I had an idea, but i forgot it.

Menu of the Day:

The best thing: I ran 66 minutes today, the longest i have run since 13-14 years ,with no walking. I want to run a half marathon in May, the same one that i ran when i turned 40 years old. This time I will be in a new age group, the 55 and over. (Pushing 60 with my next birthday is my motivation, just as turning 40 was in 1997.)

Music: Mother and Child Reunion by Paul Simon.

Drinking: Ballbuster Red. I think i posted about this before.I cannot tell a lie. I am on my third glass.

On with the random stuff. Cause i think i need to make this short.

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1. Gingrich: really? I am not sure if i am happy about this or not. Do i like America better because they would choose him? No. i do not. I would feel better if people  who disagree with my politics chose Romney. Because that tells me they are making an intelligent decision. But maybe I am happy because i think Obama is going to be okay?

2. Let's get off presidential politics. here's what is bugging me lately. I don't like the new E-Trade baby commercial; i am not happy with it is happening with our state politics with charter school legislation and even more than that, especially since i want to go back and work in schools after 2013. I think Brad Pitt should win an Academy Award more than George Clooney.

3. I used to joke, and be semi-serious to to be honest, about working in charter schools, but i also said the same thing about working in an orphanage. It's all about the wacky parents. But truthfully, in jojo terms about what is wack, i do not want to work with helicopter moms, soccer moms, and any parent who over coddles their kids.  That's what i mean. And i didn't realize until recently that charter school moms are going to be EXACTY the kind of moms i am going to want to punch in the face. (I have been reading their blogs.)

4. Which means i will be fired within the first week.With my new workout routine, i think it means they will end up in the hospital.

5. Back to Academy Awards.  here's why i think Brad should win over George. George Clooney is playing himself in The Descendants. I liked that movie alot. dont' get me wrong. I read the book before i saw the movie. George was great, but it was like the character was written for HIM...   Brad Pitt went out of his personality and pulled it off. So there. Brad Pitt.

I think i am going to stop right here.

Notes to myself:

All time Views:  24,388
Run today: 66 minutes, no stopping.
Pageviews last month: 1240

So what is going on with all of y'all?

I'm too busy saving trees to blog....

I'll just put up the photos i just loaded to Facebook for those of you who don't FB.

This Ice Storm is worse than our December 1996 storm. Right now lots of folks have no power, but somehow our condo area always seems to have it. (Partly because our power is underground).

I remember all the trees lost in that '96 storm so today i've been out with a rake knocking off as much ice from the trees around here. Brian came out later this evening to do it again with me and i took my camera. I took lots of photos, but i'm only putting up a few.

It makes where we live looking like a majestic little village.

The ice on the low lying bushes is totally like breaking up concrete. I can almost feel the rhodadendrons breathe a sigh of relief. (How do you spell those anyway?)

It's been a great week off. I had not cabin fever even though i've not been at work since last Friday and it's Thursday night. I've run most days except today and yesterday. I've been cooking, cleaning and reading (two different books), checking in with family, and cleaning our back room because  our new computer work station was delivered and set up today. It's like having a whole new office. (I'll post photos later.)

Tomorrow if my brothers are still without power i think we'll have a dinner and game night. It's an adventure to go without power for the first day (and they both have woodstoves or gas fireplaces) but after 24 hours it can get old.

Friday Night Menu Specials

Menu of the Day:

Tonight's Wine by the Glass: This wine is called Hestia. It's a Washington red blend wine from Woodinville and it is fantastic. A waiter referred this to me at Marzano's restaurant the other day and i loved it. I called my favorite wine guy and he ordered three bottles for me. It's $20.99 a bottle. (Worth every penny.)

For your listening pleasure: Gerry Rafferty City to City cd.

Literary pleasure: I am really liking The Leopard by Jo Nesbo. Jo (actually a guy) is from Norway and is being compared to the Dragon Tattoo writer. (If you like the Dragon books, check out Nesbo. This is my second one.)

Weather Forecast (and what i'm looking forward to:) SNOW this Sunday. (Hopefully).

What i'm thinking about doing: running a half marathon. I have a work colleague friend who is doing the Capitol City half marathon in May. I've run it twice before but not for 14 years. It might be just what i need to keep motivated. (Please don't hold me to this, i just like putting it down for the record, in case i do it.)

Things i've been doing differently: i have altered my neighborhood running route. I cut my morning bath routine too. (Now i only stay in there one half hour reading instead one one whole hour. And now i get to wake up each morning about 20 minutes later.) And i've got a plan to quit being a blonde.

What i wish would happen: The Republican candidate would just get picked already. I was wrong now i have to admit. It will not be Rick Perry as i predicted. (I made that prediction based on an interview i saw with Jon Stewart where he was pretty charismatic, before i saw him on the debates.)

The commercial i love to hate: louie will get this because we just talked about it last night. I HATE that Sarah McLachlan animal ad. HATE IT. In fact i can't even listen to her music anymore because of it. I just hate being manipulated in such a fakey way. Alyssa Milano does a similar kind of ad and i hate that one too. Like louie says, 'worse than those Sally Struthers ones".

My newer favorite shows on TV: Parenthood. (SO much like real life. This is a Ron Howard production. Ron Howard is like Tom Hanks. He doesn't do anything that's not good.) I also love Property Brothers on the HG channel.

The coolest person the planet besides the obvious pick, (Jon Stewart): Anderson Cooper (and Matt Damon too.)

Sunset time: (I'm going to try and remember to include this from weather.com each blog post to remind myself it REALLY is getting lighter now. Today it said 4:44 pm.

All time views on this blog (which is set to not tracking my own hits): This is more for me because i love statistics and numbers and want to keep track of how much blogs (including this one) are dying... Today's all time number:  23,701; Page views today = 18.

Stuff I like

I thought it might be nice to focus on something positive... so here is my list.

1. I know this might not sound like me, but i actually like it when waitresses call me 'sweetie', 'honey', or 'doll'. Today I got a take out lunch order at Moonrise Cafe and the friendly waitress with a sleeve tattoo, who was about 15 years younger than I, called me 'Doll' and it made me happy.

2. I love watching old Bob Newhart shows on the ME TV network.

3. Sometimes when I am reading, i like to do so when there is complete silence. No background noise whatsoever.

4. Speaking of background noise, i love the sound of our new dishwasher when it's running through a cycle.

5. I really like a nap in the afternoon on my day off.

6. I hate running in the morning. but i really really like how i feel when i'm done.

7. I like rainbows. Today there was an amazing one just as i was leaving the house. I went back in to take a photo of it. It's kind of late tonight to format it for this blog, but i'll try and put it up tomorrow.

8. I like a good restaurant hamburger.

9. I like when i think i don't know how to spell a word but then i wing it and find out later that i got it right.

10. I like putting stuff back where it belongs. Sometimes i wish i didn't need to have things in order, but when i'm doing it, i realize i just like doing it. It feels good.

11. I like cooking the most when i am trying a new recipe.

12. I like to tweeze my eyebrows. It actually might be more of an obsession. But lately i've been trying to grow them out so i'm trying to hold back. It goes along with my love of tasks which show results fairly quickly. Painting and vacuuming being other tasks i like (though i don't have rugs to vacuum anymore.)

13. Back to spelling for a sec: I like that i always know how to spell 'vacuum'. Many great spellers still miss this one. Also 'nausea'.

14. A new pair of pajamas is just as exciting to me as a new pair of boots. I LOVE pajamas.

15. I like when people ask provocative and daring questions.

16. I like making Excel spreadsheets.

Let's hope the Mayans have it wrong

Menu of the Day:

Music: I'm listening to the 'folk' genre on my iPod so right now an obscure song by Todd Snider is playing.

Book: the reason i was listening to folk music is because i was reading a book about Woodstock stories and i just finished my Kindle reading of Judy Collins biography. Now i'm going back to "Ciderhouse Rules" by John Irving.

What I'm not looking forward to: going to work tomorrow after all this time off. Today i woke up right at 8:30 when i am supposed to at work already. I've been doing that for the past two weeks because i keep waking up at 3 am.

Photo: Brian took this on New Year's Eve. (I love blurry photos!) His band opened for the Tim Hall band which is playing in the background. It was one of our most fun NYE times. At the Moose Lodge, even!~

I know most of y'all don't make New Year's Resolutions and i don't either. But i wondered if anyone has certain stuff they hope to do or get accomplished in 2012. Come and inspire us if you do!

Here are mine... There aren't very many because i haven't given much thought to the new year just yet. I just hope it's not really the end of the world.

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1. I want to organize my condo friends from the pool to get together and play cards like i used to do before Dorothy died. We all love to drink wine and visit and we live a few doors down from each other.

2. Keep running, but add to my workout because i realize running doesn't do all things for a body to keep in shape.

3. I would like to drink less wine but drink better wine when i do.

4. Same with food. It would be great to try and cut back on the processed food.

5. It would be fun to take a cooking class or workshop - Brian and i are going in Feb. to a resort on the river that offers such classes at different times of the year. I'm going to check it out.

6. I need to learn more about retirement and finances and be smart about it so that when i meet with the financial planners and do something i understand better so that i don't get ripped off with fees or something.

7. I am going to change my hair color more to my more natural dark color and just hope i like it.I may even stop straightening it and let it go it's natural messed up wavy way. (i must be inspired by the Woodstock stories i've been reading! HA!)

8. I'm going to figure out how to love reading books on my new Kindle Fire. So far i've liked it. Especially since i don't need a nightlight if i wake up at 3 am. But i have to say that paying $14 for a Kindle version of Judy Collins bio was too much. It was a good read but not a great read. I knew her son committed suicide but i didn't know she was such an alcoholic. I always did like that song Suite: "Judy Blue Eyes" by her boyfriend Stephen Stills. It was that much of an in depth read really.

9. Maybe i'll start writing more outside the blog. I do plan to keep up my goal of averaging one blog post a week for 2012.

10. I will make a better list than this as the year gets on. I am not exactly what you call an over achiever. Or even an achiever at all!

Post Ho Ho Ho-sings....

Menu of the Day: 

In my glass: The Guardian. a good red from Walla Walla. I'll explain it after the menu.

Music: I just bought the Black Keys cd called El Camino and it's awesome! I love the video for Lonely Boy and will probably put it up for my first January blog post. It's hilarious. For those of you on Facebook, i already did.

Book: I just finished reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. I had not read this book since i was 17 years old so re-reading it was like the first time. This book will go on my list of Top Ten favorites books of all time. Maybe in the Top Five even. The book is told through the voice narrative of the big tall Indian guy. Even if you have seen the movie 10 times like i have, you should still read the book. It's amazing. (Brian got it for me as one of my presents.)

What else i got: Bowling lessions...but sssshhhhh, it's a secret from the bowling league! I want to go back there and start bowling a 150 average! ..... I also got  a Kindle Fire (as you can see in the photo).... I think I'm going to like it! ..... I got other stuff, including a Memory Foam topper that i thought i wanted for our bed. But after three days of trying it i feel like i need a chiropractor and i never have back problems. So back it goes. Plus it made us both too hot.

About the photos: The first photo is Brian and his mom Christmas day playing Chinese Checkers while i made Beef Wellington. (for the first time). The second one is my favorite Christmas Moment when Ashley and her boyfriend and Kylee came over to exchange presents Christmas Eve with us before we headed out to the big family affair.

After that are photos of my Beef Wellington. I used Tyler Florence's recipe that uses something like a mushroom pate that i made called a duexe?.... Anyway that's the stuff you see on the proscuitto that goes on top of the beef tenderloin which helps to keep the puff pastry from getting too soggy. The mushroom stuff looks ugly, but it's very good.  It was fun to make and i would do it again.

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The Guardian wine:

My nephew Brian (Troy's son) got me the bottle of this good red called The Guardian. It's a Washington blend and very very nice. And kind of pricey. We had this conversation the last time i had seen him as we were watching Brian's band play in mid-December.

(That evening my other brother Scott was so funny going table to table with Brian's recorder interviewing all the folks in the bar about the band. As i'm watching this i say to Brian the nephew something that went kind of like this:

Me: Damn,  I want to be the funny one in the family! I am tired of being the boring one. Scott and Troy are so funny and love to party. I want to be more like them.

Brian (nephew): But you don't like to party.

Me: I know. I know.... But I'm going to change! I'm going to start doing wild things and be bad and funny and do outrageous things.

Brian: But it's not you. We need you to be you! You're  the matriarch in the family. You're the one we go to when we need to get straightened out. You always give it to us straight. We need that.

Me: I know, but now i want to go be bad so that i can come to YOU so YOU can straighten ME out.

Brian: But the Louvraks need you to be the matriarch.

Me: I don't want to be the matriarch anymore! The matriarch NEVER has fun. She just irritates everyone. I don't want that job. I'm sick of being responsible!

So i loved when I opened up this present from him that also included a very poignant note that I didn't read until i got home. That note means a lot to me. (My other Christmas Moment).

Highlights of the Year 2011

Eleven for 2011:
I am not sure if i will have time to get my 52nd post in for the year 2011, so i'm going to do it today before my mother in law arrives since the computer is in the guest room. Here are highlights. 


1.  In congratulating myself on reaching my goal. Here is #1 pick for my best blog post in 2011.  I think i outdid myself on this one....Click below: 


IMO, the best jojo blog post


2. The end of the Iraq war. And why wasn't this bigger news? Even i forgot to hang out my flag. I should have been more excited since i marched against the war BEFORE it started. How did it end with a whimper? I think it's because we're still in Afghanistan. And who knows what's next? Iran? North Korea?


3. I got to retire! Officially i am done Dec. 31. Though i am working through August 2013. But i finally got to put an end date to my dissatisfaction with working for the union. It's making me do something different.


4. Brian's in a new blues band that he can be proud of and one i love to go listen to. When i first started dating Brian in 1992 he had a dumpy little bachelor house and in his living room in the corner was a set of drums he had since he was in high school. He would play them while i got ready to go out. Now he has two sets of newer drums and living the dream. 


5. I'm still running and nothing hurts. That is an accomplishment. 


6. The best book i read in 2011: Cutting for Stone


7. Best new artist: Jason Isbell


8. Favorite new show i started watching on TV: Property Brothers


9. We almost bought a house.... and then we didn't. 


10. As a direct result of not getting the house we remodeled part of our kitchen AND all of both bathrooms. And now we've also commissioned the cabinet makers to build us a custom computer work station which is ready in about two weeks.


11. Nobody i love died or got sick in 2011. (And i didn't murder anyone i hate.)


What are your highlights for the year? I know i probably have better ones than these but i'm doing these on the fly without much thought. 
I hope all of y'all have a great Christmas and new year!