Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Happy New Year's Eve!

Have you ever failed Chex Mix? I did for the first time today. I've made this thing many many times, no problem. Today? The Chex boxes only come now with instructions for microwaving, not oven. I don't want to make Chex mix in the microwave. So I mis-remembered the oven temperature and over-baked the Chex mix. I tried to say it would be okay but it really wasn't. Rice Chex isn't supposed to be the color of Wheat Chex or worse. So I trooped back to the store to get more supplies and the place was BUSY. Packed. Oy. So I did the new self check out thingy they have now at Albertsons. Got through very quickly. So now I'm making Chex Mix again. At a lower temperature and watching more closely. And when I make Chex Mix, I make what **I** like. So only Rice and Corn Chex, no Wheat Chex, no nuts. I added Crispix this time and two kinds of pretzels. That's it. Lovely. Did you know that there are many many different recipes for this concoction? You can have Ranch, spicy, Tropical, etc., etc. What an industry!

I walked Tug this afternoon. I found a pair of ice thingies to put on your boots so you can walk better on ice. Well, they didn't quite fit well -- they were a little too big for my boots but I made it work and I think it helped.

Read a book in the last 24 hours (yes, I know I shouldn't add more to this year but there it was having to go back to the library soon). It's called THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN by Clare Langely-Hawthorne. It's a histmyst set during Edwardian England. It wanted to be a better book. It had good bones but I think the execution missed. Here's a description from Amazon:

introduces an aspiring journalist and an Oxford-educated heiress, Ursula Marlow, who has a lot to learn about good detective work. Ursula's sheltered life begins to unravel after she receives a frantic late-night call from her friend Winifred Stanford-Jones, who's awakened to her lesbian lover's bloody corpse in her bed. Ursula summons Lord Oliver Wrotham, legal adviser to her industrialist father, but she bristles at the condescending, restrictive male power structure of Edwardian London and launches her own probe into the murder—with limited success. More deaths follow, including that of Ursula's father. Suspecting the crimes may be linked to a botanical expedition to South America, Ursula embarks for its jungles to confirm her theory.

It had good elements but just didn't make it. Predictable, meandering (sigh). I wish it had been better.

Last night I watched the 2008 Kennedy Honors. This was a taped broadcast from the first week of December. One of the honorees was The Who. My abso-f-ing-lutely favorite band. Fabulous. Great intro by Jack Black and the singer who did Love Reign O'er Me was sooo good -- you could see Pete Townshend getting almost teary. And the firefighters and police ending Baba O'Reilly blew them away. The other singers were all right, kinda sorta. Glad to see them recognized this way. It must be a mixed blessing though or a sad realization. The Kennedy Honors are recognizing an artist's career, meaning they are pretty much done and most things are behind them now. It must be frustrating, too, for instance for The Who to hear their music (and sometimes not very well done) and not be doing it themselves. I had taped it while I watched and I'm glad I did. Some things are worth watching over again. Other honorees were Morgan Freeman, George Jones, Twyla Tharp and (yuck) Barbra Streisand.

I still have the DVD of The Duchess to watch. I don't think there is anything on TV worth watching tonight. And I've started Season 4 of MI-5 though I'm less emotionally involved since my favorite character is gone. Steve will be back from shooting around 9. We'll see if we both make it to midnight. I spoke to him this afternoon and he was TIRED. I hope maybe he can close his eyes for about 30 minutes before he has to go out to the range. I'm sure there will be fireworks in the neighborhood tonight.

The sad thing about tonight is that you know people are getting ready to go out, getting all dressed up and fancy and having a good time and then over doing it and maybe not making it home at all because of being stupid. Nothing you can do about it but it is sad. Send out a positive vibe out there for everyone.

So, for my personal party of one, I've got a single-sized frozen pizza and a movie and maybe a glass of wine. Whee ha!

Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster

No comments: