CursingMama

Not Unlike HGTV

2009-11-10T05:15:00.002-06:00

Was it wrong to do the happy dance when I discovered that Sesame Street is older than me? It turns 40 today.

I remember picking the show back up when Gameboy was about 3 and finding that everyone on Sesame Street knew all about Alloysius Snuffleupagus and his existence wasn't in question at all....
I was ticked I hadn't gotten to see the reveal.

Tents - they're not just for camping anymore.

2009-11-09T04:55:00.000-06:00

I am sad to report that my cellular telephone companion is approximately 12 million years old.

This wee relic of cellular technology came to me long before cameras were standard and this is totally to blame for my lack of photographic evidence regarding the shocking incident in my friendly neighborhood Target establishment I am about to tell you about.

Last week I went to Target (this is not the shocking part) and while there I noticed a group of teenage mutants.

I have taken to calling them mutants because this whole breed of person known as a "teenager" is not normal; not a single one of them. In fact I believe those who are able to appear normal are in fact the most dangerous of them all - they are successfully hiding their mutation from adults.

ANYWAY! I was at Target, and there were 3 mutants. The lead male mutant, the lead mutants female attachment, and the sidekick/wingman/bro/preventerofnookie. Typically I do not pay too terribly much attention to mutants, I have a couple of my own and it takes a lot to grab my attention since I have been fairly desensitized... HOWEVER the lead male mutant was the kind of guy who demanded attention.

He was wearing one of those ski hats with yarn braided pig tails hanging down and a giant ass bigger than what I used to have on my roller skates pom-pom on top. The hat was "attention getting" but it was not the sealer of the deal. Nope.

He was wearing navy blue sweat pants with a drawstring waist (you will thank me for the drawstring waist) and white boxer shorts with red wings on them. I am guessing they speak to his love of the Detroit Red Wings Hockey team; although I don't think this is what the merchandisers of the NHL had in mind when they put these male undergarments on the market I am a little impressed with the kids willingness to root for a different team in Wild Hockey territory.

My lack of technology in the cellular telephone department forced me to create the dramatic reenactment for you using paint or some other free painty program installed on my computer

I drew the Rear View - and my lack of drawing skills forced me to use a red cowboy hat instead of a Detroit Red Wing to embellish the undergarments. And that grey thing is the shirt.

As my drawing notes the drawstring of this mutants pants had them firmly secured Under the buttockal area. Meaning that he was really working to keep them secured on his upper thighs and had more trouble executing his mutant strut than I do in stilleto heels while wearing a pencil skirt (that 1 time, it was ugly and never repeated again) and oh yeah - I and every other person in Target was looking at his ass through his cheap ass flimsy boxer shorts- why even bother with the pants?

My drawing also notes another ummm issue with the lack of appropriate coverage. I am thinking this is partly why he did bother with the pants, even though they were uniformly secured around his upper thighs and doing NOTHING to contain or conceal private information.

The lead mutant must have really been liking either the feel of flapping in the wind or how close his female attachment was (and there was hardly a sliver of light between them) because if I had drawn this from the front view I'd be having my computer confiscated by the authorities for drawing that kind inappropriate material and publishing it on a public website - all despite the fact I was just reporting what I saw with my own eyes in a public place on display for anyone to see with no shame on the lead mutants part.

PS - if any cellular companies (I personally use the one that starts with a T and ends with a Mobile) would like to supply me with a more technologically advanced cellular communication device for reviewing and such - I would totally not object.

Proof of Something!

2009-11-06T11:09:00.003-06:00

As I'm sure you can imagine, my discovery of something that is clearly not nothing in the kingdom of Mr. Motorcycle was not a subject I dropped. No, it was a subject I used my Supper Naggy Strength on to get the kinds of answers only a woman who has married a man that is know for being up to something needs to get.

I was relentless and used every trick in the book. Okay, maybe not all of them, some of them I am saving for even more nefarious scenes.

Nothing was:

Never before seen on lifehacker.com (although a very good website that Mr. Motorcycle should stay the hell away from)
Slightly dangerous with little pokey things, sharp edges and a pair of formidable scissors
Had nothing to do with whatever it was Shelly and her college roommate were up to
Left on the workbench almost as it were forgotten and seemed unrelated to anything else going on in the kingdom
Sadly for Kathy Howe, in a former life that was a Diet Sprite can, so it can not contribute to the beer can hat of her dreams
not related to the construction of tuberous vegetable weaponry (although now he has ideas for that I'm sure)

Returning to the Scene of the Inquisition/Crime

CursingMama (CM): Just tell me what it is and I'll get off your case.

Mr.Motorcycle (Him): Fine, its a metal shim for the forward control shift arm and lever on my bike.

CM hears "it is a metal shim for a vital piece of equipment that keeps the motorcycle from killing me"

CM: You're kidding me. What is it really?

Him: I told you, I was trying to make a metal shim for the forward control shift arm and lever.

CM hears "Yes! I am using a piece of flimsy pop can to keep my motorcycle together so I can ride it super fast"

CM: That doesn't sound very smart. Can't you use glue or something?

Him is clearly exasperated by CM but soldiers on.

Him: Glue doesn't work on chrome. All I needed was a little piece of metal to keep things from slipping.

CM hears "I ride so fast that the thing just literally vibrates apart! There is no way glue could do that kind of job. This little piece of flimsy metal will keep that speed control army deal bopper thing from just flying off the bike while I'm riding."

CM: Did it work?

Him: Nope

End Scene

I don't know what he has done to keep that speed control army deal bopper thing from just flying off. I'm guessing glue, although I don't know how I feel about his motorcycle being glued together either.

Not Nothing

2009-11-05T12:40:00.003-06:00

A scene from earlier this year

Setting: Garage/Kingdom of Mr. Motorcycle

CursingMama passes by ~~alter~~ workbench and notices some kind of bizzare offering project

CursingMama (CM): Whats that?

Mr.Motorcycle (Him): Nothing.

CM: That is not nothing.

Him: Is to.

CursingMama retrieves something from her purse

Him: What are you doing?

CM: Nothing

Him: That is not nothing.

CM: Is to.

Him: Why are you taking a picture of nothing?

CM: Because it's not nothing.

Him: You're blogging this aren't you.

CM: Of course.

I give you

NOTHING!

You be the judge - what do you think nothing is?

After Dark

2009-11-04T14:23:00.002-06:00

If you thought you spotted me late Monday afternoon sitting in my car with my eyes closed and my head turned toward the light, you just may have had a valid sighting!

Monday morning I ~~spoke~~ wrote of the miracle of seeing the sun and my desperate need to leave the office immediately to spend the day soaking up the goodness of the yellow ball. My initial thoughts were to fake a life changing paper cut in order to leave the building & use sick hours rather than vacation hours for the mental health time I feel I'm due.

Several of you suggested other, nefarious yet intriguing options to get me the hell out of the office:

Chris thought I should "steal ketchup from the fridge so it looks like a lot of blood... if no one gets close enough to smell it..."

Shelly suggested I "break a nail AND get a papercut! Both of those things happening at once will surely be reason enough to go home. Also, just walk with a limp and say it's an "old shopping injury that flairs up from time to time..."

Keri, Julie, and Guinfer all thought showing symptoms of pig virus would be an easy "get out of office free card"

Unfortunately I got to busy to test any of the theories and ended up spending the day stuck behind the glass.

What I neglected to remember Monday afternoon as I was planning how I would get some sun after I got home was the arrival of dusk.... Apparently this whole Daylight Savings Time Fall Back I got a whole extra hour of sleep on Saturday has resulted in more than just a whacked body clock - it has also resulted in my arrival home at dusk...

No Sun For You!

Other interesting affects of this time change:

My body still reads 5:30 AM as 5:30 AM - it does not feel like 6:30 AM at all. Not even once.
My body is now reading 10:00 PM as 9:00 PM - meaning it seemed totally practical to stay up for an entire hour past my own personal witching hour so I could watch Tabitha's Salon Takeover.
I have lost all concept of the magical DVR and watching important Salon Takeover information at a more reasonable hour.
At Noon I am sure that it is 1:00 - my time to eat lunch.
At 2:00 I realize that I forgot to eat my lunch.
I'm having some very strange dreams. Dreams about writing blog posts about odd subjects like song titles I made up about something I can't remember and dreams about raking the yard.
We have 3 lollypop trees - raking would be stupid - there are no leaves. Which is good, because I get home in the fucking dark.

Green Opinionating

2009-11-03T04:45:00.000-06:00

I've got a great new book that nobody can get out of my hands and I'm reviewing it over at Not So Humble Opinions today. If you are looking for a resource to help you make healthier, greener decisions this book is for you!

Shop Indie Bookstores

Faking It

2009-11-02T09:27:00.001-06:00

So, after all my bitchin about the lack of sun on Friday I now have to admit that I did not get to enjoy yesterdays sun at all. We were too busy. Kid activities, football, cooking, etc... etc... all conspired against my sitting peacefully in the sun (wrapped up in blankets because it isn't that warm outside in the sun).

Today's forecast is SUN! lots of SUN!

And - I am thinking that I may need to fake a debilitating injury that will require me to go home and recuperate for the day.
Do you think a paper cut would work? I could really play that up by applying lots of bandaids....

In Case Of Spooky Emergency

2009-10-31T02:32:00.000-05:00

I kinda like Halloween - oh the trick-or-treaters get on my nerves and I get cranky & riled up but I still like it. That's why I give broom riding lessons.....for a price

Your Witch Name is Agatha

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

What's Your Witch Name?

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!

So - I've given away what I'll be dressing up as for Halloween - how about you???

You Should Be a Cat for Halloween

You are the reserved and introverted type. You enjoy keeping to yourself.

When you get dressed up for Halloween, you're often debating whether you want to even dress up at all. Sometimes your heart isn't really in it!

If you do dress up for Halloween, you are very chic, sleek, and stylish. You have a flair for fashion.

There's no way you would make a fool out of yourself or use a costume out of the box. You have too much pride for that!

What Halloween Costume Matches Your Personality?

Blogthings: Quizzes and Tests and Memes, Oh My!

A Foggy Day In London Town

2009-10-30T14:29:00.000-05:00

Several years ago I was privileged enough to be able to travel to Europe for 2 weeks; cramming as much as I reasonable could into the short time frame I toured France, England, Belgium, and the Netherlands. I am desperate to go back, although the economy, the activities of the children, and the care and keeping of a zoo are hindering that for now. Someday though.

When I was preparing for the trip I read many touristy type books that warned me to have a rain jacket and umbrella handy at all times in London; London is a rainy city and I should be prepared for it! So, I was.

The entire time I didn't see a single rain drop, not a bit of fog, and honestly I don't really remember any clouds. My pictures surely don't depict anything other than sun shine and heat. Oh yes, what the books touted heavily was the need to have warm clothes for the time of year I was traveling - I would need no short sleeves or even light fabric capri pants. (Project Runway be damned!)

LIARS!

It was Hot. Hades Hot. Hot like the inside of a volcano. Occasionally I am known for overreacting and possibly exaggerating. But, for a person who likes things on the warmish side and is often found wearing a hooded sweatshirt the shade in July because I get chilled - Europe left me with the impression that their weather people or at least the ones the tourist writers consulted really aren't any better than ours.

These past few weeks I have begun to wonder if it is possible that the Twin Cities (of Minnesota if you aren't from around theses parts) stole the weather that was assigned to London. I haven't gone so far as to see if London is getting the weather those travel books proclaim it has - but I can tell you that we have had an over abundance of rain, fog, clouds, cool fall temperatures and more rain.

It certainly hasn't helped with my mood either.

Maybe this is a good sign...maybe the sun is coming....

You Are a Rainbow

Breathtaking and rare

You are totally enchanting and intriguing

But you usually don't stick around long!

You are best known for: your beauty

Your dominant state: seducing

What Type of Weather Are You?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

The People In My Head and on the tv

2009-10-29T07:49:00.003-05:00

Recently I have found myself getting rather caught up in several books. So caught up that I would rather find out what is going to happen to the people I'm reading about than the people in the television hanging out with Tim Gunn.

(I always assume that people know who Tim is and then when they don't I'm surprised, so if by chance you don't know who Tim is I linked to his Wikipedia)

Do you know about my project runway obsession? We could talk about the designers or Tim & Heidi here if I'm not the only addict - you let me know.

So some of these books I've been reading have grabbed me by the shirt and kept me enthralled - on the edge of my seat - wondering what is going to happen! OMG what will I do if Georgie & Bram can not get their shit together. I know that they aren't real just like I knew that J.R. Ewing wasn't really shot in the chest by a mysterious would be assassin; but it doesn't stop me. Just ask Mr. M. or the kids.

What I've found interesting about this is that as certain authors (and I'm not going to list them all because I think they would be essentially different for every person) have made their characters come alive, the ones of my own making are fighting to be heard and they're getting loud.

Yesterday's story was more than a joke and much more than a little fun - it was really an exercise. Whether it was a successful exercise remains to be seen because I didn't let any of my own characters out.

I've downloaded the freeware ywriter to my little netbook, I've figured out what should be my writing time, but I haven't officially thrown my hat in the ring for NaNoWriMo... not sure if a deadline is what I really need - I have a feeling the people in my head will tell their story in their own time.

************************************************
Project Runway Fix!

Now that there are only 6 designers left I've decided who I think should win and who I am fairly certain will win and the order in which the rest of the pack will be eliminated. The last 6 are:

Althea Harper
Carol Hannah Whitfield
Christopher Straub
Gordana Gehlhausen
Logan Neitzel
Irina Shabayeva

Whose your pretend money on?

I think tonight will spell the end for either Christoper or Logan - neither of them are talented enough to make it to Fashion Week and their performance has been in the gutter the last few weeks...It will take a miracle, a mental breakdown or sabotage on one of the more talented designers for Logan or Christopher to avoid the auf Wiedersehen.

Hey Batter Batter

2009-10-28T03:25:00.002-05:00

This post has nothing to do with baseball - although it does have something to do with swings... Mood Swings.

As I'm sure you've been able to conjure up around here (and heavens forbid on twitter) I may have some mood swing issues now and then. Over the years I have been accused of being overly emotional..... be it a result of my proclivity to cry during poignant greeting card (or coffee) commercials or to have a particularly fiery reaction to someone leaving too many shoes by the back door.

I'm a contrast; crying one moment losing my temper the next.

The family claims they never really know what to expect of me, are they going to get the happy, fun mommy or should they expect the you'd better be walking on egg shells and not break them or make a mess with them mommy.

Earlier this month we happened to spend a Sunday afternoon at an art fair and stumbled upon a woman selling all sorts of natural remedies for all sorts of things. Mr. M. thought the remedies for mood swings (which I would have to presumably use forever) were a little overpriced so he bought a cheap mood ring instead. He figured if they knew what mood I was in he & the kids could react and behave appropriately.

I'm really not terribly fond of the ring, it is a larger band than I would typically choose and it turns my skin green, but it does appear to be working and reading my moods like he hoped it would.

The ring turns green when I'm in a good mood and feeling happy.

It turns blue when I'm tired or lethargic.

When I'm in a bad mood the ring
leaves a Big Red Mark on his fucking forehead.

Maybe next time he won't be so cheap and will buy me a diamond.

******************************************************

Thank you to Mr. M. who did not buy me a mood ring and rarely complains about my mood swings even though I have possibly once or twice given him plenty of ammunition to deserve a mood ring. He also deserves a lot of the credit for this wonderful story because he forwarded the original too me (in rougher form) and agreed to take the heat for the story I would weave.

Its on the Internet so it Must Be True!*

2009-10-27T08:19:00.001-05:00

Regarding yesterday's mention of people not knowing how to merge without trying to kill me (or navigate the entrance ramp) I found this Wiki (the teachers do love them some wiki's these days don't they!) which should clear up any issues with merging into traffic on the freeway.

How To Merge Onto the Highway Without Crashing or pissing CursingMama off
(I added that last bit myself)

Study it. Live it.
Maybe just stay out of my way :D

*****************************************

*Recently I was sent an email I would classify as offensive, garbage, racist...just about every negative connotation I know would apply. I would like to classify the email as spam but if I do so it will mean I'm calling a relative a spammer. Today's title is dedicated to that relative, that believer that everything on the internet is true, except the things they think aren't.

Parallel Parking and Other Mysteries of the World

2009-10-26T11:10:00.001-05:00

I was shocked last night when I realized that it was nearly Monday. The time/space continuum on weekdays is vastly different on weekends; for instance today I was up at 6, out the door by 7 and in my office by 7:30 - I moved pretty quickly once ensconced at my desk and plowed through a stack of work that I had anticipated would take me most of the day. I was done by 10:30. Saturday I admit to sleeping in a lot, I was up at 9, made it down to the kitchen for coffee by 9:30 and sometime around 10:30 I realized that I should probably get started on the days tasks; it took me until nearly 11:30 to get up and do that.

What I did for those 2 hours at the kitchen counter I'm not sure but I do know that there were copious amounts of coffee involved.

Speaking of coffee I have decided that the coffee freely available in my office is awful. I used to like it, look forward to it even, but over the last several weeks I have noticed that it has a flavor I suspect is closely affiliated with something I would never knowingly put in my mouth. I've switched to tea.

I've also switched the header of this here blog for the weeks festivities if you are interested.

This mornings commute was briefly put on hold as police and several tow trucks removed 3 cars from my freeway entrance ramp. I mention this because I am frightened by the prospect of sharing the freeway with people who are not properly trained to drive on an entrance ramp without incident. From the looks of the damage (and my vast knowledge of accident reconstruction from years of tv cop shows) it appears as though the yield, merge, and red meter lights were completely ignored at fairly high rates of speed.

I am a proponent of entering the freeway at the speed of the moving traffic but I am also a proponent of stopping for red lights, yielding when instructed to, and merging/changing lanes without behaving like an asshole. I feel like these are the kinds of things that should be stressed in drivers training and tested before gaining the privilege to drive - and yet, in Minnesota, big points are given for parallel parking and 90 degree backing.

Personally I'd much rather share the road with someone who can safely get onto the freeway, navigate it without trouble, and exit safely than a person who is an excellent parker.

Fashion Symbols

2009-10-23T06:15:00.001-05:00

What a week this has been.
A week marked with some odd goings on in the land of kidlet athletics.
A week marked with a nagging tissue paper feeling in my right ear.
A week marked with garment disasters and mishaps.

I should have known that this was likely not going to be my week when I discovered, after traipsing around the office on Monday morning, that my brand new dress pants had a rather large hole strategically placed on the inseam of my left inner thigh....just about all the way up.

I didn't have time to go home and change.
I wasn't going to staple brand new dress pants.
I had all sorts of meeting and appointments and could not hide under my desk all day.

You wouldn't think that it could get worse than that, but I am me and I have always been challenged by the fashion so when the zipper on my pants refused to stay in the up/closed position on Tuesday I wasn't really all that surprised.

This meant that every time I remembered (oh I hope I didn't forget too often) I had to check myself when I got up from my desk, spent any time standing by the copier, or did any traipsing around the office.

I may have a tendency to traipse around the office.

Wednesday my bra strap decided that down was much preferable to up. I'm guessing tt must have spoken to the zipper and heard what fun it was to be paid so much attention in the pulling up.

Thursday I was meticulous in my dressing, I checked my pants, my hose, my bra - everything to make sure that there were no holes and no slippage issues. Of course the pants had some unfortunately placed pockets that added an extra 15 pounds to my already ample hippage area and my camisole top bugged me all day for no reason that was all that discernible.

At least I wasn't showing skin in the office. I think.

If my life was a romance novel this is when the hero would be brooding about how sexy I am with my disheveled appearance and poor choice in clothes. Mr. Motorcycle just laughs at me (with me) and suggests maybe I might want to choose a different brand of pants.

Thankfully it is finally Friday so I'm wearing jeans and my favorite boots; hopefully they won't let me down.

**Knocks Wood**

For obvious reasons this made me laugh

You Are Stylish

You look good, but you aren't trendy or over the top about it.
There's a good chance you know what works for you. You have an established look.
You know how to dress well, but you may have trouble breaking out of your comfort zone.
Try a new color or new accessory. Staying stylish is about trying new things and taking risks.

Are You Stylish?

Dedicated Hobbyist

2009-10-22T07:44:00.005-05:00

I've been busily reading a lot of books lately...not as many as Chris, but for someone who works full time and tries to manage two active kids I think I'm a fairly prolific reader. I'm a little afraid to mention this knowing Mr. Motorcycle may pop in here and see this number....but just this month, which isn't quite done, I've read somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 or 7 books.

Just finished The Pregnancy Test by Erin McCarthy last night

Three STARS!!

and have stuffed It Must be Love by Rachel Gibson in my bag for little breaks today

In My Book Bag

Note: Not all books I read would be considered to have literary value by my former English Professors.

Everyone has a hobby of some sort... and as a well documented hobbyist I have declared reading as an official CursingMama hobby. It is right at home with knitting, gardening, photography, crafting, decorating, writing....it is no wonder the carpets need to be vacuumed, the house dusted, the toilets scrubbed, and we don't want to go anywhere near the pile of dirty laundry.

A Change in...

2009-10-21T09:22:00.003-05:00

One of the spawns of CursingMama and Mr. Motorcycle is the kind of spawn (is that anyway to speak of my darling children? Yes - some days it is) who is wholly opposed to change. This child would prefer to eat the same food at the same time, wearing the same clothes, in the same chair, watching the same television show, with the same pet attempting to get the same food out of the same bowl every single day. I wish I was exaggerating, but I assure you this is one of the few times I am not.

My child doesn't like it when things change, it doesn't matter if the change is for the good, for the bad, or has no real affect other than coffee cups are kept on a different shelf. The kid doesn't even use those coffee cups.

I tell you this because I have a habit of falling into habits which appear as though they are an aversion to change; I swear that this isn't really true. I'm not a huge proponent of change, I like to know what is coming, I may have a wee tendency toward finding comfort in sameness and being able to control things; but I'm not totally and wholly opposed to change. In fact I occasionally welcome change, maybe even ask for it.

It was a need for change that had me looking at my stack of books to read (actually it is a basket, a stack, and a pile but who is keeping track of that) and selecting A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve.

To read more about A Change in Altitude including my review with comparisons to a tequila poppers and a great glass of wine come on over to Not So Humble Opinions!

I SAW SOME MOOSE!

2009-10-20T11:57:00.004-05:00

Oops! I guess that's not the right picture.....
that would be a porch/deck chotchkie thing at Lowes

Note: not a chachbag

HERE'S THE MOOSE I SAW!

I can fool myself if I want too....

He sure seemed like he was real

*****************************

PS - To Kathy Howe - there was no waiting for the ladies fitting room at this Gander Mountain either!

Do you think they'll be so cavalier a month from now?

2009-10-19T07:46:00.004-05:00

Remember these guys?

Harley is still unimpressed

even though they look like this now

Do you think Mom knows that October is nearly over?

And the humans who own the yard they are so happily frolicking in
are getting a lot of Thanksgiving food magazines?
Lucky for them this human family gets their turkey from the store.

Fun In The Sun!

2009-10-16T10:49:00.000-05:00

Because it is Friday (does happy dance) and because I may or may not be scheduled in an office environment today (does happy dance so you know the answer to that) I thought that today would be a good day for a little fun in the sun.

Unfortunately today's forecast is all gloom and doom and rain mixed with snow and I have a very strict policy on there being no rain or snow mixed into my fun in the sun so we will have to climb into the Way Back Machine to find some sun...the fun is a little questionable. (I personally know somebody who would say no fun was had in the making of this post!)

Here is what my "garden" looked like back in July.

It doesn't looks so bad from the porch, but upon closer inspection you can see it certainly isn't anything I was proud of. In fact I was rather embarrassed.

What an ugly weedy mess!

I spent many evenings looking at the mess (yes, I realize instead of looking I could've been out there unmessing but that is not the point here) and trying to decide how to make it all less of a thorn in my side. I do enjoy gardening and I do love the bounty of a garden (food, flowers, birdies & butterflys) but when it becomes work I'm not so enthralled.

I arranged for some help - we worked like crazy - we stuffed a tree in my little SUV -

we tore some stuff out - we weeded a lot - and we added some rocks -
and when we were done we had this

click to embiggen

I would love to share with you what it looks like now, how it is no longer a mass of weeds, the grass seed has done it's job and filled in, but the early cold has killed the beauty of what we created and all of the vegetable plants have been pulled and things are rather...white.

A lot like this from Monday
I told you that these silly pictures would pop up again & again!

Dinners Out!

2009-10-15T15:34:00.005-05:00

Last Christmas Mr. Motorcycle and I had a serious discussion about finances, gifts, budgets, and all sorts of things that are not fun to talk about. We decided that rather than getting gifts for each other (okay, small less than $25 token gifts were exchanged) we would do something for ourselves and it wasn't going to involve something like buying a furnace or couch.

We gave each other the 12 Dates of Christmas. Inspired by a couple we saw on Oprah who decided they would set up 12 dates around the holiday - we decided that we would have one "date" a month each month of the year. Some months our dates have been low key - breakfast at a favorite spot - but others have a little higher on the fancy scale - dressing up & going somewhere that kids under "teen" aren't seen.

Not to terribly long ago we made our selves respectable and headed out to the little sister of former (ie now closed) Minneapolis night spot Bellanotte - Bella!

Photo borrowed from TwinCities MetroMix
(mine was totally unusable)

You don't think places this cool can be found in the suburbs, but they are there - - you just need to look.

The ambiance inside is even cooler than the changing lights outside

Please excuse the fuzzy photos the photographer may have had a glass of wine and she might have been trying not to be noticed taking pictures at her table.

We started with their Little Italy appetizer (small portions of calamari, bruschetta & caprese)

Can you tell that we enjoyed it?

Enjoyed The Bella Signature Flat Bread Pizza

Linguine & Shrimp

and Sauteed Asparagus

There was dessert too - but that photo was my very last and I have to say that I totally forgot to take it's picture....possibly because we ate the beautiful cheesecake awesomely fast....

Typically I don't post about my dining adventures; I'm not a refined foodie and don't feel like I have the expertise to do it properly, but in this instance I feel like I must speak. If you live in the Twin Cities metro and you are looking for a wonderful dining experience that doesn't kill your pocketbook - Bella is your place.

The staff is friendly, the service is excellent, the ambiance is special, and the food is to die for.
And I think that the more we support these kinds of restaurants for our special occasions (like date night) the longer they'll stick around.

Promises Fulfilled!

2009-10-14T15:46:00.004-05:00

Kinda sounds like someone died doesn't it? They didn't.
Well, I'm sure that someone has passed and that is very sad for someone somewhere but I personally am not here reporting on that kind of thing.
Can I just stop talking now and get to the meat of this here entry?

Good.

On Monday I was supposed to show you some very fancy photos of a sock with a nice looking toe, fairly well constructed foot and not to shabby heel turn working toward ankle. But! Then it snowed and I became discombobulated and lost track of the camera cord so I couldn't really take or get pictures off the purse camera.

Which was lucky for you on Monday because chances are I would have subjected you to every single one of these really poorly taken photos of snow during my commute. SNOW! In EARLY October! What is this world coming to?

I did manage to take a not so bad not so blurry shot of the SNOW!

I was probably stopped when I snapped this one.

I made all sorts of promises about socks and pictures and maybe even knitting a little more on the sock but then I read a book (which I have finished! and would like the next one RIGHT NOW! Please and Thank You) and forgot all about my sock promises.

Today however I managed not only to remember the camera cord but also the sock! Progress!
And then my job threw up all over the place and I was busy right on through my lunch hour and OH MY WILL I GET TO THE POST AT ALL

And I DID!

This Is my Sock

Isn't She Cute

Look at that Toe!

Lest we forget I have "toe" history.

I also have ankle and heel history.

Simple no patterning toe-up sock on two circular needles... just might be the sock for me.

Fighting The Zombie Within

2009-10-13T15:17:00.006-05:00

I am tempted to try and get away with that snow thing again today, but everything I could see from my office window has melted so the "sorry I couldn't post because of the snow" would be a pretty lame excuse.

Possibly as lame as the next excuse I'm going to lay on you, no matter how authentic or valid.
"Sorry I'm not posting a picture of my sock, but I got so wrapped up in my book last night I totally forgot about it"

I'm reading Billionaires Prefer Blondes by Susan Enoch, it's really good and I'm quite interested in the outcome as the dark circles under my eyes and yawns can attest. I may have been up a little later than is usually prescribed for this time of year; the seasons have changed and now my bed time should too.

I am really missing the sun in the mornings the most; I do a lot better both mentally and physically during the summer when the sun is rising at the same time I am; these short days really drag me down and I am afeared by how much I've already been affected. I succomed to the cold much quicker than I normally would, I'm getting really forgetful, and I have the overwhelming urge to nap right now.

I dug my goLITE Blu out of the linen closet last week when searching for cough medicine, it appears now it is time to use it. While I'm linking to that website I may as well ask if anyone ever used one of these dawn simulation alarm clock things?

I could be taking this to a level that is possibly over the top, but I'm willing to do what it takes to not be a zombie for the next 6 or 7 months. Or for a lifetime because lets face it there are real people out there getting ready for the zombie apocalypse and I don't want to accidentally be confused with a zombie because the apocalypse happened during the height of SAD season.

An artistic recreation of CursingMama in the morning
No, really - it's not a pretty sight

I know I'm not the only person to suffer when the seasons change and the sun decides we don't need it as much so it comes in late and leaves early (hey! that sounds just like someone I work with!), there is a whole industry surrounding the phenomenon of SAD; it would be interesting to hear what others do to lessen if not eliminate its affect.

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A visit to the doctor regarding the underactive thyroid is probably also in order since I can still claim nearly every one of the symptoms according to the medical guru mayocliniconline.

Blame it on the rain, I mean snow!

2009-10-12T14:37:00.003-05:00

If you are "lucky" enough to live in my neck of the woods, and if you totally avoided all news type sources for several days in a row you likely woke up to a bit of a surprise this morning.

I know it took me by surprise and I don't think I've recovered yet. - I just checked and because it it still snowing I am still in shock.

Snow this early in October is not really unheard of or totally out of character for Minnesota; lest we forget the Halloween snow storm of 1991 in which Mr. Motorcycle and I attempted to move. Note I did not say successfully moved. So I'm not shocked to the point of irrecoverable damage.

It did throw me off a bit this morning causing me to do just about everything in slow motion and while I'm at it I'll just go ahead and blame my oversleeping on the snow too even though I had no real way of knowing about the snow until I got up looked out the window - it was snow osmosis. I forgot a bunch of stuff at home, not anything for my actual job but the stuff I need to handle family wise while at work, and the cord for my camera.

It really isn't a bad thing that I forgot the cord because if I did have it this post would be filled with blurry pictures of snow (pictures taken while I very slowly drove across town this morning) and a lot of cussing done in CAPS LOCK!!!! with exclamation points.

Oh yeah, I forgot my camera cable so the picture of my sock in progress - the one with a heel and an in-progress ankle will have to wait until tomorrow too. Maybe I'll even get some more done tonight before show & tell tomorrow.

we have heel

2009-10-10T11:37:00.001-05:00

we have heel and we are progressing nicely towards ankle
that is all for now

Heel!

2009-10-09T22:22:00.002-05:00

Had every intention of posting earlier today - pictures and everything - until there was an emergency in the widget factory and an unexpected twist by Gameboy; both pulled me out of the office, away from the computer, and the pictures I have. So - that will show up next week.

What I have instead is my musings on the heel of my simple toe-up sock on 2 circular needles. I'm pretty sure that I have screwed up and have been searching for a video to figure what I'm supposed to be doing......stay tuned, hopefully I can get this sock in line and teach it to heel!