Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Italian....

Last night was Italian. Real Italian. The extent of Italian for us is spaghetti, pizza, Italian bread, and Italian ice. We used my Christmas gift cards. Derek, the waiter, did his best to describe the items on the menu. Blaine chose Chicken Bryon. Or was that Byron. I had Chicken Parmasan. He had the mashed potatos. (not that Italian) and pasta fazool. I had the zucchini and ceasar salad.

Derek brought over the bread and a plate of herbs and garlic. He could tell we were Italian newbies. He mixed the herbs with olive oil and said people dip the bread in it and that it was delicious. Blaine immediately asked if they had butter. Derek brought butter too. After I mixed the oil and garlic herbs together, I spread it on the bread rather than 'dip'. It was tasty. Derek preferred to go to a nearby table and flirt with a girl eating tiramisu. No not eating, toying with. It got boxed up.
The food was delicious. We had a $ amount left on the cards for a future dessert.

We walked down the line to Dairy Queen for dessert this time. Someone strapped up a plaster cupid with red ribbons from a shelf to decorate for Valentine's Day. It looked like a cherub on a witch's broom. The red ribbon had been looped under the arms and around the wings. Very awkward. Then next door to the CVS for mints to counteract the
breath as we were going to the Italian opera, Barber of Seville.

We got there early as it started at 8:00. OH MY! This must have been the social highlight for all people over the age of ....oh let's say 70. We were shameless. We stood on the balcony and played 'who has natural hair colors'. No one. The men....bald. Numerous canes, walkers, and they made a "dash" for the elevator. I wore what I wore to school, my jeans. I bet Blaine a dollar that no one else would be wearing jeans. EVENTUALLY he found 1 person. I had to pay. Then I bet him double that there wouldn't be another. I won my money back.

We had excellent seats. The
mezzanine level has a perfect view. They had the translation projected above the stage. Good thing. It must have been first night because there were paper falling, the backdrop swinging from side to side when someone backstage must have bumped into it, and the singer backing up and almost tripping over.

There is never enough leg room and after being up since 5 am, I got sleepy by 10:00pm. We got home after 10:30pm. We had a great time. Wish you were here. And I had leftover food for lunch the next day.


Sunday, January 22, 2006

Yahoo Animals



I think it's amazing that for this minute the Yahoo News Photos were all of animals, (except for one of a Miss America Pagent contestant in a swimsuit)
There's the 2 different colors eyed cat , the cyclops kitten , the mouse and snake as friends , a sticky fingered tarsier eyeing a cricket , and mating pandas.

The cyclops kitten photo can't be real. The caption states it lived one day. Kitten are not born with their eyes open.

Saturday, January 14, 2006

That was Easy



When we were in NYC visiting NinJa, I bought an 'Easy' button at Staples. We don't have Staple in SoFla. Poke the button.....That was Easy.....and soon you are convincing yourself it really WAS easy. Load the dishwasher....that was easy. Pack the lunch...that was easy.

Now I need MORE Easy buttons. I need one at school in the Media Center. I need to recode all the Easy Dewey’s and paperbacks because inventory is coming and if they have the wrong label it's going to mess up the whole thing. I need that button. I'm 1/3 the way through the ED with the reclassification, but then it's a perfect time to weed those awful books from the 70's and 80's. Even found several in the 60's. When you weed then you have to discard. Pull of the barcodes, stamp them, then sneak them into the trash bins so teachers won't paw through them and wonder why I'm throwing away those ' perfectly good books'.

I'm weeding them because the kids won't check them out. They're very unattractive and seems like they must have ordered 5-6 copies of each one too. I'm getting new books in and there is no room on the ED shelves to put them because the shelves are packed.

I need the Easy button.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Self + Improvement



I read in Reader's Digest that 'Naturally Slim' people do movements that use calories here and there that will add up to pounds lost over a year's time.

One of these was to stand on one foot and balance while you brush your teeth every day. It might also be good for the brain.

I learned that it's not easy to lean over so that the toothpaste goes in the sink while you're balancing. And it doesn't work well in flip flops. I am getting better at it though.

Another skill I'm working on is whistling. If you don't practice, you can lose the ability to hit as many notes. Now everyday in the car on the way to work, I practice. I start with Happy Birthday, then the Marine's Hymn, then the Lonely Goatherd. Some days are easier. On the way home I'll try higher notes.

It's these little skills that gradually fade till one day you're surprised that you can't do them very well or even do them at all.

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Rose Parade


The Rose Parade is on Monday this year, a day after New Year. I understand there is a tradition of never having the parade on Sunday, but I don't ever remember not having it on New Year's Day.

I enjoy the parade, but I'm going to be at work. Our school workday was abolished to make up for days lost to hurricane Wilma. I'm betting viewership will be WAY down because of it being a Monday parade.

I heard they are trying to update the format of the parade to entice more viewers. CBS cancelled the broadcasting because of waning interest. Most people will be at work so they won't know if the new format worked or not. Pity.