I had a really busy weekend, helping my father put up a barn (really), so I'm pretty wiped out...and because of that, I'm posting this quiz. (More on the barn raising later.)
I liked these results.
| You Are Fall! |
 Expressive Creative Poetic Smart |
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Just Another Random Wednesday
It's been a long week. Yes, I know it's only Wednesday. The stress level at work continues at a steady high, with vast amounts of work to do and ever shrinking amounts of time in which to do it. There seems to be a lot more data entry lately...which makes me feel like I'm not getting to the meat of my job, as I'm not reviewing as many loans... And there are plenty waiting for my prying eyes. At these times (mega-busy, too much to do) I really relish every tiny non-work-related e-mail that comes in. My life is so full (ha!). (That was a thinly veiled hint for all my friends who read this - keep the idle prattle coming! It keeps me sane-ish! Heck, I'll even take your forwards, as long as they don't suck.)
Sadly, I'm sure anyone who looks at me twice (or even once) can tell I've been stressed. I have totally broken out over my whole forehead, and my cheeks/chin. I feel like I look like a 15 year old. And the scary part is, when I was 15, I never had terrible breakouts, though I did breakout here and there. In any case, it's annoying. But, I know acne doesn't necessarily go away after puberty. I remember about 10 years (or more) ago, my mother complaining that she had thought she'd stop getting zits before she hit 40. (Okay, I'm paraphrasing there.)
Anyway, speaking of being 15, I have been thinking lately about how much I've grown and changed since high school (and jr. high, and elementary school). Yet, with all that change, sometimes I still feel like that insecure little girl. I don't think I radiate insecurity anymore, like I have a feeling I did back in my younger days, when I was quiet and subdued and pretty much convinced that no one knew who I was (my current friends can't believe I was like that, but I was. Ask my mom!). And, I do a lot more positive self-talk now than I used to. But, even now, when I feel like I've been left out of something, I go right back to that withdrawn teen who thinks she's not liked or wanted. And as much as I tell myself not to take things personally, it's difficult to do. I'm not sure I really have a point there, except that it's funny how our personas change over time, but our core is pretty constant.
And obviously, I'm going on and on again, and should really get myself off to bed. I'm already bound to be late tomorrow. It's inevitable, since I left my cell phone plugged in under my desk at work again. So, I'd better do my best to be on time, because Murphy's Law is definitely against me. (Darn you Murphy! And your stinkin' law, too!!)
Sadly, I'm sure anyone who looks at me twice (or even once) can tell I've been stressed. I have totally broken out over my whole forehead, and my cheeks/chin. I feel like I look like a 15 year old. And the scary part is, when I was 15, I never had terrible breakouts, though I did breakout here and there. In any case, it's annoying. But, I know acne doesn't necessarily go away after puberty. I remember about 10 years (or more) ago, my mother complaining that she had thought she'd stop getting zits before she hit 40. (Okay, I'm paraphrasing there.)
Anyway, speaking of being 15, I have been thinking lately about how much I've grown and changed since high school (and jr. high, and elementary school). Yet, with all that change, sometimes I still feel like that insecure little girl. I don't think I radiate insecurity anymore, like I have a feeling I did back in my younger days, when I was quiet and subdued and pretty much convinced that no one knew who I was (my current friends can't believe I was like that, but I was. Ask my mom!). And, I do a lot more positive self-talk now than I used to. But, even now, when I feel like I've been left out of something, I go right back to that withdrawn teen who thinks she's not liked or wanted. And as much as I tell myself not to take things personally, it's difficult to do. I'm not sure I really have a point there, except that it's funny how our personas change over time, but our core is pretty constant.
And obviously, I'm going on and on again, and should really get myself off to bed. I'm already bound to be late tomorrow. It's inevitable, since I left my cell phone plugged in under my desk at work again. So, I'd better do my best to be on time, because Murphy's Law is definitely against me. (Darn you Murphy! And your stinkin' law, too!!)
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Flight of Fancy
You are Superman.
You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.
Your Results:
Superman - 75%
Spider-Man - 65%
Robin - 65%
Supergirl - 55%
Wonder Woman - 55%
The Flash - 50%
Green Lantern - 45%
Iron Man - 45%
Batman - 40%
Catwoman - 35%
Hulk - 30%
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test
You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.
Your Results:
Superman - 75%
Spider-Man - 65%
Robin - 65%
Supergirl - 55%
Wonder Woman - 55%
The Flash - 50%
Green Lantern - 45%
Iron Man - 45%
Batman - 40%
Catwoman - 35%
Hulk - 30%
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Cakes and Crafts
Thursday night I did something that I don't have much time to do anymore - I baked! Friday was my friend Christyn's birthday, and I had volunteered to bring a cake in to work. So, I whipped this little puppy up for her (side note - I do not condone the whipping of puppies). It's a taffy apple cake, with a bit of caramel sauce drizzled over the top. I actually got the recipe online (follow link above) about 6 years ago, when I made it for a potluck at my last job. I remembered it being a nice dense sweet cake.It got a lot of compliments on Friday when gathered to publicly embarass Christyn in the
company cafe. (Christyn - the singing was NOT my idea!!!) And apparently, people were impressed by the bundt pan shape. Someone in the hall whispered that it looked like a temple as we passed by, according to one of my coworkers.Anyway, I actually thought it was a bit too sweet. I don't remember it being that sweet, so I wonder if this means that I've been watching my diet for so long that my tastes are changing. (Though I have by no means stopped eating sweets!) I do think it could use a few more apples in it - it called for 1 1/2 C chopped apple, and it makes enough batter to fill a 10" Bundt pan to the top edge (and yes, it raises way over the top of the pan as it bakes), so I don't know how you could add apples without having to use additional pans...
Because I wasn't too impressed with the cake this time, I wondered it everyone was just saying they liked it to be nice. Why do I always doubt myself?
I also made a scarf for Christyn using a simple mesh pattern in a bulky yarn. I can't remember the yarn type now (threw the labels out when I finished), but I think it was a Patons yarn. I know that it was an acrylic/alpaca/polyester blend. And very silky to the touch. I really like how this one turned out. (Yes, I'm patting myself on the back, just a little. Someone's got to do it!)
Thursday, October 05, 2006
The Good Old Days
My mother's comment to my last post had me reminiscing about my childhood Halloween Memories. Here's part of what she had to say, for those of you who didn't catch it:
"And what happened to ghost and pirate costumes??? (the first Halloween costume I remember having was a nurse...) I like Halloween because I like to see all the little kids dressed up and trying to say "trick or treat",and the parents trying to get them to be polite and say thank you. As a child we used to go out two days in a row with different costumes on, and get homemade popcorn balls from our land lady - such fond memories. Every one would be excited and that is probably why I think Halloween is just plain fun!"
Well, that got me thinking that my Halloweens must not have been a whole lot different from those of my mother. (Except I don't think I ever dressed up as a nurse.) When we all still lived in NY, my family would all drive out to Grandma's house (my mother's parents lived about 15 minutes away from us) in West Seneca, where they trick-or-treated on the night before Halloween. They called it Beggar's Night. My youngest aunt would be recruited to take us 4 kids around the neighborhood (she was in her early 20's and was also always a fan of the holiday anyway).
Grandma's neighbor had a popcorn machine in her garage and gave out little baggies to all the kids. She would dress her dog up in costumes (before everyone was doing it, a la Paris Hilton), and no one was ever worried about possible popcorn contamination. My own grandmother would stretch fake spiderwebs across the front doorway and scatter those orange and black fake spider rings in it. She'd also toss a few in her blond hair, and I remember the neighborhood kids referring to her as "the spider lady." (Only at Halloween, of course.) I don't remember Grandpa being too involved in the Halloween celebration. I think he was probably in the living room watching baseball...Mom?
Then, on Halloween night, we'd dress up all over again and trick-or-treat around our own neighborhood. Now, I do remember trick-or-treating in the rain, and wearing our costumes over heavy coats and boots. I think it even snowed one year, but I'll let my mother confirm/deny that one. I do think we always had fun though.
Each night, after coming in with our full bags of candy (we usually just used paper grocery bags that we had decorated), we kids would sit in a circle on the family room floor and dump out our stashes, trading with each other (I always hated Charleston Chews and Bit-O-Honey and would trade them for anything). I remember always saving my favorites for last, snacking on the just okay stuff here and there until inevitably, sometime around Easter, I'd find a paper sack of my favorites in my hiding spot (had to keep the candy safe - my sister was not above snagging others' treats), where I'd forgotten about it completely.
Back then, mid '80s, the hot costume was to dress like a punk. I remember at least one year when my aunt and sister both did just that. Not sure if there's any photographic evidence though... I was a witch (nothing like the photo in the last post though) a few times, simply because I think I could never make up my mind about what to be. That, and we always had a good supply of black graduation robes in the closet, which always made for good costume garb. There were some other creative costumes in the family too - my father created a Ghostbusters costume for my sister (vacuum hoses, cardboard box, hardhat, and lots of silver spraypaint), my mom made a lion costume (I know there's a blackmail-worthy photo of my brother Joe in that one) and a Todd (from Fox & the Hound) costume.
Of course, now you don't hear much about parent's making costumes for the kids, or even letting them out in the neighborhood to go door-to-door. I wonder if it's as much fun for kids now as it was for us. Trick-or-treating in the mall, though safer, just doesn't sound as much fun to me.
Now...Mom? Any photos you need to share? (Dagny is demanding them. Yeah, I'll blame it on her!)
"And what happened to ghost and pirate costumes??? (the first Halloween costume I remember having was a nurse...) I like Halloween because I like to see all the little kids dressed up and trying to say "trick or treat",and the parents trying to get them to be polite and say thank you. As a child we used to go out two days in a row with different costumes on, and get homemade popcorn balls from our land lady - such fond memories. Every one would be excited and that is probably why I think Halloween is just plain fun!"
Well, that got me thinking that my Halloweens must not have been a whole lot different from those of my mother. (Except I don't think I ever dressed up as a nurse.) When we all still lived in NY, my family would all drive out to Grandma's house (my mother's parents lived about 15 minutes away from us) in West Seneca, where they trick-or-treated on the night before Halloween. They called it Beggar's Night. My youngest aunt would be recruited to take us 4 kids around the neighborhood (she was in her early 20's and was also always a fan of the holiday anyway).
Grandma's neighbor had a popcorn machine in her garage and gave out little baggies to all the kids. She would dress her dog up in costumes (before everyone was doing it, a la Paris Hilton), and no one was ever worried about possible popcorn contamination. My own grandmother would stretch fake spiderwebs across the front doorway and scatter those orange and black fake spider rings in it. She'd also toss a few in her blond hair, and I remember the neighborhood kids referring to her as "the spider lady." (Only at Halloween, of course.) I don't remember Grandpa being too involved in the Halloween celebration. I think he was probably in the living room watching baseball...Mom?
Then, on Halloween night, we'd dress up all over again and trick-or-treat around our own neighborhood. Now, I do remember trick-or-treating in the rain, and wearing our costumes over heavy coats and boots. I think it even snowed one year, but I'll let my mother confirm/deny that one. I do think we always had fun though.
Each night, after coming in with our full bags of candy (we usually just used paper grocery bags that we had decorated), we kids would sit in a circle on the family room floor and dump out our stashes, trading with each other (I always hated Charleston Chews and Bit-O-Honey and would trade them for anything). I remember always saving my favorites for last, snacking on the just okay stuff here and there until inevitably, sometime around Easter, I'd find a paper sack of my favorites in my hiding spot (had to keep the candy safe - my sister was not above snagging others' treats), where I'd forgotten about it completely.
Back then, mid '80s, the hot costume was to dress like a punk. I remember at least one year when my aunt and sister both did just that. Not sure if there's any photographic evidence though... I was a witch (nothing like the photo in the last post though) a few times, simply because I think I could never make up my mind about what to be. That, and we always had a good supply of black graduation robes in the closet, which always made for good costume garb. There were some other creative costumes in the family too - my father created a Ghostbusters costume for my sister (vacuum hoses, cardboard box, hardhat, and lots of silver spraypaint), my mom made a lion costume (I know there's a blackmail-worthy photo of my brother Joe in that one) and a Todd (from Fox & the Hound) costume.
Of course, now you don't hear much about parent's making costumes for the kids, or even letting them out in the neighborhood to go door-to-door. I wonder if it's as much fun for kids now as it was for us. Trick-or-treating in the mall, though safer, just doesn't sound as much fun to me.
Now...Mom? Any photos you need to share? (Dagny is demanding them. Yeah, I'll blame it on her!)
Monday, October 02, 2006
Happy October!
Now that it's finally October, it is starting to feel rather fall-like out here in California. (Or as close to fall as it tends to get here.) It's been chilly and overcast for the past few days, and I actually broke down and pulled out the cozy flannel pj's. (Part of why I love winter! Best jammy weather!)
Anyway, Halloween is just around the corner, and I don't have any plans yet. We haven't figured out what (if anything) our department is doing at work this year (we've done some pretty good interactive themes over the last few years). So, to help me with ideas (but mostly to waste time online), I took the following quiz
What Should Your Halloween Costume Be?
Sunday, October 01, 2006
What's Your Story Morning Glory?
Remember that morning glory I replanted back in July? At the time, it was 2 straggly looking vines. For good measure (and because I was afraid I'd probably ripped out too much of the existing root system of the original vines), I had added some additional seeds from the original packet (remember, this was a $1 Target grow kit).
Well, when I replanted, I had used some leftover Schultz Potting Soil Plus that had been sitting outside on my balcony for probably 2 years (since my last failed attempt at growing something). The top of the bag wasn't fully sealed anymore, so I figured that any fertilizer had probably leached out from the rain over the years. Apparently not. The additional seeds I added sprouted up amazingly fast and were thriving better than the 2 vines I'd replanted in the first place. I was impressed.
Anyway, I have still managed, in typical Tami fashion, to conveniently "forget" the plant existed
here and there...even though it has a hard to miss spot on my kitchen table and I pass it at least twice every day. Due to this (or my total lack of growing skills), there are some dry dead looking bits that I didn't want to photograph for posting. I have inspected the plant, and was going to remove the twiggy bits, but it looks like the thriving vines are attached to it. (How can that be?)
Anyway, the thriving bits are suddenly budding all over the place. I'm excited by this (it doesn't take much, does it?) The shot above is a picture of a few buds taken Friday night (when I actually remembered to water the plant, and noticed the darling buds
of...September).
The next picture is the larger bud as of this afternoon. It's a really deep fuschia color, and looks like it's going to be really pretty. I didn't think morning glories came in that color. I thought they were all blue with white in the centers. But, what do I know? (Oh, and I couldn't get any good shots of the purpley part.)
Well, when I replanted, I had used some leftover Schultz Potting Soil Plus that had been sitting outside on my balcony for probably 2 years (since my last failed attempt at growing something). The top of the bag wasn't fully sealed anymore, so I figured that any fertilizer had probably leached out from the rain over the years. Apparently not. The additional seeds I added sprouted up amazingly fast and were thriving better than the 2 vines I'd replanted in the first place. I was impressed.
Anyway, I have still managed, in typical Tami fashion, to conveniently "forget" the plant existed
here and there...even though it has a hard to miss spot on my kitchen table and I pass it at least twice every day. Due to this (or my total lack of growing skills), there are some dry dead looking bits that I didn't want to photograph for posting. I have inspected the plant, and was going to remove the twiggy bits, but it looks like the thriving vines are attached to it. (How can that be?) Anyway, the thriving bits are suddenly budding all over the place. I'm excited by this (it doesn't take much, does it?) The shot above is a picture of a few buds taken Friday night (when I actually remembered to water the plant, and noticed the darling buds
of...September).The next picture is the larger bud as of this afternoon. It's a really deep fuschia color, and looks like it's going to be really pretty. I didn't think morning glories came in that color. I thought they were all blue with white in the centers. But, what do I know? (Oh, and I couldn't get any good shots of the purpley part.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)