I have to wonder who decides what quantity constitutes "one serving" sometimes. In this case, Edy's Dibs Ice Cream Bites. The size of the container is listed as 4 fl. oz. (118 ml). I have no idea how many individual bites that works out to because it didn't occur to me to count as I was eating. I ate the whole little container and decided that the person in charge of making the quantity decisions is a Very Bad Person. I wanted more.
Admittedly, I tend to eat much more than the average person, but 4 ounces? That isn't very much. Then again, I need to eat more just to maintain my weight. I like looking like I'm not anorexic, and if I don't eat enough, it happens quickly. So, maybe I could choose healthier foods to eat to maintain my weight, but really, when your choices are to fix something from scratch (and I HATE cooking) or just open the freezer and get a container of Dibs, I'm going for the Dibs every single time. I just wish that there were more of them in each single serving container to go for. I'm still hungry, I still have no intention of making something from scratch, and I'm down to my last container of Dibs.
Honestly! What were they thinking when they decided that 4 ounces would make a good choice for "single serving" containers? 4? Really? I think I'll just have to look to see if I can find some sort of "full size" serving container next time I hit the freezer aisle at the grocery store because this 4 oz business just isn't cutting it. Damn stingy serving size decision makers!
Take care,
Cindi
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Fun with Rock Band
Because I love music so much, and need it in my life for sanity, I have really gotten into playing Rock Band with my family. We probably spend WAY too much time playing, for that matter. It has led to some interesting and seriously amusing (to us, anyway) conversations. We have both RB 1 and 2 and have also downloaded a bunch of songs from the online site. That means that there are lots of songs to provoke silliness.
One of the songs that was being played was "Man in the Box" by Alice in Chains. Listening to the sound of the guitar notes sounds like someone yelping "Owww" on certain ones. This led to:
"Wait, what is the name of this song? Man in the Box?"
"Yes."
"Okay, well maybe someone can let him out of the box now. I think he's protesting and likely in pain."
"But it's Alice in Chains. Maybe there is a reason he's still in the box. Maybe the chains don't reach far enough and they can't get to him."
"Okay, but couldn't someone else think about rescuing him soon? His owwww owwwww noises are sounding pretty pain filled now."
Which led to a chorus of us all oww'ing along with the guitar notes. Not particularly intellectual humor, but at 1am (or whatever time it was then) it really was pretty funny. To us.
Some other randomness came from the Bob Dylan song "Tangled Up In Blue". Admittedly, I am REALLY not a Dylan fan. A lot. Which led me to question the choosing of this song for the Rock Band playlist. Maybe the conversation at the table where the people who make these decisions sit went something like this:
"Hey Joe, how much is left to spend on buying songs permission?"
"I don't know Bob, let me check. It looks like we have about $5.37 left."
"Wow, I didn't realize that was it. What can we get for that? Should we save it for the next version?"
"No, I know exactly what we can get. Someone get Dylan on the phone, he'll let us use his song for $5.37."
"Joe! That is absolutely brilliant!"
"Thanks, I thought it was rather clever."
"Wait, have you actually heard that song? If we put that in, the fans might not come back for a next version."
"That's a good point, Bob. We only have $5.37 though, and that is the only thing that we can afford. We need one more song. It will have to work and we'll just cross our fingers that the fans won't be too annoyed by the time the new release comes out."
Actually, I have no idea if that is how it went, but it amuses me to think so. I also have no idea if there is a next version of Rock Band in the works. If there is, my fingers are crossed for Rock Band: The Musicals. Being the theater geek that I am, and particularly when it comes to musicals, this is easily the ultimate game on my dreamed up Must Have list. I'm probably the only one, but, as Russ tells me frequently, "It's good to want things". Especially if those things are Rock Band: The Musicals. With lots of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Definitely needs lots of Webber. And Wicked. The whole soundtrack. Because I rock at Chenoweth songs. And because musicals are what I sound best singing.
The dreamed up Dylan conversation did lead to another one, however. While listening to Russ and Jeff (my brother-in-law) play "Tangled Up In Blue" I asked my brother-in-law:
"Have you ever heard a cat being tortured?"
"Ummmm...noooo." (Imagine a quizzical, slightly frightened look on his face. One that wonders if he needs to start locking his doors at night.)
"Neither have I, but I imagine that this is probably pretty much dead on what it would sound like."
"You know, a cat got trapped in our barn the other day and when I went to let it out, it did make a noise that sounded like this."
"And prompted you to ask 'Shit!! Who the hell locked Bob Dylan in my barn?' right?"
"Absolutely. I had to get him out of there. He was scaring the wildlife away."
Because really, no one wants Bob Dylan locked up in their barn. Unless it might be to apply a gag so that he can't sing anymore. That just wouldn't solve the problem of the $5.37 that Joe and Bob spent to put him on Rock Band, though. Ugh.
I also had commentary about the Ratt song "Round and Round". There is a line in the song that states "What comes around goes around". I commented that I had never heard that phrase ordered quite that way, but always as "what goes around comes around". You know, in the sense of "don't start it if you don't want it to come back to you". That comment led to debating which way was correct. After settling that it really was the way I thought, we all kind of paused and at the same time made various comments like "I suppose that context matters in this case" and "well, I guess it depends on how you're looking at it", all with the same meaning. (Yeah, our minds were a bit in the gutter, but it was midnight-ish and we were getting kind of slap happy and silly.)
All of the silliness aside, we really do have fun playing. I like a lot of the songs, too. Most I wasn't even familiar with beyond more than a barely passing awareness that I had probably heard their names at one point or another. Now I have some that are favorites. I love "Dead on Arrival" by Fallout Boy and "Wave of Mutilation" by The Pixies. I was already a fan of "Here it Goes Again" by Ok Go and I love the Ramones, so "Blitzkrieg Bop", catchy tune that it is, was a given. Without listing every song that I like, and that is now most of them (with the exception of anything Bob Dylan), I am definitely glad that I got to be familiar with the Rock Band songs. Some I just love listening to, and some just for the absolute randomness that they provoke in conversations.
Take care,
Cindi
One of the songs that was being played was "Man in the Box" by Alice in Chains. Listening to the sound of the guitar notes sounds like someone yelping "Owww" on certain ones. This led to:
"Wait, what is the name of this song? Man in the Box?"
"Yes."
"Okay, well maybe someone can let him out of the box now. I think he's protesting and likely in pain."
"But it's Alice in Chains. Maybe there is a reason he's still in the box. Maybe the chains don't reach far enough and they can't get to him."
"Okay, but couldn't someone else think about rescuing him soon? His owwww owwwww noises are sounding pretty pain filled now."
Which led to a chorus of us all oww'ing along with the guitar notes. Not particularly intellectual humor, but at 1am (or whatever time it was then) it really was pretty funny. To us.
Some other randomness came from the Bob Dylan song "Tangled Up In Blue". Admittedly, I am REALLY not a Dylan fan. A lot. Which led me to question the choosing of this song for the Rock Band playlist. Maybe the conversation at the table where the people who make these decisions sit went something like this:
"Hey Joe, how much is left to spend on buying songs permission?"
"I don't know Bob, let me check. It looks like we have about $5.37 left."
"Wow, I didn't realize that was it. What can we get for that? Should we save it for the next version?"
"No, I know exactly what we can get. Someone get Dylan on the phone, he'll let us use his song for $5.37."
"Joe! That is absolutely brilliant!"
"Thanks, I thought it was rather clever."
"Wait, have you actually heard that song? If we put that in, the fans might not come back for a next version."
"That's a good point, Bob. We only have $5.37 though, and that is the only thing that we can afford. We need one more song. It will have to work and we'll just cross our fingers that the fans won't be too annoyed by the time the new release comes out."
Actually, I have no idea if that is how it went, but it amuses me to think so. I also have no idea if there is a next version of Rock Band in the works. If there is, my fingers are crossed for Rock Band: The Musicals. Being the theater geek that I am, and particularly when it comes to musicals, this is easily the ultimate game on my dreamed up Must Have list. I'm probably the only one, but, as Russ tells me frequently, "It's good to want things". Especially if those things are Rock Band: The Musicals. With lots of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Definitely needs lots of Webber. And Wicked. The whole soundtrack. Because I rock at Chenoweth songs. And because musicals are what I sound best singing.
The dreamed up Dylan conversation did lead to another one, however. While listening to Russ and Jeff (my brother-in-law) play "Tangled Up In Blue" I asked my brother-in-law:
"Have you ever heard a cat being tortured?"
"Ummmm...noooo." (Imagine a quizzical, slightly frightened look on his face. One that wonders if he needs to start locking his doors at night.)
"Neither have I, but I imagine that this is probably pretty much dead on what it would sound like."
"You know, a cat got trapped in our barn the other day and when I went to let it out, it did make a noise that sounded like this."
"And prompted you to ask 'Shit!! Who the hell locked Bob Dylan in my barn?' right?"
"Absolutely. I had to get him out of there. He was scaring the wildlife away."
Because really, no one wants Bob Dylan locked up in their barn. Unless it might be to apply a gag so that he can't sing anymore. That just wouldn't solve the problem of the $5.37 that Joe and Bob spent to put him on Rock Band, though. Ugh.
I also had commentary about the Ratt song "Round and Round". There is a line in the song that states "What comes around goes around". I commented that I had never heard that phrase ordered quite that way, but always as "what goes around comes around". You know, in the sense of "don't start it if you don't want it to come back to you". That comment led to debating which way was correct. After settling that it really was the way I thought, we all kind of paused and at the same time made various comments like "I suppose that context matters in this case" and "well, I guess it depends on how you're looking at it", all with the same meaning. (Yeah, our minds were a bit in the gutter, but it was midnight-ish and we were getting kind of slap happy and silly.)
All of the silliness aside, we really do have fun playing. I like a lot of the songs, too. Most I wasn't even familiar with beyond more than a barely passing awareness that I had probably heard their names at one point or another. Now I have some that are favorites. I love "Dead on Arrival" by Fallout Boy and "Wave of Mutilation" by The Pixies. I was already a fan of "Here it Goes Again" by Ok Go and I love the Ramones, so "Blitzkrieg Bop", catchy tune that it is, was a given. Without listing every song that I like, and that is now most of them (with the exception of anything Bob Dylan), I am definitely glad that I got to be familiar with the Rock Band songs. Some I just love listening to, and some just for the absolute randomness that they provoke in conversations.
Take care,
Cindi
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Sherrilyn Kenyon Book Signing
I don't know if any of you are Sherrilyn Kenyon fans, but I love her books. Especially her Dark-Hunter series, but really, everything the woman writes is phenomenal. Last night she was having a book signing here in my area (at the Borders in Oak Brook, since I know that Donna knows about where I'm talking about). We all had so much fun. Unfortunately, I live around 2 hours, or a little bit more, away from there, so I didn't get home until 2:30-ish am. Ouch!
There was a note in the email about the when/where for the signings mentioning special prizes for those who came in costume as one of Sherrilyn's character's. Since I am anal about Quin not going to doors for trick-or-treating by herself, I always go up with her. As I do that, I also always dress up with her, too. Halloween is lots of fun for us. So, last halloween, I went trick-or-treating as an Amy Brown faerie. (I swear, this really is relevant...) It just happens that that is very much like what one of Sherrilyn's characters named Simi looks like. So, we decided that I would go as Simi for the signing.
Apparently, it seems that my costume was good enough that EVERYONE knew exactly who I was dressed as (and initially thought that I was part of the book signing group traveling with Sherri, since she often has characters at the signings with her) and I got stopped for pictures by just about everyone with a camera. That was totally flattering! Definitely the best part for me, though, was when we got up to talk to Sherri and she had her own camera there and SHE asked if she could get a picture. She had only taken two or three other pictures that whole night. That was cool. She also commented on how much she loved it and said that so far, I am her best Simi ever. WOW!!! Of course, for all I know, she says that to everyone who dresses as that character. But, whether she does or not, it was still exciting and very flattering that the author and creator of the character said that I was the best one yet.
Russ and Quin went, too and Russ tried to get some pictures, but our digital camera wasn't working, so he had to try taking them on the camera on the cell phone. Unfortunately, they just didn't turn out as great as I would have liked. If anyone is interested, they are here: http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/ff230/GlencairnCindi/Me%20Pics/Simi/
Quin, who has grown up watching me read all of Sherrilyn's books and knows how eagerly I await each new release, wanted to go with, so we made it a family outing. Quin wanted Sherri's autograph, too, and was completely star-struck when she got her turn to meet Sherri. It was hysterical. Sherri is a mom, and has a son who is the same age as Quin, and quickly put Quin at ease and got her chatting (of course, once started she didn't stop...) and Quin has talked about not much else today.
It was a wonderful evening and if any of you are fans and have the chance to go to a Sherrilyn Kenyon book signing, go! It is so much fun.
Take care,
Cindi
There was a note in the email about the when/where for the signings mentioning special prizes for those who came in costume as one of Sherrilyn's character's. Since I am anal about Quin not going to doors for trick-or-treating by herself, I always go up with her. As I do that, I also always dress up with her, too. Halloween is lots of fun for us. So, last halloween, I went trick-or-treating as an Amy Brown faerie. (I swear, this really is relevant...) It just happens that that is very much like what one of Sherrilyn's characters named Simi looks like. So, we decided that I would go as Simi for the signing.
Apparently, it seems that my costume was good enough that EVERYONE knew exactly who I was dressed as (and initially thought that I was part of the book signing group traveling with Sherri, since she often has characters at the signings with her) and I got stopped for pictures by just about everyone with a camera. That was totally flattering! Definitely the best part for me, though, was when we got up to talk to Sherri and she had her own camera there and SHE asked if she could get a picture. She had only taken two or three other pictures that whole night. That was cool. She also commented on how much she loved it and said that so far, I am her best Simi ever. WOW!!! Of course, for all I know, she says that to everyone who dresses as that character. But, whether she does or not, it was still exciting and very flattering that the author and creator of the character said that I was the best one yet.
Russ and Quin went, too and Russ tried to get some pictures, but our digital camera wasn't working, so he had to try taking them on the camera on the cell phone. Unfortunately, they just didn't turn out as great as I would have liked. If anyone is interested, they are here: http://s236.photobucket.co
Quin, who has grown up watching me read all of Sherrilyn's books and knows how eagerly I await each new release, wanted to go with, so we made it a family outing. Quin wanted Sherri's autograph, too, and was completely star-struck when she got her turn to meet Sherri. It was hysterical. Sherri is a mom, and has a son who is the same age as Quin, and quickly put Quin at ease and got her chatting (of course, once started she didn't stop...) and Quin has talked about not much else today.
It was a wonderful evening and if any of you are fans and have the chance to go to a Sherrilyn Kenyon book signing, go! It is so much fun.
Take care,
Cindi
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Why Do I Do This?
Okay, I haven't written anything in just about forever it feels like, but I really got to thinking about this and it made me want to write.
A friend sent a video to me and I opened it up and saw that it is a song called "Sleep" by Savatage. I was already familiar with this song, actually. I love it. So, in my infinite wisdom, I open the video and watch and listen. Sure enough, by the end of the song, I am in tears. I have yet to ever - EVER - make it to the end of this song without tearing up. I don't know why, but there you go.
That got me thinking about all of the phenomenal songs that have this emotional pull on me. Frankly, music is life in my world. I can't live without music and I like a little bit of just about everything. In any given genre there are those songs that I can't hear without tearing up, though. To me, that is one standard of truly GOOD music. Lots of music is nice to listen to, but just doesn't have the same viscerally emotional punch that good music has.
Some of the songs that really get to me on an emotional level are "Don't Take the Girl" by Tim McGraw. From Les Mis "Come To Me", which is the scene when Fantine dies. As a parent, that one is devastating. Also from Les Mis, "A Little Fall of Rain" which is taking place as an interaction between Eponine and Marius as Eponine is dying. From the Disney cartoon movie Dumbo, "Baby of Mine". Again, as a parent, it means more to me watching Dumbo's mother singing this song to her child, knowing that he has been taken away from her, and feeling the pain that would cause any parent, than it ever could have before I had my daughter. It is always the emotion that has to do with being a parent that gets me. Really, who can watch the movie "I am Sam" with Sean Penn and Dakota Fanning and see the scene that has the song "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" by the Beatles and not cry? I can't even hear that song anymore without tearing up. Cheesy as it might be, "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion from the movie "Titanic". Still. Every time.
Another one from a movie is "I Know You're Out There Somewhere" by The Moody Blues from the movie "A Summer Story". The ending of that movie was tragic and the song will always reduce me to sniffles for having seen and loved that movie. A good number of the songs from the musical "Rent", too. One that is not from a movie or musical is a traditional song called "A Health to the Company". This is one that has been used for an end of the day closer at my local renaissance faire and particularly, amongst the cast, as a season closer. It is how we said "goodbye, I hope to see you again" to each other. Sometimes we did, sometimes our friends had moved on to other pursuits. No matter what the outcome, we always knew that we were in the thoughts of each other.
Above and beyond any of the others, though, is one from the musical "Wicked". The song "For Good". It is a really moving song about friendship and touching the lives of our friends, but it has a double dose of emotional pull for me now. My best friend was moving back to Florida and, after a day spent packing the moving van, it was finally time for her and her family to leave. There are hugs and tears all around, especially since I have no idea how I am going to survive now that my closest friend won't be a quick car ride away anymore. They leave and the group of us at her house stay until the van has moved out of sight. All of us are hugging and crying and offering comfort to each other before leaving for the last time. Being a private person with my tears and emotions, I am a bit moist around the eyes, but not actually crying. After everyone thanks ME for being the strong, emotionally stable one who they took comfort from, not knowing how I was feeling, what with that whole privacy thing and all, I get into my car to go home and just starting up on my XM (set on the "On Broadway" station) is "For Good". That was when I broke down and cried. It was a bit of a while before I was able to put my car into gear and semi-safely attempt to drive. I just can not hear that song anymore without associating it with the night my best friend moved and the sadness that I felt. She touched my life in so many ways that she changed the whole of who I am. ...Like a hand print on my heart...
Of course, now I can't think of any others, but as soon as I hit the publish button tons more will come to me. I guess that I will just update this then. For now, however, those are some of the songs that bring me to tears every time.
A friend sent a video to me and I opened it up and saw that it is a song called "Sleep" by Savatage. I was already familiar with this song, actually. I love it. So, in my infinite wisdom, I open the video and watch and listen. Sure enough, by the end of the song, I am in tears. I have yet to ever - EVER - make it to the end of this song without tearing up. I don't know why, but there you go.
That got me thinking about all of the phenomenal songs that have this emotional pull on me. Frankly, music is life in my world. I can't live without music and I like a little bit of just about everything. In any given genre there are those songs that I can't hear without tearing up, though. To me, that is one standard of truly GOOD music. Lots of music is nice to listen to, but just doesn't have the same viscerally emotional punch that good music has.
Some of the songs that really get to me on an emotional level are "Don't Take the Girl" by Tim McGraw. From Les Mis "Come To Me", which is the scene when Fantine dies. As a parent, that one is devastating. Also from Les Mis, "A Little Fall of Rain" which is taking place as an interaction between Eponine and Marius as Eponine is dying. From the Disney cartoon movie Dumbo, "Baby of Mine". Again, as a parent, it means more to me watching Dumbo's mother singing this song to her child, knowing that he has been taken away from her, and feeling the pain that would cause any parent, than it ever could have before I had my daughter. It is always the emotion that has to do with being a parent that gets me. Really, who can watch the movie "I am Sam" with Sean Penn and Dakota Fanning and see the scene that has the song "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" by the Beatles and not cry? I can't even hear that song anymore without tearing up. Cheesy as it might be, "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion from the movie "Titanic". Still. Every time.
Another one from a movie is "I Know You're Out There Somewhere" by The Moody Blues from the movie "A Summer Story". The ending of that movie was tragic and the song will always reduce me to sniffles for having seen and loved that movie. A good number of the songs from the musical "Rent", too. One that is not from a movie or musical is a traditional song called "A Health to the Company". This is one that has been used for an end of the day closer at my local renaissance faire and particularly, amongst the cast, as a season closer. It is how we said "goodbye, I hope to see you again" to each other. Sometimes we did, sometimes our friends had moved on to other pursuits. No matter what the outcome, we always knew that we were in the thoughts of each other.
Above and beyond any of the others, though, is one from the musical "Wicked". The song "For Good". It is a really moving song about friendship and touching the lives of our friends, but it has a double dose of emotional pull for me now. My best friend was moving back to Florida and, after a day spent packing the moving van, it was finally time for her and her family to leave. There are hugs and tears all around, especially since I have no idea how I am going to survive now that my closest friend won't be a quick car ride away anymore. They leave and the group of us at her house stay until the van has moved out of sight. All of us are hugging and crying and offering comfort to each other before leaving for the last time. Being a private person with my tears and emotions, I am a bit moist around the eyes, but not actually crying. After everyone thanks ME for being the strong, emotionally stable one who they took comfort from, not knowing how I was feeling, what with that whole privacy thing and all, I get into my car to go home and just starting up on my XM (set on the "On Broadway" station) is "For Good". That was when I broke down and cried. It was a bit of a while before I was able to put my car into gear and semi-safely attempt to drive. I just can not hear that song anymore without associating it with the night my best friend moved and the sadness that I felt. She touched my life in so many ways that she changed the whole of who I am. ...Like a hand print on my heart...
Of course, now I can't think of any others, but as soon as I hit the publish button tons more will come to me. I guess that I will just update this then. For now, however, those are some of the songs that bring me to tears every time.
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