Devoted reader(s), I am sorry to have kept you waiting. Please, sit down and enjoy the following rant.
Mr. Pamphlet and I are currently trying to have another little pamphlet. A leaflet, shall we say. Trying to have a leaflet is, for a woman, an all-consuming activity that takes over the brain and limits all other functions in order to divert maximum thought power to the obsession of fertility and it's intricacies. I can literally think of nothing else, all day long. I go to work, and do my job, but some uncounted number of minutes out of every hour is spent staring out the window of my office contemplating my coworker's unexpected pregnancy and my lack thereof. Now our dear friends of Sci-Fi Friday nights are pregnant too, and wouldn't it just be too cute if all three of us could be pregnant at once? Yes, it WOULD be just too goddamn cute. If I could only get pregnant.
For those of you curious about the Blue Pamphlet perspective on this situation, it runs simply along these three primary thoughts:
1. My wife wants to watch porn and DO IT every other night. SWEET!
2. I haven't DONE IT this much since before we got married. Goddamn I'm tired!
3. I hope we get pregnant soon so my wife won't be so moody and mopey....wait... that IS what it's like when she's pregnant....oh well. Let's DO IT!
So, that's life for the Pink lately. I am at once optimistically cheerful and hormonally irritable. Mike Thompson, Katie Horner, and Gary Lezak couldn't predict my mood weather if they all three stayed up all night and interrupted regular programming every five minutes with updates. Pity Blue, folks, pity him and give him cookies. He's so cute when he's cookiehappy.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
If I had a cartoon alter-ego...
She might look something like this:
Deep inside I still have a fondness for Goth. What can I say.
Thanks, Ugoplayer.
Deep inside I still have a fondness for Goth. What can I say.
Thanks, Ugoplayer.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Blue keeps talking about how evil he is.
He's only 6% more evil than I am.
| You Are 68% Evil |
 |
Shhhh, Don't tell Blue I married him for his books.
| You are a Brainy Girl! |
 You know a little bit about everything, and you're always dying to know more. For a guy to win your heart, he's got to share some of your intellectual interests. A awesome book collection of his own doesn't hurt either! |
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
They've got your Jesus Juice right there.
Now we lowly mortals can bask in the perfume of the gods.
http://www.hisessence.com/category_s/19.htm
Credits: Found on the Non-Fluffy Wicca blogsite, which proclaims itself the "ramblings of an aging eclectic witch" but in regular reading seems dedicated to sociopolitical commentary on topics relevant to modern American and international religious freedoms.
http://www.hisessence.com/category_s/19.htm
Credits: Found on the Non-Fluffy Wicca blogsite, which proclaims itself the "ramblings of an aging eclectic witch" but in regular reading seems dedicated to sociopolitical commentary on topics relevant to modern American and international religious freedoms.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Pink Pamphlet Official Seal!
*the crowd goes wild*
Thank you, thank you. And thank YOU, says-it.com.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
I love quizzes. Especially short & sweet ones
| Your Inner European is French! |
 Smart and sophisticated. You have the best of everything - at least, *you* think so. |
| You Are Fish |
 You have a well formed palate and a daring appetite. If it's served to you, you'll at least try it. People are pretty scared of your exotic ways. But once they get a taste of you, they're addicted! |
| Who Should Paint You: Alfred Gockel |
 All American yet funky, you inspire an artist's imagination And while not everyone will understand your portrait, you will! |
Check out Blue's results to this Evil quiz - Should I be frightened? ;)
| You Are 74% Evil |
You are very evil. And you're too evil to care. Those who love you probably also fear you. A lot. |
Monday, June 12, 2006
Hell's Kitchen
I am an avid Hell's Kitchen fan. For those of you who don't know, it's a high-stress reality tv show about a bunch of so-called chefs with varying levels of experience all competing for a chance to own a stake in their very own restaurant where they would be the head chef, all under the direction of the infamous culinary bad boy, Gordon Ramsey. I love the way he takes a bunch of fairly ordinary people who are possessed of the very unrealistic notion that they are good enough to run a posh, five star restaurant, and whips them into shape until one of them actually is good enough. I love that he doesn't coddle anyone, I love that he swears like a sailor with a sexy British accent, and I love watching the delusion chef competitors sweat and cry and bitch and moan and actually improve into decent cooks.
This season's theme is Men vs. Women, which of course has me all pumped up for an exciting competition, since I know perfectly well that all the contestants suck at the beginning and both the men's and women's teams have an equal shot at becoming something great. What immediately soured me on some of the women's teammates was the way they bought into the whole stupid "we have something to prove because we're women" concept. "We've got to get out there and kick those guys' butts because we have to show the world that we're as good as they are." That's a bunch of bullshit. Raise your hand if you just read about a men vs. women challenge in the kitchen and immediately thought the women were at a disadvantage and had to "prove themselves." Any takers? Right. I don't see a lot of inequality in the kitchens of the world these days, folks. Both men and women cook in most families I know, and there are gifted cooks and biohazard-worthy representatives on both sides. Of course the men were making lots of sexist comments about how they had to beat the women, too. They irritated me as well, but not as much as when the women themselves become their own enemies.
Think about it, ladies. How many times have you heard a woman say something along the lines of what one chef contestant said tonight: "I've had six boys and I had them all naturally, and if I can do that I figure I can handle this."
Digest those words for a moment.
What the fuck is that saying?! "If I can do the one physical task for which my entire being has been evolved to perform without even thinking about it, then I can do this to." Way to go, lady! Pin a fucking medal on that one! Why is childbirth the defining achievement in a woman's life? I defy you to find one single mother on the planet who would think for an instant that the birthing was more difficult than, say, the actual raising of the child, or the balancing of the needs of the child with the financial needs of the family, or the juggling of the child and the husband and the housework, and so on, and so on. Childbirth was the simplest, most natural part of the job, the one thing we do with our children that we hardly have to think about. That baby's coming out, one way or another. Millions of mothers with every disadvantage you can think of manage this task every day, mostly without doctors or even labor partners or a clean floor to lay on, bless their hearts. Is that the measuring stick we want to use to challenge ourselves to achieve greatness? Do you ever hear men say, "If I can whack off five times in the same day, I can definitely handle this." Or, "Hell, if he can pee standing up this task is a piece of cake." No one ever says that. Because it would be RETARDED.
Ladies, can we please aspire to something a little more than just making babies? Of course there is nothing wrong with making babies. We're brilliant at it. Our bodies are finely crafted machines, for lack of a better word, designed specifically to do that, so obviously it's not an activity to be shunned or ashamed of. I'm just saying it's not the best we can do. Think of it this way. Two dollar crack whores can have babies. But it takes a real woman to get off the crack, get a job, a place to live, get that baby back from state custody, and raise it into a young adult with a future they can make something of. How about we aspire to be good mothers, good community members, good partners who can model a lifetime commitment of love for the person of our choosing, good contributors to our society and economy, either in the workforce or as responsible consumers. Let's not demean ourselves every time someone throws a challenge at us by saying what that ridiculous chef said, who, by the way, got her ass thrown out of Hell's Kitchen on the first night, and good riddance I say.
This season's theme is Men vs. Women, which of course has me all pumped up for an exciting competition, since I know perfectly well that all the contestants suck at the beginning and both the men's and women's teams have an equal shot at becoming something great. What immediately soured me on some of the women's teammates was the way they bought into the whole stupid "we have something to prove because we're women" concept. "We've got to get out there and kick those guys' butts because we have to show the world that we're as good as they are." That's a bunch of bullshit. Raise your hand if you just read about a men vs. women challenge in the kitchen and immediately thought the women were at a disadvantage and had to "prove themselves." Any takers? Right. I don't see a lot of inequality in the kitchens of the world these days, folks. Both men and women cook in most families I know, and there are gifted cooks and biohazard-worthy representatives on both sides. Of course the men were making lots of sexist comments about how they had to beat the women, too. They irritated me as well, but not as much as when the women themselves become their own enemies.
Think about it, ladies. How many times have you heard a woman say something along the lines of what one chef contestant said tonight: "I've had six boys and I had them all naturally, and if I can do that I figure I can handle this."
Digest those words for a moment.
What the fuck is that saying?! "If I can do the one physical task for which my entire being has been evolved to perform without even thinking about it, then I can do this to." Way to go, lady! Pin a fucking medal on that one! Why is childbirth the defining achievement in a woman's life? I defy you to find one single mother on the planet who would think for an instant that the birthing was more difficult than, say, the actual raising of the child, or the balancing of the needs of the child with the financial needs of the family, or the juggling of the child and the husband and the housework, and so on, and so on. Childbirth was the simplest, most natural part of the job, the one thing we do with our children that we hardly have to think about. That baby's coming out, one way or another. Millions of mothers with every disadvantage you can think of manage this task every day, mostly without doctors or even labor partners or a clean floor to lay on, bless their hearts. Is that the measuring stick we want to use to challenge ourselves to achieve greatness? Do you ever hear men say, "If I can whack off five times in the same day, I can definitely handle this." Or, "Hell, if he can pee standing up this task is a piece of cake." No one ever says that. Because it would be RETARDED.
Ladies, can we please aspire to something a little more than just making babies? Of course there is nothing wrong with making babies. We're brilliant at it. Our bodies are finely crafted machines, for lack of a better word, designed specifically to do that, so obviously it's not an activity to be shunned or ashamed of. I'm just saying it's not the best we can do. Think of it this way. Two dollar crack whores can have babies. But it takes a real woman to get off the crack, get a job, a place to live, get that baby back from state custody, and raise it into a young adult with a future they can make something of. How about we aspire to be good mothers, good community members, good partners who can model a lifetime commitment of love for the person of our choosing, good contributors to our society and economy, either in the workforce or as responsible consumers. Let's not demean ourselves every time someone throws a challenge at us by saying what that ridiculous chef said, who, by the way, got her ass thrown out of Hell's Kitchen on the first night, and good riddance I say.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
*plagiarizes Blue's Blog content*
1. FIRST NAME? Pink
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My brother and I were both named after our father's two fathers: bro after the birth father who was killed in the war, and me after the step-father who raised him. Weird since I'm a girl. My middle name is the middle name of my mom's baby sister who was killed by cancer when she was about 18, many years before I was born. I sort of look like her though.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Watching some sad tv show or movie in the last few days, I'm a total sap.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Most of the time, but I far prefer typing. After all, I could never write 120wpm with a pen or pencil.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey
6. KIDS? What is the question? Do I like them? Do I have any? Am I for or against them? Sure, I like kids. Heck, I love kids. MY kids, i.e. Blue, Little Blue, and the cat. And most babies. But other people's older kids? Sometimes they annoy me. Mostly because other people's kids don't always behave very well. And sometimes their parents annoy me even more.
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? This question is unfair to schizophrenics. And other weird people who think in multiplicities, like me.
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? No. I write my personal thoughts and feelings down, yeah, but it's not, like, a journal or anything. *rolls eyes*
9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? I solemnly swear that I do not use sarcasm, I don't use derisive humor to punish those who have derided me, and I definitely never mock morons, idiots, or the intellectually handicapped.
10.WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? If I tied a kitten to a length of rubber band and dangled it over a cliff, that would be criminal. So why would I let anyone do that to me?
11. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?? I've looked for Blue's tonsils, but couldn't conclusively say they were still there or not... have to keep examining.......... Me, I've still got them.
12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Basic 4
13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Not generally.
14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG, PHYSICALLY OR MENTALLY? I think my upper body strength is rather puny, my lower body strength is adequate, my mind is a slightly above average muscle, and my heart is an Olympian.
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Jamocha Almond Fudge.
16. SHOE SIZE? This better not be a sneaky way of discussing my reproductive parts.... I wear a men's shoe mostly, because the only women's shoes that come in anything close to a 12wide or larger are made for people who like wearing four inch heals or bizarrely styled sandals. I would hit my head on door jams if I wore those, so in men's I wear a 10.5 to 11.
17. RED OR PINK? Pamphlet designation notwithstanding, I think most shades of pink are wussy and suck. I like red better.
18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My insecurities about body image.
19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? The family I gave up to start this one. Mom, two dads, a brother, half a dozen sisters, my sisters' wonderful children and grandchildren...
20. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Comments are good.
21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES YOU ARE WEARING? Black pants, white sneakers.
22. LAST THING YOU ATE? Cheezits and a club soda.
23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Blue is shooting Shoreline with headphones on, so all I hear is the whir of the CPU fan.
24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Ocean Goddess Blue.
25. FAVORITE SMELL? Blue is a very cheeky devil. And my favorite smell is baby shampoo. Or my spaghetti sauce. It's kind of a toss-up. Not for the same reasons, though. Duh.
26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? A polite, helpful life insurance medical questioner, who now knows more about me than my own mother.
27. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Their smile, and very importantly, why did they smile, i.e. enjoyment of life vs. vicious pleasure in someone else's misfortune...
28. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I stole it from hubby, so what do you think?
29. FAVORITE DRINK? Chocolate martinis, raspberry martinis (when made right) and Woodchuck
30. FAVORITE SPORT? I think there ought to be Olympic typing. Yeah... and championship Falling Down. I LOVE watching people fall down.
31. HAIR COLOR? Brownish-auburnish, and yes, some gray. But not as much as Blue.
32. EYE COLOR? Blue
33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Oh yes.
34. FAVORITE FOOD? My spaghetti does kick ass. But my favorite food is probably cheddar cheese.
35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Scary movies with happy endings. :)
36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? This afternoon at work I watched a movie clip of a man who set his pubic hair on fire... on purpose.....that was weird. Hilarious, but weird.
37. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? What are you, some kind of voyeuristic perv? What's with the "what are you wearing" obsession? Don't you have clothes of your own to think about??
38. SUMMER OR WINTER? Fall.
39. HUGS OR KISSES? Yes!
40. FAVORITE DESSERT? Chocolate. Or ice cream. Or Pumpkin Bomb. Or S'mores. Or English Toffee. Or English Pudding! Oh and cheesecake. And... you get the idea.
41. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I won't rock the boat, I'll say CameraGal too.
42. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? People who don't read my blog?
43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim Collins, and a religious book.
44. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? ...........................a mouse.
45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? NCIS and House.
46. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Little Blue giggling and singing songs.
47. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Led Zeppelin, dood. Staind. Trapt. Red Hot Chili Peppers. Seether. Chevelle. System of a Down. That kind of stuff.
48. THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Massachusetts, when home was in California.
49. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Wouldn't you like to know? No seriously, I do have a special talent. I am uniquely gifted at erroneously giving random strangers the impression that I would like nothing more than to listen to their (usually tragic) life stories, in great detail, often with awkward, incriminating or embarrassing tidbits of information about the stranger thrown in for good measure. Honestly. Do I have a sign on my forehead that I don't know about?? The confession booth is open. Or maybe Had anything hideously awful happen to you lately?
50. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Even though you could totally use this information to stalk me and slay me brutally in my innocent sleep..... El Cajon, California, on the 8th of March.
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My brother and I were both named after our father's two fathers: bro after the birth father who was killed in the war, and me after the step-father who raised him. Weird since I'm a girl. My middle name is the middle name of my mom's baby sister who was killed by cancer when she was about 18, many years before I was born. I sort of look like her though.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Watching some sad tv show or movie in the last few days, I'm a total sap.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Most of the time, but I far prefer typing. After all, I could never write 120wpm with a pen or pencil.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey
6. KIDS? What is the question? Do I like them? Do I have any? Am I for or against them? Sure, I like kids. Heck, I love kids. MY kids, i.e. Blue, Little Blue, and the cat. And most babies. But other people's older kids? Sometimes they annoy me. Mostly because other people's kids don't always behave very well. And sometimes their parents annoy me even more.
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? This question is unfair to schizophrenics. And other weird people who think in multiplicities, like me.
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? No. I write my personal thoughts and feelings down, yeah, but it's not, like, a journal or anything. *rolls eyes*
9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? I solemnly swear that I do not use sarcasm, I don't use derisive humor to punish those who have derided me, and I definitely never mock morons, idiots, or the intellectually handicapped.
10.WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? If I tied a kitten to a length of rubber band and dangled it over a cliff, that would be criminal. So why would I let anyone do that to me?
11. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?? I've looked for Blue's tonsils, but couldn't conclusively say they were still there or not... have to keep examining.......... Me, I've still got them.
12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Basic 4
13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Not generally.
14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG, PHYSICALLY OR MENTALLY? I think my upper body strength is rather puny, my lower body strength is adequate, my mind is a slightly above average muscle, and my heart is an Olympian.
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Jamocha Almond Fudge.
16. SHOE SIZE? This better not be a sneaky way of discussing my reproductive parts.... I wear a men's shoe mostly, because the only women's shoes that come in anything close to a 12wide or larger are made for people who like wearing four inch heals or bizarrely styled sandals. I would hit my head on door jams if I wore those, so in men's I wear a 10.5 to 11.
17. RED OR PINK? Pamphlet designation notwithstanding, I think most shades of pink are wussy and suck. I like red better.
18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My insecurities about body image.
19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? The family I gave up to start this one. Mom, two dads, a brother, half a dozen sisters, my sisters' wonderful children and grandchildren...
20. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Comments are good.
21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES YOU ARE WEARING? Black pants, white sneakers.
22. LAST THING YOU ATE? Cheezits and a club soda.
23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Blue is shooting Shoreline with headphones on, so all I hear is the whir of the CPU fan.
24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Ocean Goddess Blue.
25. FAVORITE SMELL? Blue is a very cheeky devil. And my favorite smell is baby shampoo. Or my spaghetti sauce. It's kind of a toss-up. Not for the same reasons, though. Duh.
26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? A polite, helpful life insurance medical questioner, who now knows more about me than my own mother.
27. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Their smile, and very importantly, why did they smile, i.e. enjoyment of life vs. vicious pleasure in someone else's misfortune...
28. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I stole it from hubby, so what do you think?
29. FAVORITE DRINK? Chocolate martinis, raspberry martinis (when made right) and Woodchuck
30. FAVORITE SPORT? I think there ought to be Olympic typing. Yeah... and championship Falling Down. I LOVE watching people fall down.
31. HAIR COLOR? Brownish-auburnish, and yes, some gray. But not as much as Blue.
32. EYE COLOR? Blue
33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Oh yes.
34. FAVORITE FOOD? My spaghetti does kick ass. But my favorite food is probably cheddar cheese.
35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Scary movies with happy endings. :)
36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? This afternoon at work I watched a movie clip of a man who set his pubic hair on fire... on purpose.....that was weird. Hilarious, but weird.
37. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? What are you, some kind of voyeuristic perv? What's with the "what are you wearing" obsession? Don't you have clothes of your own to think about??
38. SUMMER OR WINTER? Fall.
39. HUGS OR KISSES? Yes!
40. FAVORITE DESSERT? Chocolate. Or ice cream. Or Pumpkin Bomb. Or S'mores. Or English Toffee. Or English Pudding! Oh and cheesecake. And... you get the idea.
41. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I won't rock the boat, I'll say CameraGal too.
42. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? People who don't read my blog?
43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim Collins, and a religious book.
44. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? ...........................a mouse.
45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? NCIS and House.
46. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Little Blue giggling and singing songs.
47. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Led Zeppelin, dood. Staind. Trapt. Red Hot Chili Peppers. Seether. Chevelle. System of a Down. That kind of stuff.
48. THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Massachusetts, when home was in California.
49. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Wouldn't you like to know? No seriously, I do have a special talent. I am uniquely gifted at erroneously giving random strangers the impression that I would like nothing more than to listen to their (usually tragic) life stories, in great detail, often with awkward, incriminating or embarrassing tidbits of information about the stranger thrown in for good measure. Honestly. Do I have a sign on my forehead that I don't know about?? The confession booth is open. Or maybe Had anything hideously awful happen to you lately?
50. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Even though you could totally use this information to stalk me and slay me brutally in my innocent sleep..... El Cajon, California, on the 8th of March.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Delectable Dipping
As promised, a sumptuous study of the Pamphlet's anniversary dinner at The Melting Pot on the Plaza.
First, we absolutely never go anywhere near the Plaza under normal circumstances. So just driving there at all already starts to make the evening feel special. Couple this with an absolutely gorgeous sunny afternoon, the giggly high of having just spent a couple of hours at Dave & Buster's having silly fun, and you have a recipe for a dinner that can't go wrong.
We sit down to dinner in a comfy dimness lit by candles and well-spaced subtle lighting. The novelty of the upcoming meal has me almost giddy, which makes Blue laugh at my cuteness. It feels like when we were first dating. We choose from the menu the only appropriate option for two lovers experiencing fondue dining for the first time: The Big Night Out, a full-fledged four-course meal for two at one convenient and reasonable price. It consists of a cheese fondue appetizer, choice of salad for each person (so we don't have to negociate a dressing/greens compromise), meat or vegetarian main course, and a bowlful of bliss chocolate fondue dessert. So let us begin.
For our appetizer I selected traditional Swiss cheese fondue, made tableside by our talented and not-enough-to-be-annoyingly conversational waitress. White wine goes into the pot, followed by a tiny spoonful of chopped garlic, a sprinkling of fresh ground pepper, nutmeg, fresh squeezed lemon juice, kirschwasser, and heaps of finely grated Gruyere and Emmenthaler Swiss cheeses. It melts into something that makes my mouth water almost immediately, and we are presented with a tray of dippables: chunks of French, dark rye, and one other bread, green apples, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. Our favorites were the breads and the apple chunks. To round out our romantic evening, we each select a cocktail to enjoy with dinner: for me a raspberry martini, for Blue a Yin-Yang Martini. His is practically a dessert of ice cream, Stoli Vanil, Godiva White Chocolate, and Creme de Cacao, topped with milk chocolate shavings that form the chinese symbol on top of the drink, with a white chocolate disk as the counterpoint. He let me have a couple of sips, and it was divine! I must confess that my raspberry martini fell far short of expectations that are extremely high after being introduced to that particular drink at J. Gilbert's where it is smooth and absolutely delicious. The Melting Pot's version didn't have enough vodka and so it was reminiscent of raspberry cough syrup. But that's my only complaint of the entire evening. :)
On to the salad course. Blue takes the Orchard salad, an eclectic mix of greens I tend to think of as "yard weed salad" topped with walnuts, white raisins, apple chunks, and a creamy ranch-like dressing with some sort of cheese neither of us can remember now. He says it was really good, but it wasn't my sort of thing. I chose the Chef salad sans cucumber, and loved it. Regular lettuce greens, slices of roma tomato, sliced boiled egg, chunks of ham, emmenthaler cheese, topped with the tangy-sweet House dressing that I would describe as some sort of very mild and un-mustardy honey mustard vinaigrette.
For the main course, you have a choice of cooking styles. A vegetable broth, a cholesterol-free canola oil, the new Mojo caribbean broth, or traditional French Coq au Vin. Not wanting to fry our whole meal, wanting to be more adventurous than veggie stock but worried about the potential spiciness of Mojo, we chose Coq au Vin, a savory broth that starts out looking like veggie broth but with the addition of fresh herbs, mushrooms, three spoonfuls of chopped garlic, and a sizable glass of hearty burgundy wine, it is transformed into a most delicious bath for our platter of dippables. Which is another choice we got to make, and again we stuck with the most traditional plate, which I think was called the Heritage. Sesame beef, parsleyed chicken breast, pork, center cut filet, a Rock lobster tail to share, chunks of a very large portobello mushroom, and one pretty green gorgonzola-and-spinach ravioli for each of us. Plus a trough of veggies including red potatoes, broccoli, yellow squash, and button mushrooms. All of these are brought to the table raw, and we get to cook them ourselves in the roiling boiling Coq au Vin, just the steam of which was making my mouth water. As if the flavor of everything that came out of that pot wasn't already good enough, sauces were provided for additional variety of tastes. For the veggies, a creamy parsley and chive dip, for the red meats a gorgonzola and port wine cream sauce, and for the rest of the meats as we so chose a trio of bold sauces: sweet teriyaki glaze, spicy barbecue, and mild, soothing yellow curry. I adore yellow curry in all it's I-look-like-mustard-but-taste-like-nutmeggy goodness. This phase of the meal was just plain fun, timing the different foods in the pot to achieve the desired doneness, dipping, sampling sauces, sipping drinks and giggling at each other. And it was so very flavorful!
And then it was time for dessert. Oh sweet heaven, choices again! There are about six kinds of chocolate fondue there, we went with the not too adventurous and old-fashioned fun option of the S'mores fondue. Like each of the others before it, this pot was prepared right before our eyes tableside. Molten chocolate was swirled with marshmallow cream, then set ablaze with some sort of liqueur, probably more Stoli Vanil, and while that flickered, crushed graham crackers are poured in, the tiny crumbs toasting in the little blue flames. Accompanied by a dippables tray of sliced strawberries, banana, pineapple, graham crackers, marshmallows rolled in graham cracker crumbs or chocolate cookie dust, tiny chunks of brownie, poundcake, and finally a slice of cheesecake to share topped with a marachino cherry, this dessert was truly sinful and we enjoyed every bite of it.
The whole night was the perfect mixture of fun, romance, fine dining, responsible consumption of actual grown-up drinks, and just good quality time together. Unforgettable. Definitely want it to be repeatable. Bon appetit!
First, we absolutely never go anywhere near the Plaza under normal circumstances. So just driving there at all already starts to make the evening feel special. Couple this with an absolutely gorgeous sunny afternoon, the giggly high of having just spent a couple of hours at Dave & Buster's having silly fun, and you have a recipe for a dinner that can't go wrong.
We sit down to dinner in a comfy dimness lit by candles and well-spaced subtle lighting. The novelty of the upcoming meal has me almost giddy, which makes Blue laugh at my cuteness. It feels like when we were first dating. We choose from the menu the only appropriate option for two lovers experiencing fondue dining for the first time: The Big Night Out, a full-fledged four-course meal for two at one convenient and reasonable price. It consists of a cheese fondue appetizer, choice of salad for each person (so we don't have to negociate a dressing/greens compromise), meat or vegetarian main course, and a bowlful of bliss chocolate fondue dessert. So let us begin.
For our appetizer I selected traditional Swiss cheese fondue, made tableside by our talented and not-enough-to-be-annoyingly conversational waitress. White wine goes into the pot, followed by a tiny spoonful of chopped garlic, a sprinkling of fresh ground pepper, nutmeg, fresh squeezed lemon juice, kirschwasser, and heaps of finely grated Gruyere and Emmenthaler Swiss cheeses. It melts into something that makes my mouth water almost immediately, and we are presented with a tray of dippables: chunks of French, dark rye, and one other bread, green apples, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. Our favorites were the breads and the apple chunks. To round out our romantic evening, we each select a cocktail to enjoy with dinner: for me a raspberry martini, for Blue a Yin-Yang Martini. His is practically a dessert of ice cream, Stoli Vanil, Godiva White Chocolate, and Creme de Cacao, topped with milk chocolate shavings that form the chinese symbol on top of the drink, with a white chocolate disk as the counterpoint. He let me have a couple of sips, and it was divine! I must confess that my raspberry martini fell far short of expectations that are extremely high after being introduced to that particular drink at J. Gilbert's where it is smooth and absolutely delicious. The Melting Pot's version didn't have enough vodka and so it was reminiscent of raspberry cough syrup. But that's my only complaint of the entire evening. :)
On to the salad course. Blue takes the Orchard salad, an eclectic mix of greens I tend to think of as "yard weed salad" topped with walnuts, white raisins, apple chunks, and a creamy ranch-like dressing with some sort of cheese neither of us can remember now. He says it was really good, but it wasn't my sort of thing. I chose the Chef salad sans cucumber, and loved it. Regular lettuce greens, slices of roma tomato, sliced boiled egg, chunks of ham, emmenthaler cheese, topped with the tangy-sweet House dressing that I would describe as some sort of very mild and un-mustardy honey mustard vinaigrette.
For the main course, you have a choice of cooking styles. A vegetable broth, a cholesterol-free canola oil, the new Mojo caribbean broth, or traditional French Coq au Vin. Not wanting to fry our whole meal, wanting to be more adventurous than veggie stock but worried about the potential spiciness of Mojo, we chose Coq au Vin, a savory broth that starts out looking like veggie broth but with the addition of fresh herbs, mushrooms, three spoonfuls of chopped garlic, and a sizable glass of hearty burgundy wine, it is transformed into a most delicious bath for our platter of dippables. Which is another choice we got to make, and again we stuck with the most traditional plate, which I think was called the Heritage. Sesame beef, parsleyed chicken breast, pork, center cut filet, a Rock lobster tail to share, chunks of a very large portobello mushroom, and one pretty green gorgonzola-and-spinach ravioli for each of us. Plus a trough of veggies including red potatoes, broccoli, yellow squash, and button mushrooms. All of these are brought to the table raw, and we get to cook them ourselves in the roiling boiling Coq au Vin, just the steam of which was making my mouth water. As if the flavor of everything that came out of that pot wasn't already good enough, sauces were provided for additional variety of tastes. For the veggies, a creamy parsley and chive dip, for the red meats a gorgonzola and port wine cream sauce, and for the rest of the meats as we so chose a trio of bold sauces: sweet teriyaki glaze, spicy barbecue, and mild, soothing yellow curry. I adore yellow curry in all it's I-look-like-mustard-but-taste-like-nutmeggy goodness. This phase of the meal was just plain fun, timing the different foods in the pot to achieve the desired doneness, dipping, sampling sauces, sipping drinks and giggling at each other. And it was so very flavorful!
And then it was time for dessert. Oh sweet heaven, choices again! There are about six kinds of chocolate fondue there, we went with the not too adventurous and old-fashioned fun option of the S'mores fondue. Like each of the others before it, this pot was prepared right before our eyes tableside. Molten chocolate was swirled with marshmallow cream, then set ablaze with some sort of liqueur, probably more Stoli Vanil, and while that flickered, crushed graham crackers are poured in, the tiny crumbs toasting in the little blue flames. Accompanied by a dippables tray of sliced strawberries, banana, pineapple, graham crackers, marshmallows rolled in graham cracker crumbs or chocolate cookie dust, tiny chunks of brownie, poundcake, and finally a slice of cheesecake to share topped with a marachino cherry, this dessert was truly sinful and we enjoyed every bite of it.
The whole night was the perfect mixture of fun, romance, fine dining, responsible consumption of actual grown-up drinks, and just good quality time together. Unforgettable. Definitely want it to be repeatable. Bon appetit!
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
I Need a Hero
Today at lunch the Pamphlets met at Taco Bell to share a meal. I am one of those people who frequently custom-orders fast food, not because I'm uberpicky or anything, but for the simple reason that uncooked onions are gross and leave a terrible burpy aftertaste. So my burrito supreme is always ordered without onions. Only today it wasn't made correctly, and the onions were STILL THERE. Yuck! What to do? I really don't want to eat the onion burrito. I have an afternoon meeting in which I'll speak a lot in a small room. Onion breath is not a healthy part of that equation. It will definitely have to be returned to the counter and traded for a properly onionless version. This, I firmly believe, is best handled by Blue, for very good reasons.
Blue Takes It Back vs Pink Takes It Back
Blue Takes It Back vs Pink Takes It Back
When a man takes an item back, it's because it's the restaurant's mistake. When a woman takes it back, she is bitchy and finicky.
Blue can shift attention from himself and thus feel no pressure. "My wife's burrito has onions. She wants a new one." If I go up there, it's all about me. "I really wanted one without onions. It's on the receipt... Can I have a new one.... please?"
It's romantically old-fashioned and even chivalrous for Blue to fix the burrito problem for me and swoop in on a white horse with a non-smelly burrito. It is icky and confrontational for me to go up there and complain about my food if the problem is not really a health or safety issue, but rather based only on my wants.
It takes little effort for Blue to do it. I offered to pay him $5.00 even.
Blue, strangely, did not agree with my arguments. He felt I needed to "be assertive" and "show that the sexes are equal" and "put on my big girl panties" and go up there and do it myself. I say the nice thing to do is be the hero and go up there for me, even if being assertive would be a character-building experience for me. I'd rather save assertiveness training for more important issues. So here it is folks, the first ever, You Decide Pink and Blue Pamphlet Poll: What should it be? Hubby the Hero or See Pink Turn Red? The end result is, of course, Blue got his way. I went up and got a fixed burrito. But I'd still like to know what the good readers think of the issue. Please vote via comments. And remember that I still have that five bucks.
Footnote: Little Blue gallantly offered to be my hero at dinner when Blue and I were joking about lunch. I love that little guy.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
If nothing else, the internet has taught us how to self-obsess.
And yet still more getting to know me.
Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Secretary
2. Sort and Count in a casino vault
3. Office Manager of a courier company
4. Accounting Assistant/Davis-Bacon, Section 3, and Minority Contracting Compliance specialist
Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. The Man From Snowy River
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy
3. Finding Nemo over and over and over, because Little Blue loves it
4. The Incredibles, because I like it as much as Little Blue does.
Four places you have lived:
1. Willits, CA
2. Davis, CA
3. Independence, MO
4. Olathe, KS
4 TV shows you love to watch:
1. NCIS
2. House
3. Battlestar Galactica
4. Anything on FoodTV with Rachel Ray
4 places you have been on vacation:
1. Pismo Beach, CA
2. Willits, with a day in Fort Bragg
3. Laurie, at the Lake of the Ozarks
4. 28 states on any one of many family road trips
Four websites I visit daily:
1. For the past 2 days, and the next few, sportsline.com to look at how my brackets are doing.
2. google
3. gmail
4. bluepamphlet
Four of my favorite foods:
1. Italian
2. Chinese & Thai
3. Pizza
4. Mexican
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Upstairs in bed sleeping through my tummyache
2. cuddled up with a good book and some hot chai
3. not thinking about going to work tomorrow
4. sitting on the couch with some jamocha almond fudge ice cream.
Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Secretary
2. Sort and Count in a casino vault
3. Office Manager of a courier company
4. Accounting Assistant/Davis-Bacon, Section 3, and Minority Contracting Compliance specialist
Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. The Man From Snowy River
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy
3. Finding Nemo over and over and over, because Little Blue loves it
4. The Incredibles, because I like it as much as Little Blue does.
Four places you have lived:
1. Willits, CA
2. Davis, CA
3. Independence, MO
4. Olathe, KS
4 TV shows you love to watch:
1. NCIS
2. House
3. Battlestar Galactica
4. Anything on FoodTV with Rachel Ray
4 places you have been on vacation:
1. Pismo Beach, CA
2. Willits, with a day in Fort Bragg
3. Laurie, at the Lake of the Ozarks
4. 28 states on any one of many family road trips
Four websites I visit daily:
1. For the past 2 days, and the next few, sportsline.com to look at how my brackets are doing.
2. google
3. gmail
4. bluepamphlet
Four of my favorite foods:
1. Italian
2. Chinese & Thai
3. Pizza
4. Mexican
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Upstairs in bed sleeping through my tummyache
2. cuddled up with a good book and some hot chai
3. not thinking about going to work tomorrow
4. sitting on the couch with some jamocha almond fudge ice cream.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
"I have made fire!"
I feel like Tom Hanks in "Cast Away" today. I have made good, healthy food for my family, from scratch, without a recipe!!! It is a triumphant day in the battle against cooking laziness and taking the easy way out. So often I serve frozen pizza, hamburger helper, or take-out. And truthfully, not getting home until 5pm and Little Blue having a 7pm bedtime, that's all there's time for on week nights most of the time. Rachel Ray might make 30 minute meals but she also makes another 30 minutes of kitchen clean-up time, and I'd rather spend that time with my son. So really adventurous, homestyle, and slow-cooked meals are reserved for weekends, and today I outdid myself, if I may say so. The in-laws were over for dinner and NASCAR and I put together a delicious and hearty meal of seafood chowder using only ingredients I already had on hand. Plus it was in the crock pot, so it required only occasional attention and prep work from me and mostly took care of itself. Best of all, my family loved it. It started with four or five frozen boneless cod filets, seasoned with a sprinkling of my all-time favorite all-purpose spice, Santa Maria seasoning, which I import via relatives from California because it's not sold out here, but basically it's a nice preblended mixture of garlic, pepper, parsley, and salt. After a couple of hours I added coarsely chopped artificial crab meat and canned whole potatoes chopped into bite sized pieces. With that went another sprinkling of Santa Maria plus some celery salt, since I had no celery on hand. Also a dash of dried minced onions and some onion powder for flavor and texture combined. Oh and about a cup and a half of water. I almost used chicken stock instead for additional flavor, but decided it would've been too salty and also too high in sodium. Another couple of hours later and I was ready to work on my soup broth. I made a rue of butter and flour cooked to a golden sort of dry pasta color, then very slowly added about a cup and a quarter of milk. (If you don't add the milk super slow, its coldness will shock the butter/flour paste and cause it to turn into tiny bits of never-dissolving dough instead of a smooth creamy sauce.) To this cream sauce I added more celery salt, a tiny shake of Santa Maria, a healthy dose of black pepper, and a shake of garlic powder. I cooked it on medium for about ten minutes, not letting it boil, which cooked out any remaining flour taste. Then into the crock pot it went and kept at just below a simmer for about ten minutes so all the flavors could meld together. Voila! I served it with half a loaf of yummy, crusty Country Bread from Panera that was left over from stew we had the night before. Rave reviews, loved by all but Little Blue and even he liked it enough to finish all but two bites of his dinner. I was quietly, humble and gracious but inwardly ecstatic, as I always am whenever I manage to feed people something I feel is good. There's something very satisfying about nourishing people, providing sustenance that I've put my time and love into, made with my own skills, however flawed, and seeing happy faces of enjoyment around my table. If I won the lottery I would probably take cooking classes and host dinners at my house every week just to keep up that great feeling. A truly happy day.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Because Cameragal found a survey that made me laugh
What time did you get up this morning? 5:45, 5:49, 5:53, 5:57, and 6:01. After that I got out of bed. ;)
Diamonds or pearls? I'm not a jewelry wearer most of the time, but to look at pretty pictures in catalogs, I prefer diamonds.
What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
What is your favourite TV show? Battlestar Galactica, House, NCIS, Stargate SG-1, and Stargate Atlantis. Oh and Lost.
What do you usually have for breakfast? A single chicken-broccoli-cheddar hot pocket and a cup of coffee or tea. Washed down with my morning dose of insulin sensitizing pills.
Favourite cuisine? Italian, Chinese, Thai, Mexican.
What food do you dislike? cucumbers, melons, frozen peas, frozen greenbeans, mushrooms, raw onions, liver, sweet potatoes.
What is your favourite CD at the moment? The mixed ones I make to listen to in Blue's car.
Morning or night person? I'm good all day except the first 15 minutes of the day. After that I'm great. During those 15 minutes I am an uncoordinated space cadet who needs to be constantly supervised to keep from bumping into walls and stepping on kitty.
Favourite sandwich? I love tons of different sandwiches, I don't have a favorite, it just depends what I'm in the mood for that day. But if you go by statistics, what sandwich do I eat the most, which removes lots of yummy sandwiches from the list that are too complicated to make or require ingredients I don't typically keep on hand, then the tie for first place would be egg sandwiches and tuna sandwiches.
What characteristic do you despise? Bigotry, homophobia, prejudice, discrimination AND reverse discrimination.
Favourite item of clothing? Any really soft snuggly shirt that Blue wears.
If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would it be? Australia! And then Alaska.
What colour is your bathroom? We have a white and blue bathroom and a mostly colorless off-white bathroom.
Favourite brand of clothing? Liz and Me
Where would you retire to? Somewhere with a mild climate but a low cost of living.
What was your most memorable birthday? I remember my 5th, 13th, and 21st the most. After that I mostly started remembering other birthdays, like fun little toddler birthday parties we go to with Little Blue.
What's the best quality about your s/o or best friend: Something about him makes everyone love him, respect him, and turn to him for help. He's got that special, je ne se quois, or however you spell that.
Who do you least expect to complete this? Annielove, cause she hasn't posted on her blog since October.
Person you expect to complete it first? Kelly's probably right, Scott.
Person who is least busy? I don't really know any unbusy people....
When is your birthday? March 8th
What is your shoe size? 10.5 to 11 men's! I'm practically off the chart for women's shoes.
Pets? pretty kitty, Guenhwyvar
Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? I lost ten pounds. Or actually, I relost ten pounds I'd already lost and then gained back over the holidays. Too bad backpedaling doesn't actually burn calories!
What did you want to be when you were little? A high-powered, ass-kicking District Attorney.
What is the funniest comment/complement someone has given you in the past week? Sometimes my boss calls me the Pink Panther because of the amateur investigative research I do.
What date on the calendar are you looking forward to? Friday! Tomorrow!
One word to describe yourself? Paradoxical. (Blue says that's a good way of saying "double standard!" in one word.)
Diamonds or pearls? I'm not a jewelry wearer most of the time, but to look at pretty pictures in catalogs, I prefer diamonds.
What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
What is your favourite TV show? Battlestar Galactica, House, NCIS, Stargate SG-1, and Stargate Atlantis. Oh and Lost.
What do you usually have for breakfast? A single chicken-broccoli-cheddar hot pocket and a cup of coffee or tea. Washed down with my morning dose of insulin sensitizing pills.
Favourite cuisine? Italian, Chinese, Thai, Mexican.
What food do you dislike? cucumbers, melons, frozen peas, frozen greenbeans, mushrooms, raw onions, liver, sweet potatoes.
What is your favourite CD at the moment? The mixed ones I make to listen to in Blue's car.
Morning or night person? I'm good all day except the first 15 minutes of the day. After that I'm great. During those 15 minutes I am an uncoordinated space cadet who needs to be constantly supervised to keep from bumping into walls and stepping on kitty.
Favourite sandwich? I love tons of different sandwiches, I don't have a favorite, it just depends what I'm in the mood for that day. But if you go by statistics, what sandwich do I eat the most, which removes lots of yummy sandwiches from the list that are too complicated to make or require ingredients I don't typically keep on hand, then the tie for first place would be egg sandwiches and tuna sandwiches.
What characteristic do you despise? Bigotry, homophobia, prejudice, discrimination AND reverse discrimination.
Favourite item of clothing? Any really soft snuggly shirt that Blue wears.
If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would it be? Australia! And then Alaska.
What colour is your bathroom? We have a white and blue bathroom and a mostly colorless off-white bathroom.
Favourite brand of clothing? Liz and Me
Where would you retire to? Somewhere with a mild climate but a low cost of living.
What was your most memorable birthday? I remember my 5th, 13th, and 21st the most. After that I mostly started remembering other birthdays, like fun little toddler birthday parties we go to with Little Blue.
What's the best quality about your s/o or best friend: Something about him makes everyone love him, respect him, and turn to him for help. He's got that special, je ne se quois, or however you spell that.
Who do you least expect to complete this? Annielove, cause she hasn't posted on her blog since October.
Person you expect to complete it first? Kelly's probably right, Scott.
Person who is least busy? I don't really know any unbusy people....
When is your birthday? March 8th
What is your shoe size? 10.5 to 11 men's! I'm practically off the chart for women's shoes.
Pets? pretty kitty, Guenhwyvar
Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? I lost ten pounds. Or actually, I relost ten pounds I'd already lost and then gained back over the holidays. Too bad backpedaling doesn't actually burn calories!
What did you want to be when you were little? A high-powered, ass-kicking District Attorney.
What is the funniest comment/complement someone has given you in the past week? Sometimes my boss calls me the Pink Panther because of the amateur investigative research I do.
What date on the calendar are you looking forward to? Friday! Tomorrow!
One word to describe yourself? Paradoxical. (Blue says that's a good way of saying "double standard!" in one word.)
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Because everything else I can think of to write about at the moment sounds complainy...
What time are you starting this?: 9:18pm
Name?: Pink
Nicknames?: soooo many, soooo not telling all of them.
Where were you born?: El Cajon, CA (that’s pronounced [ell cah-HONE], not [ell cah-john], Kansans.)
Number of candles on your last birthday cake?: I think the wording of this question is ridiculous. How about, “How old are you?” and then I say, “26, for a few more weeks.”
Pets?: One kitty named Guenhwyvar
Hair color?: Dark blonde (or light brown?) with some auburn highlights and I pluck the grays.
Piercings?: The old-fashioned two in the ears kind. I used to have a second in each ear and a third ear piercing in my right ear, but I think they closed up. Being on the phone all the time whilst needing my hands free means earrings get really uncomfortable.
Town you live in?: Olathe, KS
Favorite foods?: Chinese and Italian, and Mexican. And pizza.
Ever been to Africa?: No…. nor Europe, nor Australia, nor any other of Earth’s continents except North America. Why single out just Africa?
Been toilet papering?: As I explained to Little Blue, T.P. is only for wiping our noses OR our potty parts, (not both at once!) and that’s all.
Love someone so much it made you cry?: Frequently. (Frequently loved that much, not necessarily frequently cried about it.)
Been in a car accident?: Just a fender bender or two. None that I honestly feel responsible for, though in the wonderful state of Kansas even an accident I couldn’t possibly avoid in front of me counts as my fault. *grumble*
Croutons or bacon bits?: Croutons, unless the bacon bits are genuine real bacon crumbles that are CRISPY, not chewy.
Favorite day of the week?: Friday.
Favorite resturant?: The Thai Place, Olive Garden.
Favorite flower?: To look at? Roses. But the scent is too strong for me, so for bouquets it’s usually carnations.
Favorite sport to watch?: Iron Chef! :p
Favorite drink?: Water, Diet Coke, Pepsi One, raspberry martinis, white Russians. Oh and chocolate martinis too.
Favorite ice cream flavor?: Chocolate or mocha almond fudge.
Warner Bros. or Disney?: I grew up on Disney, and I love the old Disney classics still.
Favorite fast food restuarant?: Goodcents, Arby’s, Taco Bell.
Carpet color in your bedroom?: Honey wheat. Ignore Blue’s answer. Boys don’t know colors.
How many times did you fail your driver's test?: None.
Whom did you get your last email from?: My co-worker, MB.
Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?: Bed Bath and Beyond.
What do you do most often when you are bored?: play on the computer or read books.
Most annoying thing to say to me?: “You are soooo lucky to have/take home/be married to [Blue]. Isn’t he just wonderful?” As a matter of fact he is, hence my being in love with him. But doesn’t anybody think he’s just the tiniest bit lucky to have me???
Bedtime?: 10-11 p.m.
Favorite TV show?: The entire line-up of Sci-Fi Fridays: Stargate SG-1, Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica.
Last person you went out to dinner with?: Blue and Little Blue
Been out of country?: Not once, but not for lack of wanting to.
Believe in magick?: Yes
Ford or Chevy?: I like the Ford I drive, but in general I’m a born-and-raised GMC fan.
What are you listening to right now?: Blue playing GTA San Andreas.
Have you ever failed a grade?: No.
If you have, what grade did you fail?:
Do you have a crush on someone?: Does it count if I think some celebrities are cute? Currently I like Jason Isaacs. But not as Lucius. Being mean and the whole white-blonde thing don’t do it for me.
Do you have a bf/gf?: Husband.
If so, what is their name?: Blue
How long have you been together?: Wow, I can’t believe this fall will make 9 years that we’ve known each other.
What are you wearing right now?: Black jeans and a fall-colored shirt.
Have you ever had a crush on any of your teachers?: Not that I remember.
Do you smoke?: Hell no. I’m so sensitive to smoke it’s actually inconvenient for ME sometimes, let alone for smokers. I can smell a smoker from about 10 feet, even when they aren’t currently lit up. Sometimes my coughing and needing to get away for fresh air when I’m around them is annoying. But I don’t have much sympathy for them, to be honest.
Do you drink?: Less than 2-3 drinks per week at the most, closer to an average of 4-5 drinks per month.
Are you ghetto?: I’m not sure exactly what that’s supposed to mean, but if I take my clues from the way I was treated at a recent job site meeting regarding diversity hiring practices, I would say probably not. Certain members of a mostly minority community were not thrilled that I have my job instead of one of them. I guess you can’t please everybody.
Are you a player?: I like games.
What are your favorite colors?: Blue.
What is your favorite animal?: Cats and dragons.
Do you have any birthmarks?: Yes.
Have you ever gotten your ass kicked?: Once in my Tae Kwon Do class, and once at a Karate tournament. But at all the other tournaments I went to, I medaled.
Who do you talk to most on the phone?: Subcontractors.
Do you get online a lot?: Couple hours a day usually.
Are you shy or outgoing?: Most often shy.
Do you shower?: Yes. But I dream of having a giant bathtub filled with scented soap bubbles and no toddler.
Do you hate school?: I loved school.
Do you have a social life?: Enough to keep me happy. It’s not a super busy social calendar, by most standards though.
How easily do you trust people?: Pink is spelled G-U-L-L-I-B-L-E with a capital G.
Would you ever sky dive?: Thrillseeking doesn’t seem like such a “cool” thing to do when you have a child’s future to consider. Is any 3 minutes of fun or excitement worth risking my life for? Not that I can think of.
Do you like to dance?: With Blue, yes.
Have you ever been out of state?: I’ve been to 28 of them, at last count.
Do you like to travel?: Yes.
Have you ever been expelled from school?: definitely not.
Have you ever been suspended from school?: Not once.
Do you want to get out of your hometown?: I did, 1800 miles out. Not because I didn’t like it, though. I loved it. Just not as much as Blue.
Are you spoiled?: In many, many ways.
Are you a brat?: *angelic*
Have you ever been dumped?: Three times.
Do you like snapple?: Not especially.
Do you drink a lot of water?: I try to.
What toothpaste do you use?: Sensodyne, my teeth are sugar sensitive.
Do you have a cell phone?: Sure do.
Do you have a curfew?: On the rare occasion I’m out in the evening, I really prefer to be home in time to say goodnight to Little Blue.
Who do you look up to?: Lately I really look up to my dad. He’s made a lot of changes in himself in the past few years to be an even better man/husband/father than I already thought he was. It makes me proud.
Are you a role model?: I try to be a good role model for my son, but when he’s not around, I cut loose a little and have fun.
Have you ever been to Six Flags or Cedar Point?: I’ve been to a theme park that used to be called Six Flags Great America in California, but I think it has different owners now. I don’t know what Cedar Point is.
What name brand do you wear the most?: Lady Speed Stick Wild Freesia. I never go a day without wearing it.
What kind of jewelry do you wear?: My wedding band. Rarely earrings, when I’m not going to be on the phone a lot.
What do you want pierced?: Um, no stabbings today, thanks.
Do you like takin pictures?: yep!
Do you like gettin your picture taken?: nooo, not really.
Do you have a tan?: I can not tan.
Do you get annoyed easily?: Certain things set me off a lot faster than others.
Have you ever started a rumor?: Not intentionally.
Do you have your own phone or phone line?: I’m a big girl now, I get to have my own phone line and pay for it too! Along with the electricity, the gas, the water, and the rest of the house.
Do you have your own pool?: Sometimes there’s a little puddle in the car port…
Do you have any siblings?: I had six sisters and two brothers. One of my sisters died. At the age of 48. Of throat cancer that she got from, wait a minute, oh yeah, from SMOKING! Yes I’m still mad about it even though it was two years ago. Yes I always will be. Yes I get even more angry when I see people who know better who are just too lazy or too nonchalant to quit. People who are older now than she was when she died and don’t even have the grace to be thankful that they aren’t seriously ill from smoking complications yet. Or people that are young, knowing all we know about it now, with enough time ahead of them to stop and even reverse it’s harmful effects on their bodies, and are still bullheaded and stubborn and yeah-I’ll-say-it STUPID enough to keep doing it anyway. Yeah, quitting is hard! It’s uncomfortable! It’s irritating and sometimes painful and a lot of work! It might take years to quit completely. And it’s goddamn worth it, that’s what it is.
Have you ever been played?: Blue plays me like a virtuoso whenever he wants to manipulate a surprise for me or a favorable answer out of me.
Have you ever played anyone?: Yes.
Do you get along with your parents?: Almost all the time.
How do you vent your anger?: Mostly with music and talking.
Have you ever ran away?: Have you ever RUN away. Not ran. Yes. Once. Sort of. I made a circle and went right back home of course.
Have you ever been fired from a job?: No.
Do you even have a job?: From age 14 to now the longest I have ever not had a job is 2 months. I’ve been at my current job for over 3 years.
Do you daydream a lot?: Not nearly as much as I used to.
Do you have a lot of ex's?: No.
Do you run your mouth?: Quite a bit, I suppose.
What do you want a tattoo of?: I don’t want a tattoo.
What does your ex bf/gf look like?: Technically, Blue is my most recent ex. Obviously, we got back together and got married. ;)
What does your most recent crush look like?: Other than the obvious answer, there are a few celebrities I think are hot. But there’s no one “type” of appearance that universally appeals to me.
Whats her/his name?: It’s a secret.
Are you rude?: Not usually.
What was the last compliment you recieved?: Yesterday Little Blue told me, “Good job, Mommie!” when I finished all my dinner. :)
Are you flexiable?: I’m fairly adaptable. Which is different, but in my opinion a little more important.
What is your heritage?: British and American. With some way, way distant far back German I think. Oh and some way far back French, too, since I’m related to Davy Crockett and his ancestors were French, the Crocketagne family.
What is your lucky number?: 26
What does your hair look like right now?: A bun with some wisps falling out.
Could you ever be a vegetarian?: I have been occasionally in the past.
Describe your looks?: I guarantee you I look exactly like my mother’s only birth daughter.
If you had to completely dye your hair it'd be what color?: Auburn.
Would you ever date someone younger than you?: I would never date while I’m married. :p Which is a bit of a cheater answer, I suppose. In the past I haven’t ever dated anyone younger than me, but not because I wouldn’t. It just didn’t happen to work out that way.
Would you ever date someone older than you?: Blue is older than me.
How many rings until you answer the phone?: As few as possible. It’s one of my compulsions.
When was the last time you went on a date?: While LB attended a BD party for a friend, pink and I took in a cheap pizza buffett, does that count? <-- What Blue said.
Do you look more like your mother or father?: Like my mother, although sometimes, by a weird twist of genetic fates, I look more like my mother’s younger sister, who didn’t survive to have children of her own.
Do you cry a lot?: I cry easily, but that doesn’t mean a lot.
Do you ever cry to get your way?: I hate crying. I would never do it on purpose.
What phrase do you use most when on the phone?: I have a bad habit of saying “No problem,” instead of “You’re welcome.”
Are you the romantic type?: Very.
Have you ever been chased by cops?: I’ve been pulled over, but there was no chase involved.
What do you like most about your body?: It made a healthy baby. Go me!
What do you like least about your body?: It’s shape/proportions.
When did you have your first crush?: I was madly in love with no less than six boys simultaneously in my 1st grade class.
In the opposite sex, do you prefer blondes or brunettes?: I don’t care about hair color. It helps if it’s clean, though.
What theme does your room have?: Um, our bedroom is mostly blue. LB’s room is Little Boy themed. That’s about it for themes at our house.
What do you drive?: Your typical family car, a Ford Windstar minivan.
When was the last time you cried in school?: Sophomore year of college when I realized I was going to drop out and move back home. Admitting I was overwhelmed and needed help was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.
What kind of music do you like?: Alternative, rock, classical, and an occasional song from other genres that I don’t necessarily like as a group.
Would you ever bungee jump?: Refer to the sky diving question.
What is your worst fear?: Something happening to Little Blue or hubby.
Would you ever join the army?: They wouldn’t take me if I tried, actually. But I wouldn’t like to anyway.
Do you like cows?: Beef good! Milk good! Cheese good! Leather good! Butter good!
Do you like to party?: A good party to me is one with board and/or card games, friends, not too many people, and optionally good movies/tv shows. I like them without or without responsible alcohol consumption. I don’t like them with irresponsible alcohol consumption.
Favorite scent?: Little Blue’s hair right after his bath.
Favorite band?: Too many to name, the tops right now are The Killers, Staind, Snow Patrol, Interpol, NIN
Would you ever dye your hair red?: I have before.
How many languages can you speak?: American English, a little bit of Spanish
What time are you finishing this?: 10:48 p.m.
Okay, so some of this wound up being complainy anyway. Too bad. :p
Name?: Pink
Nicknames?: soooo many, soooo not telling all of them.
Where were you born?: El Cajon, CA (that’s pronounced [ell cah-HONE], not [ell cah-john], Kansans.)
Number of candles on your last birthday cake?: I think the wording of this question is ridiculous. How about, “How old are you?” and then I say, “26, for a few more weeks.”
Pets?: One kitty named Guenhwyvar
Hair color?: Dark blonde (or light brown?) with some auburn highlights and I pluck the grays.
Piercings?: The old-fashioned two in the ears kind. I used to have a second in each ear and a third ear piercing in my right ear, but I think they closed up. Being on the phone all the time whilst needing my hands free means earrings get really uncomfortable.
Town you live in?: Olathe, KS
Favorite foods?: Chinese and Italian, and Mexican. And pizza.
Ever been to Africa?: No…. nor Europe, nor Australia, nor any other of Earth’s continents except North America. Why single out just Africa?
Been toilet papering?: As I explained to Little Blue, T.P. is only for wiping our noses OR our potty parts, (not both at once!) and that’s all.
Love someone so much it made you cry?: Frequently. (Frequently loved that much, not necessarily frequently cried about it.)
Been in a car accident?: Just a fender bender or two. None that I honestly feel responsible for, though in the wonderful state of Kansas even an accident I couldn’t possibly avoid in front of me counts as my fault. *grumble*
Croutons or bacon bits?: Croutons, unless the bacon bits are genuine real bacon crumbles that are CRISPY, not chewy.
Favorite day of the week?: Friday.
Favorite resturant?: The Thai Place, Olive Garden.
Favorite flower?: To look at? Roses. But the scent is too strong for me, so for bouquets it’s usually carnations.
Favorite sport to watch?: Iron Chef! :p
Favorite drink?: Water, Diet Coke, Pepsi One, raspberry martinis, white Russians. Oh and chocolate martinis too.
Favorite ice cream flavor?: Chocolate or mocha almond fudge.
Warner Bros. or Disney?: I grew up on Disney, and I love the old Disney classics still.
Favorite fast food restuarant?: Goodcents, Arby’s, Taco Bell.
Carpet color in your bedroom?: Honey wheat. Ignore Blue’s answer. Boys don’t know colors.
How many times did you fail your driver's test?: None.
Whom did you get your last email from?: My co-worker, MB.
Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?: Bed Bath and Beyond.
What do you do most often when you are bored?: play on the computer or read books.
Most annoying thing to say to me?: “You are soooo lucky to have/take home/be married to [Blue]. Isn’t he just wonderful?” As a matter of fact he is, hence my being in love with him. But doesn’t anybody think he’s just the tiniest bit lucky to have me???
Bedtime?: 10-11 p.m.
Favorite TV show?: The entire line-up of Sci-Fi Fridays: Stargate SG-1, Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica.
Last person you went out to dinner with?: Blue and Little Blue
Been out of country?: Not once, but not for lack of wanting to.
Believe in magick?: Yes
Ford or Chevy?: I like the Ford I drive, but in general I’m a born-and-raised GMC fan.
What are you listening to right now?: Blue playing GTA San Andreas.
Have you ever failed a grade?: No.
If you have, what grade did you fail?:
Do you have a crush on someone?: Does it count if I think some celebrities are cute? Currently I like Jason Isaacs. But not as Lucius. Being mean and the whole white-blonde thing don’t do it for me.
Do you have a bf/gf?: Husband.
If so, what is their name?: Blue
How long have you been together?: Wow, I can’t believe this fall will make 9 years that we’ve known each other.
What are you wearing right now?: Black jeans and a fall-colored shirt.
Have you ever had a crush on any of your teachers?: Not that I remember.
Do you smoke?: Hell no. I’m so sensitive to smoke it’s actually inconvenient for ME sometimes, let alone for smokers. I can smell a smoker from about 10 feet, even when they aren’t currently lit up. Sometimes my coughing and needing to get away for fresh air when I’m around them is annoying. But I don’t have much sympathy for them, to be honest.
Do you drink?: Less than 2-3 drinks per week at the most, closer to an average of 4-5 drinks per month.
Are you ghetto?: I’m not sure exactly what that’s supposed to mean, but if I take my clues from the way I was treated at a recent job site meeting regarding diversity hiring practices, I would say probably not. Certain members of a mostly minority community were not thrilled that I have my job instead of one of them. I guess you can’t please everybody.
Are you a player?: I like games.
What are your favorite colors?: Blue.
What is your favorite animal?: Cats and dragons.
Do you have any birthmarks?: Yes.
Have you ever gotten your ass kicked?: Once in my Tae Kwon Do class, and once at a Karate tournament. But at all the other tournaments I went to, I medaled.
Who do you talk to most on the phone?: Subcontractors.
Do you get online a lot?: Couple hours a day usually.
Are you shy or outgoing?: Most often shy.
Do you shower?: Yes. But I dream of having a giant bathtub filled with scented soap bubbles and no toddler.
Do you hate school?: I loved school.
Do you have a social life?: Enough to keep me happy. It’s not a super busy social calendar, by most standards though.
How easily do you trust people?: Pink is spelled G-U-L-L-I-B-L-E with a capital G.
Would you ever sky dive?: Thrillseeking doesn’t seem like such a “cool” thing to do when you have a child’s future to consider. Is any 3 minutes of fun or excitement worth risking my life for? Not that I can think of.
Do you like to dance?: With Blue, yes.
Have you ever been out of state?: I’ve been to 28 of them, at last count.
Do you like to travel?: Yes.
Have you ever been expelled from school?: definitely not.
Have you ever been suspended from school?: Not once.
Do you want to get out of your hometown?: I did, 1800 miles out. Not because I didn’t like it, though. I loved it. Just not as much as Blue.
Are you spoiled?: In many, many ways.
Are you a brat?: *angelic*
Have you ever been dumped?: Three times.
Do you like snapple?: Not especially.
Do you drink a lot of water?: I try to.
What toothpaste do you use?: Sensodyne, my teeth are sugar sensitive.
Do you have a cell phone?: Sure do.
Do you have a curfew?: On the rare occasion I’m out in the evening, I really prefer to be home in time to say goodnight to Little Blue.
Who do you look up to?: Lately I really look up to my dad. He’s made a lot of changes in himself in the past few years to be an even better man/husband/father than I already thought he was. It makes me proud.
Are you a role model?: I try to be a good role model for my son, but when he’s not around, I cut loose a little and have fun.
Have you ever been to Six Flags or Cedar Point?: I’ve been to a theme park that used to be called Six Flags Great America in California, but I think it has different owners now. I don’t know what Cedar Point is.
What name brand do you wear the most?: Lady Speed Stick Wild Freesia. I never go a day without wearing it.
What kind of jewelry do you wear?: My wedding band. Rarely earrings, when I’m not going to be on the phone a lot.
What do you want pierced?: Um, no stabbings today, thanks.
Do you like takin pictures?: yep!
Do you like gettin your picture taken?: nooo, not really.
Do you have a tan?: I can not tan.
Do you get annoyed easily?: Certain things set me off a lot faster than others.
Have you ever started a rumor?: Not intentionally.
Do you have your own phone or phone line?: I’m a big girl now, I get to have my own phone line and pay for it too! Along with the electricity, the gas, the water, and the rest of the house.
Do you have your own pool?: Sometimes there’s a little puddle in the car port…
Do you have any siblings?: I had six sisters and two brothers. One of my sisters died. At the age of 48. Of throat cancer that she got from, wait a minute, oh yeah, from SMOKING! Yes I’m still mad about it even though it was two years ago. Yes I always will be. Yes I get even more angry when I see people who know better who are just too lazy or too nonchalant to quit. People who are older now than she was when she died and don’t even have the grace to be thankful that they aren’t seriously ill from smoking complications yet. Or people that are young, knowing all we know about it now, with enough time ahead of them to stop and even reverse it’s harmful effects on their bodies, and are still bullheaded and stubborn and yeah-I’ll-say-it STUPID enough to keep doing it anyway. Yeah, quitting is hard! It’s uncomfortable! It’s irritating and sometimes painful and a lot of work! It might take years to quit completely. And it’s goddamn worth it, that’s what it is.
Have you ever been played?: Blue plays me like a virtuoso whenever he wants to manipulate a surprise for me or a favorable answer out of me.
Have you ever played anyone?: Yes.
Do you get along with your parents?: Almost all the time.
How do you vent your anger?: Mostly with music and talking.
Have you ever ran away?: Have you ever RUN away. Not ran. Yes. Once. Sort of. I made a circle and went right back home of course.
Have you ever been fired from a job?: No.
Do you even have a job?: From age 14 to now the longest I have ever not had a job is 2 months. I’ve been at my current job for over 3 years.
Do you daydream a lot?: Not nearly as much as I used to.
Do you have a lot of ex's?: No.
Do you run your mouth?: Quite a bit, I suppose.
What do you want a tattoo of?: I don’t want a tattoo.
What does your ex bf/gf look like?: Technically, Blue is my most recent ex. Obviously, we got back together and got married. ;)
What does your most recent crush look like?: Other than the obvious answer, there are a few celebrities I think are hot. But there’s no one “type” of appearance that universally appeals to me.
Whats her/his name?: It’s a secret.
Are you rude?: Not usually.
What was the last compliment you recieved?: Yesterday Little Blue told me, “Good job, Mommie!” when I finished all my dinner. :)
Are you flexiable?: I’m fairly adaptable. Which is different, but in my opinion a little more important.
What is your heritage?: British and American. With some way, way distant far back German I think. Oh and some way far back French, too, since I’m related to Davy Crockett and his ancestors were French, the Crocketagne family.
What is your lucky number?: 26
What does your hair look like right now?: A bun with some wisps falling out.
Could you ever be a vegetarian?: I have been occasionally in the past.
Describe your looks?: I guarantee you I look exactly like my mother’s only birth daughter.
If you had to completely dye your hair it'd be what color?: Auburn.
Would you ever date someone younger than you?: I would never date while I’m married. :p Which is a bit of a cheater answer, I suppose. In the past I haven’t ever dated anyone younger than me, but not because I wouldn’t. It just didn’t happen to work out that way.
Would you ever date someone older than you?: Blue is older than me.
How many rings until you answer the phone?: As few as possible. It’s one of my compulsions.
When was the last time you went on a date?: While LB attended a BD party for a friend, pink and I took in a cheap pizza buffett, does that count? <-- What Blue said.
Do you look more like your mother or father?: Like my mother, although sometimes, by a weird twist of genetic fates, I look more like my mother’s younger sister, who didn’t survive to have children of her own.
Do you cry a lot?: I cry easily, but that doesn’t mean a lot.
Do you ever cry to get your way?: I hate crying. I would never do it on purpose.
What phrase do you use most when on the phone?: I have a bad habit of saying “No problem,” instead of “You’re welcome.”
Are you the romantic type?: Very.
Have you ever been chased by cops?: I’ve been pulled over, but there was no chase involved.
What do you like most about your body?: It made a healthy baby. Go me!
What do you like least about your body?: It’s shape/proportions.
When did you have your first crush?: I was madly in love with no less than six boys simultaneously in my 1st grade class.
In the opposite sex, do you prefer blondes or brunettes?: I don’t care about hair color. It helps if it’s clean, though.
What theme does your room have?: Um, our bedroom is mostly blue. LB’s room is Little Boy themed. That’s about it for themes at our house.
What do you drive?: Your typical family car, a Ford Windstar minivan.
When was the last time you cried in school?: Sophomore year of college when I realized I was going to drop out and move back home. Admitting I was overwhelmed and needed help was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.
What kind of music do you like?: Alternative, rock, classical, and an occasional song from other genres that I don’t necessarily like as a group.
Would you ever bungee jump?: Refer to the sky diving question.
What is your worst fear?: Something happening to Little Blue or hubby.
Would you ever join the army?: They wouldn’t take me if I tried, actually. But I wouldn’t like to anyway.
Do you like cows?: Beef good! Milk good! Cheese good! Leather good! Butter good!
Do you like to party?: A good party to me is one with board and/or card games, friends, not too many people, and optionally good movies/tv shows. I like them without or without responsible alcohol consumption. I don’t like them with irresponsible alcohol consumption.
Favorite scent?: Little Blue’s hair right after his bath.
Favorite band?: Too many to name, the tops right now are The Killers, Staind, Snow Patrol, Interpol, NIN
Would you ever dye your hair red?: I have before.
How many languages can you speak?: American English, a little bit of Spanish
What time are you finishing this?: 10:48 p.m.
Okay, so some of this wound up being complainy anyway. Too bad. :p
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Not to break my copycat streak...
From Veggienerd via Blue Pamphlet, here is the courtesy-of-AmericanExpress My Card survey:
My name...Pink Pamphlet
childhood ambition...District Attorney - put the bad guys in jail hot-shot lawyer style.
fondest memory...My childhood imagination. I entertained myself with the most wonderful, adventurous stories.
soundtrack...bold, dramatic, moving, tempered by quiet, reflective melodies a la Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Howard Shore, and Danny Elfman.
retreat...really good sleep
wildest dream...winning the lottery.
proudest moment...my two-year-old having completely accident-free potty training days, and my hubby being recognised as the equivalent of employee of the year.
biggest challenge...admitting inadequacy and asking for help.
alarm clock...a loud beeping.
perfect day...having a perfect hair day (bouncy, flirtatious curly hair that doesn't drive me crazy), doing something simple but brilliant at work, then coming home to hugs and kisses and shouts of "Mommie! You brought your coat!" and enjoying a homecooked meal that cleans up easily to allow time for couch snuggling before the little guy goes to bed.
first job...typing and answering phones for dad's construction business.
indulgence...cheddar cheese
last purchase...at the drug store - birth control and chocolate.
favorite movie...changes all the time. right now - The Incredibles or Harry Potter.
inspiration...music
My life...is a love story, the best kind of love story, with more than one kind of love. A harmony of opposites: tears and laughter, innocence and sensuality, romantic attraction and motherly devotion. My world essentially revolves around only two people, but it is full.
My card...is MasterCard - some things in life are priceless.
My name...Pink Pamphlet
childhood ambition...District Attorney - put the bad guys in jail hot-shot lawyer style.
fondest memory...My childhood imagination. I entertained myself with the most wonderful, adventurous stories.
soundtrack...bold, dramatic, moving, tempered by quiet, reflective melodies a la Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Howard Shore, and Danny Elfman.
retreat...really good sleep
wildest dream...winning the lottery.
proudest moment...my two-year-old having completely accident-free potty training days, and my hubby being recognised as the equivalent of employee of the year.
biggest challenge...admitting inadequacy and asking for help.
alarm clock...a loud beeping.
perfect day...having a perfect hair day (bouncy, flirtatious curly hair that doesn't drive me crazy), doing something simple but brilliant at work, then coming home to hugs and kisses and shouts of "Mommie! You brought your coat!" and enjoying a homecooked meal that cleans up easily to allow time for couch snuggling before the little guy goes to bed.
first job...typing and answering phones for dad's construction business.
indulgence...cheddar cheese
last purchase...at the drug store - birth control and chocolate.
favorite movie...changes all the time. right now - The Incredibles or Harry Potter.
inspiration...music
My life...is a love story, the best kind of love story, with more than one kind of love. A harmony of opposites: tears and laughter, innocence and sensuality, romantic attraction and motherly devotion. My world essentially revolves around only two people, but it is full.
My card...is MasterCard - some things in life are priceless.
Monday, January 23, 2006
Survey, Part Deux
1) I wouldn't mind being 21-24 again, when I was more certain of my youth and true adulthood still felt pretty far away. But then I didn't have Little Blue.
2) Where were you when 9/11 happened? At a gas station in KCMO getting chocolate milk on my way to work. I heard about the first plane crash on the radio right before I went inside, but at that point no one knew it was a deliberate act yet.
3) What do you do when vending machines steal your money? Get a little frustrated.
4) Do you consider yourself kind? Not as much as I used to be, but for the most part, still yes.
5) When you see a homeless person on the side of the road, what do you think? That I can think of half a dozen or more activities that person could do to improve their life that are more productive than begging or sleeping on the side of the road. I'm not a big fan of handouts. I think most of us are capable of doing some small thing to earn our way in the world. If quadriplegics can earn a living making paintings with a brush in their mouth, then most of the beggars I've ever seen ought to be able to do something useful.
6) If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be? The only way I could be made to get a tattoo would be in prison or something like that, and then I wouldn't have a choice about where it goes. I have no tolerance for that particular kind of pain.
7) If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be? I would love to speak Irish Gaelic or Welsh.
8) Do you know your neighbors? Yep!
9) What do you consider a vacation? Any bonus day I get to spend with my family instead of working, without taking a hit in the paycheck.
10) Do you follow your horoscope? Only for fun.
11) Would you move for the person you loved? Been there, done that.
12) Are you touchy feely? I have well defined comfort boundaries, and I'm usually very good at broadcasting them on a subconcious level. If I'm comfortable with someone hugging me, they can usually tell. If I'm not, it's obvious. A good example of this: not one stranger or little-known acquaintance ever touched my stomach while I was pregnant, despite many women reporting that it's common for unwanted attentions like that during pregnancy. It simply was clear that I wouldn't tolerate it.
13) Do you believe that opposites attract? I think attraction is a complex phenomenon, and that while it may be true that sometimes opposites attract, that doesn't necessarily mean that opposites will live happily ever after. I think a good balance of conflicting and complimentary interests and personality traits is necessary to have a relationship in which both parties can grow as individuals and yet share meaningful time together as well.
14) Dream job? Never having been one, I can say I'd love to be a book editor. Course, reality might be different than what I think it is.
15) Dream car? Any safe one that's free and has unlimited maintenance and warranty would be great.
16) Favorite channel? FoodNetwork
17) Favorite place to go on weekends? To the mall or a playground with Blue and Little Blue.
18) Showers or Baths? Long, long foamy whirlpooly baths with plenty of hot water to maintain the warmth.
19) Do you paint your nails? Toenails? Nope.
20) What do you like the most about yourself? I feel like I'm a good mother, and I'm proud of that.
21) What do you like the least? My body shape.
22) Do you trust people easily? I used to. Maybe I still do in comparison to other people who trust even less than me, but I feel like I trust people much less than I did a few years ago. I've gotten very tired of being deceived, and more than a little bit cynical about it.
23) What are your phobias? spiders
24) Do you want kids? I wanted the one that I have more dearly than anything else I've ever wanted. If I ever want one that strongly again, we'll think about having another.
25) Do you keep a handwritten journal? I used to.
26) Where would you rather be right now? Playing Robin Hood. :p
27) Who would you like to be more honest with? my employers, maybe.
28) Who makes you feel guilty? What I perceive as other people making me feel guilty i.e. my husband or sometimes his family is often just a projection of my own self-generated guilt.
29) Are you a heavy or light sleeper? Closer to heavy than light.
30) Are you paranoid? I'm starting to be, particularly about some politically-charged issues that have been coming up at work lately.
31) Are you impatient? With everything and everyone except my son.
32) Who can you relate to? My husband and some of my closest coworkers.
2) Where were you when 9/11 happened? At a gas station in KCMO getting chocolate milk on my way to work. I heard about the first plane crash on the radio right before I went inside, but at that point no one knew it was a deliberate act yet.
3) What do you do when vending machines steal your money? Get a little frustrated.
4) Do you consider yourself kind? Not as much as I used to be, but for the most part, still yes.
5) When you see a homeless person on the side of the road, what do you think? That I can think of half a dozen or more activities that person could do to improve their life that are more productive than begging or sleeping on the side of the road. I'm not a big fan of handouts. I think most of us are capable of doing some small thing to earn our way in the world. If quadriplegics can earn a living making paintings with a brush in their mouth, then most of the beggars I've ever seen ought to be able to do something useful.
6) If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be? The only way I could be made to get a tattoo would be in prison or something like that, and then I wouldn't have a choice about where it goes. I have no tolerance for that particular kind of pain.
7) If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be? I would love to speak Irish Gaelic or Welsh.
8) Do you know your neighbors? Yep!
9) What do you consider a vacation? Any bonus day I get to spend with my family instead of working, without taking a hit in the paycheck.
10) Do you follow your horoscope? Only for fun.
11) Would you move for the person you loved? Been there, done that.
12) Are you touchy feely? I have well defined comfort boundaries, and I'm usually very good at broadcasting them on a subconcious level. If I'm comfortable with someone hugging me, they can usually tell. If I'm not, it's obvious. A good example of this: not one stranger or little-known acquaintance ever touched my stomach while I was pregnant, despite many women reporting that it's common for unwanted attentions like that during pregnancy. It simply was clear that I wouldn't tolerate it.
13) Do you believe that opposites attract? I think attraction is a complex phenomenon, and that while it may be true that sometimes opposites attract, that doesn't necessarily mean that opposites will live happily ever after. I think a good balance of conflicting and complimentary interests and personality traits is necessary to have a relationship in which both parties can grow as individuals and yet share meaningful time together as well.
14) Dream job? Never having been one, I can say I'd love to be a book editor. Course, reality might be different than what I think it is.
15) Dream car? Any safe one that's free and has unlimited maintenance and warranty would be great.
16) Favorite channel? FoodNetwork
17) Favorite place to go on weekends? To the mall or a playground with Blue and Little Blue.
18) Showers or Baths? Long, long foamy whirlpooly baths with plenty of hot water to maintain the warmth.
19) Do you paint your nails? Toenails? Nope.
20) What do you like the most about yourself? I feel like I'm a good mother, and I'm proud of that.
21) What do you like the least? My body shape.
22) Do you trust people easily? I used to. Maybe I still do in comparison to other people who trust even less than me, but I feel like I trust people much less than I did a few years ago. I've gotten very tired of being deceived, and more than a little bit cynical about it.
23) What are your phobias? spiders
24) Do you want kids? I wanted the one that I have more dearly than anything else I've ever wanted. If I ever want one that strongly again, we'll think about having another.
25) Do you keep a handwritten journal? I used to.
26) Where would you rather be right now? Playing Robin Hood. :p
27) Who would you like to be more honest with? my employers, maybe.
28) Who makes you feel guilty? What I perceive as other people making me feel guilty i.e. my husband or sometimes his family is often just a projection of my own self-generated guilt.
29) Are you a heavy or light sleeper? Closer to heavy than light.
30) Are you paranoid? I'm starting to be, particularly about some politically-charged issues that have been coming up at work lately.
31) Are you impatient? With everything and everyone except my son.
32) Who can you relate to? My husband and some of my closest coworkers.
Because Blue got away with it, and besides I'm a hopeless conformist when it comes to these darn surveys...
1. Name three things you can't live without: My family, my roots/memories of home, and my sense of humor.
2. If you could hang out for a night with any fictional character, who would it be? Polgara the Sorceress.
3. As a kid, what did you want to be when you grow up? A district attorney, always, from like, age 5.
4. Right now what do you want to be when you grow up? First of all I'm as grown up right now as I EVER want to be, and second, I don't think I'm doing what I really want to do in terms of a career. But more importantly I am a wife and mother, and that IS what I most wanted to be.
5. What song always makes you cry? "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"
6. What's the best advice you've ever been given? off the top of my head, "Don't believe everything you see, and only half of what you hear."
7. Are you a good liar? No, I'm a horrible liar. I have a saying. Gullible people can't lie. We believe everyone else is as transparent as we are. If we were capable of lying with any skill, we'd be able to tell when others lied to us.
8. What still surprises you about your life? That I am so far from being what I thought I should/could/would be at this stage of my life, and yet so happy so much of the time.
9. What quality can make you instantly connect to someone? A sense of humor similar to my own.
10. What turns you off right away? Smoking
11. What's really difficult for you? Setting boundaries i.e. saying NO when I'm overwhelmed, and asking for help.
12. What do you wish you'd done differently? My college years.
13. Desert island picks? Is it cheating to say a solar-powered distress beacon and a bountiful supply of food that tastes better than bugs and roots?? Okay if the answer has to be all survivoresque, then I'd say a good knife, a box of brand new lighters, and a plastic tarp.
14. Favorite spot at home? Snuggled up on the couch with my arm around my son watching toddlervision.
15. What emotion motivates too many of your actions? Frustrated, resigned but resentful acceptance of an increasingly lousy situation at work.
16. Favorite kind of extreme weather? I don't like extreme weather. I like a good breeze, a light fluffy snow, a gentle rain, and lazy summer heat, but I don't like any of those things when they occur in the extreme.
17. Do you have any recurring dreams? Yes, but I can only remember what it is for a day or two after I have an occurence of it.
18. Psychic or shrink? My horoscope thinks I'm psychic, but I'm not, so that leaves shrink I suppose. It makes sense when considering I spent half my teenage years in therapy.
19. Vintage or modern? I prefer most things modern.
20. Do you ever scream? Only on the inside.
21. What are you most afraid of? Financial insecurity and having something bad happen to my family.
2. If you could hang out for a night with any fictional character, who would it be? Polgara the Sorceress.
3. As a kid, what did you want to be when you grow up? A district attorney, always, from like, age 5.
4. Right now what do you want to be when you grow up? First of all I'm as grown up right now as I EVER want to be, and second, I don't think I'm doing what I really want to do in terms of a career. But more importantly I am a wife and mother, and that IS what I most wanted to be.
5. What song always makes you cry? "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"
6. What's the best advice you've ever been given? off the top of my head, "Don't believe everything you see, and only half of what you hear."
7. Are you a good liar? No, I'm a horrible liar. I have a saying. Gullible people can't lie. We believe everyone else is as transparent as we are. If we were capable of lying with any skill, we'd be able to tell when others lied to us.
8. What still surprises you about your life? That I am so far from being what I thought I should/could/would be at this stage of my life, and yet so happy so much of the time.
9. What quality can make you instantly connect to someone? A sense of humor similar to my own.
10. What turns you off right away? Smoking
11. What's really difficult for you? Setting boundaries i.e. saying NO when I'm overwhelmed, and asking for help.
12. What do you wish you'd done differently? My college years.
13. Desert island picks? Is it cheating to say a solar-powered distress beacon and a bountiful supply of food that tastes better than bugs and roots?? Okay if the answer has to be all survivoresque, then I'd say a good knife, a box of brand new lighters, and a plastic tarp.
14. Favorite spot at home? Snuggled up on the couch with my arm around my son watching toddlervision.
15. What emotion motivates too many of your actions? Frustrated, resigned but resentful acceptance of an increasingly lousy situation at work.
16. Favorite kind of extreme weather? I don't like extreme weather. I like a good breeze, a light fluffy snow, a gentle rain, and lazy summer heat, but I don't like any of those things when they occur in the extreme.
17. Do you have any recurring dreams? Yes, but I can only remember what it is for a day or two after I have an occurence of it.
18. Psychic or shrink? My horoscope thinks I'm psychic, but I'm not, so that leaves shrink I suppose. It makes sense when considering I spent half my teenage years in therapy.
19. Vintage or modern? I prefer most things modern.
20. Do you ever scream? Only on the inside.
21. What are you most afraid of? Financial insecurity and having something bad happen to my family.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
How Happily Ever After is Done, Pamphlet-style
This is the post you've all been waiting for. The one-time-only, big ticket reveal of the Pamphlet secret that just might be the biggest reason for the successful relationships Blue and I have shared as a married couple and as parents. There's more, of course, but this single activity, in my belief, carries a large share of the credit for the almost charmed existence we live. Are you ready?
It's so simple it seems ridiculous that it could be so important, but it was. For the first year or two of our dating relationship, Blue and I spent many long hours playing what we call The Question Game. The rules are easy.
1. Play any game you want in which there is a clear winner. We used Scrabble, Go Fish, Poker*, Chess, Trivial Pursuit, rummy, and many others.
2. The winner of each game/round/hand gets to ask the loser 1 question. ANY question. And the loser MUST answer, and must answer honestly.
See how simple that is? And yet so profound. It transformed our dating years into one giant, fun-filled interview for Who Wants to be Married Happily Ever After. Through that game we explored our childhoods, our morals, our beliefs and convictions, the kind of spouses and parents we wanted to become, how we would handle challenging issues as a couple and as a family. We grew to understand how each of us thought in different ways but could arrive at compatible conclusions, and it taught us how to argue/disagree with respect and love. We got to know each other so deeply we knew what the other thought, dreamed about, hoped for, was ashamed of, liked, hated, and desired. The Question Game had no boundaries, no off-limits zone. We talked about our most embarrassing moments, our sexual fantasies and fears, our views on religion and on politics. We even questioned each other about what values we wanted to pass on to our future children regarding sex/abstinence, religious tolerance, and how we feel about drug use. And while (of course) we didn't come up with all the "right" or "perfect" answers for how to live our lives together, we learned invaluable lessons about how to communicate together and relate to each other. It opened our eyes and hearts and got us off to a good start.
So what does this mean to all of you? Maybe nothing. But maybe there's a way our game can be incorporated in your current or future relationships. Invent your own version, whether you're in a new relationship or one that's well established. I'm fairly sure it can't do any harm, and it might do a little bit of good, or else just be good plain fun.
*Intimate couples: for a really revealing night of Question Game, trying playing it with Strip Poker! Somebody will be baring more than just their soul that night! ;-)
It's so simple it seems ridiculous that it could be so important, but it was. For the first year or two of our dating relationship, Blue and I spent many long hours playing what we call The Question Game. The rules are easy.
1. Play any game you want in which there is a clear winner. We used Scrabble, Go Fish, Poker*, Chess, Trivial Pursuit, rummy, and many others.
2. The winner of each game/round/hand gets to ask the loser 1 question. ANY question. And the loser MUST answer, and must answer honestly.
See how simple that is? And yet so profound. It transformed our dating years into one giant, fun-filled interview for Who Wants to be Married Happily Ever After. Through that game we explored our childhoods, our morals, our beliefs and convictions, the kind of spouses and parents we wanted to become, how we would handle challenging issues as a couple and as a family. We grew to understand how each of us thought in different ways but could arrive at compatible conclusions, and it taught us how to argue/disagree with respect and love. We got to know each other so deeply we knew what the other thought, dreamed about, hoped for, was ashamed of, liked, hated, and desired. The Question Game had no boundaries, no off-limits zone. We talked about our most embarrassing moments, our sexual fantasies and fears, our views on religion and on politics. We even questioned each other about what values we wanted to pass on to our future children regarding sex/abstinence, religious tolerance, and how we feel about drug use. And while (of course) we didn't come up with all the "right" or "perfect" answers for how to live our lives together, we learned invaluable lessons about how to communicate together and relate to each other. It opened our eyes and hearts and got us off to a good start.
So what does this mean to all of you? Maybe nothing. But maybe there's a way our game can be incorporated in your current or future relationships. Invent your own version, whether you're in a new relationship or one that's well established. I'm fairly sure it can't do any harm, and it might do a little bit of good, or else just be good plain fun.
*Intimate couples: for a really revealing night of Question Game, trying playing it with Strip Poker! Somebody will be baring more than just their soul that night! ;-)
On My Own
Tonight, for the first time in two years, I will spend the night alone. The first time in all of Little Blue's short life that I will have been away from him overnight. He has gone with daddy to a family member's wedding out of town, and I have stayed home to catch up on some work at the office and have some time to myself. I am conflicted. The parts of me that know I really need to get that work done and that it's healthy for me to want time for myself are at war with the parts of me that hate working on my personal time and would rather be anywhere with Blue and Little Blue than be here without them. So the whole weekend is likely to be wishy-washy, back-and-forth, like-it-and-hate-it. I can't wait to truly sleep in tomorrow morning, and I can't wait for them to come back tomorrow night. I dread spending five or six hours alone in my office doing boring work I don't really enjoy, and I look forward to spending an evening of watching whatever I want on television and reading books without pictures and snuggling with kitty. And calling my Blues to see how their day was and tell them good night.
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