NPR

In my swanky new office, I only get one radio station... NPR.

Thank god, I think I might have died if it were Adult Contemporary or Republican Talk Radio.

I do listen to my ipod (when I remember to bring it in from the car) but most of it is background noise because I am so focused on my work.

I LOVE classical music and opera, so I get to hear plenty of both.

BUT I also get to hear sound bites of what's happening in the world.

Whether it's the debt crisis and what's happening on Capitol Hill, a book recommendation that sounds incredible: Bliss, Remembered by Frank DeFord (a love story set at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany), poetry, random information on composers birth and death anniversaries, etc.

Today I learned something else spectacular...

The song "All By Myself", as famously sung by Bridget Jones :), is sampled from Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2!

For real!

There I was, sitting all alone in my office, listening to NPR and working on some time cards when all of a sudden my brain activity spikes and I think, I KNOW THAT SONG!

Then I think, No, Wait, That's NPR.

Then a few minutes later it comes back to the hook and I hear in my head, ALL BY MYSELF, DON'T WANT TO BE ALL BY MYSELF ANYMOOOOOOORE... hmmm...

Holy shit!

I'm not crazy!

That's the radio, that's the Rachmaninoff piece.

NEAT-O!

So there's your random piece of information for the day.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Support your local public radio station!

New stuff

I am loving my new job but I think that adjusting to the schedule might kill me.

I know, I hear you groaning, I only work 8-5... it's not like my mom who is awake at 5 am or shift workers, I know... BUT for me that's early! I've been on 10-530 for the past 4 years. This schedule has me getting up at 615 or 630 am.

I think I'm dying!

Not really, but I just can't seem to wake up and it has definitely slowed me down.

I used to get off of work and run errands, play, see friends, SOMETHING.

Now I go home and sit on the couch and stare at the tv waiting til 10 to go to bed.

Hopefully this will work itself out soon.
It's only my second full week of work, so I'm hoping week three will get my on the right track!

In other super exciting news, Chris and I saw Harry Potter 7 this weekend.

It was AMAZING!

I'm going back to see it tonight with one of my girlfriends, I can't wait.

I'm hoping to see it in theatre like 5-10 times. I normally wouldn't do that, or dream of it really, but its the LAST one, like THE END. So I have to soak it up because I'm a massive nerd!

We also have had some serious movie watching around the house recently.

I think this is to blame on the weather.

I know Kate, I know... BUT it's been ridiculous outside.

It's in the mid-high 90s with 90% humidity or however high it can go without actually raining.

So basically as soon as you walk outside you are wet and the air is so heavy that its like breathing in a sauna. Horrible, wretched, no good and very bad... that's how I feel about it and I don't even work outside like Chris or my Mom.

Anyway, the point was we've been watching a bunch of movies.

In the past month or so, I have watched:

Red Riding Hood (surprisingly good)

Gnomeo and Juliet (so cute)

Tangled (grand)

Rango (the first 20 minutes and we gave up, much cooler if you're an adult then it was to Ru)

The Runaways (good)

Buried (soooo good)

Grown Ups (hysterical)

Season Finales of Chuck and Castle

Every episode of this season's So You Think You Can Dance

Coco Before Chanel

And I can't remember anymore but I know there are a few that I missed.

So yeah, that's pretty ridiculous. I think I may be keeping Redbox in business all by myself!

Rupert's been watching too much tv too.

His current obsession is Veggie Tales.

Please let me tell you how many times I've heard a snide "You know that's Christian right?"

ONCE AND FOR ALL... I AM NOT AN ATHEIST!

Jiminy Crickets!

I'm not religious, I'm agnostic.

Yes, I laugh at hokey junk because it's hokey junk... it's just more popular and they make more money because it's "christian"

That's what I roll my eyes about.

I don't like public displays of religion.

Is that so wrong?

I do my thing, you do yours, you don't have to shove anything down any body's throat.

ANYWAY, I love Veggie Tales.

Have since I was a teenager, like 17 or 18 but still.

They are hysterical and I love the Monty Python references and all of the other stuff that's snuck in there for the parents.

Plus, it's corny humor.

I LOVE CORNY HUMOR!

So yes, I not only let Rupert watch it, I encourage it.

It could be Muslim based or Jewish and if it were that funny, I wouldn't care.

Nothing wrong with it.

So now Rupert walks around randomly singing a really chopped up/off key variety of the Veggie Tales theme song. It's so stinking cute.

He's also currently, more then usual, obsessed with his wang.

Yep, his weewee, peepee, winker, etc etc

He's dropping trou and just putting it on things.

Things like the bathtub, the dog, the footstool.

It's getting a bit aggravating.

I try to tell him to put it up but next time I turn around it's out again.

He's not DOING anything, just literally putting it on top of something about the same height as his pelvis and giggling.

Boys...

I guess I had an extra appendage I'd probably do it too.



Blueberry Buckle

I'm gonna go ahead and apologize for the super crummy pics, they were taken with my cell phone. 

Oh well! 

So, when I was growing up in Cedar Lake, my best friend's mom would make this all summer long. 

It has since remained one of my favorite desserts EVER.

Unfortunately this isn't HER recipe, its just A recipe. 

Still, it just about hit the spot.

In a large bowl, mix 3/4 c sugar, 1/4c shortening and 1 egg

(Looking back, you should probably use at least 1 c sugar for proper sweetness!)

In a smaller bowl mix 2c flour, 2tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt

 

Combine the dry mixture slowly into the wet mixture alternating with 1/2 c milk.

Then combine with 2c blueberries.

Pour mixture into greased 8x8 baking dish

 

 

For the topping combine 1/4c softened butter, 1/2tsp cinnamon, 1/3c AP flour

My butter was more melted then softened, note the chunk topping instead of crumbly. 

Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes or until golden

Wait for 20 minutes-ish so it can cool a bit but its still warm.

Then you eat it, duh!



First Day Jitters

First and foremost, YAY!!!!

I finally have a log-in again!!

I lost my password when I got laid off and Blogger didn't have enough information on file to know that I am me. Ugh.

Anyway, it's been a CRAZY couple of weeks.

Short and sweet(ish): I got laid off about 3 weeks ago. Just a regular economic based lay off, I didn't get fired for being an idiot or anything. They were super super super nice about it, gave me severance pay and wrote letters of recommendation, my boss even cried. You seriously can't ask for a better group of people. 

I'm not mad, they didn't want to lay me off but they had to, can't blame them for that.

As my dad would say, business is business.

So I got to experience what being a stay at home mom of a 3.5 year old is like... WOW.

I LOVE RUPERT but holy cow, he's active. I guess it's total payback as that's how my Grandma Tonagel used to describe me. I got a chance to really really get to know Rupert again and I found that he definitely has his father's brain (photographic memory much??) and my attitude. That's a tough combo, he's super smart and  has massive attitude to boot... (sigh)

Needless to say, I am tired. Fried. Shot. Brain Dead :)

While not working I also got to spend some quality time with Grandma Tonagel and my bff Adrienne!

That's super exciting because I got to help GG schedule doctor appointments, run errands and do her physical therapy. (It's seriously the little things) With Adrienne, she has a 12 week old little girl named Averielle and we got to spend more time together then we had since middle school. It was simply amazing.

Today was my first day back at work.

I got a job with Kelly Services (temp/contract company) working at Dow Chemical (previously Rohm & Haas). It's fantastic!! 

Well, my first day was fantastic but I have high hopes!

First of all, the pay is like Time And A Half of my old job, plus I get 40 hours a week and previously only worked between 32.50-36.00... so yeah, monetarily this is CRUNK!!!

Second, I have my own office. Like for real grown up style office. Wwwweeeeeiiiiirrrrddddd. But I like it!!

She's a beauty huh?!?!?!?

I mean seriously... I have 2 windows that look out onto this greenery, my own printer, a desktop computer plus a laptop, my own extension... it's nifty. I even brought in some pictures and put them in my windowsill so I can look at my boys and family.

Next week I have this super cool painting of the Knoxville skyline that I am going to hang :)

So yeah, the money's grand, the office is swank, the people are really nice and it's fricking Dow! Like DOW! 

Ok, I have realized recently, due to conversations about my new job, that not everyone knows that Dow is massively huge, great company. (I only know bc of my Dad, he works with them) But if you are interested, here's a link to their website: http://www.dow.com/

I am feeling super super lucky right now.

I got laid off from an awesome company, which sucked, but then got a job with an amazing company. The kind of company that you retire from. 

I got to spend quality time with Rupert.

Chris and I are doing fantastic.

Seriously, life is good.

Oh, did I mention that I got another dog???

He's a 6 month old full blooded Chihuahua. 

We named him Dexter.

He's the cutest little thing ever and he LOVES me.

I blame Adrienne.

She had to go and have this beautiful little baby, which made my ovaries ache, but HELL TO THE NO (not right now), so I got a dog.

I never ever thought I'd be the person who's dog wears clothes, he doesn't always... just when he's cold, but he's cold ALOT. 

It was either that polo shirt or a mesh tank top... figured the shirt was warmer.

So yes, that's my life right now.

Sweet!