New York And Snow - My Two Favorite Things

I am in love with this song after having heard it on a recent episode of Grey's Anatomy. I love the line, "If the curve of you was curved on me".

It's called New York and it's by Snow Patrol. Here are the complete lyrics:

If you were here beside me
Instead of in New York
If the curve of you was curved on me
I’d tell you that I loved you
Before I ever knew you
Cause I loved the simple thought of you

If our hearts are never broken
Well there’s no joy in the mending
There’s so much this hurt can teach us both
Though there’s distance and there’s silence
Your words have never left me
They’re the prayer that I say every day.

Come on, come out, come here, come here
Come on, come out, come here, come here
Come on, come out, come here, come here
Come on, come out, come here, come here

The long neon lights
And the eke of the ocean
And the fire that was starting to spark
I miss it all, from the love to the lightening
And the lack of it snaps me in two

If you were here beside me
Instead of in New York
In the arms you said you'd never leave
I'd tell you that it's simple
And it was only ever thus
There is nowhere else that I belong

Come on, come out, come here, come here
Come on, come out, come here, come here
Come on, come out, come here, come here
Come on, come out, come here, come here

The long neon lights
And the eke of the ocean
And the fire that was starting to spark
I miss it all from the love to the lightening
And the lack of it rips me apart
Just give me a sign
There’s an end and a beginning
To the quiet chaos driving me back

The lone neon lights
And the want of the ocean
And the fire that was starting to go out.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: Doin’ The Math
2 YEARS AGO: Well, Butter My Butt And Call Me A Biscuit
3 YEARS AGO: I Even Have Time To Go On Strike
4 YEARS AGO: Teaching Them Young
5 YEARS AGO: You Gotta Be In It To Win It
6 YEARS AGO: Cinema Stupido

Cottonwood Trading Company

Seen in downtown San Antonio, Texas.


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1 YEAR AGO: Service With A Smile
2 YEARS AGO: Getting The Red Out, One Barn At A Time
3 YEARS AGO: Obamaduck!
4 YEARS AGO: How A Four Year Old Can Make You Feel Like Crap For Trying To Get Out Of Doing Yardwork
5 YEARS AGO: Florida Fro
6 YEARS AGO: Hail To The McGriddle Gods

Woman With Cat

Here's Miss Lily again, in a position she's often found, standing atop the lazyboy like a sentinel standing guard. Usually she makes the climb from the floor, across my mother's lap and up to the top, but sometimes she leaps directly from the floor and flies up to that position. The lazyboy rocks with her body weight, but she never loses her footing.

In this particular moment, she is scanning the room for the new dog, not realizing that the dog is sleeping soundly in her cage, unaware that she's being hunted by a cat. When my mother took the dog to the vet, who pronounced the dog perfectly healthy, the vet said that they'll eventually get along, they just need some time.

The way it's going so far, the next picture I take might be entitled Woman With Dog, Cat Nowhere To Be Found.


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1 YEAR AGO: From Blue Grass To Wine Country
2 YEARS AGO: Plump With Fat Quarters
3 YEARS AGO: Eddie Out With The Old, In With The New Friday
4 YEARS AGO: You Can Get Them At Home Depot??
5 YEARS AGO: There Are Never Enough Hours In The Day To Do Anything When You Have A Baby
6 YEARS AGO: Tequila Sunrise

Pay No Attention To That Cat Behind The Curtain

I'm sick with bronchitis so you'll have to cut me some slack for the pet-heavy posts. Not much has happened since we packed up and left home, but there's a whole lot of activity among the housepets.

Miss Lily, the resident feline, is a little upset that a mini-poodle has entered her world. I've mentioned the scooching and skulking she's been doing, ears back and body low, trying to avoid the areas where the dog may be. She's also been doing a lot of hiding - we've found her under couch, under the bed, behind the filing cabinets in the office, behind the washing machine, behind the television, in the shower and behind various sets of drapes.

In this photo, she's hiding behind the heavy set of drapes, peeking out every once in a while to see if the coast is clear. I took this photo when I saw her nose parting the curtains. What you don't see, is that she's perched on a windowsill that's about two inches wide. I don't know how they do it, those damn cats, but they're super-agile and really do move like Ninjas.

I think this is a beautiful picture of her, and even though she's probably freaking out inside, she still acts like she's running the show.


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1 YEAR AGO: Papa Can You Hear Me?
2 YEARS AGO: The Err Erudes Them
3 YEARS AGO: Sorry, no post for this date.
4 YEARS AGO: Addicted
5 YEARS AGO: When You Just Can’t Decide Between Dinner And Breakfast
6 YEARS AGO: Purple Industrial Skies

After This, It's Time To Close The Left Door For A While

There's a saying in the trucking industry - if you want to save money, you need to keep the left door closed. It means every time you open that left door, you're likely spending money - going to get a snack, stopping for a meal, going shopping, etc.

Well it seems our left door has been open a little too long this last visit home. We've been here for a month and the dollars are pouring out of our pocket. We've done a lot of our normal dining out, plenty of Dunkin' Donuts visits because they just built one near our house, and little shopping trips here and there that have added up - mostly our normal stuff. But nothing has cost more than our medical.

Ed went to the dentist first. He had x-rays and a new crown put in. They clipped him for $1,300.00.

Then I went, got a cleaning, got x-rays and a crown, and my bill was $2,309.00.

I was referred to a periodontist, which I wrote about in this post. The office visit was $108.00 and the recommended treatment plan was $15,520.00. But, I'm paying cash, so she's going to give it to me for a cool $8,000.00.

Today I went to Urgent Care for a cough I've been having for the last three weeks. At first it started out as just a dry, hacking type of cough. Then this week, it was a little phlegmy. Then I couldn't sleep through the night because the coughing kept me awake. Ed, as usual, didn't hear a thing. He was snoring like a baby.

Urgent care gave me a breathing treatment, took x-rays and wrote me a prescription for a five-day antibiotic. I have bronchitis. That all came to $196.00. They didn't give me anything for the cough, the x-ray showed I didn't have pneumonia (joy!), and she just told me to take the antibiotic and to keep taking my asthma inhalers. Gee thanks, doc. You mean do something I've been doing for twenty-nine years now? Okay, great.

See what happens when we're home with lots of extra time on our hands?? We won't get back to work until February because now we're on our way to Florida to attend something called "Appreciation Days" that our company hosts for all their owner-operators. We don't have a load, so we'll be deadheading from Arizona to get there in time. We're meeting our friends, so in addition to attending the company event together, we'll be dining out with them and if time permits also going to the Jacksonville Boat Show since the boys really want to go. I have a feeling Ed will find a way to squeeze that in.

So although the left door is technically "closed" during the drive there, it won't really be closed until we get back to work in February. The first week's pay is going straight to paying the dentist, and after that, we'll do two or three more loads to take care of the periodontist.

Or, we might be looking into a special kind of vacation - one like our very wise friends have taken. That's definitely going to be part of our dinner conversation while we're in Florida.

Time to pick their brains!


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: I Think I’ve Seen This Person On Facebook
2 YEARS AGO: Eating Crud Is So Much Tastier Than Eating Crow
3 YEARS AGO: Chihuly In The Trees
4 YEARS AGO: Is It Really SO Hard??
5 YEARS AGO: Snowball In Hell
6 YEARS AGO: The Southern Family Tree

Adding A Poodle To The Mix

“Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative.”
~ Mordecai Wyatt Johnson quotes ( American Educator)

My mother bought a dog today. A poodle. A mini Poodle.

She has joined the ranks of "those people" who have small dogs. Prissy dogs. Dogs they dress.

The dog's name is Miss Vivian - Viv or Vivey for short. She already has her first grooming appointment scheduled, and my mother has already spent too much time in PetSmart looking for clothes, collars with rhinestones and the perfect chew toy.

I have to say, she's super-cute. Playful and friendly. Follows us everywhere and loves to sit on a lap. I think my mother is really going to enjoy her company.

The cat, on the other hand, is a whole other story. She's not too happy at all about the dog. When she first saw the dog, her hair stood straight up and she scooched waaaay down. She could not get her body lower to the ground or her ears straighter back. She growled and hissed. And when the dog got a little closer, her paw was out and back in the flash of an eye, faster than a Cobra strike. If the dog was any closer, she would have been clawed.

I don't know how this is going to work out with the cat since she's ruled the house for the past few years alone. And she's not even all that friendly of a cat - she really only likes my mother and Ed. She never goes to strangers and she's not very playful. The only lap she likes is my mother's and only at a certain time of day. She's got a "schedule". So far, she's been skulking and hiding. She's seen the dog in her cage and passes it with a very wide berth. Far isn't far enough it seems. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully, when we return to see the dentist again, the cat and dog will be as close to friends as possible.

I just hope the cat doesn't get jealous of Miss Viv's extensive wardrobe.


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1 YEAR AGO: If…
2 YEARS AGO: How The West Was Fun
3 YEARS AGO: Pecking Order
4 YEARS AGO: The Sympathy Train Stopped Dead In Its Tracks
5 YEARS AGO: Shalom
6 YEARS AGO: A.D.I.D.A.S.

I Grew Up In The O.C. Too

I've come across this before, in emails and Facebook postings, but saw a few additions on this list. It's about Orange County, NY where I grew up. This part of the country is beautiful; bucolic landscapes, four beautiful seasons, my childhood home.

So here are a few fun facts:

• The oldest carbon dated human settlement in North America east of the Mississippi (12,500 years old) is found in Orange County, NY.
• More Mastodon skeletons have been unearthed here than any other place on earth.
• Orange County was one of the first twelve counties established by the Province of New York in 1683.
• Orange County’s black dirt region of Pine Island is the third largest onion growing region in the United States.
• Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheesewas invented in Chester, NY in 1872.
• Velveeta cheese spread (1923) and 'Liederkranz' cheese (1882) were invented in Monroe, NY.
• The first butter factory in America was in Campbell Hall, NY in 1859.
• William H. Seward, Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and purchaser of Alaska, was born in Florida, NY in 1801.
• The oldest (since 1839) continuously operating winery in the US is The Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, NY.
• 19th Century Hudson River School artist Jasper Crospey lived and painted in Warwick, NY.
• The first rocket to carry U.S. Mail landed in Greenwood Lake in Orange County in 1396.
• The Tuxedo dinner jacket originated in Tuxedo Park, an enclosed community developed by Pierre Lorillard, tobacco magnate (Old Gold). The daughter of Bruce Price, the designer of Tuxedo Park NY (1880), and also a resident, was Emily Post.
• Artist Ellsworth Kelly was born in Newburgh, NY in 1923.
• George Washington lived and worked in New Windsor from April 1782 to August 1783.
• The Order of the Purple Heart was established by George Washington in Newburgh, NY in 1782.
• The first Registered National Historic Landmark (registered in 1850) is Washington’s Headquarters located on the Hudson River in Newburgh, NY.
• The largest number (220+) of discount designer outlets in the US is located at Woodbury Commons in Central Valley, NY with 12 million visitors per year.
• The world's first, oldest, and still used harness (trotting) track is the Goshen Historic Track, established in 1838, located in Goshen, NY.
• Nearly all trotters and pacers in the Unites States can trace their pedigree to the stallion “Hambletonian” of Chester, NY (circa 1849).
• Noah Webster, creator of Webster’s Dictionary, taught school in Goshen, NY.
• The highest point in Orange County is Schunemunk Mountain which reaches 1,664 feet above sea level.
• The largest living history museum in New York State is Museum Villagein Monroe, NY.
• Bear Mountain State Park has more visitors annually than does Yellowstone National Park.
• The main runway at Stewart International Airport (SWF - formerly Stewart Air Force base) is over two miles long (11, 818 feet) and is an alternate landing site for the Space Shuttle.
• The United States Military Academy at West Point, NY (est. 1778) has the largest Church Organ in the world.
• Stephen Crane wrote some of his most popular novel “The Red Badge of Courage” in Port Jervis, NY.
• The Intersection of I-87 and I-84 in Newburgh, NY is known as the "Gateway of the Northeast".
• The largest sculpture park in the United States is the Storm King Art Centerin New Windsor, NY, featuring works from artists around the world.
• Author Zane Grey practiced dentistry in Middletown, NY before starting his literary career.
• The oldest (1919) continuously operating automobile racing dirt track in the United States is the Orange County Fair Speedway, Middletown, NY.
• The Hudson River, the first explored and most beautiful river in the United States, passing through this area, is called “The Rhine of the Americas”.
• In 1683, the County of Orange, named for William of Orange (King William III, 1650-1702), was formed.
• Orange County today is almost a half million acres in size and is dotted with dairy and produce farms, orchards, vineyards, horse ranches and bucolic villages set amongst vast areas of woodlands, rolling hills and glacier carved valleys.
• There are three cities within the county's borders: Newburgh, on the Hudson River; Port Jervis, on the Delaware River; and Middletown, halfway between the other two.
• “American Chopper” on the Discovery Channel/TLC is filmed at Orange County Choppers in Rock Tavern, NY and Newburgh, NY.
• The County seat of Orange County, NY, is the Village of Goshen.
• Of the 10 Counties named Orange in the United States, Orange County, NY is the oldest (1683). It is 206 years older than Orange County, California (1889), 169 years older than Orange County, Texas (1852), 162 years older than Orange County, Florida (1824), 133 years older than Orange County, Indiana (1816), 98 years older than Orange County, Vermont (1781), 69 years older than Orange County, North Carolina (1752), and 51 years older than Orange County, Virginia (1734).

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1 YEAR AGO: Snowy Arrival
2 YEARS AGO: Not A Pretty Sight
3 YEARS AGO: Marking This Day In History With A Vibrant Spot Of Color
4 YEARS AGO: Lighting To Do Laundry By
5 YEARS AGO: The Benefits Of Dating A White Boy
6 YEARS AGO: Shhhhhh, You’ll Wake The Driver

Teeth Or Another European Vacation? Ooooh, It's A Real Toss Up.

I love my dentist. And all the girls in her office. They're not just your garden variety "nice", they're kind. And compassionate. And genuine. Every single member of the staff, within minutes of saying hello, said they were sorry to hear about the loss of my step-father. That's more than some friends and family have done.

They're a different kind of human, these girls. They're special and I think all of their personalities represent the office in a very cohesive manner. In this office, you can tell that direction comes from the top down.

Loving my dentist and her staff does not carry over to my loving the dental procedures. I don't. Ed and I were talking last night about how we've become less tolerant of pain and being uncomfortable. I don't at all like the idea of needles and novacaine, I don't like laying there with my mouth propped open, I don't like the high scream of the drill and I don't like the suction and the water they use to rinse. It's always way too cold.Today I was there for a cleaning and to get a temporary crown. Yesterday's exam revealed a few cracks in one of my teeth and rather than risking it breaking, the dentist suggested a crown. I had one a few years ago and it's no big deal, so I agreed.

The cleaning was brutal. I know that sounds harsh, and it's no reflection on Maggie, the person who does it. She's great - gentle, informative, and thorough. But since I hadn't been in a few years, I had a little more tartar buildup and she had to do a lot of scraping. Which means she had to numb almost all of my mouth, upper and lower. My tongue got all caught up in the numbing, and I felt like my lips were seven sizes bigger than they are. The only place that wasn't numb was my cupid's bow.

The needles are beyond unpleasant for me. What I think I hate even more than the initial pinch of the needle, is feeling it going in. I can feel the rush of deadening. I can feel the liquid traveling through my skin. And I always think the needle is going to poke right through my cheek. There are so many aspects of the cleaning procedure that I don't enjoy; the water they use for rinsing is always too cold, the sound of the tools drive me insane and the stuff she uses to polish my teeth, the minty paste, gives me chills. I hate the taste and texture of it.

After my cleaning was done, I had to see the dentist for her to make my temporary crown. That part wasn't any better than the cleaning. She had to grind down my tooth to put the crown on and the drilling does my head in. The sound is enough to make me go crazy and the air that whooshes off of it, onto my sensitive teeth, is too much to bear. Because of that sensitivity, she had to give me another needle to numb that area more.

By the time I was done, I had been in the office for five hours. Some of the numbness from the cleaning had subsided a little, so my tongue wasn't all out of control, but my jaw ached from having it propped open for the majority of the time I was there. Oh, and I was out $2,309.00.

But that's not the worst part. After my appoinment yesterday, my dentist referred me to the periodontist across the street to have her look at my gums. I don't have gum disease, just recession, and my dentist figured I'd need a gum graft. After the periodontist examined me, she agreed. And since I don't want to be a toothless sixty-five year old, they put together a treatment plan for me, telling me what I'd need and what the cost would be.

Are you sitting down?

$15,520.00.

But...because I don't have insurance and I'll be paying cash, she gave me a deal.

Are you still sitting down?

With the cash payment discount, she's only going to charge me $8,000.00.

Smokin' deal, huh? (Smoking crack is more like it.) Well, it looks like after four weeks off, it's time to get back to work.

I refuse to join the ranks of toothless truck drivers.


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1 YEAR AGO: Not So Wacky After All
2 YEARS AGO: Spreading The Word
3 YEARS AGO: He Had A Dream. Tomorrow We See It Come True.
4 YEARS AGO: Who Do You Know?
5 YEARS AGO: South Beach Blue
6 YEARS AGO: Jawl Spake Anglesh??

I Can Think Of Better Ways To Spend Hump Day

I have dentist appointments scheduled for today and tomorrow. I am not at all thrilled by this. We try to get cleanings every time we're home but we've been lax and haven't been for a few years.

Today I'll get a new set of x-rays, tomorrow a cleaning. The x-rays are a piece of cake and since I don't have any tooth pain, there isn't anything in particular she'll have to look at. Unless she finds something...cue suspenseful music.

The one thing I know she'll discuss with me is my gum recession. I've had it all of my adult life and on a few teeth, it's worse than others, causing extra sensitivity; my aggressive brushing style doesn't help. Last time I was in she referred me to a periodontist, but I never went. That might spell trouble.

Ed went in earlier this week with tooth pain and wound up getting a crown. He has to go back tomorrow to have it installed.

Not that you're all that interested, but I'll give another update tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed!


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1 YEAR AGO: Can I Appoint Myself The Baroness Of Cattle?
2 YEARS AGO: This Time Losing The Wallet Really Means Losing The Wallet
3 YEARS AGO: Marley & Me
4 YEARS AGO: Eddie Gets Handy Friday
5 YEARS AGO: The Perfect Neapolitan Slice
6 YEARS AGO: The King Of The Flying Salmon

There Are No Prison Blues If You Have Naan

Today Ed and I had a new experience - Indian food. Can you believe, in all the years we've been on the road, and all the places we've gone to eat, that we've never had Indian food?? I don't know why, but I guess it just didn't initially appeal to me and I really didn't know what to order, so I kinda stayed away.

But today, after taking my mother to one of her appointments, we all decided to try out a new Indian place in town - Saffron Indian Bistro.It was a beautiful little place, very open and airy, lots of natural light - the entire front of the restaurant is floor to ceiling windows - and the smells coming from the kitchen were delightful.

We started with two appetizers (which I neglected to get pictures of), but they were delicious. We had a Vegetable Samosa; crispy turnovers stuffed with potatoes and baby field peas and seasoned with fresh madras Indian spices and Saffron Shrimp; fresh pacific shrimp lightly battered and dusted with ground cumin, mild red chili and coriander. They also put a basket of Papadums - crispy thin Indian spiced lentil wafers - on the table with two dipping sauces. It was a nice start.We all ordered a different entrée to try a little of each dish and two orders of Naan Bread (classic and garlic) which I LOVE.Each entrée was served with Basmati Rice, so they brought a bowl to the table for all to share.

Ed, as usual, was bold and went for something not as safe as "just chicken" like my mother and I did. He had the Saffron Tandoori Grill; a generous selection of tandoori gems featuring pieces of chicken tikka (which is the national dish of England, according to the menu, slow simmered in fresh tomato sauce with a hint of cream and zesty Indian herbs and spices), lamb, shrimp, shish kabob and a chicken leg. The menu states it's a meal fit for a rajah (king).Ed's meal was served with a side of Raita; diced cucumbers, tomatoes and onions mixed with fresh yogurt and a touch of toasted cumin seed. It was actually a pretty good dip for the Naan bread.

Now before I even get to the entrées my mother and I ordered, I have to say, they were not very visually appealing. I'd like to say the pictures do them no justice, but the pictures look exactly how they look when placed in front of us - a bowl of gloppy well, glop. But it was delicious glop.

I ordered Chicken Korma; a rich onion based sauce infused with mild spices cooked and seasoned with ground cardamom and saffron. It was reeeaaallly delicious.

My mother's dish (which honestly, was hideous to look at) was called Chicken Hara Bhara; chicken flavored with black peppercorn in an onion and spinach based sauce. Hers was also pretty good. Surprising.

We didn't order desert, but because it was our first time there our server brought us out two small dishes to taste. The Rice Pudding; caramalized basmati rice laced with ground almonds, toasted pistachios and fresh raisins, all slowly simmered in milk and Mango Pudding; fruit cocktail mixed with homemade mango flavored custard. The rice pudding was a little watery (I prefer mine thick) but it was very, very good. I have a great rice pudding recipe and next time I make it, I'm putting almonds and pistachios in it - it really elevated the taste. And the mango pudding was interesting.

On the way out, I took a picture of the cute little bar...

And the spacious dining room...

I enjoyed the meal enough that I think I'd probably give Indian food another try. My favorite part though, was the Naan. As with every restaurant I go to, I always love having a little bread.

I'm thinking if I ever went to prison, I'd be really okay with the bread and water thing.

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1 YEAR AGO: Now I’m No Longer Alone
2 YEARS AGO: Rings Of Spring
3 YEARS AGO: Map Schmap
4 YEARS AGO: A Willow Weeps In Arizona
5 YEARS AGO: Double Team
6 YEARS AGO: Turning One Million

Adding A Few More Wheels To The Big Rig

Ed and I went bicycle shopping today. I've become really interested in having a bike on the truck for when we have downtime and we're in an area with nearby amenities; shopping, restaurants, parks, etc. We've sort of scrapped the idea of the Smart Car because we figured for the amount of time we actually use a car while out on the road, we can rent one like we've been doing. We often get the weekend deal through Enterprise ($10 a day in most places) or Ed gets a car for free with credit card points.

We also thought it would be a fun way to get in some exercise. I personally abhor exercise, which has directly affected the way my jeans fit, but I figured if I do the bike riding thing, I can trick myself into exercising because it's fun. We tested out a few bikes - I rode this one first because it was a girl's bike. I liked it, but it only comes in one size and I felt it was too short for me. So I tried the boy’s version, which I liked a lot better. The boy's version had seven speeds instead of three and had both front and rear hand brakes. The girl's version only had front hand brakes - the rears had to be stopped the old fashioned way - by foot. I didn't really like that.
Ed was really interested in this one (see photo above), which they call "Electric Assist" - that's right, it "assists" you. It's got a battery pack above the back wheel and when the pedaling becomes too hard, it gives you a little boost. I guess if you're planning on tackling hills, it could be helpful, but I plan on only riding on flat surfaces. I'll need to work up to hills, assistance or not. Plus, this one is $2,300.00 and since I'm not Lance Armstrong, I don't think we need to be spending that much on a bike.

We've talked about bikes before but haven't gone for a test ride until today...so I feel like we might be getting closer to actually getting them. Minus the dorky helmet I had to wear, I have to say that I felt like a total kid again. Freely tooling around the strip mall, stores whizzing by, wind in my hair (well, the hair that wasn't under the helmet) and a real feeling of freedom. I used to love my bike when I was a kid and I'm kind of excited about the idea of riding one again. I'm not too thrilled about wearing a helmet, but I suppose if I bite it, I should protect my head.

I'm excellent on 18-wheels (well, we actually only have ten wheels since we've got super-singles) but I'm not so sure how I'll be on two. I've gotta take it slow. I'll be doing more bike shopping in the future and IF we purchase any, you'll get a full report.

Or pictures of my first injury - whichever comes first.


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1 YEAR AGO: Again And Again And Again
2 YEARS AGO: Hood Ornament
3 YEARS AGO: Eddie Out Of Control Friday
4 YEARS AGO: My Boyfriend Simon Is Back In Town
5 YEARS AGO: A Little Taste Of Miami Beach
6 YEARS AGO: Oooohhhhhh, Jabra!

Why Milk Is ALWAYS At The Top Of My Shopping List

I love cereal. Cold cereal. Healthy cereal. Junk cereal. I don't eat a whole lot of it for breakfast - my breakfasts mainly consist of oatmeal, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and fruit or Dunkin' Donuts if I happen to be lucky enough to be near one - but I do like to eat cereal for lunch, dinner or a late night snack.

I've decided that it satisfies a lot of snacky sort of desires. It's definitely got the crunch factor going for it, and depending on the cereal, it can also have a sweet thing going on. The milk satiates the creamy aspect, and also the refreshing cold aspect - I like my cereal with ice cold milk. There's not too much salt satisfaction going on, but I'm not a big craver of salt. And I think it also takes care of the desire to have a piece of bread or cracker, because it's sort of got that carb thing going for it also.

The following are my favorite cereals in no particular order other than the first one being my very favorite.

Cocoa Puffs: These satisfy every time. I love them with icy milk, but I don't drink the milk when I'm done - it's way too chocolatey. In fact, if the milk gets too chocolately or too warm, I dump it out and start over with a fresh bowl. I just ate these last night.

Frosted Mini-Wheats: Shredded wheat reminds me of my grandfather - he used to eat the big bars of shredded wheat and let them get all mushy in his plate - and this is the closest I get to that. I have to have them frosted because when they're plain, I feel like I'm eating hay. And I eat them fast, because I don't like mushy cereal.

Cheerios: The quintessential finger food for kids. Before they started making snack containers for kids, everyone knew that Cheerios were the perfect nosh. Ziploc bags or a paper cup will do just fine, thank you very much. They're not only good with milk, you know.

Rice Krispies: A cereal that goes snap, crackle and pop in your mouth? Wunderbar! And you can also mix it with marshmallows to make an amazing, crispy treat? What more could I want? I love Rice Krispies!

Wheat Chex: I'm not a fan of the rice or corn variety, and I don't like them in the Chex Party Mix, but I do love me some Wheat Chex with milk. Another crispy, delicious treat.

Fruit Loops: Eaten alone or with milk (I see a pattern here), these remind me of "special" times in my childhood. We were NEVER allowed to have "junk" cereal, but every once in a while my mother would break down and let us buy a box.

Corn Pops & Apple Jacks: Two more forbidden treats. I've put them together because they're basically flavored sugar puffs. But sometimes, there's a craving that only Apple Jacks will take care of.

Kellogg's Raisin Bran: I did not like Post Raisin Bran. I don't know why - maybe it's because the box didn't have the big fat sun scooping "Two Scoops!" of plump raisins into your bowl. Whatever it was, I've definitely fallen prey to the advertising - to this day, I'm a Kellogg's girl.

Kashi GO LEAN: This stuff I mainly use as a mix-in for my yogurt. It's got clusters of stuff, sometimes almonds, and sometimes even fruit. It's naturally sweetened and has lots of protein and fiber. I feel extra healthy when I'm eating this cereal.

Puffed Wheat: It's light. And airy. Which makes me think I can eat seven bowls of it and be just as light and airy. That doesn't work, but while I'm crunching along, I often think that if I only ate cereal, like for some crazy three-meal-a-day diet, I could drop a few pounds and start a new trend....or maybe I'd be featured in all the women's magazines...people would call wanting me to be a guest on their TV and radio shows, sharing my secret of success... Okay, maybe the puffed part is going to my head. Honeysmacks also fits in this category, because they're puffed wheat, but they're sweetened, so not the best choice really.

Honeycomb: Oh. My. God. The BIGGEST pieces of cereal you've ever seen in your life. You can actually hurt the roof of your mouth if you happen to catch a honeycomb the wrong way. I haven't had these in YEARS, but the memory is still fresh. Talk about crisp! Whoa. I might have to go out and buy some tomorrow. They do still make these, don't they?

That's about it in the cold category. The only hot cereal I eat is oatmeal - I like it with pecans and chopped apples. If I were at someone's house and served farina, Cream of Wheat or grits, I'd eat them but it wouldn't be my first choice.

We always have several boxes of cereal in the truck. Ed doesn't eat cereal at all, but he does drink milk, so I never have to worry about running out. Because running out of milk when you're jonesin' for a bowl of cereal is just bad...

I don't even want to think about it.


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1 YEAR AGO: Fun For Sale
2 YEARS AGO: Dublin Is Incredibly Corny
3 YEARS AGO: Welcome To Snowhio
4 YEARS AGO: When Big Hair And Denim Were King
5 YEARS AGO: Open 24 Hours
6 YEARS AGO: Lucky One Eye

A Documentary In My Head

When I was younger, I worked at a few hotels in the Catskills, but none meant more to me than Kutsher’s Country Club. I don't even remember interviewing for the job, but I worked at the front desk and occassionally, in the main showroom. Milton and Helen Kutsher, who owned the hotel, were very present in the day-to-day operations and I saw them daily as their offices were both just behind the front desk.

I recently found this article which brought all the memories back to me. I'd love to see this documentary. Just seeing the video, which features Helen Kutsher herself (she's the voice you hear at 0:16 and then you see her at 0:18), made me want to know more.

In the article, it's mentioned that this hotel was the inspiration for the movie Dirty Dancing. I had always thought Grossinger's was the inspiration, since I had read somewhere that Eleanor Bergstein, the woman who wrote the movie, stayed there as a young girl. Now I'm reading that she stayed at both resorts.

Makes sense though, because to me, my experience at Kutsher's was much like that of the characters in the movie - just there to have fun, enjoy the summer and flirt with the boys. There were so many boys at the hotel, most of them students working there just during the summers, and many of the staff lived in staff quarters during that time. Just like in Dirty Dancing, the staff quarters were old bungalows, away from the eyes of the guests. And the staff, just like in the movie, hung out together socializing and having fun.

There were two guys I remember vividly from my time there, mostly because I made out with them! Scott David Danziger and Chuck Everson. Scott worked at the hotel as a bellman, was Jewish, and was very cute and super smart. For some reason I think I remember saying he was going to be a doctor. I wonder if he ever did that? He was also very witty, and a great conversationalist - we literally "talked for hours". I had such a good time that to this day, I can remember what I was wearing that night.

The other guy, Chuck Everson, went to Villanova University and was a rookie basketball player that had recently been drafted by the Utah Jazz. He was at the hotel to participate in the annual Maurice Stokes Benefit game. He was 7'1" tall and four years older than me. I remember calling my Dad that night to ask him if I could stay out a little later (I was 18 or 19 at the time, but still living at home) because I wanted to look "cool" by taking Chuck to a local dive bar I had heard some of the waitresses in my family restaurant talking about.

He was so tall, that even with the bench seats of my Chevy Monte Carlo pushed all the way back, his knees were up to his chest. He was extremely handsome, very nice and a really good kisser - that part I found out later when we went back to the hotel. It was late and the lobby area was vacant; where we were sitting, we couldn't really be seen by anyone passsing by. Not that I would have cared - all I was thinking about was that I was kissing a really hot guy almost a foot and a half taller than me, who played basketball for the NBA! What a story I was to tell my friends!

I don't know much about sports (then or now) but I recently Googled him and found several articles. Apparently, he was featured in an HBO special and some other videos because of an incredible game that was played between Villanova University (his team) and Georgetown University - a game that Villanova won, making them the 1985 NCAA Champions (that's Chuck in the back row, third from left). From what I've read online, the game is often cited among the "greatest upsets in college basketball history". Wow, who knew?? He's married with two teenage kids, both who play basketball, and he's been involved with coaching youth basketball for over twenty years. And he's still kinda cute!

Boy, this post sort of got off topic, didn't it? For me, it was a nice walk down memory lane. The Catskills hold incredible memories for so many people, and I feel very special to have been there to make so many of my own. My best friend and I often reminisce about the good times we had back in the eighties. There were many of those famous Borscht Belt hotels that I've either worked at, or frequented and most people I know have also worked in at least one of them at some point in their lives.

I'm hoping this documentary will be available for download or purchase at some point in the future since I know I won't make it to New York by the 26th, when it's showing. I guess I'll just have to replay my own documentary...right in my own head.

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1 YEAR AGO: Weeding Out The Assholes

2 YEARS AGO: Does It Fall Under Some Kind Of Secret Guy Code?
3 YEARS AGO: Over 140 Million Years In The Making
4 YEARS AGO: If “G” Means Good, Then “I” Must Mean Incompetent
5 YEARS AGO: Ft. Lauderdale Storm
6 YEARS AGO: You Don’t Need Makeup Or Starbucks

Passion Creates Pure Art

My cousin is hot. This picture is evidence. And it's not just from the back that she looks good. She's got great skin, eyes that you can drown in, a beautiful smile with perfect white teeth, and long, glossy hair. She also has an MBA. Good looking and smart; a deadly combination.

She's started taking pole dancing fitness classes for exercise. Yes, for exercise. No, she's not a stripper. It all started with the S Factor class she discovered but has progressed into a real interest in the actual art of it. It's hard and I've seen the bruises on her legs and arms from learning how to smoothly execute the moves. She sometimes takes video, which she only shares with a few people, and I've watched her become better at it. The difference is actually noticeable.

Her body has transformed also. Kind of like a ballet dancer - long and lean. Well, as long as someone of her stature can be - she's barely over five feet tall. But it seems to have worked, and in addition to looking good, she loves it as a form of exercise. She's only been doing this for about two years, but it's turned into a real passion.

And she must be doing something right, because that picture is pure art.


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1 YEAR AGO: Reflecting On The Day
2 YEARS AGO: Crunching The Numbers
3 YEARS AGO: Looking Grand At The Grand Canyon
4 YEARS AGO: Overshadowing Government
5 YEARS AGO: Miami International
6 YEARS AGO: Did You Check The Solenoid?

Shocking

Last year I did two posts detailing some of the upgrades we did on our truck. One of those upgrades were new shocks. Just last week, Ed discovered that those shocks were leaking (whatever the hell that means). That resulted in him having them taken off the truck, then packing them up to send them back to the manufacturer for them to figure out what cause the problem.

Needless to say, he's not very happy about it. And he's written a new post about it. I now present you another installment of "Ed's View"...

I have a rant!

Eight months ago I purchased six Road King Shocks for our Coronado and about a month after installation, they started to fail. That’s not to say that the shocks weren’t good – they worked great! They certainly absorbed more impact than any other brand shock I’ve had on a truck, and created a smoother ride, making the rough roads a little more bearable. But that didn’t last.

Built into the shock, but visible from the outside is a plastic wiper which is supposed to keep the shock shaft clean as it travels in and out of the shock body. This wiper is supposed to stay in the shock body, but it did not. Instead, it worked its way out of the shock body and up the shock shaft where it left the shaft unprotected. The result? Six leaking shocks.

I should have known there were going to be problems with this company from the beginning, when they didn’t ship the shocks to me when they said they would. I had to call to find out where they were and when I did, was told that UPS lost them. I found this hard to believe. I suppose it’s possible, but I think it’s highly unlikely for sixty pounds of gas filled shocks to be "lost". I believe they used the age old excuse of blaming someone else - some manufacturers and sellers use this technique to cover up the fact that they forgot to ship an order, lost an order, didn’t even place the order or are just plain incompetent. I’m getting used to this way of doing business, because I have no choice, and I’m not happy with it.

When I finally received the shocks in May 2011, I found them to be very stiff, which is good. Since they’re supposed to absorb energy, otherwise described as “shock”, the stiffer they are, the better. Usually stock shocks are easy to compress by hand and install with only a couple of wrenches, but these shocks needed a shop and a good bottle jack. Not knowing if there would be any other complications, I took the truck to a shop and let them do the job of installing the shocks. At the time of installation, I discovered the seller had shorted me some bushings, and I had to go to a hardware store myself to get them. Had I not found these bushings, I would have had to wait a week or more until the seller could ship them to me.

This brings us to the present – leaking shocks that I had to remove and ship back to the manufacturer. I'm not holding out much hope that they will expedite the repair process. I spent $2000.00 for parts, labor, and shipping and now I have a truck that’s been sitting a week already without shocks. I suspect I’ll be looking at another week at least before I even get them back. They hawked these shocks at the biggest truck shows in the country, year after year, telling people how they offer ten times the damping force of other shocks and that no after-market enhancements are needed. They said they can be rebuilt up to three times during the lifetime of the shock and don’t need to be rebuilt until they hit three or four hundred thousand miles of use. We only went about 100,000 miles and already there’s a problem.

When I called the company and told them about the problem I was having, they told me they’d never heard of anything like it before. I can’t stand this answer - especially from someone who just sold me their product! I am not comforted by the knowledge that the company hasn’t had any other calls like mine. Why should I care about that? It literally makes no difference to me. You’re getting the call now. I am having a problem with the product you sold me, and I can’t see how it makes a difference whether I’m the first person or the last person to have the problem. What I want to know is what you’re going to do about it.

To me, telling me you’ve never had a call like this before, is just a manipulation tactic; trying to make me somehow feel bad that I’m having an issue. As if I shouldn’t be bothering you with it, that you don’t have time for me. It reminds me of the place I bought my truck - after spending over two-hundred thousand dollars, once I was in possession of the item they sold me, they acted as if they didn’t have time to fit me in and fix problems that were occurring, even though everything was under warranty. It’s an unscrupulous technique, unfortunately practiced by far too many businesses these days, especially in trucking.

In the case with the shocks, there is not only some kind of flaw in manufacturing, but also a flaw in their customer service. There isn't any. They should be bending over backwards to make me happy and so far, I’m not at all impressed. I’ve fired off an angry letter to the company, expressing my displeasure and I’ve asked for them to cover the shipping costs. As of this writing, they have not replied. Shocker.

I’m hoping to hear something soon but I’m smart enough not to hold my breath while waiting.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: Awesome All-Star
2 YEARS AGO: Have Pots And Pans, Will Travel
3 YEARS AGO: This One Contains A Young Rider
4 YEARS AGO: When She’s Not Sleeping, She Tries To Look Purty
5 YEARS AGO: Eddie McSteamy Friday
6 YEARS AGO: Pepparkakor Cat

Inside The Trucker's Studio

Have you ever watched Inside The Actors Studio with James Lipton, where he sits down and interviews celebrities one on one? It's fabulous. He always asks the actors the same ten questions. I've often thought, what if James Lipton were to interview me? What would my answers to his ten questions be?

You can stop holding your breath now - my answers are right comin' right up. The questions really seem to require a one word answer, but I'm not good at being brief, so in most cases I've given more than one. If you want to pretend I gave just one, use the first answer I listed.

1. What is your favorite word?
Right now I can only think of delicious and funicular. I'm sure there are more...I'll be back.

2. What is your least favorite word?
Bipartisan - because it's bullshit. But I also hate the following words and phrases: staycation, my bad, outside the box, on the same page...

3. What turns you on?
Creativity. But after that, intelligence, witty banter, mental stimulation, clothing design, books....oh, so many things.

4. What turns you off?
Poor spelling and grammar - drives me NUTS. Smoking. And in the last few years, I've noticed that smells bother me. Ed calls me a bloodhound, I can smell anything, anywhere. I find there are a lot of smells I dislike; tuna, onions, crude oil, dirt, wet dog, grease, strong perfume, burlap, sour dairy, lavender, sage.

5. What sound or noise do you love?
My first choice would be silence, but after that, I love the sound of a fierce thunder storm with torrential rain.

6. What sound or noise do you hate?
Women with little girl voices. Screaming children. Snot sucking in public. People who scrape their fork against their teeth to pull food off - it's not just improper etiquette, it makes my teeth hurt. And I also hate the constant sound of a television.

7. What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Lawyer. I'd also like to try my hand at cheesemaking. I know, weird, right?

9. What profession would you not like to do?
Anything that requires physical work in hot conditions. Anything repetitive like a factory. Or working in retail - I did it at nineteen years old, but at my age now, I couldn't bear the idiots. And there are a LOT of them.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? "Oh, thank me. You're finally here. All of your friends kept asking when you were coming and now I don't have to listen to them hounding me a thousand times a day."


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1 YEAR AGO: The Next Project
2 YEARS AGO: Why Would You Want To Be A Zero When Looking Like This Is Clearly A Plus?
3 YEARS AGO: The Giant Dirty Bird Goes Sailing In The Four Corners
4 YEARS AGO: Soft Core Porn
5 YEARS AGO: Almost Fully Integrated
6 YEARS AGO: Downtown Scenery And Deals

I Love A Man Wearing A Damn Good Looking Workboot

Last August, Justin Original Workboots contacted me and asked if I would hold a giveaway contest on my blog.

Uh, yeeaaah! Why would I say no to that??

So I created a post, ran it here and on another trucking blog I sometimes write for, and also posted about it on my personal and my blog Facebook page ("Like" me if you haven't already!), and away we went.

I didn't get as many entries as I would have liked, but I did see a lot of people coming over to check out the posts, so that's a good thing. And we did have a winner who I suspect was pretty happy.

In addition to the free pair of boots Justin Original Workboots provided for the contest, they very generously offered another pair of boots for me to give to a friend to test and report back on. I was so thrilled to be able to call my friend Anthony, who owns his own business and works harder in one day than I do in a month, to tell him that I was sending him a kick-ass pair of gorgeous work boots! OK, he probably couldn't care less about the gorgeous part, but I knew he'd be happy to hear about the free part.

Anthony wears workboots almost every day of his life. He spends most of his time in his shop, creating custom cabinets for the homes of some very wealthy people in the Nashville area. Yes, he's even worked in the homes of country music stars!

His time is divided between standing for incredible amounts of time behind machines in his workshop, to climbing ladders for installs, to being on his hands and knees to get the bottoms of the cabinets just right, to walking through sawdust and dirt and mud and whatever else is required when on a job site. Anyone who has been on one knows you can encounter just about anything - from rebar to sharp objects to nails to rocks to heavy objects nearly missing you and your feet (hellooooo, steel toes!).

Anthony has been in Tennessee for a long time, but he's not a native. He was born and raised in New York. I don't think I need to point out that New Yorkers have a no-bullshit, tell-it-like-it-is style of communicating. I knew that of all my friends, Anthony would the best one to get an honest opinion from. And that's exactly what he provided.

The following are exact quotes from him regarding the boots:

"I love that they have a soft, non-marking sole."

"They bend and are flexible in the right areas. They don't pinch."

"They feel like a used boot that is new. They're very comfortable."

"They give the ankle support without binding your ankle. You know when you take a boot off and your ankle feels bruised? These don't do that."

"They're really nice looking - I like the distressed look of the leather."

"And of course, I love the steel toe for work."

I grilled him a little more, just to make sure he wasn't bullshitting me. He not so delicately said that he doesn't have time to bullshit me, that I asked him what he thought and he told me. Uh, okay. Right to the point, as usual.

I've known Anthony for almost 23 years. I think the first night we met - in a bar, in the Catskill Mountains - he was wearing jeans and workboots.

I've seen these boots in person and he's right - it's a good looking boot. The leather is distressed perfectly and the color really looks great with a pair of jeans. It's clear they're well made and look as if they'd last a long time.

I'd like to thank Justin Original Workboots again for choosing The Daily Rant as a vehicle for a giveaway contest, introducing their product to any of my readers who may not be familiar with them - specifically their new J-Max collection.

Please take a moment to check out the Justin Original Workboots website, their Facebook page and also their Twitter feed. You'll learn more about boots than you ever thought you needed to know!

Oh, and did I mention I know where you can get a pair? Cavender's Boot City. OMG, if you've never been in this store, you have never seen cowboy garb at its finest. Hats, belts, Wranglers and Ropers (look that up if you don't understand the connection), pocket knives, bolo ties, and boots. Oh, the selection of boots! I've been to the store in Amarillo and let me tell you, it makes me want to go all Urban Cowgirl within ten minutes of being under their roof.

But you don't have to go to Texas to find these workboots. In fact, you don't even have to get off your couch - you can order online.

Now go get yourself a pair!


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1 YEAR AGO: MMXI At Full Throttle
2 YEARS AGO: Maybe There’s A Reason Ed Never Lets Me Out Of The Truck
3 YEARS AGO: One Thousand Four Hundred Forty Minutes A Day
4 YEARS AGO: Napolitos
5 YEARS AGO: The Story Of The Uppity Barista: Otherwise Known As A Texan Gittin’ Above His Raisin’
6 YEARS AGO: Rock, Paper, Eddie

I'm Totally Contemplating Thievery

I've always had a bit of a stationery obsession; pens, paper, notebooks, journals, greeting cards, handmade papers. I love Office Depot, shopping for school supplies and browsing stores like Papyrus. Oh the beautiful stuff to be found in that store!

I think it must run in the family. Recently, I was using a pen I found at my mother's house. She saw me using it and said, "Is that your pen or mine?"

"Yours, but I have one just like it." I said.

"Well, I don't want you using that one." she said, and took it from my hand.

"I've been using it all week! You didn't even notice. Now you want it back. I love it." I said.

"Yes, and that's why I don't want you to use it." she said. "You'll forget that it's mine and you'll take it."

"I'm not going to take it." I said.

"I only use that pen for special occassions. I don't use it to just write any old thing." she said.

"Really? You have a pen you use for special occassions?? What kind of special occassion calls for a particular pen?" I asked.

"Just...things....stuff I like to write." she stammered.

I just had to laugh. But I totally understood what she meant. There are times, if Ed asks for a pen, which I know he's using to sign a bill or lading or hand to someone else to sign a bill of lading, I totally give him the shittiest pen in the truck. I am not losing one of my good pens to a dock worker.

I have one of these same pens my mother is coveting, and I love it. Retractable. Fine point. Blue ink. Writes amazingly smooth and has quick drying ink. I look for it everywhere I go and so far, I haven't found one.

I'll probably have to order it online. Or, I do know where I can find one...


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1 YEAR AGO: Some People Are Just Fucking Nuts
2 YEARS AGO: 7am In Beantown
3 YEARS AGO: Eddie Taking A Moment To Enjoy Nature Friday
4 YEARS AGO: Pull Up A Chair
5 YEARS AGO: Brad Blows
6 YEARS AGO: Expressly American