Florida is funny.
Not that Pittsburgh didn’t have a good run at cornering the panic-stricken weather person market or anything, but the weather people in Florida are hilarious. Because we’ve been having somewhat of a relief cold snap in temperatures, the weather has been the lead story on the news almost every night. And they’re just a tad alarmed about it. Like, “nobody freak out, but it’s going to go down INTO THE 40S TONIGHT! The 40s! We’re not certain you can LIVE THROUGH a cold spell like this! Stay inside! Cover your plants! Better yet, DIG UP your plants, bring them inside, and lodge them in your PREHEATED OVEN! Just to be sure!!”
So, anyway, in a seemingly unrelated turn of events (can unusually cold temperatures blow out transformers? No idea…but I doubt it), our power went out this morning. And, it didn’t just passively “go out” in the middle of the night. No, no. It BLEW out around 6:45 this morning. I mean, there was an explosion-y sound and a big bright flash of light (which I suspect was the light in the pool blowing out). Very dramatic. And, since I work from home, I’ve been forced out into the real world with the retirees.
That’s right, folks. I’m at Panera.
On one hand, it’s nice to be among the humans for the day. However, I’ve learned an important lesson. The coffee-drinking and pastry-eating crowd are LOUD. But, you just can’t make up the stuff that happens to you out here.
So, I get into Panera this morning, and it was totally hoppin’. I order a big, fat cup of hazelnut coffee, get it all decorated with cream and sugar, and carry it over to a table by both a window (for me) and a plug (for my friend, the laptop). As soon as I pull my computer out of my bag, an elderly man appears by my side and says, “oh, are you planning on joining us, young lady?” Hmmm. Pardon?
See, I figured that the two-person table with nothing on it and no one sitting at it was free for the taking. Clearly that was my bad.
As far as I can tell, one of three things happened. Either (1) that was their usual table and they were unwilling to sit somewhere new, (2) they’d had their eye on that table and had subconsciously already put the flag into it, claiming it as their own, or (3) old people are messing with me.
Either way, I’m now sitting at the four-person table directly behind it.
And, I have the urge to see if my power’s back on.
…and, I’m addicted to Facebook.
(Pause for the “hi Christys”).
I honestly didn’t think it could happen, but what with my slight addiction to the Internet as it is (both personally and professionally), I guess I should have seen that it was inevitable.
See, I originally created a profile to spy gather intelligence on a person we were interviewing at work. I never used it after that, though, and that was probably more than a year (or two??) ago.
Ok, ok. “Never” is kind of a strong word.
Perhaps I used it again about six months ago when one of my college roommates was in town for the weekend. We drank wine and sat in front of my computer for most of the night searching for people we’d known in our past life. Needless to say, it was one of those random nights of awesomeness. From the land of Can’t Make This Stuff Up, we found basketball stars turned body builders, dude-that-was-always-last-to-leave-quarter-draft-night-at-The-Dog-turned-finder-of-religion, and way too many people who haven’t progressed from where they were at age 22.
Then, this same friend who force-fed me all that wine and made me dig into the spying powers of the Internet scolded me for turning my back on the site that had provided me with such priceless knowledge. That’s right. We’re talking about the Book of Face.
So, I dove in.
And, now I can’t get out.
Here are a couple of my original hypotheses…and how they panned out.
- I thought Facebook was for kids (you know, like Trix). I didn’t really think people I know used Facebook. It’s not. And, they do.
- When I did really start using it, I thought I’d be able to find people that I went to college with. You know, catch up on the great times. Find people you may have been too hungover to get an email address from on graduation day. I did find those people. However, what’s happening the most is that people I went to high school with are finding me.
Keep in mind, I didn’t keep in touch with anyone from high school except my very best friend (who is still my very best friend). That was mostly by design. I didn’t really like or dislike high school. It was fine. I had fun, and I had a lot of pretty good friends. I was just so OVER it at the end and ready to completely start fresh. I guess that’s what thirteen years together in a really small school will do to you…
So now it’s just freaky that these people are friending me on Facebook. It’s not that I don’t want them to, really, it’s just that I don’t really remember them. Like, of course I remember them. But, I don’t remember them remember them. And, I’m now in a diologue with the girl who was my best friend in, oh, shall we say seventh grade? We did our dinosaur project together if that tells you anything. And, it’s (oddly) really great to catch up with her. And, I’m just so curious now…about how these people - that I have had absolutely no contact with (and haven’t really thought about) in almost 14 years - have turned out. I don’t know how to explain it.
It’s kind of creeping me out.
But, I have to know more…
Plus, how can you NOT LOVE a site that offers you the opportunity of a lifetime: to join a “The Only Person I Hate More Than Peyton Manning is Phillip Rivers” group??!!?
Score.
I’m not sure when I’m going to stop feeling like I live in bizarro world.
Maybe never?
It’s my first Christmas in St. Pete and it feels like…May. It’s just SO. WEIRD.
I’m wearing flip flops…and putting up my Christmas tree. I’m going to see sunsets…and seeing Christmas lights everywhere (Christmas lights that are mostly wrapped around palm trees). I’m sitting outside at Starbuck’s…and listening to Christmas music.
Bizarro.
I’m feeling like I’m George Costanza and should be doing the opposite of every instinct I have.
Bizarro, but awesome.
CK and I put up our first Christmas tree ever together! And, it may not be completely done…but it’s mostly up. (We just need to put ornaments on, and he swears to me this is happening tomorrow). He threatened that since I had to bring my tree down in the move…even though he already had one…that we were putting up both (!) trees (!). Yes, that’s right. We were supposedly putting up TWO trees.
In this house…
…that isn’t even big enough for the two of us.
On a good day.
I somehow managed to talk him (or distract him) out of the idea. And, we’re down to one Christmas tree. Check it out.
my AWESOME tree, ready to be unleashed
going up!
just look at him..."when is the 2nd tree going up?"
how does one couple have SO MANY santa hats??!?
Merry Christmas! From Paradise…
Posted on 4 December '08 by colorcodedc, under Uncategorized. No Comments.
Check out this bad boy!
Yeah, buddy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t know why - for all these years - I’ve been so intimidated by making a pie. It just seemed so, I don’t know, daunting.
But, I’m here to tell you.
It’s totally NOT DAUNTING!!
I had plenty of coaching from my Mom, though. And, she willingly handed over her killer crust recipe that came from, get this, a pie CLASS. That’s right, a pie class. So, it’s probably all secretive and stuff. Well, not anymore. I’m here to spread it all over the interwebs. I give you…Blueberry Pie.
“Never Fail” Pie Crust
4 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
2 cups Crisco
1/2 cup cold water
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. white or cider vinegar (all I had was white wine vingar, and it worked fine)
1 egg
Combine flour and salt; cut in Crisco with pastry blender until it is very well mixed almost to a dough. Beat the egg with a fork; add egg, sugar, and vinegar to the cold water and stir with the fork. Pour liquid all over the top of the flour mix–mix with hands until the liquid is mixed in and make a ball of the dough (do this as efficiently as possible so that you don’t have to handle it too long–the heat from your hands can affect the process). Cut the ball of dough into four equal pieces. Wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour–can refrigerate for a long time or freeze it. This makes enough for two double-crust pies.
Blueberry Pie
pastry for double-crust pie
4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup sugar
3 T. flour (or cornstarch)
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
dash salt
butter
egg white for bottom crust
2 tsp. lemon juice
Mix the blueberries, sugar, flour, lemon zest, salt. Put mixture in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until it’s thickened, watching carefully so it doesn’t burn. Cool.
Roll out the bottom crust (between two pieces of floured plastic wrap) and place in 10″ pie dish. Beat the egg white with a fork until a bit foamy–brush some egg white over the crust. Add the cooled filling, sprinkle with lemon juice, dot with butter (I used about 2 tablespoons), add rolled-out top crust, seal, crimp edges, and vent top. Sprinkle the top crust with sugar to make it look all sparkly. Wrap aluminum foil (shiny side in) over the edges of the crust so they don’t brown faster than the rest of the pie (you can take foil off about 10 minutes before it’s done baking to brown the edges more).
Bake at 400 for 35 to 40 minutes. Enjoy!
Posted on 26 November '08 by colorcodedc, under Sweet. No Comments.
Ok, ok. Not THE first Thanksgiving. More like MY first Thanksgiving.
When I first bought my plane ticket home for Thanksgiving, CK decided that he wasn’t going back to the ‘Burgh for Turkey Day this year. Flights were too expensive, and when he first moved to Florida, he didn’t usually come home for Thanksgiving anyway. He has some relatives up in Gainesville, and he’d typically drive up there to be with them for the holiday. He’s not one to get sad about that sort of thing either, so it never seemed like a big deal.
It looked like he got a little bummed as time went by, though, so I suggested we invite a couple friends over and have our own Thanksgiving here at the house before I fly home next week.
See, I’ve always wanted to experiment with Thanksgiving dishes (hello, I’m the dork who sat eagerly in front of the TV the other night for Ina Garten’s “Dear Food Network” Thanksgiving special!). But, in my mind, there is NO room for experimentation on the actual holiday. I need Mom’s stuffing, Mom’s mashed potatoes, and Mom’s gravy (those are really the only things I’m concerned with on Thanksgiving anyway…the turkey? Meh. Not a huge fan. I mean, if something’s going to make me fall asleep on Thanksgiving, TRUST me, it’s going to be the wine).
Now, my faux Thanksgiving is TOMORROW already, and I’m starting to completely freak out a little bit!
My little Butterball turkey breast is dutifully thawing in the fridge, but I have NO IDEA if it’s going to be thawed in time to bake.
I don’t know where my meat thermometer is.
I don’t OWN a roasting pan (do I HAVE to use one??).
Is the turkey breast even big enough to feed four people??!?
!!!!!!!!
So, my menu currently includes: the aforementioned allegedly-big-enough turkey breast, mashed potatoes, gravy, cornbread stuffing, salad, (a possible vegetable dish? I still haven’t decided), and blueberry pie. Oh, and cheeseball for an appetizer…(yum!). Four of those things are things I’ve never made before. I’m down with the mashed potatoes…no problem. I think the stuffing will be fine (hopefully), and even the pie isn’t freaking me out at all…even though this is my first pie since I made one in a cooking class in high school. The gravy will be an adventure, but it can’t go that far wrong, right? (I said, “right??”).
I guess when I talk it out, I’m really just intimidated by the turkey.
Unnaturally intimidated.
What the H? It’s just a stupid bird for God’s sake (um, he he…sorry, turkey gods. Please don’t have your way with me tomorrow).
CK bought a bunch of wine, though, and we’re also having these glasses of deliciousness. So, how bad could it all really taste?
Wish me luck!!
Well, it’s official. I had my first visitors from the ‘Burgh!! And, it’s barely even winter yet!!
Huh.
They must actually like me.
So, one of my best friends, Jen, and her husband Chad came down to visit. They were in town for Chad’s Ironman World Championship competition up in Clearwater. Jen and Chad are both awesome athletes, and they compete in races almost all year long. This particular race was one only Chad was doing, though, so I headed to Clearwater to meet up with Jen and some members of Chad’s family to watch the race. I’d never seen a triathalon before, let alone an Ironman, so I didn’t really know what I was getting into. The worst part was the setting-my-alarm-for-4:50 AM-part (because, as CK was quick to point out, 4:45 would have been way too early, and 5:00 would have been way too late. I’m glad he sees it my way).
But, once I was up and moving, I have to tell you. It was amazing.
I was expecting a somewhat painfully-long day (sorry, but I was. Hi, Chad!!), but it was the complete opposite of that. Between the beautiful weather, the gorgeous scenery (including dawn on Clearwater Beach, which anyone who knows me knows that I would never get the opportunity to see that voluntarily!), the excitement of the race, the amazing athletes, and the great company, I had the best time. Anyway, this was the last race that wrapped up Chad’s season - and he finished in a personal best time - so, needless to say, they were ready to party.
They got to do a ton of cool stuff while they were here…parasailing, kayaking…(apparently you can take the athlete off the training schedule, but…). They kind of did their own thing during the day while I worked, and then CK and I took them to some of our favorite haunts in the evenings.
There were dinners out, beers at the bar, sunsets, Guitar Hero…just a quality time all around.
Here are some shots of us watching the sun go down at Caddy’s. They don’t call it Sunset Beach for nothin’!
Jen, Me, & My Arm Shadow
Jen & Chad
CK
Dear NBC,
Seriously.
What the H?
Despite reports, Brooke Shields says her NBC drama Lipstick Jungle hasn’t been scrapped.
“They thought that because My Own Worst Enemy has been shut down that the same thing had happened to us, and it’s not true,” she told reporters at Sunday’s Cookie magazine Kidsfest in NYC.
Please stop toying with me.
My glamour-lacking, stuck-in-the-house-most-of-the-day-working-from-home, can’t-afford-jimmy-choos lifestyle just CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE. I need characters to live vicariously through! Don’t you understand??!!?
That is all.
Thank you.
Ok, I know it’s no Sex & The City…
And, sure. It’s three girls instead of my girls…
And, maybe one of its main characters used to be on 90210…
But, WOE is me.
I just found out that NBC is canceling Lipstick Jungle.
MAN!! I was getting SO into it, too! I watched it a little bit at first, mostly just to feed the emptyness that’s been with me since Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha left me hangin’… And, it was, admittedly, slow going in the beginning. But, the end of last season was so good. And, this season has been even better so far. What gives?
They even had some serious eye-candy.
Sigh.
They better not EVEN be yanking it without telling me whether or not Joe proposes to Victory.
For reals.
Candace, do you have anything else up your sleeve? I’m showless here! Whatever you do, just promise me you won’t read Four Blondes.
Just trust me on this.
Posted on 14 November '08 by colorcodedc, under Boob Tube. 2 Comments.
