The Beer Belt! Holds up to 6 beers at once! Or cans, if you prefer. No longer will you have to worry about your stupid, drunk friends trying to knock your beer out of your hand.
I don’t drink beer and, even if I did, why would I need room for six cans/bottles on this belt? Save some for later, I guess. The sad thing is that I actually have friends who would consider this one of the greatest inventions of the modern age. Oy.
To buy for a friend as a joke (or for reals) visit Urban Outfitters.
I was looking for a background for my computer today and thought that I’d see if I could find a cute rat picture. Yes, that said “rat” and wasn’t a typo. I have two rats as pets, Ratsy and Squidgie, who we’ve raised since they were babies (a couple months now). They’re adorable and much more affectionate than any of the cats I’ve previously had. They’ll sit with me and love being held and petted.
Anyway, what prompted me to write about them was the type of backgrounds I came across during my search. I typed in things like “cute rats”, “funny rat”, “baby rat” and, while I did get some semi-cute pictures, I mainly got pictures of dead rats in traps and/or rat trap logos.
I know that wild rats are very different from pet rats but still – there’s nothing funny or cute about a dead rat whose head is smooshed in a trap. Rats are very intelligent creatures and can be wonderful, friendly pets if raised in proper care. They’re silly, of course – at least mine are. And they go into heat every four days or so. (Yes, we have two girls and yes, they still get “frisky”.) Still, I wouldn’t trade them for anything. If you’re thinking about getting a pet consider getting a baby rat. They’re very low-maintenance and amazingly loving. Viva la rata!
My husband and I got married in April of this year and have been very happy. That doesn’t mean that we are perfect, however, or that we don’t have differences. One of our main differences is the way that we express our love.
I would like to give a huge thanks to our friend Mandy who gave us this “The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate” for my bridal shower. We didn’t actually go through it until more recently, when we had an argument, but we both found it very beneficial to our relationship.
What I like about the book is that it doesn’t establish gender roles. Nowhere in the book does the author state, “Men are from here and women are from over there,” or any of that drivel. Rather, it gives fives “love languages” which are genderless. These languages are quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. Ryan and I express love differently and want to receive love differently. This book helped us realize some things we can do, knowing how we each like to give and receive love, to strengthen our relationship. The fact that he went through the thing with me shows love in and of itself!
If you’re looking for a book to strengthen your relationships, I would highly recommend this one. There are activities that you and your spouse can do together to determine your love languages and to share them with each other. And for $14.99, it’s much cheaper and more fulfilling than therapy would ever be!
Where does the time go? It seems like I just got married a month or two ago, then our honeymoon, a bunch of work, and WHAM! Here are the holidays already! How can it seriously almost be Thanksgiving??
Am I the only one who feels like the holidays shouldn’t be here quite yet? I guess I’m still not used to having sunshine and 70 degrees this time of the year, having grown up in Michigan with significant weather changes around the holidays. It’s not that I dislike the weather, of course. It just seems that it allows the holidays to sneak up on me a lot easier. Holidays are the jerk in school who creeps up behind you and gives you the atomic wedgie except that, in this instance, the pain you feel is the realization that you have to go to the mall with the other 70% of the population who put off getting their gifts as well.
I have never made it a secret that people annoy me. “I hate people” is a catchphrase that should be inscribed on my…I don’t know, tombstone? It’s not that I hate people in particular – it’s not personal. It’s just that you get in my way by going 1mph blocking the whole aisle of traffic at Target; you decide to wait until your entire order has been rung up to write a check; you don’t know how to discipline your children and allow them to scream and run through the store.
I don’t make the mistake of thinking that I’m perfect. Far from it. But I know how to put one foot in front of the other to get out of peoples’ way while I’m deciding between the “I’m with Stupid” t-shirt and the “No Fear” t-shirt for Billybob. I don’t write checks unless it’s from the comfort of my own home. And if I had children, they would either be under control or under the care of a principal at one of those “send your kids to be disciplined” schools.
The main thing I’m thankful for every year is also the thing that annoys me most: people. However, the people in those two categories are drastically different. And I’m thankful even more that the people I appreciate do not cross the line into sheer annoyance. Yes, I know, it’s a miracle that I have friends.
I went to the grocery store recently with my husband and we purchased some Kellogg’s Protein Water mix. I know that a lot of people have complained that the stuff doesn’t actually help you lose weight – that wasn’t my goal. I like the idea of replacing some of my daily water intake with something that’s water-like but tastes good. Plus it honestly makes me less hungry between meals.
Sure, it has some sugar and about 30 calories per packet. It only has 5g of protein and 5g of fiber. I could probably drink a glass of milk and be healthier but milk isn’t helping me drink 64 oz. of water per day. Plus I really like the flavor of the protein water.
When did picking water get so damn confusing, anyway? Flavored or unflavored, sparkling or “still”, bottled or tap or filtered tap…. I remember when I was a kid (this was not that long ago) and I would sometimes drink from the hose in the summer if I was running around in the yard. Yesterday I read a report that drinking from the hose may increase your lead exposure. So does drinking tap water if you have pipes that are over a certain age. Great….
No wonder it’s so confusing to pick out a bottle of water. Too bad you’re typically getting something that came from a tap anyway.
But I digress…the purpose of this article is point out to those who believe that protein water is a scam that just about everything you buy is wrapped up in a scam by the corporation shilling it out to you. It’s up to you to make an informed decision about the product. Do I think that protein water by itself will help you lose weight? No, absolutely not. But their claim that it makes you “feel full longer” is definitely true, at least for me. Is it the most nutritious drink out there? Again, no, but it tastes great and is better than a lot of other things you could have. As studies have shown, most every food can have good and bad effects on people so you might as well eat as nutritiously as you can while also enjoying what you eat. For me, that includes the occasional glass of protein water.
I discovered last Thursday that there are no jobs in the department I work in that would ever require a Master’s degree. While it never hurts to get a higher degree, it’s not something that I really want to do for “me” at this point in my life. Right now, the only reason why I’d want to get one is to increase my chances of moving up in the company. Since it isn’t necessary for that, I don’t see the point in spending the time.
Maybe that’s just the slacker in me coming out. I guess if I didn’t have to work then, yeah, I’d be excited to go back to school and take my time figuring out what I’d like to do with my career. But I already have a career that I enjoy and we can’t afford for me not to work. So, until it gets to a “have to get one” breaking point for my career, I guess I’m content.
Two of our friends, Seth & Mandy, got engaged last night. Mandy sent me a text message this morning to share the happy news. I know she’s been hoping for this for a while so I’m happy that it worked out. They’re both great people and they make a very cute couple. Congrats to the two of you! 
For anyone who’s interested, the potato soup I made last night (see Recipe: Slow Cooker Potato Soup) was great! I need to cut the potatoes smaller next time, but the flavor was wonderful! I added a lot of salt-free seasoning, extra black pepper, tarragon, and peri-peri pepper mix.
In addition to the soup, I marinated two chicken breast steaks in a flavorful rub, grilled them, and then put them in the refrigerator to chill for a while. Once the soup was ready, I cut the chicken into little strips and put them in a large bowl with salad mix, sliced grape tomatoes, croutons, and a bit of low-fat parmesan cheese. The salad and the soup turned out wonderfully and I have leftovers for today!
