Vacation Activities

So, my vacation is well under way, and the work on the apartment is progressing. Today I finished conquering my kitchen. Refrigerator and cabinets re-organized, floors swept and mopped, everything is sparkling & happy. Ok, the kitchen is sparkling, and I'm happy. I also got a friend's birthday gift all wrapped up, decorating a brown kraft bag to something slightly prettier!  So here's a few snapshots of my results!

Oh yeah, Morgan helped!

What Are You Reading? Monday

Hello dudes and dolls!  Hope all of you are super-happy out there in blogger land!  I am, obviously, because I am on vacation until July 7th.  I wish I were spending it pool-side or at the beach instead of inside, cleaning house.  But, it needs to be done, now, doesn't it?

So what is everyone reading this week?

I am primarily working on The Last Honest Outlaw by Carol Finch.  My car book is Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen, and my audio is The Wedding Season by Darcy Cosper.  However, since this is vacation week, I won't be wandering around in the car much.  So what about you guys?

Mmmmm.....Bacon - CLOSED

Most everyone I know loves bacon. It's a versatile food. You can have it for breakfast, eat it in a sandwich, break it up in bits and put in a salad, mix it in a casserole, etc., etc.

But what about dessert? Oh sure, Iron Chef America's Cat Cora made Bacon Ice Cream on a 2006 episode. But that's TV and she's a famous chef. How about a bacon candy bar? No, I'm not kidding. Hubby and I were wandering around the candy section of World Market today. I really only wanted some Ferrero Rocher to go with a girlfriend's birthday present. But right there in front of me was Mo's Bacon Bar from Vosges.

What can I say? I had to do it! It's bacon. It's chocolate. Two of my great loves in life (not counting Del and the kitties), married together into delightful candy. And yet, the logical side of me says, "Now wait just a durn minute, missy! That ain't right!" No, I don't know why my logical side sounds like a coot from the Old West. Just leave it.

So, I bought it. I'm on vacation, and bacon chocolate sounded like a fun way to kick it off. The description on the packaging says:

applewood smoked bacon
alderwood smoked salt
deep milk chocolate

45% cacao

And the lady who came up with this idea isn't just some slacker like me who likes bacon and chocolate. Katrina Markoff graduated from Vanderbilt and then attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She's travelled the world studying international cuisine, and she eventually utilized her knowledge to start Vosges Haut-Chocolat.

I have to say, the candy was unique. Sweet and salty, with tasty bits of bacon. I tried one piece before starting this post, and have had 2 others in the meantime. There's just something oddly addicting about the salty-sweet goodness of it. My guest taster, Del, says "It was oddly good."

And now I want to share this odd goodness with my little bloggers. One of you will win a 3 oz. bar of Mo's Bacon Bar. Your task is to comment on a food that you wouldn't want to see mixed with chocolate. Get creative, people! A winner will be drawn at random 2 weeks from today on July 11th. Good luck!

The Myrtles Plantation by Frances Kermeen

I was fully prepared not to like this book. I attempted to read another "true story" of living in a haunted home. I couldn't finish the other book, it was filled with too much spiritual mumb-jumbo. But enough about that book!




The Myrtles Plantation read like a novel, which, for me, is the saving grace of non-fiction. I felt Frances' excitement at finding and buying the plantation. I was overjoyed with her when she opened The Myrtles up as an inn. And I felt her pain, fear and sorrow as the house took from her.



I'm not necessarily saying that I am a believer. Until the last year or so, I would say for certain that I didn't believe in ghosts, only demons. However, I've felt the possibility open up to me recently. But Kermeen does tell a good story. If half of what she saw really happened, I would worry about staying in the Myrtles!
 
My rating:4/5

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Homer & Tom Tom

Homer Simpson has been drawn away from his job at the Nuclear Power plant in Springfield, USA to a new fantastic job for Tom Tom GPS systems. He is the new voice of Tom Tom, if you want to buy him. Check out the sample at the Tom Tom site.  I know that my husband's Garmin sounds downright pissed when you make a wrong turn.  I can just imagine Homer's trademark "Doh!" the first time I turn left instead of going straight!  Or saying, "Mmmmmm, doughnuts.." every time I drive by a doughnut shop.

But tell me, is this the guy you want giving you directions? 

Personally, I think I would like to hear someone like Stewie from The Family Guy or Mickey Mouse from the animated world.  Hearing Conway Twitty or Matthew McConaughey tell me where to go would be awesome, but possibly distracting.  All the same, Homer on a GPS might make a great Father's Day Gift for that Simpson-loving dad in your life.

What about you guys?  Anyone in particular you want to hear on your GPS?

Gloriana - Wild at Heart

Love this song - thought I would share with you guys!  Sorry to all my blogger friends who aren't into country music.  This summer I am very into it for some reason!

Gloriana   More CMT Music   More CMT Music Videos

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Mark On Air Tran

So I was checking out news stories on my Crackberry today and came across one about comedian/filmmaker Mark Malkoff. Apparently Mark has a severe fear of flying. Unlike most people when it comes to their phobias, Mark has decided to face his fear head-on...for a month. That's right, he is spending the entire month of June on Air Tran planes. He takes between five to twelve flights a day, so he is really digging deep into his courage!

You can check out his progress at MarkOnAirTran.  He spends his time blogging and tweeting and facebooking, etc. thanks to AirTran's wireless internet service.  For entertainment, you can watch him play Twister with fellow passengers, dance, and check to see if he can get the plane's toilet to suck down a whole roll of toilet paper.

Mark has me thinking, though.  Would I be able to face my fear for a month?  And which fear?  Could I order pizza from home every day for a month (I can order from work, but not home - go figure)?  Can I see myself having to speak in public five to twelve times a day for thirty days?  (Make me talk to complete strangers all day on the phone at work, but please don't make me give a speech to anyone - I will plead illness, I swear.)  No, I know what my TRUE phobia would be - wasps.  What if someone told me that I had to stay in a small room with a wasp or two all day long for an entire month???  Sorry, there's no way.  I start flipping out when I see a wasp, no matter what the circumstances.

But what about you guys?  Could you face your fear for a month?  What is that fear?  What would convince you it was a good idea?

Taylor Swift!

OK, I just love Taylor Swift!!!  Yeah, I know I'm a 34 year old woman and her demographic is like tweens to 20, so what.  Anyhow, she was part of the opening of the CMT music awards tonight, and they had this hi-larious video --- though she had a Star Trek scene that was even funnier in my opinion.  Will have to look for the whole opening in the next day or two, it isn't on You Tube yet.  However, here is a taste!

More CMT Shows   More CMT Videos

Sepulchre by Kate Mosse (audiobook)

1891, France - 17 year old Leonie Vernier and her brother Anatole have been invited to spend some time with Isolde, widow to their uncle.  Their mother, Marguerite, encourages the trip, wanting to spend time with her lover.  Anatole needs the trip to recover from his grief at losing his fiance the previous spring.  Although Leonie dreads leaving Paris for a boring country estate like the Domaine de la Cade, the opportunity to spend time with her beloved brother is something she cannot turn down.

2007, France - Meridith Martin arrives at her hotel, the Domaine de la Cade, to work on her biography of the great composer Claude Debussy.  Her work is pushed aside, however, by a personal quest which she cannot deny.  She is searching for her lost ancestors, and all she has to guide her are a photo of a young soldier taken in nearby Renne le Bain and a piece of sheet music entitled "Sepulchre 1891".

In addition to the Domaine de la Cade, both young women are connected through a very special deck of Tarot cards.  Meredith through a strange reading she received in Paris prior to her trip to the Domaine, and Leonie through a book found in her uncle's library describing a demon called forth through the cards, music and a mysterious Sepulchre.

Donada Peters was the voice behind this audiobook.  Peters is the pseudonym of Wanda McCaddon, who also narrates under the name Nadia May.  She has been narrating audiobooks since the early 1980s, and her audiography includes Zoe Heller's What Was She Thinking? (Nadia May), Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (Wanda McCaddon) and The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (Donada Peters).  Her skill at imitating accents is wonderful, and she uses British, American, and several French dialects in Sepulchre.  I'm certain I would have loved reading Sepulchre myself, but Peters was a delight for the ears.

Sepulchre blends mystery, a little romance, terror and the supernatural.  It may seem like a bit much for one book, yet Mosse pulls it off beautifully.  The idea of flipping between 1891 and 2007 may seem jarring, and with some authors it probably is.  However, Mosse has a beautiful and delicate touch to her writing, creating a flow between the two heroines and their time periods.  The characters that she has created in Leonie and Meredith are strong, smart and loyal, without seeming like duplicates of each other.

A bonus to this 16 disc, 20+ hour CD is the "intermission music" at the beginning and end of each CD.  I don't know who or what it is, and my brief 20 second research a moment ago yielded no answers.  It's a haunting melody, though, and I'll give a dollar to whoever can find the answer for me.  OK, I really won't, but I'll like ya a whole lot!!!!

My verdict: a wonderful book which keeps the reader hooked throughout. 4/5

* review done at the express request of Ladybug

Wings Over Warrensburg

My husband and I went to Wings Over Whiteman yesterday to see the air show.  To those who don't know, Whiteman AFB is in Central Missouri, just outside of Knob Noster.  No, I'm not kidding about the town.  See:

We had a lot of fun, and I was smart enough (for the first time) to use a proper SPF - 70!  Yeah, I really did need it.  I still got a little pink -- I forgot to put anything on my neck, so I am a true redneck today.  I got a little color on my face and cheeks, but it just means I finally look healthy!  LOL

Unfortunately, my husband did not use any SPF:

So, we showed up at the base, only to get to stand in line to wait for the buses that would take us to where they had all the planes parked.

I get bored pretty easily, and I didn't bring a book along.  But, I did have a camera and an empty memory card.  So I decided a little stealth photography would amuse me and all of you.

The tattoos belong to the people who were in front of us in line.  I thought the panther was interesting.  The shoes were on a guy a couple of spots ahead of us.  Pretty nifty, I'd wear 'em! 

So after my stealth photography, we were about here in line:

After about an hour or so in line, we finally made it to the bus.  Standing room only with complete strangers, what fun!

It was all worth it, 'cause this is what we got to see for the rest of the day.

The Heritage flight was pretty cool: F-15 Eagle (70s to today), A-10 Thunderbolt (70s to today) and P-51 Mustang (WWII).  The Air Force has these flights to celebrate their 60+ year history.

Here's the awesome plane they have as you are entering and leaving one of the gates.

Funny, though - it looks like it would go faster. 

Finally, here's a picture of my happy husband at the Air Show.  Isn't he cute?

STRESS!

Lately I have been so freaking stressed!  I feel my blood pressure rise with just what the people around me are saying and doing.  I've never been all that great about letting things roll off my back anyhow.  But these days I'm reacting worse than I ever have.  Don't get me wrong - I haven't blown a gasket at work.  I haven't rammed my little car into anyone.  I haven't punched a wall.  I'm just STRESSED!

But what is stress, really??

According to The American Institute of Stress website, the word stress was not even used the way we think of it until about 50 years ago.  And gee, can you believe there IS an American Institute of Stress?  Do you think the people who work there suffer from job stress?  But I digress...of course...

So, according to dictionary.com, the noun stress has loads of different definitions  Let's see if any of them help.


1. importance or significance attached to a thing; emphasis: to lay stress upon good manners.  Perhaps my problem is that I put more significance than necessary on what others are saying and doing?


2. Phonetics. emphasis in the form of prominent relative loudness of a syllable or a word as a result of special effort in utterance.  Granted, improper pronunciation drives me nuts, but I don't think this one works.

3. Prosody. accent or emphasis on syllables in a metrical pattern; beat.   Music actually de-stresses me - unless it sucks.  So I say no.

4. emphasis in melody, rhythm, etc.; beat.   Again, no.

5. the physical pressure, pull, or other force exerted on one thing by another; strain.  While I don't enjoy people pushing or pulling on me, this usually doesn't happen.

6. Mechanics.
a. the action on a body of any system of balanced forces whereby strain or deformation results.

b. the amount of stress, usually measured in pounds per square inch or in pascals.

c. a load, force, or system of forces producing a strain.

d. the internal resistance or reaction of an elastic body to the external forces applied to it.

e. the ratio of force to area.

This entire Mechanics definition stresses me.
7. Physiology. a specific response by the body to a stimulus, as fear or pain, that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium of an organism.  Hmmmm..  We are getting warmer.  I feel like the stimulus (my co-workers) are causing my body to have specific responses (my hand attempts to reach out and strangle someone!)

8. physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension: Worry over his job and his wife's health put him under a great stress.  That's it! I am under mental and emotional strain or tension.  Physical is ok - or as ok as I ever am physically.

9. a situation, occurrence, or factor causing this: The stress of being trapped in the elevator gave him a pounding headache.  So according to this definition, my co-workers are stress.

10. Archaic. strong or straining exertion.  I think that the strong or straining exertion would be me stopping myself from hurting someone.


So now that we are all more informed - what can any of us do about the stress?  Violence is not the answer - at least not according to my shrink. (j/k - like I would spend money on a shrink.)  I used to play Doom after work, and the simulated violence seemed to help.  But I tried the other day, and it just bored me.

Cooking?  Too much mess.

Exercise?  LMAO!  Right!  Good one!

Finally I have decided on a combination of TV, laptop, snacks and book.  I'd like to throw a little alcohol and cigarettes into the mix, but I don't have any booze, and I quit smoking years ago.  So wish me luck that I can turn my internal temps down quickly, 'cause I don't think they'll let me blog from jail!