A couple of days ago, one of our cats ripped a hole in a plastic bread bag, then helped himself to some of the bread.
I was convinced it was Jackson who did it. He's the one who lost quite a bit of weight through diet and exercise last year. The lifestyle changes weren't HIS idea, though, and he's always sniffing around under the kitchen table and in the food preparation area looking for edible bits. We also catch him in the act of jumping off the counter when we come into the room. Sometimes he's joined by his brother Pepper, but it seems like Pepper's more about the novelty of finding things than actually filling his stomach.
After dinner on Friday Hubby Tony and I left the house for a Costco run. I put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, but left the small pile of plastic bags that had accumulated from a day's worth of lunches and snacks on the counter to wash out later. We ended up making a couple of other stops, and it was close to two hours later when we got home. When I put my coat away I sensed something out of place on the stairs next to the hall closet. I flipped on the light and was horrified to see Pepper scrunched up on the bottom step with a quart-sized zip lock bag on his head!
I'm guessing he jumped up on the counter to explore, put his head in the bag to check out something that smelled good, and then couldn't get it off. I have no idea how long he'd been wearing his accessory. Fortunately, there was enough room on the sides of the bag that air could get in. I took the bag off Pepper's head. He was quite traumatized, and slunk quickly upstairs. We checked on him regularly, but there didn't seem to be any physical damage. His skittishness lasted until it was time to go to bed, then he curled up in his regular spot down by Tony's feet.
I hope that Pepper has learned his lesson, but only time will tell.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
That Darn Cat!
I have a couple of big projects coming due in the next two weeks, and not much time to do them. Today was jam-packed with activities and errands, including grocery shopping. After I did the "big shopping" at Aldi I stopped by the house to drop off the food, because it was too warm to drive around with perishables.
When I walked in the house at 1:30 the cats were waiting for me in the kitchen. They thought it was time to eat! However, I reminded them it was too early for their meal. (Yes, I talk to my pets. Don't you?) I brought in the bags and set them on the counter, then took all the refrigerated items out and put them away. The rest of the food could wait. I picked up my purse and keys, told the cats I'd see them in a bit, and left to go cross a couple more things off my list.
When I got home 45 minutes later the cats weren't anywhere to be found. I sat at the kitchen desk and caught up on emails and Facebook posts. By the time I was finished the cats were back. Jackson circled around under my feet, and Pepper jumped up on the desk and walked across it a couple of times trying to get my attention. I finished what I was doing, and told them I'd take care of them after I put the groceries away.
This was a small shopping trip, and everything (except for the gallons of milk) had fit into two large flat-bottomed cloth shopping bags. The first bag contained produce and miscellaneous groceries. The second bag held a couple of boxes of cereal, some canned goods, and a loaf of bread, which I'd placed on top of everything else.
When I pulled the bread out, I noticed something wasn't right. There's not supposed to be a hole eaten into the bag:
Who did it? As they always do, both cats looked at me innocently when I asked. I tried to figure out the message they were sending. Were they announcing they need more food, or annoyed that I ignored them?
When I walked in the house at 1:30 the cats were waiting for me in the kitchen. They thought it was time to eat! However, I reminded them it was too early for their meal. (Yes, I talk to my pets. Don't you?) I brought in the bags and set them on the counter, then took all the refrigerated items out and put them away. The rest of the food could wait. I picked up my purse and keys, told the cats I'd see them in a bit, and left to go cross a couple more things off my list.
When I got home 45 minutes later the cats weren't anywhere to be found. I sat at the kitchen desk and caught up on emails and Facebook posts. By the time I was finished the cats were back. Jackson circled around under my feet, and Pepper jumped up on the desk and walked across it a couple of times trying to get my attention. I finished what I was doing, and told them I'd take care of them after I put the groceries away.
This was a small shopping trip, and everything (except for the gallons of milk) had fit into two large flat-bottomed cloth shopping bags. The first bag contained produce and miscellaneous groceries. The second bag held a couple of boxes of cereal, some canned goods, and a loaf of bread, which I'd placed on top of everything else.
When I pulled the bread out, I noticed something wasn't right. There's not supposed to be a hole eaten into the bag:
Who did it? As they always do, both cats looked at me innocently when I asked. I tried to figure out the message they were sending. Were they announcing they need more food, or annoyed that I ignored them?
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Do You Have A Reservation?
Anyone can go out for a fancy Valentine's Day dinner. Last night Tony and I said "I Love You" with fast food at White Castle.
White Castle is a Midwest chain that's known for its small, square hamburgers called sliders. Sliders are steam grilled on top of a bed of onions. The buns are also steamed, and the finished sandwich is topped with one small pickle slice, but no condiments (although they're available, if you want to add them).
The restaurant has been doing their special Valentine's Dinner for several years, and it's extremely popular. Tony called for a reservation three weeks ahead of time, but the two White Castles closest to us were already completely booked. The one we ended up going to only had openings at 5:30 or 7:30. We chose the earlier slot, and I met Tony after I got off work.
When we walked in, I noticed they'd done their best to give the room some ambiance. The windows sported curtains of red and white streamers, and the lights in the suspended ceiling had been covered. The tables had plastic tablecloths, and each table held a bowl containng a battery-operated votive light surrounded by Valentine candy.
After we were led to our table, a waitress came by to take our drink order and give us menus. We chose the "Sweetheart Special"...hamburgers, fries (we added cheese), and drinks. Since this was a fast food restaurant, it only took a few minutes to get our food. The waitress brought it out on a tray, along with packets of ketchup and horseradish mustard. We admired the food for a few seconds, then dug in. When we were done there wasn't any food left, but the meal wasn't over yet--we also got dessert, a chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick.
A half-hour after we arrived, our meal was over. We paid our bill at the table, then stood in front of a Valentine's backdrop and had a digital photo taken. We'll be able to retrieve it on the company's Website; it will be a nice memento of our Valentine's adventure.
White Castle is a Midwest chain that's known for its small, square hamburgers called sliders. Sliders are steam grilled on top of a bed of onions. The buns are also steamed, and the finished sandwich is topped with one small pickle slice, but no condiments (although they're available, if you want to add them).
The restaurant has been doing their special Valentine's Dinner for several years, and it's extremely popular. Tony called for a reservation three weeks ahead of time, but the two White Castles closest to us were already completely booked. The one we ended up going to only had openings at 5:30 or 7:30. We chose the earlier slot, and I met Tony after I got off work.
When we walked in, I noticed they'd done their best to give the room some ambiance. The windows sported curtains of red and white streamers, and the lights in the suspended ceiling had been covered. The tables had plastic tablecloths, and each table held a bowl containng a battery-operated votive light surrounded by Valentine candy.
After we were led to our table, a waitress came by to take our drink order and give us menus. We chose the "Sweetheart Special"...hamburgers, fries (we added cheese), and drinks. Since this was a fast food restaurant, it only took a few minutes to get our food. The waitress brought it out on a tray, along with packets of ketchup and horseradish mustard. We admired the food for a few seconds, then dug in. When we were done there wasn't any food left, but the meal wasn't over yet--we also got dessert, a chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick.
A half-hour after we arrived, our meal was over. We paid our bill at the table, then stood in front of a Valentine's backdrop and had a digital photo taken. We'll be able to retrieve it on the company's Website; it will be a nice memento of our Valentine's adventure.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Puzzling
For years I've read the Everyday section of the newspaper with breakfast. The section has four pages: the two outside ones are comics, and one of the inside pages contains advice columns and the daily horoscope. I've always ignored the fourth page, which is filled with puzzles and word games.
A couple of weeks ago, though, I realized that stuff I’d been ignoring could come in handy. Since malls are traditionally slow in February, it's no surprise that the Customer Service desk where I work is too. Half of the time I'm scheduled by myself, and time can pass pretty slowly. To solve the problem, I've started taking that page of puzzles with me to do when I'm not assisting customers
After I've finished my breakfast reading, I put the newspaper section next to my purse, then tuck it into my lunch bag as I'm heading out the door. I never remember to bring a pencil, so before I start working I grab a pen from the drawer, then fold the page into eighths, turning the paper into an unobtrusive rectangle. I set my things up at the far end of the desk so I can keep one eye out for anyone who needs help.
I always start with the most mindless puzzle, Wonderword, a word search. Each 15 x 15 grid has a theme, and all the words you're looking for have some relation to the theme. Once you find and circle all the words, the leftover letters spell out another word that goes along with the theme.
After the Wonderword I refold the paper to a new section, then do the Wordy Gurdy (a rhyming pair of words that fit into empty letter squares) and the Jumble (a word puzzle with a clue, a drawing illustrating the clue, and a set of scrambled words). Sometimes the answers jump out at me and sometimes they don’t. I don’t get too worked up over finishing these, but do as many as I can.
There are two crossword puzzles each day. One is “unbranded”, and the other is the New York Times. After more paper refolding I spend time with both. On rare occasions I can complete one, but usually I work until I’ve filled in as many answers as I know or I get something incorrect (Remember, I’m using ink so I can't erase.)
Doing these puzzles takes somewhere between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 hours, depending on how many times I answer the phone, how many people I help, and how quickly I give up on a given puzzle. By this time I’m tired of straining to read the tiny newspaper font, so I pass on the Cryptoquip, Word Scrimmage, and Word Game. Besides, by this point traffic in the mall is picking up. I get paid to help customers, not read the paper!
A couple of weeks ago, though, I realized that stuff I’d been ignoring could come in handy. Since malls are traditionally slow in February, it's no surprise that the Customer Service desk where I work is too. Half of the time I'm scheduled by myself, and time can pass pretty slowly. To solve the problem, I've started taking that page of puzzles with me to do when I'm not assisting customers
After I've finished my breakfast reading, I put the newspaper section next to my purse, then tuck it into my lunch bag as I'm heading out the door. I never remember to bring a pencil, so before I start working I grab a pen from the drawer, then fold the page into eighths, turning the paper into an unobtrusive rectangle. I set my things up at the far end of the desk so I can keep one eye out for anyone who needs help.
I always start with the most mindless puzzle, Wonderword, a word search. Each 15 x 15 grid has a theme, and all the words you're looking for have some relation to the theme. Once you find and circle all the words, the leftover letters spell out another word that goes along with the theme.
After the Wonderword I refold the paper to a new section, then do the Wordy Gurdy (a rhyming pair of words that fit into empty letter squares) and the Jumble (a word puzzle with a clue, a drawing illustrating the clue, and a set of scrambled words). Sometimes the answers jump out at me and sometimes they don’t. I don’t get too worked up over finishing these, but do as many as I can.
There are two crossword puzzles each day. One is “unbranded”, and the other is the New York Times. After more paper refolding I spend time with both. On rare occasions I can complete one, but usually I work until I’ve filled in as many answers as I know or I get something incorrect (Remember, I’m using ink so I can't erase.)
Doing these puzzles takes somewhere between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 hours, depending on how many times I answer the phone, how many people I help, and how quickly I give up on a given puzzle. By this time I’m tired of straining to read the tiny newspaper font, so I pass on the Cryptoquip, Word Scrimmage, and Word Game. Besides, by this point traffic in the mall is picking up. I get paid to help customers, not read the paper!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Work Out
Thursday was the anniversary of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move!, a campaign to end childhood obesity in the United States. As part of the initiative, Beyoncé Knowles reworked the lyrics to her song "Get Me Bodied". The new version is called "Move Your Body", and has a video showing Beyoncé dancing with a group of kids.
When I was in elementary school we also had an exercise initiative, called The President's Council on Physical Fitness. Of course, this was long before video, but in 1961 the president asked Robert Preston, of The Music Man fame, to record a song called "Chicken Fat". If you're of a certain age, you probably remember doing calisthenics to it...
When I was in elementary school we also had an exercise initiative, called The President's Council on Physical Fitness. Of course, this was long before video, but in 1961 the president asked Robert Preston, of The Music Man fame, to record a song called "Chicken Fat". If you're of a certain age, you probably remember doing calisthenics to it...
Friday, February 10, 2012
What's To Eat?
I recently completed an online health assessment that was offered through our health insurance plan. It had questions about my health history, exercise habits, and diet. At one point, I had to figure out what I ate. The assessment approached the serving size concept in a way that was new to me. Instead of asking how many servings of fruits and vegetables I ate each day, the question was how many cups of each I consumed. I didn't know, but I gave it my best shot.
I wondered where they'd come up with the "cup" concept, so I did some research. Last year the food pyramid I've been used to seeing gave way to a new model, MyPlate, which emphasizes "whole" foods. According to the model plate, my diet should be 30 percent grains, 30 percent vegetables, 20 percent fruits and 20 percent protein, and a small portion of dairy. Another Website, Fruit and Veggies Matter, suggested that women in my age bracket should eat 2 1/2 cups of vegetables a day, and 1 1/2-2 cups of fruit.
I think I have a pretty good diet, and have the guidelines covered, but I thought I'd see just how I was doing. Yesterday I was making my lunch for work. After putting some leftover roast beef, a muffin, and grapes in my bag I cut up some broccoli, then used a measuring cup to see how much was there. It was substantially less than I would have guessed; my portion wasn't a real serving! I got out two small carrots and cut them up too. When I was done the vegetables almost filled a sandwich-sized Ziploc bag. Other than the times I've had a main dish salad, I don't think I've ever had that many vegetables with a meal.
At lunchtime, I started with the vegetables, which really filled me up. Instead of getting hungry two hours later, I was able to make it until the end of my shift without feeling familshed. That's a good thing; I hate to talk to customers when my stomach is growling!
I think I have a pretty good diet, and have the guidelines covered, but I thought I'd see just how I was doing. Yesterday I was making my lunch for work. After putting some leftover roast beef, a muffin, and grapes in my bag I cut up some broccoli, then used a measuring cup to see how much was there. It was substantially less than I would have guessed; my portion wasn't a real serving! I got out two small carrots and cut them up too. When I was done the vegetables almost filled a sandwich-sized Ziploc bag. Other than the times I've had a main dish salad, I don't think I've ever had that many vegetables with a meal.
At lunchtime, I started with the vegetables, which really filled me up. Instead of getting hungry two hours later, I was able to make it until the end of my shift without feeling familshed. That's a good thing; I hate to talk to customers when my stomach is growling!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
My Sentiments Exactly
Back in November (on the first Sunday of Advent, at the start of the liturgical year), the Catholic church began using a new English translation of the Mass, which is closer to the original Latin texts than the one that came out after the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.
When I walked into church that first Sunday, in addition to the Missals and hymnals in front of each pew there were cards outlining the new prayers and responses. Since things had been the same for decades, I could say all the prayers by rote, so it's probably not a bad thing that I really have to concentrate now on what I'm saying. When I started, I didn't have the new words memorized, so I read all the prayers. Almost three months later I've committed some of them to memory and I'm gradually phasing out the sheet.
Most of the changes in wording are pretty minor, but there's one that continues to trip me up...and judging by the mumbling I hear from the people around me at Mass, I'm not the only one. At five different points in the ceremony, the priest says, "The Lord be with you". The response used to be "And also with you". Now, its "And with your spirit". The first few weeks I always said the old words. Now I get it right more than half the time.
I had to laugh when I got this in an email today:
That's exactly how I feel when I get it right!
When I walked into church that first Sunday, in addition to the Missals and hymnals in front of each pew there were cards outlining the new prayers and responses. Since things had been the same for decades, I could say all the prayers by rote, so it's probably not a bad thing that I really have to concentrate now on what I'm saying. When I started, I didn't have the new words memorized, so I read all the prayers. Almost three months later I've committed some of them to memory and I'm gradually phasing out the sheet.
Most of the changes in wording are pretty minor, but there's one that continues to trip me up...and judging by the mumbling I hear from the people around me at Mass, I'm not the only one. At five different points in the ceremony, the priest says, "The Lord be with you". The response used to be "And also with you". Now, its "And with your spirit". The first few weeks I always said the old words. Now I get it right more than half the time.
I had to laugh when I got this in an email today:
That's exactly how I feel when I get it right!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Opportunity Doesn't Always Knock-Sometimes It Calls
Hubby Tony and I were at dinner Saturday night when his cell phone rang. It was a call from Son Brian. Tony let it go to voice mail, figuring he’d call Brian back after we got done. After dinner, I checked my phone and was surprised that I had a missed call from Brian earlier in the day. (I keep my phone in my purse, and if I'm not in the room when it rings, I don’t always hear it.)
Since Tony and I both received calls, we tossed a coin and I returned mine. After we got past the ‘hellos’, I asked him what was up. He said that he and Wife Nicole were thinking about going on a Caribbean cruise later in the year, and would we be interested in joining them?
I told Brian to email me the information, then hung up the phone and told Tony what I’d found out. We’ve talked about vacations for this year, but hadn’t decided on anything yet. (It usually takes us a while to figure things out.) Here was an opportunity dropping itself right into our laps!
Sunday we checked our home and work calendars—nothing that couldn’t be changed. I looked at the information on the link that Brian sent us, then called the travel agent and set things in motion. Five hours later I was giving her my charge card information. This morning, less than 24 hours after Brian called, I got an email from her that our cruise was paid for!
We've been on several cruises before, so I know that booking the room is just the beginning. Now we have to start thinking about onboard activities, meal seatings and shore excursions. This is going to be a lot of fun!
Since Tony and I both received calls, we tossed a coin and I returned mine. After we got past the ‘hellos’, I asked him what was up. He said that he and Wife Nicole were thinking about going on a Caribbean cruise later in the year, and would we be interested in joining them?
I told Brian to email me the information, then hung up the phone and told Tony what I’d found out. We’ve talked about vacations for this year, but hadn’t decided on anything yet. (It usually takes us a while to figure things out.) Here was an opportunity dropping itself right into our laps!
Sunday we checked our home and work calendars—nothing that couldn’t be changed. I looked at the information on the link that Brian sent us, then called the travel agent and set things in motion. Five hours later I was giving her my charge card information. This morning, less than 24 hours after Brian called, I got an email from her that our cruise was paid for!
We've been on several cruises before, so I know that booking the room is just the beginning. Now we have to start thinking about onboard activities, meal seatings and shore excursions. This is going to be a lot of fun!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Possible Confusion
When someones approaches the Customer Service desk and asks if there's a "Mac" store in the mall, I have to determine if they're looking for:
MAC Cosmetics (which doesn't have a dedicated store, but does have a nice-sized counter at Macy's), or
The Apple store.
If I guess wrong, it can be very embarrassing.
MAC Cosmetics (which doesn't have a dedicated store, but does have a nice-sized counter at Macy's), or
The Apple store.
If I guess wrong, it can be very embarrassing.
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