Mississippi Blasphemies

I don't keep the fact that I am a terrible Southerner a secret. Here are some of the the blasphemous thoughts that have crossed my mind this week.

Why do I need 3 deviled egg trays when I have never actually made deviled eggs?

I don't need to put on makeup just to run to the grocery store, do I?

Am I the only one who realizes that Faith Hill's Mississippi Girl is just a countrified rip off of Jenny from the Block?

And somewhere, my mother is hanging her head in shame.....

Feel free to add to my list of Southern Blasphemies!

You might be a foodie...

• If you've ever been late to work b/c you were opening a pomegranate when you should have been drying your hair....
• If your cat is addicted to Greek yogurt.... (it's like having a small, sharp toothed food critic yowling at your feet whenever you go near the fridge)
• If the thing holding you back from vegetarianism is your love of pâté.... (and if you google pâté so you can copy and paste it to get the proper accents on the word)
• If you've ever made a vegetable dish for your non-veggie loving family and found out that they planted that very vegetable in their garden the next week....(I guess they liked my chard!)
• If that same family still complains about the time you made them eat "paper" and "foot cheese".... (the paper in question was rice paper wrapped around pork and shrimp spring rolls, and as for the cheese- they were on the Atkin's diet so I took them out for Charcuterie plates!)
• If everyone you know asks for recommendations about where to go for dinner....
• If you come up with an awesome recipe to blog about then realize that you're going to have to make it all over again so you can actually figure out what quantities of ingredients you used... (I'm officially promising you a healthy shrimp and grits recipe of my own devising- I made it last night and it was awesome- but I'll probably have to put off my re-do until after the holidays)

Do you have any weird quirks related to your hobbies?

Comets

It's kind of funny how many comet names would make trendy childrens' names.
I particularly think that "Arend, Biela, Brooks, Clark, Daniel, Faye, Finlay, Gale, Gunn, Halley, Hartley, Helin, Hill (I went to high school with a Hill), Howell, Levy, Lovas, Maury, Ory, Russel, Swift, Swan, Taylor, Tempel, and Wolf" sounds like more like a Kindergarten class roll than a selection of comets.

DO you like trendy names or do you prefer traditional ones?

Anecdote

I am in the process of writing guest blogs for a couple of blogs right now. I've never contributed to another blog before, so I am very excited. When I told my darling fiance what I was writing about (I'm keeping it a secret for now, but I'll link to the posts when they're up), he suggested that I instead write about "the weird things I like to keep in the freezer."
Namely, 3 bags of frozen bananas, half a loaf of bread, oranges, and Chinese dumplings.
In my defense, the "oranges" are meyer lemons (though I really should use them), frozen bananas are great in smoothies (though I really should make more of them), and Chinese dumplings are delicious.
On the other hand, I ought to throw out the bread (who puts raisins in pumpernickel anyway?) and I probably shouldn't have put another bag of bananas in the freezer this morning. Oops!

What's the weirdest thing hanging out in your freezer right now?

Blogger's Block

I've been having trouble thinking of things to blog about, so you'll have to once again forgive my absence and the random nature of this post in which I'm just going to write about whatever springs to mind.

One of my fondest childhood memories was brought to mind by another blogger's post (Hi, Katy!) about pulling her son around in a box painted to look like a car (she's teaching him about transportation).
When I was little, my grandparents got a new washer and dryer and set up the empty boxes in the middle of their living room when my brother and I were there along with my two cousins. There were several boxes and they cut holes in the sides for doors and taped them together so we could walk through different "rooms" in the house. They let us scribble on the sides of the box too so we could "paint" our house.
This also makes me think of the times my mom would let us spread a bed sheet over the dining room table and we'd play "camping" with that as our tent.

I also thought I'd write a list of things that my cat Pancake has recently stolen or tried to steal:
Magnets off of the refrigerator
Pens
My Camera (he generally just grabs the strap and drags it from the table to the floor, which is great for digital cameras :P)
My Soap
My darling fiance's stethescope (unsuccessfully)
My hairbrush (and then he tried to flush the toilet when I took it away from him).

Pancake also thinks that splashing the water in the toilet is hilarious (and now we keep the lids closed at all times) and that the wires of plugged in appliances like hairdryers and irons are fascinating toys.

And, predictably, I've run out of things to say... So anyway, have a nice day and enjoy the weather if it's spring where you are! I love spring in New Orleans, but it doesn't last nearly long enough.

What's your favorite childhood memory?

Last Post of the Decade

Tomorrow, my darling fiance and I are flying to Switzerland where we, along with his lovely family, will enjoy snow, skiing, and lots and lots of cheese.
I have a couple more hours of work, and then I have to go home and pack. In case anyone is curious, here are my trips for traveling in cold weather.

1) If you are OCD about mixing certain colors (no brown & black or navy& black for me!) then choose your color scheme wisely. When I travel, I choose either brown or black as a basic color and stick with it. That way I don't wind up packing both brown and black shoes and purses.

2) Pack (or, even better, wear on the plane) a heavy coat. Pair this with a warm hat, scarf and gloves. Make sure that your purse strap fits comfortably around the arms of your coat and rests on your shoulder. A purse with a short strap gets annoying very quickly when you have to wear a coat.

3) Bring one heavy sweater. This sweater should be comfortable, have a button or zip front, and be in a dark color that doesn't show stains. If you get it dirty, keep in mind that you'll be rinsing it out in your hotel sink. Also, mind the sleeves. These are lessons I learned the hard way after bringing a cream colored pullover sweater with bell sleeves to Switzerland the first time I went. I wore it once (so inconvenient!), then wore my black button-down the rest of the time. If you don't mind going casual, you can also bring a dark colored fleece or use it in place of the sweater. I will say that all fleeces are not created equal. The ones I have from Old Navy, for example, are not very warm compared to the ones I have from ski apparel brands (think Spyder or Northface or Columbia.) I would avoid sweaters or fleeces with hoods or big collars because they can bunch up annoyingly under your coat.

4) Bring as few pairs of shoes as possible. Shoes are heavy and take up space. So if you pack any extra shoes, try to wear the bulkier ones on the plane. Also, make sure your shoes are comfortable. Shoes you don't wear b/c they kill your feet are a waste of space. If you are going to be walking around a lot, I would advise against Ugg-type winter boots. I have a pair and have used them as snow boots for the past couple of years. They are waterproof and very soft, but they aren't very supportive and my feet always hurt as a result. Also, since you'll be dealing with airports, make sure that you can get your shoes on and off fairly quickly. It makes security much less of a hassle.

5) Shirts- bring one shirt per day. I tend to wear knit shirts or light sweaters because I would rather not iron my clothes, and not every place comes with an iron.

6) Pants- you don't need as many as you think. I will probably pack 3 pairs of pants (2 jeans and 1 corduroy) for my 12 day trip, and honestly, I could probably get by with 2 pairs- I know it sounds gross, but you really don't sweat very much in the winter, so they stay pretty clean, especially if you wear an under layer (see below). Again, go with dark colors so if you spill something on them, you can rinse them out.

7) Pajamas- Pack one pair for every 3 or 4 days of vacation. I like long sleeved knit or flannel PJ's better than fleece because if the room is cool you can always add more blankets- I think it's easy to overheat in fleece PJ's.

8) Undergarments- I always pack plenty of socks and underwear because they don't take up very much space and are pretty crucial. Another important cold weather undergarment is a pair of cuddle duds.

So my basic cold weather outfit is jeans tucked into winter boots, topped with a colorful long sleeved knit shirt and a black button down sweater. I throw on a good coat, scarf, hat, and gloves to go outside, and if I'm going to outside for a while (and it's really cold), I'll be wearing cuddle duds underneath my clothes.

The bottom line is that you will always end up packing more stuff than you need, but if you pare it down as much as possible, it will be easier to carry your luggage, you won't have to worry about extra fees at the airport, and there will be extra room in your bags for souvenirs when it's time to go home!

I'm sure there are more tips to be had because I'm not an expert packer, but this is what I've learned through trial and error.

I won't be back home until 2010, so until then, have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

A year in review

This morning as I was driving to work (sans radio) I was thinking about everything I've done as a 27 year old woman. I realized what a great year it's been for me! Here are a few of the things I've accomplished:

1. Wrote my first novel
2. Continued to work at a job I love
3. Went to Maine (and did a lot of traveling in general)
4. Continued to live happily with my boyfriend (and pets)
5. Ran my first (of many) race which was further than I have ever run
6. Got into really good shape
8. Started a new blog

And I still have a week left! Who know's what else I'll get done? (*cough* get a car Tuesday hopefully *cough*) :)

Updated on (8/11/09)- I did get a car before I turned 28!!!

Heat Wave

It is HOT in the city! Today the heat index is 110F. Despite this, I just signed up to do a trail run in the middle of July. I've been told that it is really hot, gruelingly so, but also really fun. Other advice I've been given is to wear old shoes and tie them tightly. Apparently you run through a mud pit during the race and people have been known to lose their shoes!

Adding to the list of random things I want:

A good exercise headband because I haven't found one that stays on my head. Maybe this?

This shirt.

Random Things I Want

Hibiscus Peppermint Tea

Cocoa Nibs

This T-shirt extender

Powdered Peanut Butter

Things I've spilled thus far today

1) Blackberry juice
2) Balsamic Vinaigrette
3) Hummus
4) Barbecue Sauce

Cold Comfort

Things I've learned as my cold moves from my head into my bronchial tubes:
1) Mucinex pills are enormous.
2) The sedative power of two Benadryl is no match for an agonizingly sore throat at 3am.
3) Even my Dr.'s office recommends the Neti Pot.
4) Spicy food is a gift from God.
5) I don't have to worry about leaving a bottle of green superfood juice in the fridge at work. No one will take it.

Qualities Inherited from my Paternal Grandmother

1. Love of coffee
2. Being extremely cold natured- think down comforters in July
3. Love of British Comedy
4. Habit of sitting around the dining room table for long periods of time
5. Home is my comfort zone
6. I say "Well!" when I am irritated or flustered.