Sunday Song: It Snowed Last Night

I thought I wouldn’t get to share this tune until December or January. Surprise! Here’s Meaghan Smith‘s It Snowed from her CD Wish Upon a Star.

Please Pass the… Jellied Cranberry Sauce

November is already off to a brisk start. This morning’s wintry mix winter preview started to psych me up for Thanksgiving. Not that it takes all that much convincing to get into a holiday that involves food and more food (and some thanksgiving as well). It is more about the realization that once Thanksgiving hits you barely can get your wits about you and Christmas is upon you. While in its purest sense Christmas is a blessed event, the man-made hype around it can be slightly overwhelming, even for the best-intentioned among us.

Between the winter weather that arrived a wee bit early and hearing Susan Stamberg on NPR this morning, I’m just about mentally prepared for turkey day. Hearing Susan’s voice, I’d like to think of us as friends (friends in my head as Wendy Williams would say) so I call her Susan. At any rate, hearing her voice brought thoughts of her annual recitation of “Mama Stamberg’s Cranberry Relish.” It has been a Thanksgiving tradition around NPR since a decade before I was born. Listening to Susan recite the recipe it sounds awful, doesn’t look so great either, but annually Susan assures me it tastes fantastic.

Each year right around Thanksgiving I somehow manage to be listening to NPR when Mama Stamber’s recipe is featured. And each year it is more delightful in story telling than the year before. Take Susan’s 2008 election year themed recitation for example or the 2007 football fake out. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling, reminding me that family goodness is around the corner, not to mention delicious food. Apprehension aside, Thanksgiving is the true kick-off to a spirited month of celebrating with family and friends. When all is said and done, all the hype, late nights wrapping gifts, fighting long lines at the mall and the delicate balancing of your social calendar during the busiest social season of the year, its worth it and you’re left with nothing but happy memories.

Get Mama Stamberg’s Cranberry Relish Recipe here on NPR. Try it out, let me know!

Update (11/20/10): This year Mama Stamberg’s recipe is experienced by Coolio, who offers Susan a new serving suggestion. Listen to the “Ghetto Gourmet” Coolio recite Mama Stamberg’s Cranberry Relish Recipe, which Coolio has re-dubbed it Mama Stamberg’s & Coolio’s Wild Cranberry Pink Out. That’s a ‘rap.’

(Photo by Avie Schneider/NPR)

Say It Ain’t Snow!

According to my not-so-much-anymore friends at NBC Connecticut Weather, Connecticut could see a snow/rain mix overnight into tomorrow and throughout the day.

Just as a reminder, snow is a four-letter word, especially this early in November. Trying to find the positive, this may get me in the mood to start working on my annual Christmas CD gift.

waiting

Have a 3 hour delay today… Is it worth going in? Not even. But if they want to pay me for working a half day, fine.

I’m sitting @ home trying to keep occupied for the last hour. . . I could do school work – LOL

We have a four-day weekend, I’d like to think it’s for my bday, but in reality it’s for Lincoln and Washington’s birthday.

The Un-Hot Chocolate

Went to our Dunkin Donuts at work (braving yesterday’s cold and blustery conditions) to get one of those “new” white hot chocolates (in addition to some egg sandwiches) only to find out they were out of the following:

• eggs
• sausage
• white hot chocolate
• regular hot chocolate

That’s the last time I was across campus for Dunkin Nothin!

Ride home in the rain

It was a mess. I’m glad all the cars around me were going at a reasonable pace – especially after yesterday’s ‘incident’ I was a little leery about being in the vehicle.

I need a hug or a drink. I just feel DUN with this vehicle situation. Between the accident yesterday and then today’s news that my car won’t be ready – something more major is wrong and it may or may not be covered by my warranty and will cost at least $3500 to diagnosis because they have to basically take my car apart… I can’t deal with it right now.

I think all this drama is why my stomach has been upset all day.

Damn, I left my lunch – that I never got a chance to eat today – at work. That was supposed to be my dinner. Oh well, tomorrow is another day, thankfully.

wet foot

I have one foot that kept getting wet every time I went out today. I went out more than normal today, once to a meeting, then to lunch and then home and of course my car was farther away than usual. GRRR. Just one foot, the other foot is dry. LOL

I’m alive & random gallivant

I’ve not found enough time to participate in all the online communities I’d like to. Work is pretty busy and will be for a while, especially with my trip to Cornell coming up in two weeks. I’m working on some big projects for a new program we did a soft launch of last year and this year we’re going to do a big launch and my creative vibes are going wild with our marketing team. I love the creative process. I also have to start reviewing all the stuff I did last year in our audit of vending operations – I’ll start that when I get back.

It’ll be easier when I get my assistant – I keep saying that but it won’t. I’m going to do new things once I get an assistant so I should be just as busy. Damn.

The weather is making it hard to work. My lunch gallivants are getting longer and longer. Haha! Today was funny because I was gallivanting with my friend and we ran into a woman from HR – she was gallivanting too and I learned some new gallivanting tricks to make it look like you’re really around the office somewhere, when you’re not.

Oh this woman is weird, she’s like the HR Nazi and she never is super friendly, whenever I see her I seems like she’s forcing herself to say hi. So today when I saw her in the back I didn’t even expect her to acknowledge me. She nearly shocked me. She turned to me, her face brightened up; she gave a HUGE smile, waved and said “Hey Jordan!” Who the fuck is you and what did you do with HR Nazi?

near death

I’ve been M I A on here for a bit. Sorry. But since I only have two friends here, you know it’s all about me and just a place for me to keep my thoughts. Don’t take it personal.

So on Saturday, after the myspace lunch, I think I saw Jesus’ eyes! Yes, it’s true. I had a near death experience. Driving to the Meriden Square on 691, apparently a puddle was a bit much for my vehicle and the other cars ahead of me. While they swayed a little from left to right my vehicle shot over to the shoulder and then zoomed over into the fast lane.

Not having control of your vehicle is not fun. Thank God (and I mean that in the literally sense) no cars were around me and like a safe driver I had adequate space between the car in front of me. I nearly pissed my pants but once I regained control I immediate recognized the fact that it was a mini miracle that I was still (and by still I mean still alive).

“It’s always more fun to share with everyone…”

Finally getting better. Feeling back to my old pre-sick self. I really think Spring will help my outlook on life and make the world seem less gloomy. J inspired me and I’m going to start planning a spring trip. I think I’d like to go up to Maine or Vermont for a long weekend.

I just got my paperwork in for my conference up in Ithaca, NY in May. That’ll be a week off from work and still considered being at work. Staying on the campus of Cornell, it’s very nice there and it should just be about warm that first week of May when I’m there.

Spring – hurry up and stop waiting to get here. I’m ready for the snow to end, the days to grow long in the sun and all that jazz! Summer, don’t rush here.