This Actually Works Try It!

Ok really this is so cool it only takes about a minute

No cheating!!! This is a great psychological test and extremely
accurate. It is amazing what modern math can do.

FIND OUT WHO TRULY IS YOUR ROLE MODEL. DON'T SCROLL DOWN YET, DO THE
SIMPLE MATH BELOW, THEN SCROLL DOWN TO FIND YOUR HERO.

No peeking!

1) Pick your favorite number between 1-9

2) Multiply by 3 then

3) Add 3

4) Then again, multiply by 3 (I'll wait while you get the
calculator....)

5) You'll get a 2 or 3 digit number....

6) Add the digits together

Now Scroll down

With that number, see who your ROLE MODEL is from the list below:

1. Einstein
2. Sandra Day O'Connor
3. Prince Charles
4. Genghis Khan
5. Bill Gates
6. Gandhi
7. Ronald Regan
8. Elvis Presley
9. Sheri Gifford
10.John F Kennedy

I know, I know....I just have that effect on people. One day, you too
can be like me :-)

P.S. Stop picking different numbers!! I AM YOUR ROLE MODEL, JUST
DEAL WITH IT!!!!!!

Not sure that I will be able to keep up the daily blogging through Tuesday, but I will try (or play catch-up next week). Really, where did the time go?

How do these people survive?

ONE
Recently, when I went to McDonald's I saw on the menu that you could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets.

I asked for a half dozen nuggets.

'We don't have half dozen nuggets,' said the teenager at the counter.

'You don't?' I replied.

'We only have six, nine, or twelve,' was the reply.

'So I can't order a half dozen nuggets, but I can order six?'

'That's right.' So I shook my head and ordered six McNuggets (Unbelievable but sadly true...)

TWO
I was checking out at the local Walmart with just a few items and the lady behind me put her things on the belt close to mine. I picked up one of those 'dividers' that they keep by the cash register and placed it between our things so they wouldn't get mixed.

After the girl had scanned all of my items, she picked up the 'divider', looking it all over for the bar code so she could scan it.

Not finding the bar code, she said to me, 'Do you know how much this is?'

I said to her 'I've changed my mind; I don't think I'll buy that today.'

She said 'OK,' and I paid her for the things and left.

She had no clue to what had just happened.

THREE
A woman at work was seen putting a credit card into her floppy drive and pulling it out very quickly.

When I inquired as to what she was doing, she said she was shopping on the Internet and they kept asking for a credit card number, so she was using the ATM 'thingy.'

FOUR
I recently saw a distraught young lady weeping beside her car. 'Do you need some help?' I asked.

She replied, 'I knew I! should have replaced the battery to this remote door unlocker. Now I can't get into my car. Do you think they (pointing to a distant convenience store) would have a battery to fit this?'

'Hmmm, I don't know. Do you have an alarm, too?' I asked.

'No, just this remote thingy,' she answered, handing it and the car keys to me. As I took the key and manually unlocked the door, I replied, 'Why don't you drive over there and check about the batteries. It's a long walk....'

FIVE
Several years ago, we had an Intern who was none too swift. One day she was typing and turned to a secretary and said, 'I'm almost out of typing paper.
What do I do?' 'Just use paper from the photocopier', the secretary told her.
With that, the intern took her last remaining blank piece of paper, put it on the photocopier and proceeded to make five blank' copies. (Brunette, by the way!! )

SIX
A mother calls 911 very worried asking the dispatcher if she needs to take her kid to the emergency room, the kid had eaten ants. The dispatcher tells her to give the
kid some Benadryl and he should be fine, the mother says, 'I just gave him some ant killer......'
Dispatcher: 'Rush him in to emergency!'

Life is tough. It's even tougher if you're stupid!!!!

So, what did I do to cheer me up? Looked at more cat pictures from work. Patrick & Shannon are another brother and sister pair who live on the third floor. Though they have a comfy lounge with beds and toys:

Princess Shannon prefers to be in the middle of the activity at the Nurses Station

King Patrick prefers lounging on the Bench

Thank you Patrick & Shannon for always bringing a smile to my face!

Braised Turkey Thighs

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 turkey thighs
1 cup dry white wine
2 large onions, diced
4 medium carrots diced
3 medium stalks of celery diced
8 oz. Mushroom, sliced
4 medium cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or water
2 bay leaves
1 28 oz. Can crushed tomatoes
parmesan cheese rind (if available)

¼ cup chopped parsley for garnish

Pre heat oven to 325
Heat 2 tbs oil in a Dutch oven, over medium high.
Salt and pepper both sides of the thighs.
Brown them, about 6 minutes each side, in the oil.
Remove from pot. Pour off all the fat.
Add the next 2 tbs to the pot to get hot. Then add the onions, carrots and celery and cook about 7 or 8 minutes until soft. Add the mushrooms and garlic for another couple of minutes. Add the wine and deglaze the pot (scrape up the brown bits left on the bottom).
Mix in the stock or water, the crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and more salt and pepper. Add the cheese rind, if you have one. Remove the skin from the turkey thighs and return them to the pot, nestling them down into the liquid. It should just cover the thighs. Bring it up to a boil and then put into the oven with the lid on.

Cook until the meat is falling off the bones—about an hour and a half—maybe 2.

You can get all the meat off and serve it in the sauce or just cut large pieces off. Don’t forget to remove the cheese rind and the bay leaves.
Great over hearty pasta, sprinkled with the parsley and some grated parmesan.

The SPT has been around as a corner bar for 50 + years.

Two years ago new owners bought the property next door and expanded the dining room so that food can be served.

They have a great selection of beer along with wonderful food. I chose the Mushroom Gorditos with Queso Fresco

Peggy chose real comfort food, Grilled Cheese with Tomatoe Soup

Oh, and a big thanks to Peggy and her husband Tom for taking Jordan back to PSU from Sring Break while I was having fun in San Diego!

I had never been to Southern California and loved San Diego - so different from the east coast. Loved the view from our room too.

Thank you to my roomies,Colleenk,Teaberry, and JGK for letting this newbie share our great 2 bedroom 3 bath villa at the Island Palms!

I was so busy enjoying both the organized and informal activities that I didn't actually take many pictures. We enjoyed our visit to Balboa Park on Friday and our stroll through the outdoor market in Little Italy on Saturday.

Before I knew it, it was Monday morning and time to head to the Airport for our trip home. Not sure when my next Europe trip will be, but I am sure that I will be attending another Slow Travel Get Together!

MY FIVE NEW BOYFRIENDS!!!

I am seeing 5 gentlemen every day.

.
As soon as I wake up,
Will Power helps me get out of bed.

Then I go to see John.

Then Charlie Horse comes along,
and when he is here, he takes a lot of my time and attention.

When he leaves,
Arthur Ritis
shows up and stays the rest of the day.
He doesn't like to stay in one place very long,
so he takes me from joint to joint.

After such a busy day, I'm really tired and glad
to go to bed with Ben Gay.

What a life!

Oh, yes, I'm also flirting with
Al Zymer.

and thinking of calling JACK DANIELS or
JOHNNY WALKER to come and keep me company..

Now remember:
Life is like a roll of toilet paper

...the closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes...

It is exciting to watch a former Masterman Student play in an NCAA Tournament. Who says that smart kids cannot be outstanding athletes? Go Zah!

I am way too tired to write more coherently about the Get Together, but I did not want to break my momentum in this March Madness. Between daylight saving time and readjusting to EST, I am really beginning to fade and it is only 3:45 p.m. Scheduling this to post tomorrow. Need to save some energy for Foodshopping after work and dinner with Adam. Early to bed for me!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

Over the last few years we have talked about adding Pets to the mix of our efforts to create a home like environment.The health benefits of Pets, particularly in lowering blood pressure, is well documented in the literature. There was lots of dicussion over what types of pet(s) to get and who would be responsible for their care. After MUCH discussion, we decided to get a cat for one of our 10 Nursing Units. Off we went to the local shelter in search of a kitty. It was a tough decision - they were all so cute and loveable. We told the staff which cat we had finally decided upon. With a pained expression, she responded "oh, Tom & Jerry are siblings. they have been together since birth and have to be adopted together". It took us about 10 seconds to agree to take both of them!

Well, these two kitties were an instant hit with both residents and staff. Jerri is the one with more white on her face. People were coming from all over the building to visit and play with these two charmers. They are both cuddly and playful. Their antics bring smiles to the faces of even the most difficult people (residents and staff alike). We have since added 5 more kitties for 3 other Units. Over the next two months we will add 4 more cats, so that each unit in the building has 2 ( well, except for the Dementia Unit which has its own Cat). It the middle of the most stressful days, I love taking a break to visit these Charmers!

Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry

cooking oil
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, finely diced
4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size cubes or strips
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
3 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
8 oz. jelly, oyster or shitake mushrooms, sliced
red-eye chili pepper to taste,seeded and finely chopped
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. corn starch(optional)
1/2 cup unsalted cashews

Heat 2 to 3 Tbsp. of vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and onions and stir-fry until browned. Sear chicken on both sides for about three minutes(I use the sides of the skillet).(The chicken should be almost fully cooked at this point, if need to, cook for longer). Add fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar and mix for another minute. Add vegetables and stir-fry for a minute or two. Add the chicken broth, cover and simmer for three to four minutes until vegetables are tender and chicken is fully cooked.

If you wish to thicken the sauce, use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken and vegetables to a plate, and add cornstarch to the sauce whisking for a minute or two until sauce is thickened. Transfer the chicken and vegetables back to the skillet to keep warm.

Serve the stir-fry over your favorite rice (I make white rice) and top with cashews.

Though the city did a stellar job with street cleaning, major storms in the city neighborhoods are a nightmare. There is nowhere to put that much snow! Getting to & from your car is sort of like mountain climbing - that is if you were lucky enough to find a place to park.

A picture of our street 2 days after the first storm

This is my adorable neighbor who helped his parents shovel a walkway after the 2nd storm. Note the amount of snow you have to get over to get into the street/your car.

DH had many days off from school because of this storm. He was nice enough to shovel a path from our front steps to the street so that I would not have to climb over snowbanks early in the morning :)! Note the two snow covered cars which remained in front of MY HOUSE for 3 weeks!

Well, I am sure glad to be in San Diego. Some day I will laugh about the Winter of 2010! But not yet.