Reboot. Recharge.

When all else fails, just shut it down for 5 seconds and turn it back on. Just like new!

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Not so great for your breath,

but pretty tasty. What, you ask?


Nuts, almonds that is....Blue Diamond BOLD Almonds to be more specific. I was at the market the other day, and stopped to get some. I usually get the Smokehouse almonds and the Honey Roasted almonds. I usually end up mixing them together so that I get both the sweet and salt at the same time.

I noticed that there was a "Bold" line of almonds that I had not seen before. I decided to try them. I got the Jalapeno Smokehouse, the Wasabi and Soy Sauce and the Maui Onion and Garlic types. There was a Lime and Chili type as well, that for some reason, I didn't get.....

The best out of the 3 that I tried is the Jalapeno Smokehouse: First off, you get a hit of jalapeno, right off the bat. It lingers and melts away leaving a hint of smoke on your tounge.

Wasabi and Soy Sauce: Reminiscent of Wasabi peas, but less harsh. You get the soy on the back side.

Least favorite, Maui Onion and Garlic: Way overpowering on the onion flavor and heavy on the salt.

I will report back on the Lime and Chili.....

Spin cycle 08/31/06

Goodbye Summer, (Hello Fall).....It was 53 when I got in my car this morning!
Today's music was sponsored by the Groove Armada, a "band" from England. I put band in quotations because it really is a duo, Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. I love these guys. They have a real keen sense for music. Their music is funk, disco, reggae, hip-hop, down-beat, and house all rolled into one. Great to spin to. I happened to catch a concert on MHD (music-high-def channel) from Wembly stadium, that they played at, and was pleasantly surprised to see them. They sounded great live, actually played their own instruments and put on a good show...

(Pic from Wikipedia)

Here's the Breakdown:

1. Hands of Time, Lovebox
2. Final Shakedown, Lovebox
3. Chicago, Vertigo
4. But I Feel Good, Lovebox
5. Lovebox, Lovebox
6. Pressure Breakdown, Northern Star
7. Easy, Lovebox
8. What Have We Become, Northern Star
9. If Everybody Looked the Same, Vertigo
10. Tuning In, Goodbye Country, (Hello Nightclub)
11. My Friend, Goodbye Country, (Hello Nightclub)

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Being the reality TV junkie that I am, I had to check out Simon Cowell's latest and greatest show, Celebrity Duets last night.
All I have to say is wow.
That show sucked.
First off, I don't understand how they can call the show "celebrity duets". The "celebs" on the show are D list, at best: Lucy Lawless, Carly Patterson, Hal Sparks, to name a few.....right, I don't really know who they are either.....
The musicians they chose to sing with the celebs should be embarassed to have performed on the show.
2 out of 3 guest judges were lame - Little Richard and Marie Osmand!?!? The third judge, producer David Foster, actually has some balls, but unfortunately did not get to use them because he critiqued last, and due to Marie Osmand taking up all the time, he didn't get to say much. And, what the hell is Little Richard on? Guest judge my ass. I couldn't understand a word he said.
The best thing about the show was Wayne Brady, who at one point made some joke about the "brothers" with his arm around a puffy Alfonso Ribiero.

I watched and cringed, almost feeling the need to turn the channel a number of times, but because it was so bad, I kept watching.
That is until I clicked on Guide and determined that MHD (that's music high-def) had Coldplay on and watched that for 45 minutes, thus missing the second hour of Celeb Crapfest.
I did catch the last 15 minutes and saw the first elimination: WWE champion Chris Jericho - awful, just awful!


Guess what, there is an encore performance of the show tomorrow at 8pm on Fox, just in case you missed it....

Tuesday, August 29, 2006


I have the Monday morning blues on Tuesday.

It's gonna be a long week....

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Spin cycle 08/24/06

Today's class featured the music of a "world" band called the Afro Celt Sound System. Mash up at its best, really, of Western African music with the music of Ireland. Think driving beats and celtic fiddle. Sounds weird, but it works. The band formed in 1995 and is made up of an eclectic mix of musicians including Jo Bruce (son of Jack Bruce of Cream), James McNally (the Pogues) and about 6 other musicians. They often feature special guests on songs such as Sinead O'Connor, Robert Plant and Peter Gabriel.
It was a high energy, fast paced class. And I am pooped.

I used only 3 of their releases to make the mix, but I believe they actually have 6 total....I am missing one, that I need to pick up.....

Dark Moon, High Tide - Sound Magic, Volume 1
Whirl-Y-Reel 2 - Sound Magic, Volume 1
Whirl-Y-Reel 1 - Sound Magic, Volume 1
When You're Falling - Volume 3: Further in Time
Lovers of Light - Volume 2: Release
Big Cat - Volume 2: Release
Riding the Waves - Volume 2: Release
North Part 2 - Volume 3: Further in Time
Colossus - Volume 3: Further in Time
Release - Volume 2: Release
Even in My Dreams - Volume 2: Release

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

The bounty continues

The pick-up from my CSA (thats Community Supported Agriculture) was so GREAT last night.

In fact, this season has been real strong overall. Lots of variety, lots of produce and fruit.
We are heavy into tomatoes (heirlooms and the likes), corn, potatoes and peaches - I got 8 tomatoes, 12 ears of corn, a bunch of potatoes and 6 peaches yesterday, as well as lots of other things (lettuce, arugula, zukes, peppers, apples, raspberries, nectarines). I got 6 Habeneros yesterday as well!

The berries have been amazing this year as well, starting with the strawberries, followed by blueberries and now closing out with raspberries.
Nectarines and apples are just popping in as well.

A couple weeks ago, the peppers and eggplants showed up.

All along I've been getting zukes, cukes, squash, kolrabi, arugula, string beans, a bunch of lettuces (red leaf, romaine, butter etc), carrots, kale, various chards, bok choi, the list goes on....

During pea season, the shelled peas were exceptional this year.

Still to come are melons, pumpkins, winter squashes, and who knows what.

I made a corn chowder on Sunday:
Render the fat from some streaky bacon until crispy, then remove and set aside.
Saute diced onion, celery and scallions in the bacon fat.
Add in chopped potatoes and corn (removed from husk).
Add in chicken stock and warmed milk, plus a boquet garni.
Simmer until done - you'll know when.
S+P all along!
When you serve, float crispy bacon on top.

I'm digging tomato salad as well:
Chop up a variety of tomatoes and arrange over a variety of different chopped lettuce.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, Extra-Virin olive oil, and some acid (lemon juice is good or vinegar of some sort).

My kids like string beans, steamed, with butter.
They also like carrots, boiled, then sauteed in butter w/ a bit of brown sugar.

The farm that I do my CSA at is Stillman's Farm. I've been with them 3 seasons already.
Check out CSAs in your area here.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Dear Chris Gabrieli


Dear Chris Gabrieli,
I know that you are running for Governor of Massachusetts, and I appreciate that you are campaigning, hard. But do you have to have your frigging, automated campaign message phone my house repeatedly? You know the one, the one that comes up 617-000-0000 on the caller ID?? Including at 8:30 pm on a Sunday night, waking my frigging daughter?
I have seen your campaign ads, and I know you have 5 kids of your own. I wonder, does your computerized call phone your home repeatedly? It must not, because on the ad, your kids say that you are a great dad.
Thanks for listening, and thanks for nothing.
Sincerely,
Sharon

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Spin Cycle 08/17/06

Hello....class again this morning. I hadn't rode in 2 weeks. I taught 2 weeks ago, then went to Reno, where I worked out on the eliptical trainer. Back from Reno, it was right off to Weirs Beach. Then this week, recovery from last week.....felt good this morning.
Here's the muzak:

One - Al Schnier
Even Better than the Real Thing - U2
This is Us - Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris
You Know You Wrong - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Cars Trucks Buses - Phish
Soak Up the Sun - Sheryl Crow
Mirage- Al Schnier
Red Hill Rd - Al and the Transamericans
Back on the Train - Phish
Rather Go Fishin' - Strangefolk
They - Jem
Move Along - The All-American Rejects
Tripping Billies - Dave Matthews

I had an interesting thing happen this morning in class. I do not wear a mic when I teach - I have a pretty loud voice and can project it quite well. In fact, I haven't worn the mic in probably 8 years. I don't like to, it's distracting.
So, 2 weeks ago, I had a student who said she could not hear me. I turned the music down a bit, but it really needs to be loud to get the students going. She happened to be sitting on a bike which was right in line with a speaker, which is elevated, hanging from the ceiling. This morning, the same student complained that she could not hear me, and she was sitting in the same spot, right in line with the speaker. I again turned down the music, but I suggested to her, away from the other students, that she pick another bike, away from the direct line of the speakers, so that she could hear bettter.
Not sure if that went over well or not. I was nice about it and everything, but I'm wondering if I should have said anything.
I feel bad, but, I'm not about to put the mic on. I just can't. We'll see if she comes back next week.....

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

5 States in 48 hrs

08/09 - Nevada
08/09 - California
08/10 - Arizona
08/10 - Massachusetts
08/11 - New Hampshire

As I wrote before, on my trip to Reno, we drove up to Tahoe, and ate dinner on the shore of Lake Tahoe.

Here's a couple pics from Tahoe.

Camera phone doesn't do it justice, but hey, its better than nothing. It was absolutely stunning.

Flew to Massachusetts on Thursday, under Alert level Red and basically shit in my pants. I am a white knuckle flyer to begin with.....thank god for Atavan.

Friday we schlepped the kids to Weir's Beach on the shores of Lake Winnepesauke. It was just as I had remembered it from going as a kid many moons ago, but really small. I remember it as being much bigger.

We stayed in a cottage hotel/motel place, right up from the boardwalk. Great location, as we had a short walk to everything, except the Go-Carts, which we had to drive to. Louise LOVED the Go-Carts. I know, she's only 2, but hey, they start them young in NH. Max was the king of skee ball. It certainly helped that skee ball machines were broken, and seemed to give an extra 10 points with every ball. 50$ later, and we've got a bag full of crappy prizes. I don't know who was more excited, myself or Max! The weather was nice, but a bit windy, and we only did the beach thing for about an hour all weekend, followed by a couple hours at the pool. Mainly we were in the arcades. It was Fun with a capital F. I like being able to pass on the memories.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Reno!

Just back from business in Reno. My first flight out, was a flight to Phoenix. I sat next to a single mom with her 7 year old son. He was a cute kid. The flight overall was uneventful, except for the last 20 minutes, which was bumpy as hell. I knew I was screwed when the pilot came on and said, “um, folks, I’m going to go ahead and put the seat-belt sign on now for the remainder of the flight. Looks like we’ve got a bumpy ride ahead of us”. And bumpy it was. I was feeling so nauseous, I really thought I was going to hurl.

During the flight, I listened to some tunes (moe. @ the Roxy, LA from 07/25/06). Towards the end of the flight, I let the kid next to me listen to my iPod. His mom had one, but blew the battery in it, watching CSI on the flight. The boy said he loved Green Day, so I let him listen to American Idiot. Well, he kept playing song 1 over and over. Instead of just hitting the song back button, he kept dialing the song back. Then during the song, he kept pressing the middle button, you know the one, to rate the song, over and over. It got to the point where he wasn’t even listening to the song the whole way, and was dialing, and pushing buttons all over the place. I was freaking out! I sat there and thought for sure, this is it for my iPod. Miraculously, he pulled the earphones out and said, I’m all done listening. No shit you are kid, no shit.

I had to basically do the OJ to get from my landing gate in Phoenix to my take off gate to Reno. They were in the same terminal, but on different concourses, and even using the people movers going at a fast pace, it still took me 10 minutes. I got there and the flight was already boarding. The flight, while short, was again, bumpy, bumpy, bumpy. I got a ginger ale to try and take the edge off.

When I got to Reno, the first thing I heard was some funky circus music. I look up, and right there at the landing gate is a row of slots – hah, let the gluttony begin. This was my first trip to Reno (I’ve been to Vegas once)….I was staying at the Reno Hilton.
The place is huge – full service casino, shopping mall, fitness center, pool, bowling alley, comedy club (Josh Blue is there on Aug 26th), music theatre, bungee jumping, bumper cars, driving range….you get the point.
I went right to the bar and got myself a 5 dollar margarita with a 2 dollar chambord floater. All the bars have slot machines built into them, so that you can play the slots, loose your money, but drink for free, all at the same time. That’s the deal, as long as you’re playing (or say you are playing), you’re drinking for free.

There happened to be a conference at the hotel that week – the Administrative Assistant’s club, so there were literally hundreds of middle aged women running around, all with their credentials around their necks, having a grand old time. I don’t know who lost more money this week, the administrative assistants, or the 80 year olds, sitting at the slots, blowing their pensions. Some of the old women I saw couldn’t hold up their heads because of Osteoporosis, but could push that damn slot machine button pretty well. It was sad, really, it was pathetic. How do you play slot machines anyways? They are so frigging high-tech these days, I couldn’t make heads or tails of them.
I did play twice – I blew 2 dollars. I think I was up $0.25 at one point. I actually wanted to play one of the machines, a Sea Monkees machine, but some lady was on it, pressing away, smoking her cigs. Which brings me to another point. Everyone seems to smoke there. The minute you come off the elevator, its like a burst of not fresh air. Step right up and breath some smoke.

The other thing I noticed right away, was the music being piped through the hotel. Damn, its good to hear Baker Street again, and I don’t know when the last time it was when I heard Driver’s Seat. Yes, I’m kidding. Name that shitty 70s band, and I bet the hotel plays them.
All the while, I’m wondering, who goes to Reno anyways. Sure, I’m there for business, and the admins are there for a conference. Do people actually pick Reno as a travel destination, and if so, why not go to Vegas, where the experience is that more out of control??? I don’t know….

Rob had me place a bet at the Sport’s Book there. That’s another thing. I walk down to place the bet, and there they are, the professional betters, with their paperwork, marking things down, shuffling the papers, looking at the odds. It looks like tough work. And everyone doing their research there seemed to be missing teeth and wearing baseball caps. They'd probably be smoking but the Sports Book miraculously is non-smoking.

I placed $50 on the Damn Yankees to beat the White Sox and $50 on KC to beat Boston. I let Rob know that I got the bet in so that he could watch accordingly. And yes, the Yankees proved to be the damn Yankees as they lost in extra innings. The Red Sox also choked losing to last place KC, and so a $50 bet paid $75, thus giving me a net gain of $25. Not too bad.

One night my colleagues and I took a drive down to the “strip” for dinner. Downtown Reno consisted of about 4 casinos and hotels. We went to Circus Circus and ate dinner at the steak house there. The restaurant was placed right across from the “kid’s” section of the casino. Who brings kids to a frigging casino? It was already past 8pm, and there were tons of young kids out and about. I just don’t get it. We happened to catch one of the circus acts before we left. A woman and 2 men performed to the music of a band of washed up musicians.

Overall, the food was not good in Reno. One night we ate at a restaurant called Rappscallions. Food was high priced and moderately good. Second night we ate at Circus Circus, and our last night, which proved to be amazing, we ate on the north shore of Lake Tahoe at a place called Gar Wood’s Grille and Pier. I have a couple of pictures from Tahoe, from my phone, but Blogger is being tempermental and will not let me upload them......

All and all, it was an OK trip. OK people to travel with, OK food, OK facility we audited.....OK.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

On the Road Again

Hi - I'm posting today from lovely Reno, Nevada.
I've been here since Monday, on business, and will return home tomorrow evening.
I will post more when I have more time, regarding my nauseating flights out to Reno, my stay at the Reno Hilton and bad Gerry Raferty songs, placing bets at the Sport Book, and overall impressions of Reno.

No spin cycle tomorrow.......gonna go watch some pathetic people lose their last $5....

Friday, August 04, 2006

Commercials on Sirius

You know, it occured to me that Sirius has the lamest commercials, at least on the Stern channels. You've got to be a lunatic to fall for any of them.Here is a recap of some:
Dish Direct - You can earn 75K in your first few months just by passing out certificates for Dish Direct. Call now for you free pack of 1000 certificates!

Sales Geneie - "Its not too good to be true"! Call now for free sales leads and mailing lists. No Obligation, No Risk!

Spending Your way to Wealth - Do you want abundance in your life? Do you want to spend your way to wealth? "Call now for your free financial analysis, normally 179$"

Debt elimination - Do you want to transform your debt into a wealth system? "Let me send you my free tape on debt elimination".

Weight loss - Try the new weight loss smoothie, with our new patented "Apamine", appetite supressant. "I didn't feel hungry and lost 12 lbs in the first week"!

I mean, they keep coming at you.Who is foolish enough to fall for this shit?

Ah, the honesty of a 4 yr old

So, shaving is a bitch. Come on girls, you know it is. Its a frigging pain in the ass.
Last night while sitting cross legged on the floor, with shorts on, Max, my little boy of 4 came over an put his cheek on my calf.
He jumped up, and yelled YEOW! Mommy, you have cactus on your legs. Mommy, you need to cut your hairs.
Classic.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Spin Cycle 08/03/06

Hey-O
Going back to 99 for this week's ride. I made this ride when I was migrating from using cassettes to CDs. I would load the music onto the computer, and my then boyfriend, now husband, Rob, would use some music/sound program to mix the music into a CD. This was the 2nd one we made:


1. The Dog Pound Hop - Screamin' Lederhosen (Theme from Ren+Stimpy)
2. Iko Iko - The Belle Stars
3. Shakedown Street - The Grateful Dead
4. I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash
5. Fly - Sugar Ray
6. Birds of a Feather - Phish
7. Mirror in the Bathroom - English Beat
8. Red Red Wine - UB40
9. No Reply at All - Genesis
10. December - Collective Soul
11. I will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
12. Limb by Limb - Phish
13. Crazy Life - Toad the Wet Sprocket

Got lots of positive feedback - it was well received and a high energy class (despite the heat).

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

I recently took a chance and applied for what I consider would be my dream job. I didn’t tell anyone I was applying for it. It would have been a substantial reduction in payment, but I’m telling you, the job was something I would have done FOR FREE.
I was both over qualified and under qualified for this position, but I still felt it was necessary to apply for it. Upon hitting the send button of my email, I became filled with hope. You know that feeling you get, where for just a minute, there seems to be a glimmer of hope, a light at the end of the tunnel so to speak, and you think everything is going to change and be all better. I carried that hope with me and went back to it for a few days, and was confident that I would get this job. Unfortunately, I did not even get an interview, as I was told that there was a potential pool of candidates that had the correct set of qualifications. Deep down inside, I kind of figured that I would not get considered, however, that hope felt good, even if just for a few days.