The Soup Nazi

Ok so I'm not going to yell "no soup for you!" like the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld, but I sort of feel like I'm going to get that name since over the last two days I've managed to make four different kinds of soup and freeze it in quart-size ziplock baggies so that I can have some ready-made meals for the next month. I'm not sure why I got the sudden urge to pre-cook meals, but I'm sort of hoping it will take some of the guesswork out of figuring out "what's for dinner." (or lunch...)

The thing I hate about cooking is that I can't make anything for one person - hence the fact that my freezer is full of 20+ baggies of frozen soup. I'm hoping that if I eat one kind each day, I won't get so sick of it like I do when I make something and then have the same leftovers every day of the week ... I guess this time its just having the same leftover every day of the month. So we'll see how this goes. I'm a little bit afraid that its going to do something funky when I defrost it and then all my hard work is going to go to waste. I hope that's not the case! So, Taco Soup, Tomato Basil Parmesean, Chicken & Wild Rice, or White Chicken Chili - which one should I eat first? ha ha

January Randomness

So what HAVE I been doing in January (obviously NOT blogging)? Just to name a few, in no particular order:

1. Trying to figure out which half marathon I'm actually going to run (oh and trying to figure out a training schedule so I don't die in the process).
2. Watching football.
3. Celebrating birthdays.
4. Planning baseball trips for the summer (just bought my ticket for Seattle over Memorial Day).
5. Resisting the urge to buy music off of iTunes (successfully).
6. Tracking my life (ok my financial life) on Quicken.
7. Wondering if I should give up sugar again for an undetermined amount of time.
8. Watching movies - "27 Dresses" being my favorite (I think I love James Marsden).
9. Wishing the writer's strike would be over so The Office would come back.
10. Counting down the days until January 31 when LOST returns.
11. Breaking hearts left and right (hey if that's what people want to think, I've decided to let them go right ahead).
12. Remembering how much I love my space heaters and electric blanket.
13. Staying away from the mall - I haven't bought any new clothes all month!
14. Discovering a new flavor of ice cream - Chocolate Nutty Moose Tracks (the light kind - because I'm sure after all that chocolate and peanut butter and nuts, saving 50 calories makes a HUGE difference, right?!?).
15. Thinking its time for a blog makeover (obviously not enough to do something about it, but its a thought).
16. Getting information about my 10 year high school reunion and trying to decide whether or not I should go.
17. Reconnecting with old friends on Facebook.

That's all for now (not all that I've done, this is far from a conclusive list, but at least its an idea). I can't believe I'm leaving it at 17 - its such a random number and I don't like doing things that seem unfinished. But hey, its a new year so I'll just go with it. And I'll try not to continue my absence from the wonderful world of blogging.

Dean's Birthday

Dean was in Utah for his birthday, but I convinced him to let us take him to dinner when he returned. So we all went to Eggspectation and enjoyed dinner together. (and no, not everything on the menu has eggs in it...)

And from the other end of the table ... gotta love those awkward dinner table pictures:Then we went back to my house for what was probably the most delectable cake I have ever had in my life. I'm not saying that because I made it, but because I ordered it from Cold Stone. Yellow cake sandwiched between layers of cake batter ice cream with cookie dough chunks mixed in, covered with a chocolate ganache and topped with chunks of cookie dough and chocolate shavings. Absolutely, positively, delicious. I can't remember what someone said after he made his wish and blew out the candle ... I think it was a line from "Sixteen Candles" but it was apparently pretty funny (sometimes I hate not being the one taking the pictures!!):

After cake, we played Dean's new game of 80's Music "Scene It" and called it a night. Happy Birthday Dean!

Becky's Birthday

For my roommate Becky's birthday, we celebrated at Ledo Pizza. We had one table that was separated from the group, but the noticed that the couple sitting at the table at one end of our group was Becky's friend from work, so we nicely asked them if they'd be interested in switching tables. They obliged, and we were all able to sit together. We had a LOT of pizza.
The night in and of itself was something of a miracle, because the four of us roommates all actually went in the same car, together, for the first time since Lisa moved in August! Better late than never, right?!? I made Dave take a picture of the momentus occasion. Its hanging in our living room right now, purely as incentive to all of us to take more pictures together since none of us like it! ha ha Happy Birthday Becky!

What? I'm Not Perfect Anymore? (ha ha)

I haven't ever hated the dentist like most people do (hygenists who should have been hair stylists with the way they talk, now that's another topic). Here's how it usually goes: I go to the dentist, they clean my teeth, take x-rays and put flouride on them, then the dentist comes in and says one of a few things to me ... "You have perfect teeth." "Gorgeous." "You make me sick." "You don't make me any money, now get out of here." Then I get my free toothbrucsh and floss, and that's it. 30 minutes, and I'm done for the next six months.

Well today he came in and started poking around and said to the hygenist "you told her about this little one right?" To which she responded "No, I wanted you to confirm first." A little WHAT?? Yup, a little cavity. He said its really nothing, just a tiny dot, that he couldn't even really show me it was so small. He said they'll pretend its a sealant, and if I ever join the Peace Corp, he will still tell them that I have perfect teeth. No rush to get it filled, but I scheduled it for next week. How cool is this though - he does all his fillings with a laser! I have always wanted to see how it works - I guess now I will get to by no choice of my own. Oh well I guess I can't have perfect teeth forever.

To Blog Or Not To Blog?

That is the question I have been toying with back and forth. I know I haven't posted anything since Christmas (on this blog at least). Those of you who know me well know that it most definitely isn't because of a lack of excitement in my life, or a lack of anything noteworthy to blog about. It simply stems from the time factor. And not having very much of it. So, my apoligies for not keeping my blog more up-to-date. I have quite a few posts in que, but I have to sit down and download my pictures before I can post them. Patience is a virtue, at least that's what they say. Whoever 'they' is...