Picture Sunday

And here I was lamenting about not bringing my camera along with me this weekend. Heh. I still have a buttload of pictures.

So, how did everyone's weekend go? Mine was a good-bad one.

Bad because I spent Saturday at a baby shower. Now, let's be frank here. I hate showers of any kind that don't involve lolling under a stream of hot water. They're dumb, and that's it. However, this one was for someone I know well, the daughter-in-law of my friend San, and a wonderful young lady in her own right, and so I was committed to go.

Good, however, because I won a prize! The first game played was one where you had to match 18 baby names with their meanings. I scored a grand total of 2 on that one; however, since the winner (who happened to be my sister) won with a grand total of 5, I guess I shouldn't have considered it a total washout. But when they got the next game, I knew I was In like Flynn and was gonna Win. It was 10 or so questions where you name kids from movies and TV shows. And true to my word, I got them all right and won a very pretty pair of candles. So there; don't ever let anyone tell you being addicted to pop culture will get you nowhere.

Bad because I woke up Friday morning with what can only be self-diagnosed as a case of gout. In my pinky! I told this to Mr M Saturday morning and his answer was "unlikely." Until the man himself, who is no stranger to gout, you'll remember, took one look at my pinky and said, "Yep, that's gout."

My pinky is currently red, swollen, painful, and looks not unlike a Vienna Sausage, that most unfortunate of processed foods (which my dear nephew, when he was about 4, called Viennable Weenies). It also won't bend, won't hang with the rest of my fingers, and sticks out quite like one of Pippi Longstocking's pigtails. Here's picture one of the poor little fella.

And in case that doesn't give you the full effect, look above. See that ring, there on my ring finger? Well, look what happens when I try to fit it on my pinky.

Ouch. And that hurt. And my pinky is all hot. Mr M says that's because it's inflamed.

Good because look what was waiting for me when I got to Mr M's Saturday. Chocolate Shermans, anyone?

Now are those cool? Mr M and I got a mold on Ebay with several of the Bullwinkle characters. My friend ESP made the actual chocolates, as I'm told she was toying with some ideas for her Passover seder. Hmm, I didn't know Dudley Do-Right was Jewish....

Good because Mr M played in an orchestra concert Saturday night that was, if not long, quite enjoyable. And more good because he gave me (or did I take it?) the "Presentation Tulip" he got from the orchestra after playing. But bad because - well, look what happens when you carry a tulip around in 30 degree weather for an evening.

Oh, dear. That reminds me of something. Something that maybe is best not said.

Yes, let's remain on that "bad." Here it is April 24th in Betland, and I drove home today with snow whirling around me and whapping my windshield as if to say, "Hey, looky here, dipshit! You thought it was Spring, didn't you? HA-ha!" It killed my daffodils, which, to be fair, were on their way out anyway and I'm not at all bothered because I hate the little fuckers and can't wait to pull them up yet again (I must not be getting the roots) to plant something else in their place later on.

Good because even though it's cold, I tried something vaguely creative. Since I was sick of that same old wreath I've had on my door for months, I zipped by (really folks, I zipped) a craft store and bought a few things and made my own damn door arrangement.



So, it's not much. But I like it. Anyway, I bought the stuff, spent a whole half-hour putting it together, and it's staying up there, at least for a while.

And finally, good because it's time for the final card in the current set of recipes du jour. I've got three sets left, and next week will start set number one of those the fair Jellybean sent me. So what does this set end with? A bigass Pizza!





OK. Now I know you won't believe this, but my mother has actually made this pizza! Remember (if you're my age, which none of you are) in your childhood days when there were no pizza places and every pizza you had at home was made out of a box? Well, sometimes my mom would get all creative and make a square pizza, or play around with the toppings, and I'll be damned if she didn't make a green-pepper square pattern, at least once. Could my mom have had these cards??

As this is a set-opening card, there are no serving suggestions on the back, but hell, when you have pizza what else do you need, really? Except Maalox, of course, if you're my dad.

Happy week. Important update below.

Betland's Olympic Update:
* A great blog update: This concert Mr M played in Saturday. At the dress rehearsal Friday, one of the flute players approached him and asked if he'd like to play a concert in a couple of weeks with her daughter's orchestra. Seems that this past Wednesday, with but two rehearsals to go, the clarinestist walked out on them. I'll give you 3 guesses as to who it was and the first 2 don't count.
* I watched "DiG" today for the umpteenth (or was it the eleventy-twelfth) time, since it's now out on DVD. And I got Mr M to watch it! I was sure he'd hate it, but I think he enjoyed it in a "every single person in this movie is a complete idiot" kind of way. And he even got a few belly laughs at the stagefights.
* Oh, yeah - good because I found out the problem from last week with my pictures. Somehow I had it set to centimeters instead of inches for pixels, and fixed it.