Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Wild Animal Park

 
 
 
So here are a few pictures from my families trip to the wild animal park. You will see the first picture is of my Mom being so brave to be in the presence of kissing Giraffes. I will give her a hard time for this picture but they are amazing and intimatidating animals. It was so amazing to be so close to the animals. It was also fun to see little C's reaction to the animals. Early in the day before we were on the tour she said she wasn't going to touch them. When it came time to feed the giraffes and the Rhinos you couldn't keep her away. We all had such a fun day and it was nice to spend time with the family. After the park we spent all week together shopping cooking and eating. A full tummy was had by all.

So this is one of those posts where I have so much to say I will accomplish none of it. I guess the important thing is I am alive and doing well. I am catering tomorrow night for Brad's work so I will let you know if I make it through alive. Have a great night everyone. Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

I think I have a problem

What does it say about you when most of your hits from google searches involve the word chocolate in some way? Do I need a chocolate intervention. Do you want to know my other most popular hit is "in the doctors stirrups." Seriously have I not typed anything more worthy of people reading? I am beginning to worry about how interesting I seem if this is how people find me. I am also learning that there are a lot of people out there that want chocolate Oscar statues, I am wondering if I should make a mold and start selling those as I get googled daily for it. I guess this is as good of a time as any to say why this blog was called chocolate cars in the first place. When I started this blog I was making chocolate MINI Coopers and selling them to the MINI club we belonged too. They were pretty detailed and took a lot of work. Since it was the only really unique thing I could think of about myself at the moment I named the blog Chocolate Cars. Perhaps not the greatest story in the world but at least now you can stop wondering about it. Apparently all the pictures of the cars are on Brad's computer though so I don't have one to post.

My almost niece's birthday party was very cute and we had a great time. I am trying for almost aunt of the year so I made her birthday cake. One of the Mom's was raving how light and fluffy the icing was on the cake, she said it was like professional icing. I thanked her for the compliment and then explained that I am a chef. She said oh so it is professional. I guess I never really thought of myself that way. Anyway the icing wasn't really difficult or brilliant it was just whipped ganache, something I have been making since before culinary school. Actually it was sort of an accident when I couldn't get it to thicken up to cover a cake and I didn't understand the properties of ganache. I figured it had whipping cream in it I would whip it and see what happens. What happens is you get a really fluffy chocolate mousse like substance that sets stiff. So I don't come off as a total snob I will explain that ganache is half cream half chocolate by weight. You heat the cream to just under boiling and then take it of the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for a minute and then stir with a whisk until all the chocolate melts. It will start off really liquidy and when it cools it will firm up. You have eaten it in the center of a chocolate truffle before.

Ok now go ahead and google chocolate and see how quickly you find me.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

I am Getting Stupider

So I was reading through old posts and comments I have made on other blogs and I have realized that I am not as smart as I once was. You see I used to have a pretty good command of grammer and was careful to avoid common mistakes. Now I obviously don't know the difference between their, there, and they're. I no longer know when to use to and when to use too. I usually get two correct though. I am pretty sure that I still know that a lot is two words and use it properly but overall I think I am getting dumber. I can't tell you how many times I wish to say a different word than I use but have no clue how to spell it so I dumb down my vocabulary. I am getting a little worried though because if I am becoming this dumb now by the time I am 45 I am going to be in diapers and drooling mumbling about the good old days. I fear senility is not that far away.

So I don't have that much exciting to talk about right now. We are going to my almost neice's birthday party this weekend. She is turning 8 and having a party at Build-a-bear. She is the cutest kid in the world so I sure it will be fun to see her. My parents are coming here for Thanksgiving and we are going to go to the San Diego Wild Animal Park and do the photo safari tour. It is so cool we get to go into the enclosure and hand feed the giraffes and rhinos. The whole family is going so I am hoping we will get some good family pictures. Of course I shall also try to post a picture of me and a rhino because being next to such an animal is sure to make me feel thinner.

I did call and make a formal complaint to the insurance company about the Doctor. I don't think anything will come of it but at least it will go on record. I also asked if it was uncommon to have to go in for test results and the insurance lady said no that it is a matter of policy and some office prefer to always be face to face for results. I guess that means that when you are going to a new Doctor you should ask what their policy is before you go for the appointment. Actually I am learning that in general when you call a new Doctors office it is good to ask a lot of questions about the Doctor and office before you even go because they may not be suited to you.

Ok so Britmum tagged me to come up with eight things about myself that you all may not know about me. Normally I would link her but I am too lazy for that now. I am trying to think of eight things so I hope my list doesn't disappoint you all.

1. I used to purposely miss spell words when we had class spelling bees so I could sit down and doodle because I didn't like standing up still for long periods of times.

2. I almost drowned when I was 4 and for a long time I was afraid to go back in the water. My Mom bribed me to swim and after that she could never get me out of the pool. I became a total fish.

3. I hate being the only one to ever call and make an effort with people. I will do it for awhile but if the other person never calls me I stop calling them and we drift apart. The only people that stay for long in my life are people that I have a two way street with.

4. Most people that know me think I have a lot of confidense. I always feel like a phony. I am starting to learn that really no one is confident just some people are better at faking it. So maybe there really isn't any such thing as confidense.

5. I have an incredible memory for things. I can pretty much tell you the minute details of a date or party. I can also quote lines from movies better than most men. I drive Brad and Susan crazy because I don't forget anything.

6. When I was young I would let my brothers talk me into to things. One time Nick tied me to the back of his bike while I had rollerskates on. I was wearing really short Dove shorts. Nick started to pull me and right as he got up speed he slammed on the brakes. I got tire burn all up my thighs and it smelled terrible and was really painful. He to this day says it was my fault, that I should have swerved.

7. I sometimes think that I am one of the only people in the world that came from a functional family. I am so lucky to have the parents I do. Without them I don't think our family would have made it through some of the things we did.

8. I am always afraid when something I have always wanted is about to happen that it will some how not. I worried that I would be told seconds before my High School graduation that it was a mistake and I wouldn't graduate. I never feel like I quite deserve these big events.

I don't know who to tag with this so if you haven't done this and want too consider yourself tagged.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Betty Homemaker

 

So I don't know how many of you are aware of what a gifted homemaker I really am so I post this picture as proof. First you have Brad drinking a cup of hot coco made with the Tassimo beverage system which is about the best thing ever. Behind him you will see the kitchen curtains. I made those. I never even took home ec. The cabinets in the kitchen you will see are a lovely shade of blue. I sanded all the old stain of them and painted them. They still look great after 4 1/2 years. Now is time to prove I am not Betty homemaker. See the plants in the window sill. They looked great now they are dead. I can't keep house plants alive. ANyway I have no real reason for posting this picture other than I thought you all could use a glimpse at my kitchen.

So today I went back to the doctor to get the results back from my pap and blood work. I have never had to actually go into the Docotrs office for that before so I thought that was a little weird. I than had to sit in the lobby for an hour before they took me to an exam room. Then I waited another 30 minutes for the Doctor. Finally the Dr. came to the exam room and had me meet her in her office. She then tells me that all my tests are normal and that she will see me in six months. For this they charged me another copay. To say that I was annoyed would be an understatement. Why in the hell did I need to come in for that and where do they get off charging you to give you the results of your exams. Plus you have to pay for parking. I find it odd though that this would be her practices. I am 33 and have been getting paps since I was 17 every year I have never before had to go to the office for results nor pay another copay to be told I am fine. Besides this I saw that the nurse had all my results when she took my blood pressure when I first got there. WHy could she not say I was fine. Knowing that she had the results but wouldn't tell me scared me and I thought there was something wrong. So waiting an additional hour was awful. I am sorry but if you are going to charge me to give me the results you could at least see me in a timely manner. I do not appreciate waiting an hour and a half after my appointment time to be told I am normal. Need;ess to say I will not be back to this doctor. Brad says I should wage a complaint with our insurance so they will no longer reccomend this Dr. I am not sure it will do any good. WHat do you think. Is it normal to have to have a second paid office visit for results and I have just lucked out all along? Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Some bugs up my butt.

So last night was Halloween and Brad and I really look forward to having trick or treaters come to our house. It is fun to see all the kids in costume and to hear how excited they are for the night. We never get very many kids though because we live on such a busy street and we are in a town house that the people would rather go on safer streets with real houses. I understand that but I think parents under estimate how much candy your kids would get from a complex like ours. We are so happy to get a treater that we give them a hand full of candy and so does our neighbor. So saying this and knowing as much as we love having the kids come how late should kids be out trick or treating. Let us consider that last night was a school night, and that at 9 House returned to tv. Why in the world were we getting knocks on our door until 10pm. I am sorry your kid is awfully cute but a 5 year old needs sleep and should not be interrupting the last few minutes of good tv we get a week. I thought it was awfully rude to come to someone's door begging that late at night.

Another thing that is really annoying me right now is all the election stuff. First I have to say in my 33 years on thins earth I have never heard stupider campaign ideas. Here in California one add against Arnold was solely that he at one point said vote for Bush. While I don't care for Bush or his way of running our country I think that there are far better things to critique Arnold on than him supporting Bush. The ad if anything made me feel that the candidate that aired it was unintelligent and not a good leader. Another candidate here has ads that say " I was really fat, I promised my family I would lose weight. I kept my promise, that is why I would make a good insurance commissioner." Are you kidding me. Are you really saying your ability to be a good leader is based on how well Jenny Craig has worked for you. Please my Dad has lost a ton of weight lately that doesn't mean I think he would be a good politician. Well actually I think that my Dad would be a better politician than this idiot but mostly because he would never say that his ability to lose weight would make him a good leader.

My last complaint is people in stores. When you are shopping in a store remember that others are too. Do not park your cart in the middle of an aisle blocking the way for others. Please get to one side or the other. If you are on the side and you are debating about whether this one or this one is better, please notice that there are other people who know which one is better for them and let them get to it and get on with their day. Do not get into an argument with your sig other in the store and block the section while you yell about pinto beans or black beans. I don't care I just want to buy rice, move. If you have unloaded all your groceries onto the counter and you are waiting to be checked out have the courtesy to put a little stuff separator down. I can't reach it from the end and you can, so help me out a little here. Lastly when you are done with your shopping chart please put it in a chart area not wedged behind my bumper scratching the paint on my car. My car may not look like much to you but it is mine and I would like not to have more scratches in it.