Pie Me

Are there any other Baker's Square fans out there? Matt and I go there almost once a week. I'm not kidding. My favorite dish is the slow-roasted turkey focaccia, dressing on the side. Sometimes I get coleslaw, sometimes fries. Mmmmmm. Matt gets the patty melt, substitute a Boca patty. And always fries. And a Coke. I don't know why it's so good, but it is. The food is fresh, and the service is almost always super-pleasant. And then there's the pie. I never eat pie (except at Christmas-time when we visit Matt's family and it is one of the only non meat-based items. Yeah, I know I eat turkey, but I'm really picky otherwise. I won't eat cows. Or chickens cause they're all veiny. Back to the pie-), except at Baker's Square. Remember when it was called the Poppin Fresh Pie House? My family still calls it that. The best pie they sell is a rare pie called , um, crap, I forgot. But it's really good. I never get fruit pies, unless pumpkin is a fruit. I like me some pumpkin pie. And French silk. And caramel something supreme. And the peanut butter chocolate one.

You know, when I was writing this in my head last night it was a lot funnier. Oh well. At least I got to talk about pie.

Halloweens

Today is the day when kids trick-or-treat in my town. We have it during the day on the Sunday before Halloween. I can't decide if that sucks or not. I used to love trick-or-treating in the dark, but I wouldn't make it home in time from work these days to greet the treaters. One of the best things about owning a house is greeting trick-or-treaters. Matt and I deliberate over what candies will be the most popular. Sponge Bob Crabby Patties are big every year. 100 Grand are not so popular, except with me. I have had several already today. That is why we can only buy our Halloween candy on the weekend of Halloween. Because I will eat it all. Excpet for the Crabby Patties. Gross. Boogery burgers. Happy Halloween!

Chow Cow

Of course I didn't go to the gym. I am so out of the gym loop. I suck. I hate myself for it. So I eat. I'm eating pretzels now. Butts. My fave instructor at the gym has changed her Monday class to something I think I'll like, so maybe I'll go next Monday. We shall see.

Someone asked where the pic of me with the Pop-tart box is from. Matt and I went to the Kellogg's place in Battle Creek, MI this summer. It was a rip off. You had to pay to get in, and for every other thing, and the tour was a fake. Nothing was even made there. And all they gave us when we left was a mini box of Frosted Flakes. The Spam museum was ay better- and free. How I do love life on the road...

Glassy Assy

Yesterday I went to a Young Adult Literature Conference (as a librarian, not as an author). It was in Naperville, which, with no traffic, is an hour away from my house. About 3/4 of the way there, nearing a toll area, a rock flew from the back of a truck into my sunroof (which was closed). I looked up, and the sunroof was completely shattered. I closed the cover and crossed about 80 lanes to get to an oasis that was approaching (For those who don't know, an oasis is a roadside place with fast food, bathroom, gas station, etc. Very handy). I pulled in and looked at my sunroof, way frazzled. I was hoping someone would come over and ask if everything was OK, but no one did. There were some guys filling their truck with gas, so I went over and asked if they could look at the sunroof. I wanted to know if they thought it was still OK to drive. I don't know where they were from- they spoke to each other in another language, possibly Russian or French (I know, they sound nothing alike)- and one of the guys came over and said I would have to smash all of the glass in or else it would fall on my head. He wanted me to do this myself. When I made a face like I was afraid, he said he'd help me. So there we were, in my car smashing the sunroof out, shards of glass falling all over. When we finished the guy left, and he didn't even want any money. SOOOOO nice. I spent the next half hour vacuuming my car out. Then I cried. I was happy to have so much luck (for not getting hurt) and help, and it was really scary to think about all of the things that could have happened. So I went to the conference. But I wasn't in the mood. So I didn't really talk to anyone authorly people who I could have kibitzed with because my editor has worked with them, plus Matt just finished illustrating a book for one of the authors. When the reader's theater started, I decided I wasn't in the mood to hear a story and I drove home. And then it rained. All of the way home. Into my broken sunroof. It didn't get in the car, but it soaked the fabric. What a day.
Did you know there is caffeine in Jelly Bellys? I don't know if it's every bean or just the cappuccino. Crap. I better stop eating them in the evening.
Tomorrow is Yom Kippur, and I will spend the day revising the ending to my novel. I thought the process was over, but, alas, it goes on. I hope I do an OK job. I also hope I finish. I suppose it's a form of atoning?

TV!TV!TV!

I am trying really hard (ie. not very hard) to work on my novel revision, but Roseanne is on. I just love this show. It's realistic and funny and sad. John Goodman is truly my favorite actor. This is my last day of freedom (my work contract starts tomorrow), so I might as well get rid of my guilt. If that were only possible.

Sooooo- Project Runway. Last night's show was very upsetting. I think it was a bad idea for the producers to bring family members on the show, and even worse for them to make others design for them. People were mean, and no one's family members need to see their children being insulted by obnoxious design people. It took away a lot of the show's fun. They better make up for it next week.

Tobin is on my lap, purring while I type this. I will definitely miss this when I go back to work. He is so mellow and sweet in the morning. At night, he gets the crazy attack bites. Today will also be my last day of official vacation hang-out time with my mom. We have had such a wonderful time together this summer. We even went to the Jelly Belly Factory in Wisconsin! It was tasty and fun. I bought Matt roasted garlic flavored jelly beans (which I later regretted because they made his breath smell like a garlic tire. I forced him to brush, floss, and use Listerine that night).

I am now going to turn off the TV for a half hour so I can work on my book. Can I do it???

Traveling Blues

I miss Toronto. I think I just miss the freedom of the road. That sounds so cheesy, doesn't it? I look at cars with out of state license plates, and I feel jealous. I do have to admit though that I am getting excited about going back to work. I have some redesigning of the library to do. And I can't wait to see my kids again. Woo woo!

So I've been looking up plane fares. First: Toronto. Cheap! About $200. Perhaps a long weekend in October? Second: Greenville, SC where Matt and I go to visit his family every year. Over $350!!! Whatever! How can that be? And if we want to go from O'Hare to G-ville to my parents' house in Florida, then home again- over $700 a ticket!!! I could go to Europe for that. What is going on? Is it the gas? Supply and demand? Oy.

Today was a mega eating day. I had a taffy apple, which was OK. I couldn't concentrate on it since I was watching TV. I should have savored it. Speaking of TV- how amazing is Roseanne? Definitely my favorite sitcom of all time. I will miss the morning double feature when I have to go back to work.