November 24th Thankfulness

Ah. Finally caught up.

Today I am thankful for Chinese food. Well, not Chinese food exactly, but the fact that we have the freedom and the opportunity to choose not only what we want to eat, but that we don't have to cook either. I went to the Chiropractor, and while walking home tried to figure out what to make for dinner. It's already going on 7:00 pm, so whatever I make has to be quick. I walked past a Chinese food place that I never noticed before, and since it was empty, called MR and asked him to meet me there.

Located on the same strip of stores as the Chinese food place (Green Shell, btw) was also two pizzerias, one kosher, one not. Across the street was a kosher bakery. All on one block. On the Turnpike is your typical fast food places (more on Burger King tomorrow- still too angry to talk about it), an Indian restaurant (Samrat- yum!), a Dominican place, a Greek gyro hut, a vegan coffee house (Witches Brew- Zombiegirl's fav place to eat), a Thai food restaurant, and scores of Italian pizzerias and restaurants. How great is this country that we have the choice to eat anything we want, and anyone can live here and have the opportunity to open a business and make a living?

So I guess I'm really thankful that I'm an American, and have choices. I have ALWAYS been proud to be an American, ever since I could recite the Pledge of Allegiance in grade school. Today I am thankful to be an American, eating Chinese food.

Ack, I am so behind!

Here goes...

November 19th thankfulness: Today I am thankful for all the creative people on the Internet. You've inspired me and taught me. What did we do in the past without all this knowledge at our fingertips? Special thanks to Amy Karol at Angry Chicken, Kristin and Beth at Sew, Mama, Sew, and Jana at Lola...again! These blogs have given me the information and the confidence to create my own stuff- to sell and give away! You guys rock!

November 20th thankfulness: Today I am thankful for birds. I get such a kick out of watching them fly in and out of our birdhouse. When I'm doing my hair, looking in the mirror, I can see into the backyard, and they keep me company (and entertained) sitting inside poking their little heads out. MR- get cracking and build many, many more birdhouses! That reminds me, I have to put out seed for them....

November 21st thankfulness: Today I went into NJ for our monthly "Best Practices" meeting. I left my bankcard home, so I had absolutely zero money. Thankfully, George D. picked up my lunch. Thanks, George! Don't believe everything we say about you!

November 22nd thankfulness: Today was the craft sale. I'm thankful to all the people who put their faith in my talent and bought stuff from me! Shawn and Judy- you are very classy ladies!

November 23rd thankfulness: Can I be thankful for a TV show? Bravo's Top Chef never interested me until I got caught watching their Season 2 marathon. Now I'm hooked. Thanks for the entertainment value, as well as the inspiration to cook new and exciting foods! I don't know how you guys do it. I wish I went to Culinary School. Every Wednesday nights at 10:00 EST!

Now I'm caught up. Stop your bitchin'!

November thankfulness- let's play catch up

Yeah, it's been a week. With my mom, and MR going away for the weekend hunting, then me coming down with a cluster of migraines, I haven't been in the mood to post. So a week later, I'll do a little catching up:

November 14th thankfulness: Today I am thankful for my sister-in-law, Laura. One of MR's two younger sisters, she has the pleasure of hosting MR and Jason for two nights. And they're stealing her husband, Eric, to go with them hunting up in Putnam Valley. God bless you, Laura, that you get to put up with all the hunting and gun talk. And thanks. I know how the guys are.








(Why do the boys keep coming home empty handed? Seems there's plenty of wildlife out there...)


November 15th thankfulness: Tonight I am thankful for cab drivers. Mandy, Jodi and I went out to a local bar (boy did I need a drink after the week I had!) and instead of driving and losing one of us to sobriety, we cabbed it there and back. At 3:00 am, these men (and women) live dangerously dealing with the drunks on the road, and the drunks in their cabs. Thank you, Mr. Cabdriver, for picking us up and safely delivering us to our homes. Even if we forget where we live.

November 16th thankfulness: Today I am thankful for yoga, and our yoga instructor, Christine. after 4 hours of sleep, and a hangover that would take down a moose, Jodi, Mandy and I made it to yoga. Begrudingly and sour, we used yoga to release the toxins inside. I think I released a little too much toxin at one point, but I was in good company. Christine was very understanding, and went easy on us, and left us in the Savasana pose (Corpse pose) for a little longer so that we could rest. Honestly, afterwards? My hangover seemed to dissapate, and I was able to function normally (though tired) for the rest of the day. Yoga is awesome.




November 17th thankfulness: Today I am thankful for sewing machines. I've recently developed a renewed love of sewing and thanks to all the fabulous crafters on the Internets, I've taught myself how to make bags, stuffed animals and other wonderful things. My sewing machine, however, is tempermental. If it doesn't stop jamming, I'm going to teach it to fly. Into the backyard. This is the perfect outlet for the creative side of me. Create functional things! Be prepared, though. I'm making about 70% of all my Christmas gifts!

November 18th thankfulness: Since this is the first day of my migraine cluster, I don't feel thankful, but I'll come up with something. Okay.... I'm thankful for Peppermint tea. Right now, it's the only thing my stomach can handle. When it's hot, it gives off a soothing mentholated vapor that will clear your sinuses. The tingle you get when it hits the back of your throat is wonderful. Try Celestial Seasonings. It's awesome.


Okay, more tomorrow. And if you're interested, stop by the St. Thomas Craft Sale tomorrow in West Hempstead. I'll be there selling bags....










November 13th thankfulness

Hah! Two in one day!

As I'm cutting out pieces to make bags for the craft sale next weekend (I know I procrastinate,) I figured out what I'm thankful for.

Bandaids.

I've cut my fingers twice with the scissors, and I stabbed myself twice on the bus today doing my cross-stitch. Since I'm selling these bags, and giving the cross-stitch as a gift, I can't personalize them with my AB-. So I'm thankful for Bandaids.

The Bandaid was invented in 1921 by Earle Dickson, who realized his wife was clumsy. She kept cutting her fingers with the knife as she prepared his dinner. Back then, the gauze and the tape were separate, and when he applied the gauze then wrapped the tape around his wife's fingers, they kept slipping off. He put a small piece of gauze in the middle of the tape, then taped it to her fingers, then wrapped it in crinoline. His boss, James Johnson, was so impressed with this he decided to market this invention, and made Earle the Vice-President of Johnson & Johnson. The Bandaid was born.

So be thankful to Earle, his clumsy wife and his boss. Even small, stupid ideas can be fruitful!

My rant today happened on the V train coming home today. Besides the fact I was supposed to be on the F train and ended up not where I was supposed to be, I was pushed aside by a man desperate to get on the train and get a seat. So desperate he pushed me aside, stepped in front of another girl and pushed a man over who needed to get off the train. Pushed him over! I followed him into the train, and sat exactly opposite him. When I caught his eye, I wagged my finger back and forth at him. He looked puzzled, then I said, "Not good." "What?" he replied. I continued waggling my finger (not the bleeding one) at him and said again, "Not good. You pushed everyone aside to sit down. That is NOT good." I kept repeating this like the madwoman I felt like until I so totally intimidated him and he scuttled off further into the train to another seat. Hah! I felt so vindicated and strong that I got totally lost for 45 minutes deep in Queens.

That'll teach me.

November 12th thankfulness

It seems that I'm running a day behind with my daily thankfulness-es. I try to go through the day and be specifically thankful for something that has touched my life that day. But by the time I get home, time gets away from me, and I can't get to the computer to be thankful. So please bear with me, and stop complaining.

Today is my Mother-in-law's birthday. That's the perfect segue- today I am thankful for my in-laws, Johanna and Bob. I consider myself lucky that I have great in-laws. I know so many people who don't. Johanna and Bob live waaaay out on Long Island, then pretend they're snow-birds and fly south to beautiful Hilton Head Island for the winter. They invite us down there every year during spring break to spend time with their grandkids. You don't have to twist my arm! I always have a wonderful time, and cry every time I have to go back home.

Anyway, I'm thankful to them. Johanna raised great kids, one of which resulted in a wonderful Husband for me. They watched Zombiegirl regularly when MR commuted out to Holbrook for his job. They drove an hour every Monday and Friday to meet him to hand off the kid all to save us money in daycare. Zombiegirl has a very special relationship with her Grandma and Grandpa. They're very close even though they no longer see each other regularly.

They're wonderful people, and I'm thankful that they're in my life, and I'm in theirs!


I received an email back from the Stop And Shop people replying to my email about carrying soy cream cheese and soy yogurt:

"Thank you for contacting us.

We appreciate knowing how pleased you are with the natural/organic food aisle. It is always nice to hear comments such as yours.

You mentioned that you would like for us to carry soy yogurt and soy cream cheese. I know how important these products are for dietary purposes and understand your concern. We wish we could carry all available products, but that is not possible. We rely on market research, information provided by our suppliers, and, of course, what our customers are asking for. We make every effort to carry those products our customers want, and constantly review product selection and monitor customer requests. Decisions are based on product availability, customer requests, and the selection of similar products in the same category.

Please know, however, that we will forward your request to the appropriate buyer for their information and consideration.

Thanks, again, for contacting us. We appreciate hearing from you.

Sincerely,
James Weldon
Customer Care Representative"

Thanks James. Three times you mentioned that decisions are based on customer requests, among other things. But I get the feeling that I'm not seeing my soy cream cheese and yogurt anytime soon. Hey- anyone care to help me out? Place your request with James here.

November 11th thankfulness

Today is Veteran's day, so naturally, I thank God for those men and women who have served in the armed forces. They've sacrificed much to serve their country, and I thank them!

I'm also going to thank God for doctors. My mom, who has gone through extensive surgery to remove cancerous tumors in her face and neck just found out that the cancer has come back. After 5 months of grueling recuperation she faces surgery again. Her surgeon, after the last surgery, said that if it comes back there isn't anything they can do. Another surgeon who had been following her case feels that there is a chance he can help. They're calling him tomorrow for a consultation.

Please keep my mom, Helen, in your prayers, as well as the doctors and the nurses that heal us and make our bodies well.

My heart isn't really in a rant today, but here goes. Stop going to tanning salons. You increase the risk of skin cancer later in life everytime you tan. If you want to look healthy, put healthy foods in your body, exercise and drink lots of water. You don't need to change your color to look healthy. I'm not going to protest outside tanning salons. If you could see my mom and what she's going through, you may change your mind.

November 10th thankfulness

(One day late)

Today I am thankful for soy beans. As a recent vegetarian convert, I've relied on these marvelous fruits of God's earth to ease my transition. You can buy fake chicken nuggets, fake hamburgers, fake ribs, fake cheese, fake cream cheese, fake turkey slices- fake everything- all made out of soy products! Some of them aren't even that bad! What a wonderful, versatile vegetable! Go, edamame, go!

I'm in a good mood , so I'm not railing against anyone today.

November 9th thankfulness

Today I'm thankful my daughter came home. 'Nuf said.

November 8 thankfulness

Today I am thankful for my parents. My mom has gone through alot with cancer and the subsequent surgery. Her face is swollen, she can't eat, she can't talk very well and she's lost alot of weight, but she is being very brave in the face of uncertainty and adversity. I can't imagine what she's going through and feel helpless that I can't do anything to ease her pain or help her eat. But through all this, she doesn't forget her family and they are both willing to help out when their family needs something. I thank you, Mom and Dad, and Beena thanks you as well. Love you both! Be strong, Mom!

Today I'm going after the feminine products companies. Obviously, since some companies are producing tampons with cardboard applicators, it's a possibility. For crying out loud- O.B. doesn't even NEED an applicator. Why then, are these companies still producing plastic applicators? Ladies- is it really that important that your applicator "glide?" I won't go into how many pads end up in the landfill. Why must our applicators end up there too? I'm demanding that tampon companies that still make plastic applicators cease production and go green. A research trip to Walgreens tonight will be necessary for me to get a good idea on which products are increasing my carbon-footprint. I'll post links soon if you want to join my "bloody crusade!"

And by the way...I switched to cloth sanitary pads. They're cute, really comfortable, washable and best of all, I'm not sending around 300 pads a year to the landfill! I love Claire de Lune's cloth pads on Etsy.com. I've got my eye on those cute rocker skull pads!

November 7th

Today, I am thankful that this week has come to an end. I guess that doesn't count, really, because every Friday I'm grateful the week is over.

Okay- today I am grateful for Autumn. Walking to and from the bus stop every day, I have to wade through inches of unraked leaves. I don't mind, though. Walking through them brings up a crisp, fall smell which I love. One house I pass has a beautiful peach colored tree on their front lawn, and the leaves on the sidewalk form a colorful mosaic. It really is breathtaking! If I could make a quilt that reflects those colors, it would be beautiful!

The majesty of God!

What am I ticked off about today? The approach to Jamaica Station on the LIRR! The workers leave all their construction debris piled all over the place. Shovels, water bottles, railroad ties, metal plates, etc. What an impression it gives to all the tourists coming in on the Train to the Plane! Why doesn't anyone take pride in their work anymore? What would it take to find someplace else to pile all this crap? Why in between the tracks? It's such an eyesore. So, I'm writing a letter to LIRR President Helena Williams. I'll post the letter and the answer if/when I get it.

More tomorrow...

Thankfulness With Added Attitude

I surf the web. I surf the web alot. My job requires me to sit behind a computer, and sometimes run routines on Autocad. This takes awhile- if I smoked, I could go downstairs and smoke 20 times a day. So, instead of inhaling, I surf.

I run across alot of stuff on the interwebs. That's the main reason why I started this blog- to have all the links I've found over the years at my fingertips, instead of in my Favorites at work. What if I was laid off? Gasp! I would never find some of my favorite websites/blogs/lolcats!

Anywhoo, yesterday while I was surfing, I found this blog where the owner said she was going to post what she was thankful for each day of November. Well, I thank God privately in my prayers each day for what is given to me in my life. But I'm going to follow that woman's lead and actually say out loud what I am thankful for- one for each day in November. Okay, okay, I'm a little late- it's already the 6th. I'll catch up.

November 1st- I'm thankful for my Soccer mom friends. See this post to know why. I'm thankful today for them because I'm watching Zombiegirl and the Soccergirls play their semi final game, and even though we're in last place playing the first place team, the moms never give up cheering and rooting for the girls. Hugs go all around when the girls lose 5-3 but the encouragement never stops. These moms are awesome, and I'm blessed to have them as my friends. Even Ronnie, who wasn't there on for the game, made up for it with laughs Saturday night at Jason's party.

November 2nd- I'm thankful for St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in West Hempstead. It was All Saint's Sunday, and " take a friend to church" day. Zombiegirl took Haley and Tyler to church, then to music, then to Sunday School class. The teachers and the ushers and especially Pastor were so kind and welcoming that the kids want to come back this week! It is truly "a caring church for all people, sharing God's love!"

November 3rd- I'm thankful for my job. I know I complain about it, and it's really not the greatest job in the world, but at least I have one. As I see all the layoffs in the other divisions, and get word that my friends have been let go, I have to step back when I get aggravated and be thankful that I'm still employed.

November 4th- Election day. I'm thankful that I live in America and have the right to choose who I want to be President.

November 5th- I am thankful for my work "wife", and her sweetheart of an officemate. They didn't throw it up in my face that Obama won the Presidential election even though I did exhibit some childish, peevish behavior that McCain lost. I love these two, and I think they like me for who I am, even though I'm 20 years their senior and Republican.

November 6th- I am thankful for cilantro. Yes, I said cilantro. I just had a Veggie Burrito Bowl at Chipotle, and I think the crisp, clean taste of cilantro is one of my favorite flavors! Note to self- grow cilantro in the herb garden next year.

See- I've caught up. Now for the attitude portion of this blog...

I am so tired of being a wimp. When you work in NYC, you have to put up with so much crap from so many arrogant, ignorant people. It's hard to put people in their place, though, without risking a broken nose or a rabbit punch to the kidney. But there are little things that irk us that we can voice an opinion or complain about! So each day in November I'm going to post about something that ticks me off, and what I'm going to do to rectify it, or at least make me feel better that I did something about it. No violence- I'm not ready to punch the woman who keeps hitting me in the head with her bag on the F train. And I'm NOT grumpy. Just fed up. Feel free to peruse my "causes" below, and join in the protest and petitions! Once again, I'll catch up...

November 1st- I Contacted Stop and Shop about not having soy cream cheese and yogurt in their organic aisle. Stores actually listen to their consumers, so if your store doesn't carry want you want- ask for it!

November 2nd- I received a letter and check in the mail yesterday from Bank of America. I think it was for a referral for when Biggz opened her student checking account. I say think because the letter I received, as well as the insert WAS IN SPANISH! Now those who know me know my name is the least sounding Spanish name there is. It's German. I have no idea why BOA would send me a letter totally in Spanish. If they had a doubt as to whether or not I was Spanish, shouldn't they send it in English since THIS IS AMERICA? Taking time out tonight to write a letter to Mr. Kevin Miller, Vicepresidente of BOA. Should I write it in Spanish?!? I'll post it and the response when/if I get one.

November 3rd- I contacted The Town of Hempstead Highway regarding the bus stop shelter where I get the N6 in the morning. The glass is hanging out of the frame, and rattles every time a truck goes by. It's just a matter of time before it falls out. I'll post the letter and the response when/if I get one.

November 4th- I'm planning this weekend to take some "recycled" campaign lawn signs and post them in the creek area behind my house. All with the message "Curb your dog". People, myself included, walk their dogs in this area. It's owned by the county, so technically, we're not supposed to walk down there. Our family always cleans up after Spencer, but recently, there has been alot of poop down there- right on the pathway! Maybe people just need a gentle reminder. I hope so. I hate poop.

November 5th- I'm contacting my neighbor to ask him to clean up all the construction debris they left in above-mentioned creek area when they tore up their backyard.

November 6th- I contacted Pathmark about putting in a bike rack in front of their store. Since I'm walking and biking everywhere in the neighborhood, it would be nice to be able to do a little grocery shopping and know my bike would be there when I'm done. If they respond back, I'll let you know.

So I'm caught up. Check back daily! And I AM NOT GRUMPY!

BTW- SS23 is the winner by default for Hump day Hypothetical Question #1, and Beena is the winner of question #2! They'll each receive a $10 Dunkin Donuts Gift Card on Friday, November 7th! They'll be more Hump Day questions coming up next week. I'll announce the gift at that time- maybe we can get a few of the shy readers to comment!
 

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