'm praying that my contract will be renewed OR I'll be hired on permanently. Of course, I would rather be hired on, but another month of work is another month of work.

WTF?

2008-01-04T13:10:00.001-06:00

I just heard a commercial on the radio where a man says something along the lines of "Is your New Year's Resolution to fix the marriage?". The voice then goes on to talk about a legal service* that you can do yourself online for "pennies" compared to seeing an actual attorney and shelling out the big bucks. Isn't that awesome? No needing to leave your house or talk to any of those pesky humans!

So I'm assuming that "fixing" your marriage in 2008 means a quickie divorce. Probably blindsiding your partner while you're at it. So if that's your NYE resolution, you should take comfort in knowing that you can leave your spouse with the click of a mouse.

*sorry, I won't name the legal service as I don't think they should get any business from anyone, ever.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T11:08:00.000-06:00

Last night, The Hubs didn't get home until after 8pm, so we decided to just stay home. I wasn't feeling all that well and he was totally exhausted. So we made some weenies in a blanket, drank some beers, played SceneIt!, and then went to bed at 11:20. Seriously. We were under the covers and almost asleep when the ball dropped. It was probably the most laid back New Year's Eve we've had since we've been together. And you know what? I was totally fine with that. It was nice to just sit on the couch and watch TV. Maybe I'm getting too old for the partying? I don't know. Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful day. It's back to work tomorrow.

Pictures. Let me show you them.

If you haven't played SceneIt, you must. It's so much fun, but I find that the questions are pretty easy. That kind of sucks. It's probably more fun with a group of people, but we like to play against each other to see which Griffin is the Movie Master.

The answer is "Twister"

I won two games out of two. Awesome.

Lola, wanting to play with us so bad

We were so tired, we went to bed at 11:20. No lie. We were under the covers with eyes half closed until 11:59. Sad, but true.

After 10 hours of sleep, The Griffins woke up refreshed and ready to take on 2008.

And I've decided to start the 365 Self Portrait Project over again. Here's Day 1:

We hope everyone has a wonderful day and a very Happy New Year!!

Huckabee Is Nuts

2007-12-31T09:15:00.001-06:00

I'm listening to the podcast of Meet the Press (like I do every Monday because I'm a nerd) with Mike Huckabee and I've come to the conclusion that he's completely off his rocker.

If he's elected president, I can kiss my rights as a liberal, agnostic, pro-gay rights, pro-choice woman goodbye. And then I'll have to start going to church again.

Huckabee in the white house is more scary than both Romney and Guliani. But that's just my opinion.

Scary.

Time To Celebrate!

2007-12-27T17:25:00.000-06:00

As of 10:30 this morning, Honey Bunny is OUT OF DEBT!

WOO HOO!

That's right. With the help of my generous husband, I'm finally out of credit card debt. I couldn't be happier. Of course, now I am completely cash poor, but you know what? That's ok. I'd rather have $300 in my bank account and that's it than $300 and people calling me all day long to pay them $3,000.

It's a great feeling knowing that I can start 2008 without having to worry about harassing phone calls, nasty letters, or daily email reminders that I owe people money.

I declare a party is order!

I Can't Believe I'm Saying This...

2007-12-26T11:49:00.001-06:00

But I really like Ron Paul. He's the only one who has been on Meet the Press in the last month that has made any sense. Not only has he made sense, but he comes off as being honest and human. Not like Rudy or Mitt who you can tell from their rehearsed lines, their way of avoiding questions, and the tone of their voice that they are lying through their teeth. Dr Paul, on the other hand, seems pretty genuine.

I'm not sure if I'd actually pull the lever for a Republican, but man, Ron Paul sure sounds like a reason to do so.

Merry Christmas, 2007!

2007-12-25T11:25:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas, everyone!

We had a great time in WI last night. I was amazed that we were the first people to arrive. I thought for sure we'd be the last ones there, since The Hubs had to work and all. But we got there right at 4pm, which was awesome.

Here are some photos: Christmas 2007

I drank too much, but what else is new? I got some sweet gifts and got to eat lots of great food. Mimi made these awesome stuffed shrimp that were to die for.

Today The Hubs and I are staying in, watching lots of movies, eating leftovers, and just generally being sloths.

Hope everyone has a good day! It's back to work tomorrow, so I'll be enjoying today as much as I can.

That's a Bad Laugh

2007-12-20T14:17:00.001-06:00

I love Ricky Gervais, but holy crap, he has the most annoying laugh of anyone I've ever heard.

Catching Up

2007-12-17T20:50:00.000-06:00

Things are good here in the Griffin house. We're trying to get presents wrapped and ready to ship to my family so they will get them in time. I think I have til Wednesday, right? I hope so. I won't be able to mail them tomorrow, and I think i have to buy a few more gift cards. Or, maybe I should just buy them online and send them directly to my family. We'll see.

I'm not really in the Holiday mood this year. My work and overall life situation is 100% better than it was at this time last year, but I don't know... I just can't get into it. It's probably because I'm getting old. And cranky.

My job is going extremely well. I still love it more than cake (and I love me some cake!) and hope I'm hired on full time in the very near future. It will allow me to finally have some stability in my professional life, not to mention be able to pay off my debts sooner. So let's keep our fingers crossed.

That's about it. Not so exciting, but oh well. I'm pretty tired so I think I'll go to bed.

What Is Amazon Thinking?

2007-12-07T20:07:00.000-06:00

Tonight I was looking through Amazon for some movies to purchase for my family members. After looking at page after page of DVDs, I started to notice that there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the way amazon pairs up their DVD "special offers". For example, they have Hot Fuzz paired with 300. What? That makes no sense at all. But if you search for Shaun of the Dead, they have Hot Fuzz paired with that. Now that makes more sense!

Here's another strange one: The Big Lebowski is paired with Winter Kills. Again...what? Every other Coen Brother's film is paired with another Coen film except for this one. WTF?

Anyone else notice this kind of thing?

I'm sure I could find a bunch more, but I really need to get shopping. Christmas is less than three weeks away!

Secret Santa Delivers Good Stuff!

2007-12-05T20:07:00.000-06:00

I mentioned the awesome podcast Movies You Should See in a recent post. It's by far, my favorite podcast out there. I can't miss an episode or I'll lose my mind. I'm serious.

Anyway, the hosts of said podcast put together a Secret Santa swap for all the listeners/members of the forums. I got my gifts today from my Secret Santa and I couldn't be more pleased:

I've had these movies on my ever since I saw them, and now I'm the proud owner of both! I really want to beef up my DVD movie library as I own hardly any. The Hubs is a minimalist and can't understand why anyone would want to own DVDs when you can just rent them from the Netflix. But I really like having movies that I can just grab and watch whenever I want.

So, yeah. You should download the Movies You Should See podcast. I mean, if you enjoy people talking about movies for an hour or so. You'll thank me.

No Coast Craft-o-Rama

2007-12-01T14:50:00.000-06:00

I just got back from my second trip to the NoCoast Craft-o-Rama at the Midtown Global Market. I seriously suggest braving the snow and cold to get out there and check it out. You've got about 2 hours left so HURRY!

I went briefly yesterday after work. I saw only a tiny section of the place before having to beat it out of there. So I was super happy when my new friend Molly called me this morning and said she had the day off and would I like to go with her. I agreed and we had an awesome time strolling through, looking at all the great crafts for sale. It was a little overwhelming at times because there was so much to see and so many people in there, but it was a great experience nonetheless.

My goal was to go in and purchase as many things as I could for Christmas gifts, but of course, I spent the most money on myself and The Griffin house than anything. Here are some of the things I bought:

My most favorite thing is this poster by Adam Turman. Everyone knows my obsession with cupcakes, so when I saw this poster I HAD to buy it. It'll look lovely in the bedroom where we desperately need art and color.

Then I bought this awesome cigarette case from Ladyrocket, who is based in Chicago. She had so many awesome things at her table that I just could not decide. I kept going back and changing my mind before settling on this case. I don't smoke anymore, but I still couldn't resist.

I started a new medication to shrink the polyps in my nose about a week ago, and now I am finally able to smell things! So I bought a great smelling soy candle from SoyMade Scents that is making my house smell like cinnamon sticks. I love it.

I then found this great booth set up by Giraffe Art & Utility. The woman who makes all those great tile coasters and trivets and magnets teamed up with Adam Turman and made coasters and trivets out of his prints. Oh man, I wanted to buy them all, but I settled on 4 coasters for The Griffins (we haven't a coaster in the house!) and a trivet for my mom.

I think I like the coasters and the trivet the best. I know I said above that I like the poster the best, but hey, a girl can change her mind, right? You should check out their websites if you're into this kind of thing (which I TOTALLY am) for holiday gifts.

And I also purchased a totally adorable necklace for a friend of mine, but I know she reads this blog so I'd like to keep it a secret. But I purchased it from GerriJo, who has the most adorable jewelry I've seen in a while. Like this fishman necklace! I'm sure my friend will love what I got her, so that makes me happy.

So, yeah. If you haven't been there, GO NOW! I did spend way more money than I was planning to, but I'm happy knowing that my dollars and cents went into the pockets of local artists and not some big box manufacturers. You should try it! You'll be amazed at how good you'll feel about your purchases this Holiday season.

after reading through this after posting it, i realized that i say both "totally" and "awesome" way too much. forgive me, dear readers....

Thanksgiving

2007-11-23T22:43:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving. I hope everyone ate too much and drank too much and made a bit of an ass of themselves. Isn't that what holidays are for?

I had a good time at the in-laws house in Wisconsin. I got to meet some new people, drink some good wine, eat some delicious food, and ended it all in a half-coma wrapped around The Hubs.

I made this awesome brie and pecan hor d'ourve. It was delish and a big hit.

When I got home, I watched my traditional Thanksgiving movie: Fargo. Although I fell asleep right before Shep Proudfoot beats the crap out of Carl Showalter. Good times.

Today I did a whole lot of nothing. Well, I did the laundry, played with Lola, finally got my MP3 player working again, and baked The Hubs a cake. Tomorrow is another day off. What am I going to do with myself?

Work and Stuff

2007-11-19T18:24:00.000-06:00

I just worked a 10.5 hour day. I'll be doing the same tomorrow and on Wednesday. Due to the fact that this is a short week and I don't get paid for the holiday, I really need to get in as many hours as I can.

But I don't want to get sick from it. I'm already feeling run-down and my throat is sore. Blah. It better just be a case of the hypochondrias. Let's hope.

In other news, I'm selling more and more on my cafepress store. It's amazing. I went from absolutely zero interest in my site to a ton of traffic. Looks like a lot of people are googling/searching for "Plus Sizes Galore" which takes them to part of my store. That's awesome! Glad I got the plus size love goin' on. So far, the international orders I've had were from the following countries:

How fucking cool is that? It would be awesome if I sold one item to someone on every continent. Seriously. One Foodie Skull t-shirt on someone in every part of the world. That would totally make my year.

It's almost 6:30 and I only just got home. Time to play with Lola for a while, make some dinner, and then head to bed. I can't wait for Thursday. Not becuase it's Thanksgiving, but because I'll have 4 days off. WOO HOO!

New Favorite Sketch Troupe- Picnicface

2007-11-18T16:37:00.000-06:00

I've spent the last 30 minutes watching all of their sketches and laughing my ass off. They are a bunch of people from Halifax, Canada who make short (and hysterical) comedy skits. Just another reason why I think Canada is so awesome. Here's an hysterical on on their home city. Trust me, you'll die laughing (some language may be NSFW):

Many more can be seen on their website, Picnicface.com.

2007-11-17T22:43:00.000-06:00

This one is even better than the first episode (which I blogged about here in March of '06 wow!). This episode cracks me up like you don't know. I'm such a dork.

Enjoy. I'm going to bed because I'm lame. Plus, I'm home alone so there's not much to do but play with Lola and watch bad TV.

Commercials I Hate #452

2007-11-17T15:04:00.000-06:00

Dear 93X,

I know that your marketing to males between the ages of 14 and 40, but seriously? Your "sexy girls" commercial couldn't be more annoying.

Is it me, or does the chick on the right have one of the strangest faces you've ever seen? She's kind of got that Steven Tyler thing going on. Maybe she's related? Not that it matters, she's still odd looking. And the other chick just looks kinda plain. What's so sexy about them? I don't get it.

This concept isn't new, as I remember seeing commercials like these growing up. They were mostly for classic rock stations, as heavy metal/alt rock wasn't broadcast anywhere near where I lived. I wasn't exposed to modern rock music until, uh, 1990? Sad, I know. And the chicks in the 93X commercials are also in the same (or very similar) commercials for other stations around the country. It's true. WAAF in Boston used the same sort of commercial while I was living there. They are both owned by the same company, so that explains it.

So I don't get why a radio station would use sex to have people tune in (other than the fact that sex sells everything). What I DO get is that this commercial is so grating and annoying that I won't ever have it programmed into my radio. I don't actually own a radio, but if I did, I wouldn't the dial tuned to that station, for sure.

Take THAT, 93X!

The Griffins Are All Better

2007-11-16T19:49:00.000-06:00

Yeah. We're better. And I finally had my Dr take me off one medication I was on. One of the side effects was a loud, almost constant, barking cough. ARGH! It was horrible. I've been off it for almost 2 weeks now and I can finally feel that cough going away. Instead of constantly choking and coughing all day long, I now have tiny coughing moments two or three times a day. I am looking forward to the day when I don't have ANY cough. god, that'll be heaven.

It's also been, OMG!, a month since I stopped smoking. I had one cigarette when I went out with my pal Brandee last week, but that was it. We bought a whole pack just so we could each smoke one or two. RIDICULOUS! So I'm going to suggest she "borrow" some from her boyfriend if she wants to have a smoke or two when we go out for Happy Hour. Makes sense, right? Well, to me it does.

I still love my job and wish they would just hire me. But I know life doesn't work that way. Dammit.

That's all for now.

The Griffins Are Sick

2007-11-13T07:02:00.000-06:00

The Hubs came down with something a few days ago. Now I've got it. I thought I'd be all super dooper protected from this crap since I got the flu shot, but I guess not. Unless this is the result of the flu shot. Either way, I feel really, really cruddy.

I got up at 6:20 this morning, hoping to make the 7:15 bus. Well, that bus is due to arrive in 12 minutes and I haven't gotten dressed yet. My bed and blankets keep calling my name; I'm so tired. But I can't miss work. I'm sure I'll be fine once I get there. It's not like my job involves physical labor or anything. I can pretty much zone out here and there and I'll be okay.

I have an appointment at 5 tonight, but after that, I'm totally coming home and going straight to bed. I just want to feel normal, instead of this achy, stuffed up, foggy mess.

Remembering the Sears Catalog and Holidays Gone By

2007-11-10T12:48:00.000-06:00

When I was a kid, I looked forward to September. September meant the end of summer, the beginning of school, and the thought that Christmas wasn't too far away. Plus, September led to October, which meant my Birthday AND Halloween. And the best part about Halloween that in a week or two the Sears Big Book would show up at our house to the delight of me and my siblings.

About two weeks or so before Thanksgiving, that enormous Sears catalog would be jammed into our tiny mailbox. My brother, sister and I would take turns pouring over each page, making our lists of things we wanted for Christmas. I remember being so specific with my requests that it bordered on obsessive-compulsive (that explains some of my neurosis today!). For example, I didn't want just those pants. I wanted those pants in 1) Black 2) Petite 3) Corduroy 4) size L. They could not be 1) Red 2) Average 3) Chino or 4)S, M, or XL. I made notes all over my lists in order to help my mom with the ordering. It was like I was writing an invoice and left no details out.

But of course, Christmas would arrive and I'd tear open a present only to find a pair of red twill pants in a size M that were way too tight in the waist and way too long in the legs. Gift after gift I'd open and it would be the item I wanted, but not in a color or size that I could/would ever wear. I would ask myself why I even bothered to write out a list when my mom doesn't even pay attention to it. She just buys me stuff SHE would want me to wear. This went on until I was about 14 and said that I didn't want ANY clothing for Christmas. But then she'd purchase all the books, movies, music, and gadgets/toys I had on my list for my sister and claim that OOPS! she got the lists mixed up. Every year this happened without fail. And every year I was left with a pile of stuff I didn't want and had to deal with both the feelings of anger as well the feelings of guilt. I felt guilty that I was so pissed off that I got all these things for Christmas when there were people out there that were still wearing clothing from 1979.

When the Sears catalog arrived, you knew the holiday season wasn't far behind. The air was crisp and cold. The house always smelled of delicious things simmering, or cooking, or baking. But when I was a kid, no one I knew decorated for Christmas until, oh, December 10th or so. My parents didn't even talk about chopping down a tree until at least the 15th (yes, we went into the woods behind out house and chopped down our own tree. None of this buy-it-at-Wal-Mart crap of today). My mom didn't bust out the decorations or the Christmas music until the 15th or so, too. I can't even remember The Mall by my house getting ready for Christmas until December. It all seemed perfectly awesome and perfectly normal.

But today, advertisers and the corporate money machines force Christmas upon us before Columbus day even arrives! It depresses me beyond words to see Christmas decorations and pretty wrapped presents alongside spooky masks and treats for Halloween. In my brain, I just can't accept it. It's not even cold! It hasn't even snowed! I haven't passed out treats to little kids dressed up like pirates and princesses! NO!

But it's true. Things to buy for Christmas come earlier and earlier each year. Next year we'll probably see Macy's Christmas displays up and ready before the kids even go back to school. Soon it'll be before the 4th of July. And one day in the not-so-distant future it'll be Christmas All Year 'Round. I swear it's coming, and it makes me want to scream!

I've decided that my own War on Christmas will be to not purchase anything for anyone at any major retailer. There are lots of small indie businesses out there that I'd rather support. We're taught as Americans to SPEND SPEND SPEND! at the Big Box retail stores, but I refuse. Not when Christmas is forced upon me earlier and earlier every year. IF I decide to purchase anything, it will be after December 25th. Not only are there major sales to get rid of all the Made In China shit that they couldn't get rid of before the holiday, but all the Wall Street Holiday Spending statistics will be figured out and sent to Fox News to let every lemming know what a Good American they were this year. And my dollars and cents won't be a part of it.

I do miss the days of the Sears Catalog, for sure. But as I think back on it, I don't like how I spent so much time wishing and hoping for things that I'd forget about in three months. I don't like how I spent so much mental and emotional energy hoping my Mom would buy me exactly what I wanted, only to be let down every single year. I don't like how I put so much emphasis on receiving instead of giving. I can't get that time back. But I can choose to not support the corporations that force a Holiday of Spending down my throat. This year I'm ditching the proverbial Sears book for Etsy, eBay, and local Minnesotan crafters and small business owners. I will definitely sleep well knowing my money was well spent.

Random Letters To People, Places, and Things Vol 1

2007-11-08T19:13:00.000-06:00

Dear Old Livejournal,

Please stop haunting me. You are dead. I don't know you anymore. I used to love you, but I've moved on. Please, just leave me be.

Your old friend,
Jeanne
--------------

Dear Gorgonzola,
I love you.
-♥-
Jeanne
ps) my arteries say "hi!"

---------------

Dear Flu Shot,

I have a feeling you're going to fuck me over in a big way. You say you won't make me ill, but I know you will. You have in the past. That's why I've been avoiding you for 5 years. I was roped into having a relationship with you this year and I'm pretty pissed about it. It was against my good judgement, for sure. The truth is, I really don't want you in my life at all.

I'm betting you make me miserable in 72 hours. You always do.

Hating you,
Jeanne

---------------

Dear Landlord,

Just because two of the 5 radiators in our apartment work DOES NOT MEAN that we have adequate heat. Get your ass over here and fix the fuckers or I'm calling the Board of Health. If you hadn't noticed, WE LIVE IN MINNESOTA! You know, the place that saw it's first flurries of snow this week? Does it have to get to 32 degrees inside my house for you to take things seriously?

Get your ass here, pronto.

In-sincerely,
Jeanne

-----------

Dear Lola,
I love you. You make me so happy. I don't even get upset when you choose spending time in a box over time with me.

Stay gold.
Love,
Your Mama

---------

Dear New Job,

I really like you. I mean, REALLY like you. It would make me so happy if you would like me back. I mean, REALLY like me back. I'd like for you to like me so much that the though of me leaving you in January has you panicked. I don't want to leave you! So make things happen, ok?

Your new workin' pal,
Jeanne

--------------

Dear Survivor,

Please go away. You were pretty cool to hang out with a few years ago, but now? I'm bored with you. It's the same thing every year, only new people. And the people aren't even interesting. I don't like anything about you, so please don't show up at my door on Thursdays at 7pm. Because I'm not going to let you in.

Unless you're willing to bring back Rupert. Then we can talk.

Thanks,
Jeanne

Control

2007-11-04T08:46:00.000-06:00

Yesterday afternoon, The Hubs and I went to see Control at the Uptown theater. I'm not as big a Joy Division fan as The Hubs is, but man, this film was beautiful. And by beautiful i mean that it was just a pleasure to look at. I know that this is mostly due to the talents of Anton Corbijn as a photographer, but man, some of the shots left me breathless. Everyone who has any general knowledge of music/music history (or if you live in an "All New Wave All the Time" house like I do) knows the story of Ian Curtis, so there was no new light shed (well, maybe a tiny bit toward the end) but this film still had me crying. Some films portray heartbreak really well, but goddamn, this film got it RIGHT. Samantha Morton is totally amazing in this film, too, and I think most of the scenes with her in it were the most painful to watch. Painful as in over-emotional, fist-to-the-gut sort of painful. Also, if you think Sean Harris played a great Ian Curtis in 24 Hour Party People, Sam Riley has him beat in Control.

I urge everyone to see Control if only for the cinematography. It has made my list of my favorite films I've seen in '07. I'd love to hear if anyone else has seen this and what your thoughts are. This is definitely a film I will want to purchase when it's released on DVD.

__________________________________________

In other news, today is The Hubs' birthday! YAY! He is 41 years old. Don't let his myspace page fool you. Heh.

If I had the time or talent, I'd make him an awesome New Wave birthday cake. But since I'm not that talented, here is a photo of one:

Happy Birthday, Hubs!

This and That and the Other Thing

2007-11-02T19:40:00.000-05:00

I completed my first week at my new job. It started out rough, but evened out toward the end of the week. I like my office - especially the location -and the people seem very nice. I like having a job where I'm able to do my own thing and not have a boss breathing down my neck. I feel I'm more productive that way. Anyhoo, this is a contract job that I'm praying turns into a permanent position after the new year. That would make my, well, year.

Sometimes when I'm bored while waiting for the bus I like to play a little game called Gay or Virgin? I watch men walk down the street and determine if they are gay or a virgin. You can tell a lot by the way a man walks. Also by his shoes. Although shoes are a bit misleading, especially since there are so many meterosexuals out there, so I keep that in mind. I see lots of gay men, which is great, but not so many virgins. So far, I think I've only spotted one virgin, but the tip-off was the Magic the Gathering* cards he was looking through and not the way he walked.

I also like to play a game called Famous People On The Bus. I see people who look just like famous people on the bus. For example, today I saw a dude who looked just like Mark Ruffalo:

So, yeah. The guy on the bus looked just like Mark Ruffalo only blonde. I also saw a Gene Hackman, and I swear I work with a John Krasinski look-alike. Awesome. I ♥ Jim Halpert.

Yes, this is how I pass the time to-and-from work. Well, in between listening to my favorite podcast in the world: Movies You Should See. If you're into a bunch of intelligent and hysterical Brits talking about films, you really need to listen to their podcast. I have listened to everything they have for download and now I'm entertaining the thought of purchasing last year's episodes just so I have something good to listen to during the day. I seriously can't get through the day without it. Sad? Yeah, but so?

I also watched the entire first season of Californication. Holy shit, that's a good show (but I also love David Duchovny). I don't have Showtime so I watched the episodes online. I had to wait a week until the finale was up and running, but it was worth it. I wish I could afford the "good" cable TV so I could watch all the good shows. Oh well. Maybe, someday.

Tonight I'm doing nothing but lounging and eating chocolate cake. I'm PMS-y so BACK OFF.

*if they weren't Magic the Gathering cards, they were something similar, I swear.

Winston Loves His Mashed Potatoes

2007-10-30T21:53:00.001-05:00

I found this on Youtube tonight. It made me laugh. I'm exhausted so I'm going to bed. Enjoy.

RED SOX WIN WORLD SERIES!!

2007-10-29T06:57:00.000-05:00

I'm so glad the Red Sox won the World Series, but I'm sill a bit bummed it happened in Colorado. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it would have made for a more exciting series if they had lost last night and won tonight in Boston.

I leave for my new job in about 10 minutes. I didn't sleep at all last night, which is NOT GOOD. I'll have to go to bed at 9 tonight to make up for it.

Red Sox Up 3-0!

2007-10-28T09:35:00.000-05:00

The Sox won game three last night. WOOT! One more game to go.

On one hand, I hope they win tonight in Colorado, so it's all over and they have WON! But on the other hand, I'd like for them to lose so they can bring the Series win back to Boston. That would be awesome.

In other news, I made the most delicious eggplant parmesan yesterday. For photos of the amazingly mouth-watering dish, CLICK HERE!

Tomorrow I start a new job. YES! NEW JOB! It's downtown and pays more than I was making last week. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. Wish me luck!

RED SOX RULE!

2007-10-21T22:48:00.001-05:00

As I type this, it's game 7 and the Sox are creaming the Indians 11-2 in the 8th. I'm going to go to bed because I've got faith that my Sox won't give up 9 runs in the 9th.

RED SOX WILL BE IN THE WORLD SERIES!!

Now they just have to beat the shit out of Colorado.

GO RED SOX!

Week/ Weekend Roundup

2007-10-21T19:25:00.000-05:00

This weekend has been pretty crappy. Crappy in the respect that I can hardly breathe. The pills I'm on for my High Blood Pressure have an awful side effect that makes you cough all the time. A deep, barking, painful cough. So when I cough a lot, I end up wheezing and not being able to breathe. I woke up at 4am today coughing like crazy. I even hacked up some blood. It was painful and I thought about going to the ER. But I did some relaxation exercises and tried to focus on my breath for about 2 hours. I don't feel 100% better, but at least I can walk from the kitchen to the living room without keeling over. The problem is that I reach for my rescue inhaler every hour. I'm only supposed to take it every 4 hours at the most. So I've had to deal with watching the clock until I can take another puff. Not fun.

On Thursday, Phillip's Aunt and Uncle picked us up and took us to Tryg's for dinner. It was awesome. I had the scallop salad, loaded baked potato, part of Carol's Walleye, and cheesecake. It was delicious. It's also the first time I haven't been able to finish dessert! Also, I haven't had a baked potato that good in YEARS. The decor of the restaurant is gorgeous as well. It's all in deep reds and browns and purple colors. They had a fire going in the huge fireplace as you walk into the restaurant, which made it feel pretty cozy. The hostesses and wait staff were super friendly and accommodating. And one of the chefs came to our table, introduced himself, and asked how our meals were. I thought that was pretty awesome. I hope to go back there sometime if our budget allows it. It's great food and great atmosphere. It would make a great first date place because it's kind of romantical. heh.

On Friday I got the call that I've been waiting for for about a month now. I finally got a job. It's not a permanent job, which kind of sucks, but it has the potential to turn into something perm. It's downtown, which means that my 1 hour commute to Golden Valley will end in three days (hallelujah!). I'll be making slightly more than I am right now and I'll be working in a place that has the potential to make me VERY happy. It's great timing, too, since my temp job ends this Friday. I hope this one works out. I need job stability, for sure.

THE RED SOX WON! They won on Saturday which means that they MUST WIN TONIGHT! I'll be watching the game intently to make sure the Sox win and head to the World Series. Seriously, I'm so overjoyed about this I can't hardly stand it. HA!

And just for laughs...

Ok, quite possibly the BEST parody I've seen in a very long time. If you aren't familiar with Kelly or the Shoes video, google it before you watch this one.

Hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed those few hours of sun we had. I hope it comes out again this week. I like the rain, but man, I'm sick of it.

.Honey Bunny Blog.

My Pastry School Blog

New Year, New Adventures

Modern Cafe, Northeast Minneapolis

Top 10 Best Comedies of the 2000's

Asian Beef with Snow Peas | Food | Disney Family.com

Going Back to Where I Came

Long, Long Time...No Post

Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve

Rock Out With Your Cock Out

What Does This MEAN?

WTF?

Montreal!

Halloween!

I'm Still Alive

We Are Scientists - Varsity Theater

This Had Me Cracking Up!

Hedwig and the Angry Inch - Jungle Theater

Places You Should Avoid: The Amazing Thai

My Tribute to Don Berg on MNSpeak

Rest in Peace - Don "Doggie" Berg

Holy Crap 2

Holy Crap

New York Observer, You Suck

My Bill Paxton Summer

Thanks, New York Observer!

I'm A Dork

I Really Need To Get Back on the Blogging Wagon

Momentarily Star Struck

Hi! I'm In Love With Miss Platnum

BUSY

Here's Where I Try To Play Catch-Up

TGIF'nF

What Happened to Calhoun Square?

Could This Be LOLA?

Happy Second Birthday, Lola!

Happy Anniversary to Us

Why Does Jason Lewis Have To Yell At Me?

Leslie & The Ly's

Leslie Hall ROCKED!

*sigh*

Leslie and The Ly's!

New Cookin' Blog Post!

Holy Crap!

I'm Alive and Breathing!

Minnesotans Are Winners!

Honey Bunny is Sick

Bye Bye Amanda

Amanda "Faints" on Big Brother

Poutine! At the Triple Rock!

Vegas Vacation - Day Three

Interrupting the Vegas Vacation to Bring You More Amanda

Vegas Vacation - Day Two

Our Vegas Vacation - Day One

Vegas Was Awesome

More on Amanda from Big Brother

Amanda on Big Brother - I Worked With Her

Vegas, Baby!

Bad Day Gone Good

Welcome to the FundRace 2008

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Dramatic Chimpmunk Has Nothin' on This Guy!

Thank you, Metro Transit!

Lazy Saturday

Super Diamond - A Neil Diamond Tribute Band

We Are Wolves

Eczema Is Ruining My Life

Woah. Heath Ledger is Dead?

Cloverfield

Taking a Small Break to Post a LOLCat

*sniff* *sniff*

I'm WORKING, People!

Long Time, No Post

WTF?

Happy New Year!

Huckabee Is Nuts

Time To Celebrate!

I Can't Believe I'm Saying This...

Merry Christmas, 2007!

sigh

sniff sniff