Friday, February 27, 2009

This weekend's project

More painting. This time it's the kitchen. We painted our living/dining area Olive White a few months ago. This weekend the kitchen (at least the parts I can reach) will be painted Betsy Ross House Moss (a.k.a. Oakmoss - Valspar must've changed the name at some point). Eventually I'll paint the sunroom Caramel Toffee. Although this isn't a picture of my house, it shows how the three colors will look together.




Look Mom...


Look Mom...
Originally uploaded by cherrydg

no more black ceilings!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

And the Poser Award goes to....

A few years ago I saw Mariah Carey performing on TV and had to scratch my head when she appeared to be flaunting a six-pack. How could this be? I know some pretty lean people and even they don’t have the six-pack of the chipmunk-cheeked diva. This past weekend I was going through a magazine and finally found the answer to this unsolved mystery. Abs in a Box.

This will go well with my blue-tinted contact lenses, inflatable bra, and padded pants. [Insert eye roll here.]

Factoids #81-100

The final 20.

81. In the summer I only use the A/C in the car when I’m dressed up (for example, weddings) or if I have passengers.


82. Orchids are my favorite flower.


83. I have a strong sense of smell. If I start to avoid you, check your pits.

84. I think baths are disgusting. Any time I’ve taken one, it’s always followed by a shower.

85. My parents were originally going to name me Jennifer.

86. I once took a class to get my pilot’s license. I didn’t pursue it because I didn’t have much money for the flight time, plus I wasn’t sure I trusted myself to fly a plane.


87. I have days when people mistake me for being Hispanic and speak to me in Spanish.

88. I don’t enjoy baby or wedding showers. I’ll go to them, but I usually end up leaving and having a beer.

89. The first time I took my drivers test I failed because I didn’t come to a complete stop at a stop sign. I was turning right from the stop sign and the only thing to our left was a brick wall. If something had come crashing through that wall and onto the course, I still have the right of way in my opinion.

90. Free food samples at stores like Costco give me the eeby-jeebies.

91. I’ve never broken a bone or had major surgery.

92. When I got my wisdom teeth pulled I enjoyed the laughing gas (pina colada scented btw) too much and was asked to stop humming so they could finish extracting my teeth.

93. My first car was a 1978 Toyota Celica with over 200K miles on it that had been passed down from my uncle, to my cousin, to my other cousin, and then down to me. I loved that car even though I had to push it several times when it broke down.

94. I’m not a very good spitter. When I eat sunflower seeds in the car and attempt to spit the shells out the window, they usually end up on my chin or in the back seat.

95. Smooth peanut butter trumps crunchy.

96. I can’t stand the Electric Slide or any other line dance for that matter.

97. To me, the only sound worst than Styrofoam rubbing together is bagpipes. When I hear bagpipes, I picture someone squeezing the air out of road kill.

98. I’ve only gone to a firing range once. I couldn’t hit my target but I did manage to hit the line that was holding the target.

99. I love champagne – even the cheap ones.

100. I had my first drink at 3. My Dad accidentally left his beer unattended and I had a few sips. Mom says it looked like I was having a good time.

Weekend

Saturday – Finally had a run that didn’t leave me feeling completely discouraged. Good thing since I have exactly a month until National. Visited the ‘rents who got back from a month-long visit to the Motherland (as Maricel calls it) last Sunday. They brought back an assortment of goodies including dried mangos, candies, a purse, more pearl jewelry than I know what to do with, and of all things Crocs. I think Crocs are some of the ugliest shoes ever made but these might actually make it onto my feet since they’re more like sandals that the Flinstones would wear if they actually wore shoes. They also brought back this folded cardboard hat thingy that’s environmentally friendly and versatile as my BIL Joe demonstrates in the pictures below.





Sunday – Besides going to the gym, running some errands, and single-handedly demolishing an entire bag of dried mangoes, I have no idea where the day went. I did waste an hour or so checking out paint combinations online since none of the eight swatches on my kitchen wall are jumping out at me. And I did work on version 1.2 of a crochet hook case for a little bit. I attempted to knit some Easter eggs that looked cute online but I found myself bored with the pattern and annoyed with my fraying yarn. Threw in the usual Sunday loads of laundry. Discussed the potential nastiness of the water that Steve swims in/swallows during Sunday evening swim class; his class uses the same pool where 20+ mini-humans take a class right before his. Watched about an hour of the Oscars before deciding I just didn’t give a hoot and opted to go to bed.

Goodies from the Philippines


Goodies from the Philippines
Originally uploaded by cherrydg

Monday, February 16, 2009

VD, El Presidente weekend

That would be Valentine's Day, not venereal disease.

Friday - Pizza a la Costco (tomatoes w/ mozarella) and channel surfing. Zzzzz...

Saturday - Shorter than usual run of 12 miles. Swung by Potomac River Running and Spokes for some running and biking gear since both stores were having sales on their winter apparel. After our shopping spree, it was off to my sister's and BIL's. The four of us went to a dinner at the Fort Meade Officer's Club that benefited a scholarhip fund for underpriveleged kids. They gave out prizes to the two couples who had been married the longest. The couple married 50 years won a dinner and limo ride; the couple in second place who were married 49 years got just the dinner. Why are old married couples so darn cute? After dinner we vegged out and watched Pineapple Express. Stupid funny but I actually stayed awake for the whole thing.

Sunday - Breakfast! Staying at Casa Espinas is like staying at a filipino B&B. Joe fried up some eggs, longanisa, and of course rice, and I cooked up some crepes that we served with Nutella and strawberries. Oink. Steve and I headed home and had to take a nap to recover from our food fatigue. Spent the rest of the day working on a revised crochet hook case and continued working on the scarf (pattern here) that I'm knitting.

Monday - Gym, run, then met up with Lead Dog Terri to check out the progress on the store. Looks great ~ so excited for her.


Grabbed some grub at Panera's, and checked out the bargains at TJ Maxx before going home to kill a few hours. Steve and I headed over to Broadlands to meet up with his tri-friend Joe for dinner.

The end.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Factoids #61-80

61. Part of my 7th grade P.E. class was gymnastics. I was awful at it and still can’t do a cartwheel.

62. I tried smoking once. I dropped the cigarette down my shirt and never tried it again.

63. I’m not a big fan of pizza because it never fills me up.

64. I chew my food a lot. Someone once counted and told me I chewed 37 times.

65. I take off of work on my birthday and think that everyone should have their birthday off.

66. I find talking on cell phones uncomfortable so the longest conversation I’ve ever had on a cell phone was 17 minutes.

67. I’ll try pretty much any food once as long as it’s not still alive or bleeding.

68. I’ll eat raw seafood (sushi, oysters) but can’t stand to eat meat if it’s too pink.

69. I’ve only bought a Christmas or Valentine’s gift for one guy. Good thing I married him. My relationships always seemed to end before these gift-buying days.

70. I went to my senior prom with a girl. Her boyfriend refused to go, my date cancelled on me, so her and I figured we’d go together.

71. My first memory was when I was 3 and laying awake in a hotel room when my parents and I were moving from the Philippines to DC. My parents were asleep and I was cold, hungry, and watching a late night TV show I couldn’t understand (Johnny Carson maybe?).

72. I’m not a big fan of the Thanksgiving meal. Turkey: bleh. Stuffing: bleh. Potatoes: bleh.

73. When my family and I moved to Hawaii we had to live in a hotel for a few months and the Navy gave us a per diem for meals. I think I ate steak and eggs for breakfast almost every day.

74. Fruity cocktails make my shoulders hurt.

75. If I see someone often and don’t know their name, I’ll give the person a nickname that I’ll use in my head or when I talk to other people about the person. When I first joined the gym here, there was Old Guy, Frankenstein, Navy Seal Guy, Tootie, Jamaica Mon, David Robinson, Dumb Jock, and Broken Dryer Lady to name a few. I know most of their names now but have never told any of them their nicknames.

76. When we lived in Hawaii, kids in our school had to work in the cafeteria at least once during the school year. We had to wear the hair nets and aprons, serve food to our classmates, set up the tables, mop, etc… It was miserable but it made you appreciate what the cafeteria workers had to do every day.

77. I’ve never met a ferret I liked. The species and I have a mutual disdain for each other.

78. I believe in euthanasia and have threatened to haunt my family if they leave me hooked up to a machine.

79. When I stay in a hotel, I always look behind the shower curtain to make sure no one is hiding in the tub.

80. I used to pretend I was sleeping or sick so that I wouldn’t have to go to church or Sunday school.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Armchair Adrenaline Rush

These guys remind me of flying squirrels. Click the image to view the video.

Bitter - Not So Sweet

What can I say, I found this funny. Click on the image for a larger view.


Sunday, February 8, 2009

Spam and prom dates

Friday - Steve had to work late so I enjoyed my broiled salmon and sauteed spinach dinner solo. Caught the end of the news in time to hear a story about Spam's increasing popularity. Being filipino, Spam might as well be another food group in addition to rice. We grew up eating Spam, fried rice, and eggs for breakfast. My parents used to send cases of it back to their families in the Philippines as if it was some luxury item. Spent the rest of the night finishing up the tote that I vowed to never make again.

Oh! I almost forget to mention that my senior prom date wants to be my FB pal. She's married and has three kids. I told Maricel about this on Friday and she brought to my attention that I hadn't published the factoid about me going to the prom with a girl. That and other useless facts about me coming soon to a theater near you.

Saturday - After a crappy night of about 5 hours of sleep, I headed out the door at 7a.m. for what turned out to be a miserable 22-mile run. It was one of those runs that made me question why I do this to myself. I'm hoping that it was the lack of sleep that made this one suck so much. I wanted to quit half way through but was in Leesburg and had no choice but to schlep my achy feet back home. Bleh. I was pretty pooped when I got back home so I put my grand plans of getting things done around the house on hold. Steve and I checked out some local bike shops before heading to Outback for dinner. The wings, filet and scallop griller, dessert sampler and tall white ale knocked me out on the couch by 9:00. Yes - I do eat like lumberjack.

Sunday - Went out to Leesburg to run the hill at Thomas Mill. It's a short run, but a real butt kicker. After yesterday's disastrous run, it was nice to feel like I had actually done this running thing before. Tangoed with the vacuum, played hoops with the laundry, and went on a field trip to Trader Joe's. Spent the remainder of the afternoon sewing a crochet needle case with some leftover fabric from the tote.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Movie tix


Movie tix
Originally uploaded by cherrydg

not exactly a trip down under, but better than nothing

Factoids #41-60

41. When I misplace things, I become obsessive and can’t stop looking for it until I find it. If I can’t find it, I think about it for weeks.

42. I was going to join the Navy if I couldn’t find a job six months out of college.

43. I think it’s ridiculous that teachers aren’t supposed to use red pens when they grade students’ assignments because it’s too traumatic on the kids. Suck it up: life is full of disappointments.

44. My hands have been wrinkly ever since I was a kid. My palms have more lines than that of the average person.

45. I’m not a big believer in God, but I believe in karma.

46. Every car I’ve owned has been a stick shift.

47. I once thought I was 5’ 3” and actually had it on my driver’s license. The next time I got my license renewed, the lady at the DMV said she didn’t think that was right and measured me.

48. My first pet was a black Labrador name Kelly. She was hit by a car behind our house and I thought she was just sleeping. I cried even though she terrorized me.

49. I used to tell people in bars who I didn’t want to talk to that my name was Anna Dela Cruz. It was a cue to my friends that I was ready to go.

50. I’ve never sung karaoke. I think the karaoke machine is the worst invention.

51. I don’t sing in the shower, but I do make up songs for stupid things when I’m at home.

52. I think that if a wedding engagement is broken off, the woman should return the engagement ring unless the groom-to-be cheated on her, emptied her bank account, or done something that could land him in jail.

53. I believe in capital punishment and think that prison just expands a criminal’s network.

54. I think that child molesters should be executed.

55. I saw the movie Dracula when I was 5. I slept with the covers up to my eyes for years.

56. My Dad tried teaching me how to swim by taking me out on a raft at the beach and then flipping it over when it was too deep for me to stand up. It didn’t work.

57. In high school, I was a band geek and in the National Honor Society but many of my friends were “stoners” from troubled homes. It didn’t hit me until recently that they probably hung out at my house because it was an escape from their situations.

58. I gained 20 lbs when we moved to MD from HI when I was in 8th grade. I hated it here.

59. I don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions. If you want to do something, do it. Why wait until January 1st?

60. I can sit on the beach for hours doing nothing and not get bored, but if I'm sitting in front of the TV I need something to do with my hands.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

I did it

After much hemming and hawing, I finally set up a Facebook account. Right now, it’s a novelty. I check out people who supposedly went to high school with me and have one of two reactions: (1) Oh yeah… I wonder how they’re doing. Or (2) Who dat? What truly fascinates and frightens me is how much of your time this can consume. I could tell the world everything about me from my hobbies to my shoe size. I can answer random questions, play games, chat with a friend, or simply look for anyone whose name I can remember (that’s right, I’m talking about YOU). I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t mildly entertaining. It was interesting to see that one of my best friends through middle school, high school, and college had moved to NC. The last time I saw him was at his father’s funeral a few years ago. The head scratcher is that he hasn’t responded to my request to be his “friend.” And neither has my other friend of almost 25 years who was in my wedding party. Come to think of it, neither has my sister or cousins.

In the meantime, a certain someone who hardly ever spoke to me during the 4+ years we worked for the same company, asked me to be her “friend.” Serioiusly? Even if I accept your invitation you still probably wouldn’t talk to me unless I was a hood ornament on your car and even then you’d probably still only talk to me if I was obstructing your view.

Which brings me to my biggest gripe about the site. I absolutely hate that they’ve bastardized the word friend. Why couldn’t they use the word acquaintance, buddy, pal, or person who has acknowledged my existence at least once in this lifetime? Okay, that last one was kinda long, but you get my point.

To keep myself from getting sucked into this online vacuum, I’ve decided to set up some ground rules for myself.

1. I will limit my time on the site to a max of 45 minutes a day M-F, and 60 minutes on the weekend. I know that doesn’t leave a lot of time to read/write on people’s walls and look at people’s albums, but so be it. If you have something really important to tell me, call, email, or IM.

2. I will not ask everyone whose name I can recall to be my friend just for the sake of having some arbitrarily large number of friends. Sure, I’ll accept requests to be someone’s pal (btw, I’m using that instead of “friend” from now on), but I’m not going to invite my entire graduating class to be my pal.

3. Related to number 2, I will not accept requests to be someone’s pal if I have no idea who they are. These people are called strangers and they’re going to stay that way.

4. I will not log onto the site from work.

5. I will continue to read the blogs that I visit frequently. I find blogs to be more personal whereas FB is like a billboard. I will continue to write in this blog. The Grasshut and Donkey came first and it’s going to stay that way. Yeah, I know I don’t post that often but that’s because you really don’t want to know all the random things that dart in and out of my oversized coconut. Trust me.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Superbowl Weekend Recap

Friday – Finally caught The DeVinci Code from the beginning. I’m guessing the book was better and was glad I didn’t pay money to see it at the theater.

Saturday – Decided to postpone my run until Sunday so I hit the gym. Ran a few errands then met up with Maricel at the Super JoAnn’s in Leesburg. Can you believe she has to pay an $8 toll in each direction to get to the Joann’s in NJ? Madness I tell you. Spent the rest of the day cutting fabric for a tote bag I’m making and planning my run through Ashburn since the W&OD was still pretty icy in some parts. Steve was tired from being in a swim clinic all day so we stayed in and had lobster ravioli for dinner. Crocheted a bit while he snored on the couch.

Sunday – Ran 18 miles through Arse-burn and Bored-lands. It was hillier than I expected and not having mile markers made it feel incredibly long since I had no way to gauge how far I’d gone (I obviously don’t have a GPS). Did some laundry, sewing, and started knitting a scarf while I watched Mamma Mia. I like ABBA, but the movie was awful. Horrible singing, plus the female characters were so girly that they annoyed me. An hour and a half of my life I’ll never get back but at least I spared Steve from this dreadful chick-flick. We went to a co-worker’s Superbowl party for a beer and Jell-o shooter. Some of the guys there had done Placid IM last year and were giving Steve tips about the course. If Steve had a tail, I think it would have been wagging with excitement while they were talking about the race. We finished watching Arizona lose to Pittsburg at Helen’s. I’m not a big football fan, but was hoping the underdog would win.