Secret Family Recipe

It is no secret that I love chocolate chip cookies. I can’t cook worth a crap, but I can make some great chocolate chip cookies. I got the recipe from my Mom. I fondly remember her making chocolate chip cookies for me when I was a kid, while I watched my favorite movie, Pete’s Dragon. I always make them for work functions & parties, and I always hear how good they are. Here’s a little tip on the secret recipe (turn the music off at the bottom of my blog first):

Finally, Time for a Hobby

I mentioned a while back that I didn’t really know what to do with myself now that I’m finished with grad school. I recently rediscovered one hobby I used to have: reading. Books. Not school-related and not work-related. For pleasure. And I’m not talking romance novels. Bryan and I are a Dan Brown junkies, so I snatched up “The Lost Symbol” and read it in a couple of days.

We have yet to find an author who writes such wonderful stories as he does—blurring the line between fact and fiction, and packed with so much action and twisting plots. I feel sorry for people who went and saw “The DaVinci Code” in theaters without reading the book. We read the book beforehand, and were bitterly disappointed in the movie. I really don’t think you could make movies from Dan Brown’s books because he does so much explaining and his characters do a lot of thinking that you just can’t get from watching a film. So for any of you out there who decided not to read those books due to the movies—you should reconsider. And read them with an open mind—they are fictional stories woven around a few real facts. I think he’s gotten a lot of unfair criticism because people forget about that.

I should say the new Dan Brown book isn’t what really got me back into reading—it just kept me going. I read about “The Shack” on someone’s blog—someone who shares the same views as we do about religion. (I have no intention of engaging any of you in a religious discussion here.) It was very difficult to read because I have a hard time hearing about bad things happening to babies & kids. I forced myself to read it anyway just because of the woman who recommended it. It wasn’t an earth-shattering book, but it was definitely a different way of looking at things.

What am I reading now? I picked up Patrick Swayze’s “Time of My Life” the other day just because nothing else caught my eye and I used to love him. I’m curious about his younger years and to see the man behind the somewhat pompous actor I saw in the Barbara Walters interview about his cancer. And now that Sara Palin has a book making headlines—I’ll have to see what the fuss is about. I still don’t know what to think about her, but I try to keep an open mind (knowing that everyone, including the media, has a political agenda.)

Spreading My Wings

Have you all noticed that I haven't complained about my job here lately? Maybe it's because I take all my frustrations out on people I can reach out and touch, like my husband and co-workers. Not that I've punched them in the face or anything like that...or thought about doing it. (I'm more talking about the ones at work, honey...no need to start watching your back...yet)

Today is one of those days where I really had to control myself. I have been permanently transferred into a different department—into a place that I have never had any desire to go to. At all. Whatsoever. Period.

And nobody knew what was going on until it was all over with. Not me, not the guys who report to me, not my temporary boss on my temporary project, and not my “real” boss. It was my boss’s boss who went behind everyone’s back with no warning. Here’s the point where I have to decide whether to rant about specific asshole upper managers via the internet, lest it come back and haunt me later.

…After sitting on this post for several hours, I think I should let it be.

My reassurance about this whole ordeal is that my new bosses seem very warm and embracing. In a nutshell, they explained that the company’s top dogs got together and decided there was a very urgent, specific need for someone with my experience and knowledge in this department, and it would be great for my resume. They questioned me when they saw my jaw hot the floor after they told me this was a permanent move—and they were not happy about the lack of communication from the asshole upper manager.

I am leading the charge in revolutionizing how the company schedules and manages work on aircraft carrier overhauls. The people involved have already picked a path (a path that I know a lot about, but am very wary of—not sure it’s the right solution.) I have to finish the details and implement it in a culture that is very skeptical of change. This will be my first major undertaking without my now former boss—my mentor. I am very nervous about spreading my wings without him behind me.

Zombie Finger

Some of you have asked me about my finger. Here I am, a week later, and here it is:

Much, much better. It does look like I will lose my fingernail after all, as the black spreads more and more each day to the top of my nail.

I still can’t bend the top joint. I work with it every day to get the mobility back (because it’s an incredible pain in the ass to have this finger out of commission)—it is still painful. But I have found one thing useful: it scares the hell out of Brandon. He is completely disturbed by the sight of it. So I chase him around the house with it. I know he’ll be talking about me to his therapist 15 years down the road…

Nor'easter 2009!

Someday Bryan & I will look back on these last couple of days and tell our grandkids that we survived the Great Nor’easter of 2009. I’d heard the weather reports in the preceding days, but our local media love to create drama out of nothing so I really didn’t pay attention. Until I was riding my bicycle at work as the storm rolled in just like the wicked witch in “The Wizard of Oz.” Turns out this little storm was more like a hurricane.

Fortunately, no trees fell on our house, we didn’t flood and we never lost power. Unfortunately, many of our friends’ and co-workers’ homes were flooded, had trees fall, and/or lost power.

These are not their homes—I stole these from the local TV station.
I guess this time the weatherman-drama-queen wasn’t exaggerating! The storm surge was just as high as hurricane Isabel a few years back. I didn’t think nor’easters were capable of producing tides that high, or wind & rain like we’ve had. The fishing pier down the road was completely submerged over the handrails. Some houses and large sand dunes were completely washed away down in North Carolina.

Makes me wonder what would happen if a hurricane like Ike came through here.

The Three-Fingered Mommy

This is how my day started. I woke up at 5 AM and couldn't go back to sleep. And that really pissed me off since I hardly ever get to sleep in anymore. Because I had to go to work this morning anyway, I went ahead and took a shower and got around while I waited for Bryan to get home from his night shift. And I waited. And waited. And started wondering if I was going to make it to work on time for the morning meeting--which is the only reason I had to go to work today at all. Then I remembered that I haven't complained about my job in a while and decided to start a blog post about that...then he got home. So that blog entry will have to wait. But why so late? The not-so-unusual reason...his relief didn't get to work on time. But that's not really what this is about.

I rushed out the door, feeling very guilty that he had to deal with the kids this morning on zero sleep--but there was nothing I could do other than rush to get to work, so I could rush to get home for him. In my mad rush to work, a few things went right. I managed NOT to get a speeding ticket (knock on wood). And I managed to get a ride from a friendly shipyard worker to the ship from the parking lot (saving me a few minutes of bicycling in the freezing cold). He got me to my office trailer just in time for that important morning meeting. And that is where it happened. I slammed my finger in this guy's truck door.

Oh but I wish that's where it ended. He didn't see me. And started driving away.

At first I thought it was just my glove. Nope--as I pulled and twisted I immediately realized it wasn't just my glove. And it wasn't coming loose. Ohmygodthedriverdoesn'tknow!!!! I was turned backwards--couldn't reach the door handle with my other hand. As the truck started forward and started dragging me with it, I got ready to leap into the truck bed--THANK GOD he glanced back just in time before he really hit the accelerator! I may have lost more than a finger--might have been my whole arm!

This poor guy was beside himself. I was shaking and in shock, and he was trying to get my glove off for me. Somehow I still had my Starbucks coffee clutched in my other hand, and he saved it as I fell back into the passenger's seat. (Yes, much like a man who will protect his beer in any situation--I prioritized my coffee over having my hand ripped off.) My finger was still on my hand, and it didn't appear to be broken. It was immediately bleeding and black and some skin is torn off where I twisted and pulled to frantically get free of the door. He gently dabbed all the blood off with a tissue and put a band-aid on it--all the while I was putting every ounce of energy and concentration into not crying. I am a woman in a male-dominated blue-collar environment. I have to act somewhat tough or these guys will eat me alive on the ship's deckplates.

The surprising thing is the pain! I feel like a whiny little girl, but my entire hand hurts all the way up past my elbow! I slammed my thumb in my Mom's Suburban when I was little, but I don't remember it feeling anything like this. And I think about my kids--I have always been very careful not to catch my kids' fingers in any doors. I can't imagine how I'd freak out if it happened now, knowing what this feels like. I showed them my finger when I got home today just so they'd see how bad it was. (ok, and to get some sympathy from my little monkeys...) Hopefully it scared them enough that they will be more careful, too.

And, no--I haven't taken a picture of it. It's gross. And I'm too big of a baby to unbandage it right now.

I Won't Drop My Brain on the Floor

We had a great Halloween, despite three family members getting over H1N1 flu. We started off the afternoon by carving pumpkins.

Bryan's "I-Gor"--inspired by Young Frankenstein.

Mine--Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Brandon & Tyler drew theirs, and Bryan carved their drawings (as best he could). We weren't quite ready to trust them with knives & carving tools...

And Nick, who is obsessed with all things Spider.

I would also like to brag about our outdoor decorations. I worked all summer on my front flowerbed to grow the right weeds for accenting our graveyard skeletons.

I hit today's after-Halloween sales at several stores for some much larger additions to the graveyard next year.

And lastly, the candy. Every year, I tell myself I won't go overboard buying too much candy for the trick-or-treaters. But our neighborhood exploded with new houses and children this year--better to have too much candy than not enough. We left it all in a cauldron outside for whomever to grab, thinking the older kids would take most of it and then we wouldn't have to worry about leftovers. Not the case. We have most of it left...must be because of those skeletons in the garden. (right...) Anyhow, some of the candy is gummy body-parts.

There's eyeballs, ears, bloody fingers. And brains. Bryan let the kids have some after lunch today.

Brandon: "Mmmm! Brain!"

Bryan: "Don't drop your candy on the floor."

Nick: "I won't drop my brain on the floor, Daddy."

Bryan: "It will make Maggie sick." (the dog)

Nick: "Maggie can't eat my brain." "I can open my brain by myself." "Daddy, can you open my brain?"

As for our costumes--we were running late as usual last night getting out the door to start trick-or-treating. You'll have to visit here to see us!