A shout out for Recipes!!!!! AND a Husband Tag

First of all I hope that you have all been having a Merry Christmas! We sure have. Once again I have camera troubles--I forgot to bring the cable to upload my pics onto the laptop. So you'll just have to hold your horses and wait for pictures. ;)

Second of all: We are starting an EASY recipe blog. The easier the better, although I will personally be adding a few that are "moderately easy"......eventually. One of my personal New Year's Resolutions is to get the family eating healthier. But that won't happen unless the meals are easy. :) I'm talking EASY--like "five to ten minutes and I'm all done recipes". Or even "five to ten minute prep and then I can walk away while it cooks" recipes. We will accept easy dessert recipes too, after all, what is life without dessert??? If you would like to glean from the blog feel free to do so! Click HERE. It is just getting started, and we need recipes! Please leave me a comment and let me know if you would like to contribute.

Third of all: Just a quick update on what the kids are doing. William started pretending that he was a cat, a cow, a horse, and a sheep today. He got down on his hands and knees and said the animal's sound. That was cute. :) I made some rice as part of dinner tonight (it was easy, tasty, and fast---Uncle Ben's). Ellie didn't like the rice, however. I offered her a bite and she said something like, "I don't want any. It's too expensive." I thought that was funny. She knows that expensive="not good". I also like how when I ask her if she likes an idea I have, such as, "Ellie let's eat and then we'll read a story. How would that be?" And she responds, "Perfect."

Last of all (but not least), Lori (Nate's cousin and our friend :) tagged me. So here goes:

Husband Tag:

1) Where did you meet? A better question would be: "Where didn't you meet?" I first saw Nate in our Eastern View, English class. I was looking over the class for "marriage material" and I saw Nate. Although I thought he was a farmer (because he was wearing plaid), he was the only one who fit the basic requirements for "marriage material" :). I saw him next in my astronomy class and I thought to myself, "Is that the same kid??" I thought that I would wait until English the next time to make sure it was him, and it was. Then I had this feeling that I should talk to him--it was actually a Spiritual feeling. And so I worked up the courage and did it. It turned out well. :) I always have felt pretty comfortable with Nate. Like he was a long lost old friend. Then I saw him in my ward family home evening group. This was really surprising because he didn't even go to our ward. He went home on weekends, but he lived in the same house as the guys in our FHE group. I think I said something to the effect of, "It's you again!" or "You're everywhere!" when I first saw him at FHE. Then for Astronomy we had a lab. I was hoping that Nate was taking the lab portion of the class also, and that he would carpool with me. I liked him, but I also get lost easily and I didn't want to be lost alone. :) I was relieved when I asked him and that he seemed fine with the idea. So to finally get to the point: We meet all over the place. I think Someone was trying to tell me something.

2)Our first date: Was lunch at Godfather's pizza. We had hung out a lot and my friend Sheri kept asking me, "When is he going to ask you on a DATE!?!?!" And so finally we went to one at Godfathers. We still love their buffet. :)

3)How long did you date before your were married? We "officially" dated for five to six months before Nate asked me to marry him the first time. (I thought I was ready for the question but I wasn't and he gave me more time :). Then we started looking at rings online a few months later. And he asked me again at the end of October I think. (I wasn't paying attention to time and place back then ;) Then we were married in March. We had known each other for over a year before we got married.

4)How long have you been hitched for? Five years on March 6, 2009.

5)Favorite feature: He has too many. I would have to say personality, although he is rather dashing....

6)Favorite quality: He is very kind and gentle.

7)His nickname for me: Mer.

8)His favorite color: RED.

9)His favorite sport: PING PONG. He LOVES ping pong. Basketball is a close second. Ah the time he devotes to those two things......

10)Who said I love you first: I'm pretty sure he did.

11)When and where was your first kiss: Under a flowering plum tree in front of the house he was living in, in Cedar. It was just beginning to blossom I think. Neither of us had been kissed, so it was interesting. :) We have only kissed each other.

12)Favorite couple thing to do: Go out to eat at interesting, but affordable places. Curled up together reading a book. Talking together. Playing parchisi.

13)Hidden talent: Some of you probably know this, but I'm sure some of you don't: Nate is really good at playing the guitar and writing his own music. I love to listen to him play the guitar---that should also be listed under question 12. Nate is also really good with kids. One of the best Sharing Times EVER was a puppet show put on by Nate.

14) His favorite music: INSTRUMENTAL GUITAR! His most favorite artist has been previously mentioned: Joe Satriani.

15) What I admire most about him: He is patient and loving. He always sees my positive traits. He has faith in my continuing growth.

16)His favorite pastimes: PING PONG, listening to music, fantasy basketball, playing basketball, and watching basketball. AND, of course, hanging out with me and the kids. :)

17)Will he read this. Yep. I'm sure I'll show him and look to see how he reacts. :)

18) I tag whoever has been itching to fill it out since reading my most intriguing answers. :D

Lawsuit

You know that Coldplay song, Viva la Vida? My favorite musician--Joe Satriani--is suing Coldplay for plagiarizing it. It's funny because most of you know Coldplay and have never heard of Joe Satriani. I've own pretty much everything in Satriani's catalogue, including the song in question If I Could Fly. I honestly don't think I had even heard the Coldplay song until I saw a youtube video accusing them of copying it.

Joe says he wants to preserve the integrity of his art, and protect something he holds dear. He tried every alternative to a lawsuit, but Coldplay didn't want to talk about it. After the lawsuit was filed, Coldplay decided to say something. Here is their public statement:
"With the greatest possible respect to Joe Satriani, we have now unfortunately found it necessary to respond publicly to his allegations. If there are any similarities between our two pieces of music, they are entirely coincidental, and just as surprising to us as to him. Joe Satriani is a great musician, but he did not write or have any influence on the song Viva La Vida. We respectfully ask him to accept our assurances of this and wish him well with all future endeavours. Coldplay."

I think the suit will either end in a settlement or Joe will win. The songs are just too similar. Joe is a musical mastermind. He would not have brought the suit if he didn't think he would win it. Did Coldplay really copy Joe's song? I don't know. Youtube is full of videos arguing the point back and forth.

Here's what's really weird. Earlier this year, some unknown band posted a video accusing Coldplay of stealing Viva la Vida from them. Their video immediately smelled like a hoax to me (don't ask me what a hoax smells like). It just seemed like that band was trying to get their moment of fame by pretending to have written a hit song. The court basically agreed with me as their suit was thrown out for a failure to prove their allegations. Anyway, here are some videos:

Music Theory Analysis
(Part Two)
Song Samples
A Lawyer and Musicologist Weigh In

Bedtime for Bozos

So, we were all pretty dang tired by the time we went to bed last night. Meridy was trying to put William to bed, but soon he wandered out of the room and came and said "hi" to me. Then he went and played with some toy. After a few minutes a tired, groggy Meridy came out and angrily plopped down on a chair next to me. "He didn't headbutt you. He was supposed to come headbutt you." Apparently Will had been headbutting her, so she told him to go headbutt Daddy. I guess he hasn't learned the word "headbutt" yet. Lucky for me.

Then I plopped down on the couch to read some scriptures. I was having a hard time keeping my head up and focusing on the words. When I finally managed to read a couple verses, this is what I was told, and yes, it came to me as direct instructions from heaven above:
I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which
I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time.
Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have
said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your
minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again.

"Look Kid, you can't handle this right now. Go to sleep and come back tomorrow."

What do Lincoln Hawk and I have in common?

Over the Top
This was the best video that came up when I typed in "finals" on youtube. Yah, it pretty much sums up how I feel now. I took my last final of the semester at 6:00 tonight. Who's up for some holidays?

Happy, Happy Brithday Ellie Dear!!

Today is Ellie's birthday (Dec 11). Nate has two finals today and was gone all day. So we had a birthday party for her on Tuesday.

I blew up most of a balloon package and had them hanging out on the floor. I let the kids play with those for awhile. Nate stuck half of them to the ceiling. Then we played Duck, Duck, Goose. Ellie was excited for that game but when we actually started playing, Ellie decided that she didn't like the chasing part of the game. She thought it was fun to watch everyone else run, but she didn't want to run herself.

Then we played Hide and Seek. Everyone loved that game. I hid behind the bathroom door and it took them forever to find me. I found this hilarious at the time.

Nate hid under our desk and all the kids found him at once.


Then we played this crazy game that Nate made up. We all sat in a row and covered our faces. Then when our feet were touched we revealed our silly face and got our picture taken.

After that we played that game were one person draws the head, folds it over to hide the drawing, and then passes it on to the next, person to draw the body. Then you pass it on again and the last person draws the legs and feet. Here are some of the results:


Then Ellie opened a present from Nate and I. We gave her a Cinderella and a Belle doll. They are small and have rubber dresses they dress up in. It was fun to give her a toy that I would have enjoyed as a child. (She opened presents from Abigail and Annjilla when they arrived, but we neglected to take pictures of it. Sorry! But thank you for your gifts! We will enjoy them. And Cheryl, thanks for the card you sent! Ellie is excited to get an Ariel doll to go with Cinderella and Belle with what you sent her. ;))


Ellie wanted a strawberry cake. "Oh great." I thought. "How am I going to do that?" I decided to make two white round cakes and to do a layer of frosting and strawberry jam in the middle and then frosting on the top of course. I made the same kind of cream cheese frosting I make for cinnamon rolls. Therefore it was a little bit runny so I stuck it in the freezer for a few minutes and then in the fridge. Ellie wanted one strawberry on top. She ended up liking all of the little strawberry slices that I put on top. It wasn't until after I made it that I realized, duh!, I made a strawberry shortcake. ;) I was glad that it turned out so well for a first attempt.

We've had a fun time! Thanks everyone!

Hick Town at Home

So pretty much I feel like we are bringing home some "hick town" to our Las Vegas condo.......

As many of you know we have a very old TV. Some of you have gently told me it has passed it's allotted time here on this earth. This TV is perhaps the equivalent of 128.3 in people years. But hey, it's still going on pretty well for how old it is! Well, we have a some generous friends and family who have each offered us their old TVs. Their TVs may be old, but they are far newer than ours. :) We appreciate this. We just haven't gotten around to actually bring their offers into fruition. In fact, we ended up trying to bring my brother and sister in law's TV home with us, but it wouldn't fit in our car. What we did end up with was an extra TV that Cheryl had kicking around her attic above the garage. It fit in our car and we thought it might at least work better than the one that we have at the moment. We haven't actually decided yet, if that is the case. What I'm actually wondering is this: maybe it's the VCR that is causing some of the problems on the TV screen as well as the TV itself. The DVD might be broken as well. We can't get it to work on the old or new(ish) TV. I don't know for sure though about the new TV, because I can't turn it to channel three to test my hypothesis. I haven't been able to program the remote yet with all of these kids and projects about. Someday I may get it to channel three. This is starting to turn into a rambling sob story...ANWAY. We now have two very old TVs. The kids have been using the older one as a bench.

Well, I came home last night to Nate reading the kids a story with a backwoods accent. He claims he was doing this because he has a cold and it is easier to talk in a deep voice with a "hick" accent. Not only is he reading this book with a hick accent, the old TV is on the floor turned on and tuned in to static. He said that he couldn't get the new TV to work with the VCR anymore and he was trying to get it to work again on the old one. It wasn't happening. Let me just say, technical genious that I am, I was able to get it to work on the old TV on the floor. With all of this going on at once, I felt that I had brought a piece of hick town home with us. So pretty much, we now have two very old TVs. The one on the TV stand is turned off. And the old one on the floor, next to the stand, is the one we use.

Then later on last night we put on Spot or some similar show for Will. He was so excited. He grabbed is blanky, shouted "YAY!", and sat right up to the TV, with his nose two inches from the screen.

(NOW LET IT BE KNOWN: I love our little "hick" towns. I'm glad we have the opportunity to visit them often. We mean this term "hick" in a non-offensive and loving way. As Kermit the Frog says on Muppet Treasure Island, to the tribal boars, "We mean no harm to your culture. We embrace all creatures of differing nationalities...." Then the boar yells, "Silence!!" And they proceed with their elaborate introduction of Miss Piggy. Ah, what a great show....if I had it on tape, I might be watching it with the kids on the floor.)

Anecdotes and Thoughts

Just thought you would all like to know that Cheryl's candied yams are delicious! This is not an actual picture of hers, but they depict the same kind that she makes. (Unfortunately I left my camera with the picture of Cheryl's candied yams that I planned on posting at my mom's house. So there won't be any pictures coming for awhile.) I love those toasty marshmallows on the top! Thanks Cheryl (and everyone else who helped) for a very lovely all around Thanksgiving dinner! Thanks to both sides of the family for sharing a happy Thanksgiving with us! We enjoyed it greatly.

A few random anecdotes and thoughts:

Ellie asked me what her shirt said the other day. I told her that it stated, "Little Friends." The shirt depicts two birds on the same branch. She pointed to them and said something like, "Just like me and William." I was so happy that she thinks of Will as her friend, and told her so. Then she said something close to, "And just like mommy is my friend. And daddy is my friend." I promptly agreed with that. Then I thought to myself, "Wait a second.." I'm starting to think that Ellie thinks of us less as parental figures and more as these advisors who tell her what she should do, but in the end she'll do what she wants anyway. :) I might should start working on this.....

I learned a few days ago that one should not wear a black shirt when one's son has a cold. Not a pretty sight....

I learned in the past couple days that God is good (once again :)) and cares about me personally. I feel loved when He puts happy things/postive outlook reminders/humor in my way to help me overcome some saddness.

I learned (once again on this one also ;)) that I have a great husband who is encouraging, and who can be very thoughtful. Thanks Nate!

I'm remembering that Christmas Spirit doesn't always just seize you this time of year. Sometimes you have to foster it yourself, and take action.

Final Mayhem

Ooh.
That post title sounds like a cool video game. It was not a cool real life drama. I guess it didn't end up causing me any real grief, but it sure wasn't fun at the time.
What am I going on about? I had a Gift and Estate Tax final exam yesterday. It was a three hour final, and 2 hours into it the fire alarm started blaring. We were in there by ourselves, and we didn't really want to abandon our stuff. I was wishing I had grabbed some earplugs (they pass them out before the exam in case the typing gets too noisy for you) because the alarm really started to hurt my ears. Eventually they made us all leave the building. A fire engine even pulled up with firefighters in all their gear and glory. They let us back in within ten minutes of the fire engine's arrival.
I had to write the rest of my exam by hand because I saved my exam and exited the program before leaving my computer. Writing by hand was crappy.
Um...I guess that's my post...any questions?
ok then,
the end.

Candied Yams

Ah! Tis almost Thanksgiving. I've always admired Abraham Lincoln for setting aside a day dedicated to honoring Pilgrims, Native Americans, their sacrifices, and their belief in God (or maybe in some cases a belief in a Higher Power). A day set aside to give thanks to God for our blessings is even more necessary in today's world and I hope it sticks around for a long time. However, not to diminish what I just said, but the biggest reason (other than visiting with family) why I look forward to Thanksgiving is....{drum roll}.....candied yams!!!! Why, you ask? Simply, because they are delicious. When you think about it, giving thanks to God is so important, it is something we are supposed to do everyday. It's a commandment. But there is only one day a year (and a few days after, taking leftovers into account) that we can have CANDIED YAMS, and that is Thanksgiving.

Now, "I kinda got the picture that some people aren't that interested in [candied yams] ({cough}NathanMomDad{cough}). I don't know why. It's not my place to judge." (Name that [altered] movie quote.) Fortunately for me, however, I have a talented, kind, giving, and beautiful mother-in-law who makes yams---that are candied!!! And they are delicious! And we are eating Thanksgiving dinner at her house!!!!! (We get to visit my family too. :) And I still love them even thought they don't have candied yams.)

Hawaiian punch

Remember those commercials?

This is the one I remember...

This is one I stumbled upon...

Commercials aside, I really like Hawaiian punch. I bring this up because I was drinking some tropical type Tampico. It's not as good as Hawaiian Punch. I reflected that I haven't had a Hawaiian punch in a while. Has the product fallen off the map? Fortunately not, at least not according to the official website.

I would warn you, in parting, to beware little cartoon characters offering to punch you, but I think we're all onto Punchy's little trick by now.

An Anouncement

I have decided to start a political blog. The purpose of this is to keep everything that is political or very controversial OFF of this blog. We don't want any of you innocent bystanders getting hurt in the tides of political backlash. So therefore I've created a place where my political tirades are welcome, sassy, and even entertaining!

If you choose to be so entertained, please visit our politically fun blog: and this blog is open for anyone(even if I don't know them) the opportunity (if I agree with them, j/k!) to make comments on my political blog. So please, if you think your friends or family would like this blog please let them know about it

You all thought I was pregnant didn't you? Gotcha ya! I'll let you know the next time that happens.

Complicated

I just recently took this female icon personality quiz (click here if any of you girls want to take it) that my friend Kaarina posted on her blog. It fit her really well so I thought that I would try it. Well for only being two questions, it's really good. My problem was that I could have answered both questions one of two ways, therefore leaving four possibilities. So now it is the time you've all been waiting for, the revealing of which female icons I am. Drum roll please.......

I am a cross between Marilyn Monroe/Ingrid Bergman(?)/Jackie Kennedy/Grace Kelly.

So what I actually did is, look at each profile and then developed my own personalized personality read out by gathering the information about each person that is applicable to me. Here it is for those of you interested in reading it:

Meridy's Personality
A cross between Marilyn/Ingrid/Jakie/Grace

How to get along with me:
(Marilyn):
Be direct and clear (This is not always important, but very important in stressful situations.)
Listen to me carefully
Work things through for me
Reassure me that everything is okay between us
Laugh and make jokes with me
Try not to overreact to my overreacting

(Ingrid):
Be a supportive friend or partner. Help me learn to love and value myself.

(Jackie):
Take your share of the responsibility so I don't end up with all the work. (I probably would never tell you this directly, but it's how I feel inside.)
I'm hard on myself. Reassure me that I'm fine the way I am.
Tell me that you value my advice.
Be fair and considerate.
Gently encourage me to lighten up and to laugh at myself when I get uptight, but listen to my worries first.

(Grace):
I need time alone to process my feelings (I don't always have to be alone, so just wait around while I work through it out loud to you. Sorry, it might be a long conversation.)
Remember that if I seem aloof, distant, or arrogant, it is probably because I am feeling uncomfortable. (So true--but more so when I was younger.)
If I become irritated when I have to repeat things, it may be because it was such an effort to get my thoughts out in the first place. (So true. Ask Nate.)
Help me to avoid my pet peeves: overdone emotions (even my own emotions) and intrusions on my privacy. (pet peeves is a strong way to say it, but I don't like those things.)

What I like about me:
(Marilyn):
Being committed and faithful to family and friends.
Being responsible and hard working. (I'm not always hardworking, but I value it when I am.)
Being compassionate towards others. (I hope I am).
Having intellect and wit (I value it in others; I wish I was more witty)
Being a nonconformist (I think I am only somewhat nonconformist but I value that small part of me.)
Being direct and assertive (When I actually can be direct and assertive, I feel good about me as long as I don't feel like I was a jerk by being direct and assertive.)
Confronting danger bravely (Well not all the time, but I am very brave in certain situations. This is definitely another one of those things that I value in other people.)

(Ingrid):
My ability to find meaning in life and to experience feeling at a deep level (This is more touch and go, but I appreciate it when it happens to me.)
My ability to establish warm connections with people.
Admiring what is noble, truthful, and beautiful in life.
My creativity.
Being able to easily pick up the feelings of people around me. (I hope that's true).
Having aesthetic sensibilities

(Jackie):
Having high standards and ethics; not compromising myself.
Being reasonable, responsible, and dedicated in everything I do.
Being able to put facts together, coming to good understandings, and figuring out wise solutions. (Sometimes it takes awhile).

(Grace):
Coming to a thorough understanding; perceiving causes and effects. (Again, sometimes it takes awhile).
My sense of integrity; doing what is right and not being influenced by social pressure. (In general. I have been influenced by social pressure before ;)

What's hard about being me:
(Marilyn)
The constant push and pull involved in making up my mind. (Amen, and amen.)
Procrastinating because of fear of failure; having little confidence in myself. (Again, amen.)
Fearing being abandoned or taken advantage of. (I was smart, I made sure I married someone who wouldn't abandon me ;)
Exhausting myself by worrying and scanning of danger. (Bullseye)
Wishing I had a rule book so that I could do everything right.
Being too critical of myself when I haven't lived up to my expectations.

(Ingrid):
Feeling guilty when I disappoint people.
Fearing being abandoned.
Feeling dark moods of despair. (Sounds dramatic, but I do tend to jump to the worst case scenario. I hate it. Nate has to help me get back on track.)
Obsessing over resentments (I used to be more this way. I try very hard NOT to resent people. When it happens, I do obsess, but I try really hard to stop myself. It just feels so immoral of me to be resentful. I do worry that people resent me. However, now I just choose not to be resentful and can turn it off faster.)

(Jakie):
Feeling disappointed with myself or others when my expectations are not met.
Feeling burdened by too much responsibility. (Sometimes I take a lot on and them am not able to finish everything on time.)
Thinking that what I do is never good enough. (Not all the time.)
Not being appreciated. (Only if I worked really hard on something, then I want you to appreciate it a lot. I don't always work hard on things, and then I don't care so much what you think.)
Obsessing about what I did or should do. (I'm getting better at turning this one off as well, but still have a tendency to do it.)
Being tense, anxious, and taking things too seriously. (Yes I do.)

(Grace):
Being slow to put my knowledge and insights to the world. (Amen.)
Feeling bad when I act defensive or like a know-it-all.

As a child:
(Marilyn):
Anxious and hyper-vigilant; anticipate danger.
Look to groups or authorities to protect them and/or question authority and rebel (I did look to authority figures a lot as a child. Actually, I've gotten more rebellious as I've gotten older. The trick is that I don't really rebel in general. I only feel like rebelling. I would rebel if it was important morally.)

(Ingrid):
Have active imaginations: play creatively alone or organize playmates in original games. (Amen)
Are very sensitive (So true.)
Feel that they don't fit in. (Often I did feel this way.)
Believe they are missing something other people have.(Often. Not really material things, but intangible things.)
Attach themselves to idealized teachers, heroes, artists, ect.
Feel lonely. (Mostly this happened during episodes of not fitting in at school. I felt good with family and friends that I did have.)
(Jackie):
Criticize themselves in anticipation of criticism of others. (Oh, yes.)
Refrain from things they might not do perfect. (Only if a grade wasn't in jeopardy.)
Focus on living up to the expectations of their parents and teachers. (Yep.)
Are very responsible; may assume the role of parent (First child syndrome, which I am.)
Hold back negative emotions (I try. I don't like negative emotions.)

(Grace):
Have a few special friends.
Are very bright and curious and do well in school.
Are sensitive; avoid interpersonal conflict.
Feel intruded upon and controlled. (Sometimes.)

As a parent:
(Marilyn):
Are often loving, nurturing, and have a strong sense of duty. (I don't always act on my strong sense of duty. Maybe it's better to say I have a strong sense of duty about a few things when it comes to parenting and I can stand up for those things. Such as not letting my kids run out into the street or saying mean things to each other—It's my duty to teach those to my kids for example.)
Sometimes have trouble saying no and setting boundaries. (Pretty much...)

(Ingrid):Help their children become who they really are.
Support their children's creativity and originality
Are good at helping kids get in touch with their feelings (I hope I am. I think this is really important. I am sensitive to it I think, because I have a hard time working through my own feelings. I want my kids to be good at it.)
Are usually very good with children if not too self-absorbed.

(Jackie):Teach their children responsibility and strong moral values. (That's the goal. I hope we start doing better on that—the responsibility part.)
Are consistent and fair.

(Grace):Kind, perceptive, and devoted. (Mostly I hope.)

Nevermind

I was reading further into the Counselor description when I came upon this paragraph:

Counselors are scarce, little more than one percent of the population, and can be hard to get to know, since they tend not to share their innermost thoughts or their powerful emotional reactions except with their loved ones. They are highly private people, with an unusually rich, complicated inner life. Friends or colleagues who have known them for years may find sides emerging which come as a surprise. Not that Counselors are flighty or scattered; they value their integrity a great deal, but they have mysterious, intricately woven personalities which sometimes puzzle even them.

So, maybe I am a Counselor. Actually, some of the Counselor traits make more sense of my Color Code combination.

Meridy also added a great post right below this one. Check it out.

Nate's Birthday and Waffles

As you should all know by now Nate just happily celebrated his "30th birthday". That's been Nate's favorite joke since he turned 26. "Why, I'm practically 30!" (He just turned 27.)

To celebrate, Garry and Sheri watched our kids, and we had a candle light dinner at home. For our main dish we ate some Bertolli pasta. It is so yummy! You buy it at the store frozen, and you heat it in a skillet for ten minutes and the meat and vegetables come out perfect. It's amazing. We had one with steak, mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes. The sauce on this one wasn't my favorite, but everything still came out the perfect texture. We also got some frozen appetizers that turned out yummy; some spinach puff things, and some coconut curry spring rolls. And of course we had Martinelli's. We actually had the Smith's brand on sale instead of the actual Martinelli's brand, but it was still delicious.
I took this next picture on the firework setting and it had this unexpected effect. I thought it looked cool so I posted it.
Nate didn't want cake, he wanted to blow out is candle stuck in a block of ice cream! So we sang happy birthday to him after we picked up the kids. He had already received his birthday present a long time ago (ping pong paddle rubber) so I didn't have a present for him to open. Ellie wanted to give him a present to open so bad, so we found Halloween candy and various items around the house at put them into bags for him to open. Nate was a good sport and played along.
On an unrelated, side note we actually made waffles on a waffle machine about a week ago. Just thought you would all like to record this in history.

Multiple Personality Disorder

Meridy and I love personality tests. In fact Meridy is about to post about one. In the personality tests I've taken recently I'm getting strange results. I'm not coming out the way I used to, and I don't tend to agree with my profiles. Two examples:

I think of myself as more of a Blue on this test, but the instructions say to answer the questions based on how I behaved as a child. When I answer that way I come out Red. Meridy and I were wondering about it, and she suggested that I might be a Red whose power play was to adopt the goals of a Blue. That's weird.

I used to test consistently as an Idealist Healer on this test, but tonight I came out as an Idealist Counselor. The difference between a Healer and a Counselor is that a Counselor is scheduled; whereas, a Healer is probing. I have never been good with schedules, but in recent times I have really tried to learn to make and follow plans, and set and achieve goals. So maybe I'm changing, but then I didn't agree with the description of a Counselor--at least not most of it.

Sometimes I say to myself, "I don't know you anymore."

Hand in the shadows

I really like this poem. I'm feeling especially grateful and comforted tonight knowing that God is in control, and that he loves me.

Meciendo

por Gabriela Mistral of Chile (Desolación -1922)

A poem in Spanish, recited by and translated by Patricia Cummings

Meciendo

El mar sus millares de olas
mece divino
Oyendo a los mares amantes
mezo a mi niño.

El viento errabundo en la noche
mece los trigos
Oyendo a los vientos amantes
mezo a mi niño.

Dios Padre sus miles de mundos
mece sin ruido.
Sintiendo su mano en la sombra
mezo a mi niño.

---

Rocking

by Gabriela Mistral, post modernist Latin American poet

translated by Pat Cummings

The sea, her thousands of waves
rock divinely.
Hearing the loving seas
I rock my child.

The wandering wind in the night
rocks the wheat.
Hearing the loving winds
I rock my child.

Father God, your thousands of worlds
rock without sound.
Feeling your hand in the shadows
I rock my child.

Halloween SURPRISE!

We have had such a good Halloween season!! We went to two trunk-or-treats. At the first trunk or treat Ellie was......Super Kitty!!!! That's a dead fish on the back of her costume with an "x" for the eye. (I sewed it myself.) Yeah, Nate didn't get it either, but it makes more sense when you know that Will was....

Super Monkey!!! I had left over material and I wanted to make Will a cape. I thought it would be fun to coordinate it with the monkey costume Deborah gave me (thanks Deborah!)

For the next trunk or treat Ellie was....
Tinker Bell. Ellie was originally going to be a bumble bee again. But when we were at Toys R Us , Ellie just had to have this Tinker Bell costume. I broke down and bought it for her because I was Tinker Bell one Halloween when I was little. And it was cheap for what it was. (We used yellow wings instead of the ones it came with.) Anyway....then she wanted to be Super Kitty after she found out William was going to be Super Monkey. I was a little bit upset, yet another costume to find, purchase, and then purchase more stuff to make it wearable. But I found a kitty costume on the cheap and still had left over cape material. And William was.....

Super Monkey again.....


Sheri and her family came trunk-or-treating with us (the first trunk-or-treat mentioned was actually Sheri's trunk-or-treat). We all had a good time. We even won a cake at the cake walk!

And now, here is where the Surprise comes in for all of you patient readers. We figured out last minute that Nate had school off because Halloween and Nevada day were the same day. So we made a last minute trip to Utah. We decided to surprise my mom and trick-or-treat at her house Halloween night. We got to the door that evening and my brothers answered. I told them to get Mom. They didn't spill the beans; they just told her to come to the door. Good job guys! As my mom came to the door, she looked out the window for our car (she told me this after), hoping against hope that it was us. Well she was disappointed because our car was not there! We sneakily parked it down the street. When she found out it was us, she was completely SURPRISED:
She was so happy that I almost cried! It was so fun. We went trick-or-treating in my old neighborhood. It was very nostalgic. Ellie was a....


Bumble Bee!! I wanted her to wear all of the costume put together with those wings and the hair, because we hadn't got it that cute in years before. I'm happy she went along with me. Will was....


You guessed it, Super Monkey, again. Saving the world one banana at a time. I'm glad that he didn't feel cheated for having the same costume...hopefully next year will be more simple for Ellie's costumes. I really hope I don't end up buying more...

We had so much fun in Utah with both sides of our family! Thanks for making it such a fun trip. And here are more pictures if you aren't sick of them by now ;)

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Pretty much....Ben Stein is right on the money.

I finally was able to watch the movie Expelled, put together by Ben Stein. It is powerful. I greatly admire Ben Stein for standing up for what he believes in through this documentary even though he will be persecuted for it.

In the movie, Ben interviews scientists who have lost their jobs (some have even been blacklisted) for merely suggesting that the origin of species may have come about through Intelligent Design (ID). Many of these dogmatic evolutionists are atheist and think ID immediately means that we are talking about Creationism (which isn't always the case) and talking about God is unintelligent and a waste of time. (In fact, any explanation, even aliens, is somewhat acceptable to them--just not God. I ask you: is this intelligent??) Ben says he thought science was all about asking questions. ANY question. He points out the oppression by modern day evolutionists who want to tell us what and how to think. It turns out this not just about science, this is about freedom. I totally support Ben in promoting freedom of speech and freedom to study REAL science again. If scientists were allowed (how sad that they have to be "allowed") to take things from a different point of view, we could gain more knowledge and help more people fight diseases and solve problems. Why can't we ask? Why are we being told what to think?? I thought science was all about thinking outside the box. Evolutionists only want us to think inside their box. They don't like the idea of their imperfect theory being challenged. Why are they afraid of the challenge?? Why are we giving these "men in high places" so much power?

If you feel so inclined check out the movie at REDBOX for only a dollar! Ben also shares a website: click here. Sign the petition if you feel so inclined. ;)

ALSO, check out this video about Traditional Marriage. (see below). It is awesome! Very FAIR and very clear. AND our friend Danny Frost wrote a great essay on the same subject: click here.

For all of my sewing enthusiasts out there....

Check out this dress!! (The link is at the end of the post). This is a Halloween Costume. Can you believe it!?!? This is a quote from Kathleen's blogpost about it: "With all the man hours I put into the gown itself, not withstanding the fabric, I would say this gown is worth $500....if my time was worth $15 an hour." And get this: She is giving it away. I don't think I could be that generous if I had put in the time. You can enter to win until this Friday, the 24th.

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

And I thought that I would never make this BLUNDER...

Okay, so in the somewhat recent past I had an occasion to meet with a bunch of friends. It was under very joyous circumstances. I was in an overly good mood and then I made a really STUPID mistake. I asked a friend if his beautiful wife (fortunately she wasn't around at the time) was pregnant........

She was not.

OH! how I wanted to crawl up in a hole and DIE!!!! OH! how I told myself I would never do this!!! She didn't even really look pregnant. I was just too happy and too thoughtless....actually the thought of, "Why not ask? Everyone is getting pregnant! What a happy world!" came across my mind. BAD, Bad, bad.

So then, I was blog surfing last night and found their blog!! All those guilty feelings came rushing back. Does anyone have a wall that I can beat my head against, and chant STUPID, Stupid, stupid???? I'm afraid to even show my face on their blog......

So once again I rededicate myself to my maxim: Never ask unless she looks like she is having her baby TOMMOROW. And even then, pray and ponder about asking if she is pregnant.

Even More Quirks--just when you thought that Meridy girl couldn't get any quirkier

Rachey tagged me. She finished my quirky tag, and then got tagged again, and filled it out. I thought I would rise to the occasion like Rachey and fill it out again. It turned out to be not so hard (I just haven't been able to get to posting it). I'm pretty quirky as it turns out.

Okay, here are the rules for this tag:1: Each player starts with 8 random habits/facts about themselves.2: People who are tagged need to write a post on their blog about their eight things and post these rules.3: At the end of the post you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names

1) I love the smell of bread dough. It feels homey and comforting and speaks of good things to come, like dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, pizza, etc... I like how my bread machine has a "peep hole" and a "smell hole". That way you can get the fresh scent of doughy goodness. I stand there and take a few whiffs.

2)Wet paper is gross. I've never liked paper mache.

3)I don't like stickers. I don't like it when my children wear stickers. It is irrational. Stickers make me feel uncomfortable. Actually I don't mind stickers that go directly onto another piece of paper. That's fine. But I HATE it when stickers get stuck to a table and then you have to get them wet to get them off--yuck. Wet paper. Shudder shudder. (But don't worry about giving my children stickers. They like them. I'll get over it. ;))

4)I think that fancy sports cars with too much flame detail are marred. I like sleek cars. A car should be fast because it is fast. It shouldn't need any help from flames to make it look fast. I get a little too sad when I see an over-done flame job. But people should be able to do a flame job without answering to me. After all it is their car not mine. ;)

5)I do not like cucumbers or mushrooms but I LOVE some cucumber and mushroom sauces.

6)When I am reading I squeeze my lower lip together during tense parts.

7)I move my wedding ring back and forth over my knuckle when I am nervous or bored. I've almost lost it a few times.

8) I don't like to leave books, movies, stories, or songs unfinished. Whenever a song ends abruptly, on purpose, I always feel I need to sing the last missing note and/or word out loud. I just found out that Ellie does it too. This is especially quirky because I leave all sorts of other things unfinished all over the place: cleaning, sewing, birthday cards, etc....This will sometimes drive me nuts, but not enough to change. ---Actually on a side note I figured out something about the birthday cards. I make personalized birthday cards for immediate family. I realized that I am afraid of failure so I don't get on top of it fast enough. The second line of every birthday card is something to the effect of, "Sorry this is so late..." The fact that I can't get on top of it is driving me nuts.

Fanfare for the Common Man

I've had cause recently to reflect on how awesome you all are. All of you (and yes I mean you, the person reading this blog right now) have, at one point or another in my life, helped me in some way. I could list every single person on my blogroll (and countless people not on my blogroll who are friends, family, and ward members) and say something specific that you have done to help me. I will refrain for lack of time. I will however list a few general things. You have: tended my children, smiled at me, listened to me, shared a kind word, taught me how to be a better mom (Yes, Angie you are one of those! You are a great mom! I'm completely serious.), taught me in Relief Society, taught me new skills, taught my children, made me a meal, helped with projects I am working on, been a good example......you get the idea. You all have helped me and other people in your lives. You have been true representatives of Jesus Christ. Give yourselves a giant pat on the back! Are you pattng??? Good.

What spurred this on? (It's sad that it had to be spurred on...so if you ever doubt my affection/apperciation/adoration just come back reread this post, and make sure you pat yourself on the back). I mentioned in passing to my friend Sheri the other night, when she was babysitting my children, that I still had to make cinnamon rolls and I hoped I had enough time because they had to be made for the next morning. When Nate and I got back from dinner with some friends, not only had Sheri babysat my kids, she had made me homemade bread dough to turn into cinnamon rolls. I felt so pleasantly surprised! I felt so loved because of her act of unasked for kindness.`This led me to think of all of you and how wonderful you are!

Nate has also been especially nice to me. He fixed my vacuum. He let me get an nice new faucet (our old one was discusting and difficult to clean) and he installed it almost entirely by himself. It's so cool because you can pull it out and use it to spray big dishes in the sink. I'm so happy with it!
Last night, Nate commented on how "tomorrow is a good day for sleeping in". So when he was gone this morning, I was surprised. Then I remembered that Nate often likes to go play ping pong on Tuesday mornings when he can. It was fine for the first few hours because the kids where being good. They even let me sleep in a little. But that last hour and half was difficult. When Nate finally walked through the door I said, "I hope you were having fun wherever you were!" (Yes, I was a little bit grouchy. Even though I knew he deserved a fun break playing ping pong). Then I noticed that Nate had a bag from the grocery store and it's contents seemed a bit atypical. Nate told me I should take a look. And so I did. This is what I found:CHOCOLATE!! A variety of delicous and fancy chocolate. AND....a card even! Yes, I felt very humbled. I told Nate that he could go to ping pong anytime he wished (in hopes that it will bring home more chocolate!!!!)

Spookyish

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The music is mostly by Buckethead. I thought it fit the slide show motif, if not the slides themselves.

Waffle Maker Ham and Cheese Quesadilla???

Many of you know that we use our waffle maker to make grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. Above is pictured our latest creation. Sounds interesting doesn't it? Well, it not only is interesting, it is delicious. Here is what you do:

Get a tortilla and put it on your waffle maker (don't turn on waffle maker yet). Put your favorite lunch meat on half of tortilla. Then your favorite cheese (we used pepper jack this time.) Now sprinkle on chopped green onion and chopped green pepper. Close waffle maker and turn it on. When the waffle maker indicates it is done, retrieve tortilla, open up tortilla (caution will be hot :) ), and insert fresh chopped tomato and avocado. (Cilantro at this point would be delicious too.) Enjoy!

Now my friends, surely after reading this post and many of our others, you must be thinking to yourselves: "Wow. These Meridy and Nate people are strange." The question is: are we really strange or are we brilliant? (The answer is: YES!) Do we merely appear strange because we only post about life's oddities, when in actual fact we are basically normal? Or is our "strangeness" merely an inventive and useful outlook on life? Well I thought I would clear up some of these questions, in regard to this post at least. Let's begin our question and answer session about Waffle Iron Sandwiches:

Q: Why do you do this? (As in: why use a waffle iron to make grilled sandwiches as opposed to a frying pan?)
A: Frankly it's easier this way and has two major benefits that are worth mentioning. 1) The waffle iron cooks on both sides of the sandwich at the same time, thus removing the need to flip the the sandwich over. I am exceedingly bad at flipping. All the inner contents end up all over the place when I do. 2) You can turn on the waffle maker and walk away. When you come back your sandwich is not burned. However, I can't take the credit for actually coming up with the idea of waffle sandwiches myself. Nate did it first. He grew up with a sandwhich maker at his mom's and we didn't have one. So he improvised. I was taken aback at first but as the benefits listed above show, it was good idea.

Q:Why don't you just go buy one of those nifty sandwich makers, designed to actually make grilled cheese sandwiches?
A: Why bother when the waffle iron does such a good job and we have another one waiting in the pantry to use when this one gets broken? And actually, Nate prefers the waffle iron to the sandwich maker as it creates a finer crispyness. Also, the sandwich maker makes one huge pocket with uneven cooking as a result.

Q:How do you make waffles?
A: We don't make waffles.........But if we did we would just use the same waffle iron or the new waffle iron in the pantry.

Q: Doesn't using the waffle iron confuse your kids?
A: Well yes it does. Ellie was playing with toy food at Grammy's house once and she found a plastic waffle. She said, very excitedly, "Look Mom!! Hammy and Cheese!" (She calls grilled ham and cheese, hammy and cheese. When she just want cheese she says, "Mom I want hammy and cheese with no hammy.)

Q: How did you come up with the crazy combination pictured above?
A: Nate did. Once we were out of bread but had tortillas and Ellie wanted hammy and cheese. This time we happened to have lots of green onion and bell peppers that needed to get eaten. I added the tomatoes and avocado because that needed to get eaten too, and I thought it would be delicious. Which it was. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.

Tagged by Shella (Read me. I'm somewhat funny. ;))

Shella is being so nice and is going to respond to my tag, and so in turn I respond to her. This one is threes:

3 Names you go by:
1)"Meridy"
2)"Mer"
3)"Mommy, I'm talking to you!! "

3 Restaurants I love:
1)Panera
2)Mandarin Chinese Buffet
3)Wingers

3 Trips I plan on this year
Okay I'm totally cheating on this one--it will be slightly more interesting--so I am saying trips I plan on the rest of 2008 and through 2009
1) Utah--to see family for the holidays
2) DISNEYLAND!! on my birthday (Jan 31). You get in free on your birthday in 2009!!!!! ONLY me and Nate. No kids. I only feel slightly bad for them. ;)
3) Boulder City, Nevada--yes it is only 30min away.....but it counts!....it has to because I'm not going anywhere else that I know of.....

3 Things you want badly
1) I can't help but say this again: Nate to graduate!!!!!! :) He's doing such a good job sticking it out and going to school.
2) I want a self cleaning house. Or for at least Ellie to learn to clean, and Nathan too, and me for that matter.....
3) Cute material and lots of time to sew it into things.

3 Pets you have had:
Such a sad subject for me. All my pets have died tragic deaths......
1) Tiger the turtle: He dehydrated to death.
2) Hermit crabs: I think they also dehydrated to death.....
3) I can' think of another one....if we had it, it probably died. Tragically.

3 Things you did yesterday:
1)Went to Cedar to see my family.
2) Watched Conference.
3) Went shopping with the girls durring the Priesthood Session.

3 Things I ate today:
1) Cereal
2) Homemade rolls (& cinnamon rolls)
3) Meat, potatoes, and carrots in the crock pot thingy.
Thanks again Cheryl! Lunch was delicious.

3 Fears:
1) That someone will steal Will because he is so charming.
2) That Will will run out into the street.
3) That the economy will suffer because people's fear of it crashing will make it suffer. (Hang on to the positive and the economy will get better faster).

3 Things I plan on doing today:
Seeing that it is 10pm.....
1)Keep enjoying my awesome play list for a tiny, little, tinsy bit longer. Man it sounds sooo good! (see it below ;) ) At times like these I realize how much I love music.
2)Doing what I should be doing and putting my kids to bed. Eventually. In my defense, they did sleep on the way home in the car.
3)Talking to Nate.

3 Favorite Holidays:
1)Christmas
2)Thanksgiving
3)The First Day of SPRING. Spring. As in when it is finally 80 degrees or higher. Yes it is a holiday. And it makes me terribly happy.

3 Favorite Beverages:
1)MILK!! (see my previous post about it.)
2) Milkshakes
3) Water---only thing that quenches my thirst.

And in my Dream.....

So I had this really cool dream. I dreamed that I had another baby, all natural, with very little pain involved, and a super easy recovery. The baby was a boy and I saw his face. He didn't look like Ellie or Will and I was trying to figure it out. Then I woke up, probably to feed Will and fell back to sleep. Well as you know from the previous post, people around here like to wake me up and so I had many dreams. During my dreams throughout the night and in the morning, I kept thinking about my first dream. I kept saying, "Man! I wish that dream was real. It be so easy..." When I finally woke up for real, "Darn! I wish that dream was real! I'd be all set." Seriously. Why couldn't I just wake up and have a new baby with so little effort. If only we could make dreams reality......

Oh! and don't worry....I am NOT pregnant.

Such an Ego

So this morning when I got back from playing table tennis Meridy said to me, "I think you were all placed on this earth to keep waking me up." I guess the world revolves around Meridy! Ping pong was just an excuse for me to wake Meridy up at 6:00 A.M. William woke up at whatever unearthly hour it was this morning just to wake Meridy up too. And Eleanor woke up at 6:35 A.M. demanding breakfast and a show with that selfsame goal in mind--keep waking up Mommy.
Hmm, I'm starting to think Meridy has a point. Maybe the purpose of our lives is to keep waking her up. I mean, it's what we're good at. I must say, it feels good to have a purpose in life.

Guys and Dolls

This morning I saw Eleanor crab-stepping around William, waving her arms and looking down at the floor. William appeared to be doing some sort of Mexican Hat Dance. Had Ellie pottied on the floor? "No Daddy, it a bug!" Oh, a bug. I went to investigate and found that William had conquered the bug. We all celebrated, and I gave William five.
Ellie and Willy have a very different approach to bugs. Elliegant steps away and calls for reinforcements. Buffalo Bill charges in either to get a closer look or to do some squishing. I just thought it was a fun story. We'll see what happens when the kids find a scorpion or something that might fight back. Meridy really hopes they do not find a scorpion...

Los Intocables

The ward mission leader in my first area on my mission was pilas (cool, on top of things, awesome and skilled). He magnified his calling, coordinating the ward home teaching program with the missionary work by organizing visits to inactives. He made a chart where home teaching companionships made up cool names for themselves and kept track of their visits, reporting the results during priesthood meeting every Sunday. One of the team names was Los Intocables. The Untouchables. I've loved that name ever since, and I've made it a tradition to use it for one of my fantasy basketball teams. Here is this year's model along with a round by round commentary (get ready, there are 13 rounds):

Round 1: I got LeBron James with the 4th pick. That won't happen in most leagues. Usually he's taken within the first two picks. He's currently regarded as the best basketball player on the planet.

Round 2: I got Josh Smith. Last year I kept wishing I had him. Now I do. He is an amazing athlete with incredible agility and speed.

Round 3: Carlos Boozer. That's right, our very own Carlos Boozer from the Utah Jazz. The third round might be a little high for him, but he's in a contract year. He'll be playing at the top of his game so everyone will know how valuable he is when it comes time to negotiate a new contract...or bail on the Jazz and sign with some other team.

Round 4: Jose Calderon. I desperately needed a good point guard, and he was one of the only ones left. He came out of nowhere last year to become one of the best point guards in the league. Last year no one knew about him so I was able to just drop my worst player and get him instead. This time around I have to use my fourth round pick on him.

Round 5: Chris Kaman. He's a solid Center, not prone to injury like most centers. He's good and solid. No one knows for certain what's going to happen this year when he plays alongside Marcus Camby. Will they canabalize each other's stats, or will they create synergy? I'm betting on the former, or I might have ranked him higher.

Round 6: Stephen Jackson. He will probably have to take a larger starring role on his team to pick up the slack for a few missing teammates. He's also on a team that plays uptempo basketball all the time, which should be to my benefit. I thought about taking Jamal Crawford here, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that he was still available in the next round.

Round 7: Jamal Crawford. The New York Knicks have brought in the coach who made the Phoenix Suns the high octane run and gun team that electrified a nation. Now he's working with a bunch of guys who don't exactly fit that style. Jamal Crawford is the exception. Everyone expects him to do great this year. I mean, I do.

Round 8: Corey Maggette. I'm sensning a strategy for these middle round picks. Here is another scoring shooting guard moving to an up tempo system where he'll benefit from increased chances to score, rebound, and steal (hopefully the ball).

Round 9: My one regret from this draft. I selected Jermaine O'Neal too early. It was mostly a wishful thinking pick. When he's playing right and staying healthy, he's an all-star. But he’s been injured a lot the last couple years, and he hasn’t really found his form for a while. Am I glad he’s on my team? Yah, but I think I picked him up three rounds too soon. There was a pretty good point guard I could have gotten here. I won’t feel so bad about it though when Jermaine returns to his elite form, and I look like a genius for taking him.

Round 10: Andrew Bynum. Last year I drafted him in the last round. I was using my head when I chose him. I knew he would get rebounds and block some shots. That was worth a last round pick. Then my emotions got in the way, and I said to myself, “Andrew Bynum!?! He’s an embarrassment to my team.” I cut him before the season started. Then my rival in the league picked him up. He turned out to be one of the best centers in the league, and I felt silly. Frankly, getting him this late in the draft was pure luck.

Round 11: Samuel Dalembert. He was the best player left on the board by a long ways, but I needed a point guard. I ended up getting him anyway. He’s pretty solid. If it turns out I really need a point guard later, I can trade for one...I hope.

Round 12: Al Thornton (no, not Jim’s son). He’s got a lot of potential, and this late in the draft that’s about all you can really hope for.

Round 13: This is my “sleeper” pick. Fantasy sports fanatics always want to draft a sleeper or two–someone no one else knows about or considers valuable. Mr. Sessions is my main sleeper this year. I watched him play a summer league game, and I said to myself, “Say, he’s a mighty fine passer.” I looked up his stats and found that he had some crazy games last season when he had over 20 assists. The problem was, those games came near the end of the season–when their star point guard was out with an injury. This summer his team got rid of their star. I think they did it so this guy could play. If not, I’ll just drop him and pick up somebody else, you can do that you know.

Captain Quirk

Gilbert Arenas is an NBA superstar with his own blog. I only bring him up because he gave himself the nickname Captain Quirk, and now I've been called upon to tell y'all about my own quirks. Personally, I thought his original nickname was better--Agent Zero. By the way, if you are getting ready for a fantasy basketball draft, you will want to know that Arenas has had surgery on his knee....again. He only plans on missing one month, but we all suspect he'll be an iffy prospect this year. But I digress. I should proceed with my quirk list.

1. I am an NBA aficionado. It's the offseason, and nothing is happening, yet I read up on the latest news at regular intervals throughout the day. I make excel spreadsheets predicting how each team will do in the upcoming season and then compare the accuracy of my predictions with last year's predictions. I plan on owning 5 fantasy basketball teams this year. I've already pre-ranked all the players for each type of league. Once I draft my teams, I'll spend the month of October thinking up trades to improve my them. I'll listen to preseason games on the internet even though they don't count and nobody cares about them. The one thing I really regret about not having cable is that I can't watch basketball.

2. I think Goose would be a good name for a dog.

3. Sometimes when I'm grocery shopping I get this itch to try new things. I'll buy odd fruits and vegetables, weird meats, various pickled items, or whatever else catches my imagination. Sometimes I strike gold. For example, if you see a yellow, football-shaped melon called Cannary Melon, snatch it up. That is some sweet sweet melon.

4. I can't stand traditional powerpoint presentations. I hate it when a powerpoint just says the same thing the presenter is saying. Where's the "power", and what's the "point"? When I'm putting one together I either have to spice them up with jokes and strange, meaningless slides or abandon powerpoint altogether in favor of a slideshow with music. Even when I do end up using powerpoint, I mostly focus on pictures and driving home key phrases.

5. I love sharing quirks with Meridy. For example, we both constantly read articles and books, and watch videos about how strengthen our marriage. Our favorite is to read about it together and then talk about whether we think it's good advice or how it might or might not apply to us. Another example is that we are both facinated by personality traits. I really enjoyed reading Meridy's quirks, and she tagged me because she wanted to see what I thought was weird about myself.

6. I am a vocal introvert...I think. Heck, I'm not even sure whether or not I'm quiet. Sometimes people tell me I'm too quiet. Other times I know I'm talking too much. I used to think of myself as being skilled socially, but as time goes on I think I show my reserve too often. I'm afraid people will think I'm sullen. I've always been pretty serious minded, but I think I used to act more upbeat. People used to ask me how I was, and I would say "spectacular!" Now it feels weird to be so positive. I wonder if law school has changed me. Then I get sad about that. Then I think I'm happier than I've ever been. I'm just more mature, fulfilled, calm. Then I wonder if I need to fix my attitude. Ok I'm rambling.

7. A special extra quirk for Jennie. I am pretty particular about my toothbrush. I can't stand the thought of putting it in my mouth if it's still wet from the last brushing, so I dry it off after I use it. I am horrified whenever I find it lying around the sink. It needs to be in its place so it doesn't pick up nasties. The bristles are made to capture nasties, but it's a double-edged sword. Meridy teases me that I should get a toothbrush zapper ray sanitizer thingy. It's not that important to me though. My method is good enough for me.

I do hereby tag Lyf, Nick, Leslie, Chani, and Zach

p.s. some of these people may need help, if their significant others could fill in for them, that would be great.