Stay Home Because You're Well Day, November 30th

Stay Home Because You Are Well Day

But, if you are sick, you have to go to work.

Damn.

Make Your Own Head Day, November 28th

Make Your Own Head Day

I am not sure why someone has marketed a mug and a t-shirt for Make Your Own Head Day, but it must mean that it is an important day.

I hope that "make your own head" isn't some newish-slang term for some sleezy sex act, because I am taking the phrase literally. Today is a day to make my new head. Please view my new head. It took me all of three minutes, because I was short on flowery-type supplies. I guess it is bad to be short on supplies when making one's own head, but, unfortunately, it happens.

Eat a Cranberry Day, Thanksgiving Day, November 23rd

Eat a Cranberry Day
Just one. Don't eat any more, or you might ruin the day.

On a personal note, checkout the pecan pies of there. The are both the same recipe but baked using different techniques.

1 1/2 cup toasted & chopped pecans (Must be toasted about 10 min @ 300 degrees)
4 Tablespoons Melted Butter
1/cup-3/4 cup brown sugar (accordong to taste)
1 cup Pure Maple Syrup
1 Tablespoon (that's right 1 (one) Tablespoon) of Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Cream butter with sugar at high speed to get all the sugar lumps out, add vanilla and salt. Mix until very well mixed. Add eggs one by one each whipping one into the sugar misture. Brown your crust at of set at 275 for 10 minutes. Place nuts in bottom of pie pan, pour sugar mixture over the top of pie. Now, you can bake at 300 for one hour, and have the lighter pie effect, or at 400 for 30-45 minutes for the darker effect.

It will be very interesting (for me at least) to see how they taste since turned out so differently in appearance. I guess I will have to wait until tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good night!

I am thankful for...

Thanksgiving, and friends, and calculators, and computers, and cars, and weather forecasts, and traffic-cams, and Christmas bonuses, and Shout Wipes, and lip gloss, and mascara, and lotion, and ergonomic keyboards, and the Food Network, and air mattresses, and Californians, and visiting Californians, and especially LL who I now miss tons!, and scented candles, and pumpkin pie, and toner in the cartridge and not on me, and Amazon.com discounts, and displaced New Yorkers who love me, and puppies, and kittens, and allergy-free cats, and blue, and christmas trees, and christmas music, and dinner invitations, and Shakespeare, and bifocals.

What Do You Love About America? Day, November 22nd

What Do You Love About America? Day

Created by ecard people, this holiday gives us a moment to pause and think about what we love most about America.

Today, what I love most about America is variety. Most of us are so spoiled that we can find practically everything we want, anywhere, anytime. For example, let's say I have a hankering to decorate the interior of my refrigerator and must have seasonal milk cartons that say "HO! HO! HO!" Yes, sir, I can get me some of those.

Another thing I love about America today is Thanksgiving weekend football. An American tradition. Love it!

On a related note, another tradition to love, the blue cocooned Brigham Young statues all over Provo. They make me happy because they remind me that the BYU/Utah game will soon be played.

BYU must win, and by ten points, or I will have to hang my head in shame as I pay for two Chuck-o-rama lunches. Man, how do I let myself get talked into these bets?

World Hello Day, National Pumpkin Pie Day, November 21st

World Hello Day

Today is the 34th annual World Hello Day. To celebrate today you simply need to greet ten people with the simple world "hello." Why? To encourage world peace through personal interaction.

National Pumpkin Pie Day

Why should you eat pumpkin pie? Because 1 cup of pumpkin puree contains:

80 Calories
No Cholesterol
Less than 1 gram of fat
588 milligrams of Potassium
2.4 grams of Protein
310% of RDA for Vitamin A, &
20% of RDA for Vitamin C

I dare any other pie ingredient to try to be so healthy. And pumpkins were once believed to get rid of freckles. So, if you have some extra pie filling left, spread a little on your face for a healthy facial.

Yum, yum. I can't wait!

Should I Stay or Should I Go...

-Round trip cost to drive to Portland, OR from Pleasant Grove, UT ......$140
or
-Round trip cost to fly to Portland, OR, from Salt Lake City, UT .....$292
& seven days airport parking ......$45
-Four used vacation days that I can save up for the forever-planned-but-never-taken trip to NYC.
+++++I will see my niece. (And my brothers and parents and aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents.)
+++I will go to the beach.
+I can shop at Lush.

Or,

+++No driving through snowy mountain passes.
+++No crowded airports.
++I get to make yummy pies.
+I won't miss extra work because I am exhausted from driving, or from airport delays, or from missing my flight. (I am a bad line-time-estimator.)
--I will miss the best sales b/c I will feel obligated to work the day after Thanksgiving, b/c right now there are only 3 people staffing the office.
+I might be able to juggle two or more Thanksgiving dinners, b/c I have been invited to several.
+ I get to spend a day with the people I love in Utah.

Peanut Butter Fudge Day, November 20th

Peanut Butter Fudge Day

If you like fudge and peanut butter, you sure have a reason to celebrate today. Hmmm, peanut butter fudge. Check here for Alton Brown's easy recipe for Peanut Butter Fudge. It seems quite good, if you like fudge.

Unfortunately, Absent doesn't like fudge. It makes her teeth itch. I like the concept of fudge, and encourage everyone to make and eat fudge, especially peanut butter fudge, and even more especially Alton Brown's peanut butter fudge, I just won't participate because I don't want itchy teeth.

Have a happy fudge day!

I am thankful for...

water, and blankets.

Mickey Mouse Day, Married to a Scorpio Support Day, November 18th

Mickey Mouse Day

It's Mickey Mouse Day, and think about all that he has accomplished in his lifetime. Just check out his biography. And even looking beyond just his own accomplishments, without the Mickey Mouse Club, we wouldn't have the talents of Annette Funicello and Ryan Gosling. (But, we won't blame poor Mickey for Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. Some people just won't ever turn out okay even with a daily dose of Mickey Mouse.)

If you want to make sure that you have seen all of Mickey's movies, check this list here. My personal favorite is Symphony Hour. I love the music. The Sorcerer's Apprentice from Fantasia is also a very favorite Mickey clip of mine, and if you haven't seen it, you should. Go rent Fantasia.

Married to a Scorpio Support Day

If you don't feel like celebrating Mickey, you can seek out you nearest spouse of a Scorpio, and provide some sort of support. Apparently, it is difficult to be married to a Scorpio, so difficult that Wellcat.com (who copyrightes over 80 holidays) has created and copyrighted a holiday to support everyone who might be married to one.

I protest this holiday. I, being a Scorpio, do not understand why it would be so much more difficult to be married to a Scorpio than say a Taurus. According to this site, Scorpios are okay to marry Pisces, Capricorn, or Cancer, and we are pretty much sexually compatible with everyone else.

AND, there's even a eHow How to Date a Scorpio, and according to the eHow, Scorpios are "unlikely to be harsh or vindictive", are "protective of their feelings" but, Scorpios "crave kindness and understanding, like everyone else." So what's the deal? It sounds like at least the sex is good...

I am thankful for...

holiday Kissables.

I am thankful for...

New Christmas Tree toppers. And shopping trips with LL.

Oklahoma Becomes a State Day, November 16th

Oklahoma became the 46th state of the United States of America on this day in 1907. Ninety-nine years later, in 2006, Oklahomans have finally gained the right to get tattoos legally.

I think that we all need to sing a rousing chorus of

Oh-klahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain
And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain.
Oklahoma,
Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I
Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk
Makin' lazy circles in the sky.
We know we belong to the land
And the land we belong to is grand!
And when we say
Yeeow! Ayipioeeay!
We're only sayin'
You're doin' fine,
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma O.K. (Rodgers and Hammerstein Lyrics)

in order to celebrate the release of 99 years of oppression and untattood skin in Oklahoma.

Everyone ready? O.K. "Oh-klahoma....

Clean Out the Fridge Day, America Recycles Day, I Love to Write Day, November 15th

Clean Out the Fridge Day

Woohoo! It's time to get ready for Thanksgiving leftovers by cleaning out your fridge! And don't forget to recycle those containers because it's also

America Recycles Day.

And if you live in a state that doesn't celebrate America Recycles Day, like Utah, and you are bitter about it, you can write a discourse about your bitterness, because it is

I Love to Write Day.

It's a day of fun for everyone!

I am thankful for...

Edgy's listening ear.

Spicy Guacamole Day, November 14th

Spicy Guacamole Day

One of my favorite foods to eat is guacamole, so I am very excited for Spicy Guacamole Day. Yum! Yum!

Everyone has their favorite guacamole recipe, but if you think that you need to try something new for your spicy celebration, check out this site, which has quite a few options, ranging from South of the Border Guacamole to Salsa Con Otra Cosas.

You could also try to make your own Southwest Eggrolls with guacamole sauce, or you can just go buy them to go and eat them while you are watching House. Triple Yum! Yum! Yum!

Today I am thankful for...

Yesterday, I was thankful for Chopin and Debussy, and Yoyo Ma.

Today, I am thankful for seatbelts that work properly and don't trap you to the driver's seat so that you have to use your best yoga moves to get out with all your coworkers cheering you on.

I guess that I must also be thankful for yoga, otherwise I would still be trapped in the driver's seat of a minivan.

The Weeks of November

November 1st-7th

World Communication Week

November 3rd-11th

Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, Long-term Care Awareness Week, "Dear Santa" Letter Week, Kids' Goal Setting Week, World Kindness Week, Chemistry Week, National Fig Week

November 11th-19th

Green Ribbon Awareness Week, Childrens' Book Week, Pursuit of Happiness Week, Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, Home Health Care Aide Week

November 17th-24th

Family Week, Farm-City Week, Better Conversation Week, Game and Puzzle Week

November 25th-December 2nd

Travelers with Disabilities Week

I am thankful for...

progress.

Maeser School 2004









Maeser School Apartments 2006

I am thankful for...

football, and friends that know that I love football even if I forgot to pay attention to my team this year.

I am also thankful for memories.

And cell phones.

November is...

I like November. Mostly, because I like Thanksgiving. But, I just remembered that I forgot to blog about November... oh my! Talk about Absent-minded!

The name November comes from the Latin "novem" which is the Latin for the nine. The moons for November are the "Snow Moon," the "Moon of the Falling Leaves." In Finnish, November is called marraskuu, meaning "month of the dead."

During the month of November we are able to experience the Leonids meteor shower. This year there will not be a moon to interfere with viewing, if the weather is mild, it might be a good opportunity to enjoy November.

The weatherlore for November states "if the geese on St. Martin's Day (November 11) stand on ice, they will walk in mud at Christmas;" and "if the first snow sticks to the trees, it foretells a bountiful harvest;" "if sheep feed facing downhill, watch for a snowstorm;" "thunder in November indicates a fertile year to come;" "if there be ice in November that will bear a duck, there will be nothing thereafter but sleet and muck." So, be very wary of the geese, sheep, and ducks this month.

November is...National Adoption Awareness Month, AIDS Awareness Month, Alzheimer's Disease Month, Aviation History Month, National Beard Month, Celebrate Empty Nester Month, Child Safety Protection Month, COPD Awareness Month, Diabetes Awareness Month, Diabetic Eye Disease Month, Epilepsy Awareness Month, Family Stories Month, Family Caregivers Month, Good Nutrition Month, Home Care & Hospice Month, Hunger Awareness Month, I Am So Thankful Month, Impotency Month, Inspirational Role Models Month, International Micro-finance Month, International Drum Month, Latin American Month, Learn Chinese Month, Life Writing Month, Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Marrow Awareness Month, Military Family Appreciation Month, Model Railroad Month, National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo (write a 500,000 word novel during the month of November), Peanut Butter Lovers Month, Pet Cancer Awareness Month, Pomegranate Month, Prematurity Awareness Month, Real Jewelry Month, Red Ribbon Month, Roasting Month, Scholarship Month, Slaughter Month, Sleep Comfort Month, Stamp Collecting Month, Vegan Month

November's flower is the chrysanthemum and November's birthstone is the citrine or yellow topaz.

Abet and Aid Punsters Day, November 8th

Abet and Aid Punsters Day

I'm not a very good punster, and because I am currently watching election results, my brain is busy trying to not create conspiracy theories about the Utah County voting machine glitch. (I know that logically Orrin Hatch and Chris Cannon would have probably still have won without the glitch, but if Republicans are stuffing the ballot box in Daggett County... )

But, when you are in the mood for a pun, if you aren't too depressed from the election results, check out this website for 200 of the funniest puns ever.

and I'm also thankful for...

...dusky November sunsets...
and accoustic guitar music...
and trees...
and the fact that I know the difference between real trees and Utah trees...
and the fact that I didn't laugh loudly at my coworker when she stated she was glad to get back from her vacation so she could get back home, "to Utah, the land of real trees..."
and finally, today, I am thankful that I am not the poor coworker who has never lived in Oregon. Beautiful Oregon.

I am thankful for...

Diet Coke with Root Beer and crushed ice. And wet wipes.

Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day, November 7th

Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day

I know that it is bitter to vote for a raise in taxes, but PLEASE, everyone who has the opportunity to vote yes on Proposition 3 (Salt Lake County residents) or yes on the Opinion Question (for Utah County residents) PLEASE VOTE YES.

We need these transit options. We have a major traffic problem in Utah County, (the Daily Herald reported that Utah County's traffic is the worst in the state), and the people who are doing the studies think that it will double in the next ten years and quadruple by 2030. And they are saying right now that unless this proposition and this opinion question pass there will be no money budgeted to fix the problem!!!! Can we say problem!

I am watching a Utah County TV program that is explaining the issues, and why urban sprawl is bad, and increases these problems, and I am getting scared. In fact, after watching this, I think that I might have to move back to Provo, perhaps right across the street from my office, because I don't need to be stuck in traffic four times as long as I have been this last year.

And, after watching this, I don't care any more if Orrin Hatch is re-elected, although, please while you are voting yes on three, please also vote for Pete Ashdown. The poor guy isn't going to win, but I would like him to take a significant bite out of the pompous ass. And I think that if by some weird off chance Pete Ashdown took out Orrin Hatch, that would be sweet.

So, looking at it all on election eve, it seems appropriate that we have a Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day on election day. Elections are nutty, and some losses will be bitter, some wins will taste sweet.

Well, did I beat that horse to death?

Today I am thankful for...

band-aids.

Thankful Leaves

Back when I was a silly college-freshman, I started this thing during the month of November and every person that came and visited my apartment had to write what they were thankful for on a construction paper leaf. Initially, the intention with these leaves was to rebel against the white-painted cinder-block walls of the dormitory, but soon my roommates and I discovered that we just liked sitting down and thinking about what we were thankful for. It quickly became fun to tease all the boys who came to our apartment into sharing what they were thankful for as well, and they liked doing it too.

By Thanksgiving time, all of our kitchen walls and ceiling were covered, and we even had some leaves trailing down our hallway. My roommates and I had cut out over 1000 leaves, and we had spent hours just sitting in our kitchen reading them out loud to each other and talking about them.

As Novembers have come and gone, I have gotten out of the habit of doing "Thankful Leaves" and I miss them. I know one of my former roommates has adapted the idea and makes a thankful tree, where her kids tie what they are most thankful for onto a tree that sits at the dinner table during the month of November. It's a very cute tree, and more house-friendly than the "Thankful Leaves." But, I have found that if I don't think about what I am thankful for every day, then I am not ready for Thanksgiving. And Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.

But anyway, just wanted to give a little bit of an explanation why I am going to be blogging a bit every day for the next few weeks about what I am thankful for.

Sadie Hawkins Day

Sadie Hawkins Day

Some people say that Sadie Hawkins Day is the first Saturday in November. Other people say it is the first Saturday in November after November 9th. I don't really much care, because it is a holiday that I will never celebrate. I will never win a foot race, and I don't think that winning a foot race is an appropriate reason for your father to marry you off, even if you are still single and thirty-five years old.

So today, I started off in a bad mood because it might be Sadie Hawkins Day. Then, I got in a worse mood because I found out that I wasn't invited to a wedding reception that I didn't even want to go to. Not because I was ignored by not being invited, but because other people would think that I was being rude by not going. Logically, I wasn't invited because the bride didn't know my address. I'm very okay with that... and I really don't want to go. So, it shouldn't bug me so much what the other guests are going to think. I know, I know, I'm being neurotic.

So, to take my mind off of the reception that I am not invited to, I went to get my mail, and the mailman put a note in my mailbox saying that I had a present at the office. Yeah! Birthday presents! When I got to the office, they said they didn't have a present for me, that the note must have been mis-addressed. Stupid mailman. Making me excited for no reason!

I think that I have a sinus infection. That can be the only logical reason why I am so grumpy today.

Why did I even get up today?

Ah-ha! It must have been for this gem on Theric's blog, which makes me want egg nog with extra nutmeg (because there can never be too much nutmeg) and decorate for Christmas, and listen to Christmas music even though he killed Santa. And for Lemony Snicket's discourse on unrequited love in The Beatrice Letters:

"I will love you no matter what is served in the world's cafeterias... I will love you if the trees fall in the forest without anyone around to hear them... I will love you as the pesto loves the fettuccine and as the tempura loves the ikura... I will love you as a dagger loves a certain person's back and as a certain person loves to wear daggerproof tunics... as a drawer loves a secret compartment, and as a secret compartment loves a secret, and as a secret loves to make a person gasp...

Oh, how I love Lemony! Thank you Edgy for a Birthday present that the mailman did not mis-address.

Master Fob Day November 3rd

Master Fob Day

Ezra Pound, Sylvia Plath, George Elliot, Anne Sexton, Pablo Picasso, Mahalia Jackson, John Cleese, Theodore Roosevelt, Dylan Thomas, Saint Augustine, Edmund Halley, Christopher Columbus, John Adams, John Keats, Dan Rather, Daniel Boone, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Art Garfunkle, Marie Curie, James Cook, Margaret Mitchell, Dorthy Dandridge, Carl Sagan, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Kurt Vonnegut, Robert Louis Stevenson, Claude Monet, Georgia O’Keefe, Martin Luther King, Robert F. Kennedy, Voltaire, and Master Fob.

What do all these people have in common? They are Scorpios. Scorpio-born people are very special, as we can see by our very good example with Master Fob. Scorpios are known for having endearing smiles, loving to unravel mysteries, and having many loyal and dedicated friends, and for being bold, clever, curious, determined, dynamic, intelligent, intense, intuitive, metaphysical, magnetic, mysterious, powerful, radical, secretive, self-critical, and ultimately being the undisputed champions of everything.

To properly celebrate Master Fob Day you will need to pop on over to Master Fob's blog and wish him a happy birthday. Let him know what Scorpian qualities that you appreciate best about him. Or, on your own blog, write a story, poem, or some other creative monument to Master Fob.

Happy, Happy, Birthday Master Fob!

Men Make Dinner Day, November 2nd

National Men Make Dinner Day

Every first Thursday in November is Men Make Dinner Day. I know this because Edgy told me so. There was this article in the Salt Lake Tribune that explains some of the rules, but there is this whole website that explains lots of rules and even gives menu suggestions.

I have mixed feelings about this day. Mostly, because I know a lot of guys that cook, and so I don't think this is a very fair day.

Both of my brothers cook. Once, when my brother was single and living in the same town as me he called me up to get a recipe, and to borrow brown sugar, so he could make a dessert for his girlfriend. My roommates would not believe my little eighteen-year old brother, who lived mostly on frozen burritos, was going to attempt to make the semi-gourmet dessert recipe I read to him over the phone. So, he made two, and brought one over to my house for me and my roommates.

Have I mentioned that I miss having my brother around?

The other brother is a professional river raft guide and likes to be in charge of the food on multi-day trips. And he is very picky about ingredients. Which I think is really cool. We can talk about organic milk and vintages of olive oil for hours. Well, maybe not hours. I have been known to exaggerate.

I could brag about my brothers for pages on end, but I probably should get back to my rambling thoughts about National Men Make Dinner Day. Apparently, this day is for women who cook for their men, so that the women can have a day off. What about the women who don't cook, or the women who don't have men to cook for them? This is such a difficult day to celebrate. It singles out such a specific group of people. And come on, it's the 21st century, female gender isn't the only gender responsible for preparing a home-cooked meal anymore.

Personally, I really love it when a guy cooks for me. In fact, I find it really, really attractive when a guy cooks for me. And if a guy doesn't know his way around at least one dish in the kitchen... meh.

A guy who cooks is very sexy, and a guy who cooks can convince me to eat things I wouldn't normally eat. I once ate a spoonful of wasabi because the boy who made me sushi told me that was how you ate wasabi. That was first time I tasted wasabi. It was also the first time I tasted sushi, but that story isn't as exciting because the sushi didn't make me cry. I really shouldn't be telling that story because that boy is dead to me now.

Maybe I should focus on guys who don't cook. Because, it really is their day today. The guys that I have known that don't cook just eat lots of cereal and spaghetti. Maybe I should just have cereal for dinner to celebrate not having a boyfriend who doesn't cook for me.