After Christmas Sale

I went to Walmart this morning for the After Christmas sale. There weren't too many people there at 9am when I was there. I got some Christmas stuff 50% off. I got a 4ft white tree with mulit-colored lights, a 32 in. fiber optic tree, a small tree with holly, some wrapping paper, some garland and ornaments, a wreath for my mom. I also got a dvd rack that I have to put together, a remote control caddie that was 50% off, clockworks so I could fix my pig clock, two 5 pound dumb bells, change wrappers (I have a bunch of change that needs wrapped up) and a shopping card to buy things from walmart.com. Unfortunately, their online shopping card program is apparently broken - I've tried twice to make a purchase. Walmart people aren't too competent.

I tried to put the dvd rack together, but I need another pair of hands. So, I emailed Mom and I think Dad's going to stop by and help me put it together.

I think I saved about $41.00 or so by getting stuff 50% off. That's pretty good.

Freezers are Wonderful

I have discovered that peanut butter fudge can be frozen for up to 6 months. So, I did freeze the fudge Mom brought to Christmas dinner. And I froze the toll house pan cookies. I need to work out and work off all the eating I've done in the last 10 days. According to my records, which haven't been posted here for a while, the last time I worked out was 12/15/05. I worked out this morning and hopefully, I'll get back on the treadmill later today. And hopefully, I will start posting my stats on here again. Or at least putting them on my spreadsheet. That's been neglected too.

Christmas

Today we celebrated Christmas at my house. Last night I baked an apple pie for Mom and Dad and made the cranberry sauce. This morning, I got up at about ten til six and set out the rolls to rise. Then I made the home made noodles, fed the dogs (Fritz wouldn't eat), vacuumed the living room and dining room, and made up Fritz's and Steffi's stockings. At about 9am I put the turkey breast in the oven.

Mom and Dad came up about 10am or so. They brought coffee for them since I don't have coffee in my house, and they brought toll house pan cookies, peanut butter fudge and peanut clusters.

Before dinner, we dug into the stockings. Fritz got a couple of squeaky toys and some raw hides. Steffi got some doggy treats and some raw hides. Her raw hides will have to be soaked in water though. She can't chew them normally. Mom got an air freshener, a box of thin mints candy, and a wall hanging cloth calender for the kitchen. Dad got an extension cord, a deck of cards in case their computers crash, and a bag of candy.

I made the rest of the Christmas dinner (yams, green beans, mashed potatoes, the noodles, and gravy) and we sat down to dinner about 12:30 or so. Everything was good. After we were done with round one of dinner, I put the leftovers away into gladware for Mom to take home and for me for later. Mom did a nice thing and washed my dishes. Dad took Fritz for a couple of walks out in the woods.

We let dinner settle for a while. Mom and I tried to take a nap on the couch and Dad played some solitaire on the computer. Then Dad woke us up by asking if Mom was ready to leave. It wasn't even 2pm. So, we opened presents. I got a Fannie Farmer cookbook and a greatest hits cd of country music singer Mark Collie. Dad got a mini flash light that is tied around your head, a couple of pairs of gloves, and an amplifier for the receiver of their phone. Mom got a Randy Travis gospel music cd and a desk lamp. Mom and Dad's joint gift was a small floor rug that almost matches the color of their living room carpet. My sister and brother in law's gifts for us are in transit. In fact I did get my gifts from them just a few minutes ago. The mail carrier misdelivered them to the neighbor. My sister and brother in law and niece and nephew got me two books: Alias-Vigilance and Andromeda - The Attitude of Silence.

So, it was a very good Christmas for us. Hopefully, Mom and Dad will get their presents from my sister and her family and they will love their gifts as much as I love mine.

I'm still stuffed from dinner at noon but hopefully, I will find room for some of those cookies later tonight.

Intelligent Design

CNN is reporting that a court has shot down the Intelligent Design theory being taught in Science class. I think this is good. If they want to teach it in social studies classes where they are also providing an overview of all the major religions of the world, then fine. As long as all the major religions are represented then no one is promoting one agenda over another.

Christmas Dinner

Mom and Dad seem excited about having Christmas Dinner at my house this year. I stopped by to see them today and to take them their mail. Mom keeps asking if I want her to bring anything. Either she really wants to contribute, or she's getting senile. So, I told her today she could bring the Allen family traditional Christmas Candy (specifically chocolate covered peanuts) and she offered to bring toll house pan cookies. I wasn't planning to have any desserts I would eat so this will work out well.

I was planning to upgrade to the 180 channel package on my satellite dish after the first of the year, but I think I will do it Friday so Dad will have something to watch Saturday when they come up for dinner. And I will have four days to watch all the new channels.

It looks like the weather may cooperate on Saturday and we won't have any snow or ice. I hope that is still the case on Saturday. The evil weathergirl just said there might be snow in the forcast. Blah, blah, blah. They all call for snow around Christmas time. What is the deal with snow on Christmas Day??? Don't they know Jesus was really born in the spring and there wasn't any snow???

The last few days

Well, here's what happened. Thursday I saw a chihuahua mixbreed dog in the paper. It was at the local animal shelter. So, I adopted him before thinking it through. I have wanted a long haired chihuahua for a while. I brought him home friday evening after his surgery (he had to be neutered). Fritz and Steffi were not happy. Fritz started growling, which he never does even when Jasmine rides him like a horse. Steffi threw up all over the house Friday night. The dog wasn't much of a problem. He yelped a while when I put him in the crate and went to bed friday and Saturday night. He chewed on my fingers, wrist and hand like a puppy even though he was supposed to be a year and a half old. He thought he was a rabbit beagle and took off sniffing and running through the pasture with me on the other end of the leash. Sunday, Steffi bit me because I happened to be in between her and Scrappy (the new dog). Sunday night, Steffi did #2 all over the house. So, I decided Scrappy had to go back to the animal shelter. He's an adorable dog and will no doubt be adopted by a loving family. And I made it easier for him to be adopted by paying for his neutering. It was difficult to take him back, but I couldn't have Steffi sick and upset at her advanced age and Fritz can't adopt that aggressive behavior if my niece and nephew are going to be terrorizing him in the future. Fritz and Steffi were happy when I came back home without Scrappy. So, this is obviously what they wanted. And since they are members of my family, they do get a vote.

Good Quiz

you are angelina jolie you are going out with brad
pitt well for you i guess thats good you are a
sexy beast OH yeah!!!


Which celebrity are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Wow

I just noticed that I've been blogging for over two years. It really doesn't feel like that long. I am very surprised I stuck with this for that long. I remember thinking I would never keep a blog updated and it would just die away. I guess some people play games online, some do the chat room thing, and I blog.

Birthday Review

Today is my birthday. Mom got me a Martha Stewart Cutting board that's in the shape of a pig. My sister got me something, but I don't know what. It's on its way here from where ever she ordered it. April got me a golf courses wall calendar and an oven mitt that has a brownie mix in it. I will be making the brownies some evening before work so I can take them to work since I'm doing the diet thing. A couple of people gave me birthday cards at work and my former boss who has moved up to regional manager of a different region also wished me a happy birthday. I wished her one too - we share the same birthday. And I got myself something special but I'm not blogging about it yet. I haven't decided when I'm going to tell people (aka family) about it.

I did work out this morning, but as usual, I haven't posted my stats. My stats are in the bedroom with the treadmill and I never can remember to bring them in here to the computer. I don't think the workout matters that much - I ate no bake cookies and candy today at work.

Students Get Pig's-Eye View of History

By LISA CORNWELL, Associated Press WriterSun Dec 11, 2:53 PM ET

Move over, Miss Piggy. Step aside, Porky. It's time to share the swine spotlight with real pigs.

The contributions of an animal that has been reviled, mocked and dined upon for centuries are being recognized in a Xavier University class highlighting American pig history.

"As I was doing research, I found pigs popping up in rather significant settings," said assistant history professor Karim Tiro, who teaches the class.

Few realize that swine sailed to the New World with Columbus, sparked wars between colonists and American Indians and helped pioneer the assembly line, he said.

He covers those and other topics in "A History of the Pig in America with Especial Reference to the City of Cincinnati Otherwise Known as Porkopolis."

The last part of the quirky title refers to a city that has had a love-hate relationship with pigs since its heyday as the center of the U.S. pork-packing industry.

Easy access to river transportation and farmland helped turn Cincinnati into the pork processing capital of the world by the 1840s — and the target of international jokes about its "Porkopolis" image.

Appalled at the sight of pigs being herded or roaming wild through Cincinnati streets in the late 1820s, British author Frances Trollope wrote that she would have liked the city better if the people "had not dealt so very largely with hogs."

"Cincinnati's connection with pigs has always been seen both as a serious economic issue and a point of humor or ridicule," said Dan Hurley, assistant vice president for history for the Cincinnati Museum Center.

The Xavier students say they have learned how pigs and the development of the pork industry reflect broader trends in history. They also have learned to overlook the grins and giggles that often erupt at the mention of their class.

"But when I tell people what we have learned, they don't laugh as much, and they usually think it sounds interesting," said Tara Cleveland, 21.

Virginia DeJohn Anderson, a history professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, taught a class looking at the history of human and animal relationships from antiquity to the present. But she's not aware of any history classes highlighting one animal.

"I don't think many historians in the past have taken animals seriously as historical subjects. That prejudice may be shifting as we are coming to understand how animals have shaped not just the landscape, but also relations among people," Anderson said.

I switched from Alias to The Pretender for treadmill workouts. I was getting tired of Alias. At least with the Pretender, I haven't seen those episodes for a while. I still haven't posted my stats lately. That's because I haven't really felt like I've accomplished anything good with working out. It has to do with the cake and the home made peanut butter cup I made. I ate half of a 9 inch pan of peanut butter cup yesterday. I gave the other half to mom and dad. Hopefully, I can do some good with the workouts and getting back to a good diet this week. Wednesday is the unit Christmas party at work and the following Wednesday is the building Christmas party. Luckily, people there like Ham for christmas so that's one thing I won't eat.

Dad came up today. Mom stayed home. She had a bout of sinus today. Dad changed the oil in their car and fixed my table. He just tightened up all the bolts and stuff. He liked my furniture. I gave him the candy and he took the soda he and mom left behind when they moved out. It was full calorie soda so I'm glad it's gone.

I wrapped their Christmas presents today. I still have to buy Mom something else to make things even, but she won't cooperate and give me hints. I got a present from Mom and Dad in the mail yesterday. It came gift wrapped from walmart.com. Walmart is pretty handy for things like that.

Bo Bice's cd comes out Tuesday. I plan to buy it. I hope it's good. You never know how those things turn out.

Delivery

I got my dining room furniture today. I had to put the table together myself. The delivery boys aren't allowed to assemble them. They said that mine was the third or fourth table today that had to be assembled which was unusual they said because the warehouse usually has them assembled already. So, I put the table together and I think I need to tighten something. The top turns a bit and I don't think it's supposed to. Mom and Dad are coming over tomorrow for a visit, so I will have Dad check it out.

So, we didn't get any snow here at all last night. Yay! But we did have some ice. I had some ice on the driveway. So, I decided to park my car at the main road again and walk up tonight. By the time I got up to the house, I saw that the ice had melted off the driveway, even though the temperature didn't get above freezing all day.

I'm supposed to get my furniture delivered tomorrow between 3 and 6 pm. I can't wait for it to get here. I have some cleaning to do tomorrow.

I'm glad the weekend is here. I have serious day off-itis. It will last until February or March.

I have many, many pets now on the Petz game. My dog had three puppies, and my cat had four kittens not too long ago. I now have 16 pets.

Snow

Well, it looks like we might get some measurable snow here tomorrow night into Friday. I may have to shovel the driveway so I can get my furniture on Saturday.

I went to the store tonight just in case we did get a lot of snow. Hopefully we won't get much.

More on the Buffet

I took a closer look at the dimensions of my furniture I bought. I don't think the buffet is going to fit in the dining room. I could make it fit, but let's just say it's a good thing I've lost all this weight. Otherwise I might not be able to fit between the buffet and the corner of the hallway. I'm still glad I got it, even if I have to put it in another room.

I made Nestle Toll House Pan Cookies tonight. I had two eggs I needed to use before they expired. I think I'll have to take a few to work and freeze much of the rest of them.

I saw INXS on tv tonight. They were on VH1. I think JD was nervous. The cd is good. I'm hoping I'll like more of the songs the more times I play the cd. Right now, I'm watching the Randy Travis concert on the local PBS station. They are having a fund drive.

Shopping

Mom and I went to P-Burg again today to shop for a dining room table/chairs and buffet/hutch for me. The day started out decent enough. I dropped my car off at the mechanic so my back right tire/brake could be fixed. They said they could get to it after 1pm today. Then Mom and I went to P-burg. I drove her car. By the time I got there, I was feeling like I was going to throw up. I don't know if it was a virus or a reaction to the Lutein I had taken this morning, but I was not feeling well at all. We stopped at McDonalds and I got something to eat, hoping that would make me feel better. It didn't. I nearly threw up in Big Sandy. But I continued on because I was not going to waste the trip. I picked out a dining set at Big Sandy but didn't want to make a final decision without checking out Value City Furniture as well. So, Mom and I went there. There was only one real possibility there and it was purposefully distressed. It looked stupid. If I'm going to spend that kind of money, I want something that looks new. So, we went back to Big Sandy and I bought a dining room table, chairs, buffet and hutch. It's cherry finish and seats 4 people. It's going to be delivered on Saturday. I told mom and dad that we can now have Christmas dinner at my house, provided it doesn't snow. I told them I didn't know if I would let them eat at the table, given the amount of money I paid for it. LOL!

The car finally got finished at 4:45pm. I had to spend the whole afternoon at my parents' house waiting for it. But I did take a nap or two so the day wasn't a total loss.

Movies and Cooking

A lot of my day was spent working here at home. I cooked a turkey for Steffi, cooked some chicken for me, froze some of the cake I baked yesterday. I did some laundry. Worked out this morning. I'll have to post those totals later. The highlight of my day, I think, was when I watched the dvd Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I thought it was a pretty good movie. Too much action and not enough character development, but it was still a good show. I didn't like the ending all that much. We don't know how exactly they got their respective employers to stop trying to kill them. Hopefully, there will be a sequel and we'll find that part out. My favorite line from the movie was something like "I told you I saw your dad on Fantasy Island."

I'm watching the local news right now. They are reporting on the controversy of calling a Christmas Tree a Christmas Tree rather than a Holiday Tree. They interviewed one customer buying a Christmas tree and she said "We're turning into a country of pacifists. We're trying to pacify everybody." Heaven forbid we have peace at Christmas. Sometimes you just can't make these things up.

Tomorrow, if we don't get any snow accumulation, Mom and I may go back to P-Burg for the dining room table and chairs. Dad has to take my car to the mechanic to get my back brakes fixed and Mom has to get her prescriptions taken care of first. I hope I can find a table and chairs I like on this trip and actually buy them. I'm taking my checkbook with me just in case.

Shopping

Today was a pretty good shopping day. The one disappointment was that I didn't have my checkbook with me. It turns out the dining room table and chairs are probably going to cost me more than my credit card limit. I could get cheaper stuff, but if it's going to last me for 30 years like mom and dad's have lasted them, then I need to pay for a good set. Anyway, I got a couple of things I needed, found a new Diana Palmer book, got a Christmas present for Dad, ate lunch at Ponderosa (waiter guy watched me the whole time. Mom said he dropped the coffee cup because he was watching me instead of the cup and the table - LOL).

After shopping with Mom, I went to the grocery store and Walmart. At walmart I found another Christmas gift for Mom and Dad. They had a sale on chocolate chips at Krogers - a dollar a bag. I stocked up.

Dad was saying today that he needed to start working out. I hope he does. He needs to get healthier.

I got the electric bill today for the first cold month I've had in the house without Dad here burning the wood stove for heat. Using electric only, the bill is $110.00. That's about 35.00 more than what Dad would pay if he was burning the wood stove for heat. So, I don't think it's too bad. I know some people pay a lot more in electric.

Tomorrow Mom and I are going shopping in P-Burg. I don't know what we will buy, but I think Mom mainly just wants to get out without dad and look at stuff. Dad is a typical man who rushes through the store and doesn't stop to look at anything. It's a good thing my credit card payment has hit the card. I might buy a dining room table and chairs set if I can find one I like and have it delivered. I'm very picky though, so I doubt I'll buy one tomorrow.

I'm back down to 125 pounds after a two week feeding frenzy. I seriously went off the diet and exercise program there for a while. Hopefully I can get back on track and stay there. I think it's going to help to work out before work in the mornings.

I bought the dvd "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" the other night. I've only managed to watch the trailers and deleted scenes so far. But I think it's going to be good. I don't know when I'll watch it. I have a bad habit of not watching things I record and even though I bought the Van Helsing movie, I haven't watched it. I did see it at the theater. The ending wasn't the greatest for a person who reads romance novels.

Jennifer Garner had her baby. She had a little girl and reports say Garner has named her Violet. The kid will be one of the most beautiful people on earth with those two parents she's got. Hopefully, Violet will get plenty of WV hospitality and down-home sensibility as she grows up.

Treadmill Report

44 minutes, 20 seconds; 2.34 miles; 300 calories burned.

Treadmill Report

36 minutes, 28 seconds; 1.93 miles, 248 calories burned.

I have changed my routine and I now work out right when I get out of bed in the mornings on work days. I am working the 8:30 to 4:30 hours now and I decided to keep getting up at the same time and just do the treadmill in the mornings. I think it's going to work out well. I will have plenty of time to work out for a full episode of Alias (about 43 minutes).