Birthdays

Tonight I baked for some upcoming birthdays. I dug up a yellowed and wrinkled recipe for dog biscuits that a co-worker gave me a couple years ago. Wednesday is Marley's birthday (one of Scott's dog) and Dusty's birthday (Scott's sister's dog). So I made some dog shaped cookies for a few very special pups. Norton taste tested tonight and boy, does he approve!!!

Snow Day

Tis Sunday and its blizzarding out there! Why do we have to get 18 inches of snow on a Sunday? Couldn't it come on a Monday or Sunday night? Then we'd at least get a day off out of it. I should be happy because I have lots to do at home. But I have cabin fever.

What kind of food are you?

You Are Mexican Food

Spicy yet dependable. You pull punches, but people still love you.

What Kind of Food Are You?

Sliding

When I was a kid, we kept a spare twin-sized mattress in the basement for sleepovers. This morning, I was remembering how my brother, Ryan, and I would put the mattress over the stairs so we'd be able to slide down the stairs. Crawl up the mattress, slide down the mattress. Isn't it funny what random memories pop into your head at unexpected times? I wish we still had that old mattress...

I guess you could say I've been coasting in second gear for the past couple of days. Friday morning, my grandfather (mom's dad) passed away. In all actuality, he wasn't living anyway. He was subsiding in a nursing home suffering from Parkinson's Disease and lung cancer. He's in a better place now, though we'll miss him very much. Tomorrow is the funeral and we'll be sitting shiva every night between Sunday and Thursday at my Nana's house.

So yesterday I was sharing some Pop Pop memories with my sister, Ashley. Its sad because she is only 18 so most of her memories of our grandfather center around him being sick. So I will share some memories with you all, my fellow readers.

1. Pop Pop worked close by to our house so oftentimes, he'd come over and be with us during his lunch hour. Lunch would be a big bucket of KFC! Or we'd meet Pop Pop at the Roy Rogers for lunch. Ryan and I consumed many pickles at the Roy Rogers Fixins' Bar. We don't even have a Roy Rogers anymore!

2. Since Pop Pop worked for an electrical company, we always had a supply of batteries and flashlights. I was around 11 years old when he brought me a penlight. Oh joy! I was so thrilled!

3. I remember one Passover seder in particular when Ryan, Josh (our half uncle whom we grew up with) and I got into trouble with Pop Pop for fooling around. Dear readers, a Passover Seder is not a time to fool around when you have a very strict grandfather. Yet, it makes for fond memories down the line!

4. Finally, I recall when I was 18 years old and got my butterfly tattoo. Pop Pop had 2 tattoos on his forearms from his days as a Marine in World War II. I guess I was thinking we'd now be compadres, both of us with tattoos. So I was thrilled to show Pop Pop my new tattoo. But...Pop Pop was very dissapointed in me, alas.

May you rest in peace, Pop Pop! We'll miss you!

Gone Postal

On my way to work this morning, I heard the news about the postal worker in Goleta, California, who shot and killed six of her fellow coworkers before critically wounding another and commiting suicide herself. Craziness! Imagine that! Going to work on what you believe to be a "routine" day and being murdered by a coworker! How terrible! And why do we hear so often about postal shootings? I know there are school shootings too...are there other workplace shootings? I am sure there are. But when was the last time you heard of a Red Lobster hostess shooting all or a Barnes and Nobles bookseller going berserk? I am not making light of this tragedy...just food for thought for a Tuesday morning.

Yippee

Well, I was very pleased to go through my closet this morning and find that some of my pants are way too big and some fit after being too tight! Yay, progress! I've lost 9 1/2 pounds or so in the past couple months. Go me! I borrowed some things from my mom and sister and put together a tres cool outfit for tonight's party!

Four Things

I found a "Four Things" meme on Becky and Peter's blog and couldn't resist filling it in for myself.

4 jobs I’ve had in my life:

Teacher
Paralegal
Server
Papergirl

4 movies I could watch over and over:

Office Space
You Got Mail
Napoleon Dynamite
40 Year Old Virgin

4 places I’ve lived:

Long Branch, NJ
South Plainfield, NJ
Belleville, NJ
Montclair, NJ

4 tv shows I love to watch:

Gilmore Girls
Supernatural
Flavor of Love
Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals

4 places I’ve been on vacation:

Yellowstone National Park, WY
San Francisco, Ca
Key West, Fl
Las Vegas, Nv
4 websites I visit daily:

Little Jenny C
Jesser
my own!
ivillage.com

4 of my favorite foods:

Dark Chocolate
Cheese
Indian food
Tiramasu

4 places I’d rather be right now:

Watchung Reservation on a nice day
Anywhere in California
Austin, Texas
Vermont

Tag, you're it. Except I'm being a rebel and not tagging anybody. I wasn't tagged. Therefore, if you'd like to do this, go ahead, but I won't force anybody!

Relaxing

This week flew by--perhaps, because it was such a busy week! Monday, the kids were off on account of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day but us teachers were forced to attend workshops. However, we got free breakfast and lunch (see there is a such thing as a free lunch!) and cookies! I also enjoyed plenty of joking around with coworkers! Monday night, I watched Bewitched (the movie). It was funny and cute.

Tuesday night, I had Takeout and Movie Night with my friend, Lakisha, and her son Tashae. We had Chinese and watched one of my all-time favorites, Napoleon Dynamite. I also enjoyed watching Tashae play Sonic the Hedgehog!

Wednesday, I went over Scott's after school. We watched Wedding Crashers. I know I had high expectations for this movie and we were both quite dissapointed. There were some funny parts...but overall, the movie moved slow and wasn't cohesive, in my opinion.

Thursday night, I stayed in and watched some Space Ghost. Friday, I enjoyed Happy Hour with some of my fellow coworkers. I had a great time, got home around 7:15 and just relaxed for the rest of the evening.

For the second Saturday in a row--I actually cleaned my room. The rest of the weekend will be fun--we'll be partying with Katie and Mike tonight and enjoying a nice day in Princeton tomorrow!

A Good, Good Weekend.

So it was a good, good weekend.

Friday night, I hung out with Robin and my sister, Ashley. We went to this great coffeehouse in Montclair called Cafe Eclectic. It was fun and relaxing. I enjoyed my vanilla chai latte! It was fun to hang out with two of my favorite girls! Robin slept over too. Saturday, I spent the day cleaning my room. Now don't keel over from the shock! Saturday night, I had pizza, beer and good times with Andy, Dennis, Big Mike and Jenn. After the unexpected snowstorm, Jenn spent the night. Two sleepovers in two nights! Yay, it was great!

Ok, you're all waiting for the latest in the dating news, right? Sigh...it went really well...he came over this afternoon around 12:30....met my family and pets...we went out for lunch and shopping. We came back for video games and tv-watching. Then...dinner with my folks! Scott (yes he has a name!)even pleased my dad by watching the football game with him! So things are going great....and I'm really very happy! Yay! Yay! Yay!!!

Dinner with the Folks

I'm happily surprised to say that things are going well with the new guy. Last night, I went over his house and had dinner with some of his family...sister, parents and dogs...his two and his sister's big dog! I think I impressed his family with my capabilities taming and calming his sister's mutt! So New Guy and I have tentative weekend plans...keep y'all posted!

Flavor of Love

Last winter, I caught a couple episodes of VH1's Strange Love. Ah...the night and day romance between Flavor Flav and Brigitte Nielson. That was one surreal reality show. (Fun fact: they met on the Surreal Life) Well, as you may or may not know, that romance didn't last. Brigitte married somebody else. So, now, single ladies, Flavor Flav is back on the market! Check him out in the ghetto-fabulous version of the Bachelor. The show is titled The Flavor of Love and I caught episode one. There are fifteen chicks left who consider this guy a real catch...gold teeth, big clock and all...I would suggest watching the show for its amusement factor alone!

What a week...

It's certainly not easy to go back to work/school after having a nice, long, relaxing vacation. We had Monday off, so I only worked three days this week so far but it feels like the longest week ever! Yesterday, I ended up at the doctor yet again! Last week, it was for bronchitis. This time, it was a sharp, throbbing pain in the big toe of my left foot. As it turns out, it is an ingrown toenail. Nothing too awful but that means more antibiotic and foot soaks twice a day (ahhh).

Dating Update: Tomorrow is Date #3 with Jdate #6. I have a good feeling about this guy. Our first two dates have been lunch and coffee. Safe choices for the first couple dates. Tomorrow will be a little more risque as we are having dinner and seeing a movie!

New Year, New Me

I heard somebody use that phrase yesterday: "New Year, New Me." It's catchy and I like it--but at the same time, do I want a whole new ME? No, I like quite a bit about myself. I think its perfectly healthy to make one or two New Years Resolutions. But I also think its just as important to think about the good things that we accomplished in 2005. When I first began pondering that question, I couldn't think of anything. Me? What did I accomplish? I got a new car and a new computer. But thats not an accomplishment. Is falling in and out of love an accomplishment? No, I don't think so either. So, you're now wondering, what did I accomplish? I accomplished..."finding" my Jewish self. Thats a pretty important accomplishment, I think. I spent the last 10 years thinking about spirituality and exploring different religions. It wasn't until I began learning about my own that I found a perfect fit. In 2006, my resolution is to continue my healthy eating regimen and working out more. Cheers to all my readers on accomplishing their goals in 2005! Good luck on your 2006 resolutions!

PS...for those of you who were wondering how my date today went...it went well and he says he'll call tonight. I'll keep Y'all posted!

Happy New Year

I hope everybody has a happy and safe New Years Eve tonight! My New Years Eve plans entail a get-together at my brother and sister-in-law's with some friends and family. I'm looking forward to some good food and drink as well--though not too much drink--as I have a New Years afternoon date so a hangover might not be too attractive. See Y'all in 2006!!!!

Ah. Vacation.

I love having time off from school. Its been nice to relax. I've had a couple dates since I've been off from school.

1. Jdate Guy #5 and I went to see the Producers Sunday night. Nice guy. But not for me. A little too nerdy (again, I'm not knocking nerds, I do find many of them attractive!) for me and besides he smelled funny.

2. Jdate Guy #6 and I had lunch in Montclair on Tuesday. We then had coffee, perused some of the shoppes before ending the date. It was fun and he was a nice guy. I'm seeing him again on Sunday. We'll see how it goes.


Today, I'm spending time with my friend, Allison, who I have not seen in a year since she has moved to Arizona. I'm blogging right now from the "black room" of the 100 year old home her parents live in. This is the creepiest room in the house. Spooky! I plan on using some of my giftcards today before shopping for bridesmaid dresses later on for my cousin Andrea's wedding. Busy day!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Chanukah! Merry Christmas! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy New Year! Happy Winter Solstice! Happy Diwali! Did I skip any holidays? I think I got most of them there! Anyway, to all my readers, I hope you enjoyed your day!

Congratulations!!!

First off, congratulations are in order to Jaime and Corey, who just got engaged. I don't think Jaime even knows I have a blog, so I will have to email her to tell her to check this. They are tentatively planning a December '06 wedding! I am thrilled--and of course, that means I need to start saving my money to fly down to Louisiana! (For those of you who don't know, Jaime and I began our friendship as pen pals at the age of 15! Since then, I've flown down there once, and she's been up here three times. Crazy!)

My apologies to Jennifer and all of my faithful readers who most likely checked my blog on a near-daily basis wondering, "Where is Marisa? Why is she not posting?" Well, I am alive...but I've been suffering a cold again! Ouch! Throat aches! Eyes burn! I'm so congested and I have the desire to sleep for days on end. I took Tuesday off to rest and rested most of last weekend. However, I did have the opportunity to take Dave out for Indian food for his birthday last weekend! Happy belated Birthday, Dave! Also, happy belated birthday, Ashley!

Sunday, my grandma and I spent a glorious day together. First, we had lunch at Panera Bread. Then we went to a "Tea with the Author" at my temple. We had the chance to meet Myla Goldberg, who wrote the best-selling novel, Bee Season (which I highly recommend).

So, now its off to bed to rest this sore throat of mine...

Surprised?

Congrats! You are a Dave Matthews Band NERD! You
eat, breathe, and drink DMB. You've seen at
least 10-20 concerts, met a band member or two,
and trade their live concerts on CD-R. You
rule, and know what music should sound like.


What Dave Matthews Band fan are you?
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Weekend Ramblings

This weekend, I saw my boys play at Madison Square Garden two nights in a row! Friday night, I partied too much with my fellow ants to really enjoy the show. But thats okay! We had a blast at P.J. Clark's before the show. Saturday night, I stayed sober and enjoyed an amazing concert. What an experience!!!! We danced and sang and partied at Blarney Stone after the show. I caught the 1.40 train and was home in my bed by 3am. Good, good times.

Sunday, I had a third date--and I think it went well. But--I can't relax. Questions ponder through my brain, such as...Does he like me? Doesn't he like me? Why hasn't he emailed me today? When will he call? Will he call? I know--I need to relax. But thats not something I'm good at. Anyway...we'll see what happens with this one and I'll keep y'all posted.

More Worst Dates

I guess my bad date story wasn't that hideous. My friend sent me this link and some of the stories are really funny. Though--glad they didn't happen to me. JDates Gone Wrong