This just in........

The long awaited www.stuffonmymutt.com was just launched today. It joins its sister site, www.stuffonmycat.com after two years of dog owners lamenting the injustice of not having an equal.

Marian - a few pages in on stuffonmycat there is a shout out to Elvis you must see!

Dogwoods and azaleas and pollen! Oh my!

Growing up in Buffalo, I never understood what was so great about spring. It wasn’t warm and it certainly was not pretty. And those omnipresent piles of muddy, gravelly snow that took so long to melt certainly didn’t add any beauty to the season. Spring has definitely sprung here in Atlanta. It is simply gorgeous. Dogwoods, azaleas, cherry trees, jasmine, wisteria and more have bloomed like floral fireworks over the last two weeks. This being the first spring in our new place, it has been fun to see things come alive in our own yard. I didn’t even know that we had azaleas and dogwoods on our property until now. I am well aware of the fact that if I suffered from allergies I wouldn’t be so chipper about the whole situation.

Any allergy sufferers reading this will be cursing me in between nose blowings. That is only if their watery eyes didn’t prevent them from seeing this post. I can just hear it. “Beautiful?! This sadist thinks spring is *&^%ing b YOO ti ful?! Obviously she has never spent 3 consecutive months wanting to claw her own eyes out.” The pollen count is above 5000 now and apparently a count of 150 is normally considered high. It may as well be snowing pollen out there because everyone’s car is a lovely shade of chartreuse. So to my allergy suffering friends and family, I send my condolences. And to my parents, I send thanks, for not passing on any allergy suffering genes.

You go Mom!

Apparently the snow in WNY has been pretty relentless despite a late start to winter. Mom has had enough of the snow and the resulting bills from the plowing service. She said that they got a few inches of snow Saturday morning. Enough to muck up the parking lot but not enough - in her opinion - to pay for another plowing. So she and Libby hopped in the car and drove around the parking lot in the Tahoe to mash it down.

This cracked me up. Mom's thinking outside the bun. And the dog is all excited to be in the car "going for a ride" but probably very confused as to why they weren't actually leaving the house.

Green - Check. Plans? What plans?

This time last year I was goofing off in Boston with Sara and Marian. Randy was doing his thing in Chicago with Mac and Lee. Today finds us both in Atlanta dealing with some evil cold-type crud (which I lovingly shared with him) with no Saint Patrick's Day Plans whatsoever. I am wearing my green though. So should we get a sudden rush of energy, ignore the wheezing, snotty congestion, and head out to join the St. Patricks Day revelry - I won't have to change my shirt.

Suggestions anyone?

I just finished Chronicle of a Death Foretold and am now starting Amy Tan's The Hundred Secret Senses. (BTW, if any of my astute friends out there would like to correct me on how I am referencing books, I don't mind. Those basic lessons from grade school are escaping me now.......) I am looking for suggestions on what to read next. Something.........billowy. Actually, I am not looking for billowy, I just hadn't used that Napoleon Dynamite reference in a while. How about something that is thought provoking and makes you want to jump into bed early to read another chapter? Please post your suggestions to comments so that everyone can benefit from your reading prowess.

Ah yes. So the masses that read my blog can benefit. Now there's a good one!

Lifetime Ban on Dekalb Industrial Ave NTB

Don't tell my Dad or my Brother but my car was long overdue for an oil change. This morning I had a simple plan to remedy that situation. Use the coupon on the fridge for the NTB ($12.99 - what a bargain!), be there when they open at 7am, be the first in and the first out, and be at work no later than 8am. I even called NTB last night to confirm what time they opened and that - if I was the first in - I could be done in "about 30 minutes." Yup - about 30 minutes.

So I pull up to the NTB this morning at 6:59am and the lights - in what appears to be the store -are off. The walk way wears a banner saying "WE DO OIL CHANGES." I am starting to wonder if that is true since, not only do I not see people inside, I don't see any bays into which you could pull in a car. But hey, people are late, I'm late sometimes too. That is cool. I am encouraged that I am in the right place when I start seeing other cars pull into the lot - one of which parks beside me presumably waiting for signs of life as well. So at 7:08 the lights come on inside. I enter the store and the man in charge continues doing his thing behind the counter and gives me the customer sheet to complete. I complete the information, omitting my phone number since I will be waiting on the premises for the car. He punches in my information into the computer and then points to the field I left blank and says with an attitude "uh.........phone number?" I give him the number and when I decline the super duper engine cleaning additive for an additional $4.99 he lets out a light sigh making it apparent that he believes I am making a poor decision. Since it is suddenly obvious that I was being too generous in cutting this man any slack, I tally the offenses in my head and we are standing at Strike 3.

I think to myself ...........even though it is pricey, the people at Jiffy Lube are much nicer and are actually open when they are supposed to be. And there is a coffee shop across the street from the Jiffy Lube too. Darn it - I shoulda just gone there. But I am here now and I will just deal with my choice.

Man in charge says "let's go check out your car." We walk outside together and he checks the tread depth on my tires. I appreciate the courtesy check but find it a little suspicious that all he inspects are the tires..........I guess I should not be shocked as this is National Tire and Battery. After I give him the exact mileage on the car he says nothing and I follow him back inside. He takes my key, I sign the paperwork, and at 7:25 some one retrieves my car to take it to the mystery shop to do the much needed oil change.

I sit. I sit patiently. As tempted as I was by the tattered NOV 2003 issue of Better Homes and Gardens, I chose to read my book. At 7:55am the service technician comes out to show me my dirty air filter (which they do not have in stock) and recommend a transmission flush. He is polite and I thank him for letting me know. I am silently grateful that he refrains from any scolding sighs when I don't demand that they flush the transmission immediately. At 8:05am my car is returned to the parking lot and the service technician deposits my file at the front desk which is currently unattended since the Man in Charge is out in the parking lot scoping out someone else's tires. I wait by the desk and when MIC returns he says - with aforementioned attitude in tact - "I'll be with you in a minute." While I am waiting, a new employee appears and he motions for her to cash me out. She does not say "hello," "thank you for waiting," or anything of the sort. All she says to me is "$18.50."

Thinking that Cash must certainly be the least painful way to get my ass out of this store in a quick manner I hand over $20. She steps over to another drawer and proceeds to start digging for the change but comes up with only a handful of pennies because apparently the cash drawer was never prepared. Meanwhile, MIC has finished with the other customer and directs the assistant to wait for the cash drawer. He disappears into the adjacent office and I begin to hear the plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink plink of him counting change. At this point I am so tempted to read this man the riot act about the poor experience I have had with NTB but know that will get me nowhere as this is the same person who thinks it is acceptable to 1) open late 2) belittle customers and 3) cop an attitude. I can no longer disguise my annoyance and with a tone of disbelief in my voice I say"Excuse me sir - are you counting out the drawer?" Blatantly lying, since there is no way that making $1.50 in change required so much plinking, he says "No ma'am I am making your change." The plinking stops, he reappears, places the dollar bill and two quarters in my hand. I say thank you and leave at 8:15am. Never to return.

Again - apologies for the rant. But hopefully you will find some humor in here. I bet NTB will think it hilarious........

Tips & Tunes

We had a few unanticipated successes in the kitchen over the weekend so I thought I would share some (albeit unsolicited) Moore kitchen secrets.

• Add a little instant pancake mix to your scrambled eggs / omelettes and they will be a little fluffier. An added bonus IMO is that it also seems to get rid of that funky dog breath aroma that scrambled eggs sometimes have. I realize you all might be reading that last sentence thinking WTF? If you haven't already tuned out, I used one heaping tsp of Aunt Jemima Complete for 6 large eggs. I think that a server at IHOP tipped us off on this one. BTW - the County Omelette at IHOP is unbelievable. (Hash browns, Ham, Cheddar with Sour Cream on the side......)
• Don't throw away that uneaten baked potato. Slice it up the next morning and saute with onions and a little butter for easy breffis 'tatoes!
• Speaking of baked potatoes - here is a trick I think we learned from Randy's Mom. Poke holes in the 'tato with a fork. Microwave on high until soft to the touch (about 6 min for an average Idaho.) Wrap tightly in foil and the steam will cook it the rest of the way - wait at least 10-15 min. It stays hot for quite a while and is ready when you are. You get oven-baked fluffy without the time commitment.
• Quick and Easy salad dressing that goes great with Greek Salad - found on the inside of a Feta container....3T Olive Oil, 2T Red Wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp Pepper, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 large pressed garlic clove. Mix together all ingredients. We didn't have Red Wine Vinegar but found that Cider Vinegar worked really well.
• If you hate chopping onions - get a pair of onion goggles - or I bet swim goggles work just as well if you have 'em. You will NOT be driven to tears.
• When making chocolate chip cookies - or any cookies that call for softened butter - do not use melted butter. It will completely change the texture and the look of the cookie. If you don't have time to wait for it to soften on its own - use the defrost setting on your nuker and go no more then 20 seconds at a time.
• and last but not least - if you have to be in the kitchen but would rather be anywhere BUT - crank up some good tunes. I downloaded the latest Shins album today and it is pretty darn good. I am really digging the song Sea Legs.

OK - enough of the Betty Crocker business.

Auntie Em! Uncle Henry! Toto! It's a Twister!

Tornado Watch until 9pm tonight.

Goofy has a downside

Yesterday I called Kim when I heard Sir Mixalot on the radio – we have some thing about that song even though I am not sure what that thing is.

K:  (Quietly) Poops, is that you?

D: (With unbridled enthusiasm) MY ANACONDA DON’T WANT NONE UNLESS YOU GOT BUNS HON!

K: Um, yeah, I’m in Chicago and you’re on speaker phone with my Aunt and my Niece.

Oops.

She went on to tell me that the song reminds her of Randy at our wedding.  I am overflowing with pride.