Follow That Dog just tagged me for a six random things meme, and since I hadn't done a meme for a while and didn't have anything lined up for this week's Thursday Thirteen I figured I'd go for broke and give you not six but thirteen, yes thirteen, random facts about me me me. Now, to come up with them...
1. It drives me crazy when tv writers don't fact-check well enough. I'm sitting here watching CSI New York as I type and they keep talking about the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, putting emphasis on the hard g. The thing is, the g is supposed to be silent, the word is actually pronounced "Aya".
2. I know this because before I had kids I spent the better part of a year working in Ankara, the capital of Turkey.
3. It's not nearly as exciting as it sounds.
4. My husband took my son to the championship soccer match between the Israeli and Italian youth (up to age 21 so including several stars). Last time I flipped channels, we were losing 3 -1 with not much time left.
5. I was all set to eat a salad for dinner tonight (not my usual fare and I was feeling quite virtuous) when I found a nasty caterpillar in the bag - and caterpillar poop all over the place.
6. Needless to say I didn't have salad after all.
7. At that point nothing really appealed and I ended up eating a bowl of honey nut cornflakes.
8. Now it's a few hours later and I'm hungry but still nothing appeals.
9. Not even the delicious fresh sourdough bread that Jay made earlier today.
10. Maybe it's because I have a headache.
11. We finally found a pullout couch that will fit in our very small and overcrowded guest/computer/storage/bicycle room, but it's from Ikea.
12. I really don't like shopping at Ikea.
13. But it's probably better than telling my parents they have to sleep on the floor next time they visit. Maybe. If I don't have to go on a Friday. I think. (Luckily my parents don't read this blog. Heck, they don't even know about it.)
There, that's thirteen. Done. Not exactly Shakespeare. What can I say, such is my oh so fascinating life. Hey, how about this? Instead of tagging, why don't you guys each leave me one fascinating fact about yourselves in the comments. Come on, you know you wanna... Pleeeeeeease...
Showing posts with label Thursday Thirteen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thursday Thirteen. Show all posts
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
TT - 13 Bizarre Bad Day Holidays
Where do they come up with this stuff*...
1. Have a Bad Day Day--November 19 (do they give out frown face buttons or something?)
2. Humiliation Day--January 4 (remind me to hide all pictures of me from the 70's!)
3. Peculiar People Day--January 10 (could work for most of us)
4. Be Late for Something Day--September 5 (heck, I do this every day)
5. Blame Someone Else Day--January 13 (fun!)
6. Blame Someone Else Day--August 13 (yes, again)
7. Blame Somebody Else Day--April 13 (they really liked this one, didn't they?)
8. International Twit Award Month--February 1-28 (I could get behind this one)
9. International Twit Award Month--April 1-30 (are twits so worthy that they need two whole months?)
10. National Procrastination Week--March 1-7 (now this one I like)
11. Be Nasty Day--March 8 (ooh, this could be fun)
12. Panic Day--March 9 (aaaaaaahhh!)
1. Have a Bad Day Day--November 19 (do they give out frown face buttons or something?)
2. Humiliation Day--January 4 (remind me to hide all pictures of me from the 70's!)
3. Peculiar People Day--January 10 (could work for most of us)
4. Be Late for Something Day--September 5 (heck, I do this every day)
5. Blame Someone Else Day--January 13 (fun!)
6. Blame Someone Else Day--August 13 (yes, again)
7. Blame Somebody Else Day--April 13 (they really liked this one, didn't they?)
8. International Twit Award Month--February 1-28 (I could get behind this one)
9. International Twit Award Month--April 1-30 (are twits so worthy that they need two whole months?)
10. National Procrastination Week--March 1-7 (now this one I like)
11. Be Nasty Day--March 8 (ooh, this could be fun)
12. Panic Day--March 9 (aaaaaaahhh!)
and finally
13. International Panic Day--June 18 (for those for whom ordinary local panic isn't widespread enough)
* The answer is right here.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
TT - 13 things I could have bought instead of a new washing machine
Ugh. There is some majorly bad appliance karma in this house right now. First the dishwasher, then the air conditioner, then the washing machine, and now the dryer is suddenly squeaking. I think I'm going to have to sacrifice a small toaster to the appliance gods or something to put a stop to this before I go completely broke.
Bearing in mind that appliances are quite a bit more expensive here in Israel than they are in the US (repairs too - to fix the thing would have been $300), here are 13 things I could have spent my money on instead of having to buy a new washing machine this week:
1. A flat screen tv
2. A week at a swanky B&B here in Israel
3. New furniture for Maya's room
4. Five months of weekly cleaning services
5. Two airline tickets to Europe (someplace closer)
6. 16 months worth of gym fees
7. Jewelry (a girl can dream)
8. 8-10 very nice dinners out (not including babysitting)
9. Two months of the kids' afternoon program
10. 10-12 pairs of shoes
11. A whole new wardrobe
12. The kids' after-school activities for the entire year, with change
13. A new desktop computer
Keep your fingers crossed that the dryer hangs on for a while, would ya?
Hope your week has been more successful than mine. Happy Thursday Thirteen.
Bearing in mind that appliances are quite a bit more expensive here in Israel than they are in the US (repairs too - to fix the thing would have been $300), here are 13 things I could have spent my money on instead of having to buy a new washing machine this week:
1. A flat screen tv
2. A week at a swanky B&B here in Israel
3. New furniture for Maya's room
4. Five months of weekly cleaning services
5. Two airline tickets to Europe (someplace closer)
6. 16 months worth of gym fees
7. Jewelry (a girl can dream)
8. 8-10 very nice dinners out (not including babysitting)
9. Two months of the kids' afternoon program
10. 10-12 pairs of shoes
11. A whole new wardrobe
12. The kids' after-school activities for the entire year, with change
13. A new desktop computer
Keep your fingers crossed that the dryer hangs on for a while, would ya?
Hope your week has been more successful than mine. Happy Thursday Thirteen.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
TT - 13 school supplies not on the original list that I had to buy this week
I have now been at the stationary store four (!) days in a row. Thankfully it's right down the block, but still, I really wish the teachers would get their act together and get everything onto the master list we're sent over the summer.
1. 3 more small Hebrew notebooks
2. 2 more math notebooks (graph paper)
3. a package of pastels
4. a "book stand" (for holding books upright while they read. Why exactly do they need this?)
5. A different kind of small pencil sharpener - this teacher doesn't like the one they had to use last year
6. an activity book for when the child finishes their assignments early (used a dot-to-dot book we already had for this one)
7. yet another notebook - this time a large spiral one
8. a special notebook for penmanship
9. a book to read at their desk (needed a new one he hadn't read already, and our stash of Hebrew books is woefully limited, I prefer to buy English books he won't get otherwise)
10. and still another notebook - this one for musical notation
11. clear plastic covers for workbooks - this one wasn't mentioned at first and I was hoping to get away without it this year. Drat.
12. some other notebook, I don't even remember which subject that one was for, but the cover had to be pink (I didn't find pink and used purple instead. Sue me.)
13. A pocket dictionary which required FOUR separate trips to the store just for that! They originally mistakenly asked for a full-size dictionary, which I bought. By the time the school realized its mistake (after school had already started!) I'd already written Itai's name in it and so couldn't return it. The store then didn't have the correct version because it hadn't been ordered in time, and so kept getting deliveries in drips and drabs. It took four tries before I managed to get one. That one will remain at school and the big one at home (and with my atrocious Hebrew spelling god knows I need it), so at least it's not a complete waste.
And while you're out doing the Thursday Thirteen rounds today, take a moment to remember all those who lost their lives on that terrible day seven years ago.
1. 3 more small Hebrew notebooks
2. 2 more math notebooks (graph paper)
3. a package of pastels
4. a "book stand" (for holding books upright while they read. Why exactly do they need this?)
5. A different kind of small pencil sharpener - this teacher doesn't like the one they had to use last year
6. an activity book for when the child finishes their assignments early (used a dot-to-dot book we already had for this one)
7. yet another notebook - this time a large spiral one
8. a special notebook for penmanship
9. a book to read at their desk (needed a new one he hadn't read already, and our stash of Hebrew books is woefully limited, I prefer to buy English books he won't get otherwise)
10. and still another notebook - this one for musical notation
11. clear plastic covers for workbooks - this one wasn't mentioned at first and I was hoping to get away without it this year. Drat.
12. some other notebook, I don't even remember which subject that one was for, but the cover had to be pink (I didn't find pink and used purple instead. Sue me.)
13. A pocket dictionary which required FOUR separate trips to the store just for that! They originally mistakenly asked for a full-size dictionary, which I bought. By the time the school realized its mistake (after school had already started!) I'd already written Itai's name in it and so couldn't return it. The store then didn't have the correct version because it hadn't been ordered in time, and so kept getting deliveries in drips and drabs. It took four tries before I managed to get one. That one will remain at school and the big one at home (and with my atrocious Hebrew spelling god knows I need it), so at least it's not a complete waste.
And while you're out doing the Thursday Thirteen rounds today, take a moment to remember all those who lost their lives on that terrible day seven years ago.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
TT - My Life in 13 Parts
Since I haven't TT'd for the past few weeks I thought I'd use my Thirteen this week to catch you guys up a bit on the goings-on around the island lately:
1. For those of you who haven't been here since I was packing, I just spent the month of August in beautiful, albeit very rainy, New England.
(2. For those of you here via All Mediocre who have no idea why I'm writing in number form, this post is doing double duty as my Thursday Thirteen entry for this week. Come play along with us, it's great fun.)
3. The kids and I went to my visit my parents for the month. They had a ball at "Camp Grandma" while I alternated between being on vacation and squeezing in the (very part-time) work hours necessary to help finance our not so little jaunt across the ocean. My folks live in an area full of lakes and close to the mountains, so adventure was pretty much around every turn.
4. Instead of just taking two weeks off and heading to the States, I took four weeks at half-time. August in Tel Aviv is just hot, humid and generally miserable, and by then the day camp sessions are all over, so we decided the best possible option was to just get the heck outta Dodge. Jay couldn't take the whole month off, but he was able to join us halfway through.
(5. Why do the camps close when there is still nearly a month of summer vacation left, leaving parents scrambling for childcare each summer?)
6. Since I work from home, it was as simple as taking my laptop with me.
7. Don't worry, we also had plenty of time to play.
8. And take lots and lots and LOTS of photographs. New England is an awfully photogenic corner of the world. It would be paradise if they could just do something about those neverending winters. On the other hand, if they did we'd probably never want to leave all that green and all that water to come back home to Israel.
9. We swam, and boated, and tubed, and canoed, and hiked, and toured, and flew actual planes, and enjoyed spending time with our extended family.
10. There were even loons on the lake.
11. Then the kids got the shock of a lifetime when my mother announced that she and my dad were taken my two kids and my niece to Disney World for four days. We adults had been keeping that secret for nearly six months, and they never suspected a thing.
12. They had the time of their lives, despite Hurricane Fay's dumping massive quantities of water on their heads.
13. And Jay and I had a fabulous time NOT being taken to Disney.
What? 13 already? That was quick. I could have said a lot more. (Be grateful I didn't.) Thanks for bearing with me on the numbering thing, and on the endless vacation photos thing. Normal posting should resume tomorrow. Maybe. I think. I hope. I really do hope so, because I miss having the chance to actually sit down and write something more substantial than "this is what I did on my summer vacation". Vacation posts are fine, and photography posts are much more than fine (and having the vacations to write about and photograph in the first place is even better!), but my writing muse has been bottled up for too long and is starting to get snippy. It's way past time to let her out again. Not tonight though, I've got a long overdue and very much anticipated girls night out tonight!
Happy Thursday to all of you. I hope it's a great one.
1. For those of you who haven't been here since I was packing, I just spent the month of August in beautiful, albeit very rainy, New England.
(2. For those of you here via All Mediocre who have no idea why I'm writing in number form, this post is doing double duty as my Thursday Thirteen entry for this week. Come play along with us, it's great fun.)
3. The kids and I went to my visit my parents for the month. They had a ball at "Camp Grandma" while I alternated between being on vacation and squeezing in the (very part-time) work hours necessary to help finance our not so little jaunt across the ocean. My folks live in an area full of lakes and close to the mountains, so adventure was pretty much around every turn.
4. Instead of just taking two weeks off and heading to the States, I took four weeks at half-time. August in Tel Aviv is just hot, humid and generally miserable, and by then the day camp sessions are all over, so we decided the best possible option was to just get the heck outta Dodge. Jay couldn't take the whole month off, but he was able to join us halfway through.
(5. Why do the camps close when there is still nearly a month of summer vacation left, leaving parents scrambling for childcare each summer?)
6. Since I work from home, it was as simple as taking my laptop with me.
7. Don't worry, we also had plenty of time to play.
8. And take lots and lots and LOTS of photographs. New England is an awfully photogenic corner of the world. It would be paradise if they could just do something about those neverending winters. On the other hand, if they did we'd probably never want to leave all that green and all that water to come back home to Israel.
9. We swam, and boated, and tubed, and canoed, and hiked, and toured, and flew actual planes, and enjoyed spending time with our extended family.
10. There were even loons on the lake.
11. Then the kids got the shock of a lifetime when my mother announced that she and my dad were taken my two kids and my niece to Disney World for four days. We adults had been keeping that secret for nearly six months, and they never suspected a thing.
12. They had the time of their lives, despite Hurricane Fay's dumping massive quantities of water on their heads.
13. And Jay and I had a fabulous time NOT being taken to Disney.
What? 13 already? That was quick. I could have said a lot more. (Be grateful I didn't.) Thanks for bearing with me on the numbering thing, and on the endless vacation photos thing. Normal posting should resume tomorrow. Maybe. I think. I hope. I really do hope so, because I miss having the chance to actually sit down and write something more substantial than "this is what I did on my summer vacation". Vacation posts are fine, and photography posts are much more than fine (and having the vacations to write about and photograph in the first place is even better!), but my writing muse has been bottled up for too long and is starting to get snippy. It's way past time to let her out again. Not tonight though, I've got a long overdue and very much anticipated girls night out tonight!
Happy Thursday to all of you. I hope it's a great one.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
TT - 13 Things I haven't packed yet
It's midnight on Wednesday here. The kids and I leave tomorrow night to fly to the States for a month-long visit. Here are just 13 of the many things which have yet to make it into a suitcase (notice, Mother in Israel, that I didn't say "the suitcase", it's just not gonna happen...):
1. My shoes, various pairs (sandals, sneakers, water shoes for boating, dressier sandals, crocs...)
2. Books for the kids
3. Maya's favorite toys (keeping those out until the last minute)
4. DVD player
5. Laptop
6. Camera and lenses
7. Bathing suits (oh damn, I forgot to wash them! Be right back!)
8. A sweatshirt
9. Toiletries
10. Empty water bottles to fill after we pass security
11. Itai's jeans (need to wash those too - he needed them for a play he was in tonight)
12. Maya's pajamas (have to go throw those in the dryer right now)
and last but not least, since it wouldn't be an Around the Island family trip without some kind of last minute medical emergency:
13. Loratidine for Itai - to stop the allergic reaction he just developed tonight on day NINE of penicillin. He broke out in a rash from head to toe right at bedtime. Since I've got major life-threatening drug allergies myself we didn't take any chances and ordered a doctor's home visit immediately. The doctor showed up at 10 o'clock tonight and examined Itai right in his bed - while he slept! Since I'd already had a phone consult with a doctor (love that supplemental insurance) and was pretty confident of what was happening I was clever enough (patting self on back) to make sure that the doctor arrived with a few samples of the correct medicine to save me a trip to the all-night pharmacy. I ground up the pill and dissolved it in a bit of water (it's time to teach Itai to swallow pills) and woke him up just long enough to drink it down. He'll get another dose tomorrow night and should then be fine to travel, but I'll have a stash of additional pills just in case. Never a dull moment around here. One of my children is ALWAYS, and I do mean always, sick right before a major international trip. Still, it could have been a lot worse. My own penicillin allergy put me in the hospital for a full week with a very rare and severe reaction that even today causes doctors to gasp.
I'd better get to bed now. The workers will be arriving at 5am (oh how I wish I was kidding) to finish the work on the roof and I still have a slew of packing (not to mention working) to do tomorrow.
Have a great Thursday everyone, and I'll be around to visit as soon as I can.
1. My shoes, various pairs (sandals, sneakers, water shoes for boating, dressier sandals, crocs...)
2. Books for the kids
3. Maya's favorite toys (keeping those out until the last minute)
4. DVD player
5. Laptop
6. Camera and lenses
7. Bathing suits (oh damn, I forgot to wash them! Be right back!)
8. A sweatshirt
9. Toiletries
10. Empty water bottles to fill after we pass security
11. Itai's jeans (need to wash those too - he needed them for a play he was in tonight)
12. Maya's pajamas (have to go throw those in the dryer right now)
and last but not least, since it wouldn't be an Around the Island family trip without some kind of last minute medical emergency:
13. Loratidine for Itai - to stop the allergic reaction he just developed tonight on day NINE of penicillin. He broke out in a rash from head to toe right at bedtime. Since I've got major life-threatening drug allergies myself we didn't take any chances and ordered a doctor's home visit immediately. The doctor showed up at 10 o'clock tonight and examined Itai right in his bed - while he slept! Since I'd already had a phone consult with a doctor (love that supplemental insurance) and was pretty confident of what was happening I was clever enough (patting self on back) to make sure that the doctor arrived with a few samples of the correct medicine to save me a trip to the all-night pharmacy. I ground up the pill and dissolved it in a bit of water (it's time to teach Itai to swallow pills) and woke him up just long enough to drink it down. He'll get another dose tomorrow night and should then be fine to travel, but I'll have a stash of additional pills just in case. Never a dull moment around here. One of my children is ALWAYS, and I do mean always, sick right before a major international trip. Still, it could have been a lot worse. My own penicillin allergy put me in the hospital for a full week with a very rare and severe reaction that even today causes doctors to gasp.
I'd better get to bed now. The workers will be arriving at 5am (oh how I wish I was kidding) to finish the work on the roof and I still have a slew of packing (not to mention working) to do tomorrow.
Have a great Thursday everyone, and I'll be around to visit as soon as I can.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
TT - More Randomosity
My brain is fried and full of all the inevitable minutiae that pile up before a major trip so you're getting another random brain dump this week.
1. I am not going to lose weight if I end up eating the leftover crusts of my daughter's peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
2. I can't help it - they're on Jay's delicious homemade bread and are oh so good.
3. We're loving the new juicer, and Jay's even developed a way to turn the leftover mush into really good veggie burgers.
4. He's a pretty handy guy to have around :).
5. Tomorrow a good friend is throwing herself a big 40th birthday bash.
6. I promised to bake a peach cobbler to bring with me.
7. Which means I need to buy peaches tomorrow (and eggs and a few other assorted thing).
8. But I want to get my hair colored in the morning (can anyone say "major skunk stripe going on"?).
9. So I'll have to bake after that.
10. And I promised the kids I'd take them to the pool in the afternoon.
11. Which means that my spiffy professionally blown-out hair will not make it until evening.
12. Drat.
13. Oh well, it's too hot to leave it down anyway.
Happy Thursday everyone, hope it's a great one.
1. I am not going to lose weight if I end up eating the leftover crusts of my daughter's peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
2. I can't help it - they're on Jay's delicious homemade bread and are oh so good.
3. We're loving the new juicer, and Jay's even developed a way to turn the leftover mush into really good veggie burgers.
4. He's a pretty handy guy to have around :).
5. Tomorrow a good friend is throwing herself a big 40th birthday bash.
6. I promised to bake a peach cobbler to bring with me.
7. Which means I need to buy peaches tomorrow (and eggs and a few other assorted thing).
8. But I want to get my hair colored in the morning (can anyone say "major skunk stripe going on"?).
9. So I'll have to bake after that.
10. And I promised the kids I'd take them to the pool in the afternoon.
11. Which means that my spiffy professionally blown-out hair will not make it until evening.
12. Drat.
13. Oh well, it's too hot to leave it down anyway.
Happy Thursday everyone, hope it's a great one.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
TT - Ice Cream Toppings, Bottomings and Next To's
Image courtesy of Stock Food
No, bottomings is probably not a word, but what would you call it...
Here are 13 classics to dress up your favorite scoop:
Toppings:
1. Hot fudge sauce!
2. Hot butterscotch sauce
3. Whipped cream
4. Sprinkles
5. Homemade berry syrup (blueberry, rasberry, strawberry...)
6. And of course the proverbial cherry on the top
Bottomings (there's that word again):
7. Brownies
8. Waffle cone
9. Sugar cone
10. Waffle
11. Chocolate chip cookie
12. Vanilla wafers
Next-To's:
13. A banana of course!
So, how many of you are now planning on ice cream for dessert (or even for breakfast) today?
Visit the Thursday Thirteen hub to see what everyone else is counting this week.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
TT - Raw V8 Juice
Huh? Has Robin finally fallen off her rocker? Raw V8 juice is a Thursday Thirteen? Is she NUTS?
It is in fact true (which part read on and decide for yourselves).
Why on earth am I looking at recipes for raw V8 juice? I'll tell you...
It all started a week or two ago when my husband decided that his life, and his incessant craving for carrot juice, would not be complete without owning our very own juicer. After doing some research an order was placed over a popular internet shopping site and we sat back to await our juicer. And we waited. And we waited. And still we waited. (Turns out the supplier ran out and had to get a rush shipment in from Australia.)
Well tonight The Juicer finally arrived. The first thing we tried was apple juice. Very tasty, but we didn't spend *cough cough* money on a juicer just for apple juice. Next up was carrot juice, at which point I was able to confirm my inherent dislike of plain carrot juice. I was trying to figure out what type of exotic juice I might be able to enjoy from the juicer (because really, if all I wanted was apple or orange juice it wouldn't have been necessary now, would it?) when it hit me. I used to like to drink V8 on occasion, but they don't sell it here in Israel. If I could figure out what was in it, I could make my own! Off I went to research.
I soon found that most V8 recipes call for cooking the ingredients, which may be fine but doesn't make good use of the awfully expensive juicer my husband just bought. Back to the drawing board...
I finally found it - a recipe for V8 juice that uses a juicer - perfect! Even better, it has thirteen ingredients, so perfect for this week's thirteen. (And more to the point I didn't have any better ideas, so...)
So here you go:
Raw V8 Juice
Ingredients:
1) 6 medium-sized carrots
2) 1 small beet (wash well)
3) 3 large tomatoes
4) 1 bag baby spinach
5) 1/4 head fresh cabbage
6) 1 red bell pepper
7) 1 green bell pepper
8) 3 stalks celery
9) 1/4 sweet onion
10) 1/2 clove garlic
11) A few kale leaves (go easy)
12) Chili pepper or Tabasco sauce to taste
13) Salt to taste
Juice the vegetables all together and add salt to taste.
Enjoy!
(I hope I will. I actually can't stand raw tomatoes, so I'm really hoping that the other veggies and spices overpower that awful raw tomato taste!)
Happy Thursday everyone!
It is in fact true (which part read on and decide for yourselves).
Why on earth am I looking at recipes for raw V8 juice? I'll tell you...
It all started a week or two ago when my husband decided that his life, and his incessant craving for carrot juice, would not be complete without owning our very own juicer. After doing some research an order was placed over a popular internet shopping site and we sat back to await our juicer. And we waited. And we waited. And still we waited. (Turns out the supplier ran out and had to get a rush shipment in from Australia.)
Well tonight The Juicer finally arrived. The first thing we tried was apple juice. Very tasty, but we didn't spend *cough cough* money on a juicer just for apple juice. Next up was carrot juice, at which point I was able to confirm my inherent dislike of plain carrot juice. I was trying to figure out what type of exotic juice I might be able to enjoy from the juicer (because really, if all I wanted was apple or orange juice it wouldn't have been necessary now, would it?) when it hit me. I used to like to drink V8 on occasion, but they don't sell it here in Israel. If I could figure out what was in it, I could make my own! Off I went to research.
I soon found that most V8 recipes call for cooking the ingredients, which may be fine but doesn't make good use of the awfully expensive juicer my husband just bought. Back to the drawing board...
I finally found it - a recipe for V8 juice that uses a juicer - perfect! Even better, it has thirteen ingredients, so perfect for this week's thirteen. (And more to the point I didn't have any better ideas, so...)
So here you go:
Raw V8 Juice
Ingredients:
1) 6 medium-sized carrots
2) 1 small beet (wash well)
3) 3 large tomatoes
4) 1 bag baby spinach
5) 1/4 head fresh cabbage
6) 1 red bell pepper
7) 1 green bell pepper
8) 3 stalks celery
9) 1/4 sweet onion
10) 1/2 clove garlic
11) A few kale leaves (go easy)
12) Chili pepper or Tabasco sauce to taste
13) Salt to taste
Juice the vegetables all together and add salt to taste.
Enjoy!
(I hope I will. I actually can't stand raw tomatoes, so I'm really hoping that the other veggies and spices overpower that awful raw tomato taste!)
Happy Thursday everyone!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
TT - Randomosity
1. I have no theme whatsoever this week.
2. I could have done more Shakespearean insults or crazy holidays, but I'm feeling like that's been done enough.
3. Summer colors would have been cool, but that's a lot of work. Maybe next week.
4. Same for summer recipes.
5. I'm starting to collect photos for a particularly unique TT, but it will take a while until I've got 13.
6. Jay's finally feeling better and we celebrated by getting out to hear some great music tonight.
7. We also got the sitter for next Monday so that I can enter the final year of my thirties in style.
8. Yes, that means I'm turning 39.
9. I'm surprisingly okay with that.
10. I'm planning to take the kids to the pool tomorrow.
11. The pool has a giant inflatable slide that they put straight into the water.
12. Itai loves it, and I think Maya's going to give it a try this week too. She was already done swimming by the time we found out that little ones with water wings are allowed down as long as there is a grownup in the pool to catch them.
13. I'm going to an outdoor concert Saturday night with a girlfriend - real early eighties easy listening kitsch. No, I don't think I'll admit who, but I'm embarrassingly excited about seeing them.
So that's it, my non-themed thirteen. Hope it gave you a smile and encourages you to share some news of your own in comments.
Visit the Thursday Thirteen hub to see what everyone else is counting this week.
2. I could have done more Shakespearean insults or crazy holidays, but I'm feeling like that's been done enough.
3. Summer colors would have been cool, but that's a lot of work. Maybe next week.
4. Same for summer recipes.
5. I'm starting to collect photos for a particularly unique TT, but it will take a while until I've got 13.
6. Jay's finally feeling better and we celebrated by getting out to hear some great music tonight.
7. We also got the sitter for next Monday so that I can enter the final year of my thirties in style.
8. Yes, that means I'm turning 39.
9. I'm surprisingly okay with that.
10. I'm planning to take the kids to the pool tomorrow.
11. The pool has a giant inflatable slide that they put straight into the water.
12. Itai loves it, and I think Maya's going to give it a try this week too. She was already done swimming by the time we found out that little ones with water wings are allowed down as long as there is a grownup in the pool to catch them.
13. I'm going to an outdoor concert Saturday night with a girlfriend - real early eighties easy listening kitsch. No, I don't think I'll admit who, but I'm embarrassingly excited about seeing them.
So that's it, my non-themed thirteen. Hope it gave you a smile and encourages you to share some news of your own in comments.
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Thursday, June 26, 2008
TT - 13 Summertime Cocktails
Pick your poison. Fuzzy umbrellas not included.
1. Frozen margarita
2. Daquiri
3. Cosmo
4. Tequila Sunrise
5. Appletini
6. Bloody Mary
7. Screwdriver
8. Sex on the Beach
9. Mint Julep
10. Caipirinha
11. Sangria
12. Kir Royale
13. Mimosa
So what's your favorite?
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1. Frozen margarita
2. Daquiri
3. Cosmo
4. Tequila Sunrise
5. Appletini
6. Bloody Mary
7. Screwdriver
8. Sex on the Beach
9. Mint Julep
10. Caipirinha
11. Sangria
12. Kir Royale
13. Mimosa
So what's your favorite?
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Thursday, June 19, 2008
TT - Israeli Late Night TV
It's 1:30 in the morning and since I crashed out on my daughter's floor before and ended up sleeping there for a few hours I am now distressingly wide awake. Wide awake in the wee hours + no great ideas for a Thirteen = "What's On TV Right Now". If you were looking for pithy prose this definitely isn't the day - try again on Friday when the writing prompts start. In the meantime, you get drivel:
1. Channel 3 (general entertainment) - Martha Stewart, about to be followed by Oprah
2. Bip (comedy) - The Simple Life (oh god, this is that horrible Paris Hilton thing, isn't it?)
3. Xtra Hot (more general entertainment) - Jack and Jill (just ending), followed by Arrested Development
4. AXN Action Channel - The Sentinel
5. (skipping the strictly Israeli channel since what's on won't mean anything to most of you - to those who care it's Yellow Asphalt with Moshe Ivgi)
6. Channel 8 (documentaries) - American Shopper - "Documenting the introduction of "Aisling", a new supermarket sport that promotes self-expression through creative shopping". Huh?
7. (skipping the Russian channel) Israeli Channel 10 - Ring & Win, a local game show
8. Israeli Channel 1 - How Dares The Star - culture and music
9. HOT Gold (movie channel) - The Prestige. Thriller. Rival magicians in turn of the century London battle each other for trade secrets. With Hugh Jackman.
10. HOT Fun (movie channel) - Domestic Import. Comedy. The life of a couple is in turmoil, as the Ukrainian maid they hired is only interested in finding an American husband.
11. HOT Action (movie channel) - The General's Daughter. Thriller. The daughter of a well-respected general is murdered and the investigation exposes dark secrets and corruption. With John Travolta.
12. HOT Drama (movie channel) Il Tempo dell'Amore (in English). Drama, depicting 3 impossible love stories. 1 in the South African Boer War, 2 in Occupied France, 3 in current day Italy.
13. Hallmark - Mary Bryant. Drama. Part 2: In 1788 Mary Bryant, a starving young Cornwall girl, is convicted of a petty crime and sentenced to seven years in the Australian penal colony of Botany Bay.
We've got cable so the list could go on and on (and that's only the English and Hebrew language offerings, there are also a number of foreign language channels) but there's 13 of them for you.
Now I just need to avoid getting sucked into watching any of them and force myself to go to bed! Say goodnight Gracie. G'night Gracie. (Sheesh, I must be getting tired (I hope I'm getting tired!), I'm writing utter nonsense.)
Visit Thursday Thirteen to see what other, hopefully more coherent, people are counting this week.
1. Channel 3 (general entertainment) - Martha Stewart, about to be followed by Oprah
2. Bip (comedy) - The Simple Life (oh god, this is that horrible Paris Hilton thing, isn't it?)
3. Xtra Hot (more general entertainment) - Jack and Jill (just ending), followed by Arrested Development
4. AXN Action Channel - The Sentinel
5. (skipping the strictly Israeli channel since what's on won't mean anything to most of you - to those who care it's Yellow Asphalt with Moshe Ivgi)
6. Channel 8 (documentaries) - American Shopper - "Documenting the introduction of "Aisling", a new supermarket sport that promotes self-expression through creative shopping". Huh?
7. (skipping the Russian channel) Israeli Channel 10 - Ring & Win, a local game show
8. Israeli Channel 1 - How Dares The Star - culture and music
9. HOT Gold (movie channel) - The Prestige. Thriller. Rival magicians in turn of the century London battle each other for trade secrets. With Hugh Jackman.
10. HOT Fun (movie channel) - Domestic Import. Comedy. The life of a couple is in turmoil, as the Ukrainian maid they hired is only interested in finding an American husband.
11. HOT Action (movie channel) - The General's Daughter. Thriller. The daughter of a well-respected general is murdered and the investigation exposes dark secrets and corruption. With John Travolta.
12. HOT Drama (movie channel) Il Tempo dell'Amore (in English). Drama, depicting 3 impossible love stories. 1 in the South African Boer War, 2 in Occupied France, 3 in current day Italy.
13. Hallmark - Mary Bryant. Drama. Part 2: In 1788 Mary Bryant, a starving young Cornwall girl, is convicted of a petty crime and sentenced to seven years in the Australian penal colony of Botany Bay.
We've got cable so the list could go on and on (and that's only the English and Hebrew language offerings, there are also a number of foreign language channels) but there's 13 of them for you.
Now I just need to avoid getting sucked into watching any of them and force myself to go to bed! Say goodnight Gracie. G'night Gracie. (Sheesh, I must be getting tired (I hope I'm getting tired!), I'm writing utter nonsense.)
Visit Thursday Thirteen to see what other, hopefully more coherent, people are counting this week.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
TT - June Holidays
Did you know that June is jam-packed full of holidays? I mean come on, everyone knows about Father's Day, graduations, and the gazillion wedding anniversaries, but did you know about these:
June 5 - Festival Of Popular Delusions Day (wouldn't it be better to call this "The Moon is Made of Green Cheese Day"?)
June 6 - National Applesauce Cake Day (could do worse)
June 7 - National Chocolate Ice Cream Day (getting even better now)
June 8 - Name Your Poison Day (uh oh, I hope this isn't a result of the previous two holidays)
June 9 - Donald Duck Day (now this could be fun)
June 10 - National Yo-Yo Day
June 11 - National Hug Holiday (we used to have a group here that ran around hugging people, I wonder what happened to them)
June 12 - Machine Day (are we talking coffee machines, copy machines, flying machines? How can we celebrate with such a wide mandate?)
June 13 - National Juggling Day and Kitchen Klutzes Of America Day (I sincerely hope no one is celebrating these two simultaneously)
June 14 - Pop Goes The Weasel Day (can you imagine the chaos this could cause?)
June 15 - Smile Power Day (is this replacing fossil fuels?)
June 16 - National Hollerin' Contest Day (remind me to take an excedrin that morning)
And last but not least...
June 17 - Eat Your Vegetables Day (really? they have a holiday for that?)
Hallmark is missing some great opportunities here, don't you think?
Visit the Thursday Thirteen hub to see what everyone else is counting this week.
June 5 - Festival Of Popular Delusions Day (wouldn't it be better to call this "The Moon is Made of Green Cheese Day"?)
June 6 - National Applesauce Cake Day (could do worse)
June 7 - National Chocolate Ice Cream Day (getting even better now)
June 8 - Name Your Poison Day (uh oh, I hope this isn't a result of the previous two holidays)
June 9 - Donald Duck Day (now this could be fun)
June 10 - National Yo-Yo Day
June 11 - National Hug Holiday (we used to have a group here that ran around hugging people, I wonder what happened to them)
June 12 - Machine Day (are we talking coffee machines, copy machines, flying machines? How can we celebrate with such a wide mandate?)
June 13 - National Juggling Day and Kitchen Klutzes Of America Day (I sincerely hope no one is celebrating these two simultaneously)
June 14 - Pop Goes The Weasel Day (can you imagine the chaos this could cause?)
June 15 - Smile Power Day (is this replacing fossil fuels?)
June 16 - National Hollerin' Contest Day (remind me to take an excedrin that morning)
And last but not least...
June 17 - Eat Your Vegetables Day (really? they have a holiday for that?)
Hallmark is missing some great opportunities here, don't you think?
Visit the Thursday Thirteen hub to see what everyone else is counting this week.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
TT - Uncooked Stirfry
Necessity is dictating my list this week. Here are 13 ingredients I have prepped and ready to go for the stir-fry dish I'm trying to cook for dinner tonight. Only catch is that Maya still hasn't fallen asleep so I can't go do it yet. In the meantime, Jay HAS fallen asleep as he put Itai to bed and I'm nodding off here myself. This doesn't bode well for dinner...
1. Multi-color noodles (I'd wanted fried rice but we're completely overstocked on noodles right now and I needed to whittle down some bulk in the pantry.)
2. Leftover cooked meat
3. Broccoli
4. Carrots
5. Oyster mushrooms
6. Green beans
7. Cashews
8. Fresh corn
9. Freshly grated ginger (or at least it was a few hours ago)
10. Garlic
11. Scallions
12. Assorted sauces (soy, hoisin, black bean and garlic, mirin, etc.)
13. Cornstarch and water for thickening
Sigh...
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1. Multi-color noodles (I'd wanted fried rice but we're completely overstocked on noodles right now and I needed to whittle down some bulk in the pantry.)
2. Leftover cooked meat
3. Broccoli
4. Carrots
5. Oyster mushrooms
6. Green beans
7. Cashews
8. Fresh corn
9. Freshly grated ginger (or at least it was a few hours ago)
10. Garlic
11. Scallions
12. Assorted sauces (soy, hoisin, black bean and garlic, mirin, etc.)
13. Cornstarch and water for thickening
Sigh...
Update: She did eventually fall asleep, but by then Jay was a lost cause so I ended up with dinner for one. Better luck next time.
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Thursday, May 22, 2008
TT - 13 Things I'm Taking On Our Lag B'Omer Campout
Tonight (Thursday night) is Lag B'Omer, a Jewish holiday celebrated among secular Israelis primarily by the lighting of bonfires in fields and vacant lots all over the country. Last year we saw nine different fires just on our block. (Yes, I have asthma, and yes, this is a particularly delightful evening. I'm already taking preventive meds.)
This year we've decided to upgrade a bit and are hitting the beach with a couple of my son's friends and their families for a bonfire and campout. (Yes, this means that camping at the festival last weekend went well.)
Here are thirteen things we'll be bringing with us (if you're wondering why obvious items like coals for the grill are left out it's because one of the other families are bringing them):
1. Wood of course
2. Two tents (we'll be buying a single larger tent in the States this summer)
3. Two double air mattresses (comfort makes camping a lot more pleasant for this mama)
4. Four sleeping bags
5. Two sets of sheets (adult sleeping bags will be used as "blankets", kids' bags are just for lying on blankets under the stars before we head to bed
6. Indonesian sate-style chicken and hot dogs for the grill
7. A small grill
8. Loads of Israeli salads - hummus (fancy adult version + plain kids' version), red cabbage salad, and tomato and red pepper matbucha salad
9. Pump for air mattresses
10. Bathings suits
11. Sinai carpets (beach blankets)
12. Beach toys
13. Marshmellows!
Visit the Thursday Thirteen hub to see what everyone else is counting this week.
This year we've decided to upgrade a bit and are hitting the beach with a couple of my son's friends and their families for a bonfire and campout. (Yes, this means that camping at the festival last weekend went well.)
Here are thirteen things we'll be bringing with us (if you're wondering why obvious items like coals for the grill are left out it's because one of the other families are bringing them):
1. Wood of course
2. Two tents (we'll be buying a single larger tent in the States this summer)
3. Two double air mattresses (comfort makes camping a lot more pleasant for this mama)
4. Four sleeping bags
5. Two sets of sheets (adult sleeping bags will be used as "blankets", kids' bags are just for lying on blankets under the stars before we head to bed
6. Indonesian sate-style chicken and hot dogs for the grill
7. A small grill
8. Loads of Israeli salads - hummus (fancy adult version + plain kids' version), red cabbage salad, and tomato and red pepper matbucha salad
9. Pump for air mattresses
10. Bathings suits
11. Sinai carpets (beach blankets)
12. Beach toys
13. Marshmellows!
Visit the Thursday Thirteen hub to see what everyone else is counting this week.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
No TT for me this week - we're off to the festival!
We're leaving this afternoon (Thursday) for our annual pilgrimage to the Jacob's Ladder Folk Festival and to top it off thanks to the overwhelming greed of the onsite hotel now that our kids are old enough we're back to camping this year.
Two nights and two days of great music, friends, fun in the sun, and loads more great music, capped off by two nights in a tent. Wish us luck, we haven't camped at the festival since before we had kids! In fact, we've only camped one night since, when Maya was only 1.5, and it, umm, didn't go well. Now that she's 3 years older it should be a different story. We hope...
Be back Saturday night. Have a great weekend everyone.
Two nights and two days of great music, friends, fun in the sun, and loads more great music, capped off by two nights in a tent. Wish us luck, we haven't camped at the festival since before we had kids! In fact, we've only camped one night since, when Maya was only 1.5, and it, umm, didn't go well. Now that she's 3 years older it should be a different story. We hope...
Be back Saturday night. Have a great weekend everyone.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
TT - Israel's 60th Independence Day - 8 May 2008
This is what Independence Day looks like in my neighborhood. Despite everything, more flags are flying today than I've seen in years. Here are thirteen of them.
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Thursday, May 1, 2008
TT - Dream Jobs
I didn't see the alphabet theme until after this was written but I figured what the hell, I've never been all that great at following instructions anyway.
13 jobs I'd love to have:
1. Wealthy lady of leisure (a girl can dream, can't she?)
2. Wealthy retiree (notice a theme here?)
2. Wealthy retiree (notice a theme here?)
3. Travel writer
4. Restaurant critic
5. Menu developer
6. Editor for anything more interesting than what I'm doing now
7. Freelance writer with large backlog (no sense leaving things to chance now)
8. Blogger extraordinaire - one of the few who are actually making a living from blogging
9. Stay-at-home mom without the huge cut in income that would entail
10. Professional vagabond long-term traveler
11. Buyer for a high end housewares/design store
12. Photographer (with the commensurate skills)
13. Staff lactation consultant at a salary I could afford to accept
What would your dream job be?
Visit the Thursday Thirteen hub to see what everyone else is counting this week.
Visit the Thursday Thirteen hub to see what everyone else is counting this week.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
TT - and now, the C's
(Yes, my parents are still here. I'll be back to something wordier next week. We're having a great visit, but it's definitely cutting down on my blogging time.)
They just don't write them like this anymore... Shakespearean insults - the C's.
My favorite is #2. What's yours?
- Canker Of A Calm World And A Long Peace
- Caterpillar Of The Commonwealth
- Cittern-Head
- Clamorous Harbinger Of Blood And Death
- Clay-Brained Guts
- Clod Of Wayward Marl
- Close Contriver Of All Harms
- Cock'red Silken Wanton
- Cream-Fac'd Loon
- Creeping Venomed Thing
- Crooked-Pated Old Cuckoldy Ram
- Curl'd-Pate Ruffian
- Cutter-Off Of Nature's Wit
Have you Thirteened this week?
Thursday, April 10, 2008
TT - How to identify witches, and other very important lessons
It just doesn't get any better than Monty Python, does it?
Enjoy.
1. She's A Witch
2. Bring Out Your Dead
3. Three Questions
4. The Black Knight
5. Coconuts (but of course)
6. Holy Hand Grenade
7. Always Look On The Bright Side of Life (are you singing along yet?)
8. I told them we already got one!
9. Bigus Dickus
10. The People's Front of Judea
11. The Ministry of Silly Walks
12. The Fish Slapping Dance
13. The Cheese Shop
Have a great week everyone. I've got my parents visiting so it may take me a while to visit all of you, but I'll get there.
Visit Thursday Thirteen to see what everyone else is counting this week.
Enjoy.
1. She's A Witch
2. Bring Out Your Dead
3. Three Questions
4. The Black Knight
5. Coconuts (but of course)
6. Holy Hand Grenade
7. Always Look On The Bright Side of Life (are you singing along yet?)
8. I told them we already got one!
9. Bigus Dickus
10. The People's Front of Judea
11. The Ministry of Silly Walks
12. The Fish Slapping Dance
13. The Cheese Shop
Have a great week everyone. I've got my parents visiting so it may take me a while to visit all of you, but I'll get there.
Visit Thursday Thirteen to see what everyone else is counting this week.
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