Karebear Central

Okay, that was my little bit of encouragement for the Packers today.  I am not a sports fan.  I think living 2 miles away from Lambeau field really did it for me.  On home game days, what I remember about being younger was you really couldn’t get anywhere 2-3 hours before the game and 2 hours after the game because of the traffic.  You know those are the times that I really didn’t want to be home or wherever I was.  But I do have to say I hope they win today, they are a good team with great fans.  I am so sick of hearing about the Packers because everywhere you turn here, someone is talking about them, dressed as them, or looking at something green and yellow.  Maybe the town is where I get my obsessive personality from.  I just deflect it away from the Packers and onto other things. 

So in honor of the Packers today, I will not watch the game (they always lose when I watch).  My best and I are going to watch a movie or go to a movie.  I figure the theaters will be empty!

Go PACK Go!

It has taken me about a week, but I think I am finally done cleaning the master bedroom.  Its hard when you work 50 hours a week and when you come home you just want to relax.  And our room was not looking good.  We had probably a whole cat under our bed (in hair).  It made me realize I need to clean more.  (Note:  Satin sheets are great, but they slip the pillows and blankets all over the place.  The one nice thing is cat hair does not stick to them, the hair just floats to the floor!)  I was finding I did not have places to put everything.  I need more dresser top space.  But its not like I am going to go out get popup tv lifts to move the TV from the dresser.  I need more bookshelves or a better way to display our books.  I think I’m running out of space in our new house and we have only been here about a year and a half.   Plus, this is without kids!  I need to go through our stuff again and see what we really need and what we get rid of.  Winter cleaning—gotta love it!

I never want to eat at Fast food again.  If you want to start a diet, watch “Super-size me.”  This guy, Morgan, eats McDonald’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner for 30 days straight.  Why, may you ask?  Too see if there really is truth to the lawsuits that are suing the fast food for obesity, to see if it can be proven to cause harm.  Morgan does it right, but going to 3 different doctors–a cardiologist, a gastroenterologist and an internal medicine doctor.  The doctors run test for to see just how healthy Morgan is.  He is in tip-top shape with low cholesterol, low BMI, and only 185.   The doctors do not expect much to happen to him except for higher cholesterol and triglycerides.  They do not think anything bad will happen to him.

After 30 days, he has gained over 25 pounds which took him almost a year to lose.  About 21 days into the documentary, his doctors tell him he should stop before he causes permanent damage.  All from eating McDonald’s for every meal.

Its kind of interesting the rules that are set up.  He can only super-size when asked, he has to try everything on the menu at least once, and he can only consume things that are sold at McDonald’s (i.e. bottled water.)  His doctor at one point tells him to take some aspirin, but Morgan does not want to because it is not sold at McDonald’s. 

This is a good documentary.  It kept my attention for the full 1 hour and 39 minutes.  It is interesting to see what fast food can really do your body.  I did read “Fast Food Nation” a couple of years ago and it did keep me away from eating it for awhile. But after seeing this movie, I do not want to put that food in my body for a long time.  I think partly, the movie accomplished what it wanted to.  To make people aware of the dangers of eating fast food.

I’ve been asked to try these Grey Poupon Mustards and give an honest review.  To start off with, I don’t like mustard.   I just do not like the smell of it and I think that is what deters me from liking it.  But my husband loves it and because he thinks so highly of it, I decided to even taste these mustards.  But I was going to do it my way, on something I love. 

Andy made us panini’s.  First, he took two chicken breasts and covered one with Grey Poupon Hearty spicy brown and one with Harvest coarse ground.  I went for the spicy one because I am a risk taker! First he cooked the chicken on the stove for about 5 minutes
 until cooked.  With the Hearty Spicy Brown, be careful spreading on too much because a little goes a long way.  And don’t worry if a little comes off on the pan too.  Next, he spread the mustard on the ciabatta bread (perfect bread for any panini).    After that, he put it on his panini maker for about 10 minutes and voila–down.  We made some tater tots for the side.  Andy loved the mustard.  We are going shopping tomorrow to buy pretzels because he thinks these will be great for dipping.  I thought it was okay, but Andy said we should pick some up at the store once we run out.  I know Andy will make this for himself again.  He ended up eating half my sandwich because the mustard he spread was a little thick for my taste, and he enjoyed both. 

Do you want to sit down to a good book and cry?  That’s what I did last night.  I poured myself a drink and delved right into “P.S. I Love You” by Cecelia Ahern.  Right now, there is a movie out based on this book.  I originally wanted to the see the movie, but I figured I may want to read the book to really love it.  (Case in Point:  “A Walk to Remember” by Nicholas Sparks, much better book than movie.  I did like the movie, but the book more) 

This is a story of Holly and Gerry, a married young couple who learn devastating news.  Gerry has a brain tumor and is not going to make it.  The book opens with Holly, alone a couple months after Gerry’s death.  She is barely functioning without her soul-mate.   The author makes you feel what Holly feels, the loneliness, the anger, the regret. 

But one day, she gets a call from her mother saying there is a package that came for her at her parents house.  There is a note on the box that says “The List.”  Years before, Gerry and Holly had jokingly made up a list of things that Holly would need to live if he were to be gone.  Like “Get a bedside lamp” or “Never wear an expensive white dress.”  She rushes to her parents and finds that for each month until the end of the year, Gerry has left her a note for each month of tasks she must perform. 

You laugh with Holly on her 30th birthday party, you cry with her on her first Xmas without Gerry, you get angry with her at all the people who judge her.  I love a book I am just transported into.  It is a long book, about 470 pages.  But if you like a good book and don’t mind a bit of a cry, this book is for you.  Now I am just waiting for the movie to go into budget so I can compare. 

I was reading an article yesterday on MSN.com about a Polish man who went to a brothel.  The amazing thing is, he ran into his wife, of like 30 some years or something like that, there.  She was working.  She had lied to him and told him she had a part-time job at a store.  Needless to say, they are divorcing.  But the article didn’t say who was divorcing who?  They were both in the wrong.  I think, though, its the guy who is filing.  What do you think? 

  The one thing I like about being an adult is if I want to try something I can.  I walked by this bottle of Opici Bianco wine at least 10 times in the past year.  Everytime I thought, that’s an interesting bottle.  Finally, I worked up the courage to try the wine.  It also helped that it was only $10.00.  I didn’t even know if I liked Bianco, but I figured I would give it a try.   Andy warned me that usually the cool bottles are a sign that the wine is not so good.  In this case, he was so wrong.  I actually really liked this wine.  It had a nice smooth taste.  It went really well with the chicken we had that night.  It wasn’t too sweet, which is one thing I always worry about in wines.  It wasn’t too dry either.  

Plus, the bottle looks cool.  I felt kind of bad for not having fish that night, but I figured we only had fishsticks and probably wouldn’t have went well with that! 

I really enjoy being able to find wine under $20.00 that I like.  Hmm, I look forward to trying more! 

Yesterday at work, they gave us 24 in. computer screens, which makes me realize that I need to find my reading glasses or get new ones.  I know how expensive glasses can be, especially at the store.  Last time when Andy got glasses and prescription sunglasses, he spent over $400.  I think that Great Discovery: www.ZenniOptical.com is a good site to visit to find glasses for a good price.  You order directly from them, the manufacturer.  They have a huge selection of frames, sunglasses, etc.  It seems like anything you want in glasses, they have. 

This movie reminded me so much of “Now and Then”.  Four girls growing up and growing apart, but still realizing that they need one another.  It is a great movie for teenagers growing up.  It is a chic flick.  Just to warn any guys that would ever have the guts to come near.  It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me happy.  All the things you want to happy in a chic flick.  Watching Lena grow from a shy timid girl, to an open woman, was liberating.  To watch Bridget learn she needed to be sad, was very sad.   Being there when Carmen told her dad how she really felt, was so gut wrenching.  Being with Tibby saying goodbye to Bailey was also sad.  You know those times when you need a movie where you cry, this is one.  It ends happily, but the middle is like real life–its sucks sometimes.  I look forward to long awaited sequel!

The weather lately has had everyone so down and gloomy.  It makes me want to get away.   Andy and I were discussing what our next trip was going to be.  He wants to do a royal caribbean cruise, but I’m not sure.  One, I get seasick.  Two, I want to have some friends come along.  I mean, I love my husband, but we’ve been on enough trips alone now, I would like to share with more people.  Andy says the ships are so big I shouldn’t have a problem with seasickness.  I think I would enjoy a cruise.   I suppose maybe we could look into it.