you now it's bad when...

I'm IMing with a friend tonight, and I get this from him: "you are tipping off the crazy scale recently with your paranoia." Really? Is it that bad? I know I have my moments/weeks/whatever. If y'all notice me getting a little more, um, "crazy" than normal, please let me know. I think it's just too much free time and not enough time reading my genomics papers. Maybe he's just a little sensitive because I asked him about something personal (to him, not me). Meh, whatever. Time to go color the roots now! Give me a reason to act like a crazy redhead....
;-)

100 omnivorous foods

I got this from http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/uncategorised/the-omnivores-hundred/. Feel free to take part in the goodness! If you don't know what a particular entry is, the original post has embedded links to some of the food items on Wikipedia.

Here’s a chance for a little interactivity for all the bloggers out there. Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.
5) extra from the naughty mouse--italicize the items you haven't tried yet but would like to try!

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile (in the States, we have alligator)
6. xxxBlack puddingxxx (I know what makes it black!)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes (yes, I DID try them)
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. xxxBrawn, or head cheesexxx
26. xxxRaw Scotch Bonnet pepperxxx
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a xxxfat cigarxxx
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (as long as chocolate covered ants count!)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (nom nom nom)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear (I tried picking my own once...wasn't successful)
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. xxxDirty gin martinixxx
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine (never again!)
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. xxxKaolinxxx
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. xxxHaggisxxx
69. Fried plantain
70. xxxChitterlings, or andouillettexxx
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. xxxRoadkillxxx
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse (I didn't know what it was until after I ate it)
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Lessee, I've tried 79 of the 100. Good for me! How'd you do? =)

Monday Monday

Well, after all the gloominess of Saturday and Ike, I must admit I'm digging our current weather. It was the perfect morning for a pumpkin spice latte from *bucks. Ah, the gloriousness of the PSL! When I left my house this morning, the thermometer read 62 degrees F. I almost needed a jacket! This can continue for quite a while as far as I'm concerned. I hope everyone else is enjoying the beautiful coolness.

Have a great Monday y'all!

another day, some more bad news

I know I've complained a lot lately about how the new "boyfriend" has been out of town a lot on business. I know you are all sick of hearing it. Well, at least this time he's not on business while he's out of town. Poor guy! He finally got home (Irving) about noonish on Monday. Yay! He came over, we had dinner, and we watched Monday night football. (Dude, the Packers were playing!) Then we futzed around on my computer before he left. Tuesday night we met the mmvgang to see Death Race. OMG, one of the worst movies I've ever seen, but it was still soooooooooo much fun! Great car chases, bad dialogue, Joan Allen saying things a lady would never be caught dead saying, beautiful Jason Statham's chiseled body.... But I digress. Unfortunately I had to go straight home after the movie to take care of some school work, so I left him fairly early. We didn't get a chance to talk Wednesday night, but I called and left a message anyway. So let me tell you why we didn't get to talk: his house was broken into and ransacked. Keep in mind, he is a recent addition to North Texas; he still has a house out of state that he's been trying to get ready to sell. Well, I guess some people figured it out and took advantage. His neighbors had been keeping tabs on everything really well. When one of them went to take his mail inside, he noticed the door had been kicked in and the place ravaged. When he told me this on the phone today (as he was waiting for his flight), the sound of dejection in his voice just about broke my heart. So, everyone say a little prayer for my guy. I hope it's not as bad as his neighbor made it sound. I hope there are some things that are salvageable. I really hope the cops find whoever did this soon and ream the snot out of them. I just want everything to be back to normal for him. He's had a bad 5 weeks. =(

the most random Friday ever

It's only halfway through the day, and so many bizarre/strange things have already happened. Maybe if I blog about them now, the rest of the day will be "normal."

First off, I was so stoked because I had a hair appointment this morning at 10am. I haven't had my hair cut in, um, I have no idea how long. It is so in need of shaping I could spit. So I head outta my place about 9:30--that gives me 30 mintes to get there right? Well, depending on how well you know me, you know it actually takes me a while to get out of the house. I forgot my phone: go back inside. I forgot to check which classroom my seminar was meeting in today at noon: go back inside and look it up online. Dang it! I forgot to take my vitamins: go back inside. So at this point it's 9:45--15 minutes to get there. Dagnabit! Needless to day, I wasn't necessarily the slowest person on the road. However, I wasn't passing anyone either. When I passed the cop hiding behind some bushes with his radar gun out, I knew I was toast. Yup, he pulled out as soon as he had the opportunity. Know what? He pulled over the guy behind me! Sweeeeeeet!!! While I'm sorry for the Caddy driving behind me, he was speeding, too. Thank the good Lord, my deferred adjudication wasn't screwed up by all that. I then obeyed the speed limit (to every other driver's chagrin) the rest of the way to the salon. Oh ya, I was on time, too.

Funny that I was on time. My stylist was not. Turns out no one ever told him last night that he had an early appointment (he normally doesn't go in until about noon). He felt awful when the front person called him and said he could be there by 11am; however, I had to be on the road for class in Arlington by then. Whoops. I just made a new appointment for tomorrow. In the mean time, my hair was a mess. I asked if there was anyone available to just wash my hair for me since I (at this point) really didn't have time to go home and do it myself. Not only did someone wash my hair, she then dried it for me, AND they didn't charge me a cent. How sweet is that?

You think that'd be enough randomness for one day right? No. Finally out at UTA (pronounced "ooh-tawh" in my world), I realized my seminar class is gonna kill me. That in itself was not too bad. I then had to go deal with parking issues. I forgot to get a parking permit when I registered, and since my parking fee in the garage was $5.75 for 2.5 hours, I needed the permit. I'm not paying that much or more every time I go out there! Then my thesis professor "forgot" we had a meeting after my class. I'm gonna kill this man. Yarrgh!

By the time I finally left the campus a little after 2pm, I was starvigating. What could I get that was high protein, low-ish fat and carbs, and portable? I did the drive through at McD's (not my fave, but hey, it's cheap) and got a McNugget Happy Meal. No, I didn't finish it. In fact, I picked off half of the "breading" and only ate half the fries. But onto the weirdness of the experience.... While I was waiting for my box of delight, a bee flew in my car. Dammit! I've only ever been stung once, and I want to keep it that way. Well, I opened the passender window and the sunroof. When it landed on my water bottle, I picked it up and bumped it on the roof through the sunroof. Aha! The bee was gone! Well, before I could close the windows and sunroof, the little bugger was back in my car. I almost had a really girly moment and freaked out. Deep breath. The windows got closed and the sunroof reopened. When it finally landed on a piece of paper, I tried to fling him out the sunroof. Little bastard must have had sticky goo on its feet because it wouldn't let go! Guess what I did? I closed the sunroof with the paper still sticking out. Yes, it prolly looked all white trash, but the bee was out of my car for good. By the time I got to the highway, he was gone. Then I had to get the paper back inside--couldn't be caught littering!

Wish me luck. I still have many hours left in this day.

poll

Okay, so I'm watching reruns of Sex in the City, and an interesting question was posed. I'm going to pose it here. Please add a comment (anonymously or not) and let me know your answer/thoughts.

Do all women really just want to be rescued?

ah, a weekend

Labor Day weekend. It's been nice not laboring much. I do, however, have a couple amusing anecdotes with which to entertain you.

Yesterday morning, I was running late for church because I slept late. Big shocker there. Anywho, we were supposed to be taking some pictures for the Rally Day choir table next week. I stuck my camera in my purse and started to head out the door. Then it occurred to me, I should put my contacts in my eyes. I was so tired that I was feeling extra vain for the "photo shoot." I get the right contact outta its case, stick it in my right palm, add some solution out of the bottle, and proceed to clean my contact. Well, as I'm rinsing the thing off, I notice the edges are all crenated (wrinkly). I thought it was because my hand was still too wet with water when I started the cleaning process. So, I added more solution. Are you seeing where this is going? Ya, it was not contact solution. I had used an old bottle to make a somewhat dilute solution of tea tree oil (to keep around as a natural antiseptic). Yes friends, I cleaned my contact with tea tree oil and put it in my eye. That smarted just a little bit. Luckily I guess my eye sensed the wrongness of it all and closed before I got it totally in my eye. Wow, I knew I was tired, but really? I then proceeded to rinse the contact with the real contact solution and insert it into the aforementioned right eye. Whoa nelly! That was the most painful (and stupid) thing I've done in a really long time! Either I didn't get it rinsed off well, or the original tea tree oil was still in my eye. It was difficult to get the contact out, and when I finally did do it, (after much tearing and wiping of tears without messing up the vanity inspired make up) I wore my glasses for the rest of the day.

Then last night, I was on borders.com because I had a discount code and was trying to get some Christmas shopping done. OMG!!! Their new website sucks ass! It kept kicking me out, not loading pages, or saying "we're sorry, this page is unavailable right now." Ugh! So I got back on today and had a little better luck until it came to entering the code. The code worked yesterday, the site just wouldn't let me check out. Today, it wouldn't accept my code. Yarrgh!!! WTF??? Both days, I've tried to contact the customer service line, but "the customer service center is closed." Really? I'm soooooooooo irritated. I'll try calling again tomorrow, and if they don't accept my discount code, I'm gonna kick some ass. I deserve this code, and if I can't use it, some people may not be getting what they deserve for Christmas. I love my family and friends, and I'd like to get them something nicer than I can actually afford. This was going to allow me to do that. Stupid Borders!

As an addendum: the border.com site now has a "gateway timeout." What in the world is that??? I'm gonna keep trying!

surprise me not

Your Personality is Somewhat Rare (ISFP)

Your personality type is caring, peaceful, artistic, and calm. Only about 7% of all people have your personality, including 8% of all women and 6% of all men You are Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Thanks to Army of Mom for posting this first!

odds and ends

Just a couple things that have happened in the past few days are even worth mentioning. I'll go with that and if anything else comes to me in the meantime, I'll throw that in, too!

I called my mother on Sunday to see if she would accompany me to the local bougie mall; I wanted to go and walk around somewhere so I wouldn't just come home after church and sleep all afternoon. Going to said mall, I was also able to buy some new undergarments. Yep, when you lose weight, everything shrinks. Especially the boobies. =( Oh well. All things in proportion I guess. While we were there, my mother bought nothing. Besides the boring bras, I got a new pair of shoes and a sweater (that was NOT on sale but makes me look really thin). All in all, an expensive but necessary day.

I fell asleep on the couch last night while watching something on TLC. I woke up a little bit about 11 or so, turned off the TV, and went back to sleep. I slept the whole night on the couch with the light still blazing. Dang, I guess I was tired! I even had trouble getting up this morning. That couch is comfy! However, when I woke up, I had a fright. I was on my side with my hand on my hip, and I noticed I had this really hard lump on my hip. OMG, what have I done now??? Lo and behold, it was my hip bone. Wow, I forgot those were there! Another benefit of losing weight!

So when I was at work today, I got off of a meeting/conference call right at 4pm. As soon as I got back into the lab and to the microscope, I realized I had a killer headache. Ya know, the kind where it hurts to turn your head or move your eyeballs. Ugh. I took some Tylenol (ya, that worked--not) and waited a good long while to leave work. Trying to give the stuff time to kick in. When it didn't really, I decided that I needed to stop off somewhere and pick up dinner. There was no way I was gonna be able to cook. Anywho, did I go someplace simple or normal? Of course not. I called and stopped off at Outback for some good, bloody steak. Keep in mind, that even though it is not cheap, it is at least 2 meals. AND they have the baked sweet potatoes back on the menu. Hallelujah! Praise Jesus! What is better than meat, sweet potato, and caesar salad. Yes kids, I had salad. And it didn't hurt my tummy!!! Repeat after me: Hallelujah! My head is still achy, but I don't care quite so much. I have finally prevailed over lettuce. Sah-wheeeeet!

Oh, and in regard to the new guy--he was in town for one night this week, but he got stuck at the office until 9pm. I decided that was too late to try and meet for only about an hour or such. Boo. He will be back next week and won't have to leave again for quite some time. Yay! At least we got to chat a bit. I'm ready for him to be back.

tmi

If you want WAY more information on the retrocolic bypass surgery I had and the resulting hernia affliction and repair, check out this link:
http://www.ajronline.org/cgi/content/full/189/1/52

btw--My doctor regretted not taking pictures during my recent surgical repair because he said I had a classic example of this transmesocolic internal hernia thingy. I wish he had taken pictures. I love pictures of my insides!

tgif

I am sooooooooo glad it is Friday, and I can actually leave work at a decent time today. Unfortunately, my 2 hour lunch will leave me a little short on hours for the week. Oh well, what are you gonna do when you have to see the surgeon for a post op visit?

Got some interesting news at that appointment, too. It seems as though I am quite anemic, and my vitamin A and D levels are low (D is very low). I guess this is why he wanted to draw the blood profile and check. The iron thing mostly explains why I have absolutely no energy lately. Too bad I can't get a transfusion of my mother's blood--she's got too much iron! Drat and damnation, we're not a type match. =) Now I have to take 3 iron supplements a day (yes kids, three), and an ADE&K supplement 3-4 times a week. This is on top of my 2 daily multivitamins and calciums. Ugh. Vitamins are expensive, too! On top of that, he explained to me exactly why I got the hernia. For my surgery, he saw something anatomically that caused him to do a retro-colic version of the bypass. WTF? Anywho, when putting everything back together, he had to try to connect fat to fat instead of fat to mesentery. My fats didn't like each other, refused to place nicely, and left a gaping hole for my jejunum to peek through for fun. Glad that is fixed. However, there is a 2% chance that it can happen again. Yippee.

In other news, it seems that there is a disparity between blocks of the population. For some, absence make the heart grow fonder. For others, it is out of sight, out of mind. I'll let you ponder that over the weekend.

here's one for the wtf column

So I get home from work today with my take away from Bubba's (yes, mom--fried chicken!) and I want to veg out in front of the tv while I eat. I had a crappy day at work, and I deserve it! I am so stoked because FLN channel finally has Iron Chef (the original campy Japanese version) reruns going again. Woo-hoo! I tune in, get my fork, and get ready for campy cuisine. Ya, well, it's battle Giant Eel! Dun dun dunnnnn! Um, they are all still alive. Until the chefs get a hold of them. Eww. No. Can't watch that. So what do I do? I turn it to Trauma: Life in the ER on Disc Health. I go from one bloody mess to another. The eel thing has me all queasy and blech, but the stab wound in the ER--meh. WTF? Ya, thanks kids. I know I'm "special." I think that was the last post as a matter of fact...!

today's 'scope

Something has changed and you aren't sure whether you like it or not. On one hand, you are able to be more logical now as you analyze your feelings about a relationship. On the other hand, you feel like a fish out of water, unable to find the soothing support you want. Don't worry too much about your current discomfort as it is only temporary. In the meantime, do whatever makes the most sense to feel better about yourself.

Funny how sometimes they are so on.

I'm special

In the slow bus kinda way. =)

How long have I had an ipod? Granted I was one of the last people on earth to get one, but it's been about a year and a half now. Leave it to me to just now discover that I can get all sorts of streaming radio stations through my itunes on the computer. I found this adorable French station under the heading of Ambient (doesn't really fit the heading, but I like it anyway). It's mostly laid back stuff that's good to have on while futzing on the computer or reading. It would make good party background music. Maybe I can work on my French while I listen to it!

Thank goodness I'm cute. My brains aren't gonna get me far like this.

odd

So I keep talking about losing this weight and how I need to buy new clothes and all that garbage. Well check this one out. I've had to go down a size in my lab gloves. Doesn't matter if it's nitrile or latex, I now have to wear a small. Strange....

my turn

All my blogger friends have been posting, and I have been the super slacker. Let's see if I can catch you all up quickly without too much rambling.

Things are still going well with the new guy. He's been out of town for the last week, but he called and sent a text the day of my surgery to check on me. He's nice that way.

The surgery came and went, and all seems to be well so far. The only real problem I really have is that my throat is still sore from the anesthesia tubing. And I told that (really hot) doctor that I was a singer and he should be extra careful. Great. I even went to my choir rehearsal the next day. How dedicated (or stupid) am I??? As of today, I'm only taking Tylenol.

Last night was Restaurant Week with the friends. We went to Ruth's Chris. Mmmmmmmm! I had called ahead of time to see if I could finagle soup instead of the obligatory started salad (raw vegetables still kill my tummy). They said I could, and I started with the lobster bisque. Can you believe it was actually too rich?!? The steak itself was wonderful for the 3 bites I could muster--thank goodness for to-go boxes! Then there was the Chocolate Sin cake. Chocolate and espresso: what is not to love. That I ended up bringing to work today mostly for the MayBoy. He can handle all the sugar!

Okay, believe it or not, that's about it. I gotta get back to the grind of the lab. The place can barely keep going without me for three days. Gosh! Love to you all!

addendum to twitterpated

#1--No, H-Bomb, there was no 2nd base on the 2nd date. ;-)
#2--I have his last name now.

tee hee!!!

twitterpated

Yep, the H-Bomb came up with a good word for it. I'm feeling twitterpated. Second date last night was rather awesome. All we did was meet for a drink after I saw a movie with the aforementioned H-Bomb. BTW--Wanted is a fun mindless way to spend 2 hours. Well, Dateman and I sat at a table for over 2 hours and then stood out in the parking lot talking for almost another hour. When 12:30am rolled around, I had to put my foot down and tell him we both had to get home and get some sleep. I can't stay up that late on a school night! We learned a lot about each other (including where our respective families fall in regards to the mixed race issue). However, I still don't know his last name! I keep forgetting to ask. Whoops. We've been texting already today, and he's already asked if I wanted to get together tonight. I said that I'd love to, but I really have some stuff I need to take care of for Angeouie's wedding this weekend. So it's looking like date #3 will take place tomorrow night. And to think we were planning date #3 for Saturday night or Sunday. Guess I'm so spectacular that he can't wait that long. *swoon!*

date #2?

I think I may be having a second date tonight. Granted it's only meeting for a short while after I see a movie, but it's seeing him again! His words: "it'll be a treat to see you!" Yes, he used the exclamation point. Tee hee! New things are fun.

and then he kissed me

Ya. Date went well. Very European, this one. He walks up to me, gives me the half hug and kisses my cheek to say hello. Polite, kind, funny as hell, and much better looking than I remember (bonus!). Of course, he paid for everything. Even walked me to my car. Funny to date an Indian who was born in Trinidad but is a Canadian citizen. Now, if only I could lose this silly perma-grin.... Ah, the happiness will surely fade soon enough! First dates are fun. =)