Tina's Shark Tank

2007-09-11T16:59:00.001-07:00

New Site

Oops, forgot to mention, the Shark Tank is being retired. I've started a new blog over at Wordpress, called Motion-Based Life Form. Hope to see ya there!:-)

2007-08-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Shark Week

This week has been Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, always a big deal for me. I can't get enough of shark documentaries, I find them fascinating. There's just something about these animals that are so graceful, powerful, and beautiful, animals that have been around since long before the dinosaurs roamed the earth (they've been around for 400 million years) that puts me in awe. There are about 400 different species, that range in size from about a foot long for the pygmy shark, to 60 feet long for the whale shark. The two largest fish in the ocean, the whale shark and 40 foot basking shark, eat some of the smallest fish in the ocean, krill. Great White sharks have been known to launch themselves out of the water in sometimes acrobatic displays, hunting seals around one particular island off of South Africa. This is the only place in the world where they do this, influenced largely by the underwater topography around the island. There are sharks that live in the deep ocean, at depths that would crush many submarines, and sharks that can live for years in fresh water. They have not five senses, but six; they can sense the electric currents given off by other living things, boats, etc, and use them to hunt. People who've worked closely with them have noticed different individuals exhibiting distinct personalities. This is just scratching the surface of what I've learned about them over the years, and there's still so much we don't know.

Of course, this fascination with sharks in particular is just an extension of my interest in marine biology as a whole. Since I was a kid, growing up on a lake, I've been intrigued by the water, mostly the ocean, and its flora and fauna, and even topography. I think it's largely because it's a world that's so alien to us, that we can only visit for any length using modern technology, and the deeper you want to go, and the longer we want to stay, the more advanced the technology required. A world that is still so largely unexplored; for all they've learned, scientists have still only barely scratched the surface.

Some people may look at fish as "just fish", but I see animals that can survive in an environment that I can only visit, animals in wide varieties of incredibly beautiful colors and shapes to rival anything on land, that are often wierder than any alien in the best sci-fi movies; animals that often exhibit surprising intelligence, that live in conditions more hostile than anything we can imagine. Take the hot vent ecosystems in the deep abyssal plains, where hot water is vented into the ocean from the earth at temperatures of 800 degrees. Celcius. Yes, there is life around these vents, in ecosystems which are based not around sunlight and photosythesis as the chief energy source, like those on land and in shallower areas of the oceans, but chemosynthesis, in which hydrogen sulfide is broken down into sugars. This occurs at depths that would crush the human body. This is an environment that is so alien to us, it may as well be on another planet. But it's here, on Earth, and it's teeming with life.

A friend once told me they didn't understand the attraction of keeping a fish tank. I'm sure the answers to that question would vary widely from person to person, but for me, when I was a kid and we had fish tanks, it was about having a piece of nature right there in our home, like we had this little ecosystem in our livingroom. If I were ever to get a fish tank, that's what it would be again, along with the pride of nurturing that ecosystem. Not to mention, well designed tanks are just really, really cool. Often very beautiful. When I was in college, a roommates boyfriend had a beautiful saltwater tank, that was designed to look like a mini reef. It had colorful anemonies, shrimp, and a variety of colorful fish. It was as beautiful, if not more so, than many paintings I've seen. I would keep a tank like that in a heartbeat, if it weren't so expensive.

Photo of the Day

2007-08-04T18:14:00.001-07:00

North Bar Lake, Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore
Originally uploaded by tina_inara

North Bar Lake, at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. This is a springfed lake, which used to also be an inlet of Lake Michigan. Now it is connected via a small stream through the sand bar that now separates them. It's much warmer than Lake Michigan, very nice for swimming. So nice, I decided to swim across!

2007-07-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, almost forgot...

Happy Fourth of July!:-)

2007-07-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

Once again, it has been a while since I last posted. This is becoming a bad habit, not posting regularly. I'll try to get better. "Try" being the operative word here.

So, onto the obligatory "what I've been up to lately". After having issues with both feet, which forced me to stop training for the Dexter-Ann Arbor half marathon, I took some time off from running to let them heal. After a couple of months, I started going for hikes in Nichols Arboretum (a.k.a. "the Arb"), which caused some soreness at first, but the soreness gradually got less and less, and finally went away. Physical therapy through hiking on uneven ground, gotta love it! I then progressed to running at the Arb. Again, a little soreness at first, but it gradually went away. Now, I am once again in training for a half marathon, this time for the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon. Hopefully this time, things will go better.

This time around, I'm trying to play it smarter, starting earlier and joining a training group, the Running Fit 501 marathon and half marathon training group. Group runs/workouts twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, informational seminars, and other good stuff. So far, it's a lot of fun! I have had some soreness in the foot, but it tends not to last too long. I've also discovered the benefits of the ice bath, or in my case just cold water bath, which seems to help.

After a particularly tough workout, I run a bath with the water as cold as I can get from my tap, deep enough to submerge my legs, and sit in it for about 20 minutes. Last night I even added a couple of trays of ice cubes, not enough to make it a true "ice bath", but enough to drop the temperature a little more. So far, doing this seems to help my muscles, and my foot as well. Hopefully that will continue as the runs get longer. Fritz did something similar after his second marathon, and said it helped a lot, so that's a good sign that it will. I highly recommend it for other activities as well, including particularly tough hiking, biking, or climbing workouts.

I've also started a new job, which is, well, meh. Not liking it a whole lot, it's clerical, which is not my favorite thing in the world to do. I basically took it to stay within my company so I wouldn't lose my seniority. As soon as my six months are up, I can start looking for other positions within the company, and will definitely be keeping my eye out for positions within the fitness division for which I was previously working. I'm still doing personal training for them, which helps me keep my skills up and keep me happier, but business has gotten slow with the onset of summer. Most of my clients were either college students who are now gone for the summer, or faculty/staff of the university, who are now taking vacations and such. Things should pick up in the fall though.

One thing I do like about the clerical job, it's a five minute walk from the Arb, which is incredibly convenient. There's also a nice courtyard where I can eat lunch every day. And most of the people are nice. Other than that, it's rather dull, and so by-the-book, letter-of-the-law that it's quite stifling.

I also headed back to fencing practice this past weekend, after a six-month hiatus. It was SO much fun, and I wasn't nearly as rusty as I expected to be. In fact, mentally I felt much better, much more agressive, more confident. I actually got a few good-natured complaints that taking so much time off hadn't made me any easier to beat. That felt good, but I did still feel rusty in a lot of ways. But I intend to go more regularly from now on, and that should ease as I get more practice in.

That about concludes my update on my life the last couple of months. In case anyone's interested, I've added a badge that shows the books I'm currently reading, and will try to keep that updated as well.

Photo of the Day

2007-04-03T09:57:00.001-07:00

Fiery Vapor Trails
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

One of the last photos I took of sunsets through the window at the fitness center where I used to work. Friday was our last day, beginning yesterday, Ford was going to have an hourly person from the plant floor keeping an eye on things. I sure hope they have a CPR certification! Also taking bets on how long it will take for the lighter dumbells and plates to walk away...

2007-03-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

Oh my, it really has been a while since I've posted anything here. Oops. Well, a lot has happened since then. A week after my last post, I found out that I will be losing my job at a "Fords" (as many of their employees inexplicably call it, which drives me nuts) corporate fitness center due to cutbacks. My last day there will be a week from yesterday. Luckily, I was a contractor, and I'm being put into Reduction in Force status at my direct employer, the University of Michigan, which should give me preference in the hiring process while I look for another job within the U. I'll likely have to settle for a lower-paying, non-fitness-related position (as there are no fitness positions available at the moment), but the benefits literally cannot be beat, at least not in this state, so I'm going to try to stay with the university.

I've had some interviews already, and have another scheduled this week, so hopefully something will pan out soon. I really don't want to deal with the hassle of collecting unemployment for very long. I'm also going to be picking up some temporary part-time hours at another U of M fitness center, so that will give me some additional income, and something to do for 15 hours per week. I'll also still be able to do the personal training I've been doing for the last year and a half.

In other news, I started a half-marathon training program a few weeks ago, to prepare for the Dexter-Ann Arbor Run in June, the day after my birthday. Unfortunately, my left foot is now hurting, showing the same symptoms that I had in the right one a few weeks back, so I took this week off from training, and may take next week off as well, to see if it improves. I hope it does, I've really been getting excited about doing the half, and consider it a stepping stone to doing the Detroit Free Press Marathon in October.

Otherwise, nothing much new. Finally saw An Inconvenient Truth today, which I highly recommend if you haven't already seen it. It's a very powerful film, and does a great job of debunking a lot of the misconceptions about the "controversy" surrounding global warming. Definitely a must-see film!

2007-02-21T23:31:00.000-08:00

So, I said on Monday that I'd wait another week or two to try running, if my sanity held out. It didn't. Monday evening I tried running on the treadmill at work. (Yeah, I know, I didn't even make it an entire day before I caved; I'm a paragon of restraint.) It felt great, my foot didn't hurt at all. And since then, the tension headaches I was getting almost every day at work haven't come back. Maybe that was part of the problem, I wasn't getting the stress relief I needed. I've been exercising on the stationary bike and elliptical trainer, but that's just not the same as running. They don't give me the peace of mind that running does. Yesterday I did the bike, not wanting to push things too hard too quickly, but tonight I ran again. My endurance doesn't seem to have suffered *too* much, so hopefully in a week or two, I'll be able to start my half-marathon training program.

I'd like to do the Bayshore half-marathon in Traverse City, Memorial Day weekend. One possible obstacle I can foresee is that it's on a Saturday morning. If I can't get Friday off from work to drive up north, I'll have to leave after work at 9 pm, which would have me getting to my parents' place after 1 am. The race starts at 7 am, and my parents live about 45 minutes from Traverse City. In short, I'd get very little sleep. So, my back-up plan is the Dexter-Ann Arbor Run half-marathon, the following weekend. Hopefully, all will go well, and there will be no setbacks or obstacles; I'd really love to run along Grand Traverse Bay for my first half-marathon!

Photo of the Day

2007-02-21T19:35:00.001-08:00

Ice Storm 142
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

Another pic from the ice storm last month.

2007-02-19T08:29:00.001-08:00

Ice Storm 148
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

I finally got around to uploading the photos I took of January's ice storm to Flickr.

It's been quite a while since I've posted here, and I'm still feeling a bit on the lazy side blogging-wise. So, I'm going to borrow a trick from my friend Shawn, and post a list of what I've been up to.

-Reading: Fluke by Christopher Moore, Kiln People by David Brin, and Chi Running by Danny Dreyer, I've also finished all but one of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series.

-Listening to: NPR and Phedippidations podcasts, audiobooks

-Watching: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Firefly on DVD, Lost, BSG, Dresden Files

-Running: not at all, sadly. Thought I had a stress fracture, but the bone scan turned out negative, thankfully. I'm sticking with bike and elliptical for another week or two if my sanity will handle it, then will ease back into running. Still hoping to do a half-marathon this summer, and a marathon in the fall, all going well.

-Organizing: Cleaned out old records and financial statements, shredding everything, over the weekend. (Catching up on podcasts is a GREAT way to make this process go by more quickly!) Felt good to purge old stuff. Still need to go through old clothes, shoes, books, etc, and take to Goodwill.

2007-02-09T07:31:00.000-08:00

NPR/PBS Petition

President Bush has proposed slashing funding for PBS and NPR by about 25%. Moveon.org is sponsoring a petition in an effort to convince Congress to guarantee funding for them. PBS has said that should the cuts take place, it will no longer be able to offer children's programming such as Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow. Click here if you would like to sign the petition; it takes about a minute to complete.

Photo of the Day

2007-01-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

Full moon 2
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

A picture of the full moon taken last week, using my new tripod.

Photo of the Day

2007-01-01T18:09:00.000-08:00

New Year's 2007 009-2
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

This pic is from the New Year's Eve party I attended last night, which had a 1920's Speakeasy theme. Some of the guys brought props to add an extra touch of atmosphere to the group photos. I decided to add my own touch by creating a black & white version of each photo.

Happy New Year, everyone!:-)

Photo of the Day

2006-12-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas lights, panorama-2
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

A panorama of my parents' house, decorated with Christmas lights, on Christmas night. I got a new tripod for Christmas, and had a great time testing it out!

Photo of the Day

2006-12-23T19:17:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2006 001
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

A forest of sugar cookies!

2006-12-22T19:40:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Day

"And if you actually eat my metaphorical goats, you're probably going to need to take some multivitamins or something, too, because man cannot live by metaphorical goat alone, and besides, you'd probably get scurvy if you tried."--Cadhla, the rest of her fabulously twisted (twistedly fabulous?) essay is here. Go. Read. Now. :-)

Thanks to Fritz for the link.

Photo of the Day

2006-12-17T19:23:00.000-08:00

Chocolate-topped oatmeal bars
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

Chocolate-topped oatmeal bars, just one of the holiday cookie recipes I baked this weekend.

Photo of the day

2006-11-29T21:10:00.000-08:00

Sunsets 084
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

I took this last week through the window at work.

2006-11-24T12:09:00.000-08:00

Turkey Trot

Today I ran in the Zingerman's Ann Arbor Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot, which I thought was a 5K, but instead turned out to be an even 3 miles. Eh, well, what's a tenth of a mile, really? My last "5K", the Detroit St. John's Health 5K Fun Run turned out to be 3.6 miles, a full half-mile longer than it was supposed to be, according to the adjusted final results. One of these days, I'm going to run a REAL 5K!:-)

This morning's race started at 8:00 am sharp; it was a calm, beautiful, sunny morning, and a brisk 22 degrees. Definitely the coldest weather in which I've ever run! But I didn't notice, after I got moving. My new running jacket, which I bought earlier in the week was warm. Almost too warm; if it had been a longer race I would have taken off the nylon outer layer. I didn't wear my fleece earwarmer thing that I also bought this week, and never needed it. I took my gloves off partway through as well. I also wore my iPod this time out, my first time listening to it during a race, though I do train with it. I put on my cardio playlist at a fairly low volume, which gave me the perfect background music to keep my motivated without drowning out the atmosphere. I can only remember two of the songs I heard, Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode, and Dragula by Rob Zombie. Interesting dichotomy there.

We started at Elbel Field, the U of M band's practice field; we ran past Michigan Stadium, and a shrine to the late Bo Schembechler where fans had left flowers and messages at the stadium's front gates, and wound around until we finished back at Elbel Field. As I approached the gate into the field, about 100 yards from the finish, a volunteer was cheering "great job, you're under 30, great job!" to us as we ran by. I thought "under 30 minutes, no way!"

Way! I did, indeed, finish in under 30 minutes. A new PR, yay!:-) My results:

Chip time: 28:48
Pace: 9:36
Overall Place: 264th
Age Group: 17th out of 24

My pace for the Detroit race was 11:16, so I cut 1:40 off my pace. AND, at the pace I ran today, had the race been a full 5K (3.1 miles), I would have still finished in under 30 minutes!:-)

And the crazy thing? I want to go for a run RIGHT NOW! Thought about running again during much of my 4-hour drive up to my parents' place this afternoon. I may go for a run tomorrow, and definitely will by Saturday at the latest. To quote ...

I WANT MORE!

(X-posted to my livejournal.)

Photo of the Day

2006-11-23T20:30:00.000-08:00

Sunsets 074
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

I took this through the window at work on Tuesday, some interesting looking clouds at sunset (the actual sunset is off-camera).

2006-11-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

Yay, the election is over! No more political ads! No more piles of mailers! No more automated messages on my answering machine! *Cue choir singing "Hallelujah!"*

Well, for two more years, anyway. Make that a year and a half, then the madness starts all over again.

My voting experience yesterday couldn't have been easier, there was no line when I went. I'm hoping that it was just because I went in the middle of the day, when most people were at work. I walked in, voted, and left; the whole experience took about 10-15 minutes at the most. Now, to wait for the final results, which could take weeks in many of the close national races.

I watched Good Night, and Good Luck yesterday while killing time waiting for results to come in; it was a VERY good movie, highly recommended. The incorporation of real footage of McCarthy definitely had an impact that couldn't have been achieved by actors recreating the scenes, no matter how good. There he was, the real man, attacking his real victims in his own words. No scripts, no actors, (for those scenes) no margin for doubt that his actions as shown on screen were exaggerated for dramatic effect. This movie shows him for the power-hungry, fear-mongering bully he was. David Strathairn did an incredible job of portraying Edward R. Murrow, the only journalist brave enough to take him on directly. George Clooney was solid as Fred Friendly, his producer. The rest of the cast had solid performances as well. This movie will definitely be added to my collection.

Photo of the Day

2006-11-04T20:15:00.000-08:00

Sunsets 021
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

This was taken through the window at work on Wednesday.

Photo of the Day

2006-11-02T14:11:00.000-08:00

Free Press Marathon weekend 032
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

I took this on the way to the marathon Sunday morning.

2006-10-30T22:42:00.000-08:00

5K, Marathon

This past weekend, I ran my first *running* race, and Fritz ran his first marathon! I was going along to cheer him on in the Detroit Free Press marathon anyway, so when he suggested last week that I do the 5K while waiting for him to finish, I figured, why not? Check out my Livejournal for my full race report, and Fritz's for his. Photos to come soon.

Photo of the Day

2006-10-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

Bad breath
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

Taken at a Halloween party I attended Friday night.

Photo of the Day

2006-10-22T16:08:00.000-07:00

Fall Colors 044-2
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

I took this on a gray, fall day at Island Park in Ann Arbor.

2006-10-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

Invisibility Cloak

Attention fellow Harry Potter fans, it appears that the invisibity cloak has become reality. Sort of.

A US-British team of scientists has successfully tested a cloak of invisibility in the laboratory.

The device mostly hid a small copper cylinder from microwaves in tests at Duke University, North Carolina.

It works by deflecting the microwaves around the object and restoring them on the other side, as if they had passed through empty space.

But making an object vanish before a person's eyes is still the stuff of science fiction - for now.

Okay, so it's closer to Star Trek than Harry Potter, but still pretty cool to the science geeks (or science geek wannabes) among us.

2006-10-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

Empire

Courtesy of WaPo, the Bush administration wants to have free reign to do whatever they want in space, while limiting access for other nations.

President Bush has signed a new National Space Policy that rejects future arms-control agreements that might limit U.S. flexibility in space and asserts a right to deny access to space to anyone "hostile to U.S. interests."
...
A number of nations have pushed for talks to ban space weapons, and the United States has long been one of a handful of nations opposed to the idea. Although it had abstained in the past when proposals to ban space weapons came up in the United Nations, last October the United States voted for the first time against a call for negotiations -- the only "no" against 160 "yes" votes.

Must the administration be so damned arrogant on every international issue that comes up? Perhaps Bush has been watching too many Star Wars movies.

Photo of the Day

2006-10-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

Quest for Breath 2006 003
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

The Huron River taken from the wooden bridge in Gallup Park, right before the Quest for Breath 5K Walk.

Photo of the Day

2006-10-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

Halloween Candle holder
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

Photo of the Day

2006-10-12T21:04:00.000-07:00

Ann Arbor 010
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

I took this outside of the People's Food Co-op in the Kerrytown Section of Ann Arbor.

2006-10-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon, To a Theater Near You

Courtesy of General J.C. Christian, it's The Investigators, starring Dennis Hastert and O.J. Simpson. Sounds like a blockbuster to me!

2006-10-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

A Political Post!

With the Foley scandal and North Korean nuclear test dominating the news, much of the blogosphere (okay, the four blogs I looked at) seems to have missed this story from over the weekend. (Italics mine.)

President Bush reserved the right to ignore key changes in Congress's overhaul of the Federal Emergency Management Agency -- including a requirement to appoint someone with experience handling disasters as the agency's head -- in setting aside dozens of provisions contained in a major homeland security spending bill this week.
...
The standards for the FEMA director were inspired by criticism of former FEMA chief Michael D. Brown's performance after Hurricane Katrina last year. Brown, a lawyer and judge of Arabian horses, had no experience in disaster response before joining FEMA.
...
White House spokesman Tony Fratto said the actions, first reported by the Associated Press, upheld the president's right to choose his advisers and control executive branch activities.

"There's nothing new here. The president has the authority to choose which of his subordinate officers he'll rely on," Fratto said. "The president has the authority to determine what the relationship is between them."
...
A spokesman for Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), who chaired a House Katrina investigation, said the White House is slighting Congress and ignoring the political toll of Brown's incompetence and ties to GOP cronies.

"Davis hopes the White House isn't saying they don't understand the need for minimal qualifications, or that they might bypass them. If indeed they are, then we haven't come very far from the days of 'Heck of a job, Brownie,'" Davis spokesman David Marin said, in a reference to Bush's early praise for Brown. "Good luck getting someone confirmed who doesn't meet these standards."

*Sigh* Obviously, he's learned nothing from Katrina. Even though Brown's handling of the situation was an unmitigated disaster, Bush still doesn't recognize the importance of appointing someone with actual emergency-response experience to the most important emergency-response post in the country. Hopefully this time around, Congress won't let him get away with it if he tries to appoint another unqualified crony. If they do, I fear what will happen if the country is hit with another major disaster or terrorist attack.

Photo of the Day

2006-10-08T19:54:00.000-07:00

Michigan-MSU game 2006 175
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

Went to the Michigan-MSU football game this past Saturday. At halftime, Michigan alumnus and 60 Minutes journalist Mike Wallace was honored by the University's president.

Photo of the Day

2006-10-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

Vikings Come Home 2006 080-2
Originally uploaded by tina_inara.

I took this a few miles from my parents' house up north.

(X-posted to my Livejournal.)

2006-10-01T22:44:00.000-07:00

Update

The last month, in a nutshell:

-I didn't get the job.:-(
-I did get a raise.:-)
-I bought a new digital camera; photography is fast becoming a favorite hobby. A lot of my photos can be found on my Flickr page.
-I've registered for another race, the Quest for Breath 5K Walk.
-I've started running a bit; perhaps by next springor summer I'll be doing 5K runs. Maybe even a mini-triathlon!

I'm going to try to update more often (yeah, I know, I keep saying that), and perhaps even post photos occasionally. Who knows, with campaign season heating up, there may even be a political post or two.

2006-08-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

Pennsic, Job Interview, the Crim

The last couple of weeks have been filled with firsts; my first Pennsic, my first road race, my first adult bee sting. Oh, yeah, and a job interview.

First, Pennsic. I had an incredible time! I fenced in four battles, three tourneys, and who-knows-how-many pick-ups. I met a lot of really cool people, went to a couple of parties, bought a new fencing dagger, took a few classes, hung out with friends, and spent time just relaxing. Eight nights of camping, and seven days without driving, watching TV, or surfing the internet. I had SO much fun, I'm already counting down to next year (less than 48 weeks!). For more details, check out my Livejournal post.

This past Friday I had an interview for another position in my company. The job would involve more responsibilities (though the specifics haven't been decided yet), possibly a different work schedule (the specifics are still up in the air), and possibly less pay (again, specifics to be determined). It's the Mystery Job! I know where it would be, and what *some* of the minor responsibilities would be, and that's about it. So, why am I applying, you might ask? Well, it's closer to home, it's more responsibility, which theoretically should be good for my career, and the contract my company has to run the fitness center at the auto plant where I currently work will most likely not be renewed. Job security is a good thing, and getting this position would mean more job security than I currently have. And to be quite honest, I'm starting to get bored in my current job. I think more responsibility would not only be good for my career, but also my job satisfaction. Hopefully.

Also a mystery, how I actually did in the interview. The two people who interviewed me were completely stone-faced; reading their reactions to my responses was like trying to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs without the Rosetta Stone. My coworker is also applying for the job, and her interview is tomorrow. I'm quite nervous about my chances of getting the job, especially since my coworker has been with the company nearly three times as long as I have, and has a Master's degree. We'll see how it goes.

This past Saturday, I competed in the 8K walk at the Crim festival of races in Flint. Fritz, his mom, his brother, and his brother's SO also competed, Fritz in the 10-mile run, and his family in the 5K Family Walk. I had a goal of finishing in an hour and fifteen minutes, at about a 4 mph pace, and ended up beating my goal by almost five minutes! My final time was 1:10:19, a 14:09/mile pace. I was ecstatic; it was my first road race ever, and I beat my goal!:-) Congratulations to Fritz for achieving his goal of beating last year's time, and to his mom, as this was her first road race as well! The only negative part of the race experience was getting stung by a bee while waiting for Fritz's family to finish their race. On the bright side though, I now know for sure that I'm not allergic to bees. (The last time I was stung was when I was a kid, and while I wasn't allergic then, allergies can develop over time.)

I had such a great time doing the Crim, that I'm already looking for another race to do. Right now I'm tentatively looking at the Quest for Breath 5K Run in October, but that will depend on what the job situation is at that time. Stay tuned...

2006-08-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Sad News

Most folks have heard this by now, but for those that haven't... Fritz and I have broken up. It was an amicable split, and we plan to remain friends. I think the world of him; he was my best friend as well as my boyfriend, so I very much hope that will be able to happen. The absolute worst thing I can imagine is us being "friends-in-name-only," exchanging pleasantries when we see each other at practices and events, but otherwise not interacting at all. I've never been able to maintain a friendship with my other ex-boyfriends, though admittedly, none were even remotely worth it. Fritz most definitely is. Hopefully we'll be able to break that cycle. He's loaning me some things to take to Pennsic, so I think that's a good sign.

I am doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances, very sad, but healing. I'm actually more addicted to cardio exercise than ever, the endorphins are VERY therapeutic.

2006-07-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

Neglected

Yeah, so, it's been a while since I updated the Shark Tank. I've been spending a lot of time on my Livejournal, and on Flickr, and have been neglecting my baby. That needs to change. A rundown on what I've been up to lately:

-I spent much of the week of the Fourth visiting my parents w/ Fritz, where we did some boating and jet-skiing, and hiking at Grass River Natural Area (photos to be posted to Flickr sometime soon), and Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes (photos here).

-The weekend after the Fourth, Fritz and I were at Siege of Talonvale, fencing a LOT, camping, and hanging out w/ friends.

-I've been fencing nearly every weekend, w/ the exception of the weekend before the Fourth. (Photos here. Okay, those were actually taken in June, but I have no fencing photos from July, so deal.;-)

That pretty much sums up July's highlights, so far. This weekend is a visit to Fritz's mom's, and fencing at Equestrian Emprise. Next weekend, Tyger Hunt. I'll try to be better about updating the Tank, even if it means just cross-posting Livejournal entries here.

2006-07-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

Quote for the Day: "In Mexico, we went to see some Mayan ruins. They call them "ruins" because that's what it does to your vacation when you take two children there when it's 105º."--Dr. Dave

(X-Posted to my Livejournal.)

2006-06-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

Beware the Hair!

The company for which I work sent out a severe weather alert via email earlier today. It included the following ominous warning:

The NWS Doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing up to one inch diameter hair and damaging winds up to 60 mph.

One inch diameter hair???

I've heard of storms that rained frogs, and storms that rained fish. Even storms that rained snakes. But I've never, ever, heard of a storm that rained DREADLOCKS.

Global warming sure is doing scary things to our weather patterns!

2006-06-09T14:46:00.000-07:00

Net Neutrality Rejected by the House

Via BBC Online...

US politicians have rejected attempts to enshrine the principle of net neutrality in legislation.
Some fear the decision will mean net providers start deciding on behalf of customers which websites and services they can visit and use.
...
The rejection of the principle of net neutrality came during a debate on the wide-ranging Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act (Cope Act).

Among other things, this aims to make it easier for telecoms firms to offer video services around America by replacing 30,000 local franchise boards with a national system overseen by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
...
An amendment to the Act tried to add clauses that would demand net service firms treat equally all the data passing through their cables.

The amendment was thought to be needed after the FCC ripped up its rules that guaranteed net neutrality.

During the debate House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, said that without the amendment "telecommunications and cable companies will be able to create toll lanes on the information superhighway".

"This strikes at the heart of the free and equal nature of the internet," she added.
...
Prior to the vote net firms worried about the effect of the amendment on their business lobbied hard in favour of the amendment. They fear their sites will become hard to reach or that they will be forced to pay to guarantee that they can get through to web users.
...
The amendment was defeated by 269 votes to 152 and the Cope Act was passed by 321-101 votes.

The debate over the issue now moves to the US Senate where the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will vote on its version of the act in late June. The debate in that chamber is also likely to centre on issues of net neutrality.

If you haven't already signed the Save the Internet petition, please do so soon, before the Senate votes on the COPE act. Calling or writing your Senators wouldn't hurt either.

While you're at it, why not contact AT&T and Verizon, and tell them what you think of their opposition to net neutrality. AT&T's corporate contact for Federal Regulatory/Legislative issues is Mike Balmoris, who can be contacted at michael.balmoris@att.com. Their contact for Corporate Issues is Larry Solomon, at larry.solomon@att.com, and for Consumer Issues, is Sue McCain, at smccain@attnews.us. (I'm nothing if not thorough!)

For Verizon, contact David Fish in Federal Regulatory/Legilative Issues at davis.m.fish@verizon.com, Jim Smith, Director of Products and Services at james.albert.smith@verizon.com, and Bobbi Henson, Director of Broadband and Internet Services at bobbi.henson@verizon.com.

Yes, it's slow at work, and I'm bored. So, I'm killing time by digging up the information you need to harrass corporate executives. Have fun!

2006-06-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

New Job

Congratulations, Fritz!:-)

2006-06-05T18:10:00.000-07:00

Birthday, Weekend

Friday was my 31st birthday, which is hard to believe since (it seems like) just yesterday I was posting about my 30th. Oh well. My 30th year was definitely eventful, it included a new job, new friends, a new boyfriend, the losses of a grandparent and two pets, new hobbies, and new adventures. Not necessarily in that order. Overall though, a good year. I look forward to seeing what my 31st year will bring.

Yes, but what did you DO for your birthday, you may be asking. Well, Friday night after work, Fritz presented me with my birthday presents, one of which would come in VERY handy that night (no it wasn't one of those kinds of presents; get your minds out of the gutter!). Actually, his first gift arrived with him Thursday night, a giant jar of my favorite Garden Fresh Gourmet salsa from Costco, which was timely since I'd finished off my previous supply a week earlier. Friday night he gave me a jar of wonderful raw honey from the Ypsi food co-op, a wooden pizza paddle (so we would never again have to relive the tragedy that occured a week earlier when we dropped one of the two pizzas we made face-down on the floor), and the Camelbak water bottle I'd been drooling over at REI the previous weekend. And two bars of Scharffen Berger chocolate. For dinner that night we made pizza, and thanks to the pizza paddle, both pizzas came out of the oven completely uninjured. We ate one of them, and saved the other for dinner the next day.

Saturday we headed out to the farmer's market, where I picked up fresh strawberries (yum!), zucchini, sweet onions, garlic, and asparagus. For lunch, we went to my favorite Middle-Eastern restaurant, Jerusalem Garden, where I had chicken shawarma and Turkish coffee. After lunch we stopped by Running Fit where I picked up a (badly needed) new pair of athletic shoes, then went hiking in Nichols Arboretum, the first time I'd been there. It's beautiful, and we had a great hike; I definitely want to go back. After hiking in the Arb, we headed to Bubble Island for cold bubble tea, the first time I'd ever had it. It was very tasty, and really hit the spot after our hike. For dinner that night we had the pizza we hadn't finished the night before, and just hung out and relaxed, because Fritz had another half-marathon to run the following morning.

Sunday morning we got up bright and early at 5:30 am so Fritz could run in the Dexter-Ann Arbor Run half marathon. The running conditions were almost perfect, and Fritz shaved 15 minutes off of his previous time from the Trail half-marathon. Congratulations, Fritz!:-)

It was a fun-looking event, and I think next year I'll enter it myself, not for the half-marathon, but perhaps the 10K run and fitness walk. Fritz suggested that since I want to do that next summer, I might be interested in entering the Crim later this summer. I'm seriously considering it. There's a 5K walk and an 8K walk, both of which I could easily do. I used to love competing in track and field in high school, and accompanying Fritz to his races has reminded me how much I miss it.

Sunday afternoon we went to the Cynnabar-Talonvale revel in Grass Lake, which was a good time. The park where it was held is beautiful, and I had a nice time hanging out and relaxing. During Court, the Baronness pointed out that Friday had been my birthday, and had everyone sing "Happy Birthday" to me. I'm sure I was blushing furiously, but it was fun!:-) That night Fritz and I made pasta for dinner, relaxed for a bit, and headed to bed a bit early. Overall, it was a pretty great weekend.

2006-06-01T17:55:00.001-07:00

Three Days, Three Parks

This past Memorial Weekend was very, very nice! For the first time in quite a while, the weather was actually nice for the unofficial start of summer. Saturday, Fritz and I went to the farmer's market in the morning, where I picked up flowers for my flower bed and hanging pots, and mint for making mint tea this summer. Early in the afternoon, we headed to Kensington Metropark to have a picnic and go rollerblading. We ate a light lunch, then rollerbladed the 8-mile hike/bike trail which winds around the lake. It was my first time on rollerblades this summer, and I felt those eight miles for the rest of the weekend! It was a LOT of fun though, and Kensington is a beautiful park. After rollerblading, we ate a little more, then waded in the lake for a bit to cool our feet. Later that night, we had homemade pizza for dinner; a nice summery artichoke, sundried tomato, and black olive pizza with five cheeses. Yummy!

Sunday was fencing practice, once again at Island Park in Ann Arbor. It was another beautiful day, but very hot, so we stuck to the shade for most of practice. Some of the other fighters brought food for snacking and cooking out, and some non-fighting SCAdians came out to work on projects and just hang out. That night Fritz and I grilled hamburgers for dinner, then went to see X-Men III. It was a good movie, definitely worth seeing. It wasn't quite as good as the first two movies, but it did the series justice.

Monday Fritz and I went for ice cream in Depot Town, then walked around Riverside Park for a while before stopping by his brother and sister-in-law's to drop off a present for his nephew. It was another beautiful day, but definitely the hottest of the weekend. We had a nice time on our walk, but were happy to return to the comfort of air conditioning afterwards. Fritz left early in the afternoon, and while I had planned to plant my flowers from the farmer's market in my flower bed after he left, I ended up parking my arse on the couch and watching a Deadliest Catch marathon on the Discovery Channel instead. By that time, I was exhausted from all the activity of the weekend, and couldn't get motivated to go back out in the heat. (I did get the planting done this week, though.)

It's interesting, this was my most active weekend in a while, but also my most relaxing. I'm realizing that it's easier for me to relax if I tire myself out with vigorous activity beforehand. Of course, the gorgeous scenery and great company didn't hurt either!

2006-06-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

2006-05-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Fritz and I went to Aethelmearc War Practice, where I was introduced to the Pennsic site, Pennsic crack, strange Eastern fencing rules, and camping in the rain. The Pennsic site is beautiful, and I can't wait to go back in August for the real thing. Pennsic crack (chocolate milk from a local dairy) is, IMHO, a tad overrated. It's quite good, don't get me wrong, but for something labelled "crack" for it's supposedly addictive qualities, I found it strangely...not. Fritz said it was better before they started pasteurizing it. I thought it was better with Bailey's. (Then again, what isn't?) Still, given my penchant for supporting local farmers, I'm sure I'll be buying it again. And mixing it w/ Bailey's. Or Kahlua.

Camping in the rain Friday night wasn't too bad. It wasn't raining when we set up the tent, though it started immediately after we finished. (Thank the powers-that-be for good timing!) We discovered that the tent did leak a tiny bit, but not enough to make things too miserable. Though it likely would have been, had we had sustained downpours. As it was, we had the occasional drop of water splash on our faces, and that was the worst of it.

Eastern fencing was a whole other ballgame. Apparently out there they have "light" fencing and "heavy" fencing. Heavy fencing is done with the standard schlager and rapier blades that we use in the Middle Kingdom, and is an advanced authorization for them. Light fencing is fought with light epee blades and foils, and is their standard auth because it is supposedly safer. Though, according to Deforest, one of the Cynnabar fencing marshalls, every study he's seen shows that epees and foils break off in a *point*, while schlagers and rapiers break *flat*. Hmmmm...methinks someone in the East didn't do their homework!

Fritz and I arrived too late to compete in the heavy fencing tournament, and weren't authorized or very well equipped to compete in the light tournament. We could have used our daggers, but it was a melee tournament to boot, and daggers are at a severe disadvantage as a primary weapon in melee situations. So, no fencing for us.

Originally, we were supposed to stay Saturday night as well, but since we didn't get any fencing in, and because all the people there that we knew were day-tripping and wouldn't be around that night, we came back early. We wanted to make it back for fencing practice on Sunday, and it was either leave Saturday night, or get up insanely early Sunday morning. We chose the former. So, we camped the night it rained, and left the night that the weather was nice. Oh well, at least we got to fence the next day!

Fencing at Island Park on Sunday was great! The site is gorgeous, the weather was perfect, and I got some good fencing in. It really is a perfect outdoor site; there are three bridges for practicing bridge battles, there are covered areas to stash gear and perhaps even fence under if it rains, and there's plenty of space for fencers and heavy fighters (not to be confused w/ heavy *fencers*, ugh) to practice. And picnic tables and grills, in case we want to have a picnic after practice. I'm so looking forward to practicing there all summer!

Overall, it was a pretty good weekend. It was nice to get away w/ Fritz for a night, the campground was beautiful, and it was good to get a tiny taste of what Pennsic will be like later this summer.

2006-05-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

Quote for the Day: "doesn't it feel like we are all playing in the last 30-minutes of a Monopoly game and none of us own any of the hotels?"--Pavel, courtesy of Digital Catharsis.

2006-05-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Fritz!!!

2006-05-04T16:42:00.000-07:00

Call me Buffy...

A word of advice for the ladies...when embarking on a soul search during a certain time of the month, it is wise to keep extra kleenex around. LOTS of kleenex. Hormones can really amplify the emotions liberated by confronting those personal demons.

At least, I think it was partially the hormones...but perhaps that's just the denial demon talking.

2006-04-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

Belated Midrealm Coronation post

This past Saturday Fritz and I went to Midrealm Coronation, and had a pretty great time.

There was fencing (yay, fencing!), but unfortunately I was too damn tired after not getting enough sleep the previous two nights to enjoy it much. I was quickly eliminated from the double-elimination tournament, and too exhausted to bother with the bear pit. But, I did earn my secondary authorization for sword and dagger (before the tournament), and got some good advice from a warder (during the tournament; she beat me then gave me advice, how cool is that?). So, fencing wasn't a complete bust. (And luckily my fatigue completely subsided by the time feast rolled around; more on that later.)

The event had a Turkish theme, as the new Queen has a Turkish persona, so the feast was Turkish themed as well. The entire menu can be found here, but the highlights included stuffed grape leaves, homemade cheese with flat bread, Turkish coffee, and many, many desserts (including a baklava-like dessert made with what tasted like almond paste, and marzipan fruit trees). Unfortunately, some poor souls got up and left before the final dessert, a homemade cherry sherbert served over shaved ice. Oh well, more for the rest of us!

Fittingly, Mistress Hauviette, the feastocrat, was made a Court Baronness by the King and Queen during the feast, in recognition of her accomplishments in period cooking. And before the feast, during court, Shawn, who was also involved in the feast (she made the cheese, among other things), was awarded an Evergreen. Unfortunately, we only stayed at court long enough to snap a few pics, before going outside to enjoy the weather. So, I missed seeing her receive the award.:-( Congratulations Shawn, you deserve it!

In keeping with the Turkish theme, during feast we were entertained by Middle Eastern dancers. They were all very good, but my absolute favorite performance was Baronness Hauviette's sword dance. I'd seen her perform this dance at least twice before, but it never ceases to amaze me! Fritz took some pictures of her dance which, along with a couple of court photos, can be found here. (I took many photos of the event as well; as soon as I get a chance, I'll post them.) An amazing cook, AND an amazing dancer, talk about a woman of many talents!

Overall, this was one of the best events I've been to. Congratulations again to Shawn and Baronness Hauviette for their respective honors!

2006-04-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

Quote for the Day: "A good motivation is what is needed: compassion without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their human rights and dignities. That we humans can help each other is one of our unique human capacities."--His Holiness the Dalai Lama

2006-04-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

Kate at The Accidental Hedonist responds to Wendy's spokesman Denny Lynch's claim that the company is non-partisan, despite the fact that 93% of their campaign contributions have gone to Republicans.

Dear Denny Lynch,

You can't sleep with half the lobbyists of K Street and still claim to be a virgin. Sorry.

Love,
Kate
...

Of course his remarks do answer a long standing question I had when I lived in Columbus (home of Wendy's International) -- I now know what they do with all the cow manure from their slaughtered cattle...They package it up and the Senior Vice President of Communications hands it out to the press.

Huzzah!

2006-04-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend was busy, but a lot of fun. Friday night Fritz and I watched the movie Saved, which was *very* good, I highly recommend seeing it if you haven't already!

Saturday was Terpsichore, which was great! At court, Fritz was presented with a special ceremonial sword commissioned especially for him in his position as Captain of Cynnabar's rapier guard. The sword is absolutely AMAZING, definitely a work of art! Also, I was presented with my Cynnabar tabard, which I earned when I completed my primary authorization at Clancy Day two weeks ago. Very exciting! I look forward to wearing it when I compete at Coronation in two weeks. Fritz had to leave before the ball to go to Anna and Adi's wedding rehearsal dinner, but I stayed and hung out with Kathy, Lavinia, Patrick, and others whom I hadn't seen much of lately. I had a wonderful time; I even danced a little. (Though sadly, not with Fritz. Not that night, anyway.)

Saturday was Adi and Anna's wedding, which was beautiful. Adi and Anna both looked amazing; Fritz was the best man, and looked incredibly handsome in his tuxedo! It was a Jewish wedding, the only one I've ever been to, and if this was a typical Jewish wedding, I'm definitely a fan! The ceremony was short but beautiful, and the reception was a lot of fun! One of the highlights was the chair dance; Anna and Adi each sat in chairs and were lifted high into the air by Fritz and a bunch of others while music played. Such fun!

Another highlight was the fencing. Yes, I said fencing! First Fritz fenced Shana, Adi's first fencing instructor from when he lived in California, outside on the grass. He looked incredible fencing in his tux, and the two of them were very entertaining, drawing quite a crowd! (Had I had more comfortable shoes on I would have joined them, but it wasn't meant to be.) Then, Adi and Shana fenced for a bit, teacher versus student. If memory serves, Shana won--no free wins for the groom!;-( And of course there was dancing; Fritz and I danced a few dances together, which was wonderful! It was a gorgeous wedding, one of the best I've ever attended; best wishes to Adi and Anna in their new life together!

Today I took the day off from work, to rest after my busy weekend. Fritz had a couple of final best man responsibilities to take care of, then he took me out to lunch at Zingerman's, my first time eating there! Their food is amazing! I had a #73 (scroll down to turkey sandwiches), a side of macaroni and cheese, fresh from the oven, and a mocha made with Scharffen-Berger chocolate! The sandwich was delicious, I'll be having the other half for dinner tonight, and the macaroni and cheese was INCREDIBLE! Seriously, the best mac-and-cheese I've ever had. The mocha was extremely tasty as well. Zingerman's is now definitely one of my favorite places to eat! After lunch, we walked around campus for a bit, enjoying the beautiful sunny day.

Overall it was a great weekend, spent with many of my favorite people! Now, off to get the other half of that sandwich...

2006-04-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

The British are coming! The British are...

Fencing Quote for the Day:

Office worker: Can you come in tomorrow, say, 6PM?
Intern: Naw, I got my fencing class.
Office worker: What?
Intern: You know, just in case the English attack again.

Courtesy of Overheard in the Office.com

2006-03-31T13:50:00.000-08:00

IT'S HERE!!!

My fencing gear arrived last night! *cue choir singing "Hallelujah"* No more loaner gear for me, I now have my very own brand-spanking-new fencing gear to play with. Of course I immediately tried it all on, and it fits quite well. The gorget does indeed overlap the chest protector quite nicely, so I shouldn't have problems getting hit on the tips of the collar-bones. I hung up the smiley-face tennis ball Fritz gave me for doing point-drills and practiced with the sword and dagger a bit. The sword is very light, and seems to have very good balance. Now I'm looking forward to Sunday's fencing practice even more than normal! And, I may have an opportunity to break my gear in tomorrow, as Fritz and I are going to our friend Adi's (co-ed) bachelor party, and he wants to do some fencing that night (hopefully BEFORE the alcohol starts flowing!).

Yay, fencing gear!

2006-03-30T18:15:00.000-08:00

Un. Be. Fucking. Lievable.

Via Eschaton, freed hostage Jill Carroll is the Right Wingnuts latest target. An excerpt from the Don Imus show:

MCGUIRK: She strikes me as the kind of woman who would wear one of those suicide vests. You know, walk into the — try and sneak into the Green Zone.

IMUS: Oh, no. No, no, no, no.

MCCORD: Just because she always appears in traditional Arab garb and wearing a burka.

MCGUIRK: Yeah, what’s with the head gear? Take it off. Let’s see.

…

MCCORD: Exactly. She cooked with them, lived with them.

IMUS: This is not helping.

MCGUIRK: She may be carrying Habib’s baby at this point.

…

IMUS: She could. It’s not like she was representing the insurgents or the terrorists or those people.

MCCORD: Well, there’s no evidence directly of that –

IMUS: Oh, gosh, you better shut up!
…

MCGUIRK: She’s like the Taliban Johnny or something.

*Sigh* I shouldn't be surprised by this, considering the Far Right's history of slinging the word traitor at decorated veterans. How ironic that the "compassionate conservatives" are labeling Carroll as a traitor for actively showing the compassion to which they pay mere lip-service.

2006-03-30T17:01:00.000-08:00

The Great Crepe Caper

I used to have a crepe pan. A nice, non-stick, T-Fal crepe pan I inherited from my grandmother. I should still have that crepe pan, except it seems to have mysteriously grown legs and run away. I haven't used it in a while, but I know where it was the last time I saw it, in my cupboard. It's no longer there, nor is it anywhere in my kitchen. And I've looked. Oh, have I looked. To my knowledge I haven't loaned it out to anyone, so it's absence is very suspicious indeed. Should you happen to see my crepe pan wandering the streets, or hiding in your cupboard, please send it back to me. I would very much like to have it back.

2006-03-27T15:27:00.000-08:00

Fencing Gear!

Today I placed an order for my very own set of fencing gear. I ordered a starter set (armor, mask, gloves, sword), along with a dagger, hood, gorget, and chest protector. The gorget is a new model they're carrying, designed specifically for fencers, with extra protection in front (the one pictured on the website is designed for heavy fighting, with extra protection on the back of the neck). I have no idea what it looks like, but hopefully it'll prevent me from suffering Danica's problem, getting hit between the chest protector and gorget, directly on the collarbones (owch!). They said they'd try to have the equipment out to me by the end of the week, just in time for this weekend's practice!

2006-03-26T18:42:00.000-08:00

This weekend was great! Friday I worked a much earlier shift than normal, and that night Fritz and I had dinner at his brother's house. It was a very relaxing evening; dinner was delicious, and we had fun visiting with his brother, sister-in-law, and little nephew.

Saturday we went to Clancy Day in Windsor. I got authorized to compete in single sword fencing, yay me! I can legally compete in tournaments now! And fence in the tournament I did. They ran two tournaments--one a round-robin format, the other a bear pit. Fritz and I fenced in both tournaments, and while neither of us won very much (Fritz won more than I did), we had a lot of fun, fencing quite a few people we'd never faced before. Also, one of the other fencers pointed out a mistake I'd been making, and gave me some advice on how to correct it. I took the advice, and did much better after that. All in all it was a good time. We left after the tournaments were over.

That night we went to a birthday party for one of Fritz's friends, whom I hadn't met before. It was a fun group of people and we had a nice time, though we didn't stay very late. We were both still tired from getting up early for the event and fencing much of the day.

Overall, it was a great weekend; I'm so excited about getting authorized, and can't wait to fence in more tournaments!

Watching: Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel
Reading: Phoenix by Steven Brust

2006-03-22T14:32:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Day: "New Rule: I don't need a bigger mega M&M. If I'm extra hungry for M&Ms, I'll go nuts and eat two."--George Carlin

2006-03-15T18:37:00.000-08:00

Via Amon-hen.com...

Quote for the Day: "Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."--Jamie Raskin, professor of law at Annapolis University

2006-03-15T15:07:00.000-08:00

Via Mistress Jess, The 23rd Qualm...

The 23rd Qualm (Written by a retired Methodist minister. )

Bush is my shepherd; I dwell in want.
He maketh logs to be cut down in national forests.
He leadeth trucks into the still wilderness.
He restoreth my fears.
He leadeth me in the paths of international disgrace, for his ego's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of pollution and war;
I will find no exit, for thou art in office.
Thy tax cuts for the rich and thy media control, they discomfort me.
Thou preparest an agenda of deception in the presence of thy religion.
Thou anointest my head with foreign oil.
My health insurance runneth out.
Surely megalomania and false patriotism shall follow me all the days of thy term;
And my jobless child shall dwell in my basement forever.

2006-03-15T02:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Ides of March! (Beware of men in togas carrying knives...)

2006-03-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of Fritz, it's the Tales of the Plush Cthulhu".

2006-03-07T17:00:00.000-08:00

Note to self: Add cranberry juice to the grocery list...

Guess who just realized, with four hours left in her shift, that she's developing a bladder infection? Guess who gets to spend the next four hours hoping it doesn't go from "hmmmm...that stings a wee bit" (yes I know, horrible pun, deal with it) to "OH MY GOD, IT FEELS LIKE BATTERY ACID" during that time? (I've had bladder infections progress that fast before, though my last one was considerably less aggressive.) And guess who gets to go to Urgent Care after she gets out of work at 9 pm? Yours truly. Fun. For. Me.

I'm taking bets on how long I'll have to wait to see a doc. How long do *I* think it will take? Well, I'm stopping by my apartment to get a book. I'm thinking Don Quixote.

2006-02-24T16:40:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Day: "Seriously, if you’re going to be putting that many calories into your body shouldn’t it at least taste like a chocolate cake?"--Dooce, lamenting the sheer volume of (icky tasting) beer it takes to generate a buzz.

2006-02-21T19:35:00.000-08:00

A group of religious zealots who've been holding anti-gay protests at military funerals appears to have met their match, a group of patriotic bikers who follow them to the funerals attempting to shield the soldiers' grieving families from the heartless fanatics.

FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (AP) -- Wearing vests covered in military patches, a band of motorcyclists rolls around the country from one soldier's funeral to another, cheering respectfully to overshadow jeers from church protesters.

They call themselves the Patriot Guard Riders, and they are more than 5,000 strong, forming to counter anti-gay protests held by the Rev. Fred Phelps at military funerals.

Phelps believes American deaths in Iraq are divine punishment for a country that he says harbors homosexuals. His protesters carry signs thanking God for so-called IEDs -- explosives that are a major killer of soldiers in Iraq.

The bikers shield the families of dead soldiers from the protesters, and overshadow the jeers with patriotic chants and a sea of red, white and blue flags.

"The most important thing we can do is let families know that the nation cares," said Don Woodrick, the group's Kentucky captain. "When a total stranger gets on a motorcycle in the middle of winter and drives 300 miles to hold a flag, that makes a powerful statement."

I may not be Christian, but I think it's safe to say that if you think "causing grieving families even more pain" is an acceptable answer to the ubiquitous "WWJD?" question, you need to read the Bible again.

2006-02-16T18:05:00.000-08:00

I've been touched by His Noodly Appendage

I think it is important to inform you all that I have had a religious epiphany, and am giving up Buddhism to join the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. I realize this will come as a shock to many of you, but I want to be open and honest, I do not want to hide my faith from those I care about. Why such a sudden change of heart? Overwhelming evidence that the world was created by the Flying Spaghetti Monster has recently come to my attention. This evidence is concrete, and cannot be denied. I am not alone, there are currently over 10 million Flying Spaghetti Monster devotees. Most of them are very secretive, as our beliefs have been mocked as superstition and fantasy. I do believe I saw several at Val Day this past weekend, however, dressed in their pirate regalia as decreed by Him.

Many of you may not see much of me in the coming days and weeks, as I have decided to spend much of my free time spreading His word, and campaigning for the Flying Spaghetti Monster Creation theory to be taught in public schools, alongside Evolution and (where applicable) Intelligent Design. I highly encourage all of you to join me in my journey; the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is truly a welcoming and wonderful place. Why else should you join the Church of the FSM? Consider these wise words from their website...

WHY YOU SHOULD CONVERT TO FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTERISM

-Flimsy moral standards.
-Every friday is a relgious holiday. If your work/school objects to that, demand your religious beliefs are respected and threaten to call the ACLU.
-Our heaven is WAY better. We've got a Stripper Factory AND a Beer Volcano.

What more can you ask for? Please, join the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster today, and you too can be touched by His Noodly Appendage!

2006-02-09T16:00:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Day: "All I have to say this morning is this... there should be a special Circle of Hell reserved for people who, in life, made a habit of walking away from paper-jammed photocopiers, leaving someone else to deal with the damage."--Doctor Dave

Amen Doctor. And might I add...talking in the theatre. Don't forget the people who talk in the theatre. Uncivilized bastards.

2006-01-30T17:18:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was wonderful. Friday night after work I got to cuddle w/ Fritz while watching Battlestar Galactica. Saturday we went tuxedo shopping with Adi and Anna (Fritz is going to be the Best Man at their wedding). After tuxedo shopping we went out to dinner at a wonderful Thai restaurant; we ordered four different dishes to share, all of which were VERY good! After dinner we headed back to Adi and Anna's where we hung out and chatted for a bit while having coffee and brownies (YUM!), then watched Sex, Lies, and Videotape. I was the only one who'd seen it before, and we all quite enjoyed it.

On Sunday was the Cynnabar Grande Tourney, where the Monthly tourney champions from 2005 fought it out to crown the Yearly champion. It consisted of three tournaments with different formats, with the highest point-winner from all three being crowned champion. The January 2006 Monthly tournament was also held, once the Yearly tournament was almost over. Fritz fought in both the Yearly and Monthly tournaments, doing quite well in the Yearly, and then winning the Monthly tournament. Congratulations, Love!:-)

Quote for the Day: "Is this a sword fight or an oil painting?"--Deanna, on a slow-starting fencing bout at the Cynnabar Grande Tourney yesterday.

2006-01-26T17:15:00.000-08:00

Found in Translation

What President Bush said in his press conference today, in response to a question about him circumventing the FISA law in authorizing domestic surveillance by the NSA:

Secondly, the FISA law was written in 1978. We're having this discussion in 2006. It's a different world. And FISA is still an important tool. It's an important tool. And we still use that tool. But also -- and we -- look -- I said, look, is it possible to conduct this program under the old law? And people said, it doesn't work in order to be able to do the job we expect us to do.

If you change a few words in that statement, I think it offers a pretty accurate idea of his attitude toward the Constitution:

Secondly, the Constitution was written in 1787. We're having this discussion in 2006. It's a different world. And the Constitution is still an important tool. It's an important tool. And we still use that tool. But also -- and we -- look -- I said, look, is it possible to conduct this program under the Constitution? And people said, it doesn't work in order to be able to do the job we expect us to do.

Thoughts?

2006-01-20T18:15:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Day: "Some people are like Slinkies: not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs."--Overheardintheoffice.com

2006-01-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Day: "It feels like such hypocrisy as a parent — we tell Leta not to walk around with a carrot sticking out of her mouth because she might fall and choke on it, but it’s okay to hurl our bodies down a 10,000 foot precipice lined with trees."--Dooce

Thought for the Day: Throwing up sucks. Having to go to work two hours after throwing up because they're already short-handed and, well, you're no longer throwing up, also sucks. That's my day in a nutshell.

2006-01-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

I will not eat them Sam I am...

Researchers in Taiwan have bred fluorescent green pigs. Now there's a sentence I never thought I say.

By injecting fluorescent green protein into embryonic pigs, a research team at the island's leading National Taiwan University managed to breed three male transgenic pigs, said professor Wu Shinn-Chih of the university's Institute and Department of Animal Science and Technology.

"There are partially fluorescent green pigs elsewhere, but ours are the only ones in the world that are green from inside out. Even their hearts and internal organs are green," Wu said on Thursday.

Insert obligatory Dr. Seuss joke here.

The transgenic pigs, commonly used to study human diseases, would help researchers monitor and trace changes of the tissues during the physical development, Wu said.

Well, now we have an idea of what Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy's offspring might look like...

2006-01-13T17:44:00.000-08:00

Quotes for the Day: "My initial impression is that it looked like the heart of a dragon. Then reality set in, and I thought "No no. That'd be silly. A dragon's heart would look like a muscle. Then reality really set in when I remembered that dragons don't actually exist. Such are the conversations that go on in my head."--The Accidental Hedonist

"If your starving, yet won't eat a potato until someone sticks a gun to your head, I think it's safe to say you have issues."--once again, The Accidental Hedonist

2005-12-28T20:05:00.000-08:00

If vampires are your thing, there are a couple of movies coming out soon you might want to check out...

Underworld Evolution

Night Watch

2005-12-22T16:05:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Day: "This time of year one should use the traditional greeting, Io, Saturnalia!, rather than the PC 'Happy Holidays' or 'Seasons’s Greetings' — It’s about time we start celebrating this time of year in a more traditional way."--Amon-hen.com

2005-12-19T21:25:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Day: "Every time you say 'Happy Holidays,' an angel gets AIDS,"--Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

2005-12-19T18:05:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was VERY busy, but so much fun! Saturday Fritz took me out to lunch at Mediterrano. SO GOOD!!! I got Chicken Jerusalem, which was amazing...two chicken breasts with artichokes, mushrooms, and a garlic cream sauce with a side of vegetables served over basmati rice. Yummy! I'm heating up the leftovers for my dinner as I type. After lunch he accompanied me Christmas shopping, and was nice enough to carry the heavy electric roaster I got for my mom. What a sweetie! That night we went to Adi and Anna's open house in Livonia, which was SUCH a great time! Anna is a wonderful cook, and served the best spinach pie I've ever had, rich with feta cheese and pine nuts. YUM! For dessert...creme brulee. MORE YUM!!! (How lucky am I to have so many friends who are great cooks?) Adi and Anna were gracious hosts, and we had a LOT of fun! (Bonus: I got kissed under the mistletoe for the first time EVER...by Fritz! Ah...SO wonderful!:-)

Sunday was fencing practice. It was the monthly tourney, and the format was the Valhalla Circle of Death. (Woooooo...ominous!) I rarely lasted long before getting killed, but did manage to take out a couple of people, including Fritz! How many girls get to say that they killed their boyfriend in the Valhalla Circle of Death? I left fencing a little early to go visit my grandma, which was a *very* nice time. Then, Lavinia and Fritz came over later that evening and hung out for a while. A lot to pack into one weekend, but it was all a LOT of fun, just what I needed!

2005-12-14T17:46:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Day: "I can't be sure, but I strongly suspect that today, somewhere deep beneath the streets of Manhattan, lurks a "Curiously Minty Rat"."--Doctor Dave

2005-12-13T00:10:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was FABULOUS! The open house on Saturday went really well. There was a good turnout, and we found out that we were getting paid to be there after all, which was great. (We were under the impression they would be sticking us with flex time instead, which would've been REALLY annoying.)

Saturday night I went over to Lavinia's and hung out with her and her 13-year-old step-sister. Lavinia got the idea to try "dog-sledding" (and I use this term loosely) on a plastic sled behind her two dobermans. Our attempts were, um, amusing. I can only imagine what one of her neighbors must've been thinking as they drove by. We then watched the first Harry Potter film, and Lavinia taught me how to play chess. I lost, but managed to take out a bunch of her pieces. Good times.

Sunday I went to fencing practice, which was a blast. I now look like I was beaten, but it was worth it. After fencing I spent a VERY pleasant evening hanging out with Fritz, which was the BEST part of the entire weekend!

2005-12-12T16:55:00.000-08:00

For Shawn...

Quote for the Day: "If I called the doctor do you think he would change these pills from anti-biotics to anti-psychotics?"--The Food Whore

2005-12-12T14:45:00.000-08:00

My supervisor forwarded me the following email today which beautifully sums up how I (and I suspect many of you) feel about those stupid chain emails, scams, and "informational" emails that for some reason seem to get passed around to infinity. Freakin' hilarious!

To all my friends,

As the holidays approach, my heartfelt appreciation goes out to all of you who have taken the time and trouble to send me "forwards" over the past 12 months. Thank you for making me feel safe, secure, blessed, and wealthy.

Extra thanks to whoever sent me the one about rat crap in the glue on envelopes 'cause I now have to go get a wet towel every time I need to seal an envelope.

Also, I scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason. Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put "Under God" on their cans.

I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone might drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from nor send packages by UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore, and Uzbekistan.

I no longer eat KFC because their "chickens" are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer have any sneakers -- but that will change once I receive my free replacement pair from Nike.

I no longer have to buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

I no longer worry about my soul because at last count I have 363,214 angels looking out for me.

Thanks to you, I have learned that God only answers my prayers if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl who is about to die in the hospital (for the 1,387,258th time).

I no longer have any money at all - but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special email program.

Yes, I want to thank you so much for looking out for me that I will now return the favor!

If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 7 minutes, a large pigeon with a wicked case of diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 PM (CDT) this afternoon.

I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next-door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician.

Happy Holidays!

2005-12-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

Just Eleven Days...

...until Serenity comes out on DVD! You can pre-order it from Amazon.com for $16.98. I saw it twice in the theater, but still can't wait to get it on DVD!

2005-12-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

You're a Riesling!
You're a refreshing white wine. Hailing from
Germany, your high acidity balances out your
sugars and act as a preservative. In fact the
oldest tasted wine was a Riesling from 1540,
tasted in 1961 and still in drinkable
condition. You're floral and fruity and are
perfect for sipping on a summer's day. You're a
real sweetie and go well with rich foods.

What Type of Wine Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

2005-12-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Day: "Nothing like mixing it up with medieval implements of DOOM."--the Baklava Queen, on my new interest in fencing.

Yeah, poking people with long, pointy objects is fun. And the scenery doesn't hurt either.

2005-12-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

In case anyone's interested, Starbuck's Chai Eggnog Latte ROCKS! (As does their Gingerbread Latte. And their Peppermint Mocha. Such a great time of year to be a Starbuck's customer!) Yay, caffeine! Happy now.

Yay, my second P.T. client showed up! On time! (Early, actually.)

BIG Yay, I get to go into work 2 hours late today! (Because of the open house tomorrow.)

Maybe I'll get some reading done, that Bryson book's been calling to me.

2005-12-09T08:56:00.000-08:00

Public Services Announcement

NEVER just ASSUME that your personal training appointment is automatically cancelled because the weather is bad. Especially if I'm your personal trainer. I grew up in the snow belt of Michigan and I have a Subaru w/ all-wheel-drive, so 4-8 inches of snow isn't THAT big a deal to me. If you are not going to come to your appointment b/c of the weather, or ANY reason, pick up a phone!

I could still be home sleeping, damnit!

2005-12-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

This Saturday the plant where I work is having an open house, which I have to be at, for a good chunk of my Saturday. I could be starting my holiday shopping, or baking, or both. But no, instead I get to sit at a table handing out health info and giving blood pressure screenings for SIX BLOODY HOURS. Fun. For. Me. It was originally supposed to be Sunday, until they moved it up a day. Which they just informed us of last week. So we got to call all the vendors we had lined up for this Sunday, and ask if they could come a day EARLIER instead. Nice.

Initially I was REALLY annoyed at the date change, until I realized that having the open house on Saturday means I can go to fencing practice Sunday. At least something good came out of it, but I'd rather not have to do it at all. Who schedules an open house in December, during the heart of the holiday season? Don't they know people have a ton of other things to do this time of year? This isn't a mandatory thing for the plant employees to come to, so who knows how many will actually show up. Most of the fitness center members we've asked have said they're not coming. If that trend is typical of the entire plant, we're going to be a VERY bored bunch. Luckily my boss and coworker will be there too, so we can be bored together.

Maybe I'll try to recruit some people to go see Narnia that night so Saturday won't be a complete bust.

2005-12-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

Emergency Naptime Procedures Implemented!

Courtesy of Fritz, it's Serenity Hand Puppet Theater. Goram hilarious!

2005-12-06T16:46:00.000-08:00

My new bed RULES! It's SO comfortable, the perfect firmness for me, exactly what I'd pick out in a store. Except I didn't pick it out in a store. One of my former co-workers emailed me a few weeks ago saying she and her husband were upgrading their bed to a king, moving their queen to the guest room, and needed to find a home for the full mattress and box springs that previously occupied the guest room. (The frame they were keeping.) She remembered that I was still sleeping on a twin and not at all happy about it, and offered to sell me the set and deliver it for $75, all I would have to do is find a frame. (Yes, I know, 30 years old and still sleeping on a twin, how sad. Luckily I've had a futon in the living room for the rare occasion I need extra sleeping space for a, er, friend.)

As luck would have it, my parents had an old full-size frame in the attic which used to be in our guest room, before my mom comandeered it for her art studio (the guest room that is). How perfect is that?!?! I brought the frame back with me from my trip home Thanksgiving weekend, and this past Saturday the mattress and box springs were delivered. The set is practically new, they had bought it two years ago when they moved into their new house, and it had only been slept on by their two little nieces.

So, I paid a total of $75 for the bed, and promptly went out and spent almost $200 on bedding. Hey, I've been sleeping on a twin for most of my life, now I have a REAL bed, so I'm going all out! Beautiful brocade Indian-inspired quilt with matching pillow shams and toss pillow, 250-thread-count sheets, the works. Now I just need new art to match! (That will have to wait, I'm not made of money.) And of course now that I have all this SPACE, where does my cat sleep? Right on top of ME, just as before. It's a good thing she's cute. And as I stated before, it's incredibly comfortable; I've had a hard time dragging myself out of it the last several days.

Now, if I can just find someone to occupy that extra space...

2005-12-05T09:25:00.000-08:00

Stood up...

...AGAIN! I could still be at home, sleeping in my brand new, incredibly comfortable bed. Instead I dragged myself out of bed and ventured out into the winter cold for nothing. It's called a phone people, try using it sometime.

Off to get some badly needed coffee!

Clarification: I just realized I didn't make it clear that I was stood up by a personal training client. Told you I needed coffee!

2005-12-04T19:10:00.000-08:00

I fenced for the first time today. It was a LOT of fun and the people are really cool, so I'll definitely be going back. My arm is already a bit sore, and I'm sure I'll have some bruises in wierd places, but it's totally worth it. Now I'll have to actually officially join the SCA, so I can fence at events once I've gotten more practice under my belt.

Listening to: Korn
Watching: Vampire Hunter D
Reading: (still) A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson and The Fall of Atlantis by Marian Zimmer-Bradley

2005-12-02T22:20:00.000-08:00

How reassuring it is to walk into my job at an AUTO PLANT and see empty Smirnoff, Jagermeister, and Schnapps bottles littering the parking lot. Makes me really glad I work in the fitness center, not down on the factory floor where apparently drunk people are working with heavy machinery and welding torches, driving hi-lows, etc. (Though I DO occasionally have to go down there to put up promotional flyers.) As I was saying yesterday, it's no wonder the American auto companies are going down the tubes.

On a stranger note, today I also saw a nearly full, completely curdled, gallon-jug of milk in the parking lot. (Eeeeewww! And, what the f**k?)

2005-12-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

AAAAAaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

Stupid...indecisive...incompetent...boneheads! I'm starting to see why the Big Three are hemorrhaging money.

This is why I get paid the big bucks! Oh, wait...

2005-11-29T18:11:00.000-08:00

Movie Overload

My gods, there are a LOT of movies out that actually look good this holiday season. There are usually one or two, maybe three, but this year there are at least EIGHT movies coming out that I really want to see. I'm gonna have to do some serious prioritizing as to what I want to see in the theater, and what'll be relegated to Netflix, or it'll cost me a fortune. The movies that I want to see include:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Aeon Flux
King Kong
Goodnight and Good Luck
Syriana
Rent
Memoirs of a Geisha (which is apparently quite the controversy in Japan)

Update: Oops, make that nine, almost forgot Pride and Prejudice.

2005-11-29T18:10:00.000-08:00

Only a few days late, the things I was thankful for this past Thanksgiving:

My new job (which I love, hi M. and J.!)
All the new friends I've made this year
Old friends
My family
The good memories I will always have of the loved ones I lost this year.

2005-11-27T22:53:00.000-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving I was supposed to go up north to see my family. Mother Nature had other ideas; while the weather in this area wasn't supposed to be too bad, my parents' place was predicted to get dumped on (which is what happened). Wednesday afternoon Shawn invited me to have Thanksgiving at her place, in leiu of risking my life driving through a blizzard for turkey and pie. I happily accepted the offer, and decided to drive up to see my family on Friday, when the weather was supposed to be better.

This was the first Thanksgiving I didn't spend with my family, but I had loads of fun. We watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and O' Brother, Where Art Thou (sadly, Chuck wasn't there, so no tentacle porn) and played Apples to Apples (which I suck at). And since Shawn was cooking, it goes without saying that there was a TON of great food! Appetizers included shrimp, vegetable gyoza, cheese, crackers, grapes, candied ginger and orange peel. For dinner there was white bean and arugula soup, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, candied sweet potatoes, peas, corn, biscuits, cranberry sauce, and green bean casserole. (And she dropped the lima beans with bacon, or there would have been that too.) For dessert, homemade pumpkin pie (courtesy of Trish, I believe), homemade whipped cream, candied oranges, pumpkin bread, banana bread (courtesy of Beagle), ginger cookies, and chocolate ganache balls (made from Scharffen Berger chocolate). All in all, a fun Thanksgiving with great friends and amazing food! And I still got to go up north Friday for leftovers with my family (there were plenty, my mom got a 17 lb. turkey).

2005-11-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Day:
"Let us rise up and be thankful,
for if we didn’t learn a lot today,
at least we learned a little,
and if we didn’t learn a little,
at least we didn’t get sick,
and if we got sick,
at least we didn’t die;
so, let us be thankful."--The Buddha

Happy Thanksgiving!