Pinky and the Brain

Something strange happened today. Given my last post, it shouldn't come as a surprise at all!

At some point between going to bed last night at 10:00 and waking up at 6:40 this morning, I seem to have lost my mind. I'm not sure where it could have gone, but I'm pretty sure it's not under my skull.

Here's the evidence so far: 1) A week or two ago I was helping at a church service project sewing fleece hats. I had a bit of trouble with my machine to start off but after some re-threading of the bobbin it was smooth sailing, up until the last 10 minutes or so. For some reason my machine would not sew forward anymore; the needle would stop when it got to the top. If I turned the wheel backwards it was fine, but if I turned it forward, nothing. Great, new machine busted. so I called a local repair place this morning and they said to bring it on it. T and i hoped in the car and away we went. So the guy there is a genius. I had barely walked in, told him the problem and about 10 seconds after he set it on the counter, problem solved. The bobbin holder (for when you're winding thread on it) was in the locked position - hence why the needle would only go backwards. It was a cheap fix monetarily, but quite pricey for my pride. Oh well, at least I didn't have to dip into the bank account for that one.

2) After the sewing shop incident we headed out for a few groceries and a quick, albeit unnecessary, trip to Target. I know better than to shop on an empty stomach, but I think I had safely passed from an empty stomach to a never ending pit. I bought way more crap than I should of including ready to bake chocolate chip cookies, and 3 packs of the refrigerated jello puddings (they were on sale, and only 60 calories!!). The worst was in Target however, we stopped by the cafe on the way out since it was almost lunch and I downed the bread sticks. SO. GOOD. Pizza Hut bread sticks have to be the best, but I know I must check my brain at the door to eat those things.

3) This one is the kicker. It sealed the case of the missing brain. Mark is in New York today, well he should be there by now. He called me this morning from Boston and asked me about a few restaurants we had been to while we lived there. I told them what they were called and where they were. Then I got sad. I wanted to go eat there. It almost made me want to be back in New York. ALMOST. Until I remembered what the cost of rent was, and the loud neighbours, and the smells...and that I have a kid now and I would probably become a hermit if I lived in NYC with a kid. And Mark would have to make a LOT, and I mean a LOT, more money.

Maybe it's just because it's getting close to Christmas and the Rockettes touring show isn't coming to Minneapolis, and all that other holiday stuff. Christmas was really the only time I enjoyed NYC. But you've already heard that story.

So I guess for now I will live vicariously through Mark eating all that yummy food while T and I dine on pancakes this evening. Maybe next year I'll head out for a Christmas time visit and enjoy the holiday scenes. Until then, the Holidazzle parade will have to suffice, along with the snow, the cold and the warmth of my car, not the freezing subway platforms.

4) Still waiting on this one, but I am guessing it will happen some time around when dinner is being made. The pancake mix calls for water, but I'll dump vinegar in or something. Maybe I will forget to turn the stove on and stand there yelling at it for 10 minutes. Whatever it is, I have no doubt about it happening before bed.

So if anyone has any idea where my brain may have run off to, please feel free to let me know!

The Neverending Abyss

I'm at a loss for blogs. Nothing seems worthwhile to blog about. Or if it does, I've already blogged about it and no one wants to read me go off on my soapbox again (seriously, why does the fashion world insist on either size zeros or relegating "normal" sized women to plus size modeling?? Why not just have a lovely mixture of models of all sizes? It would be so much easier and so much more realistic.) Ok, I am done with that rant.

Other than my above mini rant....I am really at a loss. I could continue with odes to family members when I am having a mental block, but I'm not sure any of my family want their mugs up on my blog and the embarrassing stories that accompany them...oh the day the dog ran over my sister will forever live on in my mind, complete with a running laugh track. Still makes me laugh every time.

Perhaps my brain has finally given up on me now that it gets zero to no exercise anymore. Well, if you can call TV exercise, then it does get some. Someone in my family recently asked me what I wanted for Christmas, specifically if there were any books I wanted, and I sat there blankly, trying to think and all that went through my head was "books...books...books..." followed by a very loud silence. I don't even know the last book I read. Well, I do, but I think it's the only book I've read all year and it took me much longer than it should have for me to finish it, and I didn't care for it that much in the end.

Maybe I need to have some political debates with Mark, if only to get my brain going again. But who wants to read about my political thoughts?? If any of my readers are like Mark, than no one wants to hear/read/see them. Thank goodness for Entertainment Weekly and W...I can at least blog about celebrity crap and the absurd prices of designer clothing (oh if only I could afford them).

Oh well, at least the last post has been pushed down from immediate viewing.

Falling Off the Wagon...And I Can't Get Up

So last year I decided to begin my get healthier kick about this time of year...well I think it was a few weeks before Thanksgiving. Crazy time to start, right? I don't know what it is about this time of year, but here it is almost November and I am starting to think about it again. I've done pretty well this year. Like anything else in my life, I kind of go through cycles. I do really well at it for weeks at a time, and then not so well for weeks at a time. Usually the not-so-hot periods last longer than the stick-to-it periods. I've decided to torture myself again, but with a bit of a Halloween reprieve. I don't usually go all crazy and rule out all sweets, sugar, junk etc., but I do try to limit them and amp up the exercise. Which for me means more about setting aside time to exercise, not just running around after T (which can take up most of the day some times!), and not so much limiting the junk. However if I know it's Thanksgiving and there will be pies and treats, then I'll make sure the day before I eat well and so on and so forth. Now we're not going for marathon results here or Biggest Loser poundage (although I really think if they'd let me on the show and stay for a week, maybe 2, I could reach my goal and they could kick me off), but small steps...sometimes they're the hardest!

The hardest thing might be getting Mark to jump on board with me. This coming month is pretty busy work wise for him, and he's going to be travelling almost 2 weeks out of the month and that's no good for trying to eat healthy, or exercising, right? We'll see. If I only give him broccoli and steamed chicken to eat at home, maybe we can offset the trips to Carl's Jr., Denny's and the sort, while he travels.

Anyway, I've never been very good at dieting, I don't have a strong willpower about it and when it comes right down to it, I'm pretty lazy, but we'll give it a shot. I think the most weight I've ever lost was during my third trimester, go figure!

I guess this means I need to cram all the junk down my gullet this weekend before I hit the grocery store for all things defined healthy. Any one have any great snack ideas for me? Ones that let you have a good quantity as well as taste? More so, ones that actually fill you up?

We'll see how this goes, exercising might be the trickiest thing to work in to the schedule when you have a husband who travels, works late and a 17 month old (and a gym membership to a place without childcare). Maybe I can force myself back on the treadmill downstairs and work off season two of Lost. I made it through season 1 last time I was on a positive roll...I just have to get back on the wagon. Keep your fingers crossed.

Be Careful What You Wish For...or Ask For

In a seemingly neverending blog-drought, I put out a request for blog topics. While I only did this a short time before writing this blog, I got an idea I couldn't pass up. Okay, so it's probably not exactly what the suggester had in mind, but it's my blog, my idea!!

This is for my niece Janna. I wish I had all of my pictures scanned into my computer because I would have some great pictures of her! But alas, I only have some from the last few years.

I was 13 when Janna was born, she makes me feel old daily as she is now a University student; I used to babysit her!! Now I think she might actually be a little bit taller than I am.

She wants to be an anthropologist and loves all things Egypt (well she did last time I saw her, maybe it's changed now). She loves Chancers (our old Chocolate Lab that my parents adopted when we moved to NYC). She has been a vegetarian of sorts for most of her life. One of the funniest things I remember about her was one Sunday night, everyone was over for dinner, we were having some sort of beef product that Janna didn't want to eat. This was at the very beginning of her no meat days so she was around 10. I asked her if she would just take one bite and if she didn't like it, she didn't have to eat it. She screwed up her face, looked right at me and said, "Auntie Mel, how would you like it if I cut out your eyeball and ate it??" Oh, it still makes me laugh today. I don't get to see her a lot anymore since I have moved away from home, but every now and again she will type me a hello on Facebook..she used to think I was cool once upon a time. She wanted this blog to be about how she is the awesomest niece ever, and she would be...if she were my only niece! But she is the most awesome 18 (almost 19) year old nice I have. Although, once she sees this and the pictures that follow, she'll probably hate me (just be glad I don't have your baby pictures on here!!).

Many moons ago, one Christmas Eve (she's the tallest one).

Being a sullen faced teenager.

She has the cutest, best smile of anyone I know!

Showing off her moves in the dance recital.

Growing up so fast!!

Being silly...she is the best silly girl ever!

Reading to her cousin...T sure loves Janna! She can't wait to see her at Christmas time!

Janna, you know I love you and you are awesome!! You'll always be my favourite, awesomest, oldest niece I have! And don't worry, I won't tell Auntie Lisa that I am your favourite Aunt!

You better be home a lot when we come up for Christmas Janna Banana! None of this hanging out with your boyfriend instead! Love you!!

Power of the People

Anyone watched Flash Forward? I have the first three episodes on my DVR and I want to know if they are worth an investment of my time, or if I should just delete them?

Are there any new shows out there that you are loving that I should know about (other than Glee since that has a series recording already set)?