Monthly Archives: November 2007

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Logical Or Wasteful?

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I see how these could be true, but why waste the good stuff?
15 Uses For Vodka (source)

1. To remove a bandage painlessly, saturate the bandage with vodka. The solvent dissolves adhesive.

2. To clean the caulking around bathtubs and showers, fill a trigger-spray bottle with vodka, spray the caulking, let set five minutes and wash clean. The alcohol in the vodka kills mold and mildew.

3. To clean your eyeglasses, simply wipe the lenses with a soft, clean cloth dampened with vodka. The alcohol in the vodka cleans the glass and kills germs.

4. Prolong the life of razors by filling a cup with vodka and letting your safety razor blade soak in the alcohol after shaving. The vodka disinfects the blade and prevents rusting.

5. Spray vodka on vomit stains, scrub with a brush, then blot dry.

6. Using a cotton ball, apply vodka to your face as an astringent to cleanse the skin and tighten pores.

7. Add a jigger of vodka to a 12-ounce bottle of shampoo. The alcohol cleanses the scalp, removes toxins from hair, and stimulates the growth of healthy hair.

8. Fill a sixteen-ounce trigger-spray bottle and spray bees or wasps to kill them.

9. Pour one-half cup vodka and one-half cup water in a Ziploc freezer bag and freeze for a slushy, refreshable ice pack for aches, pain or black eyes.

10. Fill a clean, used mayonnaise jar with freshly packed lavender flowers, fill the jar with vodka, seal the lid tightly and set in the sun for three days. Strain liquid through a coffee filter, then apply the tincture to aches and pains.

11. To relieve a fever, use a washcloth to rub vodka on your chest and back as a liniment.

12. To cure foot odor, wash your feet with vodka.

13. Vodka will disinfect and alleviate a jellyfish sting.

14. Pour vodka over an area affected with poison ivy to remove the urushiol oil from your skin.

15. Swish a shot of vodka over an aching tooth. Allow your gums to absorb some of the alcohol to numb the pain.

absolut vodkas
www.absolutads.com

NANO TOTAL: 6775 words. Don’t ask.
NaBlo Day 10: Check.

Unknown's avatar

Blog Link Love

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This is special. Just like FF’s #10. And as a double super special surprise, it’s NaBloPoMo related. Which made me work just a little bit harder. So appreciate! If you’re here all the time, go ahead, click the links. If you’re visiting – click here for information. It’s a list game. You can do it.

fives.jpg#20

Five Random New Blogs I’ve Found And Liked:

  1. Oxymorons and Hangovers
  2. Do They Read Obituaries
  3. Tenth Muse
  4. Fancy Pants
  5. True Purpose

I’m not trying to be too mean, but even those weren’t easily found. There are so many (bad) participants, the randomizer doesn’t really work, and really, if I find one more fairy blogger (literally, a woman that blogs and is a fairy…) someone’s going down. That or a woman who’s ‘blurb’ is: ‘I stay at home with kids and surf the net don’t tell my husband’. If that happens here, shut my site down.

tfd

NANO TOTAL: 4718 words.
NaBlo Day 9: Check.

Unknown's avatar

Can’t Sit Still

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Apparently, over the last 11 months, I have lost the ability to be on the computer and not on the internet. Finding this makes me think I need to pull the connection. Also, the ability to write. Really, I can’t sit still. I thought a new place would make me comfortable in spending hours at the computer. I’m getting up earlier than I ever did in Seattle. But I can’t relax. There’s too much to do.

Well, there’s not, but I keep finding things. I can’t decompress and get out of this world long enough to write anything coherent. It’s supposed to just eventually happen, but as we all know, I don’t have forever. The deadline is the point. I wish that would register in my busy little brain.

But nooooo. I’m making new friends, reading new blogs, playing Scrabble. Failing at time management. Becoming easily distracted. Busy bee.

hamster wheel
www.jupiterimages.com

If husband were to give me a performance evaluation, it’d go like this.

“Well, you’re making dinner – check, going to the gym – check, so well, the whole real reason I let you quit working was to get famous. How are your books coming? Oh really? FAIL.

You’re fired from not working. Get off your blog and go get a job.”

NANO TOTAL: 4283 words.
NaBlo Day 8: Check.

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October 07 Tally

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This was an awesome month, one of my best. I kept up with exercise through our move, a huge accomplishment. Last month I linked to the years worth of posts I’d kept up with monthly in my pursuit of health. This month, my husband actually remarked I’ve accomplished more than the past year. Sweeeet.

Final stats on the Calendar of Fitness:

  1. I alternated between running and weights 24 out of 31 days this month. Awesome.
  2. I kept up with writing what I ate, and wrote down the details of my workout, focusing on the weights. I have lost inches everywhere.
  3. I’ve started taking meal supplement shake things – Myoplex Lite Shakes, as recommended on the Body for Life Program.

I feel the best ever. I mean, I’m doing more weights than I was last year already, in one months time. Because of my seriousness, we joined a gym here, the La Jolla Sports Club. It was either that or 24HourDungeon, which was an easy choice. I might also have smaller pants, but I’ve posted about that too many times for anyone to notice any more. Also, there aren’t smaller sizes…

size zero
www.code.arc.cmu.edu

NANO TOTAL: 4140 words.
NaBlo Day 7: Check.

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That’s A Wrap

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That’s the trip! It was a blast. We’ve been here about a week now. I’ve enjoyed runs on the beach, settling in to our new place, exploring La Jolla, mansion ogling, spending Halloween downtown in San Diego (as a pirate) and making new friends. The view of crashing waves is remarkably calming and centering. The ability to drive a minute and run as far as I want on the sand hasn’t quite registered with me, everywhere you look there’s amazing beauty. No wonder everyone here is so happy.

I have to completely admit my preconceived notions were a little off, and that’s a good thing. I can’t wait for some (female) visitors so I can explore the tons and tons of shopping. I’ve got my laptop out in the office space, patio doors open, and I’m ready to write. This week is going to fly by.

In other news, I’ve planned a trip to Austin a week from today, and will fly from there to Vegas for the weekend. For your general information, it’s practically free to fly from SD to LV, so if you’re planning an outing anytime, invite me, I’ll say yes. And have some extra gambling (who am I kidding, shopping) money to play with.

What else? We found the Patriots bar for the game Sunday, and they happen to make a great Bloody Mary. I can’t think of what more I need.

sunset.jpg

NANO TOTAL: 3014 words.
NaBlo Day 6: Check.

Unknown's avatar

I Love La Jolla

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The fire situation didn’t really affect us. On the way in we drove near the fire near Castaic, staying away from the coast and LA due to the helpful traffic updates from my family, and only really noticed smoke and the smell of fire in the car near Escondido, but since it was night we didn’t see much more than the haze and smoke. In the headlights the ash looked like snow.

We got into La Jolla pretty late, but were able to check into the hotel right on the water that MK had reserved for us. His office was one block away. Two blocks away were my first beer in forever and the best buffalo chicken wings of all time, both of which were heaven at that point. We were wiped out. We fell asleep right after dinner. The next day MK got up early to check out his new digs while I started calling realtors. He drove me up and down La Jolla Blvd. and to Pacific and Mission Beach. Everything here is so beautiful. And the people are uncommonly nice. Whether or not that’s just compared to Seattle-ites I can’t be sure, but it is a nice change.

Basically, over that weekend, FEMA swooped in and put any furnished rental listings on hold, which meant we weren’t able to get in anywhere. Technically. I found an ad on Craigslist that we were able to go see that day, and we took it. I can’t remember ever living in the first place I’ve seen, it felt strange. We were just happy it all worked out, and even better, we could move in the next day.

MK drove me around some more, we walked around the town, to the water, saw some sights, moved his computers (two and four monitors!) into his office, and took a nap. MK’s buddies invited us out and we went to a neat area in Pacific Beach (PB) and to a really fun bar. I forgot it was the weekend before Halloween, so people were dressed up. We had a great time.

smoky.jpg

NANO TOTAL: 2718 words.
NaBlo Day 5: Check.

Unknown's avatar

One Last Break

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We made it that day all the way from Oregon to San Francisco. It’s crazy, I know. I wasn’t driving. In fact, MK drove the whole way. What a good guy. We got in to SF very, very late. Too late to go out, so we passed out at the hotel after watching a few minutes of news on the fires and getting a hotel room for San Diego. ETA: I can’t believe I forgot to mention we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge,  which was neat. But it costs 5$. Which is nuts.

The next morning we were lucky enough to be able to spend some time with my buddy RD. I had the best milkshake in the universe (yes I know that’s not Body for Life style), and he convinced me to sign up on Facebook, if only to play Scrabble, which it just so happens that for an English major I am terrible at.

Anyway, we got to see his work and all that good stuff before we jumped in the car again. The drive from San Fransisco basically to LA is the worst in the world. I know I told you that was near Amarillo, but this was even more dull. There’s nothing at all to look at, it’s barren. Then there’s some fruit plantations (what do they call them?) that stretch a million miles. Then you’re there.

I took one picture in SF:

sf.jpg

NANO TOTAL: 2342 words – Patriots are on.
NaBlo Day 4: Check.

Unknown's avatar

Epic Sunsets

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This one really is a day late. But you’re not picky or discerning, or you’d be reading War and Peace, not Somegosoftly…

Click here for information.

fives.jpg#19

Five Reasons I Loved My First Week In SoCal:

  1. Sunsets
  2. Surfer Boys
  3. Drinks with Lunch = Rule
  4. Good Friends
  5. My View

img_3560.gif

NANO TOTAL: 1457 words. Pace should be 1667/day. Crap.
NaBlo Day 3: Check.

Unknown's avatar

Ambitious Driver

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California flew by us. We had to find a home. We did stop, of course, at various parts of the Redwood National Forest. It was out of season, but I have to tell you that even IN season, I don’t think that the park was even close to anything we saw in New Zealand. It didn’t seem very well organized. The signage was more about who donated money to preserve the trees than you learning anything. Boo.

The best part was the Avenue of Giants. Where you just drive surrounded by the giant tress. I also thoroughly enjoyed driving our car through a tree. Twice. My car enjoyed it too. It told me. It was nervous because it barely fit, but was excited once it was all over. Right.

Here are those pictures.

tree.jpg

NANO TOTAL: 1127 (extremely offensive) words.
NaBlo Day 2: Check.

Unknown's avatar

Interruption For Announcement

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You’re anxious to hear more, but I have to interrupt the story of my journey to announce that not only am I supposed to be writing a book (#2) today, I’m also going to try to participate in NaBloPoMo.

Snippy did it last year (when she had time to blog, remember the good old days?), all I do is post a blog everyday. Somegosoftly, bigger, better, with regular frequency. You won’t even notice the change.

Not sure if announcing your participation counts as your DAY ONE, but that’s what you get.

I’m off to do anything besides start writing a book.

We will now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging.

tv interruption
www.istockphoto.com

If you click this

randomizer07.jpg

you’ll be taken around the world in thousands of blogs, each a participant with a guaranteed new post a day!

NANO TOTAL: 57 words. Terrible.
NaBlo Day 1: Check.