Suzanne Calling

Our family has some friendly ghosts. If you don't believe, you can skip today's post, because I not only believe, I embrace it. Our ghosts started when my great Uncle Charlie passed away when I was in first or second grade. A few months after he'd passed, my mom was home alone, preparing dinner (one of Charlie's favorites-Marinara and Meatballs). She heard someone at the door and said "Come on in!", as mom was always glad for company. She looked out into the living room from the kitchen and the front door was open. On the floor was a gray fedora with a jaunty little white and red feather in it. charlie's hat, and it was his custom to throw his hat in the door to see if he was welcome. She said, "It's okay, Charlie, you're welcome in" before realizing he was no longer with us. After that day, from time to time, Charlie would bless various members of the family with his presence. The smell of coffee in the car, music where none was...

I told Nurse M to wrap the boot tighter than last time. She didn't want to, worried that I'd have an RSD flare. My thinking was that I'd rather have the RSD flare than scratch the skin and slow down any healing that might occur. It's frustrating that I have to decide which I'd rather do, have an RSD flare or scratch myself into further injury. Did I choose well? I don't think so, but then, I'd probably be saying the same thing if I was here scratching this damn leg. This sucks.

Now that Chef is a Master Chef, things are a little different at cooking school. Good different. For instance, Miss Amy hired an additional instructor to work with her Master Chefs. The original thought was that the Master Chefs would be a separate class, instead there is a second instructor layered into the classes to give the Master Chefs more advanced instructions. Yesterday, we got to see this in action. The class was called upon to make their own recipes using the baking base mix they made (similar to bisquick). They could either make a muffin recipe or a pancake recipe. Chef came up with a pancake recipe. He wanted to make pancakes topped with caramelized onions, pears and a cheese sauce. When he told them this last week, they allowed him to choose which type of pear (Bosc) and which type of cheese (Asiago-though I'd have thought he would have gone with Parmegiano-Reggiano, his favorite). We walked in yesterday and the kitchen smelled heavenly before the class h...

Saffa Chick has a meme that I'm tagged, because well, I liked the concept. What are five things in your life now that you would never have thought would be in your life when you were 25? 1. I didn't think I'd be divorced and remarried. At 25, I'd been married just over a year and I thought things were hunky dory. Silly me, I didn't see many warning signs that he was all wrong for me. Thankfully, someone who was part of my life at 25 is still part of it-and the father of my two kids. :) 2. Extreme vigilance over aspects of my health. At 25, I'd had one wrist surgery and been officially diagnosed with asthma and allergies. I had no clue that I'd have a DVT right after having a baby and several other blood clots. 3. I never thought I'd want to move off the mountain that I'd just bought the house on. Since then, I've lived in two other Maryland towns and moved to Florida. You never know, I might even move again (if family members move of...

The night before last, I picked up some kitty litter on the way home. It was picked up so that Ed could drop it off elsewhere. When I got home, I left it in the car because I thought he was heading right out in my car (since his has 'issues'). He didn't. Yesterday, Ed took the bucket o' kitty litter out of my car since he couldn't drop me at work (I thought I was seeing Nurse M). He would bring it over in his car, if needed. That call never came. When Chef Junior got home from school, he sees the bucket o' kitty litter and asks Ed excitedly "Do we have a cat?" Poor kid! No, no cats for us. Gameboy and I both are severely allergic.

Diaper Rash Cream. I cut the boot off last night. Nurse M told me that I should if it gets unbearable, which it did last night. The red raw spot on my ankle is the size of my fist. Following her instructions, I called in for an appointment this morning to get another boot put on. What I love about Nurse M is that she called back rather quickly asking when my lunch break was and tells me 'come on in.' She looked at her schedule and called back a few minutes later to apolgize that she had been booked to the gills. Now I'm seeing her on Tuesday afternoon. In the interim, the ankle is slathered in diaper rash cream to keep the itching at bay. I smell oh-so nice. Blech. The RSD spikes got bad, so I took a Vicodin at work. I thought I'd be fine, I'd been nibbling on breakfast off and on, so I had food in the belly. What I hadn't realized is that 1.I took a full tablet-during the day I'd been taking half tabs because the pain hadn't been so bad (toda...

Today, we take a field trip to some novelty songs that I've enjoyed over the years. First up, Joe Dolce. It's a nice, cute little song. You can't help but sing along, and that's the mark of a good novelty song. Even better, one that puts you in a good mood when you hear it. This one scores on both counts. This one is a nice little song from the late 80's. Strangely enough, in the MTV age, I cannot find a video for it. I have to say that this video I found on You Tube serves the purpose well. It has good audio and the actor displays appropriate bewilderment at the story! Dr. Demento is a treasure trove of novelty songs. One of the all time best was this one. The difference between T Bone's song and the previous two is that if you weren't an affecianado of Dr. Demento, odds were good that you never heard this gem. Today's your lucky day-you get to hear it now! I hope you've enjoyed the field trip today.

Sometimes, I mention things in the blog that show how much obscure (or even popular) stuff I can tell you about from when I was very small. 1973 was a good year for many things, but some of my readers either were born in that year (hooray!) or weren't even born yet. Kinda like a date I had and he asked me where I was when Kennedy was assasinated. Uh, not born yet. My warped idea of what is funny was probably shaped in part by Wacky Packages. What are they? Stickers of modified real products of the day. The best part of searching the net sometimes is that you find these images as part of a press release. The press release is appealing to the baby baby boomers-because Wacky Pack Flashback is going to hit the stores next month. Happy Happy, Joy Joy. Oh wait, wrong decade. Groovy, Far Out, and Dynomite!

I joined Technorati this week. It's pretty cool, all the blogs I have in my bookmark folder can be stored on there and it compiles posts for you. One stop reading, you can't beat it. However, I still click in the old way, but now I know when you all are writing. One thing strikes me as funny. When I joined, I found someone already has me on their favorites list (thank you, Anna ). It also give you an 'authority' ranking. For now, it is telling me I have no authority. I guess they don't know me very well, No authority? Hmph-the nerve! Though every time I read "No Authority" I hear Cartman saying it. Give me time, I'll crush them with my authoritay!

It can be difficult living with a person who's view on life is so different from yours. I am an optimist/realist/pollyanna. Ed? He's a worrier/cynic/pessimist. We're both sarcastic and funny, so at least we agree on that front. :) Anyway, his view on life is "No good deed goes unpunished." For a long time, I'd argue the point with him. Good deeds are rewarded, right? I'd offer proof, and he'd tell me they aren't. Lately, I tend to think that maybe he's right. He'd done some good deeds that impacted his availability at work, and ultimately, they cut his hours down to one day a week. Never mind the explanation of why he wasn't going to be there. The kids had bugged me back over the summer to buy a movie. I dragged my feet, because I didn't like the movie choice. Chef made a deal to get the movie, did his part and then I took them down to Wal Mart against my wishes because I had to do my good deed. On the way out, they ...

Thanks to daysgoby for this one: The ROCK STAR meme... 1. Click here . The first article title on this page is your band name. 2. Click here . The very last four words of the last quotation are your album title. 3. Click here . The third picture, no matter what it is, is your album cover. Add your name and album title to the picture and post! (Oh, and I am too friggin lazy to make it look like an album cover. Maybe I'll fix this later, maybe I won't) Here's my album: Comana River And Therefore Imminent Downfall I think I could have done worse. Those words came from Frank Lloyd Wright and three quotes up was Jack Handy. I would have been soooo screwed. However, when I went back to step one, I got Paradise Syndrome. How's that for a band name?

Friday's entry comes to you courtesy Chef Junior. Yes, my first guest blogger is my eight year old son. Apparently, he has to write paragraphs at school. Many of them center on his love of cooking and love of eating seafood. Here's today's-it is too adorable to not share it! (Spelling is Chef's) What if I was the best chef in the world? If I was the best chef in the World with my Mom, I would... go to iron chef America and complete the tasete to be a true chef as a sue chef, for my Mom and onlley be eight!!!!! I would make crab cakes, octipos and more and it all with my Mom. He's been all too happy to help out in the kitchen and even took on the sharpest knife the other night. I was making Caprese bruchetta. The plum tomatoes had to be sliced and Chef, decked out in his jacket, said he'd do it. Somehow, that jacket has calmed his fear of the knives. He was steady and methodical and did a great job. Then he brushed them with the balsamic, sliced the mozz...

If you don't subscribe to the theory that wacky people get a little nuttier during the full moon, I offer you these tidbits: 1. Phone rings at the store "Is Maria there?" We have no Maria working for us. When told no, "Okay, I guess her name *is* C." What the heck? So, someone calls you with a latin accent, then they must be named Maria? The woman then goes on to ask why C called her. Didn't she leave a detailed message? "Yeah, but I want to know WHY?" Doesn't her message explain why she's calling? "But I never spoke to her before in my life and I've never been in your store." I call C at home and she tells me what the message was and that yes, the woman had been in the store earlier that day. I call the woman back, and she insists she's never been in our store and to stop the charges on the items C called her about. I said "Ma'am, she didn't charge you for any items, she just told you how we could...

I work in a part of Tampa that is ripe with free WiFi. It's great, I can head over to Panera on my break and log in. There's a great restaurant, The Wine Exchange, that also has WiFi (but you have to ask them). The combination of great food and surfing the web while dining solo can't be beat. Then, of course, there is Indigo. I've spent many a break blogging and surfing while enjoying a cup of Indigo Indulgence. The only thing that had been lacking is something more than sweet nibbles. I wasn't a fan of their wraps because they used that disgusting Miracle Whip. (I've been corrected, though, they now have a new supplier). A new place opened a few doors down, JJ Smoothy Cafe. I was excited, because they had wraps and salads. They also advertised "Free WiFi" on the window. Cool, sign me up. The first time I went in, I got a really large, pretty enjoyable Southwest Wrap-and no signal. I kept pinging and pinging, but no routers came up except f...

VH-1 has a bunch of Nostalgia shows: I love the 80's, I love the 70's and the like. They've come to the realization that loving a decade doesn't go into enough depth, so now it's about specific years. Give them time, and it'll be "I love March, 1973." Anyway, it's pretty funny to see artists around your age riff on stuff you lived through. However, I've got to wonder. They say if you can remember the 70's, you're too young. Be that as it may, I remember the 70's, but I do NOT remember celebrity bowling. That looks like the biggest waste of air time. Your opinion? Oh, and they did touch on the fact that American Grafitti is a who's who of blockbuster movie stars of the 80's. If you've never seen it, rent it so you can say "look how young Richard Dreyfuss is!" "Holy moly, look at Harrison Ford" etc. What gets me is that they didn't even mention Wacky Packs! Come ON people, that was the hi...

I don't get it, I had plenty of sleep, but I'm still wiped out. I guess it's this whole damn leg thing. Tomorrow's lunch hour will be spent waiting to see Nurse M. Based on how itchy the thing was last night, it's a safe guess that things are still raw and tender. Odds are great that I'll be in a new Unna Boot tomorrow. Ugh. I 've got nothing else. Yeah, I could pull stuff off the topic list, but I don't even have the energy for it. More tomorrow.

Even though we've been here for almost four years, there are many local events that we haven't done yet. Gasparilla is one of those 'must do' events that the locals had told me about, but for whatever reason, it had been skipped over. This year, Chef Jr AND Gameboy wanted to skip camping with the scouts to go to the Children's parade. Gasparilla is Tampa's Mardi Gras like event held on the last Saturday of January. The weekend before, the kids get their turn to get beads without having to deal with the public drunkenness. There are krewes and corporate sponsors with floats, scouts, the military and all sorts of groups, all throwing beads into the crowds. Yes, beads. It is ALL about the beads. The kids really got into it and this first float got them more than a little excited, because it was a cub scout pack. Did the scouts give up some beads for fellow scouts? Uh, no. Later, Red Baron Pizza came along with some beads with little biplanes on them. I sco...

This week, we experiment with the iPod. A lovely invention, it allows me to carry many of my favorite cds along with me where ever I travel without getting a hernia. I love the playlist feature and use it often. This way, I get my disc jockey longings out of the system. (ahh, if only my career as a radio dj were more profitable, I'd still be doing it!) The other night, when driving over to Orlando, I plugged the iPod in and listened to it in shuffle mode. For some people, that might mean a good mix of ska, prog, jazz, blues or show tunes. For me, it can mean all of those and more come out of the speakers-and it did. Today, I will hit shuffle and tell you what comes forth. Come with me on a journey of the eclectic: 1.Alone -Wilson Phillips . I love their harmonies and songs. I won this one from the in store promo discs when I worked at The Wall. My coworkers weren't as enamored of it as I was. They all coveted the XTC Nonesuch and Concrete Blonde discs that I also won...

How soon we forget... Don't take painkillers on an empty stomach. You end up feeling queasy and woozy. 'Nuff said.

I asked you all to delurk and only a few did-not even my hubby commented on that one. Do I really scare you all that much? I see hits from Lakeland; New Jersey; Michigan; England and a bunch of other places on a regular basis but have never seen a comment! (I see Kissimmeee now, too and I think that's because Jill is reading from her boyfriends house-cool!) A blatant request for comments hasn't worked, so now I ask about something blog related. I've mentioned several times that my goal is 50 hits a day then I can justify going to a pay site. I'll be bugging Jeff for some help on the URL front, since he does that for a living. The thing that I'm pondering is the name. Yes, I thought (and still think) the blog name was good, but not practical for a pointer or URL. You don't want to type all that, do you? Suzanne Sez bothers me because of the typo (and I thought says was taken, but my blog twin proved me wrong!). I don't want to name the blog that be...

Ever get diagnosed with something you think is unusual, only to find that you're surrounded by others with the same issue? It's happened to me several times. Vertigo and Plantar Faciitis seem to happen to a lot of people and they suffer in silence. Recently, a coworker at our sister store came into my store with a splint on her hand. I asked J what had happened and she described some all to familiar issues. She had just been diagnosed with deQuervain's Disease. That one isn't all that common, but I was able to tell her what the normal protocols are and that her doctor seemed to be following them. His opinion was that she would probably need the surgery, since the cortisone shots weren't helping and she'd already been through the splint and anti inflammatories. That surgery is what earned me the 2% Girl moniker, since only 2% of deQuervain's sufferers have to have it. Now I know another 2%-er. I hadn't seen her in a few weeks. She stopped by my...

The last time I saw Jenn was a few months after we'd moved to Florida. She was in town for a friend's wedding. We met over at Whispering Canyon and had a great time. The kids loved her (she is after all, an awesome aunt and was a Disney CM-kid at heart) When she called late last week to tell me she would be in town, I crossed my fingers that my schedule would allow for an evening with her. The stars were in alignment (or I paid my karma bill this week) and I braved rush hour traffic to spend a few hours. It's funny how life happens, things change in our lives, but some friendships can survive the intermittent contact as if no time had passed. The evening was full of tangents-we both had so much we wanted to talk about that sometimes we'd derail (me more than Jenn, I'm afraid). Favorite authors, travel, jobs, family, life. Conversation kept going and going and going. As I expected, we laughed a LOT. She regaled me with stories of her recent cruise (yes, every...

Speed posting today. I'll be heading over to Orlando after work and I'm not sure if I'll get back home in time to post before midnight. That's right, Orlando. One of my former coworkers, Jenn, is in town for meetings and I haven't seen her in nearly four years. I have to go see my movie buddy, fellow Disney freak and finder of great authors! :) Not sure what's on tap except for a bunch of laughter-she's got a great sense of humor. The leg still is driving me bonkers. At least now I've got Vicodin to help with the sleep issues. Try strapping a toddler to your ankle and walk around. Oh, and put clothing made of the itchy side of velcro on the kid so that your senses go into overload. That would be about what I'm dealing with right now. I thought Nurse M would give me a hard time and an "I told you so", but I think this would happen no matter how long I'd taken off from work. Garlic Festival! Chef Jr really wants to get to the on...

I've been tagged for 7 Random and Weird Things About Me by Suzanne Says (hmmm, sounds familiar, eh?) I think I did this one before, but like my blog name twin says, there is plenty enough weird about me to keep doing this meme and not repeat myself. These things have rules. Here's the rules for this one: Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. I have to thank Suzanne, because dude! I am hurting today and couldn't think of anything to blog about that wouldn't involve griping and whining. 1. I got an A in a class when I spent most of the time drunk and/or stoned. My freshman year of college, I took Geology. The lecture professor told the class about the summer course he taught, Field Laboratory Geology. It was a 10 day trip to ...

The sitemeter is a pretty nifty thing. I can see where people are coming from to read the blog, as well as how they were referred here. Donna shows as Phoenix and Jeff shows as Virginia's Eastern Shore, so it's not exact. For instance, Mandy, Grandy and Lotus gave me linky love, so I see when people come here after visiting those fine ladies. Lately, there are a couple of hits a day from Blog 365. Several times a week, there are hits from Google. It's strange to see what people are searching for that lead them to me. Some of the searches: The Florida State Bird Kenny Everett DIY Bee Gees Kit Tripods Movie Bob Pucci (someone's looking my high school's marketing teacher?) Ikea Billy Bookcase DVD use Raw patches around the corner of mouth How to get him to call you when you don't talk Unwrapped Hot Tamales are Mike and Ike rejects and quite a few more, those are just in the past few weeks. I get hits for a lot of things that include 'phone call' in the q...

I found a book I'd wanted on eBay for a great price (Ain't Mythbehavin' by Katie MacAlister). The seller had another 90 or so books for sale at great prices (under 2.50 a paperback and cheap shipping). I decided to peruse the list. Scored one of the Mary Higgins Clarks that I'd borrowed from the library but never owned and then got The Shipping News by Annie Proulx. Tonight, to soothe the itchy leg, I went for a soak in the tub and brought the Shipping News for a read. It is a tough read. She writes in an extremely disjointed style. It's almost as if someone wrote like Bill Shatner acts, in short,staccato sentences. I'm 50 pages in and *confused*. I am hoping it gets better, because it had darn good reviews when it came out, and then the movie had tons of raves, too. Is this one of those rare books where the movie is better? I hate abandoning books. I'm giving this one another 50 pages to prove itself and catch my interest.

Do you hear a song, and it takes you back to your past? A vivid picture of what you were doing when you heard the song? I've got hundreds, no, THOUSANDS of 'song pictures'. That might be why I felt so driven to be a disc jockey. In that vein, I'm thinking of trying something new on the blog. Soundtrack Sundays, where it'll tell a story about the songs from my POV. Okay, it's self indulgent crap, but it's my blog. You don't like it, you can skip reading today! To start off: Sweet Caroline , Neil Diamond(1969) and Cecelia , Simon and Garfunkel(1970). These are the first two songs I remember hearing, really hearing. I remember snippets of songs from before then, but these two stick out. I can remember walking around the corner from my house in Rockville Centre onto Lakeview Avenue and it was a warm, sunny day and the neighbor was in their yard (though I couldn't see them through the 6 foot tall hedges) with a transistor radio blaring "Sweet...

My friend Paula is celebrating a milestone birthday in style in April. She's taking a Carnival Cruise! Lucky for me, she'll be departing from Tampa, so I will get to see Paula and her husband when they're in town. The ship she will set sail on ports late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, so when I head to work on Sunday mornings, I get to see the ship and drool. If there was a rich relative to leave me money, the family would drive the few miles and sail on Celebrity, Royal Carribean, Carnival or Holland America-they all sail from Tampa. Alas, I don't think I will get aboard one of those ships anytime soon-much as I'd like to. I've got to pay for four of us, I don't think I can leave the kids home alone... Today, you get to see the ship Paula will be on the end of April! This is the intersection of Channelside Boulevard. Yes, you drive by the terminal and see all the ships a stone's throw from downtown Tampa. This is a little different from Port ...

The friggin itchy leg again! I'm here scratching, or trying to, but it's still driving me batty. Nurse M's suggestion this week was to take Benedryl. I can't do that when working, because the stuff makes me sleepy. Topical lotions and ointments haven't worked so far. I've tried benedryl (burns like you would not believe), neosporin, bacitracin, eucerin, shea butter and diaper rash ointment. Still scratching. I'd like to try Gold Bond, but I'm afraid to-thinking that it might be as wonderful as the cortisone. I tried the acticoat squares. That helped to dry things out-then caused an RSD flare because things got too dry. I'm out of ideas, other than taking sandpaper or a sander to the ankle. Frankly, I'm getting worried. If this keeps up, will I have new ulcers soon?

This was sent to me by a friend and I found it way too funny to keep to myself. Yes, there will be another blog entry later. I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true? A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap. Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables? A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products. Q: Should I reduce my ...

Two of my blogging must reads ( Sangria Lover and Thirty before 30 ) both have stated that this is Delurking Week. So, those of you who read and never comment (and you know who you are), it is your turn to say something. Audrey asked where readers would live, other than the US, if money were no object. Anna's question was to ask HER a question. Me? I want to know your favorite food and/or favorite drink. If not that, your favorite restaurant. Why? Because food is life, people! So, come one, come all-share a little love and comment! Oh, wait, you want me to go first? Fair enough. Favorite food? Prime Rib. Favorite Drink? Southern Comfort with ginger ale and pineapple juice. Favorite restaurant? That's going to be broken down into NY, Maryland and Florida. NY-The Maine Maid. Maryland-(tie) The Brown Pelican and Barley and Hops. Florida-'Ohana, followed closely by Mojitos.

Yesterday, Ed and I had the lunch of champions: Strawberry Shortcakes from Parkesdale Farm Market. It's not winter until you've had one of these scrumptious things. Apparently, we weren't the only ones who thought it was a good idea to have them, we were in a huge line with a lot of senior citizens. I think everyone else had at least 20 years on us. What can I say, we're wise beyond our years, lol. The wait got us these two bowls: One thing that's weird here is that you order your shortcakes, then you have to traverse the busy, busy farm market and all the other people to get to the 'Garden of Eatin'' tables on the other side of the building. It'd make more sense for the two to be right next to each other, but hey, I'm just the customer. Here's my bowl by itself before digging in. Ed couldn't wait, he was already enjoying his. Scratch one off the big list. Actually, scratch two off, because I bought a half flat of strawberries and...

Chef Jr has achieved a milestone-he is one of the first four Master Chefs at his cooking school. Yesterday, he was the first awarded his Chef's Jacket. Pretty cool. There's a story involved. Apparently, our school was one of the first to begin the program, and as such, has minted the first Master Chefs. The real jackets are not ready, but this has been talked up for a year. Our center's director knows how big a deal this is for the kids and went to bat for them. Chef Jr (and the other students, I'd imagine) got temporary jackets to wear until the official ones arrive. Chef with his cooking school director. She's awesome! We're so happy she decided that she needed to move closer to family and open a cooking school, because Chef loves going. This is the jacket he'll be getting soon. It's got the fancy piping and french knot buttons. Pretty snazzy. He wore the jacket home yesterday and comes in the front door with an announcement, "I am he M...

The pileup on I4 is about 30 miles east from us. I don't travel that part of the road daily, but I do often enough. Scary. I only know of one person that travels that part of the road on a fairly regular basis, but she's out of town-and wouldn't be on the eastbound side that early (westbound, possibly) I'll have a regular blog post later, but wanted to let those of you who might be concerned.

Before I blogged, I used to write little essays on things that struck my fancy. Here's one that I wrote about coffee. Additional comments from today are in blue. I'm a relatively convert to coffee. I survived 37 years without drinking the stuff. Here's the history: I never liked coffee. Wouldn't touch the stuff, not even coffee ice cream. My brother once tried to make me a cappucino that was about 8 oz hershey's syrup and 1 oz coffee-no dice. Interestingly enough, I was the designated coffee brewer in the house as a kid. My mom would insist I make the coffee, even when others who drank the stuff were around. Apparently, I got the ratios perfect. Despite hating the taste, I LOVED the smell of it. We kids would fight over the job of grinding the 8 O'Clock coffee when we went to the supermarket with mom. Ahh, the aroma of coffee-intoxicating. I couldn't understand why it didn't taste anywhere as good as it smelled. About three years ago, one of my...