Big-Ass Blog Update Part 1

There is just no way I can catch you up on everything that I've been up to in the last month in one blog post, so I'm splitting this bad boy up!!

I've started keeping notes for myself when I think of something to blog about, and it's been so long I have a few notes now, so here is what I wanted to talk about as of several weeks ago:

1. The movie "Taken" with Liam Neeson. If you haven't seen it, and you're in the mood to see some pure-D ass kicking, check it out. This movie is basically what my mom thinks is going to happen to me every time I leave the house, and then Liam just totally kicks ass and kills nearly everyone for an hour and a half.

2. I went to a Magnolia Roller Vixens bout a few weeks ago to watch my friend Dawn, from WAPT, and my friend Donna, from the JFP, have a skate-off. It was a lot of fun, and just reinforced my desire to strap on some skates again one of these days. I don't have time for roller derby, but I just want to skate around a rink a few times for fun. Also, my sister and I watched the movie "Roller Boogie," which that Of Montreal video I posted a while back is set to a clip from that movie, and it is my new favorite cheesy '70s film!! It has everything: short shorts, tube socks, roller skates, feathered hair, disco and Linda Blair!

3. I am willing to describe myself as a Foodie. I blame the BF, he is the ultimate Foodie and he totally turned me into one too, what with his gourmet cooking and fancy recipe books and whatnot. So I'm not very picky about what I eat, although I have a few caveats: I don't like olives, mushrooms (although things cooked with mushroom are usually tasty), oranges (but I like orange juice), pineapple or grapefruit (it's texture for all but pineapple - I just plain don't like pineapple at all), licorice, okra or radishes. Everything else in the food world is pretty much up for grabs, but there is another exception that has more to do with preparation rather than the actual ingredients.

During the holidays a few years ago, the BF invited me to dinner at his parents' house. His mom is an excellent cook, so I expected great food of course. And it was, but the first course took me by surprise. It was tomato aspic, and it was something I just could not swallow. She served it with sour cream and caviar on top, and I thought I just might hurl right there at the table. I like tomato, I like sour cream and caviar, but in my humble opinion, jello should never, EVER be savory! I can't even think of a good use for it, unlike Bloody Marys, which I also don't like -- they would make a terrific marinade. So I had to politely decline from finishing my aspic.

Cold soup is another item I can't wrap my brain around. As with the Bloody Mary, I'd marinate some lamb in gazpacho or pour it over a salad. But to just sip it out of a cup? GROSS.

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So I spent some time in Vegas a couple weeks ago, both for work and for fun. The first day or so I spent by the pool with some coworkers, soaking up rays and enjoying fruity adult beverages. There were nice ladies walking by every few minutes to see if anyone needed a cocktail, and I couldn't help but wonder - what would it be like to put on a bathing suit for work every day? Would it get old? How much sunblock would you go through each week? These are questions that I had.

Another question: Does Carrot Top have a girlfriend? And if so, who the hell would date him? I dare say there aren't too many other people in the world as annoying as him.

I'm pretty tired of Vegas actually, this having been my third time to visit there in almost as many years. But I had a good time with my fun coworkers and I even won a President's award, which was awesome! I even got a 2-mile run in on the treadmill while I was there. As for the rest of the week, well... tune in later. That will be part 2! It's bedtime for me now.

Just another year...

That is my favorite version of this song, but I must give props to Ani DiFranco who wrote the song, and who is one of my all-time favorite singer/songwriters.

So yes, I am 32 now, and I am owning it so far. When I was about to turn 30, the BF, who is 12 years older than me, assured me that "Your thirties are your best years." At 29, my immediate thought was, "Yeah right, what could be more fun than your 20s? 30 is the time to get serious. 30 is when you have to really start thinking about wrinkles and retirement funds."

But you know what? He was right. So far, my thirties have rocked. Now, of course it has not been all wine and roses, but overall, I have felt more confident, self-assured, and free to do whatever I really want since I turned 30. So 32 is just a little more kick-assy than 31.

I tend to celebrate my birthday all month long, a practice I put into place years ago. But this year I found myself surrounded by many other Taureans who also enjoy celebrating their entrance into the world for an entire month. This all culminated in a party at Hal and Mal's last weekend. While some of us were unsure as to how the evening would turn out, I have to say I think it was pretty fun. There was dancing, there was karaoke, there was random guests and a special surprise guest for me - one of my dear friends just happened to be in town from Nashville and showed up unannounced. It was great! So nice to have such a formidable group of ladies to grow older with.

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Reason #569240 that I love Mimi Smartypants:

Her diatribe on the meaning behind Wheat Thins marketing

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So the economy is in the crapper, we all know that. My job has recently been affected, because starting next week, I get a half-day unpaid every week until late September. This will hopefully save us enough money to keep us operating in FY10, but naturally there is the worry that it won't. I am not happy about this of course, but I am thankful beyond words that I still have a job. And hopefully the economy will turn around soon. But coming off of this past holiday weekend, I have to admit: I am kind of looking forward to having the extra time at home! That is something I never get anymore, really, is time to do things around the house. Since I won't have any money with which to go out and have a good time on my days off, I really think I will enjoy having time to clean out my closets, or start on a collage project I'm thinking of doing, or talk to my plants. Seriously! They may have a hard time getting me to go back to work on Fridays once this is all said and done.

Finally, I have to say, being a former show choir nerd, I am loving the new Fox show "Glee." I watched the pilot on Hulu today and was laughing my ass off. "There is nothing ironic about Show Choir!" Oh but yes, my dear, there really is!!

Here's the trailer:

This is getting good...

So today was election day in Jackson, at least for the mayoral primaries and city council positions. I wish I could have voted, but I don't live in Jackson YET, so I had to sit on my hands all day whilst reports came in that turnout was embarrassingly low at the polls. What was everyone doing? Getting blasted at Cazuela's for Cinco de Mayo? I truly don't think many people even realized today was election day, in spite of all the ads and signs and reminders from the media.

Now, our Mayor has collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. I truly hope he will be okay, but this man has cried wolf so many times that I don't know what to think. It just seems to convenient or ironic that this happened on election day - but it did happen after the polls closed, but still. Keep it here for breaking details...

It's thundering outside and threatening to rain, so that is another great reason for me to be inside under a blanket. I don't get nearly enough opportunity to snuggle on my couch, so I'm savoring this one.

Earlier this evening I was aurally assaulted in two ways. I will now tell you about it:

1. I went to a spin class and, without thinking, chose a bike directly in front of the speaker. I like the teacher because she usually brings good tunes. Today she chose a lot of death metal, and she also chose to yell really loud, so my ears are still ringing. Yay.

Also, while I was spinning, I realized something astounding. Jam band music would be the absolute worst type of music you could possibly work out to. Most of the songs that we spin to are around 3 minutes long, mayyybe 5 minutes maximum. This way you change up the type of activity for each song, so you have a well-rounded workout. I can't imagine doing jumps for all 12 minutes of Phish's "Stash." Not to mention the lack of a steady rhythm. No wonder so many stoners are out of shape!

(OK now it is pouring down rain AND hailing. Crazy!)

2. The creepy ice cream truck came inching down my street right when I got home from the gym. Ice cream trucks creep me out big time -- the way they slowly creep down the street, playing that same eerie song over and over again, lingering a little too long on the street, looking for more children... I console myself by imagining that it's Big Worm:



Then again, maybe I don't really want that kind of thing going down on my street, either!

Run to the hills!

Run for your lives!!

I had an awesome playlist for my run today:

Let's Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire
Club Thing - Yoav
Get on the Good Foot - James Brown
Reckoner - Radiohead
The Distance - Cake
Rock With You - Michael Jackson

I've decided to stop running on the street for now and start running at a track so's I can listen to my Ipod without worry of being mowed down by a Mack truck or a soccer mom. It's amazing how music can be so motivating. I am running further and more often than I was before. I really think I will be ready for a 5K by at least May if I keep this up!

It's Crossroads Film Fest time again, and although I won't be here for part of the weekend, I am really excited nonetheless. I just think it's so cool that Jackson has a film festival as competitive as and as comparable to those found in bigger states or even in Europe. I got to preview a few of the films for the JFP, and I was really impressed with what I saw. The feature-length film I previewed was a documentary, a genre for which I am a total sucker. Some people are into horror movies, some are the romantic-comedy type, but give me a documentary and I am a happy camper. It can be about plastic wrap, I don't care - I will be riveted. I just haven't seen a documentary yet that didn't grab me. There must be something about documentary filmmakers - they know how to make the ordinary seem so much more interesting. Of course some topics are totally interesting... this particular film I saw was about a punk band in the UK where 3/5 of the band had developmental disabilities, and I think that's pretty interesting. But even if it was about parsnip farming, I'd watch it.

It's almost April, which means it's almost May, which means my BDAY is coming up soon. I have this awesome group of friends made up of many Taureans like myself, and we are planning a giant space-jump party since there are so many birthdays. I'm excited about that, but I'm also still pining to have my skating party that I didn't get to have for my 30th birthday. I have heard that the two remaining skating rinks in town aren't keen on adult birthday parties, but I may check into it, anyway. The only problem I have is that I would want to be able to drink for my party, and I'm pretty sure drinking and skating do not go hand in hand. But I am working on a soundtrack, nonetheless. Today I stumbled upon a whole slew of old-school roller rink songs on Itunes. Wonder if I can dig out those white skates with the pink wheels?

Seriously - this is what my birthday could look like:



I'm pretty sure the reason everybody was so skinny in the '70s is directly related to roller skating and blow. Probably in reverse order. So maybe skating and beer wouldn't be so bad after all?

Pig Snacks

The BF found a recipe for some type of British meat pie, and part of the recipe is a broth made from "trotters," or in Mississippi terminology, pig feet. Knowing that the suburban Krogers doesn't typically carry such pork parts, we headed to the Piggly Wiggly off Meadowbrook in search of trotters.



What a hidden treasure we found! First of all, there was a guy getting DOWN to the rock music in the parking lot. He was wearing headphones, dancing his ass off, whilst hanging on to his tricked-out bicycle. We stopped in the parking lot for a full 5 minutes just to watch him dance. Then once we were inside, we found a wall of bargain items - 3 packs of onion soup mix for $1, Jiffy cornbread mix 2/$1.00 - I snatched that stuff up. Plus, the meat selection was incredible! Not only did we find pig's feet, but we also found pig tails, ox tails, pig ears, hog mawls (which make me think of "Friday," but I don't want to eat them), and much much more. I even bought a "hen" thinking it was a regular ol' chicken. 2 hours cooking time later, I realized there was a huge difference. My enchiladas were still delicious though! Anyway, two thumbs way up for the Jackson Pig. I have been non-impressed - nay - scared shitless - of the Pig in Crystal Springs, but this one was much larger, nicer and had way better selection and better prices than the K-rogers.



That picture above is from a better spot to shop in Crystal Springs, Wilson's meat market. Best pork rinds I've ever had. Yes, I have a thing for piggies and all meats made from pig.



Just don't tell Nummies:

Random Doo Dads

There used to be a snack mix called "Doo Dads," do you remember that? That was my favorite snack in preschool.

We were rehearsing "All We Like Sheep" from "The Messiah" at choir practice the other night, and I couldn't help but wonder, why don't adults have to dress like sheep and angels and whatnot in church plays like kids do? I think "The Messiah" would be more fun if I could wear a sheep suit.

I have been waiting for a while for the grocery stores to start selling those colorful plastic balls that they keep in the big bins in the aisle. Sally is pretty athletic so I figured one of those toys would make the perfect little soccer ball for her. Tonight I was picking up a few things at the Krogers, and I heard this little girl saying, "Mommy, I want a BALL!" over and over. So I rounded the corner, and lo and behold, a big bin of colorful plastic balls! Much to the chagrin of the little whiny girl, I plucked one out and brought it home for Sally. She loved it, kicked it around awhile, and about 5 minutes later this is what I found:

It was the saddest thing I have ever seen.

That's the fastest $1.50 I've ever spent.

For Katie, my lone reader

I hope she isn't my only reader (but even if you were I'd still write for your entertainment K!), but since she asked for an update here it is.

I'm fine, I'm just fat.

I went to the doctor Monday morning and only had to read Coastal Living for about five minutes before they called me back. Then the nurse weighed me (I won't say what it was, but I will say I think their scales are WRONG), and took me into a little room and asked me what was going on. I started telling her about my BP being high a while back, and then the cat/puffer thing, and the chest pains, and the high BP last weekend, and I'm telling her as fast as I can, but she interrupts me and says, "So you're just here for a BP check?"

No, I said, well, yes, but also to see why I'm having chest pains. So she takes my BP whilst telling me that the home version of the sphygmomanometer (there's that word again) is no good, and it's no wonder I got a weird reading. She tells me my BP is normal and in comes the doctor. He is in an even bigger hurry than the nurse, but he listens enough to hear the part about the cats and the puffer. So he says it's probably just because of my asthma/allergies, and I will be fine.

I wrote them a check for $20 to tell me that nothing is wrong. Guess I should have gone for that run after all! Admittedly, I feel a little better this week, and maybe stress had something to do with the chest pain too because I have certainly been stressed the last week or so with work, but still. I couldn't believe how quickly they got me in and out and how disinterested they were in my CHEST PAIN. Normally if you go to the ER with chest pain they usher you right by the bleeding, barfing people in the waiting room. So maybe I need to find a new Dr.?

Anyway, I'm fine as far as I know, but I am fat, as evidenced by the pictures one of my clients took today at our Advocacy Day at the Capitol. I put the Rotund in Rotunda! It's okay though, I'm hitting WW hard core and trying to exercise somehow every day. I'm actually sore today from yoga I did yesterday, so that is a plus. Thanks for asking!