Three Day Weekend!

Let's discuss how many agencies contacted me about storm/school cancellations.

1. The police department of the town I live in called to say school was closed.
2. The town I used to work in left a voicemail that school was closed.
3. The town I worked in 2 jobs ago texted me to tell me that school was closed.
4. The superintendent called to tell me school was closed.
5. The next town over (they handle my electricity) called to let me know school was closed (and that trick or treating was rescheduled).

So...the moral of the story is:  SCHOOL IS CLOSED...oh...and don't go trick or treating tomorrow because Halloween is basically cancelled.

No worries...I didn't get to wear my costume and I never carved a pumpkin (because after last year's debacle I was exercising some patience which was interrupted by all the snow).

    

Dear Snow...WTF?

So when I said Happy Fall what I actually meant was Happy Winter?!?  My psyche is all confused because there are 5 inches of wet, wet snow on the ground (and on my car) before Halloween.

Currently, I am sitting in Barnes and Noble along with 300 of my closest friends strangers using their free wi-fi.  Although I have been warned that the tables, chairs, and plugs are reserved for paying customers. (But to be fair there are legitimately 60-70 people in line for coffee.)  I found a secret plug hidden around the corner from the cafe.  Two chairs later and voila I have my own internet station.  I think my ingenuity should be rewarded not punished.

Now...let's back up to Thursday.

Thursday

There was a rumor around school that it was going to snow.  I rolled my eyes at those silly people because it doesn't rarely snows in October...a dusting if anything.  I met some work friends for drinks on Thursday night and by the time we left I needed to dig my snow brush out of my trunk. 

Friday

I entertained the idea of calling in sick to work on my costume for Saturday's Halloween party but my guilt got the best of me.  I left work on Friday and hit up Target, Walmart, the mall, my parent's house, and Walmart again before heading home.  My first trip to Walmart I bought gold spray paint which turned out to be chrome (which P.S. is NOT gold).  But it had a GOLD cap.  On my second trip to Walmart I bought gold spray paint which ALSO had a gold cap.  I got home and spray painted a headband and some Old Navy 2 for $5 flip flops gold.

Saturday

I slept in.  Like a lot.  Then I watched some teenage soap operas.  When I finally got around to putting my costume together it started to snow...and snow and snow and snow.  I bailed on the party, wasted a fun costume and watched Hocus Pocus on ABC family.  Then the power went out.  Then the power came on.  Then the power went out.  Then my phone died.  Then I lit some candles and went to bed early.

Sunday

I drove over to my parent's house to use their computer and their laundry services.  Turns out...their yard looks like this:

so needless to say they have no power which is why I am at Barnes and Noble.

The leaves on these maples hadn't even turned yellow yet!  The weight of the wet snow on the leaves was just too much.  All over town there are limbs and powerlines down, entire trees uprooted or split in half.  It's pretty crazysauce.

Happy Fall

Happy 

pumpkin carving,

wet leaf sliding,

latte drinking,

puffy vest wearing,

weekend road trip taking,

candy eating,

rosy cheek walking,

apple picking,

leaf peeping,

pie baking,

clock changing,

soup eating,  

leaf raking,

costume wearing

season.

Oh...and it's pull over to the side of the road and take pictures of Everyday Mom while she wades into a swamp to pick winter berries season.

  

Thursday is for Tidbits

So I really wanted to call this Tuesday Tidbits but it is Thursday not Tuesday and I spent all day thinking/hoping/wishing that it was Friday.  But it is Thursday...which means exciting things happened...except not.

Tidbits:
* I went to the library to use their internet because my computer that refuses to start is still ruining my life.
* I was going to write about the time I CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN but my pictures are stuck A) on my stupid computer and/or B) on my dead camera. 
* A second grader brought in fairy dust for her secret object which was just a lunch bag full of glitter.
* I ate lunch with my high school guidance counselor yesterday.  (He was subbing at my school and yes, it was as awkward as it sounds.)
* I found some exciting new recipes that I can't wait to bake.
* I saw an awesome bumper sticker that said: "At least the war on the environment is going well."
* One second grade twin punched the other second grade twin in the face.
* I am going to Portland (ME not OR) this weekend.
* I am super disappointed by October's lack of cool, sunny days.  WTF rain?

And...
* I snuggled with my puppy while doing laundry for free at my parents horse house. 
(File under: Yes, I'm almost 29+1.)  

Update

I still don't have a computer that turns on.

I still don't have money for a new computer that turns on.

I still don't have internet.

I still miss the internet.

I've been showing up to work EARLY and violating the computer usage rules to check my email and (more importantly) read all my favorite blogs.  My time to write blogs is super limited and my picture taking has been non-existent (in part because I left my camera charger plugged into the wall in a Chicago hotel and have yet to replace it).

I am such a hot mess when it comes to anything lately.

So let's cross our fingers and hope that my (owed) unemployment money comes through which I can then spend on a new Mac Book.

   

Number 8

Seeing as how the time to 29+1 is ticking by quite quickly I decided it was time to get moving on some of my goals.  While Everyday Brother was home I accomplished #8 on The List. 

We bypassed the busy, fancy driving range and visited the driving range with the purple dino putt putt.  One of the reasons I added "golf at a driving range" to my list is because it is something I had never done.  I often want to try new things but am anxious about doing them myself.  This is especially true if it is something where the possibility of embarrassment is high.

Think about it.  When is the last time you have tried something totally new?  I had to figure out how to get balls, borrow (rent?) a club, which club to borrow/rent, which stall to pick, how to swing the club, what the appropriate noise/excitement level was or what the etiquette for hitting the ball when someone is next to you. (Does this sound familiar?)  Luckily Everyday Brother was there to save me from myself (and he only teased me about taking pictures once). We got our balls and were on our way.

When we arrived, there was only one other individual there and judging by the sound of his club hitting the ball, he was no amateur.  So I selected a stall far away from him so I wouldn't disturb him with my lack of golf skills (and general obnoxiousness).

I will admit that trying to hit a tiny ball 7483 yards only to have it land on a small green area sounds difficult.  But I never imagined that driving balls off a tee would leave me sore the next day.  Well...it is kind of a whole body activity.  I just assumed that you swing and if you miss you swing again.  Not quite.  You're supposed to bring back your arms, then shoulders, then twist your hips while lifting up the heel of one foot...and that is just the back swing.  Not only was I unable to master do a proper back swing but trying to then hit the ball was really hard.

So today my arms are a bit sore because apparently I was swinging with my arms instead of using my body's momentum. 

My goal was to hit the ball at least 100 yards.  Well...I maybe hit 85 yards...once.  But after I got the swing of things (get it?) most of my balls passed 50 yards.  So basically I won. 

I'm glad that I did tried something new AND crossed something off The List. 

    

How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways...

My computer hard drive is MIA.  Sunday morning it was there working fine and by Sunday afternoon my computer refused to boot, shut down, or do anything other than loop through the Windows setup.

Currently, my options are quite limited. I could:
1. Buy a new computer.
2. Buy a new hard drive.
3. Try to find someone to copy my hard drive.
4. Cry.
5. Pay the Geek Squad an exorbitant amount of money for them to tell me that I need a new hard drive.
6. Learn to live without the internet. <--NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.

Now...it's no surprise that I have a slight addiction affinity for being connected.  (FYI: I only have a desktop.  No laptop, no iPad, no smart phone.)  But in the last two days I've begun to count the ways that I've needed the internet/my computer.

1. To Google the error code BIOHD-8 to see if it means certain PC death.
2. To check my email.
3. To pay my credit card bill on time.
4. To check the forecast.
5. To cancel Netflix.
6. To BLOG and READ BLOGS!
7. To Google what time the library closes so I can use their internet.
8. To check the news.
9. To listen to iTunes.
10. To find the address of a meeting.
11. To track what I ate today.
12. To work on my personal budget.
13. To watch Hulu.
14. To do a bunch of other mundane things.

So if I am absent for the next few days forever, please don't think that I've deserted you.  I am likely just curled in a fetal position under the covers, weeping over the loss of the internet.  Also, if you know anything about fixing non-existent hard drives or computers that read error: BIOHD-8 let me know.  But not via comment or Facebook or email.  Hmm....
   

 

Six On Sunday

1.  Today is Sunday but I don't have to go to school/work tomorrow so it's really like BONUS SATURDAY!

2.  I had to scrape FROST off my windshield on Thursday morning.  It was only 35 degrees when I left for school/work and yes I was still wearing flip flops.

3.  Which may have something to do with the cold I now have but I blame it completely on dribbly, sniffly second graders who chew on their pencils and sneeze on you. Welcome to my life.

4.  Despite the previously aforementioned frosty morning, most days have been swampy wet and/or warm for the last 1.5 months so the leaves in New England Massachusetts are nothing special yet.  Last year they were gorgeous and I had a lot of free time to look at them.

5.  Everyday Brother is home!  I get to hang out with him until he is sick of me and then he will leave again.  Too bad there is that whole school/work thing that will get in the way of our hanging out time.

6.  On today's agenda:  put on pants, ingest some cold medicine, make grilled pizza and apple crisp without getting anyone else sick.  My cold will NOT get in the way of bothering my brother.  My cold will NOT get in the way of bothering my brother.  My cold will NOT get in the way of bothering my brother.

   

Cooking With Amy: French Bread Edition

For my third bread making adventure I was going to make rye bread but surprise surprise, I didn't have enough salt (or any molasses for that matter).  Since I was determined to make ANY type of bread, I flipped through the cookbook until I found a bread that used less than 1 TBSP of salt (because that was all I had).  So french bread it was!  You can read about bread 1&2 here and here.

If you want to try your hand at making bread, start with french bread...it is super simple.  It's only flour, water, salt and yeast.  That's it.  I halved the recipe to get one loaf four baguettes.

You mix.

You let it rise.

You make mini baguettes. (They have a different name which is escaping me at the moment.  I think it is the french word for bastard...no I'm not kidding.)

My first mini baguette was the best.  The others, along with my patience, deteriorated until they looked more like dog bones than bread.

You preheat the oven to 550 degrees (or as high as your oven will go) then bake at 450 degrees.

But first, you pour a cup of water into a pan beneath the bread to make steam which has something to do with the hard crust of the bread.  

While impatiently trying to admire your handiwork you open the oven and peek in to see how they are doing. You LEAN AWAY when you open the oven door (not lean into) so as not to burn your corneas retinas eyeballs. (This was learned the hard way.)

You wonder if the hardness of the crust is normal (it is and will soften over time) and dig in while it is still too hot to touch because it looks delicious.

File under: it smells even better than it looks.  Oh la la.

 

Living On The Edge

Author's Note:  I purposely did not spell check this post.

It's Cantulope Fest 2011!  

Yep...still eating cantaulope even after those people died from infected c'lope (<---I typed that not because I thought it sounded cool but because I don't know how to spell cantalope.)

I know that there is a "U" in cantalopue I JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE IT GOES!  ARG!

Cantalope
Cantulope
Cantaulope
Orange Melon
Cantualope
Cantaluope
CANTALOUPE!!! (No, I did not have to Google it...except I did.)

Also...

I did.

   

Steve Jobs & Sarah Palin

Dear Boston.com,

Thank you for having your priorities straight.

XOXO,
Amy

P.S. Steve Jobs: you will be missed.
P.P.S.  Sarah Palin: oh thank God.
P.P.P.S.  Amanda Knox:  Steve Jobs may have just earned you some privacy.

 
   

Chrome is Crashing

Dear Google Chrome,

When I swore off IE8 and downloaded you I was excited at the promise of an internet browser that was reliable and uncrashable.  For 2.8 months we worked together in bliss.  I got to know you...you tracked cookies about me.  But you just had to go and act up.  First, you slowed my internet speed to a mere crawl.  Then, you affected my mouse click-a-bility speed.  The last straw was when you completely crashed, wiping out my desktop theme and ALL of my bookmarks.*  Way to go.

XOXO,
Amy

*While it may have been a virus that acted as the catalyst for your demise, I still blame you.

   

On 495

I saw a camel on the highway today.

Yes...a camel.

And before you're all, "Um, Amy..." let me explain.  I'm driving home from the grocery store in almost-but-not-quite rush hour traffic when I happen upon one of those horse trailers that you pull behind a pick up truck.  The trailer had the slats open so you could see the animal.  So I look over and there is a camel lying down with his face sizing up my car.

My first thought was, "Whoa...there is a camel...weird."
My second thought was, "I need to blog about this."
My third thought was, "Wait...why would there be a camel in a horse trailer?"
My fourth thought was, "Wait...that can't be a camel...this is New England."

I quickly tried to rationalize what I saw.  It must have been a llama.  A really big llama. But as I passed the truck, there were two huge, tour bus sized vehicles full of animals.

It was a children's traveling circus.

So that explains the camel.

 

In September

In September I got settled in to my new job, made new friends at said job, went candlepin bowling for the first time since middle school, tried new (vegan) foods, celebrated a lot of birthdays, cursed the hot/swampy weather, listened to a lot of Lady Gaga (I know!), embarked on an exciting new adventure (to be shared at a later date), avoided Dunks like the plague, and tip toed my way back into blogging.

It took me a few weeks to get settled back into a work routine.  Not that being unemployed was fun or easy, but it certainly allowed for more flexible sleeping windows.  I spent the first three weeks of school dragging myself out of bed and hoping there was time for a nap every afternoon.  But my circadian rhythm seems to have achieved some semblance of balance.

Working also means less blogging and less reading.  After some internal debate, I've decided that I am going to keep blogging because it is something that I enjoy.  But this time last year, I had 6 empty hours a day to fill with adventures and silly stories.  So expect to hear lots about second grade for now.

I don't know whether it is the fact that I am getting older or if I am wishing for time to slow before the inevitable 29+1 situation, but I could have sworn it was just the Fourth of July!  Summer passed in a flash and September was no exception.  But I'm excited for October.  It is my favorite month!  I'm not sure why but the sunny, brisk days have something to do with it.  So rain...be gone.

In October I want to:
1. Cook/bake at least 4 times.
2. Skype with all my besties.
3. Carve a pumpkin...but not too early!
4. Hang out with Everyday Brother.