Trying something new...

I signed up for a website called BzzAgent. I had to answer a bunch of survey questions and then from my answers, I got chosen to test new products. The first product I tested was Dr. Scholl's Gel Insoles. They sent me a pair to wear around in my shoes for a while and I had to give them feedback. The next "campaign" I got was for Fage Greek Yogurt. They sent me a bunch of coupons for free large size Fage Greek yogurt. I had to eat it, cook with it, use it however I would normally use yogurt and give them feedback.

So far this thing was fun! Now I'm doing a campaign for a new product called Kashi Hummus Chips. I'm sure you've all see the Kashi ads where they are always looking for healthy alternatives to what we eat. They sent me a bag of Sea Salt and Olive Oil chips and several coupons for more. The chips, I must say, were mighty tasty and something I would definitely purchase again.

So far...so good! I love getting all this free stuff in the mail to try out and it's fun writing reviews for the stuff I get. I'm glad I signed up!

MIdsommar Madness....

So, last night, I threw a little Midsommar party - Swedish style. We held it at my niece's house across the street because she has a big yard and a great big deck. I made Swedish meatballs, boiled eggs with caviar, salmon, new potatoes, cheese, and had lingonberries. My family and friends showed up with noodle casserole, chips and dips, tamales and strawberries. It was also my friend Jamey's birthday so we had a little cake. We sang Swedish songs and danced around a tree in lieu of a Maypole. Oh, and those Swedish songs were drinking songs so there was plenty of schnapps to go around...

and around....

and around...

and....

well, you get the picture.

Today I am nursing a pretty serious hang over. I haven't had a hang over in years so this is not pretty.

Did I have fun? Oh hell yes!
Will I do it again?

Let's just say I'm happy this Midsommar stuff only happens once a year!

Happy Halloween!

This is Halloween weekend and I am stoked! I love this holiday almost as much as Christmas and the funny thing is that I do very little for this holiday. Well, little is relative, I guess.

For the past few years, my sister and I have put on costumes to hand out our trick or treat candy. We sit outside and swarms of kids come to our house. I love thinking of what we can be each year. One year we were the creepiest clowns ever! And I hate clowns. Last year, we got Alex into the act and we were two zombie brides and he was the zombie groom. We looked creepy and, most appropriately, dead! This year, in honor of Alex's Swedishness, we three are going to be Vikings! And not the purple Minnesota loser football kind either. We're going to be the horned helmet wearing, sword bearing, fur covered kind. I have about half a costume right now and yards of fake fur that I have to contend with yet but, rest assured, by Trick or Treat time tomorrow, we'll be ready!

This year we carved some jack o'lanterns too. I haven't done that in a while because that's always been more fun if someone is there to do it with you and this year someone was. I ended up doing both but they turned out pretty good, in my own humble opinion. They're out on the porch right now, awaiting the tea lights so they can glow in the Halloween night!

I remember looking forward to Halloween as a kid. We rarely spent a dime on our costumes. If we had anything purchased it was usually a mask of some sort. Everything else was left to us and Mom to create. One year I was Batman. The old Adam West Batman too...not the new Christian Bale Batman. I had a mask. That was it. My mom made a cape out of an old towel and my Dad let me wear his old tool belt for the Batman utility belt. The thing was, everybody knew exactly who I was supposed to be and they thought my costume was great! So did I. I wore it around the house until Thanksgiving!

Trick or Treating back then wasn't during special hours or during the day, for that matter. We freely scoured all of Kenosha, parent-free, with not just a small pumpkin candy bag but a huge pillow case and by the time we were done we had been to the far ends of town and that pillow case was full! Mom would go through all of the candy when we got home but homemade treats were okay to eat and most of them were delicious! I used to hate the people that gave out raisins. RAISINS! Really? EW.
Of course, our town was smaller back then and we knew mostly everyone in it. People were more trustworthy then. Or were they really? Or was it just that we were less scared of each other. We live in a world of media that keeps us on high alert at all times. It's no wonder we won't eat a cookie made by our neighbors. They're probably murderers, child molesters, or terrorists. Funny thing is, in my entire life, I have never personally known or even heard of anyone in our town that has been harmed in any way by a home made caramel apple. Ah, well...I digress.

Anyway, I do love Halloween. I love the darkness, the scariness, the fun of dressing up and being a little silly for a while. I love it so much I already know what I'm doing to be for next year! :)

Having a perfect day...

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day here in Kenosha, WI. And, as luck would have it, there was a festival going on right down the street from where I live. It's called The Outta Sight Kite Flight and Kenosha has this one every year. This year, I think, was the first time they actually had almost perfect weather for it. There was music, food and, of course, kites! The Chicago Fire Kite Ballet Team performed which was pretty spectacular. They use "fighting" kites to perform synchronized routines set to music. There were gigantic kites, like the red octopus, and a HUGE wind sock shaped kite which never managed to make it off the ground. Too heavy for the lighter winds but still it was a sight to see! The sun was warm, the people friendly, the kites were beautiful. Who could ask for more?

Well, it got even better when we had dinner at Big Star. Big Star is a drive in place in Kenosha - one of two that exists and in this town it is a hot topic during the summer as to which of those two you prefer. I like them both but Big Star is only open for the summer months where The Spot is open all year round. So, better get to Big Star while it's open! It was delicious, as always.

I've decided to try to enter this local contest that the Kenosha Area Convention and Visitors Bureau is having. It's called Be A Tourist in Your Town. The idea is to take part in as many local events, take photos and submit them. I've got a good start so far and summer is just getting going! Who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky and win something!

In the meantime, get out and enjoy your town. Wherever that may be!

Some days are better than others...

Some days at work are better than others. Sometimes I have a feeling of accomplishment, a feeling that I've made a difference in someone's life. Somedays I I feel smart and come up with some great solutions to some tough problems. Somedays I feel empowered and get the feeling that my bosses really see me as an asset to this agency.

And then...somedays...it's like this!

Movie Review: The Expendables

So, last night, Alex and I went to see The Expendables. If you haven't seen the trailer, it is a film written by Sylvester Stallone, starring Sylvester Stallone and a host of other larger than life characters, primarily Jet Li, Steve Austen, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren and Eric Roberts. Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger also show up in this movie.

To say the dialogue is hackneyed is an understatement but who goes to a Stallone film for the riveting dialogue. The acting is laughable but then who cares when you have the greatest action movie heroes assembled in one movie! Lots of things get "blowed up" real good. And many, many, MANY people get shot. And even more people get their ass kicked repeatedly. The plot, what there is of it, is thin as last weeks soup. But again, lots of things get "blowed up" real good so who cares about the plot.

Okay, here's the plot in a nutshell. Stallone et al are The Expendables, a gang of aging mercenaries that can still kick all kinds of international ass. Mickey Rourke is "Tool" (no kidding, that's his name) who runs the garage/art studio/tattoo place that they all hang out in. He's retired, as he will tell us in a touching monologue filmed in SUPER CLOSE UP! No one should ever film Mickey Rourke in SUPER CLOSE UP but there it is. The group gets hired by Bruce Willis to go to an island called Vilena to kill off some kind of General and a drug lord. I have no idea who played the General but Eric Roberts was the drug lord. So, after a lot of preliminary and mostly unnecessary bruhaha off they go. Oh, in an earlier, inconsequential "job" it is established that Dolph Lundgren is a drug addicted, not to be trusted Expendable. The reason this is important is because he later gets hired to kill Stallone and, well, let's say he fails and later has a chance to redeem himself. Schwarzenegger should have just stayed home and not made his "cameo" as a rival "tough guy" mercenary Willis is also considering hiring for this job. Compared to Willis and Stallone, he looked like a good strong breeze would have knocked him over. I get the joke, why he was in this, but seriously - not good. Let's talk about the line delivery...when the General, who had a very bad Spanish (I think) accent is one of the only people you can understand, you know there are problems! There was so much mumble mouthing through this movie I couldn't begin to tell you what anyone was saying. It's just as well because the few lines I did hear were so laughable! Anyway, lots of stuff gets "blowed up" real good and the good guys prevail and, at the end of the day, as stupid as this movie is, a good time was had by all.

So, my personal favorite moments in this film:
1. Dolph Lundgren - He is just the best crazy person ever. Mostly because he is really a crazy person. And he's Swedish. So, yeah, there's that too.

2. Jet Li - There's one scene where they show Jet Li reacting to what just went on before and he just rolls his eyes and sighs heavily. I got the feeling that he was actually reacting to the realization that he was actually IN this movie at all. I think his agent got a sternly worded voice mail after this one! But he did have the coolest, most EW moment in one fight. Statham is holding down this bad guy and Li round houses and bring his foot down on the guys face and his head snaps back in a most unnatural fashion with a loud CRACK noise. The audience all went EWWWWW!!

3. Mickey Rourke - C'mon, it's Mickey Freaking Rourke!! That man has lived a thousand lives and is still the most intriguing, coolest weirdo on the face of the planet!

Overall, as I said, stupid movie but FUN FUN FUN. It was like a ride at Disney World but without the annoying animatronics. Or the creepy singing children. If you want some fun, don't want anything that will make you think...then this is the one for you!

Okay, you can just ignore that last post...

Sheesh. What a whiner I am. Honestly. I just read that last post of mine and whine, whine, whine. Yeah, like anyone I can be pretty hard on myself sometimes but that rant right down there below...well, that is just me WALLOWING IN SELF PITY!

I'm over it know. (You can all breathe easier, I'm sure.)

So I have one more day of work this week. Then I have a four day weekend. And smack dab in the middle of the weekend, I have a reunion with some people from my college days. I can't wait. Lemme tell ya about these folks.

Scott - Scott has been one of my best friends for a long time. In fact, we shared an apartment in Chicago when we first graduated. We were SO naive and on our own in Chicago. Our first apartment did not have heat. Oh, it had the capability to have heat but we were just completely unaware that the meter for the gas company had been stolen. We sat there, in our cold living room, covered in blankets and wondering why we didn't seem to have heat. We figured it out...eventually. Took about a week though.

Patty - Lordy, what can I say about Patty! We actually went to high school together and then ended up at university together. We have laughed harder than any two people have a right to in our lifetime. I have a really funny story involving me and Patty, some cheeseburgers at Finney's West eaten between the matinee and evening shows, flatulence and Scott entering the scene in the aftermath. I won't give any more detail than that. You figure it out!

Becky (now calling herslef Rebecca, la de dah!) - oh so many shows together! Becky was always the young ingenue to my curmudgeonly type characters. She had a light and air about her and a voice that was out of this world! She's flying all the way in from Connecticut for this shindig!

Andy (now known as Drew) - Andy is an actor's actor. Droll, funny, and often irreverant. He was one of my favorite people ever. I recall a party at his apartment. He says, "You don't have to bring anything. I made a ham!" This was an event. Andy never had any food at his parties. SO we get there...and he has a ham. Just a ham. Sitting in the middle of his table. With a knife in it. Needless to say, we ran out and got other stuff to eat and drink to go WITH the ham. What a doof!

Anyway, can't wait to see them on Sunday! I already know it's going to be a blast and my sides will hurt from laughing all day long.

The very picture of contentment....

Arnie in his tower. All is right with the world.

ZOMBIES!!!

Each year at this time Zombies infiltrate Kenosha, WI. They ride their bikes around the town, stopping at local bars for a brew or two, scare unsuspecting passersby, and just have a good old Zombie time. This weekend was the annual Zombie Ride here! I didn't participate but two of my nieces and some of their friends did. Here's some Zombified fun!!

Summer's last blast...

This was a holiday weekend here so yesterday my crazy family got together for one last summer blast. We gathered at my sister's house with a bevvy of goodies to cook over an open flame and, as is the case with my crazy family, we just had to have some kind of strange entertainment going on.

This time my sister came up with the idea that we would have our very own version of "Dancing with the Stars". She downloaded music from that show and burned it to CDs. We each got one, chosen randomly, with a genre of dance attached to it. The thing is, she didn't get around to giving us the music until very late the night before we were expected to dance so many people opted not to do it. I was one of those people. But after three Long Island ice teas and a couple of Apple Martinis, the rhythm took over and I threw together a routine with my niece Jennifer. Our genre was the cha-cha and the song we got was "The Love Shack" by the B-52s. But, since we really didn't have a clue how to do the cha-cha we, instead, improvised a routine that was an homage to those who had danced before us. We started by ungracefully mimicking my oldest sister's free style jazz routine she did earlier. Then we went seamlessly into a hopeless salsa that aped my other sister's routine. We realized we needed some personal flare so we three in the "shopping at Walmart" portion that went right into a glorious booty shake. We ended the routine by dredging up the "boogaloo" as we made our way off stage (the deck).

We brought the house/yard down! Needless to say, we won the contest and got a standing O. Hahaha! They even asked for an encore of the booty shake which we graciously did again and again until they begged for mercy. We ended up relaxing around the fire and making S'mores.

My family is so crazy. We do stuff like this all the time and everyone gets involved. It's fun and it was a great way to blow off the stress of the week and enjoy the last blast of summer.

A week off!!

I have all next week off of work. I was trying to hold onto my paid time off because I wasn't sure when Alexander would be coming here but since it looks like it will closer to Sept/Oct when he gets here I decided I needed time off to think, to relax and just enjoy whatever's left of this summer.

I spent today at a festival called "Taste of Wisconsin". It was actually alot of fun. There was live music, beautiful weather and any manner of local foods you could think of! I ended up having a pulled pork sandwich, some homemade Parmesan potato chips and some fried cheese curds. Hey, it's Wisconsin...you gotta have the cheese curds. There was also some awesome local wine there but I didn't buy any...just tasted. I may have gotten a little bit more sun than I needed but it was a lovely day spent at the lake with good people. What's not to like about that?

I'm not going anywhere special this week but will probably take some day trips with my sister just to get out and about. It's just what the doc ordered!

Oi, me achin' head....

So last night Alex and I decided to have a quiet night at home. We rented a couple of movies. "Tropic Thunder" with Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. I have to admit I laughed out loud at this one. Robert Downey Jr. in particular was funny as hell as the Oscar winning "method" actor from Australia who gets pigment changing treatments in order to play an African American Viet Nam soldier. Not very PC but the dialogue between him and the real Afircan American actor is priceless. The other movie we rented was "The Strangers" with Liv Tyler. This is a truly frightening film and if you like scary movies this is one to rent. We'd seen it in the theatre when it was released but it was just as scary the second time around.

Alex made a fantastic dinner - gnocchi with a great mushroom and onion sauce! We had many, many drinks. Too many to mention...really. All I can say about that is the amount of vodka consumed made playing Super Mario Kart on the Wii a truly funny experience. I ended up driving off the courses into the water or off a cliff over and over again. I think I was dead last in almost all the races we did.

The evening ended with us pretty much falling into bed, still laughing and fast asleep before we knew it. It was nice enough to have the window open a bit which was great! I love sleeping with the window open! And frankly, after all that vodka I needed the fresh air!

This morning my vision is a little blurry and my head is throbbing a bit but it was worth it. I had a great time just being silly and having fun. I don't know if Alex faired so well but I'm sure whatever he remembers of it will be good memories! Haha!

Oh me aching hiney....

So, in my efforts to lose weight and get healthier and because it is now too cold to swim :( I've started going to my sister's house to work out at least two days per week. That sounds impressive but honestly yesterday was the first day. She has a room in her basement with a bunch of great work out equipment - a treadmill, elliptical machine, mini-trampoline, weights, etc. So, I started slow - did about a half hour on the treadmill and another half hour on the elliptical. I almost biffed it on the treadmill! I started it up but realized the speed was set on superslow so I reached up to adjust it and accidentally hit the "mode" button which suddenly made it change to "run" and I was off trying to catch up to the console so I could readjust it! It would have made a great America's Funniest Home video if someone had been there taping it. Which they weren't. Luckily. Or I would have had to kill them.

The treadmill was fine and the elliptical was surprisingly easy to do. Too easy. That half hour really kicked my ass. Literally. I have discovered butt muscles that probably have never been used in my lifetime. And today, they are not happy with the rude awakening I gave them yesterday. I never thought I'd say this but it hurts sitting here to type this! Yet, it feels good too. It's strange but even after that short work out I feel pretty damn good.

I won't mention the free weights. My arms aren't really speaking to me today. I think they're still pissed from all the lifting I did.

Just plain fun...

This weekend one of my niece's got married. I went to the wedding with my family and we stayed overnight at the Hyatt. Ate too much, drank too much, laughed a lot and just had a wonderful time. Here are some pictures....



Tamatha and Ron taking their vows.



My sister and her hubby shaking their groove thang!



The bride cranks out some Britney Spears karaoke style!



The beautiful bride.



It's not a wedding without cake!




The bride and her father - my brother - dancing.



My nephew Donnie.



The bride's mother lighting one of the candles on the altar.



One of the enormous lighted centerpieces.



Two of my sisters, several trips to the open bar later.

Me and my sister...

I have four sisters and one brother. For a family of this size we are uncharacteristically close. In face, most people, when I tell them about all the time we spend together are pretty amazed that we do. I guess most families are more "separate" than we are. I chalk our closeness up to my mother who spent her life instilling a sense of fmaily closeness and responsibility for each other in us. That can be a doule edged sword but that's a topic for another blog, another time.

Today I spent the morning with my oldest sister, Verda. She is about 20 years older than me. Actually, I have no memories whatsoever of ever living in the same house with her. I'm told that I did but she was grown and married when I was a toddler so I just don't remember it. Verda is a character unto herself. She is extremely opinionated and very set in her ways. She loves shopping at little stores and going to "specialty" places that sell things like home made wine and craft supplies. Today we decided to go to the local Farmer's Market and then to Harbor Market. Do other cities have these? I don't know. We have a traveling Farmer's Market that goes to different city parks on different days. Local farmers bring in their produce and set it up for sale from 9am to noon. It's nice to go and get freshly grown, organic food. I got some tomatoes, lettuce, mushrooms and new potatoes.

Harbor Market is different. It also has some produce available but it also has some real specialty items. It takes place each Saturday down by Kenosha's Harbor Park. We wandered through to see what people were selling and then made our way back through to make our purchases. I ended up getting some home made portabella mushroom salsa, fresh eggs, blueberry muffins and cookies from the Wild Flour Bakery, fresh lamb chops, and some home made soap.

Verda, of course, was in high gear at this place. She lives for these kinds of outtings and she spent a goodly amount of money! I bought a lot but she spent twice as much as I did and had so many packages at the end of the day! She bought us lunch there - Thai food - spring roll and vegetable stuffed chicken wings. YUM...btw. And, on the way home, she asked me to stop at the candy store (Sandy's Poppers, Kenosha, WI) so she could get some home made caremel corn and malted milk balls.

I have to admit, it was a fun way to spend some time with my oldest sister. I came home, ate a cookies and a few malted milk balls, called my other sister, Terry, who lives downstairs and then gave away all the muffins, cookies, and candy I just bought! Haha! I know myself too well. I would have sat here and eaten all of it and, frankly, my big ass just doesn't need that right now! So, in the end, it was a win-win day for everyone. Verda, who got to do what she loves best. Terry, who benefitted from my shopping spree. And me, who had a pretty nice day, walking around at the Harbor, spending time with my sister.

I love a parade...

Our July 4th Parade was on July 6th this year...I dunno...don't ask me why!
Here are some pictures from the day.




My sister, in all her July Fourth finery sitting astride my nephews Harley looking toward the horizon.




Some of the fine, old Victorian homes along the parade route. Actually, that pink one is now a funeral home. Eerie, isn't it?




Ooh, an AMC Rambler! My dad used to have one of these.



An homage to the raising of the flag at Iwojima. These are actually reall people who are made up to look like a bronze statue. They hold this pose for the entire parade route which lasts two hours.



A colorguard twirling their flags. I think this was a high school band from Minnesota that came to march in our parade.


We had a great time. Beautiful weather and a great shady spot to sit and watch it all. Our home town parade isn't much. A few high school bands, some colorguards, an honor guard or two from the local Naval Training Base, a few clowns, good people and just a good way to spend the day! I've always loved parades. I don't know what the appeal is for me but I do!

It's hot...

Wisconsin weather - you either love it or hate. Actually, you can love it or hate it all in one day depending on how it changes. I woke up this morning feeling like I'd run a marathon. It's hot. The kind of hot that makes me want to go out and tear the wings off flies. Yeah, that kind of hot. Sticky, humid, hellish hot.

Ah well...weather...

So the adventures with the Wii continue. I am decidedly not the best game player in the world but, on occasion, I surprise myself. There is one game that simulates figure skating. The idea is to make your skater follow a designated path and when you reach large colored dots you shake the controller and the skater will do tricks. Good lord...my poor skater...she was flailing and flinging herself all over the place. She hit the wall more times than I can count. They should have a moment where a tiny rescue crew comes out on the ice to carry her off on a stretcher!

But I do love playing with it. The work out I get from games like baseball and tennis is noticeable. I feel it in my back, my arms and my ass! And I had forgotten how much fun it is to just play. Just take the time to play. Play something. Give in to the sheer fun of it, let go and PLAY!

Wii would like to play...

Last Friday night, Alex and I went to dinner at my sister's house. After dinner, while the rest of the group settled down for a long game of Canasta, Alex and I went into the living room to play game on the Wii. INSTANT ADDICTION! We played for hours! Surprisingly, what I like the most about the Wii, aside from the totally cool controllers and interactive games, is the physical aspect of the thing. You get a real work out playing those sports games. And while I realize I suck at the baseball game, I am using muscles that haven't been used in a while!

Yesterday, we went to GameCrazy and bought a Wii for ourselves. This is something of a miracle, since they only put about 2 of them in any given store and they are always sold out. How we found one, albeit the last one they had, so quickly was providence for sure. We played it for HOURS, and I do mean HOURS! So much so that we were totally exhausted when finished and were somewhat scared that in the morning neither one of us would be able to walk upright again. But we could...and with only a few twinges and a slight limp! Haha!

I recommend the Wii...get off that couch with your overly buffed thumbs from all those other game consoles...get those thunder thighs moving!! And have a hell of a lot of fun in the process.

Oh and one more thing - I am quite the virtual bowler. Who knew?

How many scarey movies can we see? Let's count them...

Alex and I are nuts for scary movies. We rented a load of them and have been creeping ourselves out nightly! Here's a list of what we've watched so far...


1. 1408 - creepy, creepy, creepy.
2. Darkroom - um, not so scary. Kind of boring and bad really.
3. Mortuary - oozy stuff from a mortuary makes the dead come alive. Ew...
4. Cloverfield - the best of the lot. Very good!
5. Black Xmas - sorority girls get slaughtered. What's not to love about this?
6. One Missed Call - couldn't even finish this one. It was that bad.
7. Day of the Dead - ooh, yeah. Zombies rule!
8. Hannibal Rising - not really scary but I'm a sucker for 'ol Hannibal Lechter. He's such a crazy misunderstood cannibal.
9. I'm Not There - okay, fooled ya! Not a horror movie. Just a damn great movie about Bob Dylan with Dylan music made in a very thoughtful way. Very good flick!

Lest you think all we've done is watch movies, here's a couple of pics to prove otherwise.

The first is Alex sitting in deep thought at Harbor Park.


And here he is asking for information about a guitar.

Sun plus margaritas plus badminton equals OUCH times zzzzzzz.....

Memorial Day weekend, traditional first barbecue of the season...

We started ours at noon at my sisters. The weather was gorgeous, one of those kind of off again, on again sunny days with a breeze. The kind of day where you don't really realize how much sun you're actually getting. Add that to the copious amounts of zippy, refreshing margaritas and the most comical badminton tourney ever and you get a blast. But I'm hurting. I'm a wee bit toasted, both from the sun and the margaritas. I know this is going to hurt tomorrow. But, it was a great time and there are no regrets. It was a great way to welcome summer!