Show and Tell

This week I’m showing my map of the USA one of only three things adorning the walls in my room (the other two are White Sox and Kane County Cougar pennants I picked up on my last trip). I always struggle to remember how different the scale is on a map of this ginormous country than a map of the UK, so when my head is looking at a distance between two places and saying “hmm about a twenty minute drive” in reality I’d be on the road for oh about 3 and a half hours. It’s hard for me to wrap my Scottish head around. I put the map up a couple of years ago now when I was learning more and more about the different states but I, in all honesty, had no clue how they fit together. I mean I used to think New Jersey was north of New York. Seriously. It’s so much worse when you think that I was living there at the time! I also thought New Mexico actually was a country all of its own (as you can tell, geography is my real forte hahaha). Maybe someone out there can explain to me: why Washington D.C. is nowhere near Washington state, why Michigan City is actually in Indiana, come to think of it… how come Michigan is split in such an awkward way with that upper peninsula thing when all the other states lines seem somewhat logical… and another thing… why oh why do you guys say “Kansas” but Arkansas becomes “ar-ken-saw”?  Drives me nuts, despite the fact that as a Brit I can’t really lecture people about writing things one way and saying them another without a really bad pot kettle black situation. (EDIT – Gadget Guy here… hello? There’s no “F” in “Lieutenant” as an example).

So far I’ve only been able to stick three “been there done that” pins in my map:

New York

Orlando

Chicago

I’d give you my wish list too, but really there isn’t anywhere that’s NOT on my wish list.

I can’t when exactly this was… perhaps when Craig Ferguson was trying to get Honorary Citizenship from as many places as possible OR when I was watching your election map turning red and blue all over the place, but for a while I used to have a recurrent dream when I started my own campaign to get a pen friend in every state so that I could pick and poke all thier American brains with my sometimes stoopid often irritating questions of how come… why… what about… the country is just so fascinating to me.

Ali xX

P.S. Don’t forget to check out what everyone else is sharing.

Show and Tell

Joining the show and tell circle this week and I thought I’d celebrate my 200th post (yeah that’s counting all my little quotes but so what ) by taking part in Reproductive Jeans’ very cool “Blog You Very Much” which asks us to take a moment and thank that person who started you blogging.

So I have to say thank you to the guy hanging around in the background here; you guys can blame him for the fact that I started writing and even for the fact that I continue to do so. Yep, you know him as Gadget Guy but he’s actually Michael from over at reallans.com. It took me a couple of years to learn which way round that E + A go and apparently I still mess it up when I get pissed. Aherm anyway… I met the guy back before I knew what a blog or a podcast was. He had both at the time: the Mundane Mid-Life Show is the podcast companion piece to his blog. He wrote about normal everyday happenings, but as I giggled my way through his archives it surprised me how much of his positive if sometimes a lil grumpy character came across in his writing. After I quizzed him about it, he introduced me to Dooce, cuteoverload, cakewrecks and a few others. I really didn’t have much support in my real life at the time. I was quite lonely and suffering depression. I started this blog just as a way to kick myself back into shape, to have some place to put all my ramblings, to work things out by writing about them. I bet when he spell checked those first few posts he didn’t think this new “project”  would last more than a few weeks, (EDIT Gadget Guy here… in all honesty, I thought Ali was and still is doing great… and I was hoping that she would go for a few years… don’t think I ever told her that, though…) but here we are almost a year later an he’s still checking my posts most nights BUT he’s not writing over at his own bloggy home so how about ya all go over there and kick some Gadget Guy butt ‘cause I miss my giggles.

I have to say thank you to two others who keep me blogging:  they are always passing by to leave me bloggy comments, hugs and encouragement. Love these ladies’ writings. Kirsten inspires me all the time with her stitching posts filled with wonderful creations that make me truly ashamed I haven’t found time to take up cross stitch again… yet. Beautiful Mess is acing school on her way to becoming a kick ass nurse.  She could use some good juju as she calls it. Looks like she’s heading for surgery on her hand If you don’t already read these guys, what are you waiting for Thank you both for the wise words

Ok that’s it…  thank you…  soppiness is over… move along… noting to see here …

Remembered Show and Tell !

Oooooo I remembered this time! Can I rejoin the Show and Tell Circle after a couple of months away??

SOCKS !!

The story:  The other night after I came home from my mother’s and the house was freezing. I was talking to Gadget Guy at stoopid o’clock in the morning – this usually happens due to the time difference. We mostly talk when insomnia has come to spend the night with me. I was flipping out that night. We can’t really figure out if it was lack of sleep or relief at finally being home, but he spent most of the time laughing at me and I have very little recollection of anything I said. I was whining because my toes were sooo cold I could barely feel them (a fairly usual complaint from me). Gadget Guy was teasing and laughing at me for having puny little socks that aren’t capable of keeping anything warm (I am a trainer sock fan – the ones that barely get to your ankle). I can’t help it. I don’t like socks much and I’m notorious amongst my mates for my inability to hold onto matching pairs of the things. Gadget Guy concluded that I MUST go out and buy some pairs the following day to save my poor little toes. You know: those thick white sports socks. That’s what he was on about “it’s not about being cute or sexy, its about keeping warm!”  I could just hear him rolling his eyes at me lol.

BUT… I do as I’m told… respect your elders and all that (woooo he’s not gonna like that!  Edit: Gadget Guy here… you guessed that right… elders… bah!) So the next day I determined I’d find the most ridiculous pair of socks that fulfill his only demand that they HAVE to cover at least 1-2 inches above my ankle. I thought I was doing well with the purple stripey things above knee highs!!! But then… I found these babies: Rainbow toe socks! I have to say I seem to recall a friend of mine having some and I may have joked about them a lot … because they ARE crazy … but I have to take it back because they are also really cozy and more comfortable than I would have thought.

And when I saw what was underneath I may have laughed out loud… JACKPOT!

Happy socks to keep Gadget Guy … and my toes happy!

It turns out this post was pretty well timed because Kim just opened her list for the Winter Sock It to Me Event. I can’t wait to take part, as I just missed out last time. Go on over and read all about it, sign up before you check out what the rest of the class is sharing this week.

Ali xX

Show and Tell

First a confession: I admit to being incredibly slow on the uptake when it comes to figuring out exactly when Show and Tell was moved to.  After racking up a few weeks of absence I humbly ask to be allowed back into the circle and I remind you all to check out what the rest of the class is sharing.

Hello, my name is Ali and I am a chocoholic. Well, actually, I prefer to call myself a chocolate connoisseur. I’ll happily accept samples from all over the world and believe it or not I’m actually rather sad that being allergic to chili peppers prevents me from finding out first hand if the rumor that chili and chocolate are very good friends and have a divine effect whenever they meet up with taste buds is true.

Believe it or not, I was not always this way. My love of chocolaty goodness developed late in life. As a child, I hated the stuff; would not let it pass my lips. I swear its true but I’m telling you I’ve made up for it since. This brings me to my Show and Tell which are pictures of my latest package from Gadget Guy: a supply of very special chocolate that I have to keep under the bed / on top of the wardrobe to avoid it being guzzled by other family members. This chocolate / candy exchange has been so much fun even though, sadly, lately I’ve been falling behind on my side of the bargain.

Sooo here’s what I think: there are so many different types of my favorite M&M’s over there that my brain may explode.  It’s been so wonderful to enjoy them all.  Oh oh and I’m in love with Hershey’s Kisses, too.  In fact, the limited edition Mint Truffle ones may quite literally be my favorite chocolate ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET!  But I will never understand the relationship between peanut butter and chocolate that forms a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. I say lose the peanut stuff and fill the space with MORE chocolate.

I get little added extras in some of these parcels. In this one: Kool-Aid which dies my mouth bright red,  and a Zamboni… just because that might be the coolest word I’ve ever heard and after I heard it I was singing “I wanna drive the Zamboni” FOR DAYS .

However stressed I get, I am VERY unlikely to run out of chocolate…

I have some very cool friends. Annnd that’s my Show and Tell.

Ali xX

Show and Tell

I’m so excited because my necklace arrived in the post at the beginning of this week.  I ordered it a while back from Smitten Jewelry and was thrilled it made it across the Atlantic in one piece. I got the idea after seeing some infertility awareness necklaces. I don’t really feel I should be wearing one of those as I haven’t been TTC, but I started to think about wearing something similar for PCOS. In the past I’d always been so embarrassed or ashamed of the side effects of my condition that I never really wanted to talk about it, but I don’t really feel that way anymore since I’ve looked more into the condition,  become more informed and realized just how many women PCOS affects.  And so I present to you the necklace

It has a little heart to remind me that its hard to let people close if you don’t love yourself, the PCOS awareness ribbon because I have PCOS and I do think women need to be more aware annnd if you wanna ask questions this lady is gonna answer them from now on (to the best of her ability) and finally the sliver charm with the word strength engraved. I don’t think of myself as a strong woman but I sure aim to become one. Maybe my necklace can be my lucky charm.

Remember to check out what the rest of the class has on display.

Show & Tell

Something really simple for show and tell: I picked up my new glasses and shades. I thought I’d share the pictures.  I like the frames for my spectacles a lot.  Trying to be more responsible about wearing them than I was last time I had a prescription which was about two years ago, I think. I lost those within the first 6 months. Oops! I’m not so happy with the sun glasses, but I had a limited choice of frames and these were the best of them. The feeling was not helped by Kayak Man who proclaimed they made me look like Bono’s mum. HIS MOTHER?! Are you kidding me lol

Don’t forget to check out what everyone else is talking about this week

Show and Tell

It show and tell time again. This week I’d like to share my small success with the class.  On Saturday, I undertook the 8 hour Basic First Aid Training with the British Red Cross.  It’s training I have done before about 5 years ago and I was amazed by how much advice and safe practice guidelines have changed in the past 2 months, even.  Not only am I excited that the first step in my route to becoming a full Volunteer is complete, but I truly believe this small amount of training is something most people should do. It’s not hard at all though it can be a lot of information to take in and I’m so glad I have my handouts to read over… but knowing how to help someone in medical distress is so very important. You just never know when you might come across a situation where what you are able to do could save a life. From now on I’ll be carrying a basic first aid kit at all times, hoping I never need to use it. I’ll be going shopping this week for a slightly bigger bag to hold it too, I think. No need to feel guilty if its for such a good reason.

I Passed Woot !

Make sure you check out what the rest of the class is showing.

Show and Tell

Ooo… its show and tell time again. Don’t forget to take a look at the rest of the class.

This weekend I decided it had been a little to long since I was in the kitchen. Learning to cook better is part of my master plan, you know, so this fine Sunday I made roast pork for dinner. It turned out actually pretty yummy, but I want to share with you my first attempt at making a cake. I’ve seen this recipe in a magazine before Easter but budget issues meant I had to wait till this week to attempt it. Now, as a warning, I’m really new at this so all you domestic goddesses – no laughing now. Play nice… oh and ummm over here in the UK I have no cake mixes or tinned frosting, so I had to make the whole lot from scratch.  Here it is:

One more thing I really need a way to get through to Kayak Man: JUST how frustrating and annoying it is that he always hangs around in the kitchen like a bad smell. As I’m finishing some thing and he just HAS to stick his fingers in it. Today was no exception. He ate half the frosting and tipped a load of mini eggs all over the center of my cake. Doesn’t he know I’m trying to be creative? lol “Trying” being the operative word there. Hay if I don’t try I can’t learn, right?  Anyways, after all this he pronounced the cake a success and “very yummy” so I’m happy with it because this man don’t lie. If it was awful he’d say so.

Thanks for stopping by

Show and Tell

Every time I visit the US, I’m always struck by this same thing: the amount of choice there is available over there. I mean just take my favorite candy covered chocolate: M&M’s. I thought we were doing pretty well here in the UK.  We have milk chocolate; we’ve got your peanut ones if you’re a little nutty like me and just recently we’ve added Crispy ones that are sooo not to my taste but it gives people another option. I was happy with that… until… I waltzed into a Walgreens and was blown away to the point where my brain was stalling. It seemed that there were M&M’s everywhere I looked.  Choices choices choices… Dark chocolate. Peanut dark chocolate. Mint. CHERRY flavor … whoa my M&M’s got a makeover… what are these M&M Premiums? Oooo… candy for grown ups (unfortunately with a bigger price tag too!)  The packet sizes are amazing and if that’s not enough, everything comes in so many colors… repackaged and rebranded for the up and coming holiday just in case I want to coordinate my candy to my outfit! CRAZYNESS ..

An illustration for this week’s show and tell class… Lets talk Easter…  this is the Easter candy isle at my local super market:

My Easter Choices

Easter eggs of all shapes and sizes to suit all budgets and age groups. I’d say this was a pretty good selection over here in the UK. We give chocolate eggs at Easter time. Kids usually receive a few from different family members or relatives (I must be a grown up officially because this year was my first year without lol – good for my diet). I think the selection matches up fairly well with Gadget Guy’s picture … other than that his eggs are made by Hershey’s and I like those better because lets face it the grass is ALWAYS greener  here’s his picture:

Gaget Guy's eggs..

So far so good… except that Gadget Guy’s local store also has all of THIS stuff on offer for the Easter bunny to choose from:

Cadbury's egg overload	There's more ?!
HUUGE Easter Baskets	Make Your Own Easter Baskets

There are toys… and games, chocolate, candy… the list goes on. What are these HUUUGE Easter baskets anyways? Oh oh apparently that’s what you guys do over there?  Not just one egg? Oh nooooo a whole Easter buffet wrapped up in a basket and tied with a bow. WOW. Your Easter bunny sure is generous. I’m thinking your kids are real lucky over there. It seems like if I’d grown up American I sure would have got a lot more candy what with Easter and the Halloween madness. But then on the other hand I wonder how much pressure all this commercialization puts on parents. On the one hand you want to give your kids the same treatment their peers may be receiving. You don’t want to let them down or have them singled out but on the other budget /economy etc.  I know I know you don’t HAVE to cave to the pressure and your children don’t really NEED all this stuff, but I think it must be though when your kids are bombarded with toys and candy and bright shiny objects and given these expectations by an advertising industry that – let’s face it – has little regard for your financial position and seems engaged in a permanent death match struggle between rivals for every single dollar that does leave your wallet.

Choices choices choices… I’m not sure I’ll ever stop being amazed by the variety in the “Land of Plenty”. I mean, seriously, look at those Cadbury’s orange eggs. Cadbury is a UK company and I’ve NEVER even seen those things. I keep telling Gadget Guy there must be something wrong with them if we’re sending them ALL to America  And this: a wall of Peeps. A WHOLE WALL. Nothing but Peeps… Peeps… Peeps…

PEEPS !

I’ve had dreams where they all fall on me and I’m drowning in brightly colored marshmallows…. A-MAZING.

Make sure you check out what the rest of the class is talking about.

Show and Tell

 

This week is a little bit naughty. I was off to an open day at a university fairly near me this week and as I stood waiting for the final bus connection to the college campus I was looking up at the sunny blue sky (its a rare sight over here) when my attention was drawn to this small mural on the side of a nondescript read brick building. I may just be immature but it made me giggle so I thought I’d share.

 

Make sure you take a look and what the others brought to the circle.