Key Bored

I really like my Casio MT-240. it belonged to Grandpa Williams and the demo on it is the friggin best song EVER, seriously. That song is GREAT, it's catchy and I've always loved it. I like playing it, and I've been playing it a lot lately. I felt like they keys were a little small though, and I'm used to an actual piano, which has "normal" sized keys. Grandma & Grandpa had a really nice keyboard upstairs at their house they let me take, and although the keys are great because they're full size, the sound isn't the same. It's a Casio CA-110. I do love playing it because the keys are full size. It wears my arms and fingers and wrists out pretty quickly but I really should be playing it because of the size of the keys. This got me thinking, we have quarter size violins and small guitars, we really should have pianos with keys that are the MT-240 size for children who are learning piano. I'm a grown up and I have trouble sometimes with the stretches between keys in some of the songs, and kids who are taking piano lessons must have more trouble than me. Here's a picture comparing the sizes, the bottom one's keys are the same size as those on a piano.

I'm still working on recording the demo from the MT-240 into mp3 or wav format to put on my iPAQ to listen to on the go. Yes, the song really is that good.

Unexpected Skill

For those of you who don't know, I'm mostly Norweigan (not entirely but mostly). So I grew up around lefse, krumkaka and yes, lutefisk. My family members say "Uff da" and actually so do I sometimes. Grandma made lefse for the first time last year and it was quite tasty. She didn't like that it was thick but I didn't really care because it was very good. She asked me if I wanted to help make lefse this year and I figured what the heck, I've always wanted to learn how it's done. Storebought lefse is like...eh...machine made I think. Lefse should he made by hand whether at home or in a grocery store. Lefse is one of those make-at-home things though for sure. I try not to purchase the already made stuff. I'd never made lefse before so Grandma & I put on our aprons and she showed me what to do. It looked KINDA easy as far as rolling it out on the big round board, but there's a certain way it has to be rolled, and Grandma was having a little trouble but I offered to try since she had showed me how. So I got a glob of the dough, rolled it out, and it was a PERFECT CIRCLE and perfectly thin WITHOUT the stick poking a hole in it! I was impressed! First of all, I'm really not that great in the kitchen. Unless it's in a can or in the microwave, I don't get it right. I really figured I better not even try to cook the lefse on the griddle thingy because I would probably burn it or make it stick or something, so Grandma handled that. We decided right then & there that I would be the roller and Grandma would be the cooker. It didn't take us very long, and for the most part, the pieces turned out pretty good, there weren't many holes or rips or thick spots, and it was VERY tasty. We have to save some for Christmas though so we couldn't snack too much. When I agreed to help make lefse, my brain was saying "Oh boy, this is gonna be really frustrating and I'm gonna be really bad at it because I can't cook and I'm a klutz." I'm really glad I was wrong!! Grandma & I decided to do this every year now because I roll it so well. I like that rolling pin with the ridges in it because it makes those lines on the lefse. I love lefse so it was really hard not to eat it all! I'm so glad I can do this, what a handy (and unexpected) skill!

Use of Swears

Ok, so my buddy Larry put this thingy on his web site about his use of profanity. Here's a link http://larrygasik.com/articles/071125_Profanity.html

This inspired me to take a look at when I swear, what causes it, and even things I say instead of swears when one would normally just swear. Here's a handy graphic that shows what percent of the time I'm doing a certain activity is spent swearing. For example, when I tell jokes, I estimated swears are used about 5% of the time (so not very often).

Sometimes a "replacement swear" slips out. One particular example: I was making some chicken nuggets in the oven. I opened the oven to flip the nuggets over with tongs and I dropped one and it landed on the bottom of the oven. Although I was home alone, I said "Ya friggin' fart!" I could've said anything I wanted, there were no children or family members around! My hermit crabs have heard me say much worse, yet "Ya friggin' fart!" is what slipped out. Go figure!

Some other examples that have slipped out include:

Oh flibber flabber!

Aw shibber shabber!

I don't give a flying fart!

Wanker!

In so many ways I'm a bit of an old lady, and this is one way. And yes, I really do swear that much when I play Tibia. Lots of kids playing and lots of BRs and stuff, plenty to swear about. And yes, I'm such an old lady that I say stuff to the TV. Such as "Excuse me Charlie Bell?!?! That is bull sh**! Your a** is gonna lose this mayoral race and I'll be darn happy about it! It's your own d*** fault!" Etc, etc. Don't worry, it's only that bad every once in a while. Usually it's something more like "Pshh, frigginay I don't need that sh**." Any swears used at work are NOT around customers by the way!! I know not to do that. As far as objects/items, this includes "finding a knife the hard way in a drawer," hammering a finger, dropping my box of earrings, or any other negative interaction with an object. I'm glad I saw Larry's thing on his web site because although it was kinda just for fun, it made me take a look at some of the things I'm saying. I do watch my language in any situation where one should (being around family or children or customers at work), but sometimes it just flies out if something huge happens (such as running into that knife in the drawer). I'm also glad to look at my use of swears and know that I don't call anyone names (like b**ch or a**hole or anything). Oh, and any censoring in this post was done by me and not Blogger. I censor anything that "anyone" can read just so it's fairly G rated.

Loser Pants

Look, I'm a loser--of weight, that is! I bought a new pair of pants and I put it on top of my old pants. Lookit!

Chris loves Val (and boy is that cute) :-)

For a while now, my neighbor Chris has visited occasionally and taken one or more of my hermit crabs out of the tank so they can play. They really like him, and they seem to enjoy the little break from the tank. The other night he was here because we were going to watch the latest disc sent to me by Netflix. While I fiddled with my laptop to get the DVD to play, he had Val the hermit crab out to play. He was letting her walk around on my couch and on his lap and talking to her, saying things like "How can you climb that, it's too slippery, you'll just fall!" "Don't go in there, you'll get lost!" My response was always "She's a hermit crab, she doesn't know that, silly!" But I really think it's cuter than heck when he plays with them and talks to them. I often have a lot going on. If I'm not working, I'm here cleaning or catching up on my sewing or whatever, and it's nice to have him come visit with me and have some play time with the hermit crabs. I think if he wasn't a truck driver he might have his own hermit crabs, but he's never home so I would be crab-sitting for him almost every day. That wouldn't be so bad I guess, but I've got my own critters here. When he gets home I'll have to have him over for "hermie time."

Backpack Backers

In many ways I'm not like most women. One of those ways is I don't carry a purse. I do carry a backpack though, especially if I'm going to work or grocery shopping. The backpack holds my red vest, a bottle of water, a sandwich, and little bag of pretzels. That stuff doesn't fit in a purse. It's easier to just put as much of my grocery load as I can in my backpack because wearing a backpack leaves 2 free hands to carry any bags of stuff that didn't fit on my back. I also hate trying to carry heavy stuff in a bag so the first things to go on my back are cans and milk/juice jugs. I know it sometimes looks weird to have a backpack but this is apparently becoming a more socially acceptable thing for "grown-ups." I do have to admit I look like a student with a backpack and a DBU sweatshirt, but I do think backpacks aren't such a strange thing anymore. I realized this when I arrived at the bus stop with most of my groceries on my back. There was a guy waiting there already and he was wearing a backpack. 2 more guys showed up and they both had backpacks. I wish more people realized how handy they are, and especially women, because I see a lot of women with a purse AND a bag, or a purse AND some extra items, or a purse AND a sweater, etc. Put all that stuff in a backpack and you don't have to worry about leaving anything behind on the bus or anything like that. It's proven to be very handy for me. A purse is kind of an akward thing to me anyway. Takes up a hand you could have free. Is easily left behind because it's kinda small. Gotta find a place to set it down if you need both hands for something. Gotta juggle ALL the groceries AND the purse. Boy, no wonder I don't have a purse. Inconvenient. :-P

"Save-A-Lot Is Better" Price Check

Here's what the receipt says:

BEAN WITH BACON SOUP

4@ $0.49 $1.96

CHCKN NOODLE SOUP

4@ $0.49 $1.96

CHILI W/BEANS

2@ $0.79 $1.58

FOUR CHS MASH POTATO

$0.99

LARGE WHITE BREAD

$0.88

SHRP CHDR 8Z CNTRY C

$1.99

SOFT MARG 1# TUB

$0.49

14 BALANCE DUE $9.85

That's 14 items for UNDER $10!! The canned items alone are 10 separate meals. The bread, cheese, and butter can make quite a few grilled cheese. Thanks, Save-A-Lot!

"Save-A-Lot Is Better" Volume 10: O'Day's Farms Four Cheese Instant Mashed Potatoes

Price: 99¢ (2 pouches per box)

Consistency: When mixing these, there's almost no globs of unmixed flakes like some other brands can do

Flavor: Cheese flavor isn't overpowering or weak, it's just right, and there's no need to add salt because they're already a little salty

Betty Crocker or O'Day's Farms?: O'Day's Farms

"Save-A-Lot Is Better" Volume 9: J. Higgs Ripple Potato Chips

Price: 89¢

Consistency: Much like Old Dutch ripple chips or Wavy Lays

Flavor: Salty but not too salty, and they're not too greasy

Lays/Old Dutch or J. Higgs?: J. Higgs

"Save-A-Lot Is Better" Volume 8: Walkenbach Thin Sticks

Price: 99¢
Consistency: Much like Rold Gold (Walkenbach also makes the "standard" twist pretzels shaped like the little picture on the bag above)
Flavor: These are VERY tasty and don't have too much salt, they're very addicting
Rold Gold or Walkenbach?: Walkenbach

"Save-A-Lot Is Better" Volume 7: Senora Verde Ranch Flavored Tortilla Chips

Price: 99¢
Consistency: They seem thinner than Doritos but they're just as crunchy, and the layer of seasoning isn't quite as thick
Flavor: Just as good as Doritos regardless of the smaller amount of seasoning--I think maybe the seasoning on the Senora Verde might just be a different color than the Doritos seasoning, but somehow it looks like there's less on the Senora Verde
Doritos or Senora Verde?: Senora Verde

"Save-A-Lot Is Better" Volume 6: Nature's Crunch Bite Size Frosted Shredded Wheat

Price: $1.79
Consistency: A lot like Post Frosted Shredded Wheat, but crunchier, and the wheat "threads" are thicker
Flavor: Better than Post because the frosted section is thicker
Post or Nature's Crunch?: Nature's Crunch

"Save-A-Lot Is Better" Volume 5: Kaskey's Condensed Bean With Bacon Soup

Price: 49¢
Consistency: Much like Campbell's
Flavor: Again, much like campbell's
Cambell's or Kaskey's?: Kaskey's

"Save-A-Lot is Better" Volume 4: Hargis House Chili with Beans

Price: 79¢
Consistency: Thicker and darker than Hormel--separated upon opening of the can, but once heated it blends right away, and it makes a nice filling meal
Flavor: MUCH tastier than Hormel--I had Hormel recently and it seemed bland compared to Hargis House
Hormel or Hargis House?: Hargis House

"Save-A-Lot is Better" Volume 3: Goldstrike Cinnamon Swirls

Price: $1.79
Consistency: The cereal itself has the same crunch as Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but the sugar & cinnamon coating isn't quite as heavy

Flavor: Just as cinammon & sugary as Cinnamon Toast Crunch even though the cinnamon & sugar is less heavy

Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Cinnamon Swirls?: Cinnamon Swirls

"Save-A-Lot is Better" Volume 2: Dianora's Self Rising Crust Pepperoni Pizza

Price: $3.49

Consistency: Much like a delivery pizza, very similar to Digiorno

Flavor: Quite tasty, again, very much like Digiorno

Digiorno or Dianora's?: Dianora's

"Save-A-Lot is Better" Volume 1: Tony T's Zap Mac

Okay, I've decided to start posting some Save-A-Lot foods that are much like name brands but cost less and TASTE BETTER! Mmm! Here's Tony T's Zap Mac:

Price: $1.99 for a box of 6 packets

Consistency: About the same as Easy Mac

Flavor: Cheese flavor is stronger but not too strong

Easy Mac or Tony T's?: Tony T's

Rub a dub dub, always in the tub

Lately I've taken a lot of baths. I shower regularly like everyone else, and I like the occasional bath, but lately I've been taking a lot of them. I usually try to shower no more than once a day or else my hair & skin gets really dry. Lately, getting in the tub after work has felt awesome. I used to just get on the couch to rest my feet and stuff, but getting in the tub seems to feel a bit better. I shave my legs when I take a bath, and I can't seem to get through a bath without shaving, so my legs have been fairly hairless lately as well. I think I took 3 baths last week in addition to the standard daily shower. It's only Sunday and already I've taken a bath. I do sweat a lot at work because it's friggin hot in that store, and I used to just come home, unwind and just shower in the morning. Then I started washing my face after work because I can just feel the grit from sweating all day. Then I started showring after work, but my feet hurt and standing in the shower didn't help, so I started to just run baths after work. What will this turn into? I'm worried I'm gonna start relying on taking a shower every morning and a bath every night. Water's included in my rent, but still, running a bath is kind of a hassle. I'm hoping I'll get over this soon. It could be the heat getting to me though. Heat & I have never gotten along. Cold & I are old buddies. Come back winter! I love you!

DON'T BUY POM JUICE!!!!

Please don't buy POM Juice!!
I was at the doctor's office today reading an article called "PETA vs. POM Horrible." As a former "rodent mom" it made me very angry. Here it is:

PETA has uncovered reports showing that pomegranate juice manufacturer POM Wonderful pays experimenters to perform hideous tests on and kill hundreds of rats, mice, and rabbits. Not one of these tests that POM funds--or any other test on animals--is required by law for juice products. And because animals have different physiologies from humans, the results of the POM-funded tests tells us nothing about how pomegranate juice affects the human beings who drink it.
POM-funded experiments have done the following to animals:
* In order to study human heart disease (atherosclerosis), they've deliberately sickened mice, fed them pomegranate juice, and then cut them up to see if the juice made a difference. POM now claims that pomegranate juice helps mice with heart disease, but what the company fails to mention is that mice don't even develop atherosclerosis naturally--they lack the human enzyme related to the disease. Experimenters didn't really study heart disease--they only created symptoms in mice that mimicked heart disease.
* In a bizarre attempt to show that pomegranate juice can help erectile dysfunction in humans, experimenters injured rabbits' arteries to create artificial symptoms of erectile dysfunction--a condition that rabbits don't suffer from naturally.
*Experimenters locked week-old mouse pups (whose mothers were fed pomegranate juice) in a chamber with almost no oxygen for 45 minutes to cause severe brain injury and later decapitated the babies.
* Elderly rats were forced to swim through a stressful water maze to test the effect of pomegranate juice on the animals' short-term memory.
These outrageous experiments are unnecessary, and more accurate and applicable tests could be easily obtained from non-invasive tests on human volunteers. Many other juice companies--including Naked Juice, Old Orchard, and Frutzzo (available in the US), and Pomegreat (available in the UK), whose products can be found in many of the stores where POM is sold--offer healthy and delicious pomegranate juice without hurting any animals. These and other juice companies have provided PETA with written assurances pledging not to test on animals (see CaringConsumer.com for a complete list).
POM executives have refused to ban cruel animal tests. Help persuade them to do so.
YOU CAN HELP!
Don't buy POM
* Tell everyone you know about POM's cruel animal tests.
* Distribute PETA's "Stop POM!" literature at your local grocery stores. Email campaigns@peta.org with your name and address to receive free leaflets and stickers.
* Please tell POM Horrible that you agree with PETA--juice tests on animals are painful, pointless, and unacceptable. Mention that you won't buy any of its products until the company permanently bans all animal tests:
Matt Tupper, President
POM Wonderful, LLC
11444 W. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
USA
customerservice@pomwonderful.com
310-966-5800
(Postage from the UK is 72 pence)

The Plastic Thingy Mystery Solved!

So I found this black plastic thingy on the floor by my desk the same night a friend visited. I thought maybe it was something that belonged to him because he went to my desk area to look out the window, so I thought "oh this black thingy must've fallen out of his jacket or something, I'll just send him a picture of it and ask if it's his, and it probably is." He said it didn't belong to him, so I was confused. My cousin had been here recently as well, but she hadn't gone into my desk area, so it couldn't belong to her. So I've had this mystery black plastic thingy just hanging around for a while. We recently just got hit by a huge blizzard, so today I've been pretty bored, and I suddenly discovered the answer! If I wasn't bored, I may have never noticed, or at least not for a long time. Here's the plastic thingy:

Looks pretty weird, right? I didn't know what it could possibly be for, I initally thought it was a piece of a clip for a cell phone or something. Now I feel pretty silly for having such a creative imagination, because this is what it's for:

Look closely. See the lower left drawer? No handle! The thingy is just the handle for that drawer! I probably took so long to notice because I don't often need something from that drawer. And If I hadn't been bored, I probably wouldn't have been looking around for something to clean, and I wouldn't have looked at the drawers. I also wouldn't have blogged, but like I said, I was bored! :-P And it's a funny story anyway.

DTA Buses Are Getting Too Smart

DTA buses have been talking, yes literally talking for a long time now. Saying things like "Miller Hill Mall, Door 8" and "Downtown" and "Stop requested." Now they say "Approaching...Lake Superior Zoo" and "For your safety, please remain seated until the bus comes to a complete stop." The fare paying thingy even says "Coin not accepted" if one of your coins doesn't go in, and if you request a transfer, it spits one out and says "Please take transfer." These buses never fail as far as navigation is concerned. I found out they're wifi equipped, so sometimes when they say "Approaching...Commonwealth Avenue and Gary Street" they're actually past Gary Street, but not very far past it. Tonight though, I was officially creeped out for the first time about these "smart" buses. I've heard a lot of the buses phrases many times, including the new one about the use of profanity being prohibited on DTA buses. But tonight's phrase almost made me freeze. I was listening to music on my iPAQ as per usual, and I had my groceries in my seat, and was just being a good bus rider. The bus said "Please remove your feet from the seat." I ignored it figuring it was another new random message like the one about profanity or the one about crossing the street. Again the bus said "Please remove your feet from the seat." I was thinking "WTF, my feet are on the floor, does someone on this bus really have their feet on the seat and the bus KNOWS this??" I was creeped out. The bus knew somebody had their feet on the seat!! The driver said "Take your feet off the seat, you in the back..." I knew it wasn't me that had my feet on the seat, I always sit in the middle of the bus and my feet were on the floor, but I was still just thinking "WTF, how did the bus know that? Maybe I don't want to know."
YOU! Reading my blog!! PULL UP YOUR PANTS!!

Sweet Upgrade

In 2001 or thereabouts, I discovered HP & Compaq's brilliant iPAQ. After drooling over them for a few years, in 2003 I went with an HP h1910, and I am still loving it. It's REALLY getting worn out though, and the right directional button broke like 2 years ago from me playing so much Tetris. It's really scratched and the silver finish is worn off in a lot of places, and the screen is REALLY scratched up, and the battery life just isn't what it used to be.

I am now the proud owner of an HP rx1955, and I'm excited. It will be at my door very soon. Oh yeah. :-D

Apologies to all non-geeks who have no idea what I just said.

Look at it. Drool, drool...

Tattoo Picture

Tattoo'd

I went in to Tatts by Zapp today and got my blue roses. I'll post a picture when my internet isn't acting broken. Lately it has liked to do that. I liked the guy that did my tattoo, he was really cool and also good looking.
The weather has been way too warm lately. I fear the coming of summer. This is it. This is the year the heat will kill me. Make sure my tombstone mentions how cool I was.