More food thoughts...

Things that taste horrible: blue cheese, most fish, most green vegetables.

Best way to have a hamburger: With velveeta, bacon, dill pickle, kechup, mustard.
Alternative: With pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Alternative: pork burger with provolone only.
Alternative: In "horseshoe" style smothered with cheese and french fries.

Pizza must have: Thick red sauce, cheese, a meat of some sort, perhaps green olives.
Alternative: Mini-pizzas on english muffins, bread, french bread, or tortillas.
Alternative: Tortillas with salsa and assorted toppings.

Things that are only worth it sliced up: most whole fruits--skin is too hard/fuzzy.
Things that need no help: Strawberries, red raspberries and others, grapes, bananas.

Allowed once in a while: bacon, fried mozzarella sticks, french fries, cake, cookies.

Weirdest Thing You've Ever Eaten

Okay here goes:

Weirdest Eaten:

1. Dog or Cat Food
2. Fried Wild Rabbit
3. Chicken Livers

Weirdest Considered Eating but didn't follow through with:

1. Alligator

Weirdest Witnessed Eaten:

1. Dog biscuits
2. Whole goldfish

3 Things that make me smile :-)

My parents "puppy" chasing little kids' blowing bubbles and trying to eat them.

My husband doing any type of chore I haven't forced him to do.

Squirrels, bunnies, little furry things in general

A redhead, blonde, and two brunettes

Beauregard Alan "Beau" Black lab & Golden Retriever	Trek Illini Golden Retriever
Willie Black lab	Cole Black lab
Puppies through the years... Beau came to us as "an accident"--the dog dug out, or into the pen and viola, puppies. Trek came via the Leader Dogs for the Blind Program in Detroit, MI. He passed all of his tests with flying colors, but had hip displaysia so he was not accepted into the program. Both were in the 4-H Program and went to the State Dog Show. They also learned new tricks, even as old dogs. Willie and Cole are the newbies. They arrived in May of 2006 on the farm. They currently weigh 67 and 73 pounds. Like the sages before them, they understand "outside" and have a tendency to be jealous and want everyone's attention to themselves. Cole acts like Beau used to, he's a big dog with a tendency to get into scraps (this week was the first skunk escapade) with other animals. Willie likes to lay on top of everyone. Trek used to do this a lot, up to his golden years, but only to me. He'd knock me over and then lay on me. They bring back fond memories and make their own.

Recycling effort I can get behind

The new Harry Potter book is going green. I think recycling efforts are great and that everyone should do what they can, especially if there is a program offered where you live. If there's not and you can save some things up and transport them every once in a while to a place where you can recycle, that's great too. We used to save old aluminum cans as kids and turn them in for cash. Usually you didn't get a whole lot out of it, but it was fun nonetheless. Now it's getting to be more of a necessity. If you take the time to separate it out, you'll realize you have more recycleables than "real trash" most of the time. And, the more that's recycled the more trees there are for clean air, and I like clean air. Also the fewer chemicals pre-processed out in the envrionment the better. I read on the web recently that there are those out there that promote "not" using toilet paper and I'm not sure that I can agree to that. I can't get behind wiping my own behind. Maybe recycled toilet paper. But not none at all. Yuck.

The Weekend in Review

Yes, dear Reader, because there's only one of you...

Mr. Mouse will be heading to the big city of St. Louis for an internship this summer, provided all other minutiae of life decisions works out the way we want it to. He studied really hard for his drug test (ha ha) and background checks are already underway. This is very good news. I am trying to convince him it would be a good idea for his little mouse brain and little mouse paws to rest for a week or so after his graduation--get a chance to refresh and renew before plunging in to working full time again. We shall see how that works out. We headed to visit the families this weekend, had corned beef and sauerkraut, ate pizza way too late, found our favorite Easter candy, oohed and aahed over the patio doors in Home Depot, and played with the puppies. Okay, so they're not little anymore, 67 and 73 pounds--but who's counting? They have gotten really good at digging in the pasture, and one of them pulled out a mouse! Ahhh! I also fell in love with a 1949 Ford F6 that's up for auction in a local town. It's not rusty at all, has good tires, and basically needs sandblasted, painted, a thorough scrubbing, and a new set of seats. Sigh. It would be nice to have for parades to pull floats and that sort of thing for little meeces later on, but I guess it's not meant to be. Somehow I doubt it will sell for much, but we have no place to keep it while we stay in school. Just bad timing I guess. Well--that's it, not much to be ecstatic over, but just enough to be kind of interesting.

Deadpan comedy is best

Background: Detective Raines is visited by the ghost of a murder victim, when he solves her murder, she disappears. Scene: Graveyard in late afternoon. The set up: Detective Raines has been talking to his recently dead partner's ghost, trying to figure out why he keeps hanging around him--and his partner wants to know why he's walking with a cane when he got shot in the head. The hook: When asked by a grave tender who he was talking to, he explains, deadpan..."The dead. They hunger for human brains, the feasting will begin at sundown"...as they walk away his partner quips "jerk" and he says "I know"... Raines, NBC Click here for scene, forward to about 2 minutes left in clip.
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Need I say more?

Mr. Mouse's Summer House

Well, by all accounts it looks like Mr. Mouse will be living in St. Louis this summer. It's kind of a relief to think that that is all decided. I really don't mind that he gets the opportunity--and if he's only about 3 hours away, it would be a lot better than across the country. We'll at least be able to see each other. And I didn't mind the house being quiet sometimes--plus I spent some time with my family (and their new puppies last year, which was very healing, actually)--kind of hard to feel alone with puppies licking every conceivable spot on your body that's not covered in clothing--face, toes, hands, etc.

Anyway, I think he'll be much happier getting a chance to get his "paws" on some real work for the summer than lazing about answering people's internet questions all day. And that makes me really happy for him. If I can stay here and keep working, and his pay is decent, we should be able to get the truck paid off through the summer okay, and that would be really nice.

More details when they are forthcoming...

Weekend Update

The time changed. Ick. I like it in the fall, not so much in the spring. This year we did not go to church, so we weren't getting up at "5" in the morning to go, whew! We have been trying to save money to pay off my truck, it's a pretty red F150, and we've got a ways to go, but we're working on it. So we aren't traveling as much. The cost of gas..sheesh!

I digress. We spent most of the weekend either working on Mr. Mouse's vehicle or lazing on the couch just hanging out. One of the many things we discussed was the possibility of a summer internship with me still living where we do, and him where we might possibly live in the future, about 3 hours away. Across state lines. Still, not too bad though, much better than Seattle, which is where he worked last summer. Far, far from the Midwest.

We did some "way in the future" prospecting on the housing market in our possible future home (one of my favorite pastimes), and found that the city itself has limited prospects in our market...5 plus acres without a house, maybe with buildings on it already...so we went--back across state lines and sure enough, about a half hour commute from "the city" was some nice land of 2-20 plus acres sometimes for good prices. The ones that hadn't been sold out to developers yet because it's too far from "town"--and that's fine by me. I'm the kind that would like to have the free ability to dance naked in my front yard if I wanted to, and no one could see me--not even with binoculars..so needless to say, it was good to know that there is some commutable distance-property available that's not in subdivisions already. It's also in a college-town which would enable me to find a job. Yes! With little commute. Things are looking up--even in the far-distant future!

Why Does Bad Food Taste So Good?

Fairy Godmother: I don't care whose fault this was, just get it sorted! And could someone please bring me something deep fat fried and smothered in chocolate...Shrek 2
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Like the Fairy Godmother, I'm interested in food that's really really bad for me when things go wrong, or when things go right, or.. just about any time. So why is the bad food so darn tasty? It's not fair.. why can't celery be bad for you? I guess in general I have given up most bad for me things, but I can't let go of pizza. I eat homemade, which is better for you, lower in fat, and eat lower fat ingredients like ham and green olives (which have healthy, not bad for you, fat), my favorite! I even cut the vegetable oil out of my pizza sauce! That's when we're good and cook at home, though, sometimes just a great big "insert chain name here" meal sounds so good. I think that's what we're doing tonight.. you have to be bad sometimes!

Comments welcome

If you've found me--how on EARTH did you find me of all people blogging on the web...? be sure to say hi. If you do say hi, provide an email or way to contact you. It's more fun knowing who's out there than not...and while you're at it--build your own blog!

If I had a million dollars

If I had a million dollars-We wouldn't have to walk to the store-If I had a million dollars-Now, we'd take a limousine 'cause it costs more-If I had a million dollars-We wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner-But we would eat Kraft Dinner-Of course we would, we’d just eat more-And buy really expensive ketchups with it-That’s right, all the fanciest ke... dijon ketchups!Mmmmmm, Mmmm-Hmmm--Barenaked Ladies "If I Had a Million Dollars"

In honor of the giant lotto jackpot we didnt' win---What would you buy if you had a million dollars? Would you still eat Macaroni and Cheese? "Kraft Dinner?" Would you take a limousine everywhere, or have your own chauffeur? What kind of car would you buy, or who would you give money to besides yourself?

Stupid People

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former-Einstein
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The only kind of person I don't like is the one who is intentionally stupid. The kind that knows better but does irresponsible or flat-out mean things anyway. This also includes "girls" who still act like they are 13 year olds cat-fighting when they are old enough to have kids of their own. And if it won't matter in 5 minutes or 5 years why make an issue out of it? Especially something that you might be tempted to make up-like spreading a rumor that isn't true.. umm hello? How old ARE you anyway? [This is not directed at anyone in particular, just a commentary from my own adult-life experience]--

Ignorance is an excuse--but only for so long--educate yourself. I'm a firm believer in the "put yourself in their shoes" or the "golden rule" philosophy. Basically treat others how you would like to be treated. It's touted as a Christian value, but really, it's a simple concept that most people can easily enough learn and live by, teach their kids at a young age, and so on.

So don't be stupid--

Pea Green with Purple Polka Dots

Our right to be different is, in a deep sense, the most precious right we human beings have. Lillian Smith
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I think that difference is a beautiful thing. Sometimes the people I get along the best with are ones that by the pure virtue of being around them makes me stretch my thinking and comfort zone.

So let it be known, i don't care if you're black, white, speak a different language, wear different clothes or just have really abnormal ideas, if you're straight, gay, or can't quite decide yet, or any thing else you can think to separate yourself from the world, I don't care if you're pea green with purple polka dots, you're okay with me.

Who's Got the Goods for '08

http://www.cnn.com/interactive/us/0612/gallery.2008.contenders/frameset.exclude.html

Presidential Hopefuls--If I have to hear about it--You do too!

A little about Mr. Mouse

If you check out Mr. Mouse's blog you'll get more of an idea about him--but basically he's a computer geek (that means he gets the job done, unlike a nerd who just plays games all day long)-he wants to work with embedded systems and that will mean a move after he finishes college/grad school if he gets in. Right now we're keeping our options open. We're still thinking of midwest area, maybe farther south to avoid some of the bad weather we have had this winter. He loves trucks and toys-the bigger the better. He participates in the gross language habits with me and makes me laugh. Somedays we're so in sync it's scary. And some days.. well..we just leave each other alone for a while. I really like that he listens to what I have to say (no matter how insane it is) and that occasionally he helps out with the dishes, etc. We have the most fun when we tackle all our chores for the weekend and then just hang out, go for a drive, wander around stores, etc. We both dread Mondays. I think we'd be better off if we'd just win the lottery and not have to worry about working--alas, no winning #s! Maybe someday...

A little about me

Knowledge without experience is just information-Mark Twain http://theripplesproject.org/who.php for quotes and a weekly "ripple" in your email
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I've seen a lot of blogs that start out with quotes so I thought I would start out this post with one. My goal is to tell you a little bit about myself, so here goes: I have graduated from college, I have a Mr. Mouse, I currently have a job, I have a large extended family and very weird friends. No, no munchkin mice running around. You'll just have to be patient and wait for that...

In college I was part of the "housing geeks" that thought living on campus was great and that everyone should get involved in leadership opportunities on campus by whatever means possible. That means staying up until 3 in the morning working on a homecoming float with 5 other people and setting an alarm for 5AM to get it in place for the parade. That means dealing with every crazy person who thought at the time that college was the be-all and end-all and therefore everything was super important--even if it wasn't.. and if I hear one more sports metaphor for getting the job done I'm going run screaming in the other direction.

I still think college is an important step for kids wanting to get ahead and I have goals that I hope will help me further my own career. Right now my life is really up in the air. I'm like a marionette, waiting for the other string to be pulled. At this point, I have long since discovered that Plan A never goes right, that Plan B sucks, and that I may as well figure out Plans C,D, E, and F while I'm at it. Ususally I do that with my partner in crime...

Made- up words and other gross language habits

You will notice from time to time that I make up words for fun and to confuse people. For instance "meeces". Also "ginormous"-a combination of giant and enormous, "fabu-bar"-fabulous and "wonder-bar" which is probably another made up word in itself.

I also ask questions in Spanish "Where is it?" "What is that?" "Who was that?" etc. mostly it's to myself, but my husband is used to it and answers anyway. My mom too, I guess she figured the question was coming and answered what she thought I meant, becuase I know she doesn't know what I'm saying.

When I'm tired of yelling for my husband, or just want his attention, I howl. It started with being around dogs a lot and making noise to see how they'd react and it's just become another form of communication around our house. I've also taken to softly barking at the door if someone walks by or growling at strange noises. It's purely for entertainment purposes, I know I'm not a dog. I'm a mouse!

Meeces

For those of you wondering, Meeces is the plural in the broader sense of "mice"--and has the same connotation that "my peeps" has in other situations ;-)... If you are a meece, you are very, very lucky!

The Men in White Coats- Love Chicken

Men should not wear white suits or white tuxedos. Not only do they look fat, the only guy that can really pull one off is Colonel Sanders.

Huqed on Fonix Wurked fur me

How long do kids have to go to school until they learn to spell things halfway decently? Or to speak with the correct tense of a verb? Mr. Mouse pointed out to me this morning that some little meeces we know have been in school for 5-6 years and are still writing like those that have been in school 2 years or less. There are also some speaking issues--no little meeces "rund-ed fast"--they "ran fast". Is it too much to expect a fifth grader to be able to spell "been there" and not "bean ther" when writing something? I know 2 generations ago, lots of kids only had 6th grade educations, they didn't have computers to spell-check for them, and they could spell "been there"--what does this say about our education system? Is it that much worse than 80 years ago, and if so, why?

That Old Time Candy Feeling

What is it with candy you loved as a kid that makes you want to dance around naked in the rain to have it again? 2 words.

Gummi Worms.

Yummy!

Although I hate it when they take old stuff and add new flavors. Ick. give me Lime over Green apple any day. Mr. Mouse gets the green and clear gummis!

Worse than PB with Salmonella

Okay so what's worse the salmonella peanut butter? Try getting a letter in the mail from your pharmacy saying "we're sorry, but your prescriptions were left on a truck in the cold for longer than we are comfortable with, please return them for a free replacement..." and realizing that includes your birth control.. which is 2 weeks out and you haven't exactly been abstinent. Son of a...

The good news is that my prescription was not on the truck that tipped over and froze for a few days...well not that one anyway...

I'll take salmonella over the "oh $h*t" factor any day...

Life in the 1950's

I had to listen to goings-on about a "man-purse" today and after about a minute of the men looking at each other like they thought their testicles were going to fall off, I was like, you mean the guy had a briefcase? You know they don't make them all like they did in the old days...and of course got the response.. "no, the guy had a man-purse". Give me a break. I guess that's what you get with small-town men in the mid-west. They have no culture.

I'm the Head Cheese

Welcome to the Mouse House, where the name is always over the door. I'm the Head Cheese in the Mouse House, although Mr. Mouse probably thinks he is. So come on in and say hi and hear the news from our Hole in the Wall...