Celebrating my new Mac with some Mac...and Cheese!!!!

Tonight we got together with some friends to have a KD tasting.  Just in case you aren't familiar, I am referring to good ol' Kraft Dinner, the staple of college kids diets all across the land.

Recently, Kraft announced that they were introducing a new 'Smart' KD.   The 'Smart' comes in the form of pasta made with cauliflower and, in theory, the connoisseur is now getting half a serving of vegetables in their orange powder goodness.

Our very smart friends Kim and Fiona suggested conducting a scientific tasting to determine the tastiness factor.  But it couldn't just be the new one, we needed to surmise which was the superior product.

Like any good group of scientists, we needed a control to test the product against.  Our controls were the 2 products that everyone knows best, Original and Spiral.  No whole wheat, no crazy flavours.  Just that blue and orange box that stares at you from the kitchen cupboard, beckoning you to it's comforting embrace.  Like a big, warm, orange hug in your tummy.

The laboratory (Fiona's Kitchen) was prepped and the scientists donned their coats and safety goggles.  Well, we washed our hands at least.  All boxes were started at the exact same time and the package measurements were followed for the milk and butter.  One thing we noticed was the very distinct smell of cauliflower when it was being drained.

We started with the Original and the Spiral, so we were ready to acknowledge the flavour differences at a moments' notice.  Then, then we came to the new KD.  The verdict?  Really really tasty!  We were all pleasantly surprised by the taste.  It tastes almost exactly like Original, but it has a little bit of a sweeter flavour.

One of the best surprises of the experiment was that Spirals are awesome!  We've all had them before, but we concluded, scientifically of course, that the spiral shape of the pasta changes the distribution of the cheesy goodness.

However, the conclusion of the experiment is that KD always tastes best when shared in good company!

To PC or Not to PC, that is the question.

I know it's been a long time since we've spoken blog, but I'm making a big change in my life and I didn't think I could hold back.

I'm no longer going to be a PC.  I'm becoming a Mac!  (Once you go Mac, you never go back, so I've heard...:) )

This week I took the plunge and ordered myself a Macbook Pro from the Apple website and I'm now waiting for it to arrive.  I thought I was waiting patiently.  Turns out I'm not very patient at all!  Between obsessively checking my tracking number through UPS (and you can only get the good tracking if you sign up for their site.  Seriously, do I need to sign up for anything else?!?!  I can barely remember the things that I use frequently!) and making my poor husband check the mail and wait by the phone in case they call, I managed to figure out that I'm absolutely desperate for the change.

You may say, 'Oh, but Windows is so much better, they got rid of that Vista crap and it's amazing!'.  All I can see now when I look at PC is how much they want to be like Mac.  Why settle for an imitation when I can get the real thing?! 

I'm not going to lie, this decision has also been made out of peer pressure, with several of my friends and coworkers already on the Mac wagon.  Flaunting the amazing graphics, ease of use and lack of viruses in my poor, PC using face. 

However,  the last nail in the PC coffin was the virus that inflicted itself upon my computer (to be fair, it's probably been lurking amongst all of the trojans that are always on here).  This virus also turned up on a couple of computers at my office.  It cost me $100 to have it scrubbed and then after I installed my new virus program, the virus program ended up getting infected, so I had to remove it.  I still can't click on links from Google without getting routed to spam sites and I continually get pop up windows telling me how I can make my fortune by doing nothing at home.

So yes, I am saying sayonara to Bill Gates and bonjourno to Steve Jobs.  Let me hope that I don't eat my words, but if I do, at least they will taste like Apple.

Cat Sitting for 2 weeks: who's watching who?

  While my friends are off for a jaunt to Jolly Olde England for the next 2 weeks, I am living at their house and watching their cats.  I did this last year for them and it worked out perfectly as Mike and I were in the midst of moving at the time, so we could work between 2 broken homes and come home to a put together one every night.

  This time we're not moving, but the 'joy' of cat sitting is still there.  Namely, the cats.  I don't know if any of you know this about me, but I love cats.  Love 'em to bits!  I'm just a big ol' sucker for a cute fuzzy face (you've seen Mike right?  Tee hee, just kidding, love you honey!)  I read icanhazcheezburger.com daily.  And even though I sure have developed a mild allergy to them, I always want to pet, cuddle and ultimately rub my face on a soft fuzzy kitty.

  Part of the reason I love cats so very much is their strong personalities.  And the four I'm watching (you read that right, 4 cats) are no exception.  Let me introduce them.  

• Tugger (aka: The Ringleader, Bad Cat, TUGGER!!!!) - This cat would be deadly if he had opposable thumbs.  He is the most outgoing of the four, and he knows how to open the cupboard where the cat treats are kept (last time I would hear it open in the middle of the night and find empty treat bags on the counter when I woke up).  He is also very vocal and somehow needy.  About 10 minutes ago he was sitting on my lap and rubbing my hands as I was typing.

• Tar (aka: The Quiet One, The Good One) - Tar is all black and kind of laid back.  He's got some hip problems and some skin problems, so he doesn't move as fast as the others.  He flops quite heavily when he lays down and likes to steal the warm spot that you were just sitting in.
  

• Rigby (aka: Rigatoni, The Orange One) - Rigby is kind of jumpy and nervous.  He doesn't like to be petted much, but is starting to get better.  He likes to engage in staring contests.  Once I was visiting and laying on a couch in the basement.  He sat over me like a vulture and stared at me for about 15 minutes.  I couldn't outlast him.

• Milo (aka: The Baby) - At only a year, Milo is the newest to the gang.  He wasn't around when I sat last time.  He's still precocious and likes to get into everything.  His favourite activity is drowning things, be it Q-tips or toy mice.  The toilet lids stay closed when Milo is around!
  

  So, over the next two weeks, I'm making sure these 4 don't burn the house down.  If I'm jittery over the next couple of weeks, it's only because I'm sure the cats are plotting something, but I don't know what.  Don't make any sudden moves and we'll be alright.

How can you get a Driver's License if you have a fear of signalling?

Dear Bad Drivers;

Let me just preface this by saying, I've made mistakes too.  I've used my cell phone whilst driving.  I've exceeded the speed limit once or twice.  I haven't always stopped at a crosswalk when I see a pedestrian waiting to cross.

I've been getting more and more worried though by the apparent allergy that people have developed to using their turn signals.  Is it like the allergy to peanuts that has developed so much over the last 20 years?  We've been driving too long and now we go into anaphylaxis whenever we touch the turn signal?

Maybe it's a time thing.  I know, I know.  It takes SOOOOO much time to extend the fingers on your left hand approximately 1 inch and reach that turn signal.  And then that EXTRA time it takes to push it to the up or down position.  What we're talking, A FIFTH OF A SECOND to do all that work.  And then there has to be shoulder checking too.  Man.  That's a good 2 seconds of applying the signal AND checking to make sure you aren't hitting another vehicle.  Time you could use to speed up and try to side swipe me while I'M driving! 

Also, those line marks they put down the middle of the road?  I know you think that they are a 'suggestion' of where you need to be.  Guess what.  They aren't.  If you had bothered to try the aforementioned shoulder checking, you would notice that I'M DRIVING BESIDE YOU!!!!!!

Since it's obviously hard for you to remember these things, here is my action plan to help you out.  You know how ambulances have the word AMBULANCE written backwards in big letters so you can read it in your rearview mirror.  Actually, you may not know what or where your rearview mirror is.  Nevertheless, it's time for me to be proactive.  I'm going to get some of those big, backward letters and write on my windshield, "Please use your signal lights, I cannot read minds".  Will that help you to remember.  Maybe on my rear window I will put, "Please use your signal lights, not everyone can read minds".  Just as a reminder to those bad drivers behind me who have forgotten how to do things. 

So, bad drivers, grab your Epipens and give those turn signals a go!  And when you see a green Ford Contour with big white lettering all over the windows, that's me.  And when you 'forget' to do these things.  I'll follow you to your destination and give you a lesson on the finer points of signalling.

All the best, hope your insurance skyrockets,

Trish

Schaudenfraude Fun!

So, you ask, what has Trish been up to for the past 8 months? The answer: very little. But I have been surfing the internet. A lot. I don't work nearly as hard as many people in my office. I probably should, but I'm a known procrastinator and slacker.

I believe in schaudenfraude, that seeing something bad happen to someone else makes you feel better about your life. Not that my life is bad by any means, but I sure like to laugh at stupid people too.

icanhascheezburger.com

Any of you cat lovers out there will know this site. This is the home of the LOLcat, LOLdogs, ROFLrazzi, Pundit Kitchen, the ever popular Fail Blog (another one that I love) and Engrish Funny. I would highly recommend that you check these out and have a good laugh at someone else's stupidity and really really cute kitty cats!

probablybadnews.com

This lovely little site touts itself as 'News fails, because journalism isn't dying fast enough'. I feel that the failure we see in modern journalism is due in large part to the fact that our society is now full of functionally illiterate adults being churned out of Universities (as a friend commented who teaches at the college/university level, she teaches students in their 3rd year who cannot read).

thisiswhyyourefat.com

A photo journal of the heart attacks we're all waiting to have. The concoction photos range from the very-tasty-man-I'd-try-that to the Oh-My-God-what-kind-of-dare-do-you-have-to-lose-to-eat-that. Many battered deep fried treats, covered in either meat or cheese, which also happen to be 2 of my favourite foods.

itemnotasdescribed.com

The tag line here is 'FREE is a four letter word'. If like to laugh at witty commentary on what people post on Craigslist, this is THE site for you. Come for the items, stay for the dialogue.

emailsfromcrazypeople.com

Crazy = funny. Enough said. A particular favourite, the Thanksgiving list.

These sites make a great conversation piece, or give you something that is reasonably safe to read at work. Really, I believe in schaudenfraude, and these sites make it easier to feel good about your life.

Another update...almost a year later

...and I still remembered how to login! How awesome is that!

Long time no blog. I guess I've mostly jumped the trend bandwagon onto Facebook, but I still like the idea of my blog. I'm going to try and keep up with my blogging a little more now and see what life has when I read a full year worth.

So, 2008. Almost done. Can't quite believe how quickly the year has gone! It was busy too. The new position, which isn't new anymore, has been good. Mike and I bit the bullet and actually BOUGHT a condo! That's still pretty exciting. It has that new car smell (even though it wasn't new and isn't a car...maybe we should look into that.) and I love living there. We got to paint and really make it ours and that's been wonderful.

I did another Fringe show this summer, which was actually fun! I got the worst review of my life, but it didn't really bother me that much. It's a be careful what you wish for thing, because I had just been saying to Mike that it would be really nice to just get mentioned for once in a review...Ooops. Whatever. I must have eaten the reviewer's baby on my last baby eating binge and didn't even realize.

The fall has been busy too. I went on a week long cruise with the 'rents to Alaska, which was amazing. Then I went almost directly to Montreal for a conference and a little more vacationing. It did kind of break me financially, but isn't that what life is all about?

2009 is coming fast and furious. What's going to happen? Well, Mike and I are going to Vegas with Jody and Anthony for easter. Not moving during event season will be a real treat this year! I'm looking forward to keeping more connected with my friends. That's been a really nice treat in 2008. Making myself more available to just hang out and enjoy life and the people in it. I think I got myself too wrapped up in too many other things, but I've realized it's okay to let that go.

Well, that's it for now. I may have a Christmas rant in a few days when I go shopping again! Take care Blog, glad to have chatted with you. We'll be doing more of this in the near future. I can feel it.

Trish

Long time, no blog

So, it's been almost eight months since my last blog. Wow. Time flies when you're having fun!

Things have been good. In my last post I had just recently moved in with Mike. Well, it's been eight months and things are great. We're hoping to buy a place of our own this spring.

Work is great. I've moved from being Development Coordinator to being Super Cities WALK Coordinator, which came with a raise and an office. It's still a contract position, but there is a strong chance that I'll become permanent. And I have an office!!! 4 walls and a door I can call my own, how sweet is that?

In October, we went to Disneyworld in Florida with Tom & Sandi. They were on their honeymoon, we went as a precursor to my 30th Birthday. We had a blast!! Best time ever! Hopefully we can go again in the near future...

And yes, I turned 30 in November. And, I've got to be honest, my year has been awesome so far. I can't wait to see how the rest of it plays out.

I'd like to make this a regular thing again. Much like everyone else, I've been lured into Facebook (or Crackbook, or Facecrack, or the devil...whatever you want to call it), but I'd really like to blog it up again.

I've missed you blog...have you missed me?