Salad Spinner

I just purchased a salad spinner! My out-of-state dear friend gave me a gift card to Target. This week is my 'salad week' so I decided to get a salad spinner to make life easier. It works like a dream! Just put the salad in the strainer basket, rinse with spray nozzle, put basket in the larger bowl, adjust cover, and spin.


Now to test my new salad - European blend salad, feta cheese, cranberries, Mandarin oranges, and Marie's Asian blend salad vinaigrette.

Who turned off the heat?

Today it is freezing cold here in Georgia, and the forecast is for it to be cold all week long. Now I am glad to be sitting at my desk, looking out to a clear blue sky, my desk foot heater keeping me warm, and watching as people briskly walk to check their mailbox then back again to their office. Some days it is good to be inside, toasty warm, with a nice cup of tea.

All Caged Up

I have a wonderful job, it is very quiet, no back-stabbing or snide remarks. No catfights or vying for position. It is quiet and in a great location. However today I feel all caged up. It is a gorgeous day, a clear sky, calm weather, slightly cool, and I am stuck at a desk looking outside. I can see traffic moving up and down the road but I am here, inside, looking out.

Any suggestions?

Blah Blah Blah

What a night! We had to read Edwards this week, I couldn't even make it through the reading it was so boring. Finally the lectures are over. It is a bunch of mindless drivel about nothing! You see, it all started when Aquinas tried to say that there is a God. He said that it is impossible to have an infinite chain of events. He stated that there had to be a beginning, and that beginning was God. Edwards, 200 years later, begged to differ. He stated that it IS possible to have an infinite chain of events, but his main point was to disprove Aquinas' theory. It would have been an ok class if Edwards was making a point for his own theory but he wasn't. His point was to disprove Aquinas' theory. It was Edwards telling Aquinas and his followers the Thomists that their foundational beliefs were wrong but he wasn't going to tell them what was right and what they should believe. Edwards was arguing for argument's sake.

Needless to say, if you want something to read to put you to sleep, just read Edwards.

Unusual happenings in philosophy

Wow, what a class! This is the first time I have ever been in a college class where the teacher got so upset with a student that class was dismissed. Of course the student was trying to be smart and edge-y. He just didn't know how edge-y he really was! According to the teacher, you can pick apart the authors as much as you want, but when it comes to someone who isn't there to defend theirself or a people-group where someone in the class could be offended, well, that just isn't right. I guess it goes to prove, be careful what you say and don't say anything you would be ashamed of later.

Sunday January 21, 2007

I do believe I just went through a very stressful period in my life. I told my parents about my boyfriend. I thought I would not survive the ordeal but amazingly I did. It was a cold, wet, miserable day but it was absolutely wonderful!

We went out to see 'A Night at the Museum' and to eat at Bugaboo Creek. The movie was cute, funny, just what I needed to get my mind off the stress of having told my parents about my date.

Bugaboo Creek was out of business, so we ate at the restaurant we first met at, Macaroni Grill. I had Chicken Cannonnilli and he had the Pasta Penne with chicken and shrimp. It was so delicious and we were stuffed from our entrees and large popcorn, so no desert. After a thrilling ride in his 'chick-magnet' as my mom loves to call his car, we said our good-byes and he took me home.

When I got home I did get questioned about my handsome date and what he is like and, of course, he is wonderful.

Friends

I don't know what has happened lately in my life. For some reason I try to reach out to my friends only to be rejected. I use deoderant and sometimes light perfume so that isn't the problem. I don't understand why people would just drop me and ignore my attempts to keep in touch. 2 years ago I had 15 plus local friends, now, out of that group, I have none. I haven't changed, not to my knowledge. If I have, no one has told me about it.

One of my dear friends, we have known each other for 15 plus years, forgot my birthday (kinda petty I know but I always send her a card on hers, and try to call as well). Then she said she would set up a lunch date. That was in early December. She has time for others, but not for me. I don't know why, may be I am not her type. May be I am a friend from her youth that makes her feel weighted down. Whatever, it really makes me sad because I liked her for who she was. So many others I saw exploit her position, she is still friends with them. I am still waiting for her to call...... I don't think she will.

The latest insult to injury was when I sent out a cute email. One of my friends gave me her address and asked to 'stay in touch' so I did. I don't send out cutesy emails that much (I receive them everyday but I only send out maybe 2 or 3 times a month). She wrote me back "Welcome to my world of being on (my name here)'s e-mail list..." I sent her an email saying hello, asking about her family, giving her brief update, no reply. So much for her 'stay in touch' because she evidently doesn't want to.

Hopefully my philosophy class will help me understand. Guess it just goes to show, I need new friends since the ones I have don't have time for me ........

Associates Degree

I am one semester away from my associates degree! I have one more class, philosophy 101. I can't wait until May because I am having a graduation party!! Woo-hoo!! Because I was homeschooled, and because our house was undergoing renovation at the time I graduated, I missed my highschool graduation. Sooooo, I am making up for it! I can't wait! A PARTY!!! But first, I have to make a good grade in philosophy. The teacher has already made the statement that most of his students make a 'c' in his class. The challenge is on! Although I have to admit, this is not my fav subject.

Kittenless but still knitting

Well, the kitten is now gone. No more pouncing at feet or grabbing at yarn as I try to knit. But he is at his new home living the life of a king, I hope. My scarf is progressing quite well. It is about 10 inches, I still knit one or two rows when I watch a tv show. If I am watching football with my brothers I knit more, but I do manage to watch the commercials. Can't wait til the Superbowl!! Great commercials!! I loved the running of the squirrels and the great cat roundup. :)

Doufeu

Today I tried cooking a roast in my Le Crueset Doufeu. I took pictures of the cooking process but forgot to take pictures of the final product.

The Doufeu is easy to use, the only drawback is I don't know how to use it in the oven. Right now it takes about 2 1/2 hours cooking on the stove, I would much rather it be in the oven for that time period.

1) Rinse meat, put butter in Doufeu and melt. Brown meat on both sides. Add seasonings to the meat.

2) Put lid on doufeu, add ice. Turn heat to medium.

3) Approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours check meat. If it needs to be turned, gently flip it. Make sure there is water in the lid, do not let all the liquid evaporate.

4) After 2 1/2 hours the meat is ready to serve. Enjoy!

Sitting down to learn to knit

Well, I actually did it, I sat down to learn how to knit. First I oogled at all the pretty (and tacky) pictures of knitting projects from the library books. Then I got 3 books that seemed indepth, picked up the knitting needles and started to teach myself how to knit.

I had tried once before to teach myself, and it was useless. This time was the charm since I actually taught myself how to cast on, knit, and purl. My knitting stitch is backwards, don't know how that happened but it looks pretty as a finished product and doesn't seem to affect my knitting in any way, shape, form or fashion. At least not yet.

The kitten loves for me to knit. He just sits in my lap, plays with the yarn, then falls asleep. My first project is from the Martha Stewart website - the scarf for beginning knitters. It is looking pretty!!

http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=channel172064&contentGroup=MSL&site=living&rsc=ns2006_m2