Saariburg approves: stay up all night on a weeknight

Long story short, doctor tells me I have to stay up all night in preparation for a test in the morning. So I put in on my to-do list. 

Word gets around and pretty soon, the image of me sitting all alone in my dark house while the family sleeps is replaced by what really happened. And let me tell you - it was awesome.

First, I float the idea of spending the night at Erin's house - she didn't need to be up with me, but they have cable, and I figured TV seriously help the doldrums I was expecting.

Then Megan tells me she regularly stays up ridiculously late and would keep me company with the Twilight commentary video. Awesome. My night is getting better. She ends this by saying she likes to play cribbage and just like that a cribbage tournament is scheduled for 10 p.m. 

The all-nighter day arrives and Erin pulls out another surprise - she has artichokes and wants me to help her eat them. For this, I am always ready. 

I get to her house, and we steam artichokes while we wait for Megan. 

She arrives, carrying yoga mats and a yoga video - midnight yoga - double awesome.

So we start the tournament - and did I tell you I have never played cribbage before? No? Well it is true, but that didn't stop me from kicking their butts. I was even this close from skunking Megan. 

During the game, a co-worker of mine, another night owl who heard about my plight shows up. We invite her in. 

I start yawning and the group decides I need a walk in the cool night air, so while Erin went to bed, the rest of us went for a walk.

Upon return we had snacks and a desire to watch - I mean do — yoga. Christine isn't in to yoga, so she goes home and Megan and I try to twist into unnatural poses and end up laughing ourselves silly. By now it is 2:30 a.m. and I am officially awake later than I have been since the kiddos were babies and I am getting a little delirious. 

Good Eats is on when the video turns off and the girls (Christine had returned by now) indulge me by watching it.

After that it is time for them to go home - we haven't watched Twillight yet, but since they had to work I couldn't keep them longer.

After I am alone, I turn on the movie. There is something seriously addictive about this storyline. I know some of you are scoffers, and I was too. The books really are poorly written, but I am hooked nonetheless. It is like a drug. My own personal brand of heroin (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) 

Before the movie ended, my early bird mother came down to keep me company. By now it is 4:30, and I know I will make it until my appointment at 8:30 a.m.

The takeaway from this is: 

1.) Staying up all night on a weeknight is awesome, especially when surrounded by friends.

2.) Getting re-obsessed with Edward Cullen is not helpful for getting things done at work. For some reason, my readers do not think daydreaming about hot vampires is a good excuse for failing to bring them the news.

YOG-awesome or how I influence the community around me.

Driving down the road one day I notice a sign in a storefront that says Yoga Studio. Now, I live in a small town of about 10K people, so when you notice a new storefront you can immediately whip around the corner and take another look, or do like I did and say to your sister "Hey, a new Yoga Studio, you should look into that and write a story for the paper".  See, that way she'll get all the details and then tell them to you later. I don't even have to read the paper (that's how good my life is).

I'd like to say that she said "Oh Erin, that's such an awesome idea, I'm going to do it right away!" I would really like to say that, because I know deep down that's what she's thinking, but in reality she said, "I'm too busy."

With what! Writing the NEWS! I'm about to say something like this when she says "I'll call Megan."  Which was totally awesome (though she said she was too busy, too! Derg!).  It was the thought that counts, right?

Not too long after that Megan and Kylie start doing Yoga on a regular basis and when I question Kylie about it she says they have been going to the new Yoga studio... didn't I read the story in the paper? OH. heh heh.  This is the part where I quickly go online and read the story that Megan wrote and say "Um Yeah, Totally".

I decide that the next time they go, I'm going to go with them. It happened to be on my lunch hour that very same day! So I scrounge up some money (a.k.a. borrow a couple bucks from Kylie) and plan on heading over there on my lunch. Of course this is the day that I would have to do therapy on a patient into my normal lunch hour, so I end up being 10 minutes late. Kylie and Megan had set up a yoga mat for me and I jump right in like it hadn't been 10 years since my last yoga class. Afterwards I felt awesome. The next day I felt pretty good, too. The day after that, I didn't know my butt could hurt so much! I had planned on going again soon, but my work schedule picked up and I haven't had a chance to go back, but I tell ya, it's looking promising! I might get back there next month sometime (Hey! May starts on Friday! I'm still good!)

Now I have to get back to making my list of stories my sister should write to find out info for me!

I've had this sleeper crush on John Cusack for about 15 years or so. I say sleeper crush because I always forget until I see one of his movies.

This weekend was one of those perfect sit around and do nothing but watch movies in your basement weekends, and that is exactly what I did. This weekends pick included Say Anything from 1986.

How is it a person of my age and crushage on the J.C. has never seen Say Anything? Remember that part about forgetting? Yeah. Well, I kept thinking I should really see that movie, and then forgetting (one reason Howktown Approves of Netflix).

I was surprised about this movie. I was expecting a 80's teen flick without much substance... and it had that element to it, but there was a lot more to the movie than I expected. It was about making choices and consequences. It also reminded me why I have a crush on John Cucack. Honestly, I don't know how much he is like his charecters he is like, but when you combine all the movies and contrast the similarities and then cross reference his sister Joan (it's all based on Street Smarts and not actual science), you can get a general idea.

::sigh::

I thought I'd better write it down, because I'll probably forget in a couple days until I see the next movie. Maybe I should watch Martian Child again, that one really cemented the crush, and at least reminded me to sucessfully rent Say Anything 2 years later.

Alligator Pears and Thistles

Source Duke Gardens July 2004 / artichoke flower Matthew Wallenstein 7/7/2004 mdw7@duke.edu

As I mentioned before, I was listening to the Splendid Table on Nerd Radio on my drive up to "The Cities" this last weekend.

Now, you may think that a Nerd Radio program could be nothing but good. WRONG! Yes, it is educational and better than the garbage cluttering the airwaves on say "Let's Pretend I Have A Big >expletive deleted< Radio"

However, after learning all about how avocados were once called alligator pears and that they are in essence a SUPER food, and that nearly 90% of American Avocados come from California... I started to feel a little bit peckish for my favorite food: GUAC.   The rest of you may know this as guacamole. There has been some debate over whether or not you could live off Guac, and I maintain that you can.  It has all the essentials: Good Fat, Salt, Acid, Fiber, Yumminess, Protein... did I mention yumminess? 

I thought that I was safe, because I was driving and for the awesomeness that is guacamole, I have yet to find away to derive satisfaction out of eating it while driving.  

Next topic please Splendid Table!  Did I mention that I thought I was safe?  That was until I learned all about the artichoke.  Did you know that the artichoke is the bud of a flower? That when the artichoke blooms, it is purple and thistle like? Interesting, no?  Then I learned that the way to tell if an artichoke is fresh, you just give it a squeeze and if you hear a tiny squeak from deep inside the petals, your good on freshness.  (Czarina Kylie would also like to add that if they feel heavier than they look, that is a good sign, too.)

Oh, this is too much. Describing the sauteed in olive oil artichoke hearts was making me downright hungry.  By this time I had been driving for an hour and it was time to stretch my legs. I stopped at the natural food co-op to pick up some fruit and a beverage for the rest of the trip and for my breakfast in the morning. I swear I had planned to stop there in the first place.  

The last thing the dude on Nerd Radio said was "if you see baby artichokes out now, they're probably a good buy" and wouldn't you know the first thing I see is baby artichokes.  I reach my hand down toward the object and as my fingers lightly close to lift it closer I hear a tiny squeak that clearly calls out  "buy me".  Well I'll be! I thought. This vegetable is clearly expecting my to buy it! I looked down again and saw avocados sitting right next to the chokes.  Oh Damn', it's going to be grilled avocados tonight and some artichokes tomorrow!  I filled my basket with the produce as well as some fresh strawberries, yogurt, and french sparkling lemonade. 

I convinced Jo that we should grill the avocados with the burgers on the fire and that was that.  The chokes I have been saving for tonight to eat with Kylie and Megan during the "Let's play cribbage tonight so we (aka Erin) can beat Doug" get together. 

So as you can see Nerd Radio is not safe for your pocketbook or your waste line. Sure you can make this food healthy, but you know I'm going to be dipping those petals in butter.... but it is going to oh so worth it... cause it's educational I mean. Totally.

Howktown Approves:

Eating Flower Buds

Playing Cribbage

Where Am I? What and Who now?

This last week has been a busy one for the Queen of Howktown. First off all, my massage schedule was packed to the gills. It was full enough, in fact, that I felt that I had entered a time warp and lost two whole days by Thursday.

Thursday morning I walk down the stairs with my rubber arms swinging by my side like the Great Ape of the jungle, when came upon my mother and sister. I swear they were speaking in a foreign language. I did not know what the bleep they were talking about, and the words that I could understand, still didn't make any sense. "What?" "Who and the Where now?" I flabbergasted toward them. They just rolled their eyes and continued.

Saturday I slept in until 10 am, something I haven't been able to do in ages, and then I drove up to the cities to see one of my best friends, Andrea. She's from "The Apartment" (whose name rings infamously among certain folks), and I haven't seen her since she's had her first child almost 3 years ago, and she's had second child almost a year ago.

On the way, I tuned to Public Radio. Now, I'd been hearing rumors about this "Splendid Table" show from Czarina Kylie and how I should totally listen to it. It just so happens that as the power button of the radio released, 660 Indian Curries were being described and I was hooked. I also learned how to squeak an artichoke and that avocados used to be called Alligator pears.

I just realized that this post is going to be a mile long if I don't consider the readers and split up the post. Anyway, it's been a jammed packed week,and next week will be the same.

For later:
Avacados and Artichokes!
Yog-awesome!
The APARTMENT!
and something really funny, I'm sure.

Saariburg approves: Melatonin

Those wizards of science have done something creepy and I thank them. They concentrated a naturally made hormone, stuck it in pill form, and told me I could take it orally to help me sleep. I have been resisting this sweet-promised pill for years, eyeing it suspiciously on my cupboard shelf and watching skeptically while my hubby downs one each night.

Until Saturday night. The tossing and turning of Friday, coupled with his noisy breathing lead to a breakdown the next evening, and I tried it. 

The verdict? Saariburg approves melatonin.

Within minutes I was wrapped in drowsy bliss, occasional nighttime wakings were brief and easily overcome, and - dare I admit it in this one-upping world? - I felt rested upon waking.

Eagerly I waited until Sunday night to try again to see if this magic could be replicated, and it was! I can't wait for tonight. Sleeping well is like a new toy, I can't wait to go home and try again.

Happy sleeping!

*Saariburg recommends checking with your doctor before adding supplements.  

Cribbage - or as I like to say "CriBATCH!"

Cribbage Board
Originally uploaded by apdonovan

So last week Doug says "I'm bored of kicking your ass at King's Corner".
"Grsnnurrfff!" I reply as I try not to let the diet Coke snort through my nose. "I'm thinking kicking my ass at King's Corner is a little bit of an exaggeration considering I just handed your ass to you 5 times."

"Talk about exaggeration." he roles his eyes "but you know what I'm sayin'. it's getting a little dull"

"What about 'Gin Rummy'"
"I never win"
"Oh, I see the problem now" I nod, "You want a game that you can consistently kick my ass at, and that I won't kick back"

"Well, now that you mention it... oh, and did I tell you, my mom just taught me how to play cribbage, wanna play?"

"I've never played it before"

"Perfect"

Things Boyfriends are Good For.

When I graduated from Massage School five years ago, my dear friend gave me an iPod so I could have lots of mixes of massage music to play in my studio. It was a brilliant idea, especially since she included speakers with it. It would have been fabulous if I had a massage studio that first year being out of school, but I didn't. I worked for other people under their rules, so massage music didn't make too much of a dent on the thing.

15 GB ( a size I thought I could never fill) and countless road trips and trips to the gym later, the thing's battery won't hold a charge and I can't add any more music to it, not to mention the earphones are held together with yellow electrical tape. I try to be reasonable, because it technically works. I could get a new battery for it... but I still wouldn't be able to add more music without taking some off. I could just use it plugged in by my bedside (which I did do for several months) but the screen is so small and monochromatic! It must be a tough life I lead if my major worry is the purchase of a luxury item!

Needless to say, I do have other priorities and I have only coveted my friends Apply Devices with full color screens and oodles of storage space. Until I noticed that my boyfriend isn't using his iPod because it 'doesn't seem to work right'. "If i can get it to work can I 'borrow' it?" I ask. "Of course, but I want it back".

** heheheh*** giggle giggle. {whisping} He seems to forget that I am a recovering MacAddict and did a stint working with some Mac Tech Support that taught me a few things}

HOWKTOWN STRATEGY--

::RESTORE::
::RELOAD::
::GET DOWN AND BOOGIE::

Ahhh, I am now the proud borrower of a newish iPod. I made sure to put a picture of us on there just to show how dedicated I am to the relationship... between me and the iPod.

HOWKTOWN Advocates borrowing with actual permission from the Owner. HOWKTOWN is not down with "air quote" borrowing. If ya get what I'm sayin'.

Conference: No AUNTS!: Not Funny/Funny: Saarisburg

So, I have say that I had a tremendous weekend. Tremendous in a big, overwhelming, busy, and slightly bizarre way.

It started with a threat of a BLIZZARD... by last exaggerated report it was supposed to be 10-15 inches! I think it was only 6 inches predicted. So, my inital 'in and out' travel plans were changed by "too out of it to make definite plans so fly by the seat of your pants and hope that everything works out as long as you don't get stuck in the BLIZZARD plans"

Howktown doesn't recommending planning a weekend like that... but you know, you just gotta roll with it.

Howktown Weekend Itinerary:

Saturday
Food Allergy Conference with the Czarina of Saarisburg - my fabulous sister Kylie (Kylie would like to point out that she believes all bacon to be a fad).

This is what I learned at the Conference -
• No Aunts - they are only interested in talking to grandparents, parents, and nurses. No Aunts.
• Always carry two epi-pens
• When it comes to reactions to allergenic foods "Past results do not determine future performance"
• Writing notes to fellow royalty (ahem. Czarina and Queen of course) during boring lecture on crusty rashes is considered NOT FUNNY.
• They talk more about kids and how to parent them, then how to deal with your own allergies
• Making up a list of what is approved in Howktown during boring lecture on wet cream wraps so no one notices is FUNNY.

So while at the conference we got a ton of free stuff, luckily I could eat most of it. We were both really good at lunch (when we skipped a couple of speakers to stuff our faces at Chipotle) and we adhered to our Allergen Free diets. It's one of the few places we can both eat with out a problem. I had a yummy carnitas bowl and we decided that in addition to Howktown, Kylie will be in charge of Saarisburg, and then later we determined that Sara is Mayor of Ingvaldia (we didn't decide on the Mayor part, I just made that part up. She's going to have to get back to me on her official title.) These are the Latest Kingdoms in the Mental State of Hilarity.

Sunday Morning I learned how to play cribbage with Doug's mom. Went to see Sunshine Cleaning by myself and ended up being that girl by her self in the movie that keeps texting (I was telling them to stop calling cause I was in a movie! The phone was on silent!) and is bawling over the part when the girl remembers finding her mom dead. Then I sat around in the mall trying to get a hold of the people who kept trying to call me and find out where I was sleeping that night so I could avoid THE BLIZZARD! Had peanut buster parfait, for good luck.

Monday I drove down to Rochester to have some more interactions with doctors... wand then Kylie and stopped at Perkins. We had a great server and tipped her well. The coffee was good, and we were bad. I had a sandwich and pie (WHEAT!) and Kylie had pie (DAIRY and PEANUTS) and tried to pretend we didn't just spend the weekend at a food allergy conference. I did make her put her ONE epi-pen (for her daughter!) near the top of her purse... just in case. Then finally I was allowed to come back home. I had successfully avoided THE BLIZZARD.

When i got home, i was informed we had half and inch of snow. I just wheezed my self to sleep and was happy to be home.