I saw this and decided it looked easy enough that even I could do it. For a first attempt they aren’t too bad, but there are some things I’ll do differently the next time I make them that I think will make the process easier. But the 8 year olds these are for will love them…they’d better (shakes fist)!
Ok, I’m in a funk and need to write something regardless of what it is or I might never come out of it. Hence this post. Lately I’ve been reading books by Patricia Cornwell at rapid succession and while I love her series to death (ha pun intended) there comes a point when I need to put the books down. In case you’re unfamiliar with her stuff it’s about a forensic pathologist so you read about gruesome murders and psycho freaky serial killers. Her series is fiction but the mind can start to wander and after a bit you really need to focus on things like cotton candy, animal balloons, and jumping rope. Unless you see those two dead little girls from the Nightmare on Elm Street movies singing “One, two Freddy’s coming for you…” in which case you should swich to hopscotch.
But going back to candy, possibly one of my most favorite things in the world, I’m debating on whether I should buy some for Halloween or not. I live in a complex consisting of mostly single people with a few young families mixed in. I can’t remember if anyone rang our bell last year or not but I don’t want to be unprepared right? And besides, I can always just eat it for myself if no one comes. Jr. Mints are my candy of choice. What could be better than the sweetness of dark chocolate enveloping creamy mint? Hmm, glad I have a box next to me right now.
On the opposite of candy, I’m on the continuous quest of finding a healthy snack for on the go. Not as easy as it sounds let me assure you. I have this thing for wanting bite sized food items like crackers or chips but in a nice convenient bag or box. Oh and it has to be healthy. Lately I’ve resorted to Wheat Thins which, while tasting good and semi healthyish, the box isn’t so on-the-go friendly. However, I did just find tiny bags of mini-carrots in the store which might turn out to be my new thing. They contain the perfect amount of carrots while being in a nice travel size bag. Come to think of it, maybe I should pass those out for Halloween along with the little boxes of raisins. Just kidding, I don’t want some kid to deface my door because I didn’t give him sugar.
I’ve been maintaining gym time everyday which on one hand has been awesome. When I first started running I could barely run a half mile without hacking up my lungs but I’m up to almost 3 miles now and feel great. And yes, I realize there are quite a few of you that run marathons which is beyond amazing but as I said, I’m happy to not actually see my lung on the treadmill. The down side is that I can see myself becoming obsessive with it. Everyday I fight this urge to become crazy and tell myself to keep going no matter what the consequences as long as the calories are burning. I also find myself trying to fight off obsessive calorie counting with food (with the exception of Jr. Mints of course). “If I only eat carrots and wheat thins for breakfast and lunch and still burn X amount of calories running….” Hey psycho, eat a burger for crying out loud! Ok, so it isn’t that bad but I can see where it could be. On the positive, the vegetable section has now become my favorite place in the store and I get kind of excited to see what I can create for dinner each night. I’ve never been much of a chef…at all…so merely cutting up vegetables and throwing them together to see what I can make is like a mystery being revealed and so far it’s holding my interest.
Hmm, this post has turned into one discussing my dietary habits (or lack thereof) so I’ll just add one more that I noticed recently. I went over to a friend’s house and realized I bypassed all drink options and went straight for the water. Why is this odd you may ask. Well, not so long ago I HATED water. It was a borring drink and offered nothing other than being wet. I used to drink coke ALL THE TIME. Couldn’t get enough. It was nector of the gods and when I mixed cherry coke and moutain dew (don’t knock it until you try it) I thought I had reached some sort of euphoria. But my “I expect better of you side” (I hate that side) kicked into high gear and I decided to cut back on the coke. Not just cut back but I went cold turkey on all carbonation. I had absolutely no intention of maintaing this other than for a few weeks, just so I could go a few days without the shakes and headaches but one day turned to another, which lead to a week, which became a month. And before I knew it, it had been over a year and a half sans carbonation. Oh sure, on those hot, sultry days I can taste the sweet sugary goodness as it cracks the icecubes it’s poured over. But so far I have not caved. But in a few months it’ll be summer again and you just never know. If plain water isn’t cutting it I’ll be crazy and buy a bottle of propel and if I’m really feeling saucy pink lemonade it is. Anyway, I was surprised to find that I had moved beyond the “I guess I’ll tolerate water because I know I should drink it” stage to the “I really do just want a glass of ice water to quench my thirst” stage. Not quite euphoric but I’ll take it.
The other day I wrote about a shopping experience at Target where I had to deal with an employee I deemed as incompetent, at least for that moment. As part of my comments, morethananelectrician listed 3 things women can do to get what they want from a man. They are:
Look…I am not sure how to explain this without seeming sexist in some way…so I apologize in advance for offending anyone.
You: “Will…I would really appreciate it if you could see if there are any more balance balls in the back for me.”
There are three options here other than the straight delivery of the line. Each has its’ own advantages…
1. Look him dead in the eyes and smile. (If he is younger than you he will run to the back)
2. Touch his shoulder during the delivery of the line (This should work on any man)
3. Cry. (This works for men older than you).
It may be wrong, but if all you are trying to do is a get a ball from the warehouse area…don’t go to a woman, especially if she is thinner than you are.
This is good advice. I’ve always been somewhat fascinated that women can get most any guy to do most anything. And yes, this does work in reverse but generally I think men give into women more than women give into men. A couple of years ago I conducted my own little experiment to test this out. I began telling a male co-worker that he owed me candy (which of course was ridiculous). Everyday I would ask him if he remembered to bring it to work for me. And of course this was always accompanied with a smile and the usual flirty whatevers (within reason of course, I was at work afterall).
At first I think he was baffled and really wondered if he did owe me something because of a previous bet that he had forgotten. And when he would ask why he owed me candy I would just smile, look him dead in the eyes, and say something lame like “just because”. I was persistant, and sure enough, one day I walked out to my car to find a basket overflowing with all sorts of candy inside. I have to say I was a little surprised because I wasn’t sure it would actually work but, there it was. Was it sneaky and underhanded? Sure, but then again I was the one enjoying a large assortment of candy.
My conclusion is this, if a guy is going to be gullible or willing to be manipulated then why shouldn’t I use all my resources to get what I want occasionally? (And I do stress occasionally because done too much it makes you appear to be a tramp) To get someone to do something simply by smiling and giving them “that look” really is a super power.
Gotten out of a speeding ticket? Not had to pay for something? Reduced work load? I’m curious to know what you’ve done to get someone to do something or what’s been done to you.
Let me start off by saying that I’m not old. I’m only 28 which should be the prime of my life but my body feels much older. Or at the very least I’m starting to notice I’m no longer 18.
1. I can’t stay up late. My freshman year in college I could function off 3-4 hours of sleep. Now, I’m lucky if I make it until 10:30. And if I do stay up late I have to make sure I’ll have time to take a nap the next day.
2. I can’t sleep in anymore. I used to be able to “will” myself to sleep until the afternoon. Now I consider sleeping until 8 as a luxury.
3. While I was home I went to the gym with my sister twice. I did practically nothing and was sore for 2 days afterward. Likewise, I went to the batting cages with my dad and raked the leaves in mom’s yard. Both had the same effect as the gym. This didn’t used to happen…at all.
4. I get sleepy after eating meals and need to go sit down for a while. Again, this never used to happen. I used to be able to eat Thanksgiving dinner and go play basketball right after without any consequences.
5. Seeing a lot of junk food in one place makes me sick. This is not right. My roommate has tons of M&M’s, candy bars, cupcakes, cookies, chips, and Reese’s Butter Cups in the cupboard and every time I open it I want to hurl. Also, I can’t watch candy being made because all the sugar and lard makes me queasy. This absolutely never happened before.
6. When I would visit with my nephew and nieces I could play for hours doing anything and everything they did. Now the only games I want to play with them consist of me laying on the floor while they do one (or all) of the following: play with my hair, stack their toys on me and see if they can balance without falling, or put stickers on my face. I don’t care as long as I get to lay on the floor.
I realize that most of these problems would be cleared up if I got out to the gym…or just got out. But it didn’t used to be this way. I never thought about what I was eating, whether I had to schedule a nap time, or worry what the effect on my body will be if I do something more strenuous than sitting. It blows.
As morbid as this may sound, a few weeks ago I told my mom that there were three things I wanted to learn from her before she died. She is nowhere near death as far as I can tell but to play it safe I really want to learn these things sooner rather than later. They are: 1. Learning her sugar cookie receipe 2. Learning her divinity receipe 3. Learning her fudge receipe. Today I successfully acheived goal number three after only two attempts. As you can see from my flickr photos, attempt number one looks like dirt and tasted like old chocolate – not good! However, attempt number two worked out fantastically!! Don’t mess with me…I’m on a baking roll!!!
Nandango 