reportwriter

Kitchen appliances are the best tools to have in the kitchen. I am sure that someone else might think differently, but I really like my Kitchenaid appliance. I have a white Kitchenaid 4.5 mixer, which I have had for 9 years now. It works like a champ.

Back up to last week...

Well, I finally decided to purchase a food processor. A white Kitchenaid food processor, of course. I can't have difference brands and different colors sitting on my counter top. That just won't do. So, I go over to NFM and I walk directly to the Kitchenaid department. I love that department. Everything you could ever want all within eye level. An assortment of colors, too. But, my kitchen theme is white and therefore only white appliances will do. So, I look around and I find the food processors. They come in multiple sizes, too. I pick up the 7 cup food processor and pay for it and go home. Little did I know that I would be back in less than a week to purchase something else.

Fast forward to this week...

So, I am using my blender to make smoothies for breakfast and lunch. I have been doing this Saturday and the blender was working just fine until yesterday. I went home at lunch time to make my blueberry smoothie when all hell broke loose. I had just finished pouring all the ingredients into the blender, pushed the 'blend' button and I turn around to clean up the counter top when all of the sudden there was this loud noise. I turn back around and the blender pitcher is just about to fly off of the base and send my blueberry smoothie all over the kitchen! The area where the pitcher sits on the base was crumbling and spewing out all over the kitchen. I was able to turn the blender off in time to save the smoothie but the damage was already done. Yes, the blender committed suicide. There were chunks of blender pieces all over the kitchen. What a mess! So, what do you do when this happens? You go back to NFM!

Fast forward to last night...

I went home after work to clean up the mess some more and give the blender a proper funeral. I immediately threw it in the trash can and began to clean up what mess I had left. I ate dinner and then I was off to my Lindy Hop II lesson. After the lesson, I went back to NFM to purchase a blender. I needed to get a new one because I have two days left of the smoothie protocol left and I needed a blender to make the smoothies. Are you with me so far? Okay, so I walk directly to the Kitchaid department. I located the blenders, white of course, and then I had to decide what size to purchase. The blenders come in multiple sizes, too. After much deliberation, I chose the 56 ounce white, multi-speed blender. I was so excited to have another addition to my counter top appliances!

I arrive home with my new purchase and I decided to rearrange my counter top. I took down all the cookbooks that I own and moved them out of the kitchen for now. I didn't realize that the suicide blender episode had reached some many areas of the kitchen but I still had a mess to clean up. Afer I got everything cleaned and my appliances arranged on the counter just right, I called it a night. That was enough for me.

So, now I have three white Kitchenaid appliances in my kitchen. Thus ends my story of the blender episode.

I finally make the decision to repair my Jeep by having the catalytic converter replaced. I open my mail today and guess what I find? A recall letter for the catalytic converter.

Emissions Recall E22- Reprogram the powertrain control module and inspection of the catalytic converter. DailmlerChrysler has determined that under certain conditions, some catalytic converters my be subject to mechanical degradation that causes them to rattle.

Yeah, figured that one out this summer. I just had the converter fixed less than two weeks ago because the noise was so bad I couldn't take it any more.

Question is...would I have received this letter if I had waited another two weeks? Umm, I don't think so. But, the upside of all this is that the Jeep is fixed and ready for winter.

It just figures...

A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences. From the time that they first met as young magicians on the rise, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden were competitors. However, their friendly competition evolves into a bitter rivalry making them fierce enemies-for-life and consequently jeopardizing the lives of everyone around them. Set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century London.




This movie grabs you from the very beginning and never lets go. It keeps you guessing until the very end and even then you are left still wondering. I give this movie two thumbs-ups.

I want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

See you tomorrow night at JNO!


reportwriter

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot Chocolate with marshmellows

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?
He wraps them in Snoopy comics paper.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Colored

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No

5. When do you put your decorations up?
Usually the day after Thanksgiving

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
Pumpkin Pie, if that counts.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
Watching "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown" with my family.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I haven't the faintest idea.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Yes, on my mother's side of the family.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
Colored lights with all sorts of decorations.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Yes, I like the sound it makes when you walk on it.

12. Can you ice skate?
It has been a long time since I skated but I probably could.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Very much so.

14. What's your favorite thing about the holidays?
The whole change in season thing, being able to smell it in the air.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Sitting around the table listening to conversations of family members

17. What tops your tree?
A stocking

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Silent Night by Mannheim Steamroller

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
Yum!

21. What's number one on your Christmas list this year?
Clock/radio that charges my iPod from Sony

I don't mind cleaning my apartment. I don't mind doing the dishes, the laundry, cleaning the bathroom. But, there is one chore that I avoid and that is 'dusting'. I don't like it, I don't. But, there comes a point when you have to give it up and get it done. Today was the day. I broke down and dusted everything!

I feel much better now. :)

It is no secret that I like to eat bread. It is my favorite food. I adore muffins, scones, dinner rolls, crescent rolls, garlic bread. I never turn down the opportunity to eat bread. Bread is usually the first thing that I go for. But, my body has been struggling with the effects of eating bread and responding in such a way that I can no longer tolerate wheat. Yes, I am wheat intolerant. I have known this for about a year and I thought I had it under control but really it has me under control.

I have been doing some research about 'gluten-free' foods and I have decided to make the leap and stop eating foods that contain wheat. This is going to be a huge change for me. Modifying my behavior towards bread and any other food that contains wheat is going to be very hard. I tried it for about 4 months last year and the results were wonderful but I fell off the 'gluten-free' wagon and I never looked back.

I think that once I get my kitchen set up to be a 'gluten-free' environment, I should be okay. I like to bake cookies, pies and breads so this shouldn't be to hard to handle. I will need to purchase some additional kitchen appliances but what woman wouldn't want more Kitchen Aid appliances to play with. I currently have a Kitchen Aid mixer which is the best toy you could have in the kitchen.

So, instead of making this a problem, I am going to make this an opportunity to not only improve my health but to improve to my behavior towards food in general. I get the opportunity to try different foods and expand knowledge in the kitchen.

Wish me luck. I am going to need it.

My birthday is less than 90 days away and the DMV so graciously reminded me by sending me an application for my driver's license renewal. My current license expires in February 2007. They are more than happy to take my picture for the sum of $23.75, cash only please. So, I went today to get this unpleasant chore out of the way. (I am on holiday this week, so why not?) I got up, spent time making sure that my hair is presentable, like I do every morning. I get to the DMV, paperwork already filled and I get my picture taken. Needless to say, I did not like the picture. Thank goodness no one has to look at my license. The DMV should get an award for being able to take bad pictures and getting paid for it.

I don't have to go back until 2012. Woohoo!

Last Saturday night was Beckstraordinary's birthday Toga Party! Let's just say that I had a great time. I remember sharing my drinks, dancing and when I got home, there were Cocoa Puffs in places that they shouldn't be. Did I mention that I had a great time?

Happy Birthday Becky!

Okay, now for the second part. I was helping my dad move some items from his truck to my jeep. Sounds simple, right? Well, let me tell you, I can make a problem out of even the most simple of tasks. I opened the hatch on my jeep so that we could load all of the food from one vehicle to the other. I no sooner got the hatch opened and when I turned around when the hatch fell on my head. It almost knocked me off my feet. I don't need to tell you how bad that hurt. I could hardly walk afterward. My head, neck and back hurt so bad that I began to get sick to my stomach.


I decided that it was time to get the hatch lifters replaced. This was the second time this year that the hatch has feel on my head and I wasn't going to have that happen anymore.


So....I bought some new lifters, went to my dad's to change them out and guess what! I didn't know that the hatch was supposed to lift up on its own when you opened it. The jeep is after all 10 years old and since it was not new when I purchased it, I was not aware of this feature. Anyway, I helped take the old lifters off and put the new ones on and now the hatch is working like it is supposed to. Who knew something as simple as this could make me happy. :)

I drive a Jeep. A 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo to be exact. It has over 170,000 miles on it and it drives like a champ. I purchased the jeep from my sister in November 2004 who drove it as a company vehicle. It was extremely well maintained and I purchased it from her when she needed to upgrade to a larger vehicle. Something to do with not enough 'butt room' in the jeep anymore. Anyway, I flew my dad out to Ohio and he drove it home for me. I am so spoiled.


Well, sometime during this summer, the jeep began to make an aweful noise every time I started it up. I can't quite explain it but lets just say it sounded bad, really bad. It had a vibration sound that was so bad that when I went thru a drive-thru, I had to shut the engine off so that I could place an order. I finally took it to the shop to have the mechanics look at it and to hear it. The good news was that it was fixable. The bad news was that it was expensive. Of course. Why would anything be cheap. They said it was the catalytic converter and that the baffles had been knocked loose. Okay. I believe you. What would I know about this kind stuff. I work on computers all day, I wouldn't know if they were telling me the truth or not. But this is not about me, it is about my jeep.


So, after driving around all summer and in to the fall with this, ummm, noise, I finally decided last week that I couldn't take it any more. I took my jeep to the shop and I told them to fix it. If I had to listen to that noise anymore I was going to have to put the jeep down. It took them less than half an hour to replace the catalytic converter. It was a very well spent half hour. Now when I fire up the jeep, it makes a most pleasant sound. The sound of a finely tuned engine, ready to take me where ever I want to go. Quitely. Well, as quitely as a jeep can be anyway.

Your Famous Last Words Will Be:

"Tell them I said something."

reportwriter