i did it!

today is november 30; the final day of nablopomo! for the past 30 days, i have posted an entry on my blog each day! while i'm glad to be relieved of the "stress" of posting an entry every day, i must admit that it was a lot of fun! it wasn't nearly as difficult as i thought, either!

i enjoyed reading other nablopomo participants' blogs each day, knowing that there would always be something new to read! i hope that by participating in nablopomo, i will be more inclined to post more regularly!

thanks to all (4-5?) of you who read all month long!!

photo found here.

potpourri

this past week, i was on reserve for work for six days straight. i worked a total of two of those days. that means i spent a lot of time home by myself, including thanksgiving day. it was enjoyable for a while, but got very lonely by the end of the week.

while at home this past week, i watched the proposal with ryan reynolds (yum!) and sandra bollock. seriously, SO CUTE! aside from the obvious, i would watch this movie again and again!

our entire family came to our place yesterday to celebrate thanksgiving. we had a great time! everything went off without a hitch and i didn't even stress out! everyone said the food was delicious, too!

while on their drive to chicago, my 3 year old niece said the following humorous things:
"hurry up daddy! uncle adam is waiting on us!"
(when stopping to pay tolls) "why are we stopping? i thought we were going to chicago!"
(when leaving to go to the hotel) "uncle adam, are you going to the show & tell with us?"

we put up our christmas decorations today. it was the first time decorating our new home for the holiday season. it was a lot of fun!



i really want to get garland with lights. i may have to replace it sometime when gary's not looking!


we finally figured out how to light our gas fireplace! we were very excited until we began to smell something and then our smoke alarm began to wail! it's fine if we don't have the fake logs on top. we still need to figure it out, because it's too great to waste!

although it hasn't been too difficult, i'm somewhat glad that tomorrow is the last day of nablopomo.

it's a little strange to think that i'll be 30 in less than a week.

we still haven't had our first snow in chicago. it's entered the forecast for this week, though. as exciting as the first snow is, it's also the beginning of a solid 3+ months of snow.

i'm thankful!

i'm thankful for...

- my family, all of whom will join us today for thanksgiving
- my amazing, caring friends
- the love of my life, who stands beside me always
- my job
- our new, beautiful home
- my health
- my many freedoms as an american
- the many wonderful things that surround me

i know that thanksgiving was 2 days ago, but today is the day my family is able to get together to celebrate the many things we are thankful for. and besides, we should be thankful every day for the many great things in our lives!

it's a mad world

it's black friday. many shoppers have been up for hours and standing in lines watching the sun rise. some have been trampled, some got their must-have items, and others are still loading up their shopping carts. for what? those early bird specials?

it doesn't sound like fun.at.all to me. and that's why i'm not out there with the masses. i'm not going to wake up at the crack of dawn to go shopping and i'm especially not going to wait in a long line to get inside a store!

i do take advantage of one thing retailers have to offer around the holidays - free shipping. that's right, online shopping. for many gifts, i like to purchase them from the comfort of my home. i can sit in my pj's on my couch while doing my holiday shopping. it's perfect. no lines, no crowded stores, no hustle and bustle. and i accomplish the same thing as those disgruntled shoppers who have pushed their way through the stores all morning long.

so to those who waited for those door-buster deals, i hope you were successful. i was still curled up in bed.

happy thanksgiving!

10 Things That Sound Dirty At Thanksgiving but Aren't...
by:anonymous

1. "Reach in and grab the gibblets."

2. "Whew...that's one terrific spread!"

3. "I'm in the mood for a little dark meat!"

4. "Tying the legs together will keep the inside moist."

5. "Talk about a HUGE breast!"

6. "And he forces his way into the end zone!"

7. "She's 5000 pounds fully inflated and it takes 15 men to hold her down."

8. "It's cool whip time!"

9. "If I don't unbutton my pants, I am going to burst!"

10. "It must be broken 'cause when I push on the tip, nothing squirts out.

WHAT?!

glee is going to be on a LONG hiatus from december 9 until april 13. wtf?! fox is making room for american idol. while i have been known to indulge in the pop reality show that is american idol, i would give it up anyday for glee! ugh! fox is making a HUGE mistake.




what is this adam lambert controversy from the AMAs this past week? so the american idol runner-up performed on the music awards show and took it a bit too far. although i did not see his performance (and it's difficult to find anywhere due to copyrights), i heard that it included a male-on-male kiss and that he simulated oral sex. okay, it was also aired at 11pm. perhaps he took it a bit too far, but ABC canceled his performance on GMA. but, it's okay for women to shake their near-bare asses and kiss other women on awards shows?! (probably because straight men are making these decisions.) i don't think there would be as much controversy if he weren't gay. and as lambert pointed out (in reference to other performers at the AMAs), "Lady Gaga smashing whiskey bottles, Janet Jackson grabbing a male dancer's crotch, Eminem talking about how Slim Shady has 17 rapes under his belt -- there was a lot of very adult material on the AMAs this year, and I know I wasn't the only one." it was crude, sure, but he wasn't the first and he sure won't be the last.



aww, hell! lou dobbs, really?! he's seriously considering running for the u.s. senate in NJ in 2012 as a stepping stone to a possible white house bid?! so that's why he decided to leave CNN to pursue other endeavors? great, this is the man that pushed the whole 'birther' movement.

christmas comes but three months a year

is it just me or have we blatantly skipped thanksgiving this year? i know that it's become more common to see christmas aisles developing in big box stores as the halloween merchandise disappears, but it's everywhere!

this past weekend, i saw nothing but christmas commercials on tv with their green screen winterscapes in the background. i'm already tired of some major retailers' holiday campaigns. i know that in this economy, many stores are trying to lengthen the holiday season to increase their typically higher forth quarter sales. and sure, many of us like to get our holiday shopping done sooner than later.

but do you know how many houses i have walked by in the past few days that already have their christmas lights hung up outside and even the occasional christmas tree shining through the window?! it's crazy! most people tend to wait until the day after thanksgiving to roll out all their decorations, but not this year! apparently we're already counting down the days until christmas.

and while i think it's a bit crazy, i have been a bit guilty of listening to my favorite christmas music station already! and perhaps a small bit of me is itching to get my tree and decorations up!

photo found here.

thankful for memes!

it's monday and i'm not feeling super creative. here's a meme i found on various blogs out there.

1. Which do you like better: Cooking at your house, or going elsewhere?
i enjoy cooking at my house, because i enjoy entertaining. i like to get everything organized for a big thanksgiving dinner with family!

2. Do you buy a fresh or frozen bird?
i totally cheat. i buy the frozen turkey breasts. it's easier and delicious! it's the best part anyway!

3. What kind of stuffing?
i've been using a recipe from gary's mom for the past couple of years. it's really good! and i'm excited this year because i found onion & sage stuffing bread at my grocery store!

4. Sweet potato or pumpkin pie?
pumpkin pie. even though i'm not really a fan of pumpkin pie, i always find myself having a slice each thanksgiving season. but instead of the pie, i have a pumpkin cheesecake bar recipe that's fantastic!!

5. Do you believe that turkey leftovers are a curse, or the point of the whole thing?
leftovers are great! cold turkey is the best! or whip up some turkey tetrazzini!

6. Which side dish would provoke a riot if you left it off the menu?
definitely green bean casserole. it's a midwestern-must!

7. Do you save the carcass to make soup or stock?
no carcass to work about with my easy turkey breasts!

8. What do you wish you had that would make preparing Thanksgiving dinner easier?
rocco dispirito as a live-in chef?! maybe a bigger kitchen?! (but i'm not complaining because i LOVE my kitchen!)

9. Do you get up at the crack of dawn to have dinner ready in the early afternoon, or do you eat at your normal dinner hour?
i'll be getting up early to start the turkeys and the beef roast. we'll eat mid-afternoon.

10. If you go to somebody else's house, what's your favorite dish to bring?
pumpkin cheesecake bars. they're delicious!

11. What do you wish one of your guests wouldn't bring to your house?
i can't think of anything that i wouldn't want someone to bring!

12. Does your usual mix of guests result in drama, or is it a group you're happy to see?
well, we're family, so i'm sure a bit of drama comes with that. but we all love each other!

13. What's your absolute favorite thing on the menu?
my homemade noodles made from my great-grandma's recipe.

14. What are you thankful for this year?
i'm thankful that all of my family are able to come to our home for thanksgiving. i'm thankful that we will all sit at the table together and enjoy a nice, peaceful dinner.

noodle grandma's noodles

my great-grandma was famously known, within our family, for her noodles. she made the most delicious homemade noodles. noodle grandma, as we affectionately called her, was a small, yet stern, woman. as a kid, we would drive to her tiny house on the main street of tiny roann, in to visit her and enjoy her tasty beef & noodles. when we walked in, we were greeted with her big hugs. she had a slight limp in her walk from the brace on her leg as a result of polio as a child. on the table was a glass plate filled with cubes of cheese. slightly dried from sitting out a while, we would devour the plate before dinner began. once it was time for dinner, we would load our plates with mashed potatoes and noodles. we would take a small chunk of the beef sitting on the side of the stove, too. dinner would be filled with stories of relatives i barely knew, but could find pictures of all of them on grandma's desk near the kitchen. along with the many pictures she displayed, noodle grandma was known for her vast salt & pepper shaker collection. every time i was at her house i would look through all those pairs - the yellow birds dressed as sailors, the music notes, and the lighthouses are just a few of the very many she collected that i can remember to this day.

after dinner, as the adults continued to talk, my sister and i would go spin around in n. grandma's orange chair. or we'd dig through her knitting bag and find the bag with the beads on it. n. grandma would let us pick the beads right off that bag. to this day i'm not sure why she encouraged us to do it, maybe she didn't like it! along with her noodles, grandma was known for her knitting. she made each of us a huge afghan blanket for our beds. typically we were only entitled to one of these in our lifetime, but i remember getting another one only after i had pulled on the yarn as a small, finger-sucking child. (i think n. grandma got so annoyed with repairing it that she decided it would just be easier to make a new one!) also, grandma would have a bag full of knitted slippers. they were the warmest slippers you'd put on your feet. she even doubled the knitting on the bottom to make them softer. my sisters and i would "skate" around the kitchen floor with these great slippers!

and tucked away on the corner of noodle grandma's counter was a unique cookie tin that was always full of archway oatmeal cookies. grandma would always let us have one. i wasn't really even a huge fan of these cookies, but it was just something special about having one at n. grandma's house. they didn't taste the same anywhere else.

i'm fortunate to have many of these memories of my great grandma. she lived well into her 90s and her legacy has lived on. i'm lucky to have that cookie tin and a few of the salt & pepper shakers in my possession. i was also given one other thing to remember noodle grandma - her noodle recipe. while it may not be the exact recipe that she used (because she didn't actually use a recipe), they taste almost identical to the noodles i remember as a child.

after my sister perfected the noodle recipe, she recently passed it on to me. i decided i would make these noodles for thanksgiving this year. so as we sit down to thanksgiving this year, we can all share a bit in the memories of noodle grandma.

we gather together

a week from now, we will be hosting thanksgiving dinner for our families. it's easier for g and i to work on thanksgiving and take the weekend after off. it doesn't matter when your family gathers together for thanksgiving, as long as you're able to do it. i'm especially excited for everyone to come this year and spend the day together in our new home. sure, it will be a tight squeeze, but we'll manage!

i can already envision the stuffy, hot condo with condensation on the windows. the place will smell of all the delicious thanksgiving foods, and the table will be set perfectly so that we can all sit down together.

as per most holiday gatherings, i'm sure that tensions will flare at certain points and something will most likely go wrong with the food. but, none of it will matter when we can sit down at the table together to share in our thanksgiving feast!

it's all politics

you've heard the saying, "you scratch my back and i'll scratch yours." you do something for me and i'll do something for you. it's been going on for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. it's for three simple things; money, control and/or power.

i recently read pillars of the earth and am finishing the follow-up book, world without end, by ken follett. the historical fiction books take place during the 12th and 14th centuries, respectively. without going into the details of the books, i can say that a large portion of each of the books is about politics, specifically doing something for something in return.

while these books are fictional, we know that this was representative of the times. and like practices have continued for centuries since. people are all about gaining power, control, or money. perhaps all three. as a result, others suffer.

a nameless friend of mine works in an office with a CEO and director who are inefficient at their jobs. they remain in their positions because they rub each other's proverbial backs to make themselves look good, many times at the expense of others.

i don't even have to get into political examples for us to know that it exists at the local, state, and national level of government. hell, i live in chicago - the capital of corruption.

i lost my job for this very reason. my principal got her promotion because she promised favors to the local school counsel, the ones responsible for giving her the job. she didn't like those who questioned or jeopardized her authority. she needed the power to run her agenda. she sided with those that supported her cause and helped them with whatever they needed. the rest of us, well, we lost our jobs.

i'm sure that it's happened to us all on some level or another. it's wrong. but sadly, it will probably never change. and what's worse is that if you speak up against it, you'll be punished even more.

hey boom-ba-latty!

dearest adam,

boy, that 35 minutes in the gym this morning sure did suck, didn't it, fatty. good thing you had two towels, because you were going to need it to sop up all that sweat. remember when you were running regularly and could complete a 20+ minute run and feel good?! yah...that 13 excruciating minutes you managed to call a run today sure is a sign - you're still out of shape.

ah, it sure is good to sit around the house and enjoy a bottle of wine, huh?! yah, well you remember that when your moobies and back fat are jiggling around when you're running on the treadmill. think you can have just a couple of fries?! enjoy because you'll see them in your chipmunk cheeks in the next photos you see of yourself.

hey, maybe you could actually do something to get closer to your goal. you're obviously not going to meet your "30 by 30" goal you set oh so long ago. and don't think that renewing your membership at the tanning bed is going to do anything. sure tan fat looks better than white fat, but you're still fat! your spring plans are building up, so wouldn't it be nice to look back on those trips and feel good about how you looked and felt?

it's time to do something for real this time. yes, the holidays are coming up and your 30th birthday bash is just around the corner; but, you can continue to make excuses or you can actually make a choice to get healthy. c'mon! do something!

all you have to do is shine!!

i just ordered my tickets to see billy elliot the musical!! a few months ago, i discovered that this show would be opening in chicago. it will be one of only three cities that will host this show, nyc and london being the other two.

i was fortunate to see this show while i was in london a couple years ago. the show is simply amazing. many know the emotional story of billy elliot from it's movie version. take that and add music by elton john and you have a masterpiece!

if you're in one of the three cities where billy elliot is playing, go see it. you will not be disappointed.




i know that i've written about this show before, but it's so good i could not pass up another opportunity to recommend this show!

jersey boys

last weekend, my mom and grandpa came up to chicago to join us in seeing 'the jersey boys' at the bank of american theatre. gary had wanted to see this show for quite some time. although i knew i would enjoy the music, i was indifferent to actually going to see the show. everyone i know that has actually seen it has raved about it. since it's chicago run ends in january, i knew that it was now or never.

the show was narrated by all the members of the four seasons at various times. it was a bit difficult for me to get into initially, but the music was what inevitably pulled me in.

my mom frequently listened to frankie valli, so i was quite familiar with many of the songs throughout the show. overall, the show was great. i would definitely recommend anyone go see it. you will be singing along at one point or another!

quite the techy!

my grandpa is 80 years old. he's a bit old-fashioned and conservative when it comes to most things; however, technology doesn't fit into that category!

a few years ago, i was pretty shocked when my grandpa subscribed to direcTV for his cable service. he had more channel options that i did! recently, he got his high speed internet up and running (prior to this, he had dial-up service). and then came the shocker of all: he's quite the text messager!

my mom told me that she got a text from grandpa. WHAT?! was the first thing to come out of my mouth. then she shared a text conversation that they had:

Gpa: phil not coming until late pm dad
Mom: figures
Gpa: eye appt at three forty five dad (he didn't know how to use numbers)
Mom: k cant believe u are texting
Gpa: r u surprised dad
Mom: um, yea

i think it's funny that he signs all his texts, but even more hilarious that he used some typical abbreviations for texting.

here's my favorite one (while traveling to pittsburgh to visit an old friend):

Gpa: 150 mls, als wl, luv*
Mom: thanks, have a good time
Gpa: stopped brkf, eggs, bcn, cfe**
Mom: thanks, luv u
Gpa: im here

need some help with that one?!

*150 miles away, all is well, love you

**stopped for breakfast, had eggs, bacon, and coffee

i love it!

way to stay hip, grandpa!

photo found here.

sweeps month: sunday edition

this couch potato series of blogs is about to be over, with the final posting of my television-viewing schedule.


amazing race
CBS 8/7c

gary and i love to travel. i want to visit every continent in my lifetime, and as many countries as humanly (and financially) possible. so, the amazing race is definitely a household favorite of ours. on this reality show, teams of two race around the world, completing various missions in countries throughout the world. all of the tasks that teams must complete are related to the culture or traditions of the country or city they are in. it's very fascinating and interesting to see these places - it's also a great way to discover new places for future travel!



desperate housewives
ABC 8/7c

this is a total guilty pleasure of mine. how can you not enjoy the campy-ness of the ladies on wisteria lane?! the best thing the writers of this show did was to fast-forward the show 5 years at the beginning of last season. while some of the storylines may get boring or old, there's always some new drama about to unfurl!

sweeps month: saturday edition

i love my big ten network.



as a life-long, die-hard Hoosier fan, i grew up watching each and every IU basketball game. attending college in bloomington only intensified my school spirit and love for all things IU. so, imagine my disappointment when i moved to charlotte to discover ACC athletics took precedence, rarely getting a glimpse of my Hoosiers.

unfortunately, things weren't a whole lot better when i moved to chicago - no thanks to northwestern and the illini. in order to see most IU games, i would have to go to a bar to see them via satellite tv. that is, until the the greatness that is the big ten network came to be.

once the big ten network aired, nearly every single IU game was televised. if it wasn't on the BTN, it was on another cable channel. in order to get the BTN, i had to initially switch cable providers and go with one that carried the channel (and it was even included in the channel line-up free!). since then, i have rarely missed my IU Hoosiers! whether a saturday football game or an evening basketball game, my big ten network never fails me!

GO HOOSIERS!

sweeps month: friday edition

i remember the days when friday night was full of great family sitcoms. i used to watch full house and family matters every friday night. it seems since those shows ended, friday night has been somewhat of a dud night for good tv. recently, one of my favorite shows was moved to friday night.


ugly betty
ABC 9/8c

ugly betty is an enjoyable and humorous com-dram about an innocent, somewhat attractive girl, who works for a fashion magazine in new york city. betty definitely has her own sense of fashion!

i thought that ugly betty had always received good ratings, but during its third season, it was in jeopardy of being canceled and, in fact, took a brief hiatus mid-season. thankfully, due to petitions to the network, ugly betty was renewed for a forth season, yet moved to friday nights - the television death slot. hopefully is will be revived and continue on for many more seasons!

sweeps month: thursday edition

thursday night is a full night of television! i have 3+ hours of programming that i enjoy watching. thursday night has always been a chill, tv night for me! so here it goes - gotta make it quick! ...i have shows to watch!!



survivor
CBS 8/7c

this is a total guilty pleasure of mine. it seems as if this "original" reality show has been on forever. while i have not seen every season, i have watched a majority of each survivor destination. yes, this is a the show where "castaways" are dropped off in some remote part of the world and are required to survive - all for a million dollars.

a few seasons ago, i got gary hooked on this show. ever since that point, we don't miss an episode! it does require to do exactly what the motto of the show is: outwit, outplay, and outlast.



grey's anatomy
ABC 9/8c

it's not just another 'ER'. okay, well maybe it is just a newer version of the other medical drama. what i love and hate about this show is the characters on the show. some are sarcastic, bitchy, and funny while others are whiney, over-emotional, or just plain annoying. i'll admit that last year i was ready to "quit it". i said i would give it just one more week to wrap-up the ridiculous story line before i completely stopped watching the show. thankfully, it was rectified.



private practice
ABC 10/9c

this is a spin-off of grey's anatomy. in fact, there have been a couple "cross-over" episodes where the two shows are intertwined. yet, on its own, 'private practice' is a great show about doctors in various fields work at an upscale medical practice in LA. i truly enjoy all of the characters on this show. each one brings a unique quality to the show. (and how can you not enjoy watching taye diggs, who has appeared shirtless on a few occasions!)

now if you'll excuse me, i have some tv to watch!

sweeps month: wednesday edition

wednesday is by far my favorite night of television this season!!!


glee
FOX 9/8c

the highlight of my week is the new show, glee! glee is a comedy-drama show about a high school show choir. the pilot episode aired last year after the season finale of 'american idol' and from that moment, i was hooked! it's cheesy! it's funny! it's sarcastic! it's amazing!

in the show, you have your stereotypical characters: the jocks, the nerds, the cheerleaders, the minority students. the creators of this show do a fantastic job of intermingling all these stereotypes and bringing them together to create a dysfunctional, yet talented, show choir.

the musical arranger for the show is amazing. i have found myself going to iTunes many times to download the songs that i saw/heard on the show!

my only complaint with the show is the obvious lip syncing that occurs. however, i have done my research and can assure you that it is, in fact, the actual actors who are singing each song (with the occasional additional background singers, not shown on-screen).

here's the season promo:






modern family
abc 9/8c

this is a hilarious, new sitcom on abc this fall. it's the story of three families (who are all related) and their unrivaled differences. there's the older father who is married to the younger woman with her cultural-centric son; the husband (who tries to be cool) and wife with their three very different children; and the gay couple with their newly adopted asian baby. seriously, it's hysterical. perhaps it's so funny because everyone can relate to it on some level!

here's one of my favorite clips from this season. excuse the advertisement at the beginning.

sweeps month: tuesday edition

biggest loser
8/7c

to me, this is one of the most inspirational reality shows on television. for those who have never seen 'the biggest loser', people who are obese (sometimes relatives, couples, friends, or complete strangers) are invited to the biggest loser ranch where they will fight for their lives to get healthy and fit, with the help of two trainers, bob and jillian.

each week, the contestants work hard in the gym, pool, or hiking trails and are then weighed at the end of the week. the goal is to be the biggest loser, those who lose the smallest percentage face being eliminated. while this is still a "game" and there are surprises along the way, nearly all the contestants continue their fight once they return home. at the end of the season, all the constants return for one last weigh-in. the contestants who were sent home compete to be the biggest "at-home" loser, and those three remaining at the end strive to earn the title of "biggest loser". here are a couple before/after shots of former contestants.




aside from the stigma of being a reality program, the show is educational and inspirational to those who are overweight and want to be healthy. each segment goes to commercial with a trainer tip (often food tips or exercise suggestions). a few seasons ago, i was greatly inspired by the show and lost nearly 40lbs through diet and exercise.

sweeps month: monday edition

big bang theory
CBS 9:30/8:30c

this show was introduced to me a couple seasons ago by teresa. it is a hilarious sitcom about two geniuses (sheldon & leonard) who work as an experimental physicist and a theoretical physicist at caltech. they have two friends, raj and howard, who are also just as geeky. sheldon and leonard live across the hall from penny, an aspiring actress who works at the cheesecake factory.

this show extremely funny and sheldon's constant use of dry humor (yet quite serious for him) is what makes this show such a hit. i love the return of the 30-min sitcom, where people of all generations can watch the program together.

here's a short clip of sheldon, leonard, and penny:





intervention
A&E 9/8c

i could be totally inappropriate and talk about how this show is like watching a train wreck...or that i will sometimes have a glass of wine while watching this program. however, this show is a positive force in so many people's lives. in this reality program, the crew follows around an addict (often hardcore drugs or alcohol) for a period of time, where they agree to be part of a documentary. what they don't know, is that they will eventually face an intervention by their friends and family. as the episode reaches its climax, the addict often agrees (sometimes quite hesitantly) to attend rehab. while there are some relapses, many of these addicts are able to maintain sobriety and get healthy.

sweeps month

four times a year, we as television viewers are treated to amazing shows! often filled with cliffhangers, cameos by celebrities, and finales, networks are subjected to the nielsen ratings during these four months. november is one such period (from the end of october leading up to thanksgiving). since the networks work so hard to provide us with some "good tv", i thought that i would devote one week of my blog to some of the shows that i watch during the week.

here's a sneak preview:

monday: big bang theory, intervention
tuesday: biggest loser
wednesday: glee, modern family
thursday: survivor, grey's anatomy, private practice
friday: ugly betty
saturday: college football (specifically big ten conference)
sunday: amazing race

coming soon! a must-see event!

i'm goin' back to indiana!

i've returned to my alma mater to watch the IU Hoosiers defend 'the rock' as they take on the wisconsin badgers this afternoon. i'm so excited to see the new, completed memorial stadium as well as watch the marching hundred perform at halftime!




the weather is supposed to be gorgeous for kickoff! ah, it brings back so many wonderful memories! autumn in southern indiana is beautiful. i would say that it is at the top of the fall foliage!

GO IU...BEAT THE BADGERS!

johnny the bagger

each year, we as flight attendants have to attend training as required by the FAA. in addition to emergency evacuation drills, first aid, and security, we talk about customer service. the following video is shown to us. i have now seen it on three separate occasions and am touched deeply each time i have watched the story of "johnny the bagger".

the story comes from barbara glanz, a motivational speaker about customer service and doing good work. she tells about johnny, a young man with down syndrome, and how he goes an extra step to show his customers that he cares.

enjoy, and happy friday!

click here to hear the story of 'johnny the bagger'.

H1Nwhatever.

i'm kinda over all this talk about H1N1, the swine flu, or whatever you want to call it. it's the friggin' flu. it may be a different strain, perhaps stronger, but i'm a bit over it.

maybe it's our own fault. we're so worried about germs these days. we disinfect, scrub, wear gloves, masks, and top it off with antibacterial soap. we're getting rid of all the bacteria and germs around us and making our immune systems go out of whack! not only are people getting rid of the bad stuff, but also the good bacteria that is needed to keep our immune system working how it's supposed to!

*knock on wood*
i have a darn good immune system that fights off most common things it encounters. when i was a teacher, i was able to fight off most of the germs that all my students brought into the classroom. thus far, as a flight attendant, i haven't picked up the illnesses that comes with sharing the air in a metal tube.

maybe it's because i wasn't rushed to the hospital as a child, taking any and every antibiotic that could be prescribed. to this day, i try to stay away from antibiotic prescriptions, instead letting it run its course.

perhaps it will eventually come to bite me in the ass, but for now, i will continue to go on about my life without worry of constant germs.

just don't sneeze on me, please.

the night history was made

it was a year ago that barack obama was elected the 44th president of the united states. i will always be able to say that i was a part of that historic night. i was among the thousands who stood in the middle of chicago to hear president-elect give his acceptance speech. it was a night that truly brought tears to my eyes.

when the final results of the day's votes came in, i was standing on michigan avenue. i was part of a very long line of supporters waiting to get into grant park to hear mr. obama speak. an enormous cheer rang in the street, car horns began to ring, and people were hugging one another. i got goosebumps on my arms (on that unseasonably warm november night) and tears filled my eyes. it was the moment i had been eagerly awaiting for quite some time.

regardless of how you feel, no one can deny that it was truly a historical night.

and in case you forgot the ever-long campaign season of 2008, here is a clip capturing all the highs and lows!

i was walkin' in charlotte

this past weekend, i made a quick trip to my old stompin' grounds in charlotte. along with a quick visit with my friend teresa, i participated in the CLT Runway 5k. i saw information about this last year and was really interested in doing it. so, when i came across it this year, i decided to register for it.

we woke up early (on a saturday morning...) and headed to the airport. it wasn't such a nice day, weather-wise. it was foggy, chilly, and misty. there were 1,600 participants (which prevented us from receiving our runway 5k tshirts) ready to run/walk along the runway at the charlotte airport.

once we started, we were walking parallel to one of the runways. it was exciting seeing the planes taxi right next to us! through the fog, you could see planes landing and taking off. the terminal building was almost visible across the field. the course led us down the taxiway and around the cargo buildings back to the US Airways hangar.

it was a fun event and i would definitely do it again. hopefully next time the weather will be better and allow for better photo ops!







and thanks to my excellent (as always) host. the tikka masala and chicken salad were fantastic and yummy! and how about those shrimp tacos and tasty yo!?! YUM! (gosh, it's always about the food, isn't it?!)

NaBloPoMo

i've been encouraged to become a part of NaBloPoMo. by joining this, you will see a blog post from me every day during the month of november. i can't promise extreme quality throughout the month, but i will do my best to post something of relevance each day during the month.

i've really enjoyed writing on my blog recently, and this is a great way to encourage me to keep up with regular postings. by being a part of NaBloPoMo, i will post 30 blog entries throughout the 30 days of november.

wish me luck! i'm excited/fearful/anxious/dreadful/eager to join in this group!

november 1

it's already the beginning of november?! really?! where has the time gone? seriously. is it just me or has 2009 seriously flown by? it truly has been a great year thus far and i can't wait to take a look back at the year (in my year-end update!).

it's definitely fall. we turned the clocks back an hour last night. (yay, for an extra hour of sleep. boo, for dusk starting at 4pm in chicago.) the temperature has once again become brisk, requiring sweaters and jackets for travel outside. the leaves have almost all fallen from the trees, their beautiful colors all over the ground. and now that halloween is over, it's time to start planning the thanksgiving menus!

i'm excited to start this month! and wish me luck...i'm going to be a part of NaBloPoMo! ...read more about it tomorrow!