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 :)

20 Questions.

I'm borrowing Fidgetin Gidget's 20 Questions that she borrowed elsewhere. So there.

1. 5 internet annoyances: work internets shutting off for no reason leaving me basically a sitting duck, webpages that are so poorly organized that it's possible to find a businesses location or contact info, websites that have music or sound effects that cannot be turned off and come in RIDICULOUSLY LOUD no matter how quiet you have the speakers, buffering (unless you're on a foreign site, and then it's puffern), and when i google something... and i expect one website, and it takes me to something completely different.

2. What is in your stack of reading materials? The Stand, #6 and #7 in the James Patterson Women's Murder Club series, Fiery Cross and A Breath of Snow and Ashes both by Diana Gabaldon, and Friday Night Knitting Club, which I've been told by about 20 people is one of the worst books ever written, but I want to read it anyway.

3. Do you get distracted easily? Mmm. Yes.

4. What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? Started knitting a new sweater

5. What does your last text message say? How are we going to get to the beach?

6. If we were to play Clue, which player would you choose to be? I was always Miss Scarlet

7. Speaking of Clue: Who did it? In which room? And using? Miss Peacock... in the kitchen... with the candlestick

8. Now that we know what character you’d be in Clue, which is your favorite marker in Monopoly? The dog

9. How many friendships have you had that have lasted more than ten years? Two. A few that are close to the 10 year mark, but not quite.

10. Where will you be 12 hours from now? 2am? I better be sleeping.

11. Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? Probably not.

12. Who have you texted in the last 24 hours? Gene and our friend Carrie.

13. What did you last get in the mail? bills, invite to a baby shower that I can't go to, and wedding thank you cards.

14. According to the cliche, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but what’s the way to yours? yarn. Good yarn. merino and silk blends are always good.

15. What’s something that should have been put away but hasn’t been? Laundry. I'm terrible at that. And the poker table is still on the dining room table.

16. Last words you said out loud? No, you don't say bless you when someone coughs.

17. On a scale from 1-10 (1 least, 10 most likely) ...what am I rating here? We'll say 1. To be on the safe side. I don't want to really be agreeing to eat bull testicles.

18. Could you point out where Outer Mongolia is on a globe? Not even close.

19. What is underneath your bed? a mirror that is the exact same size as my bed. Does anyone want it? Seriously. Please take it. It's the largest mirror I've ever seen.

20. What food did you once claim to hate but, after trying it, loved? calamari. LOVE calamari. And salsa. Separately.


And as a side note, unrelated to 20 questions and Fidgeting Gidget... the third and final wedding of the Wedding Crazy went very well. The hanging out with the ex was fine... his new girlfriend and I get along GREAT and I haven't seen her in a really long time, so we got to catch up. The dress turned out really well.. and I will postp pictures, but my computer was being a bum about pictures earlier so it'll have to wait until later.

It was very strange being back up in that area. The wedding was about two miles or so from where I went to college... so it was very surreal being up there. I didn't stop by campus at all. Maybe I should have. But I just feel like I have no ties there anymore.

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

Oooh, Oooh! Meme! Pick me!

I got tagged by the meme of eight by Joanie at Joanie's Random Ramblings.

8 Things I’m Looking Forward To

1. Making my first garmet in three years
2. Being entirely self-sufficient when it comes to knitted garments
3. Having an actual vacation... eventually... not sure when it'll happen...
4. Seeing Wrigley Field in Chicago (next summer? Maybe?)
5. Having my back no longer hurt (it's getting better... I used icy hot patches and they seemed to help a lot)
6. Wearing skirts and capris again
7. Seeing some of my old high school friends this week
8. Never having to shave again

8 Things I Did Yesterday

1. Worked
2. Get a $5 tip for teaching this girl how to do eyeshadow
3. Turned the heel on my first sock!! (socks are an accomplishment. I think)
4. Watched the Flyers kick the pants off of the Penguins. Crosby sucks.
5. Watched two episodes of 90210 (the new one). It's an addiction.
6. Cut out the lining of my dress... now all my pieces are cut! Assembly can start.
7. Thought about reading more of The Stand, and decided instead that it was a bad idea to read that just before going to sleep
8. Dreamt that someone wanted to give me a $15,000 talent fee for doing commercials for them and interviewing them on my show. Any takers??

8 Things I Wish I Could Do

1. See Colleen in Ireland
2. Go to Hawaii... and come back married
3. While in Hawaii... see where they shoot LOST. It'd be nice if it was while the show was still being taped...
4. Fix my bathroom (it's electric blue. and ugly. and the bathtub is too heavy for the room)
5. Design knitted garments.
6. Be on a soap opera (it's my dream acting job. In all seriousness. I grew up watching soaps, I've watched soaps since I was like 3 years old, and I wish I could be on General Hospital)
7. Have a dog... I really really want a dog.
8. Finish The Stand. Only 700 pages to go...

8 Shows I Watch

1. LOST
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Castle (I heart Nathan Fillion)
4. How I Met Your Mother
5. The Big Bang Theory
6. Dollhouse
7. The Sarah Connor Chronicles (I heart Summer Glau... basically I heart everyone who was in Firefly. If only Alan Tudyk had another show...)
8. Leverage

8 People I Tag

1. Di at DiSpace
2. Jess at Everyday Adventures of Me in the City
3. Tova at Secret Life of Tova Darling
4. Chelsea at Chelsea Talks Smack
5. Ali at Kitschy Shop
6. Ben at No Ordinary Rollercoaster
7. Maureen at Penny, the Baby Girl
8. Al at Because It's the Same Backwards and Forwards...