Today I entered the promised land...

I've heard rumors of such a place but today was my first actual experience. You all know how much I love me some Target, well here in Atlanta, they have Super Targets (insert choir music here). Since I have a Target literally right down the street from me I haven't ventured out but I had to see for myself, especially when Nes was curious about the whole Target thing. So I promised her pics. I didn't take that many because I didn't want someone to ask about the taking of the pictures, LOL. I knew I was in trouble when I walked in the door and started putting things in my cart (which I later put back, LOL). I think the difference between a Target and a Super Target is ST sells groceries (which I didn't venture into except to grab some cucumbers, 2 for a dollar, beats the 79 cents for one I pay at Krogers). Targets pretty much have everything. A great reason to go is the relatively inexpensive prices. I bought the new Linda Howard for 25% off the cover price (all books are 25% off) so I try to buy new books there. After perusing the books and electronics aisle I headed down past guitars to the Xmas decorations to buy some wrapping paper. When shopping a Tarjay (the nickname for T) you should always shop the end caps (end of the aisles) because that is where they put the clearance items. And I am all about clearance, LOL. I know how much Nes loves sunglasses, that's right, we even have tons of those at our disposal at ST. And let me say, I look great in sunglasses, even with stickers on them.The hard thing about shopping at a place like this is trying to decide what you don't need. Like the almond bark and pretzels I was going to buy to make chocolate covered pretzels and the sparkling cider and sparkling lemonade, I didn't need them. I also put back the poinsettia I was going to get because I was spending enough money, LOL. In the end I still ended up buying $120 worth of goods, not all things I needed but on some I just couldn't pass up. I normally don't spend quite that much but I needed replacement heads for my toothbrush (not for the reason Nes would need them) and I even bought a new bra. I know, it's a shock but I do wear one when you can see my nipples through my shirt. That's my rule of thumb (or rather rule of nip). For my money other then the things I've already mentioned I got 3 boxers, 4 tanks (2 of them workout ones), soap, moisturizer, face scrub, yoga pants and hair rubber bands.

Now this item I bought a few weeks ago but haven't had a chance to post yet. It's one of my most favorite recent purchases. I needed something to put my extra toilet paper rolls in in the bathroom since there is no closet in there and it always pays to have emergency rolls close at hand (especially with as often as I go). I was shopping at my neighborhood T and saw a wine rack for $10 on clearance! Take out the wine inserts and I have the perfect addition to my bathroom (for 10 freaking dollars!!!!). My neighbor still kicks himself in the butt for not picking one up too.

The biggest loser

is so not me! At least when it comes to weight loss, LOL. Actually, I don't consider myself a loser in the normal sense of the word either, LOL. With Lost and Dancing with the Stars no longer on my Wed night tv viewing has dramatically changed. Now I'm watching America's Next Top Model and The Biggest Loser. For ANTM I am totally rooting for Caree Dee. I think she's cool and I hate Melrose and Eugenia just does nothing for me.

I am a fan of the BL but it was on at the same time as Lost so couldn't watch it until Lost went on hiatus. I love me trainer Bob! he cares and his body is hot! I'm so sad that he only had 1 person left on his team, he cares so much! And did I mention how hot his body is? Tonight while watching the show I decided to sit on my fabulous rug and stretch. I haven't stretched in awhile and I can feel it. I used to be flexible, those days are gone, LOL. I've been spending my days and nights in my chair with my legs curled up and I can feel myself getting stiff and I'm not even exercising! I'm getting sore from sitting, that is a big hello, to myself. So I am going to spend an hour of each of my tv nights (which would be every night) sitting on the floor and working on getting my flexibility back. Yes, yes, yes, I will also work on getting my lazy butt back to the gym also.

I am a summer fruit girl...

I love to go to the store and buy tons of peaches and nectarines and it's just not summer if there's not a watermelon sitting in my fridge. I love my fruits juicy and flavorful and it saddens me when winter comes along and my choices are limited. You could by fruit off season but not only is expensive, it's not usually very good. So today while at the market I was stuck loading up on apples and oranges. Don't get me wrong, sometimes there's nothing better then a nice crisp apple or a cold fresh from the fridge orange but if I had my choices it would be a sweet watermelon I would be biting into, not an apple.

I love watermelon so much that one of the times I hurt myself while eating was due to watermelon. As you all know I love the buffets and I used to eat at this one in LA a lot with my brother that was a sushi buffet. Not high class sushi but it would do. They also had a decent fruit and dessert section. Well the watermelon looked so good I couldn't not eat it. Plus, the slices were sooo small. Of course I could eat a couple of slices, to cleanse my pallet and top off my meal. Well you know that Monty Python skit where they eat one tiny wafer and explode? That was me! I was literally in pain. My brother and I were going to San Diego that day. I could not drive. It hurt to have the seat belt on my belly. So my brother had to drive my car while I laid back and wallowed in my misery. That is the day I learned a tough lesson. You CAN eat too much.

Another time my family was at an all you can eat seafood buffet and we mortified Nancy because we kept taking all of the watermelon everytime they set it out. As you can see, when it comes to food, my family makes me proud!

The Big Salad

Alright, after living here for 3 months I've made my first salad and it wasn't just a salad, it was a big salad! I need a salad wit oomph, otherwise I am still hungry and I'll have a salad and something else. I want a salad that makes me feel full. I actually bought some fixings for a shrimp salad since the shrimp was on sale but I had some turkey that I needed to use (I bougt me some turkey thighs the other day so I could have my own leftovers, LOL) so I made a turkey salad. I pretty much use a lot of what I have on hand and when I originally moved in I bought a lot of beans and such to put into salads where they have remained until today. Here is what I put in my salad tonight:

spinach (I use this instead of lettuce for the nutritional value)
cucumbers (a staple in my salads yet the ones at salad bars I usually avoid)
1 boiled egg (I forgot I had eggs in my fridge, LOL)
peas (I just found out they're not considered a green vegetable, wtf?)
garbanzo beans (extra oomph)
turkey
There is not that much dressing on the salad, I didn't mix it up very well before I took the pic. The bottom was actually quite dry. Also, using chopsticks not recommended for amateurs when peas and garbanzo beans are in the mix.

Actually looking at that list, that's not as impressive a salad as I normally like. I did go back to buy salad fixings (which consisted of the cuc and spinach) after I bought the shrimp so I just did a run through since I had just been in that section. I think I need to buy some heart of palm, avocados and black olives, then my salad will be compete. Since I have to go to the post office again tomorrow I can shoot for a salad 2 days in a row, LOL. I couldn't find my favorite salad dressing which is Girard's Champagne Lite (Barb turned me on to this) so I made it with an Italian dressing. Are there fave salad ingredients of yours that I'm missing?

BTW, my new favorite song is Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. It was the song at the beginning of the season for the Grey's Anatomy commercial. I heard it on the radio today and sat listening to it so I could hear who sang it. I've downloaded this as well as You Could Be Happy, also by Snow Patrol. I have Chasing Cars up on my myspace page if you want to listen to it.

Lost!

OK, this was going to be a different post but I was too lazy to do what I planned, big shock, LOL. I decided to post some pictures that were taken before I started my blog. My old job at the Museum of TV and Radio didn't have much in the way of pay but it did have some fun perks. We were not supposed to go up to celebs but after awhile I pretty much would judge the situation and go up to people I really wanted to meet. Lost was one of my favorite shows so of course I had to go up to couple of the actors. Really, the whole cast was nice but it was a busy evening and I did have to approach when my bosses weren't around so I couldn't get one with Matthew Fox. But I consoled myself with Ian Somerhalder and Josh Holloway, EG! Eat your hearts out ladies!
I wish I didn't have the bulky sweater on but I was going to a party so I was skankified underneath, LOL. BTW, did you notice Ian had both arms around me, I was a little sad at the framing of the pics, I should have done the self portraits, LOL.

My Dr's visit....

I was hoping that since it was the day before Thanksgiving and I got there as soon as the clinic opened that the wait wouldn't be long and it wasn't! I was the 2nd person there. Right away I got my blood pressure and temperature taken. Then she asked me my weight, no scale, I didn't lie, too much, LOL. The nurse was sweet but she had more hair on her chin then a lot of the men I know. Then I had to get checked in, again quick. Then another nurse took me in the back to talk to me. She wasn't very warm, you know how friendly I am. She was not having any of it. She said if I drank a lot of water I shouldn't have a UTI. I told her I drank a lot of water and I peed a lot. Then she sort of gave me grief for drinking so much water if it makes me pee! Anyway, when I was done with her I went to the labs. Again no wait which was awesome.

I went in the back and there was a young guy BSing with 2 of his co-workers, they were trying to figure out where they were going to party they had all of this booze, on and on. I told my guy my veins are hard to find. I wanted him to pay attention, LOL. he starts feeling the side of my arm. I told him no one has ever drawn blood from there! I did have one lady take it from my forearm once, didn't like that. But I should not have had any doubts. He not only took blood from my elbow, he took it painlessly. As I was leaving I told them they were going to end up sitting at home playing playstation, I turned down their offer to party at my place. I also had to pee in a cup, I swear, the only time I wish I was a guy is when I have to pee into a cup. It's very difficult to aim our pee and I had just gone pee when I woke up. Luckily, my tiny bladder came in handy and I was able to step up to the plate.

Since I knew I had a wait I wanted to go to admin to get my name situation taken care of. I went to the woman at the window to ask her if she had any idea how long it would take. She did not. I told her why I wanted to know and she offered to take care of it for me. This came as quite a surprise because the 2 or 3 other times I had gone to her window she was not exactly the friendliest lady. But you know what, everytime I talked to her, I was. Always saying thank you, etc so it pays to be nice. So she was able to get my name in the system correctly.

Now all I had to do was wait for my name to be called and wait and wait. After almost two hours of waiting and watching all of these other people getting called I had to go pee again. I just knew they would call my name but I could no longer wait, LOL. The restroom only had one stall so while I waited I peeled off the tape from where they drew my blood. OMG! It hurt sooo bad. I think the tape had fused to my skin. Thank goodness I didn't have hair on my arms, it was painful enough. The top red mark was from where they drew my blood, the rest was from the tape! Where they drew my blood has healed, I still have marks from the tape! Next time I will just hold the cotton gauze on my arm, LOL. And as you can see, no veins!

When I came back they called my name, yay! Now the Dr unlike the nurse was very open to my chit chat. I told her I would bring her one of Karen's books the next time I come, LOL. I had her laughing when I said I didn't need a flu shot because I wouldn't be leaving my house this winter. She laughed because she realized I was serious, LOL. She also got me in the system to go to the women's wellness clinic as well as get set up for a primary care physician. I explained to her how I had called 5 weeks ago and nothing happened. She tsk'd! I knew she was on my side, LOL. After leaving my new best buddy I went to the pharmacy expecting a long ass wait, there were people everywhere. Most were old vets with serious issues, several in wheelchairs and here I was waiting for my prescription to take care of my UTI, LOL. Luckily they were a well oiled machine and I got my pills quickly. So overall, I was there for 4 hours but it was worth it. I don't pay for health insurance so I can't complain and every time I have gone to the VA the quality of care has been excellent.

Rosie, here are the chips Karen gave me. It's all about the oil. I almost opened a new bag tonight (there were 3 in there) but I am trying to practice some self restraint. I ate a banana instead. It wasn't the same, LOL.

Black Friday is not my color...

OK, I admit, I got lured into the hoopla over Black Friday. I started checking out websites (thanks Ro!) and decided I should get up and try to get the $250 pc at best Buy. I have never ever done a Black Friday, it goes against my sleep ethics. But this year I thought what the hell! Of course I debated with myself all night. I set my alarm for 3am and went to bed early for me, 11pm. But even when I was setting my alarm I wasn't sure if I was actually going to get up.

But then I dreamed that I went to get the computer and there was no line. Still, that didn't mean I was going but I woke up at 2am, well before my alarm. I tried to go back to sleep and at 2:40 gave up, threw some sweats on, made sure I had my ipod and headed out the door. I overshot best buy 2 times because it's actually off street but the third time was the charm. As I drove up I saw all of the people already lined up and kept on driving. I had read that most stores average about 10 computers and there were probably 50 people already there. Forget that! Since I was up I did a quick drive by at Circuit City which is by my place and they had a long line too (not as long as BB though) so I went home. So much for having a prophetic dream.

I decided that I am not the Black Friday kind of girl. I will sleep in and buy gift cards, life is much easier that way.

PS: Another thing I am thankful for, having a skinny mirror the day after Thanksgiving!

I could blame the tryptophan

on why this blog is late but it's lte because I was being lazy and didn't feel like downloading my pics from my camera and I couldn't do post Thanksgiving blog without pictures! It would not only be un-American but un-Leiha!

Karen so kindly invited me to her big family dinner. All of her family came into town and converged on Karen's sister's house, which is conveniently less then 10 minutes from mine as well as her sister's hubby's family so there was lots of food and lots of family. I pretty much let them know that Karen's family was mine. Should I have waited for them to let me know instead of inviting myself into their family?

I was totally comfortable there, considering I was the only person there not "technically" related to anyone. I was so comfortable there that I stayed an hour after Karen left, LOL.

I was so busy chatting with the fam I missed when the turkey was brought out. But it was still fun watching him carve it. It was a 23lb bird and it was yummie!
Karen's mom spent a lot of time working on the candied yams. I don't think I've ever actually had candied yams. I've had many different yam dishes and I thought they were ok, nothing special. Well now I know. It's all about the candied yams. It really does taste like it has a candy coating around it.For my contribution I brought along my cucumber salad. Too bad not a lot of people like onions which I put in there, LOL. Also, some of the other side dishes were cole slaw (it was soooo good), green bean casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce, fresh corn (from the farm!) and of course, mashed potatoes and gravy! Lots and lots of gravy! The cool thing about the plates we used was they had raised edges so I poured tons of gravy on my plate without worrying about the overflow, it was awesome!To top it off there was sparkling wine to wash everything down with. I got worried i was going to be the first person to clean my plate so I slowed down a bit. I was full by the time I cleaned my plate but I still had to get more yams, turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy as well as the corn. Most everyone got seconds. I don't know how it happened but suddenly the table was clean and I was still eating! Literally, I was the only one eating and half the people were gone and everyone's plates had been cleared.

Since I was busy trying to digest my food I wasn't able to get pics of the desserts. There was a pumpkin cheesecake which was sooooo creamy! Then there was a pecan pie, a sort of upside down pecan pie because the crust was put on the top, it was soooo ooey and gooey, i want to get this recipe. Not because I am going to make it but I want to share it with you it's sooo awesome! I really wish I had a pic to share. Unfortunately I was so full I could only have a few bites of each. I didn't even try the cookies or cherry pie. I also won the award for the last one to finish dessert, LOL.

The worst thing about not hosting is not having the leftovers. I got so full that after the meal I don't even think about more food. Now I'm thinking about the food, LOL. I may have to go buy me a turkey sammich, although Neil was telling me that Hardees has a jalapeno hamburger that is to die for. Hmmmm, choices!

Happy Happy Joy Joy!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year, fa la la la la la la la! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of all. You would think it is my birthday because it's a day all about me but there's pressure that comes with birthdays. I don't mind getting older (not yet anyway) but there's pressure to go out and have a great time or to do something special, although I don't mind the gifts. As for Christmas, it's a stressful time of year, trying to figure out what to get everyone. But Thanksgiving is an eating holiday, what could be better? No gifts to buy, it's all about the food and naps are expected. Since I have lived away from my family most of my adult life every Thanksgiving has a different feel. No big traditions for me, other then food.

The most important element of my Thanksgiving is gravy. I actually went to a Turkey day where they didn't have gravy. I think I blocked the rest of the night out of my head. It was quite traumatic. One year I did make giblet gravy for my family. I had a great easy recipe. No separating of any drippings. The thing is, I didn't realize corn startch must boil to thicken and the worst part is, I normally cook everything on high but not this time. So I cooked and cooked waiting for it to thicken. Well I cooked half of it away before I was told that it had to boil. The gravy tasted wonderful, but I come from a large family, not enough to go around, too bad I don't still have that recipe, LOL. Now if I need gravy I'll buy it in a jar, I am not too proud!

Another element in all of my Thanksgivings is friends or family. It's very traditional to say what we are thankful for. I am thankful for both and for working from home, LOL.

Lina posted this on the inside but I wanted to share it with everyone:

'Twas the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't sleep
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned - the dark meat and white
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.
Tossing and turning with anticipation
The thought of a snack became infatuation.
So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
'Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.

I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees...
Happy eating to all - pass the cranberries, please.

May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes 'n gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious, may your pies take the prize,
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs.


Please oh please may my Thanksgiving dinner stay off of my thighs and even more important can I direct it to my boobs? I hope that all of my American bloggers have a fabulous and gluttunous holiday and for all of my international viewers, I hope that you have a big fabulous meal in celebration with us.

Here is my Thanksgiving motto: Eat early, Eat often!

Leiha's rants and raves

Leiha has decided to do a new feature whenever Leiha has a few things Leiha wants to rant and rave about, hence the title. Leiha watched last week's Grey's Anatomy and thought it was funny when Alex and Izzy talked about each other in the third person. Leiha thought Leiha should give it a try.

RANT: Leiha had to get her gas turned on. Turned out Leiha did not have a gas meter so she had a meter installed. While setting up that appointment Leiha told the lady what price plan she wanted. Leiha was told that she had to wait until after her meter was installed before Leiha could choose her plan. Leiha gets a letter in the mail saying that she has been signed up for the fixed rate 12 month plan. Leiha was planning on getting her gas turned off in the spring to save money. She is not happy. Leiha calls and has to spend a half an hour getting this changed. Leiha gets ticked because she did what she was told and now she has to check her bill and make sure she does not get a $50 penalty for cancelling the one year plan. On top of that, she wanted to sign up for a special that was going on. Now she has to call back to see about that since she was in the car when she made her call today and had no internet to check.

RANT: Leiha is using her veteran's benefits for her health insurance. Leiha had her information switched over from Oregon as well as recevied a new VA ID card. The new ID card says Leiha Mann. Leiha called to try and set up an appointment the day she signed up for her local VA benefits. She was told that they would mail her info then she would have to call again. 5 weeks later, nothing. Leiha calls today. They do not have her name in the system. She is transeferred to the business center. They look her up by her SSN, she is in the system with her old name. Leiha finds that interesting that she would receive a VA card with her new name. Leiha is not happy. Leiha is then transferred to the clinic to try and get an appointment again (using her old name). Leiha is told she does not have a primar care physician and it will probably take 4 to 6 weeks. Leiha argued that she called 5 weeks ago. Leiha thinks she has a UTI (TMI?) and wants to see someone. They are willing to put her on the list. Leiha is mad. They tell Leiha they will have a nurse call her. The nurse called Leiha within minutes which makes Leiha feel better and after a few questions it was recommended that she go in the next day to the walk in clinic. Leiha is not happy that she has to get up at 6:30am. Leiha wants you to wish her luck in not waiting a long time.

RANT: Leiha wants to know what celebritys owe us. She was reading about accounts of Tom Cruise and Katie's marriage and many many fans in Italy were upset that they did not get to see the wedding after stnding otside in crappy weather for a peak and how dare they not at least wave to the public. City officials were quite upset. Were they upset when they raked in the cash that their wedding brought to their city? People were renting out rooms for thousands of dollars. Businesses were making money hand over fist and people were upset? While Leiha believes the whole relationship is for publicity, she also believes they have the right to as private a wedding as they wish. FYI, TC started spouting off about Scientology after he fired his long time publicist who kept him in check and hired his sister as his publicist who is also a Scientologist. Needless to say, he has since hired a new publicist.

Speaking of celebs, did you hear about former Seinfeld alum Michael Richards (Kramer) who received a lot of press this weeked for spouting off all kinds of racist remarks at a comedy gig in LA? Unfortunately for him, someone videotaped the tirade. He is a serious comedian. He takes his craft seriousely and apparently he was getting heckled and lost his temper. It was not pretty and the fall out has been very public. Should he be held accountable? Yes he should. Just like if someone you worked with acted like that he or she should be held accountable. Seinfeld was on Letterman last night and he used his time to have MR on the show via satellite. Most people thought it was a bit and were chuckling as MR is trying to apologise (rave within a rant) Seinfeld told the audience this is not funny. He also later thanked Letterman for having MR on the show. It's nice to see someone stick by his friend.

RAVE: Leiha does not want this whole post to be a rant. Where would the rave be? Leiha loves potatoe chips. Karen gave Leiha a bag of her favorite chips that are not sold here. They are called Husman's and she had her dad bring them to town. For her to give Leiha a bag is true friendship. They are light and crispy, barbecue flavored. Leiha swears, once you start eating it's almost impossible to stop. They're nice and greasy. Leiha is happy again.

You can read me hungry...

Today's post will not be about food, LOL. I'm trying to eat light or somewhat healthy in preparation for Thanksgiving. My only worry is my stomach will shrink. Oh c'mon, it's not like I reall have to worry about that, I will make room, LOL.

I have an injury to my index finger. I'm looking hard to see if it's swollen. I think if I stare at it enough it is definitely swollen. I noticed it the other day. It's the finger I use on my trackpad on my laptop or else I probably wouldn't have noticed it. It doesn't bother me when I type, it only bothers me when I use my trackpad which it turns out I do a lot. Do you notice how often you scroll down a page? Again, it turns out, a lot! So now I've had to start scrolling with my middle finger. It doesn't feel natural and now it's getting sore. I can't figure out how I got injured though. I know I use my puter a lot but not any more then I used to. I'm thinking about getting a band aid to help support my finger because let's be honest, I can't not be on my computer. But I have decided to make a change. I am going to stop bringing my laptop to bed with me and I'm going to read before I go to bed. I have gotten out of the habit and I miss it. Wish me luck on my finger AND on cutting back a tiny bit on my computer usage.

Also, I went to Target today. You know how much I love that store. I bought 3 knock around tanks for $6 total! I was looking for work wear in the clearance area of the pajama department. You know I can't pay full price. But since I splurged on my tanks, no new pjs for me today, LOL.

I made it to Nordy's today...

but the only walking I did was from the parking lot to the store, LOL. Dao and I went to lunch. We had vietnamese food. I was going to take a picture to share with you all but I forgot my camera, I know, shocking! I won't let that happen again. But I don't want to let you down so here is a pic of a vermicelli dish (bun) which is probably my favorite dish. I usually order this one time and the pho (beef soup) the next. When my sister and I go out to eat we usually split a soup and each order the vermicelli, LOL.I prefer the pork and shrimp and I usually get it without the peanuts. A side of fish sauce is poured over it and then you mix it all together and it's yummie for the tummy. A word of warning though, bring mints, LOL. Fish sauce is yummie while you're eating but once you're done, you may want to pop some gum in your mouth. Another plus about Vietnamese food is, it's inexpensive. This dish averages anywhere between $5 and $7 dollars.

The girls who came to my house in March had the joy of eating some home made eggrolls. Vietnamese egg rolls are not the same as the chinese ones you're used to eating. My sister and I can't even stomach those. Our eggrolls are filled with pork and shrimp, not cabbage! Whenever we had company my mom would walk right into the kitchen and whip up some eggrolls the way someone else would fix them a drink, LOL. As you know, I don't do that, I offer drinks. As I did in March, my sister actually made the egg rolls we ate and Su did the cooking but hey, I bought the supplies, well, I gave my sis the money to buy it with (or did I?). I do know how to make egg rolls and maybe one day I will make them, if the motivation is strong enough. Vietnamese restaurants are becoming more popular so if you get a chance to order some, you should. They're usually served with fish sauce (of course) and lettuce and cucumber that you wrap it in. We didn't do this when we were kids but the coolness of the lettuce balances out the hotness (not spicy) of the fresh out of the frying pan egg roll. So if you get a chance check out your local Vietnamese restaurant. Nes' ordered me some food from her local V restaurant when I was there, turns out it was Indonesian. So maybe when she comes to the states I'll take her for some real Vietnamese!

Today is a new day!

I spent the morning in bed (big surprise) reading. For some reason I have not been reading as much as I used to. I've been going to be so late and just crashing. So it was nice to lounge around and enjoy a book. By the time I rolled out of bed at noon I decided I was going to walk to Nordstrom's. So I hopped in the shower. After I got out I procrastinated some and did the dishes. Then I procrastinated some more chatting online. Then I procrastinated some more and called and wished Linda a happy birthday and then I procrastinated some more and took a nap and the next thing you know it's dark out, I can't go walking now! Procrastination, thy name is Leiha.

It's a good thing that tomorrow is another day.

Desperate times....

call for desperate measures. That's right, due to my utter lack of food at home yesterday, I had to go grocery shopping! Gone are the days where I would shop for 2 weeks work of food, I generally shop for cereal and fruit. But now I have a crock pot! So I searched for online recipes trying to figure out what I would make. These recipes seemed like too much work so I said screw it, I'll do it myself! So I bought ingredients to make a chicken soup. Actually, I was going for more of a chicken stew feel but soup is what it became, LOL. Instead of a bunch of spices I bought a dry chicken soup base and added chicken breasts cubed (I am so a dark meat girl but I figure since it was in a soup it wouldn't be dry) which I seasoned with my go to seasonings, pepper, season all and fish sauce. Then I put in a sweet potatoe. I love potatoes but I know sweet potatoes are healthier and only put in half a potatoe. I used canned mushrooms. I was going to use fresh but figure they woul be mush by the time I was done cooking them. I did a taste test and I had put too much soup mix in an it was salty so I had to pull out some of the broth and put in water and then it was perfect. About an hour before I ate it I put in lima beans and peas. I need greenery in my soup. I have to say, it turned out pretty good. I do miss the dark meat and when I try Jennie's recipe I will do what she suggested, LOL. I think I need to invest in some gladware though because there is no way I'm going to be able to eat all of this soup before I get sick of it! Time to start freezing meals for the future.

BTW, while perusing the soup aisle I made a very dangerous to me discovery. They had Lipton's dry vegetable soup mix, otherwise known as my very favorite potatoe chip dip in the world! I love this stuff but it's very rarely carried in stores. I mean, I lived in LA for 8 years and could never find it. Stores always carry the onion but not the vegetable soup. I've tried other brands such as knors and it's not the same. I bought 2 boxes and made one before I even made my soup! So while I used white meat chicken and sweet potatoe to be more healthy I was sitting there eating potatoe chips (Lays) and dip! Like I always say, you only live once!

I did it!

I finally bought a microwave today! I don't know how I survived so long without one. I don't know why I waited so long to buy one. I don't need the most state of the art microwave, I really only use it to re-heat my food and my kitchen is small so I don't need a big one so I went with the most in-expensive one they had and spent all of $28 on it! Again, why did I wait?

I also decided that I wanted to buy a crock pot. I know, two big purchases in one day and both related to cooking, LOL. Ok, cooking could be an exaggeration on the microwave. I have never owned a crock pot but I have been wanting one for about a year and now that I have a real winter to live through, brrrrr, I figured it's the perfect time to get one so I am soliciting recipes. My crockpot didn't come with any recipes and I could look some up online and probably will but I figured I would get some fan favorites. I wanted to get the big crock pot but Franklin pointed out the fact that I'm cooking for one and the food would have mold on it before I could eat it all so I got the 3.6 quart one. Did I mention the price? I was expecting to pay at leat $20, I spent $14 for one. Brandsmart is a fun store to shop in (I bougt my tv there too) as long as you don't mind bright lights and brights signs. So if you have any fave recipes you can share please post them.

Here is Aimee's fave recipe to get the ball started:

Island Beef

2 to 2 ½ pounds beef top round steak, trimmed of fat

2 large onions cut into 12 thin wedges each

1 (20 ounce) can unsweetened pineapple chunks, juice reserved

½ cup homemade or canned beef broth

5 Tblsp. Red wine vinegar

¾ tsp Garlic powder

¾ tsp Seasoned salt

¾ tsp sweet Paprika

¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 green bell pepper, cut into 1” squares

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1” squares

3 Tblsp. Brown sugar

1 ½ Tblsp. Cornstarch

2 Tblsp soy sauce

2 large tomatoes cut into wedges

Cut the beef into thin strips, diagonally across the grain. Add to 3½ QT or larger electric slow cooker. Add the onions, pineapple juice, broth, 3 tablespoons of the vinegar, garlic powder, seasoned salt, paprika, and black pepper. Mix well
Cover and cook on the low heat setting 6 to 6 ½ hours, or until the beef is just tender
Increase the heat setting to high. Stir in the bell peppers and the brown sugar. Mix together the soy sauce, cornstarch, and remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar. Stir into the cooker, mixing well. Cook, covered on high 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly. Just before serving, stir in the tomato wedges and pineapple chunks
Serve over steamed white rice, or egg noodles.

It has way more ingredients than I normally cook with so it may be awhile before I cook it but thought I would share. Aimee loves this dish. Enjoy!

BTW, I did not utilize either of my new toys. After shopping I needed a nap. So food shopping is postponed until tomorrow. Tonight was cheese and crackers, leftovers from when Lina and Nancy were here, LOL.

Go Emmit, Go Emmit, Go!

OK, I really got sucked into Dancing with the Stars this season. Joey was my #1 guy but when he got voted off I had to switch my allegiance to Emmit, who I always enjoyed. For awhile there I did enjoy Mario but I decided I didn't want him to win. I honestly don't like his partner. Tonigt, I went to my neighbors to watch the finale. I wasn't going to go, it's been raining all day and I just wanted to stay in but then she told me she was cooking. What time did she want me there?

She made french onion soup with lots of gooey cheese. It made me sweat cause it was hot soup but it was yummie, did I mention the cheese and then we laughed and gabbed and watched the show with all of us voicing our opinions on everything. I was glad to see everyone come back and dance. I didn't watch the second season but I did watch the first and the did a lot of group dances then. This season I only remember the disco one, which was fun. I like seeing everyone interact. I think Cheryl is a great teacher, she's back to back champion, I just wish she would get a better hair style. I hate her hair! I wonder who will do the show next year. It's going to be tough to be Cheryl's partner, you don't want to be the one who gets eliminated because you know it will be all you, she's made 2 champions.

Now Wed night has no Dancing and no Lost. What in the world will I be watching? Will I, dare I say it, get a life? LOL, doubtful! It's starting to get colder outside, getting my butt out there will become more and more difficult. C'mon I didn't want to walk 5 doors down tonight! I will always find something to entertain me. Actually, after looking at Jenna's blog I was back on te you tube bandwagon and looking up old interviews from Rent. I swear, I'm in love with Jesse L Martin, not only can he sing he has a killer smile! When are they going to o a musical version of Law and Order? I think I may have to stalk him whnever I get my butt back to NYC. I need a picture with him at least, at most, well, that may not be bloggable, LOL.

BTW, George Clooney is again Sexiest Man Alive. He's hot, I wouldn't toss him out of my bed, but sexiest? I don't know about that!

It's never too early...

for Thanksgiving dinner! Last Sunday Dao and I went to her friends 2nd annual Thanksgiving dinner. She had a cute name for it but all I remember is Thanksgiving. For me, the most important feature of my Thanksgiving dinner is the gravy. I actually once went to someone's house one year and they didn't have gravy! I can't even remember who, I thik I blocked it from my mind. Needless to say, from now on, I ask about the gravy. Worst comes to worst, I'll buy canned gravy because honestly, I can't make it but I need something to smother my turkey and mashed potatoes. They actually ran out of gravy here, made me sad because I needed more. I have a large gravy to potatoe ratio, LOL.

Another staple for Thanksiving is stuffing, of which I am not a big fan but I have to say, this one was pretty good and very moist. Green bean casseroles are very poplar also. I prefer fresh broccoli since green bean casseroles are usually over cooked but again, this one wasn't too bad. The big surprise for me was the corn bread. I don't like corn bread (can you beleieve I'm sititng here telling you all of these foods I don't like, shocking, I know). But ths one was made with canned corn, creamed corn, tons of butter and sour cream! No wonder I loved it. I promise to try to get the recipe for you. I didn't bring any leftovers home even though they were offered, I am trying to be good. Now I'm kicking myself in the butt for that mistake! I could have bought gravy!

BUT, these people are really my people. Do you know what we did after dinner? We played a game! OMG, I was in heaven. It's been so long. I can't remember the name of th game we played but it was a word version of hot potatoe and we had to toss around this machine with words and it beeped and would beep faster the closer it was getting to going off and it was highly stressful. I loved it! We stayed for 3 games. Unfortunately, we lost 2 out of 3. As we were leaving she opened her closet and there were rows and rows of games. I was in love. I will definitely be back there for game night, if I can drag my butt away from the girls!

It's Aimee's fault

Why there is not new fabulous blg tonight. We have been chatting all night long. But I won't leave you empty handed. I will post tomorrow when I wake up (so check back). Here is a pic of Lina, me and Nancy from Karen's booksigning. At least Lina wasn't covering my face, LOL. But she's still in trouble!

My neighborhood Borders

First off, here is pic of my fabulous new skirt. Karen says it looks like it was made for me. I wish it was a tiny bit shorter but it is a fabulous skirt. I have to say my Borders is quite convenient. Karen did her signing here. This is the first picture of the both of us together. We've been in group shots but this is our first one on one. I can't believe it! We didn't even get a shot at her first booksigning. We've decided to take a pic at every signing. Don't have to twist my arm!And then tonight I went to my Borders for a signing by Anthony Rapp. I don't know if you all know it but I loved the movie Rent. So I was excited they were doing a signing by him. He even sang Seasons of Love! I recorded it on my cam but the wrong way so now the image is sideways! Anyone know how to rotate it? If so I can post the video. But of course I got a pic. My original pic turned out blurry so I had to stay to get another pic. Luckily, I had met Harrison at Karen's signing so even though he called an end to it he took the pic for me. I noticed he's reserved one on one and he didn't show teeth on any pics. Yes, he's totally the opposite of me. The only thing we have in common is that we both love men, LOL.

What? More food you say? Alright then!

Friday Nancy and I went to this sandwhich shop called the Fickle Pickle. It's in this cute little town called Roswell. The shop is inside a victorian house where you go to the counter to eat and then sit and the bring it to you. I saw this place online and read raves so of course we checked it out! Trying to stand at a counter and order is tough because you don't have time to really look at the menu. Nancy ordered a tuna melt without realizing they had reubens. I went with the horseradish beef, I am a fan of both, LOL, I was torn between that and the salmon but she recommended the beef. As my side I got the caribbean clam chowder, I had never had this version of clam chowder, I was a fan.
And as for the sandwhich, the greens on it were so light and fresh that I enjoyed every bite. Although I did save half because I wanted ice cream after lunch, LOL. I also read that we had to try the fried pickles (natch). I have to say, I wasn't impressed. I think there wasn't a good pickle to batter ratio. I needed more pickle flavor although the remoulade dipping sauce was fantastic I wouldn't order these again. What I would order again would be the carrot cake cookie. I also read about these so had to try them. I'm not even a big fan of carrot cake but this cookie was delish, we started devouring before I remembered to take a pic.It was chewy, it was soft, it was moist, it was perfect!

After we ate we walked around Roswell looking in some of the cute little shops that they had. I spent a fortune at a yarn store. The saleslady was aghast that I bought my yarn at Michael's and Wal Mart, a big no no in the world of crocheting and knitting. Spending what I spent on yarn there is a big no no in the world of Leiha. But the yarn is beautiful and hopefully I can tear myself away from the computer long enough for me to make something, LOL. We also went into this art gallery/gift shop to look around and the women offered us up martinis. This will be my new favorite place to shop. I had a tangerine martinie and she even sugared the rim! She's having a trunk sale the day after Thanksgiving with champagne. I'm going to try to talk Dao into going with me, she will drive, of course, LOL. After we got our ice cream and wandered some more we went home because it was my nap time.

For dinner we were debating over what to do. We had planned on doing the all u can eat crab legs and trivia but you know after my nap I was a bit groggy, Nancy said we could stay home since we had been going out a lot at night, I pointed out we actually only went out one night, after Lina left, LOL. So I got my second wind and off we went to feast and answer trivia. Unfortuntely, this is one of the places where you have to do the trivia from the beginning. Which is probably good, we weren't doing that well. They had a lot of sports questions. In a sports bar, who would have thunk? We did make the most of the crab legs though.
I have to say, compared to me, Nancy is an amateur. What can I say, I'm a professional crab eater (hmmm, does that sound right?). We did as much damage as we could do to the crab, which really was only 2 plates full each. Well, I did finish my plate, Nancy could not, like I said, an amateur. The problem is I can't just get full on crabs. I love seafood buffets but they have to be balanced out with something else. In this case, we ordered the mini hamburgers. They hit the spot! They weren't that mini but they were plain and did what they needed to do:) The desserts looked good but we refrained. Actually, I told Nancy if another place was open we could have dessert but they were not, thank goodness!

an eating extravaganza!

You all know that Korean food is one of my favorites. Nancy also enjoys Korean so we had to go eat at my new fave Korean place while she was here. We ate until we could eat no more. Nancy is in danger of losing her asian sisterhood. The waitress offered to cut her meat for her or to give her a fork she was struggling so much. I explained that she was white. Finally at the end Nanc conceded and let our waitress cut the meat. I'm telling her dad on her!

We have been spending our evenings in but we decided we HAD to go out to one of the best sushi restaurants in town just for Su, LOL. So we even slapped on a little makeup. We were so full we didn't go out until late and Nancy didn't think she would have much of an appetite (trying to recover from lunch) but I knew I could eat so I got the sashimi platter whereas Nancy got the sushi one. When I ordered I asked for no octopus or squid. We were sitting at the bar and the chefs asks about the octopus. I just said I never liked it. Of course, he wants me to try his so he gives us 4 pieces to try on the house. Who am I to say no? Of course, it was the best octopus I ever had and he converted me.
And let's talk about the sushi! Nancy, who wasn't very hungry had no problem dipping into my sashimi, since my plate came first, LOL. The chef asked if we liked monkfish liver. We had never had it. OMG, it was sooo good. It was like pate. Being the friend that I am I even let Nancy have half of it. All of the sushi was yummie. Salmon used to be my fave but I think yellowtail has won me over. Then when we were done I asked Nancy if she had ever had toro, which is a fatty tuna that's like buttah. She has not so we ordered that for dessert. If you love sushi you have to try toro. We had two excellent meals that day!Of course, what better way to top off a great meal then with some champagne so off we went to Morton's! They were closing but we had time to sit there, have drinks and take pictures, LOL. A great way to end a great day! Cheers!

A milestone....

I am a couple of hits away from my 10,000th hit on my blog! It's amazing since I remember when I got excited if I had 5 hits a day. My tens of fans have gone and multiplied on me! I thought I would take this moment to celebrate, and rub it in to the girls who started a blog after me, LOL.

Of course, the main reason of posting this is to talk about you all, my friends! This year has been the biggest roller coaster of my life. I've never cried so much yet I also feel like I've had the highest highs of my life too. It's been an action packed ride beginning with the reason I started this blog. I was moving. Leaving LA after over 8 years, truly a momentous occasion. The move was out of the blue and sudden and personal but I did want to keep in contact with everyone without writing the same emails about my move and all that followed and blog seemed like the perfect way. Who knew how much work it would involve On the days when I did stuff it was easy to blog but what about the days I didn't? Those are the days you would get my musings on life, which I'm sure you look forward to, LOL. Like I told Nes, with blogging, comes responsibility. Just because I was a lazy ass that day doesn't mean you shouldn't have something to read when you wake up in the morning (you all notice I am an evening poster for the most part).

I have been incredibly blessed in the friends department. I actually feel like I have too many friends if there is such a thing. That's part of the reason I have felt no need to go out and make friends when I moved here. I have tons. Just because you're not local doesn't mean that you're not a part of my everyday life. Friends take a lot of work. I know I am more in contact with people then some others but that is because I give to my friends what they give me and they give me so much. I have friends I talk to a couple of times a year and friends I talk to a couple of times a day yet I know no matter who you are if I needed to, I could call at anytime or ask anything. How awesome is that? I used to say I had a lot of acquaintances and very few actual friends but I can no longer say that. I have been blessed with such truly giving loving friends and with each year the list grows, especially this past year. I have had to lean on my friends more then ever and you were there for me. Don't be upset if I didn't call you, like I said, I'm blessed and there are tons of people I could call and I know that but just knowing you're there. I never take one post for granted. I know lots of you lurk and that's ok because I know you're here but I do love reading your posts, they make me laugh.

I always say it's harder to make friends as an adult. Yet here I am, with more friends then I can count. Sometimes we take each other for granted because so many times a friendship just is, there's no need to put it into words. But sometimes it's nice to say thank you for being my friend. So this is my love letter to you all. Because you bring joy into my life. My life is so much better for having you in it. Shoot, I'm making myself cry, LOL. As much as I love my family, it's my friends who get me through the tough times in my life and it's my friends who I share my joys with too. I love you, my dear friends.

Finger lickin good...

While the girls were here for RWA they had gone to Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles but I didn't feel like walking down there (big shock, LOL) and of course they came back raving They absolutely loved the place so of course I've been planning on making a trip there. What better time then when Nancy was in town? So Nancy, Dao and I headed downtown. I heard that they have incredible lines there so we went at 2pm after the lunch rush and got seated right away. The hard part is figuring out what to order, since I wanted to try ALL of the sides. Our waitress was totally helpful. I got the fried chicken with the yams and fried corn. Nancy got the smothered chicken with collard greens (cooked with turkey) and mac and cheese and Dao got the wings basket with celery. Our waitress was so cool though that she included grits with cheese for Nancy because she really was torn and wanted those too and she included the house potatoes are like gooey hashbrowns with jalapenos and cheese cause I wanted to try those too. OMG, the sides were sooooo good. The fried corn was so flavorful and had a touch of jalapeno for a kick. I think that was my fave but I loved all of the rest too. I have to say, the only thing I didn't like was my lemonade, it was way too sweet. We rolled out of there totally satisfied and with leftovers. That fried chicken was even better today!After our meal I was ready for a nap. Nancy sleeps so late she doesn't need one so while I planned to lie down she went for a walk, she's digging on my new neighborhood. Of course, I started chatting with Nes and didn't get my nap because once Nancy came back we went to Nordstrom's because their semi-annual sale had just started for women and children and you know we had to check that out. I don't care how tired I was. We first went to the shoe section where I didn't really find much but Nancy found some loafers that she liked but didn't wow me, mainly because I'm not much of a loafer gal so we went to look at clothes. This is where we split up. I got a couple of long sleeved plain shirts (one black and one white) because I'm preparing for the winter, LOL. I also found this super fabulous skirt! It's grey and fitted (my ass looks superb in it, as if it could look bad) with black tulle at the bottom. I would show you a pic of it but I'm going to wear it in a couple of days so I'll show you then. The best part about this skirt is it was only $17!!!! The sales lady was amazed and wanted to get one but I had the last one. I tried my skirt on for Nancy today and she loved it and I loved the fact that the tulle kicks out when I walk. Nancy found a cowl neck cream sweater that was beautiful. Then we discussed whethr she should get the shoes, she wanted them and she would wear them a lot so off we went to get them. Here are her Franco Sarto penny loafers. Of course, while she was buying her shoes I had to peruse the shoes again. Really, it's Nancy's fault I bought another pair of shoes. As much as I don't like Jessica Simpson she does have cute shoes and really, these shoes were a necessity, not a luxury. I need them. They go perfect with my jeans. I needed something in between heels and flip flops. These are it!

Home made chicken pot pie!

You know what my favorite kind of food is, don't you? The kind where I don't have to cook! Monday we drove up to Chattanooga, TN which is a couple of hours north to visit with Nancy's relatives. And by we I mean Nancy drove while I slept but since se has been sleeing in every morning, I didn't feel guilty. I packed road food and since Lina wasn't the one packing the road food it was jerky and chips time but we did eat some grapes and apples too.

Nancy's great uncle and his wife live in this gorgeous house on Stone mountain. We only had to call for directions twice, not too bad. Since we got a later start then we had planned we were going to stop for lunch but her aunt said for us not to eat so it was only road food for us and then of course it was social time. They had their two grandkids there, one of them only a few weeks old and they were precious but man, I was hungry! She did bring out some artichoke dip which we chowed on. After my second helping she pulled another dip out of the oven It had kalamata olives, pine nuts, artichoke hearts and tomatoes with goat cheese in the middle. It was heavenly! I was worried that I wouldn't be able to save room for dinner but somehow I was able to make room for the home made chicken pot pie, which Su has never had so she demanded pics. Laurie used biscuits on top instead of a pie crust. Yes, it was as good as it looked. The rest of our food she bought from a restaurant that specializes in take out casseroles. We had chicken san francisco, don't know what's in it but it was yummie, there was some kind of cheese in it though. Also had asparagus, corn flaked covered potatoes, which I love, my friend makes a version he calls white trash potatoes, corn pudding, never had it before but I enjoyed it and a peach cobbler which was the only dud in the bunch. Take a gander at my dinner plate. I was so full I coulnd't have seconds, until later on in the night, EG!

Our trip to Chattanooga was a quickie. We stayed Monday night and left Tue afternoon. We didn't do much other then socialize and eat, which you know makes both Nancy and I happy.

I would tell you

about Monday but I don't know where Nancy's cam is and I promised Su som food pics. Instead this will be a quickie, plus, I is sleepy. I know, I know, nothing new, LOL.

So I have lived here since Labor Day and last Thursday I finally bought a a full length mirror. It's hard to see all of this fabulousness in my vanity mirror. I try hopping up and down but that makes parts of me move I don't want. Plus, it's hard to get the full effect of my outfit that way. My mirror was only $6 at Target and the girls were coming in so it was a perfect time to buy this necessity.

We're all getting ready Fri and I pull out the mirror for us to use, since I hadn't mounted it yet. Lina says it's a skinny mirror. I don't see it but then I have my jeans on and really look and my legs look like they can be wearing skinny jeans and my legs are sooo not skinny. So I call it my magic mirror.

Then the next night Lina is in the office and yells to me that I have a full length mirror in there. I think she's full of sh*t, after all I have been living here for months. Turns out there's a mirror on the back of my spare room door. I never closed the door when I was in there! So I went from 0 to 2 mirrors in the span of 3 days. Now I could take back my other mirror but it's my magic mirror, I'll be keeping it, LOL.

Sunday, Sunday

Since we had a lazy day on Saturday we didn't get to the market like we needed to so I dragged my butt out of bed to take Lina to Krogers but you know I wasn't going to let Nancy off scott free. She had to get up to clean the kitchen so Lina could have a clean workspace. In return we brought her back coffee. Lina being the organized gal she is actually had a shopping list, I cannot even remember the last time I had a grocery list. It made a difference, LOL.

Then we rushed home to do prep work for dinner. OK, Lina did most of the prep work but I minced garlic and Nancy chopped mushrooms. While we were doing those oh so important jobs Lina was tossing together her vegetables, roasting bell peppers and breading her chicken parmegan. Since I had carried such a heavy load I decided I needed a break and put together the playlist on my ipod for our road trip. Once we all got cleaned up it was time to hit the road. We were hanging at Karen's house.

Let me say, road trips are much more fun when you're with people! We sang, laughed, talked, told stories, things we do when we're sitting around my living room in our pjs. As a word of warning though, it's not good as a driver to hold hands and sway while singing to Bette Midler, it's hard not to sway the car also. We even stopped for some snacks, of course we were almost there by that time but anytime is a good time for road food, LOL. Lina's road food is so much better then my road food. Instead of funions and beef jerkey we had croissants with a slice of cheese and sliced apples and I was a happy camper!

Hanging out at Karen's is like hanging out at my house except we didn't have our pjs on. We all sat around talking up a storm. We sat in the reading room talking. We were in the basement talking, we sat in the living room talking and let's not forget the dining room and kitchen! OK, no sitting in the kitchen (which is why I only went in there for food, LOL).

I'm sorry Su, I didnt' take pictures of the food but Lina made us two apps, a roasted vegetable dish with roasted bell peppers, raw mushrooms that marinate in the dressing, black olives, pine nuts and cranberries which we eat over sliced bread and a caprese salad (mozzarella, tomatoes and fresh basil). Then we sat around talking some more until dinner which was chicken parmegan, a spinach salad and spaghetti. I ate until I hurt. I really wanted seconds but had no room. Well no room for dinner because there was a pumpkin pecan spice bread with a cream cheese frosting that Karen made. So now I really hurt but that is ok.

I seated myself on their comfy chair and Karen put a throw over me and I was done for the night. I didn't fall asleep, I was just listening with my eyes closed, LOL. Nancy drove us home cause I was tired (plus I'm sure she was dying to check out the power of my Hyundai) but when we left I got a bit nervous. Karen lives up this big windy hill and Nancy was having fun driving it as fast as she could in the dark! Next time, I'll drive us home!

Since Lina had to leave early this morning we went to bed at a decent hour, midnight. Dang, these weekends go by too fast!

Guess I should post

before I have to run out the door again.

Let's see, on Saturday we did absolutely nothing! We lounged around in our pjs the entire day and didn't leave the apartment. Luckily, Lina had picked up some cheese and fruit the day before for us so around 1 or 2 she fixed a beautiful cheese platter (which you know I love) and we noshed on that and drank our vodka cranberrys. Of course, after a couple of those I needed a nap! About 7 or 8pm is when we decided we should start getting ready for the day, LOL. I love gettin dressed with my girlfriends, they always have such cool accesories I can borrow or makeup! Plus there's the fun of trying on different outfits and getting immediate reactions. I like this, don't like this, etc.

Once we were ready we played in my photo booth as we waited for our cab. We were just going down the street but we all wanted to drink so better safe then sorry. We went to this tapas restaurant I had never been to but heard good things about. I had no idea it was such a happening spot. It was totally crowded but we lucked out and had a great waiter who got us seated in the bar pretty quickly. Of course we ordered tons of food because we were starving and because it was tapas and the servings were small. The food was awesome and we had a trio of desserts which was just as fab. So we sat around laughing, talking, eating and drinking. We may have taken a pic or two. Those are on Lina's cam, still need to get them. I went to the restroom anf the girls are laughing because while I was away they took 20 pics of themselves just because I wasn't there to get in the picture, how rude!

After Twist we decided to go to Morton's. It's a tradition. We like to have drinks there. Preferably champagne. So the cab takes us there and they're closed! It's only after 11pm! So if you can't go to a high class joint like Morton's to have a drink what is your next alternative? You bet, we went to a strip club! Apparently in Atlanta the men can strip down to nothing if they want to! It was funny, LOL. This one guy was naked except for cowboy boots! Too bad none of them really could put on a show. I swear, OG has spoiled me. There was no routines and they only had like 5 men there and they were so not hot! It was a disappointment, well I did enjoy seeing flying dick but that's just for entertainment value, LOL.

So we came home about 2am, Nancy was wasted (I gave her my last drink but she was gone before then, LOL) and decided to ping Aimee on yahoo. Well not only was Aimee up but so was Nes and Joanie so we had a party. We all turned on our webcams and let me say, what happens on cam, stays on cam, LOL. We had music blaring, laughter and craziness. Nancy, Lina and I were all trying to squeeze our faces onto the screen as we typed. It was a great way to end the evening or rather, the morning, LOL.

We're running late...

what's new? But I do have time to post a couple of piccies. I managed to squeeze the girls into the photo booth last night while waiting for our cab to pick us up after all, a girl has to have priorities. I'll come back later to post more.
We may have had time for a drink or two before we left, LOL.

The gals are sleeping

and I'm awake, what is this world coming to? I should be the one still in bed! Oh well, gives me time to catch up on my blog and then I'll probably crawl back in bed and read some. Nancy is snoring in the living room and distracting me. It's understandable though, she took the red eye Thur night to get here and instead of sleeping on her flight, like she should have been, she watched Pirates of the Caribbean 2, which wasn't that good. Not because she couldn't sleep, Nancy has the gift of sleep, just because it was on. Well needless to say, she regretter that decision, LOL.

Thur night I picked up Lina. I had forgotten to go to the liqour store. Well, I did remember earlier in the night but I was curled up in bed reading and ARC (advanced reader's copy) of the new LKH Mistral's Kiss and could not crawl out of bed for booze. I'm not that big of a drinker, LOL. So after Lina and I got home, only 10 minutes later then we should have because I missed my turn (I had never driven to the airport prior to this) we stayed up until 3am chatting anc catching up. Which is funny because we email and talk on the phone but it's not the same as being there. Since we had to get Nancy at 9am we forced ourselves to go to bed, LOL.

We thought it would be a breeze picking up Nancy, the timing was perfect, she called as soon as we were approaching the airport and she was the last one off so her bag was going to be ready to go. Well it would have, if they hadn't lost it! So we drove around while Nancy did her paperwork. Poor Nancy, stuck in clothes she wore all day and flew in! We were going to Karen's booksigning up north so we wanted to get out of Atlanta early so we wouldn't get caught in traffic. So we ran to the liqour store (and grocery store) to stock up for later. Is it a bad sign when the lady at the liqour store remembers you? I'd only been in there twice before but what can I say, I make an impression, LOL.

Nancy had to wear the same slacks after her shower but luckily Lina had made up some Darkfever tshirts for us so Nancy wore a big white t shirt with her grey slacks and black loafers. Good thing I had brown knee highs to lend her, LOL. To make her feel better Lina and I dressed in nice jeans and cute tops, LOL. Then we were off to the Mall of Georgia where theoretically we were going to buy Nancy some clothes but instead we bougt a lot of other stuff. We did go crazy at the end in Old Navy in the sale section. I bought this sweat for $4 and even though we were running late I did have to do a price adjustment because she rang it up as $7, not as much of a steal as $4. It's long and cream and I loved it when I saw it. Unfortunately, the only one I saw was 4x and I just couldn't make it work. Luckily, Nancy found me one my size, cause I really wanted it, LOL. When I saw the time I went running through the store looking for the girls. Here we are taking our time, shopping at Nordstrom's, eating at PF Changs, going back to Norstrom's and finally Old Navy (trying to find Nancy jeans) and next thing you know, we're late! We went from killing time to walking briskly to the car (c'mon, it's me, there's no running). At least we found a top for Nancy so she didn't have to tell everyone we saw the airport lost her luggage, LOL.

We finally made it to the booksigning 20 minutes late but that wasn't our fault, there were downed power lines and traffic was a bear and that was fun. Brenda had come to the signing and of course Neal and Karen were there. I hadn't seen Neal in awhile so it's fun when I get to see him. 2 hours flew by as we chatted with everyone. Afterwards we went to dinner where I had a big fat piece of prime rib and then it was time to come home.

The original plan was to come home, eat cheese and crackers and get drunk and then go to the Waffle House a 3am. Problem was, we were all exhausted so looks like that big bottle of Grey Goose I bought will have to wait until tonight. Today we really have no plans except to enjoy each other and hit a couple of bars. Definitely have to stop at Morton's and have some champagne. That's a tradition started by the lovely Linda.

Here we are at PF Changs. It wasn't all a liquid lunch, too bad, LOL.

Lina is here!

Which means no post tonight. We're too busy catching up! I will take pictures tomorrow though, I know, shocking!

Comcast sucks!

So the other day I get ready to pay my bill and noticed that wht should be my $15 cable bill was $19. Turns out they charged me for a monthly magzine that I did not order and you know that they must do that to all the customers because most people won't notice. What a scam! You know I wasn't paying for that and I got a credit for last month (I didn't notice lst month because of the installation charges and such).

Then today my internet went down! Now for me losing my internet is like losing a limb. So I called comcast and the guy tried to talk me through, while talking down to me. Now I'm sure some people he has to talk like he's talking to a child but I am not one of them. He even said to me, now let's work together on this because I was not happy. He couldn't help me so he said he was going to send someone out....TOMORROW! Hell no, that is not acceptable. He was explaining he would set up the appointment yet still try to get someone out today. Of course, I was having none of that but while we talked my internet came back so I was happy again. I kept my appointment for tomorrow just in case. 10 minutes later the internet went down. I waited awhile bfore I called comcast back hoping it would come back up, it did not. So I called and talked to someone and he was able to get me an appointment for today between 2-5pm. Now comcast calls you before they come out and if you don't answer they don't come so I brought the phone with me to the bathroom and when I took out the garbage and forget a shower! At 10 til 5, I call them becuase they are supposed to be there before 5 and I was told that they are still coming out. At 6:20 after spending 15 minutes just trying to get through I am told there is a system wide outage and I will not have someone coming because that could be the problem. I ask what time it went down. 2 hours after mine went down. She still would not send anyone out so I told her I wanted a credit. She was going to credit me for the day, which would equal about a dollar! I was like, I have been sitting here for 4 hours so she credited me for a no show $20. I still had no internet but damn if they weren't going to pay me for sitting around waiting.

Luckily they called me tonight to see if I was back online and I was but dang, what a waste of day! I could have left the house to buy toilet paper. Should I tell Nancy to bring her own roll? I only have enough for me!