For more reasons that i can count, i'm fortunate. More than anything, it's because of who loves me.

I am married to someone who rarely makes a big fuss for me on my birthday, during xmas, or valentine's day.

Instead, every day, day in and day out, he makes a fuss about how much he loves me. He doesn't seem to need a reason to get me flowers; to write me a little note; to send me a special email. All of it just to tell me he thinks i'm swell, his bestest girl.

Sure, i could have met and married someone who would give me diamonds on my birthday and send me chocolate and flowers on valentine's day.

But i met someone better. Someone who appreciates me every day. And doesn't need a reason to tell me.

I think he's swell.

I'm a better person for knowing him.

CNN just reported Anna Nicole Smith died

Seems she collapsed in her hotel in Florida...

69 confession questions

1. The phone rings. Who do you want it to be?

someone with good news

2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?

yes, of course

3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener?

depends on the subject.. but i have been told i talk too much, so i reckon that means talker

4. Do you take compliments well?

no

5. Do you play Sudoku?

i tired once, then i realized i didn't understand how to do it 'cause it was too easy, and since there is no way someone like me who so is not friends with math would consider it easy, i gave up.

6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive?

probably not. (e:Uncutsaniflush) might be able to tell a story or two about me running from bees

8. Did you ever go to camp as a kid?

no, never been to camp nor have i ever camped. sheltered life i have had, huh?

9. What was your favorite game as a kid?

i don't recall a favorite game, persay, but i loved to skip and rollerskate... i would probably love to rollerskate still if i could find a pair that fit me.. damn rollerblades have taken over the world!

10. If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was married, would you?

never

12. Could you date someone with different religious beliefs than you?

yes. i don't see it as an obstacle

13. Do you like to pursue or be pursued?

probably pursued... it feels flattering

14. Use three words to describe yourself?

caring, sensitive, silly

15. Do any songs make you cry?

yes

16. Are you continuing your education?

i am now!

17. Do you know how to shoot a gun?

i shot a shotgun once, when i was in Missouri, but i don't know if that qualifies as "knowing how"

18. If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you grabbed?

(e:Uncutsaniflush)

19. How often do you read books?

not as much as i used to, but i love reading

20. Do you think more about the past, present or future?

future. gets me in trouble

21. What is your favorite children's book?

"The Gashlycrumb Tinies" by Edward Gorey

22. What color are your eyes?

hazel

23. How tall are you?

5"5'

24. Where is your dream house located?

anywhere (e:Uncutsaniflush) lives

25. Best vacay ever?

October 2000, Knoxville, TN

26. Coolest picture?
of me??

goofy ones of me as a kid

27. Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth

yep

28. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden?

i have no idea... is it real italian food anyway?

29. How about the movies?

Stranger Than Fiction, Movieland8... when? Uhm, withing the last week or so...

30. Where was the furthest place you traveled today?

Williamsville, NY

32. Do you like mustard?

yes

33. Do you prefer to sleep or eat?

sleep

34. Do you look like your mom or dad?

thinner, everyone tells me i look like my mom... but i don't think i look like either, skinny or fat

35. How long does it take you in the shower?

depends. am i shaving? my underarms or my legs? or both? is it a hot day and i need to cool off or is it a cold day and i need to jump in and jump out?

36. Can you do a split?

ah, those were the days...

37. What movie do you want to see right now?

i have no idea

39. What did you do for New Year's?

(e:PMT)'s bash at 24

40. Do you think The Grudge was scary?

didn't see it

41. Do you laugh a lot?

just the right amount

42. Do you own a camera phone?

no. i like phones to phone and cameras to camera... mix the 2 and i get all confuzzled.

44. Was your mom a cheerleader?

yes. and my dad was on the football team

45. What's the last letter of your middle name?

e

46. how many hours of sleep do you get a night?

about 8

47. Do you watch MTV?

no

48. Do you like care bears?

no

49. What do you buy at the movies?

tickets

50. Do you know how to play poker?

no... i can never remember what beats what

51. Do you wear your seatbelt?

yes

52. What do you wear to sleep?

my birthday suit

53. Anything big ever happen in your hometown?

yeah, a big trial for a serial killer. blocked traffic for weeks. oh, and on the same week that started, prince charles came to town to cut the ribbon on the new GO Train station... a few blocks away.

54. How many meals do you eat a day?

3

55. Is your tongue pierced?

no

56. Do you always read MySpace bulletins?

no

57. Most visited webpage?

estrip.org

58. Do you like funny or serious people better?

seriously funny

59. Ever been to L.A.?

no, other places i want to go first... like SanFran!

60. Did you eat a cookie today?

no

61. Do you use cuss words in other languages?

yes

62. Do you steal or pay for your music downloads?

neither

63. Do you hate chocolate?

no. i love chocolate. particularly dark chocolate.

64. What do you and your parents fight about the most?

oy, don't get me started

65. Are you a gullible person?

probably... i'm doing this thing, aren't i?

66. Do you need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be happy?

nope

67. If you could have any job (assuming you have the skills) what would it be?

anthropologist

68. Are you easy to get along with?

i'd like to think so. why!?! someone say i wasn't? huh??

69. What is your favorite time of day?

evenings

I am trying my damnest to use this thing, this NFTA Trip Planner online. Very interesting results. Seems i have to be 45 minutes early for my appointment at 1pm, or transfer 3 times. Or walk to Elmwood. How hard should it be to get from Bird between Grant and Niagara to Elmwood and Summer?

Maybe it isn't the trip planner, but where we live. Not as many cross town buses as there should be.

What is there to do at the corner of Elmwood and Bryant for 45 minutes?

Leezie was my nickname in highschool. Then, amongst the crowd i hung with, pig latin became popular (oh, i know, we were the coolest), and i did my best to drop the nickname Leezie! Those of you that know pig latin may understand why.

I have been sofa bound for a couple of days. Saturday night hit it me hard. I thought i escaped the cold bug (e:Uncutsaniflush) had... but it looks like i didn't. Damn it.

On another far more possitive note...
Happy Birthday, (e:Paul)!

Thanks for hosting another house party, (e:PMT) !

Here are my snaps... in no particular order, even if i was trying to keep them cronological.

(e:Terry) was delicate most of the night



(e:Zobar) started the evening off with a flash!


Did someone just bring this bubble maker, or was it a birthday gift for (e:Paul) ?





(e:Libertad) and (e:MK) being anti-bubble!


I swear, it all started because i mentioned that (e:Matthew) 's jammie bottoms looked like something Edward Gorey would draw, and the next thing you know, (e:Dragonlady7) is reading The Gashlycrumb Tinies to us. Story Time! Yay!!


We barely got through that when we were told to get our hinnies out and watch (e:Paul) smash is porniata (sp?)


(e:Oda) got her sugar on


and (e:Mike) should have said no


(e:lilho) wanting no one to say no


Brothers


Sisters


The gang (nice heart, (e:Carolinian) ! )


Someone looks tired!


The only picture, all night long, i got of (e:Matthew) ! He just doesn't misbehave enough!!


Last but not least, the Birthday Boy...

So, what is a girl to do if she doesn't have a need or desire to go out during a rainy/snowy/icey day? Make ice cream!!

My first try was ok. Raspberry sorbet for my beloved. I didn't have as many frozen raspberries as i should have, so it was a bit too sweet. (e:Uncutsaniflush) doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, but when he wants sweets he wants them very sweet... so this fits the bill. Next time, more raspberries, less sugar and a tiny bit more lemon juice.

My second try didn't go as well. Cinnamon ice cream. I used a bit too much sugar, again, and a tiny bit too much cinnamon. Plus, the big boo boo was not letting the mixture cool enough before putting into the ice cream maker. Next time, i might just try steeping cinnamon sticks instead of putting in the powder.

This try... banana ice cream!! Oh, i hope it tastes as good when it is completely hardened as it did when it was soft serve from the ice cream maker!! At the last minute, i added walnuts and chocolate chips too. I cooled the mix in the fridge overnight while the ice cream bowl froze, too. So it should be yum!!

Of course, i could just find recipes instead of inventing them like (e:jenks) suggested...

It's supposed to snow or ice or be cold and icky out... so... what better thing to do but look for ice cream recipes online!!??!

Since i got my ice cream maker, i have been itching to use it, even if i don't always feel like eating ice cream in a big slightly drafty house in the winter.

More than anything, i want cinnamon ice cream. No one sells it, or at least it is rare to see in the grocery stores. And i so don't know why... i love love love cinnamon.

Had cinnamon toast for breakfast... a childhood favorite.

Found a couple of recipes online.. some at the cuisinart site. The dark chocolate sorbet looks good, and very simple. I may even have the ingredients -- water, white sugar, brown sugar, cocoa. Opps... no, we don't. Oh well. I won't die if i don't do it today.

Yesterday, (e:Uncutsaniflush) and i ate at a new mexican restaurant. So new their sign isn't even up. It's in the old Denny's by the corner of Niagara Falls Boulevard and Sheridan. Driving by not too long ago, i saw a sign -- one of those portable ones -- that said "authentic mexican food". So, we decided to wander in to try it.

Yum. It's no El Charro, the place in KNoxville Tennessee (E:Uncutsaniflush) and i hold all other Mexican restaurants up to as a comparison, but it was damn good. And i would recommend them.

We picked up a take out menu, since neither of us got further than the lunch specials and the vegetarian section looks good. Spinach Burrito is on my list of must trys...

Hmm... i feel like cooking and eating... i wonder if i have PMS?

(e:Paul) .. i love you and i so appreciate all the work you do on (e:strip). Hell, i wouldn't be bitching about this if i didn't love this place, right?

My posts keep disappearing from the Read The Latest list... But if i go directly to my post, it's there.

This is the one that is gone this time:

01/11/07 15:46 - 43F - ID#256

This GED stuff is... often exhasting. I just finished a GED Supplimental Package of Social Studies and i feel... worn out. My brain is so not used to thinking and it is complaining.

No, Brain, you cannot go watch t.v.; you need to study!

I graded the packet a few minutes ago. Out of the 152 questions on Editorial Cartoons, Drawings and Diagrams, U.S. History, World History, Geography, Economics and Civics and Government, i got 133 correct.... which, if i got the math bits right, is about 90.79%, or as i rounded to, 91%. Not bad. And what i assume to be a pass. I was concerned about the U.S. History the most, seeing as not much of it is taught in Canadian schools... and i would assume the Canadian perspective is different.

What i have been finding out about the social studies parts of the GED is that is is very much based on reading a passage and answering questions on it. However, it does assume the reader has some basic knowledge of some key U.S. Historical events. Those gaps are not as big as i thought they were, thank goodness. I am learning to find what the test is looking for, not what i think... oddly enough.

Teach says i might be ready to write the predictor soon, and the GED within weeks.

The process is..

First day of class, i wrote a very short 10 - 20 question test. Then, i wrote a TABE test based on the results of that first test. Then, i was given a score. The score meant nothing to me... what the hell does 12.9 mean, teacher man?! Turns out it means that 13 is the highest i can get. OK, so i did really well on the reading portion. Reading well means doing well on all the other sections, including the science and social studies. Yay. Math, i think i had a combination score of 9 something. They say an 11 is needed to write the infamous predictor.

• note to self -- try to use US spellings... color not colour **

The predictor is, apparently, a sample GED test. The whole deal. The 8 hours sitting in a room filling in dots that correspond to the correct answer to a question.

If that goes well, sign up for the next GED.

Studying daily. Brain complaining....