Apparently I’m not the only one

Someone else out there is missing pączkis today! I bet I could make a mint shipping to former Michiganders all over the country! When I was talking about paczkis yesterday at work, people looked at me like I was nuts. Clearly Hamtramck has stamped its influence on even the grocery stores in Michigan, but in a way that hasn’t bled south. Too bad. Maybe if we got news coverage about it out here…

I should note that I’m not a TRUE fan because I don’t like the ones with fruit/jelly in them. I’m all cream/custard, all the way. It’s entirely possible that I should have taken Carly up on her offer to mail me some.

Paczkis are clearly not part of the Colorado tradition and there’s not really anything that’s going to QUITE satisfy my craving this morning. Probably I’ll let Doc’s take a shot at it with french toast anyhow.

Happy New Year!

I will begin 2009 with a Colorado driver’s license, which makes me inordinately happy.

We had a lovely dinner tonight, with good conversation, and that’s not such a bad way to send out 2008.

Spouse and I have fake champagne (California kind) and will toast at Mountain Time New Year. I even dusted off the champagne flutes from our wedding. We are quite fancy and important.

My first task of 2009 will be to put together a wire shelf for my closet. If I’m quick, I can get it done THIS year.

Hope you all have a happy and safe New Year. Remember to spend some time on New Year’s Day doing something you want to continue to do all year.

Now is the time on Sprockets

When I ask myself who the EFF I bought all these holiday cards for because I can’t think of 40 people who would want our  holiday greetings.

I did NOT achieve a driver’s license today because it turns out that Michigan is one of 14 states who do not require proof of citizenship/legal ability to live in the US to obtain a license (note to any illegal immigrants out there). Now, since the last time I had to provide proof of my identity to the state of Michigan for a driver’s license without (yanno) a driver’s license was when I was sixteen and a birth certificate was my only other legal form of I.D. I was unaware of this. Unfortunately, states like Colorado require proof of your legal right to live in the country and I was without my passport.

The hour-long drive wasn’t a complete waste. We stopped at what (now) I think must be the worst Borders in the history of the world. I went in with a list of 20 authors – no exaggeration – and found books I wanted by precisely ONE. Either they didn’t carry the author AT ALL or carried only one or two old titles. This, coupled with my unfruitful trip to the Driver’s License office, does not a happy camper make. Instead I got a future Bandwagon book, even though my Bandwagon will be far away, and a copy of The Watchmen. Spouse found a couple of things he liked. I also managed to get some business taken care of re: billing my last community ed class. So, not a waste but I’m not really happy about having to do it again.

As previously mentioned, our holiday cards (and man, am I glad I told everyone they were holiday cards) showed up today and I’ve been dutifully filling out addresses all evening. I also made a batch of the “Eff you, Queso!” that we love so much and it made up the entirety of my dinner. Eff you, Queso is very delicious and perfect for when you’re lazy:

yogagrrl’s Eff You, Queso!

1 package ground beef (somewhere around 1.5 lbs)

1 package taco seasoning

Brown ground beef, ignore taco seasoning directions and just add the seasoning and just enough water to soak up all the juice (usually about half a cup).

Add:

1 jar Tostitos Queso sauce (Medium)

1 jar Tostitos chunky Salsa (Mild)

1 can refried beans (12 oz or someting like that)

1 liberal spoonful of Mrs. Renfrow’s Jalepeno Green Salsa

Heat through until bubbling.

That last ingredient is what puts the Eff in Eff You, Queso! It’s super delicious, but HOT. Adjust the amount you put in according to how much Eff you need.

It keeps for several days and is just as good (if not better) when reheated. I love it because it’s tasty and easy, and we almost always have these ingredients on hand.

And since I’m talking about Eff You, Queso! let me add this link: to a brilliant (and simultaneously not so brilliant) interview about the foreign policy dilemma with regard to Israel and Hamas. If you don’t like the Huffington Post, that’s fine, just scroll down to the video link. It’s the perfect illustration of how NOT to interview someone who PARTICIPATED in the history that you’ve READ about. Heh. Loves it.

Day after Xmas

Today we got shear pins for the snow blower (which is eating them like Werther’s butterscotch) and ran for a few necessities at the Safeway. I don’t think the pictures I post can even come close to capturing the awesome beauty of this place, so today’s picture is from the Safeway parking lot.

We’re supposed to be getting 10-20″ of snow today. It seems unlikely but the forecasts are also generically “above 9,000 feet”. So it could be here at 10,000 or up at 14,000 and it won’t make a dent here. Nothing to be known for sure until tomorrow morning (most of our snow arrives overnight). Instead the skies were mostly clear and we took another scenic drive around town. Mom stepped into waist deep snow attempting to get a photo and I got a great shot of my sister (reluctantly having vacated the car) pulling her out.

Dinner and conversation was lovely last night. I’m definitely looking forward to reciprocating.

Today I also sorted through ALL of the photos on my laptop and chose which ones to print, either for albums or for framing. It was interesting (because I got to revisit past events) and tedious (because there were a lot of them). I’m looking forward to getting some of them on the walls.

The view from our grocery store parking lot.

Happy Holidays from yogagrrl

Happy Holidays from Leadville!

Hoping you and your families have safe and happy holidays, and celebrate a joyous new year!

Much love,

yogagrrl

How are YOUR holidays going?

Pretty much covers it

More pet torture here.

Let me tell you about Panasonic

I bought a Panasonic camera on Thanksgiving, through one of Amazon.com’s vendors. I love the camera. Except for the part where the connector cables which came SEALED in the plastic (which was in turn SEALED in the box) DON’T FIT the camera. They have a mini USB connect (which I know, because my phone has one) and the camera does not.

I called the vendor. Very helpful, but don’t have a parts department. They will request the parts but it might take up to 2 weeks. They provide me with Panasonic’s number, who should be able to replace them more quickly.

Panasonic kindly suggests that I PURCHASE the cords from Panasonic. When I explain (politely) that I don’t want to pay for cords I’ve ALREADY PAID FOR, they have to put me on hold. And then transfer me to another department. Who then transfers me back, after assuring me they can replace these cords. First department tells me that I need to fax a copy of the receipt to them. Then he says Proof of Purchase. When I ask for clarification, he sounds confused and then says “Both.” Right before he suggests that I pay for the cords because Panasonic probably won’t replace them.

“Dude. They came FROM YOU. In the box. With the camera.”

“Was it an open box when you got it?

“No.”

“Well, we don’t have a record of that vendor and are not liable for parts that may be incorrect.”

“Even though the BOX WAS SEALED and the PACKAGE WAS SEALED?”

“Yes.”

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“Did you talk to the verification department?”

“I called the number you gave me, they told me you would replace the cords, and then they transferred me back to you.”

“Well, just fax us the information..”

“Did you need just the receipt or just the proof of purchase, or both? Because you said receipt and then you said Proof of Purchase.”

*awkward pause*  ”Both.”

“Right.”

“And then the replacement is subject to our verification.”

“Whatever.”

I left out the part where he kept insisting he needed part numbers from the cords (which don’t have any) and then when I explained that they didn’t have any, he got annoyed. When I eventually found some numbers, he told me they weren’t part numbers. Thanks, asshole.

Rehashing this, I’m even more annoyed. I think I’m going to call them back.

WTF H$liday Mix update

It is completed. It is excellent. It is not uploaded to imeem because I have been doing mover stuff all day and now have to cram for a Micro final tomorrow morning, right after I teach yoga tonight.

I have not had a nap; I have not cried. I cannot promise that one or both of these things will not happen later.

Okay, that’s melodramatic. I’m not going to cry unless Carly wants to watch P.S. I Love You.

Maybe when I start procrastinating later, I’ll upload.

Instead of packing – holiday music mix.

The realtor was showing my house this afternoon, which meant I had to leave. So I made my way to the Barnes and Noble, to partake of their speedy (and free) wireless. During my drive, Carly called to tell me about her new potential facebook status – which was not safe for work and a commentary on the idiot drivers who were making her trip to Ann Arbor more hazardous. Carly and I have a lot of things in common, including the occasional fit of road rage. One of our more important shared characteristics is a loathing of Christmas music.

I spent every Christmas season, from junior high through college, working retail during the holidays. Some places were great (book stores) other places were not (sporting goods store). At the sporting goods store, they played the SAME LOOP of holiday music throughout the day, EVERY DAY, beginning the day after Thanksgiving. As a result, songs like Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree make me want to bludgeon people with a golf club, or brain them with free weights. Most of the holiday ‘classics’ have been ruined for me – or had been – for years. In the last year or so my holiday spirit has begun to recover.

It used to be that I would only tolerate holiday music the day before, day of, and day after Christmas. Now I can listen to music a week or so beforehand! Progress, I tell you!

The exception, of course, is Feliz Navidad by Jose Feliciano because it is 1) the best Christmas song ever 2) Christmas music you can dance to and 3) included on almost NO ONE’s retail holiday music loop.

After commiserating about the terrible drivers, we started talking about holiday music. Apparently there’s some Christmas shoe song that I haven’t heard? From Carly’s reaction, it’s a good thing I haven’t heard it. At any rate, it inspired me to make a mix of holiday music for people who do not like holiday music. It will include some classics, some classics with a twist, and new holiday favorites (Stoned Soul Christmas, My First Christmas (As a Woman), and She’s a Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas). And Feliz Navidad. It will be called WTF H$liday Mix.

I’m kind of excited about the project and when I get it done, I’ll upload it to imeem.

Black Friday: survived

Mom and I were packing last night so I didn’t get to bed until about 12:30 this morning. I did most of my necessary shopping on Amazon.com yesterday, but mom had a few things she wanted to check out today. We left around 7 and were done by 10:30. We got decent parking places, didn’t wait in long lines, and found more than a few deals. All in all, successful – and uneventful – outing.

After breakfast (post-shopping) I needed a nap. I fell asleep around 12:30 pm and then resurfaced at about 3:00. We spent the afternoon packing and the entire upstairs of the house is complete (including all the beds dismantled). The entire basement of the house is complete. The living room is 99.99% complete (the movers have to move the furniture), the kitchen is 98% complete (all that remains are a few dishes and the food), the living room is 95% complete (it’s relocation central), and the office is about 50% complete. The back of my car is chock full of more things to be donated to Goodwill tomorrow.

My brother- and father-in-law are coming over tomorrow on an errand of mercy for Spouse.

Next week I’ve got a lab exam and a paper due. In my spare time, I might start reading Proust was a Neuroscientist. One of my students (who lives near Boston but comes to my classes during the holidays and vacations) recommended it and I’m pretty excited about it.

I’ve got a couple more tables to clean off tonight, so I’m going to go do that.

Best of: Thanksgiving

1. Macy’s Rickroll.

Love Comedy Central. They are full of epic win.

2. Home for the Holidays. Best holiday film ever. It’s hilarious no matter how many times I see it. The turkey part is particularly fabulous.

3. Me and mom hanging out, cooking OUR turkey and stuffing. Delicious and mellow. Loved it.

Magazines – going green

With the holidays coming up, it makes sense to talk about low cost and environmentally friendly gifts. I know, “Magazines? What?” But magazines are usually (not always) $20 or less for a year’s subscription. AND they CAN be environmentaly friendly!

There are a few magazines that I read regularly. Not surprisingly, most of them are yoga magazines. They’ve all got good information and I’m the kind of person who wants to hang on to them. I’m also the kind of person who has great intentions about cutting out the articles or recipes that I want to keep (so I can get rid of the rest of the magazine) and never quite gets around to doing it.

Last year I discovered Zinio. com. It’s a fantastic website that offers magazines in digital content. You can choose to download them or read them from the Zinio website. Either way, they’re not stacking up in piles next to your end table. The best thing is that you can read them forever. If there’s an article you want, you can print it out. You only end up with the paper you want, rather than being stuck with a whole magazine to discard. 

I’m lazy. I know I’m lazy. And this site is brilliant for me. My two personal recs: Yoga Journal and Women’s Health.

Yoga Journal (which I also link in my sidebar) provides a lot of great information and insight from several different teachers. I don’t love all their advertising (a common complaint of people who aren’t fans) but I also only look at the advertising if I’m LOOKING for something. I skip all ads and go right to the articles I want. Having this in e-format is fantastic because you can print out the information about asanas, or their ‘master class’ and save what you like. It is not my favorite yoga magazine (see: Yoga + Joyful Living) but it’s a close second.

I didn’t get into Women’s Health until Spouse started reading Men’s Health. Men’s Health has great articles about fitness and diet with an upbeat and pro-health/anti-negative message. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Women’s Health does the same thing but is tailored to the specific concerns of women. It’s not just Men’s Health for Women. I love their recipes. Their articles are about lifestyle change and positive attitudes. You’ll be hard pressed to find a single negative word in each issue. And they’re full of REALLY PRACTICAL tips that you can actually use. In almost every issue there’s a 15-minute workout feature (or something like that) with an emphasis on correct form (a personal tweak of mine). It does a great job of covering everything – diet, health, beauty, fitness, sex, and relationships – and makes it feel like you’re talking to your best (smartest) girlfriends about it. It’s not gossipy, just educational. The recipes are great and you can also find workouts and workout playlists at their website (which is also awesome). Not only that, it manages to be ENTERTAINING. Loves it.

If you were only going to choose one of these magazines, I’d go with Women’s Health. Their most recent issue has quite a lot of yoga info in it and overall I think it translates better to general workouts.