Blog of a Million Dreams

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving



Happy Thanksgiving from me, Big H and Leelu...

10 Things we are grateful for;

1) Dog clothes that leave room for peeing

2) a blog to spout off with

3) long, long walks

4) flea-free days (although we've seen few of those lately)

5) tasty dog treats

6) smelly excrements to roll in

7) trees to pee on

8) warm blankets to burrow into

9) heated mattress pads to sleep on

10) warm, roasted turkey bits to munch on....

Okaay, the dogs are spoiled...but I think of them more as...dog-children!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Multi Tasking T.V.

I'm multi t.v. tasking...if that's possible..and I don't know that it is.

Right now I'm watching "The View" on www.hulu.com and House Hunters on HGTV.

The thing is, House Hunters is showing a couple that is buying a $165,000 house...EGADS...how is that possible? $165,000 is a down payment on a house here...not the whole friggin' mortgage.

And, on "The View", it's hilarious because Elizabeth Hasselback just cut Joy Behar's promoting of the "Joy Behar Talk Show" by bringing up her recipe for pretzel jello. wtf?

I think I'm just too tired to focus on anything right now (walked downtown with the dogs today) and so I'm running all these shows....

Time for a movie, I think.

Friday, November 20, 2009

How To Make a Faux Turkey



So, my friend Gabriella showed me how to make Turkeys this week...and Russ emailed me the pics--here they are and I'll write the recipe also...They are so cool!

I went over to their house on Wednesday night and we made them. It didn't take that long, really, and it was a lot of fun.

One thing that is important is to get the Candy Corn before the stores sell out of it. A friend of mine said that now that Halloween is over it's harder to get the corn...but that liquor stores seem to still have the Candy Corn.

Ingredients:
  • Rice Krispies Cereal
  • a stick of butter
  • mini-marshmellows
  • Candy Corn
  • Oreo Cookies
  • Chocolate Frosting
  • Parchment Paper
1. Make Rice Krispy Treats using the cereal, butter and mini-marshmellows...but instead of spreading the melted rice krispy cereal in a pan, grease up your hands (with butter or margarine) and turn them into little balls. These balls will be the body of your turkey.

2. Separate the Oreo Cookies (gently and carefully so they don't break) and scrape off the white frosting. You will have tons of cookie halves.

3. Spread the chocolate frosting on a cookie half. Put the Rice Krispy Ball on it. Spread the chocolate frosting on another cookie half and put that behind the Rice Krispy Ball (so that it is sitting on 2 cookie halves, at a 90 degree angle).

4. Put three candy corns directly on the Oreo Cookie half that is behind the Rice Krispy ball, so that it looks like a tail. Press the candy corn into the frosting.

5. Put frosting on one candy corn and press it onto the front of the Rice Krispy ball, so that it looks like a little Turkey Beak.

6. Put the Turkeys in the fridge, on parchmant paper so that the frosting will set.

Voila! Mini-turkeys for Thanksgiving. It looks so very Martha-Stewarty and as if you spent a lot of time and effort on it...but it's easy!

Pet Peeves

I just read in an old People Magazine interview (last month I think) that Cesar Milan's pet peeve is when his dog's pee on his flower patch.

I thought that was kind of funny. He says he has 2 acres of land or so, yet the dogs find this little patch of flowers appealing for peeing. It also made me think of that saying, "No one is perfect.". Even experts in certain subjects aren't perfect. In a world that is so unforgiving, sometimes things like that make me feel better.

My pet peeve is when people stand outside my bedroom window first thing in the morning and have long, protracted, pointless conversations. That I have to listen too...and wake up from a deep slumber. Like this morning at..oh, say 7 a.m. My neighbor's door is right next to my bedroom window. And I had to listen to this long, long conversation that never ended....waking me up and pissing me off.

How hard is it to either invite someone in to your house to finish the conversation or move to a quieter place in the complex?

But I've found that, even when I ask people not to do this, they continue unless it becomes unpleasant for them to do so.

My other neighbors stopped standing outside my window having long conversations when my dogs started barking when they did it.

This neighbor just started talking louder. And that is the definition of a social retard.

So, my recourse, I guess is to stand outside said neighbor's bedroom window and have a really loud conversation that doesn't end so said neighbor can't sleep. Maybe that will hit home. Because asking people not to do it, goes in one ear and out the other.

No! I've got it. The next time it happens, I'm going to open my closed window (yes the conversation is so loud that it goes through the window) and add commentary, such as,

"You tell 'em!"

or

"Hey, why don't we all sing 'Kumbaya' and wake everyone who has managed to sleep through this up?"

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Salesforce.com...Blech

KNTV's headline on their website is that Gavin Newsom is praising Salesforce.com as a 'good company'.

Aside from the fact that it bothers me that anyone would describe a company as 'good' or 'bad' as if the company was human, I don't like Salesforce.com.

I went there on an interview once and brought my portfolio, past training modules that I'd developed, etc.

I let them see all of my materials, deliverables, etc.,.

As I left the interview, I realized that two of the 'interviewers' in the room still had my stuff.

I ran back into the conference room and confronted them. "I need my materials," I told them.

Not the slightest bit embarrassed or chafed, both of the people who had my copies of my presentations requested copies of it.

I was nice about it, but I told them no. And I didn't get the job. But, to be honest, I don't think I was being considered anyway. I think I was being used to help them figure out some kind of fix for their salesforce. And I really resent being used that way.

So, in my humble opinion, I think Salesforce.com is a 'bad' company, Gavin.

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Julie and Julia

I just finished the book, "Julie and Julia" by Julie Powell. If you read my earlier blog posting, I reviewed the movie and gave it a thumbs up for Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and a thumbs down for Julie (Amy Adams).

The book is better than the movie, although it does drag at times.

I have to say, the book is also somewhat different.

In the movie, Amy Adams comes across as an East Coast spoiled brat with a constant sour look. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked the main character in the book much, much more.

First, Julie of the book is a Texan who yearns to be a New Yorker. When I think of Texans, I think of nitty gritty, hardscrabble, 'git it done folks. And I think that Texas-ness came through in the book, but it definitely did not in the movie. Texan Julie Powell is a lot more likable in her book than East Coast Amy Adams is in the movie.

The other characteristic of the main character that I liked was that Julie Powell didn't shy away from disclosing her flaws; (to name a few) egg donation soley for greed (oooh Julie better to give away your big toe than your eggs), swearing, being a democrat and fears of becoming/being insignificant. By letting it all hang out, Julie of the book is relatable. Julie of the movie is not, since the movie just focuses on all of her whining and doesn't disclose any of her flaws in any depth. And in the movie, her husband is a saint. In the book, he's much more human.

She writes of hearing her biological clock ticking and how her husband just doesn't get it. She writes of late, late night cooking fests (for a year) and shit filled backed up plumbing. She writes of clothes that don't fit, meals that taste horrid and dismembering animal body parts.

The book really was about Julie and not so much about Julia Child. And that was okay, because it made sense...it was about Julie Powell attempting to make her life work. The movie, however, should've focused on Julia Child. Or, really, had better casting. I could see Sandra Bullock or Julia Roberts in this role. Amy Adams did not wear the role well.

But on to the book. It was interesting, if not TMI at some points. And towards the middle of the book, it really dragged and I considered putting it down. I don't think the book will have staying power because it isn't especially well written but it's not written badly either. As blogs become more mainstream and blogging is not longer considered so 'avant garde', perhaps this book will lose it's appeal. But it is worth reading now, especially if you've seen the movie already.

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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Decluttering; Session II

So, after calling the Salvation Army and having them haul off half the crap in my garage, today I attempted to attack the bedroom.

It wasn't fun.

I was able to only fill one huge green garbage bag (still have so much more to do), when I lost traction and went downstairs.

In an attempt to distract myself from the nightmare waiting upstairs in the bedroom, I cleaned downstairs. And decided to throw the living room rug out. It was a good decision. The rug in the living room was disgusting. It was a sisal rug, but stained and I never really liked it.

I want a white shag rug in the living room. I never really wanted that sisal rug but settled on it because I saw it for a good price at the Goodwill.

Now I'm going to go to Marshall's and TJ Maxx for my white shag rug. I want it for under $200 and if I can find it for under $100 I'm going to jump for joy.

In the back of my mind I know that I still have to go upstairs and tackle that bedroom. But...ooh does the living room look better.

Update: I went upstairs and took the sheepskin rug from the bedroom...saving me money! And the rug looks great!

I Fought the Flu....

...and I won.

It was a 3 month battle.

It cost me boxes and boxes of kleenex, lost productivity, sleepless nights and sleep-filled days, and who knows what else.

But I won.

Right now I just took another Mucinex because I need my ears to pop, but other than that, I'm pretty much getting over it.

I'm so glad!

Friday, November 13, 2009

Chchchanges

Seems like a lot of changes have been taking place for everyone.

Families moving to more affordable places.

Jobs disappearing. Coming back in extremely different forms.

Kids graduating from schools and moving on to different schools.

People getting divorced or married. Having babies. Not being able to afford said babies (at least not being able to afford those babies in the way they want to afford them).

Some of my friends losing their homes in foreclosures.

What strikes me is how my very different friends are dealing with these changes.

Some of my friend rise to the occasions in amazing ways. They draw their families together, dial down their spending and become more generous to others.

And, sadly, I have a few friends who are running to their doctors complaining about stress, depression, you name it. And they are getting medicated.

I truly have a hard time with that. Believe me, I understand how you might need some help in times like these.

But I would think that, if facing debilitating depression or stress, one would turn first to therapy or counseling. Or at least do that in tandem with medication.

Yet I have two fairly close friends who are shoring themselves up on doctor prescribed medication and nothing else.

I'm concerned. I would hope that if I ever faced that kind of stress I would turn to a trusted therapist or counselor and forgo medication. Or, if I had no choice but to turn to such medication, I would be off of it before long and not have a year or more long dependency upon it. I've expressed my concern to these friends and they are not listening. They think I'm nuts for fighting my sinus infection/flu symptoms without going to a doctor.

Yet, I feel that many Americans run to their doctors constantly and for very silly reasons.

Sunday, November 08, 2009

Viruses

So, I still have my swine flu, or sinus infection (as I like to call it) or lung infection (as it feels like) or WHATEVER the hell you want to call it.

Only my friends and family are super sick of hearing about it, seeing as I'm on month 3 of said virus.

"Stop complaining about it. You must like being sick because you're not going to the doctor," said Petrina.

I explained (again!) that I had no medical insurance.

"I guess I could show up at the emergency room and say I was Maria Lopez and just walked over the border.." I laughingly said to Petrina. Before hacking up more mucus than what was in my coffee cup.

"YES!" she exclaimed. "You must do that. Go and say you just came over the border and you need a doctor."

I tried explaining that I didn't think a sinus/lung infection was worth a stint in jail for fraud. Although a jail term would be better than death. Say, if I were suffering from a horrible cancer or something, I'd turn into Maria Lopez fast.

But it did get me thinking. How much better off I would be if I were illegal. I mean, what's the worst that the U.S. would do? They'd treat me for my sinus infection and then give me a free trip to Puerto Vallarta or something. But as a citizen...I'm fucked.

And not only that, my computer is suffering from a virus now also. Grrr.

Friday, November 06, 2009

Animae, Manga and Personal Ads

In the interests of jumpstarting my life and adding a little zing~ into my day, I signed up for Yahoo! personals.

No, you won't be able to see my profile 'cuz Cece is not my real name.

In any event, I got tons and tons of responses, which I guess is fairly typical if you're a woman. Men tend to go to those sites, whereas I've heard women just try to meet men in person.

So I read through a few responses, picked one or two and ended up talking to one guy on the phone.

He seemed nice, although at the end of the short conversations he asked me if I liked Animae.

"As in comic books?!?" I asked.

Yes, he replied. Along with Manga, that was his big hobby.

Okay, I thought. I can handle this. It's a little juvenile, but I suppose it's better than being an alcoholic or druggie or pedophile.

"Well, my daughter, who is 19, likes Animae...." I stammered, not knowing what else to say.

He seemed satisfied with my quasi-answer and we agreed to meet in two days, at a coffee shop.

Before he hung up, he insisted on another picture. I directed him to my personal web page, with another picture of me. It's a pretty good picture, but I am photogenic...I take pretty good pictures if I do say so myself. Anyway, even though that picture was a few years old (unlike my more recent picture that I posted on the personals page), he really perked up and said he was looking forward to meeting me in person.

Later he sent me another email telling me how attractive my pictures were. Uh. Okay. Nice to know it's all about my looks.

Today was the day we were supposed to meet. At 10 a.m.

I got up, thought a little about what to wear. Chose jeans and a trendy top. Made sure I'd showered and looked presentable. Sucked down some tea and breakfast.

15 minutes before I was supposed to leave, I thought I'd better log into my Yahoo! personals email account (it's soooo separate from my other account).

And there it was. Another email from him. Sent last night. Scrapping plans to meet and telling me he really did want to meet but was unable to do so today.

I guess my pictures aren't all that.

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

The Secret to Happiness

According to this Msn.com article I just read there is a secret to happiness.

No, it's not the fountain of youth or tons of money....

No, it's not a rockin' bod and good health....

Believe it or not, according to this article, the secret to happiness is....

....having children.

And the more children you have...the happier you are.

But my take on the article is this...

It's not the children...it's the amazing sex life that puts that jiggle in your wiggle.

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Kathy Griffin

Unemployment is so much fun. I watch more t.v. than I ever have in my life.

In 2005, when I was laid off the first time, I filled up on Jerry Springer, The View and Oprah.

Now it's 2009 and I have cable. Basic cable, but it's cable.

I'm filling up on HGTV, House Hunters, Property Virgins, The Unsellables, Bravo, The Salon AND...

Now I'm watching Kathy Griffin.

Say what you want about her. She's offensive, opinionated, unfiltered and HILARIOUS....

Now I don't agree with many of her viewpoints but I think she is so funny...I can't believe she pulled down her pants to show how she chased down her dogs in a posh hotel in a t-shirt. I thought her Paris Hilton bashing was so funny. And her gossip is good! Now she's talking about Taylor Swift and Kanye West...this should be good!

I wish we had a female comedianne with her own late night talk show. Joan Rivers would've been perfect if the boys club hadn't done her in (I think they were worried she would be funnier than them).

If A Tree Falls In A Forest...

It's a little after 3:30 pm and I just checked my email for the first time today...

I thought I'd have hundreds of emails...hey! Some might even be a little irritated that I hadn't responded to them in a timely manner.

I was kind of hoping to get a job nibble from something I've had on the back burner for a little while.

I figured a few friends would probably have emailed, wondering where I've been...

Nothing.

Not a teeny thing. Just a ton of spam email and sales pitches.

So now I am appreciating the silence.

Monday, November 02, 2009

Monday, Monday

It's Monday, 11/2, and I've got tons of stuff to do!

Pay the mortgage, which was due yesterday. Pay the electric bill, the phone bill. Send in the Unemployment Survey/Checklist...whatever the hell it is.

Walk the dogs. Shower. Return Library books. Apply for work. Declutter.

And, so far, at the ripe time of 9:30, I cannot seem to move my podunkus off the couch.

At least my cold seems to be oh-so-slowly getting better.

And, if I am able to complete all of the above tasks, as well as signing up for an online service I needed to sign up for months ago, I will reward myself with a Salvation Army run....

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Sunday

It's the day after Halloween.

My exchange student is taking his second shower of the day. What is it about exchange students that they feel the need to shower constantly? I guess I should just be thankful that he doesn't have B.O., but, for heaven's sake, does he need to constantly shower?

Now I'm watching, "I Dream of Genie", which is basically a wet dream for white guys who yearn for Asian women. Asian women who find American Military h-o-t.

I'm trying not to get pissed about those people who promised great evaluations or recommendations for me and then reneged. Or not to get pissed over the people I gave great recommendations for who didn't come through for me. But I probably should be pissed at myself for not seeing those people for who they are...

There was Nikki, a 30 something blonde divorcee who loves to travel. But can't. Because she's got an 11 year old. So, despite the fact that she's found dude #2 and will probably get married a second time ensuring some financial security, she's jealous that I've got a chance to travel and, although promised to give me a recommendation, is now having second thoughts because, ..."Cece, I was never your actual supervisor and I therefore don't qualify to evaluate or recommend you and I don't feel comfortable giving a recommendation because they might fly out and try to interview me..." blah blah blah. She'll get hers.

And then there's Sandy...I gave a great online eval for her...getting her into graduate school. In fact, she told me that I was one of her few friends that actually, and in a timely manner, completed the online eval without constant prompting from her...but did she return the favor? Uh, no. She gave me an email account she never checked, never let me know that she hadn't recieved the online link for the eval and then just didn't do it. Disgusting.

But it reminds me of court stuff I went through with Big G. It's interesting how some people come through and others don't. And usually it's never the people who step up that you think. But it's a great test of character. Hard times show you who is real and who is lacking.