Finally getting a little help...

Gene doesn't cook. At all. If I let him cook his own food, he'd live on Wendy's and toast (and I know this.. because before I moved in, he did). And he even screws up toast. It isn't toast. It's slightly warmed bread. If there's anything golden on the toast at all, he thinks it's burnt.

Lately, however, Gene has discovered a new toy... the Crock Pot. The one that we've had for almost 3 years that we've never used ever. Until last week when Gene decided that he was going to make ribs for dinner. They were actually pretty good. We didn't eat until almost 8:00 because Gene didn't put the meat in until 2, but whatevs. He actually made dinner.

So now, this is his new thing... the crock pot. He tries to find new and interesting things to make in the crock pot, and he wants me to find all these recipes so that he can assemble them. And so long as it's just brown meat, put sauce in crock pot, put meat in crock pot, turn crock pot on... he's fine. But what we're having tonight (pork chops in crock pot) I needed to do some things first... like cook bacon, cook pork in bacon, and make broth. That is too complicated for the Gene. The Gene needs something much, much simpler. So I was up super late making the dinner that Gene is supposed to make today.

Wednesday we're going to do a beef stew. I'm very excited. I guess I should be excited that Gene really is trying to help me (finally) at home... but I know that the one time things don't taste awesome, that's going to be the end of Gene cooking. I just know it. I was really praying that the ribs were going to be fantastic... because if they weren't then he was going to be very upset.


I also got an award from moonjavasmuse!



"The HonestScrap award comes with a caveat or two. Firstly, you have to tell your readers ten things about you they may not know, but that are true. Secondly, you have to tag 10 people with the award."

So here are my ten things:

1. My favorite vegetable in the universe is asparagus. I think it's delicious.
2. I have very little tolerance for wine... two glasses knocks me on my ass... but I can drink vodka all night long and be fine.
3. I harbor a secret passion for tween tv. Namely 90210. And One Tree Hill, but I probably won't watch it without Lucas or Peyton.
4. I would leave Gene in a heartbeat if Greg Dobbs asked me to.
Or John Barrowman.
5. I have a really big problem starting projects... and starting projects... and starting projects... before I finish one.
6. We bought a new entertainment center a few months ago. It's sitting in my garage, unstained and not put together. I've been blaming rain... but that can only go so far.
7. I hate my kitchen. It's the ugliest room in my house and I want to rip it apart.
8. I crush on cartoon and comic characters. Like Gambit from the X-Men. And Trent from Daria (la la la la la).
9. If I could live anywhere in the world... I'd move to Olde City in Philadelphia. It's really beautiful there.
10. I have a hard time making friends sometimes. Because I'm shy. Even though I'm a big ol' loudmouth who has no problem telling people what she thinks... when it comes to new people, I'm terrified.

And I always feel like I seem to tag the same 10 people... so I give this award to whomever wishes to have it! Just let me know if I gave it to you so that I can read your 10 things :)

Keepsakes

The Fidgeting Gidget has bestowed upon my blog the "Keepsake Blog Award." (aw thanks!)



So the rules are:

1. Post a funny or sweet keepsake that tells something about you

2. Pass the award on to 10 other bloggers that you think are keepers

Okay. So. Keepsake.

Lately, theatre has been popping back into my life. I've decided to audition again (one week from today... AAAH!) after three years of giving up the theatre, so my keepsake is going back to my theatre roots.



This was the first show I did in college where I had a lead role. It was The Philadelphia Story and I played Dinah Lord, the bratty younger sister of Tracy who was getting married. To the far left is Liz Imbrie, Dinah Lord (me), Mrs. Margaret Lord, and Tracy Lord. The three other ladies with me were all amazing actors and wonderful people, and I miss them dearly.

We used to have this tradition with this show... if you're not familiar with the show, the Lord family is based on a Main Line family in Philadelpha (main line = old money) and Tracy is getting remarried. Her father is a Broadway producer and has been in tabloids recently. Liz Imbrie is a photog for a tabloid, and her friend Mike is a reporter, and they are invited to the house to do a piece on the family, but the family decides to mess with them a bit. In this one scene, my character comes out all decked out in a purple dress, pink tutu, white gloves, patent leather shoes, a tiara, pearls, and a yellow cumberbun. And I give a little "performance" for Liz and Mike.

Every night after this scene, Momma Lord and Tracy and I would still be in character backstage (for this scene only.. we aren't crazy Method actors) and we'd go through this whole little scene.

Momma: Dinah... why are you dressed like that?
Me: Like what Mom? Say, those people sure are nice. And that man is cute!
Momma: DINAH! What did you do?
Me: (getting changed) Nothing. See ya later!
Momma: Dinah! You get back here and put some clothes on!
Tracy: I don't know why you put up with that bitch. Just send her to military school.

And then in Act 2, Tracy gets WASTED... so our Tracy would come crawling into the dressing room as if she were blasted and tells us all how much she loves us. I'm pretty sure we had more fun backstage during this show than we did onstage.

I just hope this next time around in the theatre world I find people that were just as talented and fun to work with as my college crew. First things first... I need to get cast.

And now for my 10 people:

1. Chelsea at Chelsea Talks Smack

2. Joanie at Joanie's Random Rambling

3. Jess at Everyday Adventures of Me in the City

4. Tess at The Thoughts and Sarcastic Observations of a Starbucks Addict

5 & 6. two lovely gents at Zombies, Whiskey, Random Musings & Witticisms (and that means you each have to do one... the keepsake part at least)

7. Ysolda at Ysolda She has LOVELY patterns for any knitters.

8. Tia at Clever Girl Goes Blog

9. Ali at Because it's the Same Backwards and Forwards...

10. CJ at CJDaily's Blog

Premios Dardo

Joanie over at Joanie's Random Ramblings tagged me on this Premios Dardo award! And it's a cool typewriter. Cool typewriters...always fun times. Here's how it goes:

Step 1: respond and rework -- answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.


Step 2: tag - eight other un-tagged people


1) What are you wearing right now?
Teal sweater that I need to darn, ATL jeans, sneakers, and my Christmas present (read: diamond pendant necklace) from Gene.


2) What is your biggest fear?
Being alone.


3) What is the one thing you're really nerdy about? And don't say you aren't nerdy, because let's face it... everyone is a little nerdy about at least one thing.
Okay. I was always a big X-Men fan. Collected the cards (until someone threw them away...), watched the cartoon, hated the movies... but never read the comics. I don't know that there was a comic store in my hometown, and if there was I don't think my mother would have bought me a bunch of comic books. But now I collect them. Only X-Men, and I'm way behind in my reading, but I can out-X-Men-trivia most people I know. I think this is why Gene and I have been together for so long... he finally found a girl who is nerdier than he is (I also remember the most obscure crap about LOST and have to go rewatch episodes after they've aired..because of a reference it may have possibly made. Gene's friends all mock me. But they loved me when I made the field of 64 of LOST. Man I need a life.)


4) Who is the last person you hugged?
Gene.


5) What websites to you visit when you go online?
blogger, facebook, and ctrl-alt-del which is my favorite web-comic. It's nerdy like me.


6) What was the last item you bought?
Pictures. I went to Happy Harrys and had pictures developed from when I met OAR a few months ago with my cousin. I'm going to put the pictures with the authographed concert ticket and make a shadow box.


7) If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Ireland to see Colleen...and Hawaii. But be warned that if i'm going to Hawaii, I'm coming back married. Just sayin'


8) If you woke up tomorrow and were a boy, what is the first thing you would do and why?
First, I'd call becklette and say "i'm a real boy" then I'd go to Atlantic City and get respected as a poker player. People like to think I'm weak because I'm female. Then I take their money.


9) Has a celebrity's hair cut ever influenced your own hairstyle?
Not really? I mean, I never had "The Rachel" or anything. I was more influenced by people in my life. And it usually leads to bad haircuts. Like when I convinced my mother to cut my hair to my earlobes and shave the back of my head because that's how
my cousin Patty and my friend Whitney had their hair. It was a REALLY bad idea, and took 2 years to grow out.


10) What is your most embarassing moment?
This really isn't all that embarassing, but I think I've managed to avoid severe public humiliation pretty well so far. My junior year of high school, i had my first lead in a play... I was Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. And you know that line that Dorothy has when she gets into Oz? Probably the most quoted line from that movie? "Toto, we must be over the rainbow!" Well opening night I was not "over the rainbow." No. Not this Dorothy. This Dorothy was "INSIDE the rainbow!" Dorothy took a bit too much acid during the tornado.


11) What was the last movie you watched?
Frost/Nixon. it was wonderful. Frank Langella amazes me.


12) If you had a whole day to yourself with no work, commitments, or interruptions what would you do?
I would knit a lot. And catch up on my X-Men reading.


13) If you were to win the Powerball, what would you do with the money (besides invest it)?
I'd pay off my mortgage and my exorbatent student loans, and Gene's loans... buy my mom's house... and get married. And renovate my house to get rid of the ugly blue bathroom.


14) If you could convince everyone you knew to read one book... what book would it be, and why?
"It's Always Something" by Gilda Radner. It's one of my favorite books, and it completely changed my life even though I don't have cancer. And it isn't all sad, I promise. Don't get me wrong, some of it is totally heartwrenching, but Gilda is, well, Gilda... so there are parts that are hilarious. Only she could make cancer funny. And the love story between her and Gene Wilder really warms my heart.


Okay. tag time! I'm tagging:

1. becklette at how the beck...
2. Ali at Kitchy Shop News
3. Melissa at Put Me In Your Suitcase
4. Al at Because It's The Same Backwards and Forwards...
5. Jorge at Dispatches From the Island (he probably won't, but, he's awesome and hilarious so you should check out his blog)
6. Ben at No Ordinary Rollercoaster
7. Cake Wrecks because funny cake pictures make every day better
8. Di at DiSpace

So. Thar ya go.

Flutterbys

Joanie at Joanie's Random Ramblings gave me a Butterfly Award because she thinks I have a cool blog. So now, it is my duty to pass this along to five people who I think have the coolest blog ever. And I pick:

how the beck...
The Everyday Adventures of Me in the City
Paca-Blog
Two Crazy Knit Chicks
DiSpace

So, my challenge to you ladies is to pass this on to other blogs and keep the butterfly chain going.

An now for something completely different, I hate the ice. I'm all for having four seasons with cold, warm, and hot weather... but I really despise winter precipitation. It took me 30 minutes to scrape off the ice from my car this morning. At least the northeast in the greater Philadelphia area isn't getting as much ice and snow and such as the mid-west and Chicago is getting at the moment. My heart goes out to those people.