a pleasent suprise

I have not had Hardee's (known as Carl's Jr in other parts of the country) in about 15 years, but yesterday I was out and about, and it was the nearest fast food joint around, so I got myself a burger and fries. It was delicious. It was also so big that I couldn't finish it. While I'm not a huge burger fan, I've got to tell you, I would eat this again. And again. If you are going to go fast-food for a burger, there can be no other option.

This blog brought to you by "Food Fridays, albeit a day early"

books: new low

I can't even get through Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. It is boring. I've moved on to Persuasion, and already things are looking up.

This blog post brought to you by "Belated Wordy Wednesdays"

top 20 shows (of my time)

It's hard to rank sitcoms and dramas together...the criteria for judging them is a bit different, so I made two top ten lists. They are not perfect, but here they are:

Top Ten Sitcoms:

10. Corner Gas
9. Ellen (also called These Friends of Mine)
8. Family Ties
7. The Office
6. Scrubs (season 1-4)
5.How I met Your Mother
4. The Simpsons
3. Sienfeld
2. The Golden Girls
1. Soap

** edited because I can't count, and had 12 sitcoms not 10. And because of the omission of the G-girls, which I thought I put in my list.
(removed: Sports Night, Two Guys and a Girl, and Malcolm in the Middle...that last one was particularly hard to remove from the list.)**

Top Ten Drama/Action

10.Lois & Clark: The Adventures of Superman
9. Veronica Mars (especially season 1, which is sheer perfection...television at its best)
8. Dexter
7. The Wire
6. Picket Fences
5. La Femme Nikita
4. The X-Files
3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2. West Wing
1. Twin Peaks

This blog post brought to you by "T.V. Tuesdays"

excitment!

I'm seeing Harry Potter tomorrow! I can not wait!

This blog post brought to you by, "I forgot to blog yesterday on Movie Mondays"

i guess this is why i get paid the big bucks. oh wait...

planning is fun.
organizing is fun.
organizing my lesson plans for the entire year for two classes is a bit overwhelming.

I know I will be happy when it is all done, but man oh man! a lot must happen before that time comes.

This blogpost brought to you by "Fiesty Fridays"

Haiku

Diet Cherry Coke
Refreshingly smooth you are
I can't get enough

This blogpost brought to you by "Thirsty Thursdays"

The power of construction paper

Construction paper will trick almost any student into doing work. Only the most dedicated slacker can resist its call. I love construction paper.

books: high and low

My favorite Jane Austin book to date: Pride and Prejudice

• I just reread it for the 3rd or 4th time. Just as the first time I read it, too much did I care about the fate of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy to be tempted to do anything in my spare time but devour the book. I love this book and the Colin Firth BBC miniseries version of it. Both are sheer perfection.

My least favorite Jane Austin book to date: Mansfield Park

• It's fine, but it doesn't captivate me the way some of her other stories do. The main character is meek and ultimately falls in love with her first cousin, which might be overlooked if she hadn't also been raised practically as the sister of this first cousin. That, however, I could get over if I felt a sense of true love between them, but I did not. Additionally, the other characters were not very likable either, and I found that I had no one to root for. That said, I found the book interesting enough to finish, but one I will likely never pick up again.

Confession: these are the only two Jane Austin books I've read. I just started Emma. I love the movie, so we'll see if I love the book. Already I enjoy it more than Mansfield Park.

This blog post brought to you by "Wordy Wednesdays"

website plug

I really like the site Livestrong.com On it you can track all the foods you eat & exercise you do while it calculates your calories and all other nutritional information. If you become a paid member, they'll even make a nutritional label for you. I'm not a paid member, and the site still suits me fine, for I already know I'm made of sugar, spice, and everything nice.

new shows during rerun season

Oh how I love you. You are the only thing keeping my Tivo alive in these horrid summer months. Here' s my take a on a couple of shows:

Mental - this show is about the patients and doctors in a psychiatric hospital. Basically, a cute eccentric doctor becomes head of this psychiatric hospital and shakes things up. He humanizes the patents where others tend to think of them as lab specimens. Of course not all the old doctors act like that, some of them are just stuck in their conventional ways. So far, I kind of like this show. With each episode we learn a little more about the doctor and his sister, who - suffering from a mental illness (schizophrenia?) - is living on the streets, but calls into her brother every so often. He is desperately trying to find her. Anyway, it's not the best, but it has potential. I think I would watch it even if there were something else on.
Stars: lots of people, but you know Annabella Sciora. The main guy is played by Chris Vance. (Airs Fridays at 9/8C)

The Philanthropist - this show is about this rich dude who had a bit of a breakdown in the first episode after witnessing a horrible flood in Nigeria wherein he and a little boy (and surely many other people) almost died. He now tries to do good works. I assume (if other episodes are like the first) that he often faces challenges to be overcome, and he does so in a mildly amusing and heartfelt manner. Oh, and he had a son who died, so that adds to the drama. I've only seen the first episode, and although it stars James Purfoy (Marc Anotny from Rome) , Michael K Williams (Omar from the Wire) , my attention could not adequately be held, and I started doing laundry and cleaning the kitchen while it was on. Not a good sign as I can sit through most shows, and I am loath to ever do laundry.
Also stars: Neve Campbell and Jesse L. Green (Airs Wednesdays at 10/9C)

This blog post brought to you by "TV Tuesdays"

cutest new feature ever!

I added a new feature: the Daily Puppy. Check it out, it will make you go, "awwww! that is so cute!" And then you will explode because brains are not meant to process so much cuteness.

movies: high and low

My favorite Clive Owen movie to date is "Shoot 'Em Up"
My least favorite Clive Owen movie to date is "Closer."This blog post has been brought to you by "Movie Mondays"

salsa

I love salsa. I love both chunky salsa and salsa that is less chunky. Salsa is good.

A few weeks ago, I visited my friend Frog (not to be confused with my other friends froggy or fishfrog) and she made salsa right in front of my eyes! It was wonderful and delicious! This is a fresh chunky salsa, with not much of a tomato base (in case that is what you prefer). It was a hit, and between Frog, Mr. Frog, Tadpole and me, the whole batch was gone by the end of the night.

Super simple, here's how you make it:

Cut up peppers (red, green, orange, yellow, whatever)
Cut up tomatoes
Cut up a jalapeno pepper (use as much as desired)
Cut up onion (I used green onions, Frog did not use any)
Chop up cilantro
Squeeze a lime's worth of lime juice into the bowl
Mix it all up with a tablespoon or two of sugar

Best if left to sit over night, but can be served right away.

You may have noticed that beyond the sugar and lime, I don't give any hard and fast rules over the amount of each ingredient. Sorry, folks, it's an eyeball it kind of thing. Don't let that scare you. Let that free you!

Hint: to make it less runny (from the juices), you can strain the salsa - or at least the tomatoes - before putting in the lime juice.