Wednesday, January 31, 2007

commuting brilliance

last week i noticed that the carpool lane i've been avoiding for over a year only applies from 3-7pm. that's right...PM. so on my way to work, it's totally legal to drive in it all by myself. craziness!

on the one hand, i'm proud of myself for figuring this out, while everyone else continues to share the other two lanes. on the other hand, it took me over a year and that's just not ok.

purple blog!

thanks to john, my blog now has some purple in it...the best color in the world.

a couple weeks ago a new friend discovered my love for purple and said, "i haven't seen you wear much purple..." since then, i've been a purple queen (on weekends, at least). yay, purple!!!

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

jury duty update

as requested, i've called in after 5pm every night to find out if i get to go to jury duty the next day. so far, i've got nothin'...but they're getting awfully close to my number. just watch, i'll start my birthday month off in court...

birthday gift

my parents have asked me what i want for my birthday twice now, and i can't think of anything...this is weird...i usually have a list...any suggestions?

of course i already said, "i don't need anything, mom and dad" in my sweetest voice...but let's be real.

Monday, January 29, 2007

coaching tip

if a time out is called by the other team because you're winning 15-10, do NOT tell your team, "just remember...we've got a cushion...we're up by 5 points. if they get a couple points, shake it off " move on..."

we lost, 23-25. sad, just sad.

and those weren't my words of wisdom. my "assistant coach" shared that brilliance. not that i'm bitter.

(my team did AWESOME at their first tourney on saturday...i was truly proud " impressed. it's going to be a great season of growth if they keep giving 100%)

Sunday, January 28, 2007

school shopping!

notebooks.jpg
the highlight of starting a new semester is notebook shopping...this semester, i'll be referring to The Thing " Strawberry Shortcake for my notes.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Twins Tickets!

twins_onsaletoday.gif
hopefully I'll get to the Dome...at the very least, I'll be in Oak-town June 1-3!!!!

Thursday, January 25, 2007

venting sessions

last week i went to lunch with a friend/coworker and we bitched and gossiped about everyone and everything we could think of (no one reading this, of course). afterwards, i realized how valuable it was...it's truly a healing process - you say it, know you can't do anything about it, let it go " move on with life. good stuff.

of course, it's important you have "venting" sessions with only those you completely trust. it's not right to gossip, but...

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

asthma stinks

my asthma hasn't done much to me for the past couple years, but since Christmas it's been a pain in the butt. i'm trying hard to run more consistently, yet if i forget my inhaler, i'm screwed.

tonite i got about a mile out " realized i hadn't taken my inhaler...then i had to decide if i should just run through the shortness of breathe; walk, giving me more time to think about how hard it is to breathe; or sit " cry. i chose to walk most of the way, but then got frustrated and ran the last bit.

anyone know if anything's changed in the inhaler world in the past 10 years? i've been using the same prescription without checking in on it.

countdowns

i'm going to incorporate a new countdown after the christmas holidays...not only will i count down to my birthday (which is the most important day of the year)...i'll also count down to the Twins opening game. i can't wait for baseball to start again!!!

Kristiemas Countdown: 19 days
Twins Opener Countdown: 68 days

i've lost motivation to count hours.

Monday, January 22, 2007

my roots

i'm watching A Prairie Home Companion tonite. i've got a bunch of free rentals this month, wanted to see it " figured i could watch it myself for free (not putting anyone else through it). it's not holding my attention very well, but i love the accents " catch something funny once in a while. i'm afraid i'll have to look to the imdb to get the storyline.

funny joke they just said (i probably shouldn't laugh):
dusty: why do they call it PMS?
rusty: i don't know
dusty: 'cause mad cow was already taken

Sunday, January 21, 2007

january’s adventure in cooking - lasagna

Fall seven times, stand up eight. ~Japanese Proverb
i think, come december, we'll have to say "fall twelve times, stand up thirteen."

adventure 1 - grocery shopping
it took me at least five trips around the grocery store to find the ~ten ingredients i needed for mom's lasagna recipe
i got some cottage cheese, but accidently bought the fruit salad kind (adding fruit to my lasagna)

adventure 2 - cooking
the meat part was easy...and went smoothly
the cheesy part was also easy, but the fruit salad cottage cheese threw me a little
the noodles took a little longer than i expected, but turned out ok
and then i had to put it all together...in my new, pretty, glass pan
the first layer of noodles went smoothly (besides a little burning on the fingertips), the first layer of meat went on nicely and smelled really yummy...and then i tried to put the meat back on the stove...but missed a little...and swore loudly as the pot of yummy meat sauce fell to the floor...and splattered like i've never seen before. seriously...some went in my eye, my hair, my clothes, all four walls in the kitchen, the floor and the CEILING. amazing. i stood in complete disbelief, unsure of what to do....and fought the tears. damn kitchen hates me.

roommate b came to save the day, locking Murray up for a bit 'cause we don't usually give him people-food. we took a couple deep breaths, realized we had enough meat to continue with the lasagna & i finished it off. Murray was put in charge of cleaning the floor, B cleaned up what she could & i whipped up a lasagna dinner.

it was tasty lasagna, in my opinion...and the girls may have been trying to make me feel better, but they said it was good, too. i'd consider it a success, though the emotional wounds may take a while to recover from.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

ambush on Pitter!

cardestroyed.jpg
something awful happened to my car overnight...i went out this morning " it was covered in this "stuff"...looks like bird stuff, but i don't think it is...i think it came from the tree.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

laughter in my dream

i totally forgot to blog about this today....
i woke myself up laughing this morning. i was totally entertained in my dream " actually laughed out loud.
it is an awesome way to start a day, i tell ya. in laughter. weird, but awesome.

american idol in minneapolis

so i just started watching the American Idol from last night...i heard plenty about it today from those who saw it when it aired...and they were right.

minnesota provided some entertainment for the show...you gotta admit that. i know at least two people who tried out...maybe i'll see them. and i'm going to enjoy the sight-seeing " accent, as well.

cliches’ (i can’t make the cool apostrophe thing work right)

i am a Queen of Cliches'. always have been, probably always will be. if i know a cliche' that applies to a situation, i'll use it...in Israel, it was "life is good." "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" is a commonly used cliche'...and the list goes on. you know 'em, you probably hate 'em.

unfortunately, i just realized that i often throw in cliche'-like statements when i'm frustrated with a discussion, frustrated with myself " how i'm dealing with a situation, or want to avoid a topic. i'll just generalize it " throw in a cliche' to end the convo. it's not really healthy, or fair. if i'm frustrated with myself, i should probably take the time to work it out.

huh.

page of cliches.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

focus

for some reason, i can focus much better with my ipod blaring into my ears. instead of distracting me, it helps me zone the rest of the world out. awesome. i'm getting way more work done today...and i have noticed increased studying back in the days of school (two more weeks!).

apparently it doesn't help me zone out IM conversations or blog-writing, though. let me know if you have a secret for that (and logging off IM doesn't work for me)

Monday, January 15, 2007

ice bottle

the water i left in my car last night was frozen this morning. craziness! i know it's colder elsewhere, but i just ain't used to this in CA...nor is Pitter. she was a little rough when we first started out on the way to work. and then my water bottle was frozen...sheesh!

stay warm, peeps!

Sunday, January 14, 2007

what drug is your personality like?

Your Personality Is Like Alcohol

You're the life of the party, a total flirt, and probably a pretty big jokester.

Sometimes your behavior gets you in trouble, but you still remain socially acceptable.

You're a pretty bad driver, and you're dancing could also use a little work!

Saturday, January 13, 2007

a day at haight ashbury

KD " i spent the day near the Haight-Ashbury intersection in SF today and it was awesome. the thrifting wasn't as good as we'd hoped for, but i did find a purple suede pair of sunglasses, purple hair extensions " purple kangaroos. that's right...roo's. ..with the zipper pocket on the side " everything. they're superfun!

i imagine the haight-ashbury district was much more interesting years ago...but it's quite the touristy area now. many of the shops have "sold out" to the tourist, providing a lot of cheesy tshirts.

i did notice that we use our cell phones as a security blanket these days...when in line, or facing strangers one could talk to, many hide behind their cell phones/cameras/etc. sad...we should be more friendly.

Friday, January 12, 2007

most embarassing moment

one of the five questions my team got to ask me last weekend was my most embarassing moment. i couldn't come up with anything at the time, so i now have an hour to come up with something to kick practice off tonite.

let me know if i've embarassed myself in front of you in such a way that i can share it with 13 year olds who are supposed to respect me. it's tough.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

things that can make a day great

1. serious eye candy in the new hire orientation i facilitated today...and he smiled a lot...it was distractingly frustrating and fabulous all at the same time
2. interesting work stuff going on...i'm learning
3. a fun new outfit from Old Navy that was a bargain
4. an awesomely fun new volleyball team to play on...and i'm a middle again...and i hit 1's like good middles do
5. it's friday tomorrow

making fun of “cold” california

this article is funny.
some chick grew up in chicago and is making fun of how everyone here is freaking out about 27 above zero. it's nice to know someone actually gets published saying this stuff...

oh, and my roommate asked me if she should warm up her car this morning. oy vey.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

i am the biggest movie wimp ever

i am super-tense because i'm watching freaking Snakes on a Plane. it is the stupidest scary movie ever...yet, i am freaked out. i hate snakes...i hate suspense movies...what was Samuel L Jackson thinking when he made this?

i still say this movie has high entertainment value. truly, i have a love-hate relationship with scary movies, and if i could get over my yelping, this is hilarious.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

iPhone

i want one
you prolly gotta scroll to the bottom to see it, but it's freaking awesome.

hey, my birthday's coming! ;-)

cold mornings

back in good ol' minnesota i often had to go start my car 10-20 minutes before i was gonna leave so it would warm up " run ok...i assume peeps still do this when it's crazy cold.

back to california - on my sunday morning run i thought i saw someone doing this (it was around 30), but didn't really believe it. this morning, when i passed a good ol' el camino getting warmed up, i had to shake my head in disbelief. then i saw a man actually lock his car doors while the car was running. it's true - people warm their cars up when it gets around 30 at night.

Pitter Patter started right up " took off...no warming required. though I do have gloves in my car for cold mornings nowadays.

Monday, January 8, 2007

a pro to being anti-morning

i just realized that there's a HUGE benefit to hating mornings...i can clean " clean " clean while i'm still waking up, and because i'm in a daze, i don't care. as soon as i truly wake up, i have a million other things to do.

saturday morning i woke up " cleaned for a couple hours...before my brain unfogged itself.

good tv

Beauty and the Geek

seriously. constant 'laughs out loud'. i love it. and people learn things.
wednesdays on the CW, 8/7c

Sunday, January 7, 2007

burning cd’s

about a month ago i discovered that i could burn cd's with my laptop. sweeeeeeeeeet.
i went to buy blank cd's for the first time yesterday and was presented with way too many options...i just bought the plain ones, assuming the ones that said 'music,' or 'photos' were just a marketing ploy " more expensive.

someone let me know if i should buy specific cd's for specific burning projects, please. thanks!

karaoke discovery

friday night i discovered that some songs are just too fast for me to be able to read along and sing...apparently, i'm still a slow reader. back in 1st grade, i was dubbed as such. the main difference between then and now is that i no longer get offended. i'm a slow reader and that's ok.

"good news" - i found my signature karaoke song..done with a partner...Offspring's Pretty Fly for a White Guy

Friday, January 5, 2007

inner rock star

You Are Ani Difranco!

Honest, real, and well liked.

You're not limited by any boundaries.

"And you can call me crazy

But I think you're as lazy as white paint on the wall"

Thursday, January 4, 2007

a new season is upon us…

a new volleyball season, that is. tomorrow is the official first practice for my new team...and i can't wait! i've had quite a bit of time this week to prepare, which is a change from past years. the balls are colored so we can easily find ours, i have my new season notebook " the first practice-plan is almost completely done. i even have tootsie pops to keep the girls entertained while i talk a LOT.

here's to the start of something great! oh, and the lessons to be had.

disneyland at 29!

plans are coming together to be at Disneyland for the big 2-9. i was originally thinkin' Vegas, but this is much more perfect...i'll end my 20's at Disneyland...and start up my 30's in Vegas!!! it just fits, dontcha think? :-)

i told my dentist of the plans this morning and she said, "oh, i love Disneyland as an adult." i hadn't even thought about the fact that i'm making my other "adult" friends go to Disneyland for my bday. that's awesome.

Wednesday, January 3, 2007

first attempt goes awry

i tried to cook tonite. i succeeded at the pasta, spaghetti sauce, salad " garlicy toast...but the soup i poured my heart " soul into is quite the opposite. i burned it. it was set to be sooooooooo yummy, and sooooooooo perfect...and such a great thing for lunch " maybe even dinner...and then i left it on the stove too long. the whole dang pot tastes nasty.

i might still eat it. but i am bitter about the kitchen and don't really want to go back in.

be forewarned…this is TMI (too much info) about the restroom

i wanna understand why i can need to go potty (been hangin' with the nieces and nephews) for a while, but be somewhat ok walking around...then as soon as i get to the restroom, my bladder wants to be emptied IMMEDIATELY. sometimes i just can't seem to squat fast enough.

told you it was TMI...but it frustrates me.

Tuesday, January 2, 2007

book & movie

over the holiday, i read Mitch Albom's new book For One More Day. it's a good read...Tuesdays with Morrie remains at the top of my list of his books, but they're all thinkers. i wish i could think of a great line to share with you, but i loaned it out already " don't recall (further evidence that Tuesdays was better)

tonite I saw "Night at the Museum" which was really cute...pretty funny...sentimental...mindless entertainment. definitely worth seeing in the theatre because of the visual stuff.

resolutions

i understand the reasoning behind making new year's resolutions, but i also think we should be able to make resolutions year round. why not make a change for the better on february 12, the best day of the year? why do we wait for 1/1 to try to make improvements on life...and why do we wait until monday to start a diet? i understand that starting something is easier in a "new" week or year...but it just seems a little silly.

i'm going to call them "new me resolutions" instead of new year's resolutions. that's how much of a rebel i am.

i'm going to challenge you to make a resolution on february 12 this year. be prepared.

the next great holiday

the holidays are over, valentine's stuff is starting to appear in stores...which means MY BIRTHDAY IS COMING!

(i'm thinkin' disneyland instead of vegas...any takers?)

Monday, January 1, 2007

new year’s resolutions

1. cook one new meal every month (send recipes if you can)
2. call each member of my family at least once a month

definitely do-able. go 2007!