Happy Halloween!

I hope you all have a safe, fun-filled day!

Crochet vs. Puzzles vs. ???

I need a hobby.

Last night, I watched "As Time Goes By", my favorite British comedy, and the main guy, Lionel, was bored, so he bought a model ship to put together. It occurred to me that I should be bored - I don't really do anything most evenings, except go for a walk, cook, read, and watch TV. Nothing very stimulating. Of course, there are evenings that I hang out with friends or family - these are exceptions to the non-stimulating comment, of course. However, I'm talking about the evenings I don't spend time with other people, which is 4-5 evenings a week.

So, what hobby would be good for me? Mind you, winter is fast approaching, and I certainly don't want to start something that is going to require my nose to freeze and fall off - that will probably be accomplished by the walking. And, as I'm in money-saving mode, it shouldn't cost a lot.

I've narrowed it down to the following:

Crossword puzzles
Jigsaw puzzles
Crocheting scarves (for Christmas presents???)
Origami
Drawing (I wouldn't be very good, but who would see it?)
Building an elaborate dominos course

I had thought of writing, but I've learned that when I get home from work, I really don't want to spend much time on the computer. AND, writing short stories/novels/poetry with pen and paper = too time-consuming. Hmm. I guess that's the point, though, isn't it? Maybe writing will go back on the list. Maybe.

Any ideas???

To Tell The Truth

This is another how-well-do-you-know-me posts. I know you love 'em!

Here's how you play - I'm going to give you a group of statements and you have to guess which one is a LIE. I'll give you the answers in the comments, so don't cheat!

a. I once had a rabbit named Snuffles.
b. I once had a doll named Sally.
c. I once had a teddy bear named Gus.

d. My first kiss was when I was 18.
e. I first held a boy's hand when I was 14.
f. My first boyfriend was when I was 15.

g. I'm thinking of moving to France.
h. I'm thinking of moving to Portland.
i. I'm thinking of moving to Salt Lake.

For Halloween, I've dressed up as:
j. a raisin
k. a pumpkin
l. an angel

m. Someday I want to go bungee jumping
n. Someday I want to go hang gliding.
o. Someday I want to jump out of a plane.

p. I don't like the sound of nails on a chalkboard.
q. I don't like the color combination of purple and orange.
r. I don't like the feel of cotton balls.

s. One of my three favorite books is Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
t. One of my three favorite books is And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.
u. One of my three favorite books is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

At some point in my lengthy college career:
v. I majored in French.
w. I majored in Nutrition.
x. I majored in Mathmatics.

y. I would rather sit than stand.
z. I would rather lie down than sit.

Looking back, some of these are rather obvious, but that's okay, right???

The Next Big Adventure - 3

My boss and I met today.

We discussed my "fate", as he puts it.

Really, he put forth his argument for me staying put; including salary and commissions, health insurance, retirement, vacations, and how I can achieve some of my goals while staying here.

I must admit, it's tempting. Here's why:

1. I'm feeling lazy. I don't want to look for another job. I have no desire to start working on my resume. I don't look forward to sending out my resume to numerous jobs and hoping that I get a bite. It seems like such a hassle. I told you I'm feeling lazy!

2. Money. Quite frankly, his offer wasn't too shabby. It was less than what he originally said (months ago - in a wild attempt to tempt me to even consider the possibility of staying) but I knew that was pie in the sky and not a bona fide, do-able amount. The real offer would strain the business a little, at least at first, but not so much that I'd feel worried (afterall, I do the bookkeeping and tend to worry when things get tight). I asked my boss if he felt it was too much to pay me but was worried that if he offered less I would say no-way-jose faster than he could blink. He laughed. He feels good about the amount; though he'd like to pay me more, it's not feasible right now - "maybe later", he said with a sly grin (he'd like me to stay for the rest of my life). I'd like him to pay me more, too (who wouldn't???), but this amount would provide me with enough money to accomplish a lot of my financial goals. And, honestly, his offer is fairly comparable to the salaries of the jobs I've looked at (which hasn't been a lot as I've been feeling lazy - refer back to #1).

3. I like my job, I like my boss, and I like my co-worker. Seriously, I've got a good thing going right now. What I worry about is getting to the point where I don't like my job, that I get bored or tired of it. That would be miserable, because my boss is asking for a two-year minimum committment from me.

I told him I'd make a decision in the next 2-4 weeks. It will be nice when I finally make this decision because it'll be made. I'll either decide to leave and my boss will accept it because he knows it's what I really want and that he did everything he could to get me to stay or I'll decide to stay and will be committed to staying for 2 years. No more having to make this decision every few months.

Sigh. That will be nice.

Wish me luck and clear-thinking!

Recipe for a Nice Weekend

Whip:
1 fantasy football victory over older brother who was picked to win by ESPN.
1 matinee movie with mom. We saw “Stardust”; it was my second time, her first.
1 amusing party at Celeste’s – at one point I had to sing “I’m a little teapot…”
3 sessions of general conference (I recorded the 4th as I was watching football at Cordell’s Sunday afternoon)
5-7 rounds of frisbee golf – my dad won every round, but once I actually took second! I’m usually dead last, so this was quite an achievement for me.
12-24 hours of watching football – I’m only slightly exaggerating.

Cream together:
a pinch of rain
a dash of wind
patches of blue sky
bunches of clouds
cool temperatures
2 added blankets on the bed at night

Topping - Mix the following ingredients together:
generous amounts of candy corn, caramels, and other Halloween candy
Mom’s roast beef
Audree’s mashed potatoes
pistachio nuts – on sale!!
a slice each of chocolate pie AND chocolate cake (with chocolate frosting, of course)

Gently combine the whipped and creamed ingredients. Bake at 55-60°F for 2 days.

Top with topping.

Best if enjoyed with family and friends.

A Few of My Favorite Things

My favorite…

…Cary Grant movie: Bringing Up Baby (with Katherine Hepburn)

…CSI guy: Gil Grissom from the original CSI

…ice cream flavor: Haagen Dazs Cherry Fudge Truffle

…toe nail polish color: dark red

…pizza topping: spinach

…month: May

…date activity: star gazing

…shoes that I own: black knee-high boots

…dessert: dark chocolate truffles

…literary spy: Gabriel Allon – a creation of Daniel Silva

…way to eat Reese’s peanut butter cups: nibble the chocolate around half the edge, eat all the middle, and then finish with the remaining half of chocolate edge.

…football player: Peyton Manning (you should know this already)

…word to dislike saying: birthday

…current TV program: America’s Next Top Model

…PBS cooking show: BBQ University

…late night snack: buttered toast

…time to wake up: 8 am

…time to go to bed: 11:30 pm

…musical instrument: cello

…sound: wind in trees

…female name: Elizabeth

…letter to write: B (upper- and lower-case)

…beverage: water

…Garden House Soup: corn pablano

…male physical attribute: nice hands

…word to type: power

'Art'

Last night Cardine, Shiree, and I attended the USF production of ‘Art’. I enjoyed myself thoroughly because…

A) I love live theatre. There’s a vitality that comes with watching the actors perform right in front of you that you can’t get while watching movies or TV.

B) It was an exceptional play.

C) I was in the company of two really good friends.

Honestly, the two friends with whom I attended the play heightened the enjoyment of the show. Here’s why:

The three of us really like to discuss various topics about which we have differing opinions and thoughts. Often, we get quite passionate about our views. Even more often, our discussions result because of slight, sometimes quite nuanced, differences in viewpoints. We almost believe the same thing, but we spend a lot of time discussing the minute reason(s) our opinions differ. However, we always maintain a high level of respect for our fellow discussers; no name calling, no personal attacks, etc. In short, we’re friends during and after our discussions. It’s a lot of fun, and I cherish these discussions.

‘Art’ begins with Serge buying a painting that has a white background with a few white vertical stripes and a white horizontal line at the bottom. It cost him 200,000 francs. His friend Marc flips out and calls the painting garbage (or something like that). The third friend, Yvan, when talking to Mark agrees that it’s a ridiculous purchase, but when talking to Serge later, tells Serge that he is moved by the painting. The three proceed to argue a lot. My two friends and I shared mirth-filled glances when the three men on stage would argue semantics, just like us. However, they didn’t always show respect for the other’s opinion, and some mean things were said, unlike us.

Four highlights of the play:

1) When Yvan arrives 45 minutes late for their evening out, making them late for the movie, and goes into a lengthy and passionate diatribe about his fiancée, mother, and stepmother. When he finished, the audience erupted with amazed and appreciative applause.

2) The olive scene. For several minutes, after arguing heatedly for quite awhile, the three men sit down and eat olives without saying a single word. It was so funny. (Yes, you had to be there.)

3) Yvan quotes his psychiatrist:

If I am who I am, and you are who you are,
Then I am who I am, and you are who you are.
However, if I am who I am because you are who you are,
Then I am not who I am and you are not who you are.

4) Spoiler Alert! Don’t read if you plan to see this play! When Serge hands Marc a blue felt-tipped pen and Marc proceeds to draw on the white painting (worth 200,000 francs!). It was a turning point in their relationship, for the better, if you can believe it.

I had expected a serious play that delved into the argument “what is art”. This topic certainly came up a little throughout the play, but mostly it was a statement about the men’s relationship; how it used to be, what it is now, and how it’s developing. I was surprised that it was so funny – I laughed so much! The play and especially the character of Yvan made me consider my relationships with other people. I tend to try to placate others and not say what I’m really thinking or feeling. I try to be tactful but am sometimes dishonest in my tact. I’m not saying I’m Yvan exactly, but it gave me something to think about and evaluate about myself.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the show; it was thought-provoking, intelligent, funny, and Serge was quite attractive. Oh, and Cardine sat next to one of the USF actors from a few of this summer’s productions – he’s the understudy for Yvan, so he wanted to see the play. We intentionally sat there because of him. Bonus. And a little pathetic, yes. My only issue with the play was the excessive use of a certain curse word (not the curse word of all curse words, thankfully). Actually, it’s the word I tend to use on those ever-decreasing times that I curse.

So, if you have a chance to see it, don’t mind a bit of cussing, and want an intelligent, funny play – GO SEE ‘ART’!

(photo courtesy of USF's photo album for 'Art'.)

Guys, Grafton, and a Green Dragon

To update you a little on the guy front, I ended up not going on a blind date this weekend. My boss’s father-in-law didn’t get a hold of Aaron until Thursday night, and Aaron already had plans for Friday night. However, Aaron said he’s totally open to going on the blind date another day. My boss and his wife are going out of town this weekend and her dad is traveling a lot for business starting the 15th, so we’ll see if this ever happens. If it does, so be it, if not, that’s okay, too.

Anthony and I text-messaged a few times on Friday, but it didn’t go anywhere – meaning he didn’t ask me out and I didn’t ask him out. I ask myself, he text-messages me-out-of blue two weekends in a row, does that mean he likes me? Or, is he bored and just wants to “talk” to someone? Sometimes I think men interpreters would be handy.

Cardine and I spent an interesting Saturday in southern Utah. We had made plans to go to St. George for a little Thai and sushi, but then I was invited by Lincoln and his sister to attend their family reunion in Grafton, UT (near Zion National Park). I told both of them that I couldn’t because of my plans with Cardine, so Natalie, Lincoln’s sister, said Cardine could come, too. I asked Cardine and she was willing to go, so we went to their family reunion!

What was I thinking?? Sigh. Not that it wasn’t fun, because it was, but it was also a little weird. It was a good time to meet Lincoln, though, with Cardine and his family there. It reduced the initial awkwardness of meeting him for the first time, though there were still a couple awkward moments later, like when Cardine and I walked into the group of his family and he wasn’t there – I knew everyone was thinking who are these girls and why are they here? Lincoln introduced me to his grandma, some aunts and uncles, and finally his mom (I saw his dad, but we were never introduced, nor did we say a word to each other – he was busy cooking). His mom said I’ve heard so much about you! Hmmm, what has she heard? I also met Lincoln’s 12-year old son, and he is a really cute kid. Nice smile.

Although I enjoyed the 90 minutes we were in Grafton (really neat cemetery and old buildings), I kind of regret going. I’m afraid it could be misinterpreted to mean that I like Lincoln more than I do. I mean, really, what girl goes to a guy’s family reunion if she isn’t interested in him? And, I’m not interested in him. Cardine can back me up that he just isn’t my type. Nice, but not for me.

When it was time for us to leave, Lincoln, his son, Natalie, and Natalie’s roommate walked us to my car. Lincoln told me he’ll come up again soon and we can go out together, like on a date. Sigh. I didn’t know what to say – especially with an audience! So, I said that sounded nice. Double sigh.

Anyhoo, Cardine and I ate an enjoyable meal at Benja in St. George. It’s a Thai/sushi restaurant that we’ve been talking about going to for a long time – hooray for accomplishing something on our to-do list! On Natalie’s recommendation, we ordered a green dragon sushi roll and were so pleased! It has raw tuna and cucumber (or something a little crunchy) wrapped in rice, seaweed, and avocado, topped with flying fish eggs, and drizzled with eel sauce. Oh, it was divine! I loved how the fish eggs popped in my mouth when I bit down on them. Our Thai dishes were also very delicious, but my favorite part was the green dragon roll. Seriously, if you’re in St. George and hankering for good food – try Benja in Ancestor Square.