Suzanne Calling

After making Pastitsio a couple of weeks ago, I knew that I'd make tonight's dinner choice soon. So, tonight's dinner is Cincinnati Chili. However, only Ed got to enjoy a three way tonight. I'm saving my room for the pizza and other goodies we'll have at Bob and Maureen's. The dough and all the makings are ready to go and we're out the door. We got to enjoy the Cincinnati style Chili tonight, but it was made on Wednesday. The tradition is that you order it in 'ways'. Allow me to explain One way (really just spaghetti) Two way (spaghetti plus Chili) Three way (spaghetti, Chili and chopped onions) Four way(spaghetti, Chili, chopped onions, and shredded Cheddar) If you want a five way, you add beans. I don't like beans in my chili, so I stopped at the four way. Ed and I have been having a heated debate for years. I believed that true chili is no meat, and Ed insisted that I was wrong, it wasn't chili unless it had beans. I found proof ...

January 1st of this year, I posted that a coworker had said "Happy two thousand GREAT!". He was convinced that this was to be a fantastic year. I liked his enthusiasm, but I think his holiday revelry included some wacky weed. Hmm, is that what makes a year great? Guess I'll never find out the answer to THAT one! I'm happy the year is behind us. There were far too many negatives for many of us in the blogosphere. I won't rehash them all, but suffice to say, there was major suckage for nearly everyone I know. On the eve of the New Year, I'm going to look back at the positives. 1. I conquered Blog 365(6)! The last day off was in October, 2007. While the official event is over, I'll still keep blogging until I want to take a day off. It's so ingrained to post that if I haven't by 10:30, panic sets in. I don't think I can rewire myself all that easily. Heck, Joyce got accustomed to many days of the second half of the year having 2 posts...

that the first time we heard anything about losing EIGHTEEN channels via our cable company is while watching one of them at 12:30am? We're losing MTV, VH1, Spike, Noggin, Spike, Comedy Central, TV Land and others. Guess who we're calling in the morning? Only reason we found out about it is because VH1 started running a crawl chyron! it No information about this was enclosed in the bill this month. Argh!!! Since I'm getting a bunch of Google hits on the topic, the channels TimeWarner and Brighthouse customers will lose are: VH1 VH1 Classic VH1 Soul MTV MTV2 MTV Hits MTV Jams Comedy Central Spike Nickelodeon TV Land The N Nicktoons Noggin CMT: Pure Country Logo Palladia Nick2

Someone has a UStream that's almost as good! It sucks that we can't afford WDW, but there are a couple of people who have been very kind to stream a view of the Magic Kingdom and the ever important FIREWORKS. I'm waiting until 11:50 to see the preview of tomorrow night's spectacular. What's great about it? No fight for a good spot, no schlepping back to the car and the best part? I can enjoy my lovely beverage while I view it. Do you want to see some fireworks? Check out Dave's UStream . It's the one on the bottom. The middle window may have holiday IllumiNations tomorrow.

Why do I want to turn my cell phone off? Because the only time is rings lately is: a. A bill collector wants money b. A well meaning person wants to know if I've heard anything. The answer to the questions a. No job means no money, so bite me b. Don't you think I'd let you know if I have finally gotten a job? Yes, I am testy. See this post and you'll understand it a little more. Trust me, it's EVERY FREAKING PERSON I KNOW calling me to ask that damn question. I know you all mean well, but it doesn't help . Instead, it just drives home that I'm a freaking failure. /rant off

Question for the long time readers: When I said I'd blog for THIRTY days straight, did you think I'd still be at it over 420 days later? Yeah, me neither. However, here I am and the finish line is in my sights. I can see a bit of exhaustion (or really, the funkitude I'm trying to fight), in that I'm not full of topics of conversation the past few days. Recently, Ed made a statement "You're signed up for next year, right?" Actually, there hasn't been a peep of a Blog 365 for 2009. Maybe there is somewhere, but Google hasn't found it. Nor do the forums have a topic posted about next year's even. On January 1st last year, there were around 1100 people signed up. Now the site shows 1563. Any guesses on how many of those people made it through the whole thing? I know that Steven is still at it, Sandy , Lou and a few others( Jess ? Can't remember if you're in the ranks still, since you post at the other blog.). The rules were re...

Today, I'm not in the frame of mind for a proper Soundtrack Sunday post. Instead, I'll let the iPod take over in the form of a Shuffle set. Let's see what eclectic musical journey the iPod takes us on today, shall we? (I'm curious to see if it includes any of my recent additions.) 1. Allentown-Billy Joel, Allentown A good choice-I played this album to death when I got it-and crafted harmonies when Liberty let me down. Not my favorite song on the album, but there really isn't a song I don't like from this release. Scandinavian Skies and Where's the Orchestra rank higher on my personal favorites list. 2. Wormhole-Wendy Carlos, Tron Soundtrack. It's a sign that I let the kids use my iPod, even though they have their own. Whatever algorithms Apple uses to select songs on Shuffle must think that I really like this disc, even though it only gets played when Gameboy has control of my unit. 3. My Melancholy Blues-Queen, News of the World. Title fits my mo...

Since I lost the job, I've had a hard time fighting the dark mood that that has been dogging me for two years, since My Stupid Leg went to hell in a handbasket and took me along with it. My usually chipper mood has been under attack and rarely present since August (and had been in hiding for a while before that). While I wouldn't say it's a full on depression, the only reason it isn't is because I'm fighting it. However, the fight is getting harder and harder. The latest blow just happened do coincide with Christmas. That interview I had the first week of December was supposed to let me know either way by Christmas. At least, that's what I'd been told. Last week, I got a call asking me to complete a new background check form. I got a copy of the report a week ago, which means they did, too. The fact that I hadn't heard from them was troublesome to me, but Ed thought it was a good sign, that they'd call me right away if I was out of the run...

Yesterday was a nice, quiet day. I woke up at 7:15 to find the kids sitting on the floor staring at me. I told them to let Ed sleep and to have the stuff in their stockings. Miraculously, that was enough for them and when 8am rolled around, Ed awoke and they opened presents. This year, we've been dealing with Gameboy telling us that he still believes in Santa, despite classmates telling him that it was really Mom and Dad. Somehow, we dodged that situation. We took the boys out Christmas eve to look at lights and kept them up way past their bedtime. Presents had no tags at all and we didn't mention Santa. Thankfully, it didn't come up. (It probably has helped through the years telling the kids that Santa buys things from Nintendo and Apple, because he can't make them as well and/or licensing concerns!) So, the small piles of presents were things they really wanted and they spent most of the day playing the games. The two movies haven't been opened yet, but...

Merry Christmas, Everyone! (In the interests of downsized gifts, we downsized to our little tree this year. It's a fiber optic conniption fit-ornaments would be superfluous.) The Eggnog pancakes that make Suzanne's men very happy.

But is too good not to share. Step back into the Wayback Machine and enjoy this sketch from Ana Gasteyer, Molly Shannon and Alec Baldwin! Season's Eatings! :)

I love the fact that Ed is into good food, too. Once again, he was doing some marketing and spied a cranberry pecan pork roast. Without hesitation, he grabbed it, with Christmas Eve in mind. I'm glad he did. The cranberry made a nice, tart braising liquid. If you've got an Aldi nearby, the steamed veggies are very tasty. Alas, this roast was one of those seasonal flavors. In talking about it, I think I'll get a plain pork roast sometime soon, marinate it in a cranberry sauce reduction, then stuff it with goat cheese, dried cranberries and pecans. I'll save it for a Wednesday... Have a Merry Christmas, or 4h Night of Channukah. (The latkes got postponed, but will make it to the table before the festival of lights is over.)

I just checked over at Saffa Chick's and she's well into Christmas Eve on the other side of the world. Saffa and her husband, Milord, are enjoying an Aussie summer and as a South African transplant, the customs in the Land Down Under are different from her homeland. It's always neat to hear of customs in other countries for the holidays. Thanks to the Internet and blogging, first hand accounts are becoming more and more commonplace. It makes me a little verklemft that my exposure to the world has broadened so much and these friends in the computer are sharing the holidays. Saffa and Milord's menu sounds great: cold prawns and ham. Perfect for warm weather. Then, here in the states, depending on where we live, our traditions are very different, as are our menus. In moving down the Eastern seaboard, the menus are different. We've picked up some favorites along the way. This year, one traditional favorite isn't on the menu. The crab cakes that became ou...

This list is not all inclusive, but is meant as a tongue in cheek request to any rich people who feel like bestowing gifts on random bloggers strangers in the coming year. 1. Ticket to BlogHer '09, Airfare and hotel accomodations 2. MacBook Pro 3. iPhone or Android. I'm not picky, as long as I can blog on the fly, it'll work! 4. A digital SLR. One that has video recording abilities so that I can video tape my gift wrapping demonstration to be posted next Christmas, because I think Jess hates me now! Wait a sec, can I get on the panel at BlogHer if I offer a gift wrapping seminar? Let's see if I can videotape a wrapping demonstration tomorrow...

Sometime last spring I happened upon Neil's blog, Citizen of the Month and in particular, the Christmahanukwahnzaakah Online Holiday Concert . It was fascinating to find all these people submitting their songs and photos of the season. I bookmarked the page and popped in from time to time to listen to a song or two. At the time, I only knew two or three of the names on the list, but over the course of the year, it ends up I've visited many more. I'd check out a post or two of Neil's every now and again, and made plans to check out this year's event. It just seemed so wickedly awesome that even if I didn't participate, I was going to check it out. Then, over the summer, I joined Twitter and have been having a good time following people who have fantastic abilities of summing up cogent thoughts in 140 characters. (Darth Vader? Fake SarahPalin? HolyGod? All there!). Not sure what happened, but I think Neil followed me first and of course, a quick glance a...

After that really good interview and follow up last week, I've been saying to myself that I probably won't get it. It's hard to get my hopes up. Perhaps some of that had to do with the fact that it was the ONLY thing in the pipeline. That's not how things happen for me. When I left the previous job, I had two things going on. When I left Disney, I had three things going on. It's just the way it works and if that doesn't happen, then I assume nothing will. Well, today, a few things have happened to make me think that it won't be long. 1. I have a meeting tonight for a sales job that a former coworker pitched to me. It's definitely out of my comfort area, but I figured that I should at least go see what he's got in mind. (I am NOT a fan of cold calling to pitch a product.) 2. Bob sent me an email about a job Maureen found during her job searching yesterday. It combines my experience and education. Better yet, when I called a Prof at my old col...

One of my top movies of all time: BTW, this is one movie that begs for you to listen to the director's commentary throughout the movie. (It IS a bloody model!) Then, the greatness inspires others: And even more: Tis a silly place!

Yet another huge influence on my musical tastes is a friend featured here. Some back story and a holiday song are my focus today. Back when I was 11, my brother got involved in a classmate's low wattage radio station. I thought it was cool, radio junkie that I was. Little did I know, a few short years later, I'd become friends with Joe ('Joe Student' is his on-air moniker) and have a show on his radio station. At first, he engineered and I was the 'talent', the voice on the air. Later, I learned the art of engineering, thanks to Joe's teachings. Thanks to the many hours spent at Joe's house, recording shows, I learned a lot about new wave music, enough about radio broadcasting that I wanted to make it my career and even more about how talented musicians are everywhere. Joe is self taught on all the instruments he plays. Even better, he BUILT some of his instruments. He made a drum synthesizer from what appeared to be a piece of cardboard and c...

If you asked me when my enjoyment of Nintendo began, it's easy to say. It wasn't when the first NES came out. No, that was torture for a retail employee who sold that hot commodity during Christmas season. For me, it was a few years later, when my friend Dave got a Gameboy. Each time I visited NY, I'd grab that thing and play Tetris while staying at his apartment. Don't ask me what other games he had for that thing, because all I knew was the Tetris and the Russian inspired music that accompanied fitting blocks into holes and getting rid of rows. A few years later, when I was managing for Babbages, we started a game trade in program. Two of our regulars (who greatly resembled Josh Mostel and David Paymer in City Slickers ) decided to trade in all their Gameboy games towards some new games for their new Sega Saturn system. They had a treasure trove of games, but now they had a Gameboy with no games and we didn't take them in for trade. In talking to them, I as...

The neighbors called and asked for one, and then the other child to come over and play! Woohoo! Let's just say that Gameboy obsesses about the games so much and isn't asked to play much around the neighborhood. I'm probably a little protective, because he's gullible. However, when we went around to sell Chef's Popcorn and then Gameboy's Greenery, we met another family with boys around the same ages as mine. A nice family. Both times I'd visited their house, the two boys hijacked whatever child was selling and Mom, Dad and I would talk for a while. Their kids go to private school, so they don't get a lot of interaction with some of the kids in the area. They share some interests with mine, too. When we dropped off the greenery, we got to chatting again and exchanged phone numbers. One son has called me a few times to ask for Chef to come play. Today, he called for Chef, then I got another call. I suspect they're going to do something that ne...

These were a big hit with Chef's teacher: The recipe makes so much that we have a container leftover for us, too. Oh, and a lot of candy cane debris in the pan, too. I'm hoping Gameboy's teachers liked their popcorn. Usually, the middle school teachers don't get much in the way of gifts, but we find that the ESE teachers do have to have a lot more involvement with their students, so we send a token of thanks. Now, the kids will be home for 17 days! Edited to add the recipe for Peppermint Bark: 2 bags GOOD QUALITY Chocolate Chips (I used Ghiradelli 60% Cacao) 2 bags GOOD QUALITY White Chocolate Chips 1 tablespoon Peppermint Extract Candy Canes, crushed Take a cookie sheet and line it with wax paper or foil. Next, use a double boiler(or a bowl atop a 3 qt pot half full of water) and melt the chocolate chips, stirring constantly (if I've got Scharffen Berger in the house, some of it will get melted into this). Once melted, spread out onto the cookie sheet and cool ...

The past two days, I have volunteered at Chef's school. The PTO was having a holiday bazaar. It was interesting seeing how the young minds work when presented with various gifts and a budget. Then you have Chef, who wasn't given any money, and he's bugging Mom to buy stuff for him, Dad and his brother. Today, he even tried to get me to buy my own Christmas gift because he wanted me to have one! After I ducked out, Ed and I headed over to an FYE that is closing. All the movies and CDs are now half off. No sooner did we walk in the door did Ed see something he's been scoping out online for a ridiculous price. My eBay auctions pretty much got that for him, because I don't want to pay full price later on! Things are shaping up for some wanted items under the tree. There won't be much, but what is there is things they'll be happy to get. I'm hoping the teachers are happy, too. Cub scout caramel corn for Gameboy's teachers and some homemade pep...

This afternoon, I needed a box to ship out an item I sold on eBay. A big box. Off to the garage I go, to see if there was an empty box of the size I required (highly unlikely) or one halfway full that I might relocate its contents (highly probable.) I found one, half full of various Disney items and the thought that I should eBay the contents of the box crossed my mind. There was a Walt Disney World bag inside this box, and it contained a brand new "Four Parks, One World" photo album-and some pictures. All aboard the wayback machine to 2001, folks. Today, you get to see Chef as a 2 year old. I though they were from the year before, but he didn't have a lot of curls around his first birthday. These mesh up with the quantity of curls he had on our first two trips to Walt Disney World in April and September of 2001. Today, you get Chef in all his high chair glory. I'm hoping to find the infamous Cake Monster picture, but these are equally cute. Take a look at th...

There are some absolutes in food: Every culture has its own dumpling, like the Japanese have Gyoza, the Polish Pierogies, the Italians Ravioli, and the Mexicans Empanadas. In a similar fashion, every society has their own pasta and meat casserole. Tonight's dinner was the Greek 'lasagna', Pastitsio. Ed and I were discussing WFDW the other day and I'd mentioned things I was considering. He requested this, even though it's only been consumed when we dine out. He, Chef and I love it-we honestly have yet to eat ANY Greek food that we don't like. I'm glad Ed suggested it, because while it was time consuming, it was relatively easy to do and quite yummy! The beef closely resembled Cincinnati Chili, so I will probably do that again soon and you'll see a future WFDW featuring a Four Way. Yum! What I'd always thought was just a simple Bechemel sauce topping the dish really is a custard. It begins with the butter, flour and milk, but a lot of eggs are ...

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, check which ones youve seen, paste this here. (x) Rocky Horror Picture Show (x) Grease (x) Pirates of the Caribbean (x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2:Dead Man's Chest ()Boondock Saints ( ) Fight Club ( ) Starsky and Hutch (x) Neverending Story ( ) Blazing Saddles (x ) Airplane Total: 6 (x) The Princess Bride ( ) Anchorman ( ) Napoleon Dynamite ( ) Labyrinth ( ) Saw ( ) Saw II ( ) White Noise ( ) White Oleander ( ) Anger Management (x) 50 First Dates (x) The Princess Diaries (x ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement Total so far: 10 () Scream ( ) Scream 2 ( ) Scream 3 ( ) Scary Movie ( ) Scary Movie 2 () Scary Movie 3 ( ) Scary Movie 4 (x ) American Pie ( ) American Pie 2 ( ) American Wedding ( ) American Pie Band Camp Total so far: 11 ( x) Harry Potter 1 (x) Harry Potter 2 (x ) Harry Potter 3 (x ) Harry Potter 4 ( ) Resident Evil 1 ( ) Res...

Remember how I had that interview almost two weeks ago, the one that I thought went really well? It seems to be moving forward, but I need good thoughts and prayers. Yesterday, I stopped in at my former employer for the first time in many months. Why? So I could get the General Manager to fill out a form I needed to qualify for food stamps-a proof that I'd lost my job. The warm welcomes from those still there made me feel very good, there were many hugs and several requests for my phone number. (Side note, why does it seem that everyone in the Lakeland area has had bad phone JuJu the past few months? Nearly all of us had to replace phones!) The GM turned to me and told me he got a phone call last week asking about me. He didn't get the company name, but told me that they asked A LOT of questions about me, my management skills, my sales abilities, etc. Now, most companies will just verify dates of employment and rehire status. He said he figured that if I was still look...

Last year, I took step by step pictures of wrapping a Christmas gift in order to provide instruction to those who say they find it hard to wrap gifts. This year, it gets posted to the blog instead of on a message board. How did I gain such experience? Each year, my Mom organized her restaurant's holiday party. Each employee got a gift or two, there were raffle prizes and gag gifts. In all, there would be about a hundred gifts to wrap. Who helped out? Yours truly. Then, each Christmas Eve from the time I was about ten or eleven, I'd be holed away in Mom's bedroom for part of the day or evening, where I'd be entrusted with wrapping everyone else's Christmas gifts. It was a fun way to spend the holiday, finding out what everyone else got! Somehow, at each department store I worked at, I'd make the mistake of sharing the fact that I know how to wrap gifts. That meant being drafted to go back to the dreaded gift wrap department (like on Mother's Day...

'Tis the Season Yesterday, Ed and I were sitting in a restaurant, eating the best fast food breakfast ever and trying to get warm (at the time, it was 42 degrees. In Florida. Brrrrr!) On the store music, there was a progression of Christmas music, some good-some bad. A good one came on-Elton John's "Step Into Christmas". Why is it good? Because the band is totally invested in the song. Ironically, it is the B side to "Ho Ho Ho, Who'd Be a Turkey at Christmas", but you probably haven't heard that one, have you? It led to a discussion of what is good and what isn't. The head scratchers and the ones that you are drawn to, year after year. Ed's favorite just may be the Carpenters. They definitely aren't phoning it in. Personally, the songs are just too darn treacly to listen to more than two at one time. The best efforts are the originals, the new ones that will become classics in the years to come. My favorite is "Christmas W...

Seeing these at a farm stand in December. Granted, at 3.49 a quart, I wasn't buying them-but there was that option. Instead, I got a dozen Blood Oranges for 1.19. I was hoping to get some Satsumas or some Honeybells, but heck, for 1.19, I'll be VERY happy with those Blood Oranges! The fact that I can go to a farm stand in December and find plenty to choose from is definitely a plus to living here. I wonder how much those oranges would fetch in Chelsea Market right about now?

The Suzanne household was up at O Dark Thirty to head back to the church to send Gameboy off on a camping trip. Too bad it was cancelled-apparently, only two boys were willing to brave the 40 degree morning! Oh well, we did find out that his campout next month is the same place we went with the cubs last month. Nice campsite. At nine, Chef's pack did their good turn for America by painting all the curbs in the church parking lot. This is a very good thing, because the lot isn't well lit and those suckers are hard to see at night. We had nine gallons of donated paint and maybe a gallon ended up on those painting. The PSA for the day: Safety Yellow and Traffic Yellow are NOT the same! It was home for some naps and then we brought everything over to Mema's to make some dinner. I think she enjoyed the fried chicken, oven fries and veggies. There is a request in for some baked potato soup, so that's on tap for tomorrow. Right now, we're relaxing from the full day...

A few days ago, I made an offer of FREE holiday goodies, made by me, to the first three to comment that they wanted to participate in the "Pay it Forward". I've got Saffa and Grace in. Anyone else?

One thing that hasn't changed since we moved is which pack and troop the boys participate in scouting each week. Why do we travel, when there are local groups the boys can participate in (and Chef's friends are even active in)? One minor reason is that Gameboy has had so many changes in his life. PreK, Kindergarten and 1st and Second Grades resulted in attending three different schools. Then another for third grade, fourth and fifth another and sixth and seventh, two more schools. It's inherent in Aspies to act out with changes. We figured this was one thing that we can maintain the same faces for another six years-if he wants. The major reason is that these people have been phenomenal in accepting Gameboy's differences, while also guiding him towards being more self aware and independent. Everyone is on the same page with him, firm but nurturing at the same time. It's a testament to the leadership that I have no qualms leaving him there for the meeting with...

The eBay game is when you list a bunch of items and try to predict what will sell and for how much. THEN, the item you thought that might not even sell is the one that has the most bids and most people watching. I've got a half dozen things up for sale, and will probably put a few more up tomorrow. We're in negative financing each month-there are medications to be bought, electric to be used, food to be fed and all that other stuff day to day. I'm crossing my fingers that all this stuff sells at a decent price. The added benefit is the removal of excess 'stuff'. I'm thinking that I'll play this eBay game for a while and a bunch of the Disneyana stuff can go to homes that will actually have to room to display it! This has happened before. Ed sold a bunch of cd's a few years ago and one of mine went for a whopping $37.00. Not bad, considering that I'd purchased it used for 3.99. Sometimes it's good to buy a rarity by a one hit wonder. H...

This time of year, I start to get a craving. Not Christmas Cookies, not figgy pudding,and not eggnog(well, maybe for that). For potato latkes. Yeah, I know, I'm not Jewish. However, as a kid, there wasn't a Channukah that went by without Mom making them. Granted, we had them with a decidedly non kosher meal of pork loin, but it was a given that one of the Monday dinners in December would have them as a side item. You can count them among the comfort food of my youth. The Pavlovian response in me is that once the calendar hits December, I need to have some. The difference is that Mom would buy the box of Streits (which are really good), and I'm cheap and make them from scratch. Tonight, they were served with leftover Bacon Cheese Chicken. I'll eat a salad tomorrow, lol! Considering that we all enjoy them, I suspect that I'll make them again on the first night of Chanmukah to recognize the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight nights.