Silent Night, Cold Night

As I type this, I can barely keep my eyes open I'm so sleepy.  I was awake most of the night last night and it's caught up with me bigtime.  I woke up at about 1:00 and had to go to the bathroom, and as I was walking back to bed, something very strange occurred to me:  I hadn't heard the furnace kick on since I went to bed at 10:30.  My bedroom was cool, but that's nothing new; I usually keep the vents 75% of the way closed because I like it cool.  But this was a little bit cooler than my normal cool.  I grabbed my fleece blanket and put it on top of the sheet and blanket and attempted to go back to sleep.  I didn't want to wake up the 'rents, because I knew they needed rest from being sick, and I also knew that they have a very heavy and warm wool blanket on their bed so I knew they would be warm.

For the next three hours I tossed, turned, and started thinking about having to buy a new furnace.  I thought of every worst possible scenario.  I knew we couldn't call our good friend Bob who is one of the best HVAC men in the city, because he's dealing with his mother's funeral, so I told myself that we would just have to handle things ourselves, even if it meant depleting my savings to help the 'rents buy a new furnace.  At about 4:00 I couldn't stand it any longer.  I got my little Mini Mag Lite and crept down the hall to where the thermostat was.  I wasn't surprised when I saw that the thermometer said it was 56 degrees in the house.  I was surprised, however, when I saw that the thermostat was on 50. I was groggy and felt like a zombie, and I can't really remember what I muttered under my breath, but I'm reasonably sure it was something to the effect of "WTF?"  I turned the up to 70 and in an instant I heard the furnace kick on.  The sound was as if a choir of angels were singing.  I went back to bed and before I drifted off to sleep, I wondered how long it would have been before the 'rents figured out that the thermostat was set on the coolest tempterature? 

When I got up at 7:00, the house was almost back to it's normal temperature.  I told Mom about the Case Of The Mysterious Thermostat and she vouched that she didn't touch it yesterday.  She cleaned the hallway carpet, but she said she's positive she didn't getanywhere near the wall where the thermostat is.  Later on, I called home to question Dad about this, and he swore in court that he didn't touch the thermostat either.  He saaid that he was cold all night long, however.  I asked him how come he didn't go check the thermostat if he was cold and he said "I was sick."  I told him "Yes, you're sick with the flu, but your legs weren't paralyzed." 

Family Updates

First of all, let me express my gratitude to you, my faithful readers.  I received almost a dozen emails today from my faithful readers asking how my 'rents were feeling.  I don't mean to sound corny or sappy, but it means alot to me that you would take the time to send me an email asking how my 'rents were doing in their convalescing.  They're doing much better today. This was the first day in about a week that they've both eaten their normal amount of supper.   Mom's antibiotics have kicked in and she even walked about a half a mile this evening after supper.  Dad had enough energy today to stir around and take a shower, so he's doing great as well.  And for those faithful readers that have seen me the past two days, my eye is doing better, too.  I didn't mention this yesterday, but I've been experiencing some mild conjunctivitis.  I bought some OTC eye drops for pink eye yesterday and they seem to be working.  In retrospect, it probably wasn't the best thing for my eyes to be in the smoke-filled VFW tonight, but it was jackpot drawing night and I had to be there in case I won the $500.  But I hope to be back into my contact lens before the week is over. 

I'm hoping for a thorough recovery from the 'rents soon, because we're planning our annual overnight trip to the Glory Of Rome in two weeks.  I know they'll need all the strength and energy they can muster for that.  Thanks again for your concern.  I do in deed have the best faithful readers in the world wide web. 

Well Wishes From TWIT

Once again, there's alot going on in my life and in the lives of my friends, family, co-workers and faithful readers.  Unfortunately, it's not all good.  I'd like to take a few moments and give some will wishes to some very dear people.

Prayers for:
Bob, one of my family's best friends.  Bob's mother Peggy passed away Friday night.  His mom had been in a nursing home for the past few years, and the last time that Bob and his wife were at our home, we all sat around the table and shared funny stories about our loved ones' antics in nursing homes.  We laughed about little things that his mom did, and about things that my Grandma did when she was in a nursing home in the 90s.  For example, both Peggy and my Grandma referred to the dining room as "upstairs" - whenever they would go to the dining room they would say "I've got to go upstairs."  It's funny things like that that you'll remember in the days and years to come when you reminisce about your loved one, Bob.  You and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers.

Rick, a dear friend, fellow church member and faithful reader.  Rick's dealing with his mother's illness right now, and our prayers to out to him and his family.   We don't get to see as much of each other as we did at Fourth Ave., but we're here if you need us - all you have to do is call or email me. 

Diva Stacy.  She's going through a pretty rough time at her place of employment the past week, when management announced lots of major changes coming down the pike. I know that it wouldn't be right for me to pray that you and I win the $1 million raffle in the Kentucky Lottery so you won't have to deal with any of that at work, but we'll just send out prayers for strength, guidance and peace.  That's about all you could hope for, right? 

Get Well Wishes to:
My 'rents.  It's been a rough month here at The Compound.  First of all, a week after DLV2 I got a nasty case of the stomach flu.  Two days after I had it, Dad caught it.  And being the sharing people we are, Mom caught it a couple of days later.  Never mind she had the stomach bug in the middle of January.  We got over that and darned if they didn't go and get sick again.  Mom has had a pretty bad upper respiratory infection since last Tuesday, and this past Friday night Dad started coughing.  Mom had a regularly scheduled doctor's appointment this morning, and the doctor gave her some antibiotics so hopefully she's on the downside of her gunk.  But Dad seems to be reaching the apex of his flu bug today.   Personally, I've been taking Airborne and saying lots of prayers that I don't catch it.   But believe me, 'rents - I would gladly take on both your URI and flu bug so you wouldn't be sick.

Link Of The Week

I think I can safely speak for all of us in that we think we're good drivers - some are just better than others, that's all.  Other than a two fender benders in my early 20's, I have not been the cause of any car accidents.  Granted, I've been in two that were not my fault, but my accident record is spotless other than those two fender benders.  I had a great driving teacher that should get the credit -- my mother.  I knew she had patience but never knew she had enough patience to teach me to drive.  She taught me very well, but I did have a big problem with parallel parking. I'm not ashamed to say I failed my driving test the first time because I couldn't parallel park.  But I scored a perfect 100% on the second try.

This week, I came across a website that brought back memories of my learning-to-drive days.  It's brought to us by the folks at GMAC Insurance, and it's a driving test.  Here's what GMAC says about their test:  With a focus on driver education in mind, we set out to gauge the current knowledge of the American public with the second annual GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test. Shockingly, 1 in 11 licensed drivers would fail a written drivers test if taken again today.  Now, you can take the test yourself and see how you measure up. Answer the following 20 questions taken from written state drivers tests, and you will be given your score at the end. Visit http://www.gmacinsurance.com/SafeDriving/2006/test.asp and take the test and see how you score. Good luck!

Conversations Overheard At The Store

Today, we begin what I'm sure will be a very interesting recurring segment in TWIT - something I like to call Conversations Overheard At The Store/Restaurant/Gas Station/ etc.  Today's edition is an interesting tidbit I overheard this morning at Wal-Mart coming from a woman in her mid-thirties.  Her shoulder length hair at one time had been peroxide blonde, but the roots had grown out and she had a very bizarre half and half hair color.  She was also wearing a t-shirt about two sizes too small, cropped sweat pants also about two sizes too small, and houseshoes over sockless feet.  She was talking on her cell phone so loud, I heard her across the parking lot as I was getting out of the car.  I followed her in and just as we got inside the store this is what I overheard:

"I've only got three baby daddies."  

New Product Review

I admit I'm a sucker for a new product, especially when it comes to new beverages.  I usually will wait until I get a recommendation or a reliable review before I actually buy the new product.  But during my tenure as editor-in-chief of TWIT, I've gone out on a limb and have been the first in my circle to try something new so I could educate my faithful readers.  That having been said, I'd like to publicly thank my best friend Diva Stacy for telling me about Fuze, the refreshingly smart beverage.  I've tasted a few of their flavors but the Banana Colada is my favorite. 

The name aptly describes the flavor - it tasted like a pina colada with banana.  You probably didn't know this but I hate coconut.  If I even think coconut is in something I won't go near it.  Yet I love coconut flavoring.  I just don't like the shreds of coconut in my mouth.  But I digress.  The Banana Colada Fuze is my fave of all of the Fuzes I've tried.  Not only does it taste great and has less calories than juice or soft drinks, each bottle of Fuze has 100% of your recommended daily allowance of essential vitamins and bone building calcium.  How many other banana colada drinks can touch that?

The Banana Colada is part of Fuze's "Refresh" line of drinks, which also comes in Strawberry Banana, Strawberry Guava, and Peach Mango flavors. In addition, they sell three other lines of drinks. In case you're not familiar with them, they include:  Vitalize - more like a sports drink, high in electrolytes and antioxidants; Slenderize - 2 grams of carbs, approx. 10 calories per 8 oz serving;  Tea - a selection of green, white, and oolong chilled teas. 

I read today that Coca Cola is in the process of buying the Fuze line of beverages.  The details haven't been released yet, but the information I read stated that Fuze would operate as a stand-alone entity of Coca-Cola if the deal does go through as planned.

The drinks aren't very cheap - I paid $1.29 for my Banana Colada bottle this week.  But our local Krogers has had them on sale 10 for $10 in months past.  But the bottles are 16 oz. so if you ration it out, you can get 2 or maybe 3 portions of it.  I urge you to give Fuze a try.  Please leavecomments and let me know how you like it.  Fuze gets the TWIT Seal Of Approval.

 

Mullet Watch

Our latest mullet sighting is brought to us courtesy of one of TWIT's most loyal mullet watchers, my co-worker CL.  She spotted this mullet last week at the William H. King Boat, Sport And Vacation Show at the fairgrounds.  (If you're from Louisville, then you know why I didn't just say "the boat show".)  This mullet is another first for our mullet watch - CL reports that this mullet was fully permed.  Now, between you and me, I can't really believe there's a hair salon in the city of Louisville that would perm a mullet, so this leads me to believe the mullet was home permed - most likely an Ogilve or Toni. 

Mullet count: 10

The PATs Sure Are Impolite These Days

I'm sorry to report that Mom had a relapse with her bout with the flu bug, and was sick today, so instead of Dad and I cooking supper tonight, I decided to go to my favorite fast food restaurant Taco Bell.   The parking lot was crowded, and the drive-thru line was snaked all the way around the building.  I thought for sure the place would be empty today since it was Ash Wednesday, but I guess the Protestants didn't want to cook either so everyone decided to get carry-out tonight.  But I digress.  Since the drive-thru line was so long, I parked the car and went inside to place my order.  Lo and behold nobody was ahead of me.  I placed my order and stepped back away from the counter to wait for my food.  While I was waiting, I saw two female PATs come into the restaurant.  Both were talking and laughing loudly on cell phones; one sat down at a table and continued to laugh hysterically into her cell phone, and the other PAT went to the counter to place their order.  I noticed that she looked like a very young Kelly Rippa, except the PAT had dark hair with blonde streaks. 

Background before I continue the story:  I was carrying a quasi-new Prada purse.  The purse was a Christmas gift from my cousin and his wife, and was purchased when she was working as a clothing buyer in New York City about 6 or 7 years ago.  It is a real Prada - not a knockoff.  I didn't like the purse, even though it was a very expensive designer purse,  and we used it to hold some of Dad's old music books.  But when a friend showed me the knockoff Prada purse she bought, I decided to get my Prada bag out of Dad's closet and start carrying it. 

Back to the story:  I stood there and observed the PATs, and had turned to walk out of the door with my taco salads when the Kelly Rippa PAT looked at my purse and boldly asked "Is that real?" I looked at her obviously fake Chanel purse and asked "Is yours?"  She didn't say another word.

I Think She Has Issues

As if hearing nonstop news about Anna Nicole Smith hasn't been bad enough, for the past three days it's been nonstop Britney Spears news.  I'd be willing to bet there isn't a person in America that does not know that Britney Spears shaved her head this weekend.  People who I have never heard mutter the name "Britney Spears" have even been talking about her shaving her head.  And they all wonder the same thing -- why did she do it?  I think that Britney has some issues that she's trying to deal with. 

We all know she's had to deal with raising her two babies.  It's true that she hasn't always made the best choices when it comes to her two boys - we all saw the pictures of her driving the car with the oldest baby Sean Preston sitting in her hap.  As if that wasn't bad enough, we gasped for air when we saw pictures of not one but two different instances when she almost dropped poor little Sean Preston.   With all of the drama surrounding her divorce from K-Fed, we haven't heard much about her youngest baby Jayden James.  Maybe that's because Britney has been out partying and clubbing almost nonstop.

Maybe the divorce has hit her harder than we thought it would.  Maybe that's what caused her to check into rehab for half a day last week and then go shave her head.  But rumor has it that she checked back into rehab just today.  I hope she has.  Maybe now she'll be able to get some help and get straightened up before she really goes over the edge.  We sure don't want to hear about yet another custody battle in the news.

Consumer Product Safety Alert

By now, I'm sure you've heard that there is a recall on Peter Pan brand peanut butter.  The FDA is warning consumers not to eat certain jars of Peter Pan peanut butter or Great Value peanut butter due to risk of contamination with salmonella.  The affected jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter have a product code located on the lid of the jar that begins with the number "2111."   Both the Peter Pan and Great Value brands are manufactured in a single facility in Georgia by ConAgra, so they should be easy to pinpoint where the affected cases were shipped. 

Yesterday while dining and celebrating at the Diva's Winter Brunch, we were discussing the peanut butter recall, and imagine my surprise when Diva Stacy showed me a jar of the recalled peanut butter.  Sure as the world, the product code on the lid began with "2111."  I have to say I suddenly had a morbid fascination with it, and even asked her to take pictures of the jar for TWIT.   I'll admit it's hard to read the printing on the lid, but if you click on "view larger" above the picture, you'll be able to see the "2111" fairly clear. 

Before I had a chance to start asking my twenty questions, Diva Stacy assured me that they had not eaten from the jar; in fact it was still unopened with the safety seal still in tact.  I closely examined the safety seal for any pin holes - for you see, on "All My Children" the other week, the Satin Slayer serial killer injected poison into a jar of peanut butter through the safety seal. I know that's a soap opera, but I just had to look.  Diva Stacy mentioned she hoped they would give her a full refund at the store, but I think I might pay her for the peanut butter and keep the jar here in the archives. 

Link Of The Week

I'll admit that when I was younger (much younger) I used to read the National Enquirer.  I loved to read the latest celebrity gossip, and to be honest, I still do.  Before I saw the light, I believed every word it said.  Now that I'm older and wiser, I never even pick up a copy of The Enquirer while standing in the grocery store checkout lines; instead I now have the internet to supply my daily fix of celebrity gossip and propaganda.  But now, it's not so much the written or printed gossip and news that I enjoy so much - I love to see celebrity photos.  Take for instance, one of my recent faves was a photo taken of Brittney Spears as she was walking into a gas station bathroom barefoot.  But I digress. If you'd like to get the latest celebrity news and photos, please check out http://www.celebitchy.com.  You heard this first in TWIT, faithful readers - if you can visit Celebitchy.com right now you'll be able to get the news and see the pictures just taken of Brittney Spears' shaved head.  I know that's something you won't want to miss.

We've Got Snow

I'm happy to report that we finally got snow.  Unfortunately it wasn't enough to use the still unused snow blower, but at least you could tell that it snowed.   The snow started early this morning, and it snowed most of the day and evening.  But the snow was very fine, and it would have had to continued to snow like this for two months to amount to anything.  At one point this afternoon, the flakes got bigger and the snow started to accumulate.  We were giddy with excitement in hopes that the snow would start piling up on the driveway so we could get out the snow blower but no.  It was sticking to the roads but not to the driveway.  Maybe we're going to have to pack up the snow blower and drive up to upstate New York if we're ever going to get to use it.

Thanks A Lot For The Heartburn

Yesterday was such a great day.  I've always loved Thursdays, and still do - they symbolize the day before our last day of the work week.  Add to that the fact that when I go out to socialize, it's usually on a Thursday evening.  I don't now why, but it's always been that way.  So, yesterday evening I had plans to socialize.  After work, I followed my best friend at work home and had an awesome dinner with him and his family.  I love going to their home for dinner.  His wife makes the best tossed salad I've ever had, plus I get to play and visit with his two little kids.  Last night, we had a belated birthday dinner for me - a fiesta, if you will.  We had chicken fajitas, spicy refried beans, and homemade tamales.  His father-in-law lives in south Texas and brings a big box of these awesome homemade tamales whenever he comes to visit.  These are genuine tamales wrapped in corn husks.  After eating one of these, you will never eat one of those ones that are wrapped in wax paper and come crammed in a little jar. 

I got home from our fiesta and visited with the rents for a few minutes and then headed to bed.  After reading for a few minutes, I developed a major case of heartburn and indigestion from the tamales and fajitas.  I didn't want to rummage through the house and wake up the 'rents while looking for some Zantac, so I had the bright idea that I had some in my bedroom in my travel bag.  Nope.  Then I remembered that I had some in the purse I carried while on DLV2.  I looked through the pockets of the purse and still didn't find any Zantac.  I opened the zipper on one last compartment of the purse hoping to find the little silver blister pack of Zantac, and found something else instead.  There in that little pocket were two one-hundred dollar bills.  Yep, two Ben Franks, leftover from DLV2.  I had no idea they were in there.  I had been so thrilled at winning money while in Vegas and actually bringing money back home, that I didn't figure up how much I had actually won.  I did even better than I thought I did.  I sure am glad I got heartburn last night.  I'd love to have that kind of heartburn again real soon. 

Parking Lot Watch Update

Faithful readers, we have a winner in the 2007 version of Parking Lot Watch.  Just this week, we discovered a new Grand Cherokee in our parking lot.  The happy new owner is a co-worker upstairs in the Zoeller Engineered Products department, G.T.  His old ride was an older Jeep, and just this week he was sporting his new Grand Cherokee.  I couldn't be more thrilled for my friend and co-worker G.T.  We've shared some stories in the past year about cars not starting or breaking down, so I'm happy as I can be that he got a new ride.  To be honest, I was worried about him riding to work on those cold, cold mornings in his soft side Jeep.  I'm not sure if that's the correct Jeep terminology for it, but his Jeep was the kind that didn't have a hard top nor sides on it - it was the plastic that flapped when you went down the road.  No matter how good a heater that thing had, I'm sure it had to be cold.  But now I don't have to worry because G.T. can get to ZCO in style and comfort now.  Congrats, G.T. - you deserve it.

Top Ten Breakup Songs

On a day when everyone is thinking of love and hearts and roses, I'd like to focus on the opposite -- when love goes south.  We've all had our share of happiness, and unfortunately we've also had our share of heartbreaks.  Musically speaking, I think that the best songs ever written are those written about breakups and heartbreak.  Let's be real - "My Heart Will Go On And On" just does not have the staying power of "I Fall To Pieces."  Here's my top ten breakup songs:

1.   You Oughta Know - Alannis Morisette
2.   Crying - Roy Orbison or K.D. Lang version                                                        3.   I Fall To Pieces - Patsy Cline
4.   I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
5.   You're No Good - Linda Ronstadt
6.   Better Things To Do - Terri Clark
7.   I Keep Forgetting - Michael McDonald
8.   Linger - The Cranberries
9.   On My Own - Patti LaBelle
10. He Stopped Loving Her Today - George Jones

It's Only Seven Bags

I was fixing my lunch this morning and went to the hall pantry to get a couple of bags for my sandwich and chips, when something caught my eye.  I picked up the box of Glad sandwich bags just to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me; it was still pretty early in the morning and I could have not been seeing straight.  There on the side of the box said "Glad Sandwich Zipper Bags, 93 Count."  Yes, 93 count.  Not 100; not even 75, but 93.  I walked back into the kitchen shaking my head in disbelief.  

After I packed my lunch, I went back to the pantry to look at the box a little bit closer.  There was no store name on a price sticker, so I couldn't tell where Mom bought them. In fact, there wasn't even a price sticker on the box, so I couldn't tell what Mom paid for the box of 93 count bags.  I got online before I went to work and looked at the Glad website, and saw where they offer this particular type of zipper seal bag in 50 or 100 count; I didn't see one thing about a 93 count box.  I looked back at the box and tried to find a manufacturer's date on there.  All I found was 2006, so at least I know they were made recently. 

On the way to work, I thought about the box of 93 count sandwich zipper seal bags, and it kinda bothered me.  I really couldn't pinpoint why it bothered me; it just did.  If I could find out how much Mom paid for them, I could compare the price to the 100 count bags, and then figure the price per bag so I could see if we were cheated out of 7 bags or not.  I'll have to check out the local stores the next time I visit them to see if I can find where we purchased the 93 count bags.  I'll keep you posted.

Farewell, Anna Nicole Smith

By now, there's probably not a person left in the United States that doesn't know that Anna Nicole Smith died this past Thursday afternoon at the age of 39.  For the past four days, we've been bombarded by report after report about the young woman's life and death.  We've seen countless pictures of her as a child, a teenager, and then as a wife, mother and girlfriend.  Along with those pictures, we've heard the accounts of her rags to riches life, and the stories surrounding her son's death and her daughter's birth. Yesterday afternoon, I even saw a heinous picture of the EMS paramedics performing CPR as they were putting her lifeless body into the ambulance Thursday afternoon.  I shouldn't have given in, but somehow I had to pause from flipping channels on the remote to watch the news clip. 

By now, we all know her whole life story - how she married young and had a son, divorced and then worked at a strip club to pay the bills.  We know it was at the strip club where she met the billionaire Howard Marshall, and we know she married him when she was 26 and he was 88.  Marshall died 14 months later, and didn't leave a dime to Nicole in his will.  He claimed she was more interested in shopping then in fulfilling her wifely duties.  She sued for half of her husband's estate.  The court case lasted longer than the marriage, and the courts said that she should get $88.5 million - a fraction of his billion dollar net worth. 

We know that Anna Nicole made money as the spokesperson for TrimSpa diet pills and Guess jeans, and I'm sure received a pretty good check for posing nude in Playboy.  She also filed for bankruptcy in 1996.  She was known as a diehard partier, and overdosed twice.  During the past few days, we saw her mother talk about how she begged her to quit using drugs, but to no avail.  During the past few days, we also heard about how those drugs are possibly what took her life.  It's eery how similar she was to her idol, Marilyn Monroe. 

Friday morning, I watched an interview with Anna Nicole's mother.  She said she was forever talking to her daughter about getting so much negative publicity.  Nicole told her "Mama, don't worry about me being in the news.  Good or bad, I get money."  And I guess she was right, even though it seemed she got more negative press coverage than positive.  Out of all of the video clips I saw of Anna Nicole Smith this weekend, I only saw one where she seemed happy - it was filmed at a farm she bought in the mid 90's.  She was riding a horse, and taking care of a couple of baby calves and she seemed truly happy.  The rest of the times I've seen pictures and video clips of her, she seemed to tortured and troubled.  Maybe now she finally is at peace.

Link Of The Week

The second month of the year is almost half over, and I'd venture to guess most of us are more than half done with keeping our new years resolutions.  Experts and doctors say that eating healthier is the number one new years resolution, and that it only takes less than two weeks for the resolution to be trashed.  But there's still hope. I found an interesting site this week that will help those of us who are still struggling with our resolution to eat less and to eat better.  Go to http://www.2000cal.com and you can enter in everything you eat and drink during the day and it will keep track of how many calories you've eaten.  If you'd like to register (it's free) it will also keep track of how many calories you've burned - you enter any type of excercise or activity and it will calculate for you.  With my few cups of ginger ale, toast and all of my running in the past few days, by the calculations of 2000.cal, I think I've lost 27 pounds. 

Cooking At The Compound

There's nothing like a family member being sick to spur a healthy family member into cooking action.  Ever since a co-worker emailed me a PDF cookbook of restaurant copycat recipes, all I could think about was the copycat recipe for Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay biscuits.  Let's be real - you'd be hard pressed to find a person who says they go to Red Lobster for their seafood; we all know it's for the biscuits. 

So since I've been sick, the 'rents have been repeatedly asking if there was anything they could fix me.  Other than toast and bananas, I didn't want a thing.  But as I was taking one of my naps today, I heard them in the kitchen when I woke up, and low and behold, they had made a batch.  I ate one and a half, and they were the best things I've had to eat in over two days.  They turned out identical in shape, texture and taste to Red Lobster's.  So without further ado, here's the recipe.  It definitely get's the Thumb's Up rating from TWIT.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

2 cups Bisquick® baking mix
2/3 cup milk - low fat okay
1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese - low fat okay
1/4 cup butter or margarine - melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 parsley flakes

Combine Bisquick®, milk, and cheddar and beat with a wooden spoon for about 30 seconds.
Spoon onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake in 450 degree oven for 8 - 10 minutes.
Combine butter and garlic powder and pour over hot biscuits; sprinkle with parsley.

Flu Update

I'm happy to report that I am still among the living.  I went to bed shortly after posting yesterday's journal entry and slept until about 10:00 this morning, with only a minimal number of trips to the bathroom.  Yes, I realize that's too much information, but I know you all care about Puddin and are concerned.  Thank you for the emails you've sent today wishing me a speedy recovery. 

I'll share a tip with you, my faithful readers, that Dr. Mehta, my doctor, shared with me this afternoon when I called her office.  She said the best thing to eat for multiple numbers of trips to the bathroom is the BRAT diet - banana, rice, applesauce and toast.  I've had a piece of toast and a banana about an hour ago, and so far, so good.  I still have no engery, though, and can't wait to crawl back into bed as soon as I post this. 

Under The Weather

It truly pains me to report this to you, my faithful readers, but I think I have the flu.  I slept about 7 or 8 minutes last night, thanks to multiple trips to the bathroom.  I managed to get dressed and get to work, but I have to be honest and say that the first hour of the day was a total blur. I can't tell you anything that happened from 8:00 until about 9:05 when I bolted for the bathroom to bow down to the porcelain god.  After that, I have to honestly say that I felt better.  Better, except for the fact that one minute I was burning up and the next minute I felt like a block of ice. 

I managed to make it through the day at work, thanks to a half hour nap during lunch and a big bottle of ginger ale, and as soon as I got home this evening I went to bed and piled on 3 blankets.  After a two hour nap, I felt a bit more human, and felt like I could hold my head up long enough to post to the journal.  As I thought about being under the weather, it made me think.  How did we get the phrase "under the weather"? 

Passengers aboard ships become seasick most frequently during times of rough seas and bad weather. Seasickness is caused by the constant rocking motion of the ship. Sick passengers go below deck, which provides shelter from the weather, but just as importantly the sway is not as great below deck, low on the ship.  On a ship the greatest swaying action is on deck, and the most stable point is down near the keel. Hence seasick passengers tend to feel better below deck, or under the weather.  So now you know. 

Winter Weather Update

My father is probably the strongest-willed man I've ever met. When he sets his mind to do something, it gets done.  The past few weeks, it's hurt me to see him almost broken.  For you see, it's been over two years and he has yet to get to use his snow blower that I bought in January of 2005. 

We've come very close in the past few weeks - promises of at least 2 or 3 inches of snow, but the storm fronts have either stopped or just shy of Louisville or either moved north or south and avoided us all together.  So far this winter, I'd venture to say we've gotten maybe 3/4 of an inch of snow in the 4 snows that we've had.  The latest disappointment came on Tuesday.  For the past week, the weatherazzi had been saying this was going to be a whopper of a snow.  On Monday evening, they even said that Louisville was in the 3-5 inches range.  As soon as we heard that, we were giddy with excitement.  Dad went out to the garage for the umpteenth time, and made sure the snow blower was by the garage door ready to be fired up.  But no dice.  Tuesday's snow came and went and we barely got a dusting.  How disappointing is that?

The weatherazzi and the school systems were in full blown proactive mode on Tuesday.  Hell, they were proactive the day before.  Tuesday morning, a co-worker that lives just across the bridge in southern Indiana said that on Monday, his son's elementary school sent home a note saying that they would be letting school out at noon on Tuesday in anticipation of the snow; the snow that never came.  Here on our side of the river, schools let out early and activities were cancelled for Tuesday night, but the snow never came. 

So this brings us to almost mid-February.  Just last week, the official groundhog Punxatawny Phil did not see his shadow, so that means winter is almost over.  Incidentally, if the groundhogs that live here at The Compund had come out, it was cloudy and they would not have seen their shadows either.  So time's running out on our window of opportunity for snow.  Maybe we should pack up our snow blower and drive out to Denver or to upstate New York. 

File Under: WTF?

Boy gets frostbite from Super Bowl run

Minn. teenager treated after continuing family tradition of halftime jaunt

The Associated Press

Updated: 8:57 p.m. ET Feb 6, 2007

BUFFALO, Minn. - A teenager who wanted to continue the family tradition of running around the garden barefoot during halftime of the Super Bowl game has learned a painful lesson.

It was 17 below zero at halftime Sunday in this city about 30 miles northwest of Minneapolis, and D.J. Brown's dad said it was too cold to continue the tradition. But the 18-year-old senior at Buffalo High School ran outside in his T-shirt and jeans, threw off his socks and shoes, and ran around the block.

Brown said he was outside only five minutes, but his feet started swelling and blistering when he got back inside. The pain was excruciating.  "I consider myself having a high pain threshold, and this was just so 10 out of 10," he said. "I was, like, chewing on a towel."

'Teenage arrogance'
He was treated for second-degree frostbite on both feet at the burn center at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and was on crutches and pain medication Monday. His burn specialist said he should be fine, but it'll take a few weeks.  "Cold weather is just as dangerous as pouring scalding water on your feet," said Dr. Leslie Smith.

Brown, who said he's a straight-A student, chalked up his actions to "teenage arrogance."  He hopes others will learn from his mistake. "I wouldn't want anyone else to go through this," he said.

 

The only thing I can say about this is what a dumbass. 

New Product Review

They say that confession is good for the soul - so it's time to confess:  I'm a sucker for something new.  You know from reading TWIT for two and a half years that I will buy the latest greatest electronic or computer gadget as soon as it comes out, and I will try a new grocery item as soon as it's on the shelves.  Well, let me be the first to say I was suckered in yesterday afternoon at the grocery store.  I stopped by the local grocery on my way home from work to pick up some staples - Little Debbie Zebra Cakes and some Spicy Hot V-8.  But on my way to the Little Debbie display something caught my eye in the produce section: Grapple.  I had to stop and look.  At first glance, it was four apples in a little plastic container.  But the label said "Looks like an apple - tastes like a grape."  My first thought was "WTF?"  I picked up the container, and immediately tossed it into the grocery cart.   I had to try this and see if it was true.  They looked like normal Fiji apples, but I was just sure that the advertising would be true.

We waited until lunch today to test the Grapple.  We'd finished our main courses, and then I pulled the Grapple out of my lunch bag and sliced it up for me and my dining companion SH to try.  We sniffed the Grapple at first and sure enough it smelled just like grape.  Then we had the taste test.  We took a couple of bites before voicing our opinions.  Nope, no grape taste.  It tasted simply like a very sweet apple.  Let me backtrack and say before I cut the Grapple, we examined it thoroughly for any little spots where, let's say, a hypodermic needle could have injected grape flavoring into the Grapple.  There were none to be seen.  If they juiced it up with grape flavoring, then they were very careful to cover their tracks.

We ate the rest of the Grapple, unimpressed.  Once back at my desk after lunch, I called home to see how the 'rents liked their Grapple.  They both said the same thing - it tasted like a plain old sweet apple.  The Old Man said he was positive they simply  injected it with grape flavoring, but he ate his Grapple any way because fruit is good for you.

This leaves me in a quandry, faithful readers.  I can't really give the Grapple the TWIT Seal Of Approval, nor can I give it a Thumbs Down.  I guess you'll just have to try it for yourself and see what you think. 

Favorite Super Bowl Commercials

Let me preface by saying that as a whole, I thought this year's Super Bowl commercials really sucked compared to years past.  I could have easily written my Top Twenty Least Favorite Commercials with no problem.  But I was hard pressed to come up with even my Top Ten Favorite.  I thought and watched the commercials again online, and was able to come up with my Top Three Favorite Commercials:

1.  Budweiser "Dalmations" - You've got to hand it to the advertising folks at Anheiser Busch.  Any commercial with animals that talk or think out loud is going to be a hit in my book.  In this commercial, a very cute white dog gets shooed away from the butcher shop, and then gets scared out of an alley by what appears to be an angry pit bull.  He's bummed even more when he sees a big parade with a dalmation riding in the wagon pulled by the Clydesdales.  But once the dog gets splashed from a mud puddle, he looks just like a dalmation and gets to be in the parade.  I'm pretty sure this commercial won't make you want to drink a Bud, but it was one of my favorites of the night.

2.  Garmin GPS "Mapzilla" - Instead of using the Beta Capsule, you can become Ultraman by using the Garmin GPS machine and can defeat Mapzilla.  I loved this commercial just because I loved to watch Ultraman as a kid.  I'm sure millions of people under the age of 40 were watching this and saying "Who the hell is that?"

3.  Taco Bell "Lions" - Once again, I love any commercial with animals that talk.  But not only do these lions talk, they can speak with a Spanish accent.  Well, one of them can, any way.  We won't get into the believability factors of this commercial - like how a person can get Taco Bell out in the wilds of Africa, or about lions trying to talk like Ricardo Montobaln.  I just liked the commercial, that's all.

4.  Emerald Nuts "Low Blood Sugar" - We can usually count on seeing at least one old school star in a Super Bowl commercial, and this year was no exception.  Robert Goulet is wreaking havoc in an office when people are bottoming out.  Once again, I'm sure some people under the age of 40 probably didn't have a clue who was starring in the commercial.  But Robert Goulet messing with stuff while the people were experiencing low blood sugar was pretty funny to me.

Least Favorite Commercials:

1.  Pizza Hut "Cheesy Bites" - Once again, the advertising geniuses bring us another Pizza Hut commercial with Jessica Simpson during the pre-game hoopla.  The game hadn't even started before we saw her face.  I hope seeing her in one of the first commercials of the Super Bowl didn't cause a lot of people to change the channel to "Extreme Home Makeover."  And I really had a hard time believing that anyone in this commercial had eaten a "Cheesy Bite."

2.  Sierra Mist "Bad Decision" and "Self Defense" - I'm sorry that they couldn't get better comedians to star in these commercials.  In fact, I don't even know why these guys are called comedians.  I think that a prerequisite for being called a comedian would be that you would need to be funny.  The guy with the mega combover got on my nerves so bad I almost changed the channel to "Extreme Home Makeover." 

3.  Doritos "Cleanup On Register 6" - The many flavors of Doritos caused the checkout girl in this commercial to get so excited that a cleanup at her cash register was necessary.  I can't be sure, but I'd be willing to bet that some organization designed to protect the American family is going to file a complaint with the FCC over this commercial.  As much as I love Doritos, it didn't make me want to run up to the corner and buy a bag.

4.  GM "Robot Unemployment" - A robot gets the ax at GM, and looks for another job but has no luck.  So it goes to a bridge, wanting to end it all.  I kept waiting for something funny to happen, but the robot jumped off the bridge, and then woke up from a dream and found itself back at work on the assembly line.  I'm sorry, but this hits a little too close to home for American factory workers, and was just too creepy. 

5.  Sprint "Connectile Dysfunction" - Do I really need to say anything about this? 

Note to Bud Light: bring back Cedric the Entertainer
Note to Budweiser: bring back the Bud Bowl
Note to Careerbuilder.com: bring back the chimpanzees in the office

 

 

Link Of The Week

As most of you know, I've been called "Puddin" for over ten years.  At first, only family and friends at church called me that, but now it's spread over to work and the neighborhood.  I love my birth name, and I love being called Puddin, and will answer to either one of them.  Actually I'll answer to just about anything you call me, good or bad.  But I digress.  As I said, I love my name and am curious about it's translation in other languages.  This week, I found a cool site that will translate your name into Hebrew.  Please visit http://www.my-hebrew-name.com and enter your first name and your gender, and you can see what your name is in Hebrew.  From now on, please call me Gavriela. 

Mullet Watch

Our more recent mullet was spotted just hours ago.  Mom and I braved the arctic cold and went to the grocery store this afternoon, and while we were there, my sweet mother spotted the mullet.  She's perpetually kind, and when she saw this little boy running down the meat aisle of the store, she tugged on my coat and whispered "Would you look at the hairstyle on that boy?" I'd already caught a glimpse of the future PAT, and all I could see was some long hair flying as he went running by.  I said a quick prayer, hoping that it would be true, and sure enough, it was.  My mother had spotted her first mullet.  When I told her what great thing she had done, she took it all in stride and asked me to go back and pick up another can of coffee.  I guess I was more excited than she was.  But I was so proud of her, faithful readers.  She might not have known the hairstyle on the young hoodlem running through the store was called a mullet, but she definitely knew something was out of the norm.  So I am giving full credit for this mullet sighting to Mom.  And for the record, this grocery store was across the street from the Wal-Mart where JMc spots a lot of mullets.

Mullet count: 9

Mullet Watch

You will be happy to know that mullets are intra-continental.  Diva Stacy and I spotted three of them in Las Vegas.  Each of them was very diverse.  The first one was spotted just a few minutes after we arrived at the Las Vegas airport.  We saw it even before we saw our luggage.  It was your typical brown party in the front, all business in the back.  The second was spotted in downtown Las Vegas on Fremont Street.  It was similar to the first one spotted, except this one was being worn by a woman.  The third mullet we spotted was out on the Strip.  It was by far the most unique mullet I've ever seen.  It was short - just about shoulder length, and the sides were so short they were almost shaved.  The back and top of the mullet was dingey gray, and the sides were peroxide blonde.  This mullet was also carrying something very common among tourists in Vegas.  It was carrying a long pink plastic tube filled with a syrupy sweet frozen adult beverage. 

Mullet count: 8

Top Ten Events Of DLV2

1.  The trip of a lifetime with a friend of a lifetime

2.   Helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon on my birthday

3.   Walking on the floor of the Grand Canyon

4.   VIP table at the Prince concert as a birthday present from Diva Stacy

5.   Wining $250 on a $2 spin on the Wheel Of Fortune slot machine

6.   Sunday afternoon at the Hard Rock

7.   Limo ride to the "Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas" sign

8.   Dinner on the top floor of Binion's (25 stories high)

9.   The Divas dressed up in their long coats and leather pants to go out on my birthday night

10. The S & H Green Stamp video slot machine

Honorable mention:

Seeing our old friend Fred at Paris

Not getting sick on the helicopter trip

More Technical Difficulties

More apologies, faithful readers.  This is the first time in 24 hours that I've been able to post anything to TWIT.  AOL has been experiencing some major technical difficulties in their journal department.  Once again, I am truly sorry.  You know how I want to keep up my near perfect record of posting everyday.  Thank you for your patience, and most of all, thank you for being such faithful readers.