Random Photo of the Week

You GOTTA check out my Random Photo of the Week this week!! A while back I wrote about how my speech teacher has a project - making pink scarves for women with cancer. So, I got my "crew" together and we've made some scarves. You just gotta see them!!

Here is a tease to my next scarf.....

Lunar Eclipse

There was a lunar eclipse last night. Good thing I watch the news occassionally, or I would have never known!!

Photo stolen from http://www.kfyrtv.com/skyspyslideshow.asp?image=2283

Full moon - lunar eclipse - zoicks! What kind of weird things will be happening today????

And the Award Goes To......

ME!!!

Thanks Pink! I think you rock too!! Pink was very generous and gave out 13 awards. But I went to each blog and they are all deemed worthy!! Take a look for yourself! She has very good taste.

USA's the Best

The best television network, that is.....

Besides Big Brother 8 and The Young and the Restless, all of my must see tv right now is on USA.

I have seen just about every single episode of Monk and have loved every single one of them. Psych cracks me up. Burn Notice may be my favorite show ever - of course, Jeffrey Donavan may play a huge role in that decision - he's hot! Loved him in another USA series a few years ago - Touching Evil. The 4400 is freekin' awesome - can't get enough of that! And now, Mike Logan will be taking up residence at the network when new episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent move over to USA. And even though I didn't get all of The Starter Wife watched, I really liked what I did see and hope it comes out on DVD soon - or gets replayed.

The best thing about The Starter Wife? I learned that I really don't hate Debra Messing. I hated Grace. Good to know these things.

So, guess I can't cancel my cable. Well, that and then I couldn't watch the weather channel.

But when the new season starts, I'll have my one ABC show - Lost. And CBS has a new comedy that looks good - The Big Bang Theory. Is NBC still on the air? Oh yeah - Law & Order is still on. Good thing or I may have forgotten all about it.....

Saturday Night Live!

It's Saturday night and I'm still alive!! I woke up Thursday with a sore throat and headache. Felt like crap, but went to work. I had to go get cough drops, so figured I may as well head to the office. After a couple cough drops and a handful of Advil, I felt human-like again, so thought I would stick it out. By 4, I was ready to drop over. E-mailed my teacher for Thursday's class, went home, put on my jammies and crashed. Spent Friday in my jammies sitting in the recliner. I couldn't lay down, cuz when I laid down, I would start wheezing. Fun times.

Today, I feel better. I can only visit Tb on Friday nights and Saturdays from 8:30 - 2:30, so about 11 today I hopped in the shower and got dressed. Got out there about noon. It was a nice day (thank goodness) so we sat outside at a picnic table. No sense sitting inside and letting my germs inflitrate the entire prison population. Only bad thing about sitting outside for 2 1/2 hours? My very Scandanvian skin is a tad bit on the burnt side.

After I got home, I took about a 20 minute nap, picked up an enormous number of bio-bombs, unloaded the dishwasher and actually made something to eat besides toast. It's great to be alive.

Poor North Dakota!!!

Now that two of you have picked on my home, I gotta do a post about it!

My first post ever when I started blogging was about North Dakota. I like it here. But I don't know that I will live here forever. I'm pretty sure that if I ever finish school, I will have to leave so I can find a job that will pay me enough to re-pay my student loans and still eat. I like eating.

Here are some facts and figures about North Dakota. Our population is not 6, or 12. It is actually over 600,000. If you dig numbers like I do, check this out. My friend kT finds it fascinating how we all know each other, or we are related to someone that you know, or went to school with your brother-in-law's cousin.....and my brother's wife's brother was in the same class as Josh Duhamel.

It is cold here sometimes. But not always. We have a sub-humid continental climate. I hate humidity. And the change of seasons is wonderful.

Milk is our official state beverage, Square is our official dance, and English is our official language. If you are wandering around the Capitol building, you could quite possibly run into the Governor. And he will speak to you. He and I had a nice conversation about tennis shoes one day.....

We are the Peace Garden State. The International Peace Garden is a beautiful place to visit. You can get some awesome Canadian Carmels while you are there. And of course, there was this one time...at band camp.....

The Geographical Center of North America is near Rugby, North Dakota. Not quite the center of the universe, but close.

What would be on a postcard from North Dakota? Well here are some examples.

You can expect that this will be continued......

Postcard from Pink!!

ROOOOAAAARRRR!!!!!

I got a postcard from Pink's adventure in Africa! How cool is that!! Thanks Pink!!!

I never go anywhere, but if anybody wants a postcard from North Dakota - just e-mail me. (address in profile) I'd be happy to send you one!!!

My Favorite Weight Watchers Recipe

This is probably my favorite meal to make and eat....It's tasty....It's easy.....It's spice-a-li-cious! And I have leftovers of it for lunch today!! mmmmmmmm

I got this recipe off the Weight Watchers website a couple of years ago. I make it a couple of times a month, it's so good. Of course, I do put in more red pepper than the recipe calls for, sometimes, too much....but food is always better if it's so hot it makes you cry!

General Tso's Chicken

3/4 cup canned chicken broth, reduced-sodium

2 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp peanut oil

2 medium scallion(s), chopped

2 medium garlic clove(s), minced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or 1 dried chili pepper, minced

1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast(s), cut into 2-inch pieces

2 cup cooked white rice, kept hot

In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and ginger; set aside. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions, garlic and pepper and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook until browned all over, about 5 minutes. Add reserved sauce and simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Serve chicken and sauce over rice. Yields about 1 cup of chicken and sauce and 1/2 cup of rice per serving.

4 servings - 6 Weight Watcher Points per serving.

I do make a couple of modifications other than the spice - I like to add some vegies - my favorite is Bird's Eye frozen stir-fry vegies. But add whatever I have on hand. This batch was just mushrooms, peppers and onions.

Interview by Pink!

1. What is your connection to Sweden?

Back in the late 19th Century, some people from Sweden moved to North Dakota. These lucky people are my great-grandparents. Three of my dad's grandparents came from Sweden, one from Norway. So his parents were raised with Scandanavian customs, values, temperments....and so was he.....and so was I.....



2. Are you as happy as your avatar or is that ironic?

For the most part, I am a very happy person. I do have my "bad" times, like everybody, but I really do try to remember that everything happens for a reason so I should make the best of it. Which, as I have matured (I need a sarcasm font!!), I have found a whole lot easier to do. So yes, I am as happy as my avatar.

3. If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go and why?

Sweden for Midsummer Celebration. Why? Because I do a mean frog dance.



4. What is the best piece of advice you've ever been given and who gave it to you?

To be perfectly honest, I don't know. I have always been fiercely independent and very stubborn. For many years of my life, if someone told me to do something....I did the opposite. I think people just quit trying to give me advice. I will say though that by doing all these things *wrong* I have learned many wonderful life lessons and I am more apt to think things through more now and usually end up with the right decision.



5. What is your secret vice?

Only one??? Kidding! I don't think any of my vices are secret - I'm not a good secret keeper. Could that be a vice??? My worst vice? Binge eating. I used to do it about once a week. Now, not so much. I think I have once this year and I didn't even enjoy it. But I still want to do it.


The Rules:
1. If you fancy being interviewed, leave me a comment saying "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

This and That

Seems like I have alot of unfinished business. Here is a wrap-up:

I will be changing schools as of the first of the year. No Accounting II next quarter, so I will be done at the current school in about 5 weeks. I'm pretty sure I will be changing to DSU because they have a great Accounting program, but I'm going to also meet with UND.

Tb got moved to "the farm" this week. I went out to see him last night. It is way nicer than the pen. No gates to go through, no metal detector, no shoe x-rays. The farm is very minimum security. There are no fences and inmates have been known to just walk away....but they get caught and then have to go back to the pen, so it's pretty stupid to do that. But then who ever said that criminals are smart?

He has a parole hearing date scheduled for November. So he could be out for Christmas, depending on his treatment schedule.

The farm has a nice visiting area, we can even go outside and sit at picnic tables. And, they have "food service". You can buy frozen pizzas, hot pockets, ice cream, etc.....Pretty neat deal. So Tb calls me and invites me to dinner. I was going out last night to see him, so we decided to have a frozen pizza during the visit. Well, they do have ovens so you can cook it and not have to eat it frozen....anyway....we got a pizza and a quart of ice cream. He cooked the pizza, went over to get it out of the pizza oven and dropped it on the floor. So, we had ice cream for supper. He has pizza sauce all over his shoes and his pants. We'll try again next week.

Raging Rivers was a ton of fun!! I think the kids even had a good time!! I ended up a bit sunburnt and sore the next day, but would definitely do it again. I loved the lazy river...you just float around on inner tubes for as long as you want --- watch out for the waves though! That was probably the funnest part. Although BigD was terrified of the waves!! But he did good and I think he had a good time in spite of the waves.

I did get to talk to J-Bird - but we weren't able to get together....bummer....sure was good to hear his voice though! (hi J-Bird)

Well, my computer is acting stupid, so I have to go now....

Yep, I'm a Morning Person

You Are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary.You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward. Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts.All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

Pretty Flower

One of my co-workers brought this in for me today. Isn't it pretty??? It's from her garden.

I'm Quitting School

Well, not all school, just the school I am going to right now. Fuckers have decided to raise tuition by $305 per class --- but now our books will be included. Whoop-de-fucking-doo. I buy almost all of my books used and have NEVER paid $305 for books for one class. I barely even spend $305 per quarter for books. Fuckers.

So, tonight after work, I am going and talking to one of the deans. I did pay about $250 for my Accounting book which is used for Accounting I, II & III. If they are offering Accounting II at night this next quarter, he can put me in that and one other class. After that, I'm done there. And if Accounting II is NOT offered next quarter...I'm done at the end of September. Fuckers.

Oh well. I'm making appointments to talk to UND and DSU as they offer classes here at the BSC campus. I will get my Bachelor's degree. But I'm not going to end up owing a bazillion dollars to do it. Did I mention that I think they are a bunch of Fuckers?

Change of Plans

Two of my nephews are here. They were supposed to arrive today, but got here last night. But that's okay with me. My poor brother on the other hand.....Mom had the day they were supposed to meet wrong. She thought it was Friday. He thought it was Saturday. But he was able to take Friday off, drive halfway across Montana and meet them.

The plan for today is to go to Raging Rivers water park. My other brother, his wife and my cute as a bug niece are coming to town too! Should be fun. And funny, me in a swimsuit...maybe scary is a better word!

Friday Night Excitement

This was the view from my living room window last Friday night.

I only got to see it because I was sitting home, alone, on the couch, watching tv, by myself......

*Sigh*

More of the same tonight....but no nearly full moon.

J-Bird

J-Bird is not a bullfrog, but he is a good friend of mine. He and Sanchez used to work together back in the day so that is how we got to know each other. J-Bird moved away last year....far, far away. But, this weekend - he is in town!! He called me yesterday during the 10 minutes I had my phone off. (Stupid chiropractor office requires that cell phones are off) He did leave me a message, but no phone number to call him back! Hopefully, he will try again...please?!?!!?

J-Bird is cute, wickedly funny, has an infectious laugh, and always makes me feel so good about myself (and it is all about me). And for sure he is the world's greatest hugger. We used to have so very much fun together! If he wasn't married, I'd probably chase him all around. Probably nekkid. Ha!

Another Month, Another Project

How the heck did it get to be August already? Today is the ex-husband's birthday. Whoop-dee-do. I know several people with birthdays this week, and the funny thing is...I don't get along with any of them...weird-huh?

My August self-improvement project is this: I'm not buying anything new. Nothing. I can only buy things I need. And right now, I don't need much. So, until I completely run out of something, I won't buy it. I have so many partially used bottles of stuff that I can't seem to throw away. You know, you try a new hair gel, it's okay, but not as good as the usual stuff....so you buy a new bottle of the usual stuff and the new stuff gets shoved in the closet. I need to get rid of some of this shit.

I have enough food in my freezer and my cupboard that I shouldn't have to buy any groceries except milk and fresh produce. Just because something is on sale, does not mean I have to purchase it!

And folks, it is do-or-die time. This is it. The last straw. Unless I use my gym membership 10 times this month, I'm cancelling it. And frankly - I don't want to cancel it. I really do love going to the gym. I used to go 6 days a week. I think I have been there about 8 times this year. And at $44.50 a month...well, you do the math....

And who knows, maybe if I get back to the gym, I won't hate my clothes so much. It could happen!

I'm also going to continue with the no fast food program. I can do it, I know I can! Even though I am seriously craving a good fair-food type corn dog!! But that will pass....

A Quiz! I Just Love Quizzes!!!

What American accent do you have? (Best version so far) North Central What people call the "Minnesota accent." Sounds almost Canadian. You may have even been asked if you were from Canada before.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

What people call the "Minnesota accent." Sounds almost Canadian. You may have even been asked if you were from Canada before.

Holy Crap!!! I live just west of the west end of this map!

Take the quiz yourself!

Fast-Food-Free July

Well, I tried to do a fast food free July and here are the results:

I didn't do it. I did eat some fast food. BUT - or should that be butt?- not as much as I usually do. I "normally" eat it about 3 or 4 times a week. Fries included. This whole month? I had fries 4 times.

As for the change in my weight this month - ZERO pounds. No gain, No loss, just stayed the same. And, that is okay with me. For now. I do, however, feel better. My mind is clearer, I've been sleeping good and don't fall asleep the minute I sit down.

I have been reading some articles in the last few issues of Good Housekeeping magazine by Geneen Roth. This has made me really try to think about not only what, but more importantly why, I am eating. I have stopped myself a few times when I'm eating because I'm mad, sad, bored, lonely....etc. I also haven't stopped myself a few times when I'm eating because I'm mad, sad, bored, lonely....etc. But, I have taken that step of identifying the feelings. It's a step in the right direction.