Data Betta, June 2012
I didn’t realize we had had him for a year. That is the longest we have ever kept a fish alive. I cured him of ich last June. His number could have been up then. Betta was a good fish. And the handsomest Betta I have ever seen.
He will be missed.
While in college, I worked as a retail sales associate at one of the two gas stations in my hometown.
Sometimes it was stressful working with the general public. Other times it was boring when the stream of customers hit a lull. It was cleaning, stocking, food handling, cash register, and balancing the end of shift paperwork. It was a lot of work for little pay. It was also probably the funnest job I have ever had.
Since I can’t find a picture of the gas station I worked at, here is a picture of me headed off to work, in my uniform shirt. My mom took this picture without my consent, so yes that is the face of someone saying the f-word to their mother:)
One reason was I had a lot of freedom to spend my time however I wanted. That is how I discovered my love of finding expired food products (more about that in a future post). I sometimes mixed up the cleaning products to make a streaming mystery floor mopping solution (hey, my trainer showed me that!). I got to make sale signs on the computer using clip art. I got to hang seasonal decorations from atop a very tall, rickety, non-OSHA approved ladder.
It was also fun when I would close the store, then stay up all night with my friends, then drive by the store 5 hours later to wave high to the manager, who opened. He would shake his head in disapproval and say things like “You haven’t even been to bed yet, have you?” (Note: The manager was only like 3 years older than me, and in college as well.) Ya, those are the amazing things a college student can do with the magic of youth.
One day a week the grocery stock would arrive. I usually worked the closing shift, so my job was to price (yes, we still did that back in the ye olde days of my college years) and put out as much of the stock as I could before close. It was kind of exciting because sometimes we would get in new products.
Who would be the first to try the new kind of chips or candy?
ME!
I learned that moon pies are gross–a lesson I have not forgotten to this day.
I learned that Charleston Chew is only good if it is fresh and chewy. I also learned this is almost impossible because it doesn’t stay fresh for long, even while still sealed in the package.
I also learned about the wonder that is BRACH’S BRIDGE MIX!
Brach’s Bridge Mix
Photo: ferrarausa.com
I was restocking the Bridge Mix one day and took the time to actually read the package. I had just assumed it was reserved for little old ladies playing the card game Bridge. I had always gone for brand name, flashy packaged chocolate treats, like Hershey’s or Nestle or Reese’s.
But Brach’s Bridge Mix contained a variety of yummy things. Cremes, caramels, peanuts, cashews, raisins, cherry jellies.
ALL DRENCHED IN CHOCOLATE!
How did the little old ladies keep this a secret from the rest of the world for so long?
People should be giving this out for Trick or Treat on Halloween!
I have been hooked on Bridge Mix ever since that day. If you like chocolate and you haven’t tried it yet, you should. It is a chocolate lover’s dream come true. It is like a box of chocolates, but without having to guess which fillings you will like and the cumbersome box.
Surprise! I actually like all the fillings in Bridge Mix. [For more on what I will and won't eat, click here.] I am not crazy about cashews, but I will eat them. I think the white creams are supposed to be coconut (and I don’t like coconut), but it isn’t strong enough to bother me.
I will note that fresh bags are much better than older ones. If you bite into a cream and it breaks, rather than gives, you should possibly lodge a complaint for your money back with the company.
This week I learned that my son finds it very amusing when my mother swears.
Now, just to fill everyone in, I learned after the birth of my son, M, that if I took him with us when I took my mom for her weekly shopping, we would both stay in a better mood.
I had to take my mom shopping on Thursday night. I had worked all day and had a rough time completing my shift end paperwork, so I was in a very foul mood. My mom was in her usual “all negative” mood.
I took her shopping at Walmart, which is usually not her regular store. So, she had no idea where anything was. I hadn’t planned on buying anything, but I did pick up some large items, such as dog food and a multi-pack of papertowels.
When we loaded up my Pontiac Aztek, my mother complained, as she often does, that my car is not big enough. Now, mind you, this a car that I once used to transport items for my first-ever garage sale. I had the first 25 years of my life stacked floor to ceiling in the Aztek, and it all fit. Now, with the back seats in, there is less space. And a child seat takes up half the backseat. But, trust me, there is still oodles of space in that car. And there should be totally sufficient space for her WEEKLY shopping. That woman buys more in a week for herself than we do for a family of three.
At this time, since it was after I got out of work, it was very late and M was now in a bad/tired mood as well.
When my mom was trying to get the last of her stuff out of my backseat, the plastic bag ripped and she had trouble trying to catch her 2-liter pop bottles as they rolled under the seat. She started to swear up a blue streak. She was sooo p*ssed off.
Then M, who had been crying and whining up to this point, started to giggle at her. And he has a totally adorable 2 1/2 year old giggle. This, in turn, made my mother laugh.
It was very amusing that he found her hissy fit so entertaining.
It also reminded me why we take him along with us.
And maybe why she is still around when the doctor told her she should be dead in 2007. For moments like that.
The view of my lilacs, looking from my house toward the street. Someday they will form a wall on either side of my sidewalk. I cannot wait for that day.
[Unranked. Subject to change at any time.]
Criteria: I have to be able to watch it over and over again.
1. Punky Brewster
2. Friends
3. The O.C.
4. My So-Called Life
5. Terriers
6. WKRP in Cincinnati
7. Wonderfalls*
8. Homefront
9. Laverne & Shirley
10. Growing Pains
* A great, but short-lived show. During my free cable trial, I am currently enjoying reruns of Full House immensely. So much so, that I might have to squeeze them into my top ten, possibly replacing Wonderfalls.
The newest addition to this list is the FX show Terriers. I can almost guarantee you have never heard of it. Because I hadn’t either until a few months ago.
Neal Cassady on ABC’s Once Upon A Time
When Once Upon A Time introduced a character named Neal Cassady (played by Michael Raymond-James), I was curious why the actor looked so familiar. A quick check of IMDb.com told me that I knew him from True Blood. This reminded me that I REALLY liked his character on that show. That is, until it was revealed he was the killer in the Season 1 finale. (In fact, I quit watching the show after Season 1–coincidence? Maybe not. I was still eager to know how Sookie was special–I mean, look at all the other supernatural elements she was attracting. But Entertainment Weekly eventually supplied me with the answer: Sookie is a fairy).
MIchael Raymond-James as Britt on FX’s Terriers
Michael Raymond-James doesn’t have your typical actor’s polished looks. With unruly hair and five o’clock shadow, he usually looks like he has just rolled out from under a rock. And it totally suits him! It is part of his charm, along with his gravely voice that sounds like he has been gargling nails. He is like a Shar Pei puppy you want to adopt (and take home). There is just something about him that I want to eat up! And I found out he is from Michigan–my home state! I like Raymond-James so much that I used his physical description as a basis for a character in a story I wrote (or two). He could have a part playing Satan, and I would still love him. Actually, that would be an AWESOME part for him!
So then I looked to see what other shows I could watch the wonderful Michael Raymond-James in. That is when I went looking for Terriers on my streaming Netflix and found it (It must have been providential, because Netflix NEVER has what I am looking for!).
Raymond-James on Terriers (See how sunny it is?!)
Terriers was sooo good I ended up watching all 13 episodes in a week. It is a hard show to describe, but let me try. It reminds me of the old show The Rockford Files in tone and premise. Terriers is about two guys who act as unlicensed private investigators and solve cases, usually for average Joes. There is also an over-arching plot in the first (and only) season involving a millionaire and his nefarious plans for the whole community of Ocean Beach. It all sounds dark and seedy and it would be, except it takes place in sunny California. Michael Raymond-James plays Britt, sidekick to the charming Donal Logue, who you probably know from humorous roles on shows like Grounded for Life. Donal Logue is humorous at times on Terriers, but he also does dramatic very well as the disgraced police officer/recovering alcoholic Hank.
I am not big on police/procedural type shows, but this one sucked me in. It has heart. It makes you care about all the characters. They are so real they jump out of the television screen and stick with you long after you have turned the TV off. You care about Hank’s issues with his ex-wife and sister who suffers from depression. You worry that at first Britt the rehabilitated criminal may not be good enough for his girlfriend, who is studying to be a vet. But by season’s end, the situation has flipped, and you see that in fact she is really not worthy of him. And there is a scene by Donal Logue that happens at a bank (he confesses an affair with the wife of the loan officer he is trying to get a loan from) that is so shocking, I do not believe I have fully recovered.
The way we view TV these days has pros and cons. I am so sad that this show was cancelled by FX in 2011 after only one season. If I had known its brilliance then, I could have campaigned to try to save it. I am positive I am not the only one who will discover how brilliant this show is without ever knowing it existed during its normal run.
The pros are that I have not had cable in my house for over eight years. If not for streaming Netflix, I would never have been able to find and enjoy Terriers at all. I wouldn’t have been able to add it to my Top Ten list. The theme “Gunfight Epiphany” wouldn’t have become one of my favorite songs.
Now that WOULD have been a shame.
Raymond-James as Neal on Once Upon A Time
This week I learned that the Disney “classic” Peter Pan is really rather sexist. It premiered in 1953. Had it come out after women’s liberation, it would probably be written differently.
Tinkerbell is portrayed as a female with a hot-temper and a large ass. Wendy is treated badly by everyone, including Tinkerbell. Wendy is expected to “mother” her own siblings, and then the lost boys and Peter Pan as well. If a flying boy comes to my window and asks me to come be his mother–I would quickly decline!
I also learned this week that you can buy pre-made Puppy Chow! You know, Puppy Chow for humans…
It is a confection made with Chex cereal, melted chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar. I can’t make a batch because I will totally eat the whole thing myself.
But while at Family Video this week, I found a bag of it ready-made, under the name “flixMix“.
flixMix by Imaginings 3
It was sooo good! It was rice cereal drenched in peanut butter and chocolate, just like how you would make it at home. Every piece was flavorful and worth the calories in every bite.
My family devoured that bag instantly. Being at Meijer a few days later, I looked for the same brand there, but could not find it. I did find Chex Mix brand Muddy Buddies. Seemed to be the same thing, so I gave it a try.
Muddy Buddies by Chex Mix
Muddy Buddies were NOT the same. They were made with corn cereal. (C’mon Chex! You have all your various flavors at your disposal and you pick CORN?!) The strong corn taste, combined with a very inferiorly light coating of chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar, made the Chex Mix brand ones not worth the effort to chew them.
Here is a comparison of the two products:
flixMix
by Imaginings 3
$2.99/4.5oz
Serving Size 1/3 Cup
Calories 200
Calories from Fat 90
Total Fat 15% DV
Saturated Fat 35%
Total Carbohydrates 9%
Muddy Buddies
by Chex Mix
$3.19/10.5oz
Serving Size 1/3 Cup
Calories 130
Calories from Fat 40
Total Fat 7% DV
Saturated Fat 13%
Total Carbohydrates 7%
The proof of good taste is in the Fat and Calories!
FYI–I can’t resist mentioning that I CANNOT WAIT for the season finale of Once Upon a Time tonight on ABC. And I really hope we see what has become of Neal (There is NO FRICKIN’ WAY he is dead!). And hopefully I will have a longer post about actor Michael Raymond-James on here next week.
I AM FRUSTRATED!
Photo showing “Traditional” and “New” style ponytail holders
I have used the same type of Goody hair twisters (that is what we always called them at my house), A.K.A. ponytail holders, since I had enough hair to put into ponytails. The good old, tried and true design. It was a cloth covered elastic (usually the cloth was some sort of primary color), then had a gold accent wrapped around the cloth. Finally, a little metal crimped piece held it all together. Sure, after repeated uses, eventually they would get too stretched and need to be thrown away. But that could take years! They lasted forever!
Now Goody makes crappy new ones that they call “Elastics”. Funny, because isn’t elastic supposed to return to its original shape? These elastics just get bigger every time I use them. I had to wrap the traditional ones around my hair 3-4 times. The new ones are 4-5-or-6 times. I have fine hair. Even using all of my hair, it makes a rather small ponytail. If I make two (yes, I know I am too old, but I still sometimes do), then they are even smaller. Now there seems to be some trend to make twisters that can double as a bracelet. SAY WHAT?!? They have a metal accent on them that is an inch or two wide. MY PONYTAILS ARE NOT THAT WIDE! And either wear it in your hair or on your wrist. Don’t be so damn indecisive. And I have a nickel allergy, so I would never wear them anyway.
Maybe this is the company’s goal: To make a product that does not last as long to promote repeat business.
I realize I have probably missed the acceptable window of time to bitch about this. I am down to three of the “traditional” twister designs left in my house. And I am sure my mom probably gave them to me (Probably when she had cancer and was losing her hair and thought she was dying….see here and here) and she probably had them in a bathroom cabinet for a good 10 years before that. So, I am too late to even hoard the last of the supply (as I did with Hostess Little Chocolate Donettes–still have some in the freezer).
Goody calls themselves “America’s #1 Elastic”. That is because they are the only elastics on the shelves of every major department store that I visit! I would buy a competing brand if it was made in the old style. I even checked at the dollar store, hoping they might have a more “traditional” twister. No luck. Maybe I should try Kmart. They are usually the place to look if you want to find something that hasn’t been in stores in 10 years. (Sorry Kmart, but it is totally true).
The new twisters also tend to slide out of my hair after several hours. There is no texture to them to provide grip as the traditional ones had. There is no metal to provide traction, as the traditional ones had. Why do they not sell them anymore? Is it a “broken hair” issue, because I really couldn’t care less if my hair breaks off. I grew up in the 80′s, when every chick bleached, permed, curling ironed, and hair sprayed their coif daily. What is a little piece of metal going to do compared to that! I did manage to find these today and purchased them. I hope they will stay in my hair. I would have bought smaller diameter ones, if they had been available.
Found these at the store today. I will give them a try, but do not have high hopes.
My mom says to just use rubber bands. This is the woman who for years has told me how when she was growing up her mother used rubber bands in her hair and they pulled it. She has a story about the rubber band breaking on her. SHE is the one all these years that convinced me that I was too good for plain rubber bands. SHE is the one who trained me to buy this product that no longer exists.
I did find a spot randomly on the Internet (I will be darned if I can find it again), where lots of people talked about twisters made out of a pantyhose type substance, but smaller in diameter. They said they could be used again and again without stretch, they don’t break, and are supposed to be better for your hair. Someone said they bought some in that style from Ulta. I checked Ulta.com, and this was all I could find that seemed even close to that description:
Ulta.com
Am I the only person on the planet who wants the old style of hair twisters back? I can’t be the only one on the planet who hates change, can I?
This week I learned that if you are going to stand on your feet for 8 1/2 hours, you need to have very good shoes. I did not. Then I proceeded to climb up to my 2nd floor and back down the stairs again to prepare for a garage sale the next day. By Sunday morning, my feet felt like they were on fire.
My garage sale only made enough money to buy lunch for 2 1/2 people at McDonald’s. But I did figure out that a 6 foot tall nutcracker is a good way to catch the eye of traffic as it passes by.
I blame my lack of writing productivity (blogging and otherwise) on the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Vancouver Canucks and the Detroit Red Wings play on alternating nights. After 10PM (when my toddler son, M, goes to bed) is usually my most productive time.
And, well, that was my week.
“Get out of here squirrel! My giant nutcracker has no giants nuts for you, so just scram! You have done enough damage around here, you filthy varmint!”
This week I learned that Crystal Bowersox is really nice. Last weekend I happened to be in Blissfield, Michigan (my hometown) for Railroad Days, and Crystal, whose hometown is Toledo, Ohio (very close proximity), happened to be dining at the same restaurant as my family. It was Lena’s Italian Restaurant. (Their pizza rocks. If you are ever in the neighborhood, check them out!)
Adrian & Blissfield Railroad, Railroad Days, Blissfield, MI
RAILROAD DAYS, you might ask? I know it sounds dorky, but if you are interested in trains, then it is not. I was raised by a mother that when she rode me around on the back of her bike, we would stop for the train and wave at the engineer. When we were riding around in the car out in the country, she would race to the tracks for the train.
NO, SHE WOULDN’T TRY TO CROSS THE TRACKS IN FRONT OF IT!
She would race up to the crossing, and then we would stop and watch the train go buy.
I do similar things for my 2 year old son, M, who is very interested in Thomas, and can identify most of the major parts of a steam engine.
Anyway, Miss Bowersox was eating with her family, including her son, who seemed very interested in my son. My family and her family chatted and she was nice enough to give me an autograph. I TOTALLY wanted to get a picture with her, especially since I had my brand new higher megapixel camera with me. But I was too chicken. (Check out my new page of Celebrities I have met, called When Stars Align.)
It was totally awesome that she was there, because, well, no one famous EVER comes to Blissfield. I think the last time was when Little Texas stopped at the Blissfield McDonald’s in the mid 90′s.
Crystal Bowersox Autograph, 4/20/13
I also learned this week that I am employable. I HAVE A JOB! It is only part-time, only pays half of what I used to make at my previous job, has no benefits, and is a further commute (by like 3 minutes). But, it is also only part-time, so maybe if my husband gets a full time job, I can still fit this job around his. And I don’t have to clean any bathrooms. And the button-down uniform shirt actually fits me better than my own button-down shirt I wear for interviews-go figure.
PARKER UPDATE: The Vet says he had good healing tissue, and she is no longer going to check his progress every week. We are putting prescription cream and aloe (alternating days) on his wound right now. After two times sewing up the wound (and it coming back apart both times), she is just going to let it grow back together on its own. Which means there is a big hole in his doggy armpit still, which I try not to look at. If we put a T-shirt on him, he can roam around the house (supervised) without his cone collar on.
Q. What do you call a Pointer wearing a cone collar and a major injury?
A. Still a flight risk!
You might remember that a few months ago I wrote a moving blog post about that under appreciated little eating utensil known as the spork.
Well, my son has taken this to a whole new level.
Introducing, the Dino Fork!
My son, using a dinosaur tail to eat his food. Inventive!
Ya, I know. My kid is an absolute genius!
