Friday Wrap-Up

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First things first! Don’t you find that statement a bit annoying? I mean, where else would you put first things? Last? Wouldn’t they then be last things? And speaking of annoying (such a seamless transition) I’ve come to the conclusion that I can be annoying. I know … some of you are shaking your heads right now wondering if this is the first time I’ve realized this, and the answer is … really? I’m that annoying that often?

Here’s the deal, I am making a public apology to two bloggers today for my annoying ways. Both Emmy and Another Suburban Mom published posts over the past few weeks where, in a fit of anal retentiveness, I left a comment that was inappropriate. No, I wasn’t nasty – I was annoying. I had an epiphany while driving home last night and realized that, although my intent was good, my methods were not. Seriously, I didn’t even consider my annoying twit ways might be offensive until that moment in my car – days and weeks later.

So Emmy and ASM, I apologize for being an annoying twit. To any of the rest of you who have suffered through my annoying twit ways, biting your tongue and screaming at the computer monitor shaking your head? I apologize to you too!

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Remember my Positively Going? Or Going Positive? post? How could you forget? I keep bringing it up! Anyway, I predicted that I would lose a few regular readers and commenters. I did – and one of those hurt quite a bit - but you know what? I think I’ve gained about 10x the number I lost! How did that happen? I’ve seen a lot of new faces (and I’m trying to get to all of your blogs) and even a few folks who were MIA for a time. I didn’t do this for readership - I did it for me - but there sure was a warm and fuzzy backlash from it that caught me quite by surprise.

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Oh! I almost forgot! I need to say a great big THANK YOU to Biscuit, Hubman, ASM and M (from Rumblings & Bumblings - I’d link her, but she’s invite only) for playing retro HNT with me yesterday! Maybe it was just my egotistical thinking imagination, but it sure seemed like there was a lot less physical nekkidness out there this week, yet the HNT contributions were every bit as wonderful!

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One more thing … who knows what a perdiddle (or padiddle) is? And how many of you hit the roof of the car when you see one? Having grown up on the west coast, I am very familiar with slug bugs, but had never heard of a perdiddle/padiddle until moving to the Chicago area. I guess it’s just one more of those geographical language differences, like soda and pop, or market and grocery store, or “Duck, Duck, Goose” and “Duck, Duck, Grey Duck” (those Minnesota folks have a language all of their own)!

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HNT - Thin Mint Part Deux (retro)

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If you are a long time reader, you'll remember that last year I was victim to the Thin Mint Debacle. In short, I somehow eluded - completely and unintentionally - every Girl Scout in Northwestern Illinois and was not able to secure a single box of the highly coveted Thin Mints. Fortunately, two fellow bloggers felt so sorry for me liked me so much that they shared their stash, and they were properly rewarded with the Thin Mint HNT and, later, the Thin Mint Blizzard HNT.

This year, I tackled a gaggle of Girl Scouts I made sure to track down two purchasing sources and placed my order ahead of time. Since it's the first HNT of March, I'm sharing a retro Thin Mint HNT this week (i.e. no fleshy nekkidness), but next week might just be a different story!

“A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand”
~Author Unknown




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McEmergency? Try Some Relish!

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Apparently the folks in Florida take their McNuggets pretty darn seriously. After Latreasa Goodman ordered and paid for a 10-piece Chicken McNugget, she was informed that the McDonald's she was at had run out of the delicacy. In fact, she was so distraught she called 911 three times to report an emergency. THREE times!

In one of her calls, Goodman states, "The manager just took my money and won't give me my money back, trying to make me get something off the menu that I don't want. I ordered chicken nuggets. They don't have chicken nuggets, and so I told her, 'Just give me my money back,' and she tells me I have to pick something else off the menu. She is not going to give me my money back, and she don't have the right to take my money."

When police told Goodman the incident was not an emergency, Goodman insisted, "This is an emergency. If I would have known they didn't have McNuggets, I wouldn't have given my money, and now she wants to give me a McDouble, but I don't want one. This is an emergency."

Really? Let me slap McDonalds' hand - shame on you! Your NO REFUND policy needs to be balanced with a little common sense. If a customer orders and pays for a specific menu item, and you cannot provide it, give them their friggin' money back.

Oh ... but Latreasa Goodman? You win the ME! ME! ME! prize. Your emergency took essential services away from people who were really in the midst of an emergency. I have no doubt the cost of your emergency to tax payers was at least 100 times the cost of your McNuggets. Are you really that selfish? You couldn't take names and write a letter to McDonald's Corporate offices making a formal complaint? At least you were charged with misuse of 911 and issued a citation, but something tells me that won't fix the problem.

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Just in case you ever find yourself distraught over missing McNuggets, I thought I'd post another recipe from my Relish! subscription. This one is a vegetarian dish (yes, Vixen and Garbonzo, you can eat this one too!) and was so tasty my family didn't even miss the meat! *EDIT* Those are basil parmesan bread sticks on the left, not chicken breasts!

Penne Pasta with Italian Vegetable Sauce

16 oz box penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 white onion , chopped
1 red bell pepper , cored, seeded and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper , cored, seeded and chopped
1 zucchini , sliced and quartered
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons garlic
2 tomatoes , seeded and chopped
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until cooked through but still firm to the bite. Drain and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium-high, heat oil and sauté onion, peppers, zucchini, and oregano for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until almost tender.

Stir in tomatoes, spinach, water, sugar, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, until sauce is reduced and thickened.

Serve pasta topped with the sauce and a generous portion of Parmesan.

Prep and cook time: 30 minutes per serving: 345 calories; 12 grams protein; 5 grams total fat; 6 grams fiber; 1 gram saturated fat; 65 grams carbohydrates; 0 mgs cholesterol; 22 mgs sodium

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