1/2 Hour Intervals

Not sure if I mentioned this already, but we're having a water drinking contest at work. Our department and Accounting are split into 2 teams. My team is called the "Waterfull Waterbuffalos" or WWBs. The other team is called "Awesomness P's". We're kicking their bladders, so to 'speak'. I personally am a lightweight on the team, averaging 1000 to 1500 ml per day. But some of the other ladies are between 2-3000 ml. I think 2000 a day would be my max, maybe 2500 if I'm exercising or it's hot outside. But, I drink coffee during the morning so don't usually start drinking water until maybe 11 ish, around lunch time. But, because I still want to contribute as much as I can that means I'm drinking all 1000 + ml in approximately 4 hours. So, on top of the 4 + cups of coffee a day which already makes me pee often the high consumption of water is causing myself, and all of the competitors, to pee every half hour or so. I would say, on average, I would normally pee maybe 4 times at work, usually when I get in, mid-morning (after cup #3 of coffee), lunch time, and late afternoon. Now, I pee when I get to work, at least 2-3 times during the morning, at lunch, and several times during the afternoon. Then, there's the last pee before the drive home. At 4:25, en masse, we all hit the washroom during the last 5 minutes. However, since the last 1/2 hour at work is often the crunch time for water consumption my bladder is still...filling...when I make the last pee. So, the last two days have been difficult because I needed to do errands on the way home. Yesterday, I had to clench my thighs together at the coffee shop while I was buying my coffee beans, San Miguel - Dark Roast, and my lips & hands got all tingly. Same thing today when I was getting my pork chops for dinner today. It's tricky. I think moderate water consumption is good but it certainly makes things challenging.

Pampered Chef & Blood Oranges

I did want to write an entry exclusively on Blood Oranges - the new black of fruit, if you get my meaning. However, I also went to a Pampered Chef shower so in order to save time & effort I thought I'd combo them.
Blood Oranges section: Wow, Blood Oranges are awesome! If you're not familiar, no! they're not really bloody at all they're just reddish & as my co-worker says, they look like "mouldy" oranges 'cause they're kind of all red & blotchy, a really dark red in parts. So, the first time I cracked one of these puppies open I was a little put off but I was determined so ate it & thoroughly enjoyed it. It's basically a really acidic orange so it kind of tastes a bit like grapefruit, but in a nice small orangey package. And, I guess they must be in season somewhere because they're only $1.29/lb right now which is less than most of the other orange types. So, the next time I went shopping I bought a couple of more,and the next time and the next so that it's become a bit of a habit. I eat one almost every day & now everyone at work is familiar with the Blood Orange. I highly recommend, particular if you like citrus things.
Pampered Chef section: After maybe a year or 2 of no Pampered Chef I went to a Pampered Chef shower today, for a co-worker. For those of you who weren't aware, I had a bit of a Pampered Chef addiction. Particularly during the time my friend Cindy was selling it because there was party after party & I just love kitchen gadgets. I spent a fortune & 90% of it was worth the expense. I particularly love my stoneware cookie sheet & microwave cooker. Wicked stuff! The funniest part of this was that almost every other page in the catalogue had something I owned. I had the mini cutting board on pg 13, the pizza cutter on pg 19, the small micro-cooker on pg 24, the bamboo spoons (regular & small) on pg 25, the small spreader & mini serving spatula on pg 29, the measure-all cup & adjustable measuring spoons on pg 31, the large batter bowl on pg 32, the stoneware rectangular stone on pg 36 & muffin pan on pg 37, and lastly the stackable cooling rack on pg 40. It seemed excessive, but I have to say I use it all regularly. Though I don't make muffins often, I just want to. Particularly banana muffins, which are my favourite. What did I buy, you ask? Well, another cookie rack because the 3 I have just wasn't enough for the larger batches of cookies. And then I got the new bamboo tongs & bamboo spatulas because they were really cheap, I really love the spoons & need something a little more teflon friendly. Good thing, though that I just had my shopping spree last weekend or I may have snapped & bought more stuff, that I really probably don't need. Except for a new set of knives (pg 12), the knife sharpener (pg 13) , a silicone whisk (pg 30), a meat thermometer(pg 33) and maybe the flour/sugar shaker (pg 40)...

Time for a holiday...

I think it's time for a few days off, or more. I've started noticing things at work that are irritating me and that means I'm there way too much. The only solution, short of quitting which I am unwilling to do, is to take some time off & recoup. For example, the co-worker that sits behind me talks with food in her mouth. Normally, I wouldn't notice this or at most think it's a little inappropriate. But, lately it has been making me angry & I've had to roll my eyes alot so it doesn't fester inside. I find eye-rolling helpful for releasing tension. She also occasionally smacks her mouth in frustration, which normally would make me feel some sympathy for her frustration but lately has been making me cringe. Also, when my other co-workers chat I can't concentrate & get really tense, roll my eyes, and occasionally plug my one free ear (I have to wear a headset). I can't handle hearing the word "like" anymore. Phrases that my co-workers use excessively have become like nails on a chalkboard for me. Never mind the excessive laughing! The crazy thing is that for the majority of the day I'm fine & I really adore my co-workers but there are these moments or periods of the day where I just have to put my earphones on & blast music so I can't hear any of them & their damn noises. It's just like when I was living with my Mom & I was in the same room when she ate nuts - OH MY GOD was that bloody irritating. I still cringe just thinking about it. Or when my Dad use to what I call 'hork' into the sink downstairs. I could hear it from across the house & it would make me gag. I do appreciate the open concept office space as far as accessibility goes but sometimes I'd love my own office. A quiet, peaceful space with nice muted lighting and perhaps CBC radio playing softly in the background. But, in lieu of the impossible, I'll just take a few days off & by the time I get back I should have a few months of tolerance left in me to get through the next season. Here's hoping!

Monday Extra

I tried a new recipe yesterday & it turned out pretty good so I thought I'd share it:

Sensational Single Skillet Chicken Dinner

1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 chicken pieces, skins removed
1 medium sized onion, coarsely chopped
1 - 28 oz. can tomatoes
1 - 7 1/2 oz. can tomato sauce
4 carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
3 medium sized unpeeled potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tsp thyme leaves
3/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups frozen corn

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken & onion, drain fat. Stir in canned tomatoes, breaking them apart. Add tomato sauce, carrots, potatoes, thyme, poultry seasoning, garlic powder and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover & simmer over low heat for about 35 to 40 min. or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in corn, cover and cook for 5 more minutes.
Jennifer twist: Well, I used crushed tomatoes which, not surprisingly, is pretty much like tomato sauce so this turned out a bit too saucy for me. BUT I'm sure it would be great with either diced or whole canned tomatoes. I also used peas, not corn, because I was out of corn and purple onion, since I needed to use it up. I didn't have poultry seasoning either so I tossed in some sage instead. I had an unmarked bag of bulk spice that was for sure NOT rosemary, so I thought chances are it's thyme - but I really wasn't sure. Despite all the oddities it was still yummy so I will make this again. I think next time though I'll try it with butter chicken sauce, instead of tomato sauce for a little flare and perhaps get actual thyme & poultry seasoning.

14+ Hours of Sleep

I went shopping yesterday because when I got to the Zoo the Keeper I usually help out wasn't there so I just cleaned out the Vulturines (really pretty Blue, Black & white feathers but they kind of look like a Turkey) space & was done in an hour. I walked around a bit, saw the lemurs, the hippo, the wolves, etc. and then went to the Co-op to get Clyde's glucosamine. I did a bit of shopping there, found the wool I ran out of so I can finish the damn scarf - finally!, got a pie crust for the Taco Pie I was going to make for dinner, that kind of thing. Then realized that I forgot my debit card at home at the check-out. The cashier agreed to put the things aside & I hustled out of there as quick as I could, red-faced and very embarrassed. Unfortunately, I live about 20-30 min. from there. If it wasn't for the glucosamine I would've just left it but I've been out for over a week already & can't find that stuff anywhere else. I think I made it back within about 50 min. and so I paid and left and then noticed that the pie crusts weren't in my bag (didn't pay for them either). At that point there was no way in hell I was going to go back in so I just left it & decided to go to Old Navy in Langley to make the drive worth my effort, or so I told myself. So, I went there, found some new shorts, a sweatshirt & a blouse that actually fit well - the trick for me is to try on a bunch of things and then if I'm lucky at least one or two things will work out. Then I went to Best Buy to pick up headphones for my work computer since I had to throw out my old ones - the left earpiece stopped working which just makes things very odd sounding. While I was there I got one of those flash memory things for my computer. So, yeah, I got the spending bug. Then I went back to Abby, and headed to Reitman's where I found some khaki pants & a couple shirts for the spring. On sale of course.Then I went to the bird store for some more seed. Then to the veggie market, then to Save-on for the stupid pie crust...you get the picture. I finally got home at around 4 and started dinner. I burnt the pie crust around the edges - and I even baked it at a lower temperature than the recipe said to. I ate, not bad either if a bit overdone. Read a bit, knitted a bit, started watching Queen of the Damned and fell asleep. I woke up at 9:30ish and then went to bed. If it wasn't for my alarm clock I would've slept longer. I don't know if it was all the shopping or if I was just in need of a bit more sleep but it was nice.

Valentine's Day

Being chronically single I do not get a whole lot of action on Valentine's Day but my Mom & my Auntie Mary usually send me a card and money or a treat (this year my Mom sent me heart shaped Post-its). I really appreciate that, but would like...more. And, lucky me, I get more because for the past 2 years we have passed out Valentine's Day treats to each other at Work. We have to wear red and bring something to hand out. Last year a few people passed out old school kiddie Valentines, the kind that you fold and have a cartoon character & sayings like "Bee Mine" on them, and I really thought that was the sh%$ because it made me reminisce about the good old days back in elementary school when we all passed out Valentines to each other. This year I decided to make my famous double chocolate cookies and individually wrapped them for each person. Other people brought candy necklaces, suckers, various chocolates, a mini box of chocolates and of course Valentines. I got Blues Clues, Spiderman, Superman w/tattoo, Dora, Sponge Bob, Winnie the Pooh and a few others. The highlights were the candy necklace & the Spiderman one. My Superman tattoo is already coming off. I also got an old school Xmen Valentine from the Hendricks' with Rogue & Gambit on it so I was quite excited to also get Spidey & Superman. I like superheroes. Overall, I'd say this was a wicked Valentine's Day. It's just really nice to get Valentines.

Starburst & Tuna Casserole

Today I ate an entire package of Starbust, California flavours with names such as "Aztec Fruit Punch" & "Limon". I'm...menstrating...and therefore NEED chocolate, meat, & sugar in higher quantities than usual. So, yesterday it was $0.50 worth of the Reece's Pieces in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters dispenser. Today was more of the same, but I only had 1 quarter left, and I needed something a little more so spent a $1.25 (two dimes & a nickle, or I would have gotten another $0.25 worth of Reece's Pieces) on Starbursts. First I had the red one, can't remember which flavour that was since they were suddenly all gone from the package before I even noticed the flavour names...Then I tried the other flavours. Then I put the rest in my drawer, and piled stuff on top of them to avoid eating more. Of course, this lasted about an hour & a half and then I had to have one more, which ended up being the rest of them. I just can't help myself. I haven't had much candy lately, except for the gummies my Supervisor brought a week or so ago, so it's not as if I have a serious problem or anything. Okay, and there were the 5 for a $1 candies from the vegetable market (which were delicious by the by). I think that's it, except for maybe a couple of mints here & there. So, I don't consider myself a candy junkie - I think I'm fine. It's just Starbursts - they're so jam-packed full of flavour my taste buds take over and I eat them before I can even think about it. My tongue has a residual tingle just thinking about them.
As for the Tuna Casserole, that's my dinner. I got this recipe from Canadian Living, as part of a Campbell's ad:

Tuna Penne Bake

2 1/2 cups penne pasta, uncooked ('cause you're gonna cook it shortly)
1 cup frozen peas
1 can Campbell's Condensed Cream of Celery Soup
2/3 cup 1% Milk
2 cans tuna, drained & flaked
3 tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard ( I'm not sure if 'whole grain' has any meaning so I just use the Dijon I have in my fridge)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup mixture of coarsely chopped onion & mushrooms
Cracked black pepper

Cook the pasta (see I told you), omitting salt. Add peas for last 5 min. of cooking. Drain & set aside. Combine in 2 L. baking dish: soup, milk, tuna, mustard, and half of the cheese. Gently stir in pasta, peas, and onion-mushroom mixture. Top with remaining cheese. Sprinkle with the pepper. Bake at 400 degree F until bubbling & hot, about 30 min.
The Jennifer twist: add salt when cooking the pasta, whichever brand of soup is on sale, use only 1 can of Tuna but add more peas, use double the cheddar and of course Skim Milk. Either way it's yummy as all get out. Enjoy!

Project Ernesto & Sandwhiches

On Wednesday our Office Manager had each of us sign up for a 15 minute slot for "Project Ernesto"on Thursday. If it was any other group of people I would have thought something...dirty, but knew better. Last year we got scalp massages so I was hoping for something like that. Anyways, Thursday morning I see this strange man in the office, clearly Ernesto, and knew it was another massage treat - or latin dancing lessons. The massage part was correct - Shiatsu in fact - and HOLY CRAP is that awesome. First of all he had an accent, Cuban, which makes everything better in my opinion, and even though Shiatsu hurts like hell the result is amazing. I'm all over Shiatsu. No offence to my massage therapist Wilma but I think Shiatsu will at least be a great extra in my life. Then Friday was a "Pot Party" - terracotta ones - and sandwiches. I got an Italian sub, salami & pepperoni, with hot peppers & yummy Parmesan bread. Then we painted the pots in a Valentine theme, or at least some of them were Valentiney, and they were judged for prizes (you guessed it, cinnamon hearts). I didn't win, of course, because I am NOT a winner of any sort. But, my pot is cute, in my opinion, though I don't think it will make it on display all year round.
Today is volunteering & hopefully finishing the newsletter. Wish me luck!

The ride home

I decided to take the back roads home today to ensure I went to the chiropractor - because when I'm on the highway I am less likely to turn off and just postpone till the elusive 'tommorow' - and as I was driving I tried to get a piece of gum out of it's package and it SHOT out of the package, hit my side window and bounced under my seat. I laughed pretty hard almost driving into the ditch trying to reach for it. However, it was not accessible so no gum for me. I also will never try to get gum out of the package while driving again. Who knows where it will shoot up next, maybe in my eye or up my nose. That could be serious! As my laughter died down I turned the corner and think I saw a Pileated Woodpecker. It's hard to be sure since I mainly just saw it's silouette but it certainly was shaped like one & was the right size but I couldn't see the tell-tale red tuft at the top. Anyways, I think I breaked & yelled "Pileated Woodpecker" so the person behind me probably thought I was a nut ball - but a Pileated Woodpecker is like the Grand Canyon of bird-watching, if you get my meaning. I've only ever seen 1 before and that was at Camp Arnes in Gimli, Manitoba. I did the same - the yelling I mean since I was walking, not driving - and the worker that was there said 'oh, yeah, we see those all the time' like she was talking about making toast. I have rarely been more unimpressed with someone's apathy than at that moment. Rarely, I said, not never.
When I got to the Chiropractor's office I had an interesting conversation with my Chiropractor about taking your husband's name vs. not. He's very traditional and believes a woman should take her husband's name, luckily for him & his wife she believed the same. And his brother & sister-in-law took each other's name, in order to be equal, so each kept their last name but added the other's so they had 3 names. I think that I would likely keep my last name but it's not a make-or break kind of thing. I just think my first name is common enough so if my partner's last name was really interesting I might agree, but if it's a "Smith" (no offense to my Smith friends) or "Johnson" (I would want to avoid alliteration) I probably would not. But this is kind of like planning your retirement before you even have a job so not much point in thinking about it.

My Saturday

I made it to the Zoo at about 9:45, 15 minutes early for our meeting but 45 minutes later than I intended. Typical me. But, it was interesting because we got to have our meeting in the nice, warm & well seated Education Centre rather than the cold, chilly & sparsely seated Volunteer Room. Then we got Tim's donuts and coffee - definitely a highlight for me. I had a Honey Dip - not chocolate, I know, but sometimes those Honey Dips are just irresistible. I tried to work on the newsletter a bit but didn't get very far and then we went out to rake & clean-up stuff so I helped with that instead. Then I went to help the Keeper I usually assist on Saturday's and spent the next 3 hours cleaning up Chinchilla poop. It was surprisingly difficult and I kept bumping into things & then jarring my shoulder, which is really sore already. So, I was a little pooped - ha, ha, good pun - and felt like I was caked in yuckiness, got home & had a long shower, and headed out for Indian food with my friend in White Rock. Yum! We go to this little hole in the wall Indian restaurant - the owners serve & cook the meals - and it is AMAZING! We get garlic Naan, pakoras, mango chutney, and usually either Shahi Butter Paneer or Shahi Butter Potatoes (went with the Paneer this time) and 2 other dishes (this time the Mattar Aloo & some mixed vegetable thing..."Bhaji" something I think). It is truly a taste sensation! And, because my friend mothers me I don't have to pay & get all the left-overs, no complaints of course. I can't wait for lunch! Anyways, I got home and after some Solitaire, took some Tylenol & went to bed. But, I woke up at 3 in the morning because my shoulder was so sore and I had to pee so after some tossing & turning I got up & went to the bathroom & took some more Tylenol. But, I couldn't lie down on my side so I had to lie flat on my back and I just cannot fall asleep that way so I tossed & attempted to turn but that hurt, and started to doze when Clyde decided he had to go out (about 5:30). Fine, I let him out, went to bed, he barked so I ran to let him back in, went back to bed, couldn't fall asleep, but I persevered and managed to doze till about 8:00. Then I got up and put ice on my shoulder while waiting for my coffee to brew. I really cannot put off going to the Chiropractor any further because if I don't go I think I'm going to cripple myself. The problem with that is that I tried to make a Chiropractor appointment before I flew to the Peg for Christmas and forgot to go. Perhaps not super surprising for those of you who know me well but to be honest I always remembered appointments, even if I was 5 minutes late for them. Now, I forget them and I have been worried that if I call for one I'll forget it too so I keep procrastinating. It's Sunday anyways so I'm S.O.L. today but I have to do it tomorrow because I need a solid 8 hours of sleep or I'll be even grouchier & more unreasonable than usual all week. What a pickle!

Carcassonne

I was first introduced to Carcassonne in Whitehorse and was hooked immediately. I even won once. But, since my friends gave me my own copy of the game for my birthday I have done nothing but LOSE, lose and then lose some more. I was first able to play it with my Calgary friends who stayed here overnight in December and they kicked my a##! Then I played with my friend Warren & he annihilated me by over a 100 points. Then I started playing with the Hendricks clan & it's just been downhill since. All of them have won and I have not. Then yesterday I played with just Trace & she won all 3 games. All 3! And, I don't think it's so much a lack of intelligence or strategy on my part - I see points when others don't, I make useful suggestions, and think big - but I make critical mistakes and just do not get the tiles I want when I want them and it PISSES ME OFF!!!! I want to WIN WIN WIN!!! I am not going to give up though. I will win if it kills me!