My World is Beginning

I am a sufferer of depression and it gets progressively worse during the winter months. But one thing that keeps me going: Rankin/Bass Christmas specials. To date, I own all the ones available on DVD. I'm still waiting for The First Christmas Snow, Little Drummer Boy Part II, Jack Frost and The Life & Times of Santa Claus to be released. FINGERS CROSSED FOR NEXT YEAR!

Obviously, most people know and love "Rudolph" & "Santa" but included on my compilation DVDs are some lesser known productions. "Little Drummer Boy" is awesome because it includes a death by stabbing and fire scene.

"Nestor the Long Eared Donkey" isn't bad but the ending is ridiculous. The story goes that there was a little donkey w/ ears so long they drag on the ground and he trips over them all the time. The only thing protecting him from being euthanized is Nestor's mother. A bunch of Roman centurions come and take all the donkeys except for Nestor. But he gets the boot because his owner has lost money and help on his farm. Nestor miraculously reunites w/ his mother and then she promptly dies during a snow storm. Nestor and his guardian angel, Tilly, travel to Bethlehem so that Nestor can carry Mary, Joseph and unborn baby Jesus to the stable. Nestor's ears even act as sail on the water! Then, for some unknown reason, Nestor goes back to the farm and he's treated like a hero. What the what? How would his former owner know about Nestor and baby Jesus? Why do the other animals no longer despise his very being?

"Cricket on the Hearth" just plain sucks monkey balls! Marlo Thomas is "Bertha" and she has the world's most annoying voice EVER. And for some reason a shifty eyed sailor shoots a crow. Not to mention it has nothing to do w/ Christmas at all. Hans Conreid is the only saving grace.

Check out my awesome bookcase.

The Burgermeister Meisterburger is crashing the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer party. And Yukon Cornelius is letting him know that BM is not welcome!

Santa is trying to wave his dick around the two Bumbles but they're going to rip his head off. And I found out why Bumble has been so persecuted.

Slicin' up Eye Balls

If there's one thing in the world I love the most, it's the road trip.

Last Saturday SB & I drove out to Long Island to see Pixies in Huntington on their Lost Cities tour.

Thank God for the GPS otherwise we'd still be driving in circles down there! Waayyyy too many parkways and highways and bypasses down there for this suburbanite.

We stayed at the Executive Inn in Westbury, it was perfectly cromulent.

Pixies were better than amazing!!!! They performed "Doolittle" in it's entirety. Great great stuff!

The next day we hit up Trader Joe's, though they are essentially the same, each store offers a little something different to the patrons. Damn, I love Trader Joe's!

We took the Taconic Parkway home, beautiful drive w/ no cars. This weekend reeked of awesomeness!

Hello-ween

It's no secret that Hallowe'en is my absolutely favourite holiday. I usually start planning our costumes some time around August.

We went as a 1970's private investigator duo! My dream was to find some really awesome retro duds at a local thrift store/consignment shop but it didn't exactly work out like that. Sexybeast got outfitted from the Troy Good Will, we found an excellent tacky mouldy green Hawaiian shirt and an eye watering suit jacket. Douche bag aviator sunglasses completed the look.

I couldn't find jack shit and ended up buying a crappy "retro" costume from The Costumer. BOO! But I did come up w/ a great back story for my character. Her name is Candy and she was a former prostitute saved by her new "employer". She answers phones and hinders all the investigations.

All in all, it was great night. And SB has awesome knife skills.

And not a Day Wiser.....

It's my birthday today & I'm feeling pretty bummed actually. I have no money, feeling pretty isolated & just in the mood to celebrate.

Maybe my parents should not have given me such great birthdays when I was a kid, it's hard not to compare. Expectation always leads to disappointment. Life is suffering & the quicker I learn that the better off I shall be.

But then I saw this & I cheered up! So tomorrow, I'm going to shoot skee ball and have a quick drink @ Footsy Magoo's. Feel free to join me & the Beast.

Happy Chompo to me!

Oktoberfest

Last weekend Sexybeast & I went camping to Moreau state park near South Glens Falls. Since we knew we were going to miss Wolf's Biergarten's Octoberfest, we decided to have our own little party at the camp ground.

First night, we could not get the fire started....stupid freshly cut wood that was completely soaked!

The next morning it started to rain when we awoke & all Sexybeast had on his mind was COFFEE. I was heartily looking forward to Kahlua and hot chocolate only to discover that we had forgotten to bring drinking implements. SB was very emphatic that we find a dine & STAT. I would have settled for Dunkin' Donuts but off to find a diner we did. Garmin gave us some bad directions and we got turned around before we found Maude's Kitchen. I la-la-la-LOVED this place. It was fun and quirky and I got a great recipe for hot buttered rum. The curtains were old aprons! So cute. All the coffee cups were mismatched and every table had a kitchy set of salt & pepper shakers. I highly recommend the hash browns....not a hint of grease & a pleasant taste of paprika. SB was happy w/ his sausage gravy & wanted to have gravy at every meal. It was not to be though :-(

I could not wait for a shower! The bathrooms were very spacious and clean. BUT the water was c-c-c-c-COLD. Freezing. It was awful! I had about 2 minutes of hot water & then back to COLD.

To kill some time while it rained, we saw an amazing exhibit at the Hyde Museum of children's book illustrations. Sendak, Di Paola & Steig...OH MY!

Lunch at Davidson Brothers Brew Pub. Great service, great food & according to SB great beer. I had a glass of pinot grigio & chocolate w/ Godiva liqueur & Bailey's.

A real fire courtesy of Hannaford!

Then relaxing by the fire & reading. The rain did not bother me in the slightest.

SB consumer many franziskaners while we prepared the feast. Pork schnitzel, red cabbage & spaetzel w/ gravy. The cabbage was out of this world good! Fresh from our garden and brown sugar combats the cabbagy bitterness.

Proust!

Cheese!

This post is dedicated to Jon in Albany because he has good taste

I made some amazing low fat mac n' cheese last week which I got from this site. I made some modifications. Enjoy!

1 1/2 cups of yr fave pasta (I used whole wheat penne Barilla)

2 tbsp butter (Smart Balance in my case)

1/4 C flour

1/4 C diced onion

2 cups skim milk (all I had on hand was 1%)

1 C broth (Better than Bullion veggie flavour)

2 cups low fat cheddar (my preference is Cabot 50% fat free)

a dash of S&P

1 1/2 cups of broccoli florets

1/8 C Parmesan cheese

1/4 C breadcrumbs (Panko all the way!)

cooking spray

1.Preheat oven 375 degrees.

2.Cook yr pasta & broccoli together in boiling water for about 7 minutes or so.

3. Melt butter in a skillet. Add onion on low heat for 2 mins , throw in flour & cook for another minute. Add milk & broth w/ a whisk, get the flour & wet ingredients nicely mixed. Crank the heat up to med-high & boil for 5 mins or until it's thick. Salt & pepper it.

4. Remove from heat & add the cheese. More S & P. Mix the cheese w/ the mac & pour into a casserole dish coated w/ cooking spray. Sprinkle w/ the breadcrumb like substance & parm.

5. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes (20 if you have want a crisper top).

Cheesy, tasty & full of fiber!

Grr! Argh!

We have a new edition in our house! We adopted our very own pet zombie. Herman seems to be getting along pretty well w/ Squeaky Kitty.

Mad Dogs & Elephants

Boy, sunning yrself & swimming all day sure builds up a thirst! And nothing knocks the dry outta yr mouth like Mad Dog 20/20. Yummy fortified wine in a convenient twist off cap. It's like low rent port. After you get used to the burning sensation, that shit tastes pretty damn good! Nothing beats cheap hooch w/ good friends.

Does it come in any other flavours?

I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Dairy Products

I am pleased to announce that Kitchen Aid ice cream attachment works!

As it turns out, though, ice cream making is a big project. First of all, the freeze bucket has to be frozen for at least 16 hours prior to any dessert making. Also, for most recipes, the mixed ingredients must be chilled for most of the day.

And after all this, SB & I have been enjoying caramel pecan ice cream.

Next: gelato!

Swag

As I've previously mentioned, getting married was fucking awesome! Mostly because of the presents & cash.

With all our gift certificates, a few returns & a 10% off anything on the registry, SB & I scooped us a Dyson w/ the pet hair sucker upper. It's a $600 & we got it for $70! The suction on this bad boy is amazing, it even removed parts of the old nasty indoor/outdoor carpeting on our sun porch. And even better than that, you can push a button & use it on the bare floors. Bare floors! I'm not sweeping again!

We also scored a butt load of gift certificates to Macys & got some awesome shit for "free". SB finally got the food saver he's been coveting for months. At first I thought, oh great another appliance to the home furnishings graveyard. BUT upon seeing the mighty bounty in SB's garden & how fucking cool it looks when it sucks all the air of the food saver bag, I quickly changed my mind.

Also, we now the proud owners of a Dirt Devil, handy for cleaning out the tent.

And best of all, I got a super duper pimped out foot bath. I got shamed at the salon on my wedding day by the manicurist because I don't slough my feet daily. Now I can soak, slough & moisturize every night of the week.

And in case some people think I'm a selfish bastard, yr still mostly right but I did donate all our previous kitchen & bath stuff to the local domestic violence shelter.

All Dressed in Ivory

First batch o' pics from our nuptials:

On the hanger at the suite

Pockets, yes! I did have a hat on at one point but I was SWEATING like a whore in church.

Reverse French manicure & wedding band.

Pedicure to match my shoes

More to come!

Accomplishment

The fiesty & always hi-larious Mrs. Pickle chose this humble but cute little nerd w/ an awesome award. I just need to list 7 unknown facts about me....this is incredibly hard as this is the 3rd anniversary of this here blog. BUT w/out further ado....

1. I refuse to answer anyone if they say "Whatever" to me...it's rude and dismissive!

2. I don't understand how Drake got to be so popular...he sucks! He grew up on the "mean" streets of Toronto, had every economic advantage given to him and for some reason his diction sounds like he's a 7th grade drop out....GO AWAY!

3. Whenever I'm in a crowded place, I have weird compulsion to lift up my skirt and flash my undies to people.

4. Guiness Stout tastes like sweaty socks, I will never drink it.

5. I don't want to fritter away my writing talent.

6. Red eyes scare the bejesus out of me...I can't watch "Children of the Damned" or "The Stand"...I have unspeakable nightmares

7. I should have eloped!

Where is my Mind?

http://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/2011/06/team-jeffie-meme.html

Today we ripped off a blogger named Jeff from the blog Sliding Constant. He does not say where he got it from. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!

Sunday Stealing: The Team Jeffie Meme

Cheers to all of us thieves!

TRUE OR FALSE

Q: Kissed someone on your friends list? T

Q: Been arrested? F

Q: Held a snake? T

Q: Been suspended from school? F

Q: Sang karaoke? T

Q: Done something you told yourself you wouldn't do? T

Q: Laughed until you started crying? T

Q: Caught a snowflake on your tongue? T

Q: Kissed in the rain? T

Q: Sang in the shower? T

Q: Sat on a roof top? T

Q: Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? T

Q: Broken a bone? F

Q: Shaved your head? F

Q: Played a prank on someone? T

Q: Shot a gun? T

Q: Donated Blood? F

LAST PERSON...

1. You hung out with? Family at an anniversary party

2. You texted? My dearest friend

3. You were in a car with? SB

4. Went to the movies with? Melissa

5. Person you went to shop with? Mother and mother-in-law

6. You talked on the phone? Mother

7. Made you laugh? SB's grandmother

8. You hugged? SB

IN THE LAST 48 HOURS HAVE YOU...

1. Sang? Yes

2. Listened to music? Yes

3. Danced Crazy? Yes

4. Cried? Yes

FIRSTS .....

1.Who was your first prom (or homecoming) date? I went stag

2. Who was your first roommate? Cris

3. What alcoholic beverage did you drink when you got drunk the first time? Beer at a bar in New Paltz

4. What was your first job? I was the Izod Alligator

5. What was your first car? 1988 Dodge Omni

6. When did you go to your first funeral and viewing? A great aunt

7. Who was your first grade teacher? Sister Mary Richard

8. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane? Disney World

9. When you snuck out of your house for the first time? I never snuck out

10. Who was your first best friend? Heather

11. Who was your first Best Friend in high school? Kelly

12. Where was your first sleepover? My cousin's house

13. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day? My father

14. Who's wedding were you in the first time you were a Bridesmaid or groomsman? Cris

15. What is the first thing you did when you got up this morning? Peed

16. First time you tied your shoe laces? I was 5

17. Are you Facebook friends with your first crush? ? Yes

18. Who was the first person you met from the blogosphere? Albany Jane

19. What was the first music album that you bought? INXS "Kick"

20. Who was your first celebrity crush? Matt Dillon

Lazy

No meme today. Instead I'm going to celebrate the awesomeness of the day.

It's Monday & I don't have to go to work. I don't have to deal w/ crisis or being the voice of reason. Nope I stayed in bed until 9am....I wasn't even sleeping, just lazing & occasionally reading and smooching SB.

It snowed last night and I'm not even the teeniest bit anxious about it because I have fuck all to do today.

Personally I think we should institute a 4 day work week...NO MORE MONDAYS NO MORE MONDAYS NO MORE MONDAYS!

Now, who's w/ me?

Sunny Day

In order to combat my crippling seasonal depression, I've starting taking over the counter Vitamin D.

So far so good, no side effect & I don't feel like going into a coma nor slamming people's faces into belt sanders.

A Small Opening

Last week (and part of this week too because of inclimate weather!) was Restaurant Week here in the Electric City...that's Schenectady not Scranton, PA.

After polling a few peeps and perusing the menus, SB & I decided on checking out Aperitivo. We've never been, mostly because it's flipping expensive! And just for grins and ha-ha's my parents tagged along as well.

The decor was a bit '80's, exposed brick and a long bar. The place was packed! Right off the bat, the hostess didn't acknowledge us, I understand she was on the phone but she could have made eye contact or something.

Sadly for my mother, both the mussels and salmon were unavailable.

For the apps, there was a choice of Caesar salad or warm mozzarella over polenta. I'm a bit meh on Caesar salad because a: it's usually swimming in dressing & b: they used anchovies in it. Blech! I went w/ the polenta which is odd because I don't care for it very much. Well, now I'm completely won over. Guess I never had it prepared correctly.

For our mains, SB & I had the sausage and broccoli rabe pizza. The crust was amazing, thin & crispy, almost like a cracker. It had a great heat from the red pepper flakes as well. So so tasty! My parents had the rigatoni and Gorgonzola. Unfortunately, they let their plates sits and re-fired them because the pasta was completely dried out. I think this had to do w/ a lack of help in the kitchen.

Dessert was apple cranberry crisp, it was a bit dry. SB had the tiramisu, which he inhaled.

All of this for the low low price of $20.11. See you next year Restaurant Week!

Pennsylvania 6500

In an effort to keep from losing my mind, I've started taking Vitamin D.

This has been a challenging week to say the least, what w/ the wedding chaos, pressures from work and other major shitty stuff that I don't want to discuss. In the middle of all this garbage, my friend Andie took me out swing dancing.

It was well needed break from reality and refreshing to go out w/out SB. Not that I don't love him, it's just really great that we have separate interests sometimes.

The lesson was quick but the instructor was cute. ;-) hmm shaved head! Plus he was wearing a cute vintage shirt. SB refuses to wear anything w/ buttons.

There was lots of swinging and flinging and the women clearly out numbered the men. And the fewer men that were there had a fondness for cologne....lots and lots of cologne.

Good times good times.

Mr. McFreely

For many years now, I have denounced the show "American Dad". Until one day last week, when I was bored and looking for something on Netflix streaming, I decided to give it a go.

I laughed my ass off! I am now obsessed w/ Roger the Alien. I've been annoying Sexybeast by randomly screaming "Who ate all the Pecan Sandies?!" I don't know what it is about Roger I like, possibly his Paul Lynde type of voice.

On season 4 episode 12 of American Dad, Roger rants continuously about having grenadine to make a "Roy Rogers", a non-alcoholic beverage consisting of a can of cola & a little less than a shot of grenadine. I could not get this drink combination out of my head.

However, I hate grenadine. That sticky mess corn syrup and red dye #5. Blech!

After consulting The Profusser, I decided to make my own grenadine.

Step the 1st, buy yrself some unsweetened pomegranate juice. I was thinking, "Say what?! Grenadine is supposed to be fruit flavoured?!" My mind is officially blown.

I have my ordinary granulated sugar.

I doubled the recipe I had, so that's 12 oz of the juice.

Step the 2nd, take yr pomegranate juice & put in a saucepan on medium heat. Reduce it down to half of the liquid you added. Add 6 oz of sugar. Stir until dissolved.

Take yr concoction and stick in the fridge to cool.

After cooling it, I made myself a Roy Rogers.

I gave up soda. It was a hard habit to break but it was nice not to have my teeth feel furry. I think this was in part to the evil corn syrup. This Pepsi was super fucking awesome! And slightly lower in calories than the other crap.

Holy baby Jesus! A "Roy Rodgers" tastes like Mr. Pibb!!! I love love love this. If you want a party in yr mouth, then I urge you all to start drinking Roy Rodgers.

"Do you know what you get when you mix grenadine and room temperature cola? You tell me when I throw it in yr face!"

Blah Blah Blah

Well, I did it! After 8 weeks of both zumba & boot camp combined, I lost an inch everywhere! Even from my boobies!!! Plus I broke my own personal record of doing 38 sit ups in 2 minutes.

I think what worked so well for me this time is writing down every single thing that went down my gullet. And I learned a valuable lesson: put the fork down, porky!

Christmas was good, my butt looked good in my newish jeans.

I got some cute Betsy Johnson accessories, a new winter coat & a sexy new cardigan.

Size 10 is within my greedy grasp

Keep on Keepin' On

I saw Harry Plopper Friday night. Brilliant! I think most of the adaptations of the novels to film have been very well done. I wasn't a fan of "Goblet of Fire" but that was also my least favourite out of the series.

Anyways, the set design was incredible and, holy golly!, Rupert Grint was outstanding.....angst, bitterness....incredible.

And I loved the cliff hanger ending. Voldemort, you evil bastard!

In other news, SB really wanted pizza for lunch on Saturday, so I picked up a take n' bake pie @ Hanaford. The cheese was plentiful, the toppings & sauce were total yum. THE CRUST WAS ABYSMAL!!!! Thick and mushy and did not crisp up at all in the oven. SB says he will never eat Hanaford pie again. Personally, I think if we tweak the temperature and cooking time, it might do the trick. SB says if we spend $9.99 on a pie, we should spend the money on a fresh pie from Marino's.

In late breaking news, Squeaky the cat, just sneezed on me. She's so damn cute that I can't stay mad at her.