Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Puttering Around on a Saturday
A quick note – Gordon Anderson from the Herald is participating in a St. Baldrick’s event at Local Joe’s on July 12th — he’s gonna have his head shaved for charity!!! The event raises money to support children with cancer. So — click here to read his blog about it — the post has a link to where you can donate to help him meet his pledge goal of $500!!! Just a couple bucks from a lot of people will do it…………won’t you spare a little for a great cause (and for the chance to see Gordon go bald)????
I have been going through some “issues” lately — nothing too serious or ominous, but I have had some wake up calls that are loudly reminding me to make healthier choices in my life so that you all can enjoy my blogging for a lot of years to come (that statement was far more dramatic than it needed to be, but I do have a flare for the drama)!!! Anyway — I did a few things today in keeping with that thought! First, I went to the Farmer’s Market on my way to my hair appt this morning (more on that later) and picked up 1/2 dozen ears of corn, a couple sweet onions, and a handful of small new potatoes – all for a total of $3.75!!!! When lunch time came, I went to Cafe 121 and had a GREAT Asian salad and passed on the dessert (I did go ahead and had my usual sweet tea, though). For an early dinner (about 4:00), I steamed a couple ears of the corn — it was DELICIOUS!!!! I had planned to roast it on the grill, but it was too hot to fire up the grill and stand outside over an open flame for 2 ears of corn……so, I steamed it in the microwave!
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To steam corn in the microwave: shuck the corn, wrap the whole ear in a paper towel, soak it in water and squeeze out the excess, then put it in the microwave – two ears took 2 minutes – careful taking them out of the microwave and taking the paper towels off — they are VERY hot from the steam – the wet paper towel perfectly steams the corn and keeps it nice and moist!!! Good!!!
I was going to roast the new potatoes with some onion to have with the corn, but I decided to wait until tomorrow to have that part!!! Since I only had a salad for lunch, no breakfast, and an early dinner of just the corn, I was a little hungry about 7:00 — I thought very seriously about getting in the car and going to the Dairy Bar for a banana split, but squelched that urge with a Lean Cuisine Spaghetti and Meatballs meal I had in the freezer……………good girl, Kim, good girl!!!!
So – about the hair appt…….I went to get my hair done and very bravely just said “summer it up – surprise me” and only said that I liked bangs and I need it to not be able to blow into my face when the riding around with the top down — other than that, I wasn’t fussy!!! Well, I got a very nice cut – short, but not too short, with lots of body, bangs, and feathered nicely around the face so that whatever direction it blows from, there is no hair long enough to reach my eyes!!! Cool……. There aren’t many stylists that you can go in and say “surprise me” and not be sorry afterwards, but I was actually thinking to myself that if it turned out to be a horrible mistake, I could always join Gordon at Local Joe’s on the 12th, shave it off, and buy a nice wardrobe of wigs to fix it (but, wait – will a wig stay on with the top down on the pony – rut ro – might have been a gamble that I wouldn’t have been happy with…..)!!! ha-ha-ha But, Janee at Marcello’s is one that you can trust with a statement like that — she’s good!! I haven’t been to her in years – I used to have her do my hair a long time ago…..I just decided to see what she could do to give me a new look for the summer and I am happy with the result. It is really not THAT much different than I usually wear it — just a little shorter, a little different shape — not drastic!!!
It has also been a while since the inside of the pony has been cleaned – I mean really cleaned! I keep the outside looking nice, but haven’t gotten into the interior for a while! So – I popped in to GT’s on the corner of Horner and Wicker and had them do a good inside and out job on it!!! Man, it looks like a new car!!! They really did an outstanding job — and all for only $15.00 plus a little for the tip jar!!! I think I’ll be stopping in there more often!!!
The weather held out this week so that the Top Notch folks were able to finish my deck — it is all stained and looks great!! I was impressed by Top Notch Pressure Washing! I wanted to have my house cleaned and my deck needed to be stained and sealed, but I didn’t know who to call. I looked in the yellow pages, figuring I would need to call two different people for the two jobs, but noticed the ad for Top Notch that said they do both things (and more)!!! I am leery of pressure washing cause if someone comes in and isn’t careful, they can damage the vinyl siding — so I read all the ads over good for the word “licensed and insured” — they had both those words — AND, I have seen their truck in my neighborhood several times, so I took a chance and called them. I left a message and they called me right back that evening, came out the next day and left a quote in my mailbox, got me on their calendar within a week, and came when they said they would!!!! AND – did a very good job!!!! The deck looks like new — I chose a Natural Cedar color — very nice!!!
So – Friday evening, I was out putting all my deck and patio furniture back where it belongs and thought about how I never went to Big Bloomers to get some hanging plants for around the patio and deck — I always get several to add some color and appeal to my seating area! But, I just haven’t felt up to doing some of that this year and now I’m wondering if it is too late to bother!! If it is going to be a hot, dry summer, then maybe it isn’t worth the expense and trouble just to watch them die – yes, I water them every day, but they really like the rain and don’t like the intense heat and sun with no occassional rain to refresh them — I just don’t know — I do enjoy having them, though — maybe I’ll get some in the next week or so……
Well, it is about time to go to bed — the girls are all snoring around my feet and every once in a while one will look up at me and let out a little sigh or whimper wondering when we’re going to bed!!!
Movie Review – Get Smart
Its the old ‘bored on a Friday night, so wanted to go do something and decided to see a movie’ trick!
Going to the movies at night cost me an arm and a leg! Would you believe three fingers and an ear?
This was an attempt to make you laugh with my Maxwell Smart-isms! I missed it by that much!
Seriously — I LOVED the old TV series, Get Smart – it was one of my favorites when I was a kid. But, I was leery of the movie! First, cause it stars Steve Carell – I don’t particularly like his type of humor! Second, cause I was concerned it would be a bad attempt at copying a classic! But, I was bored tonight and really needed to find something to laugh at, so I decided to give it a try! I rarely ever go to the movies at night – too crowded and too expensive – I prefer matinees! But, it just seemed right tonight………….and I wasn’t disappointed!!! The movie was actually quite good — very funny — lots of action and excitement — and Steve Carell didn’t “over do it” and ruin my memory of the original Maxwell Smart…….As expected, Anne Hathaway was a perfect Agent 99, too!!!
There were some good lines, but the one that sticks in my mind is: The tech geeks were showing Max a new swiss army knife they made him with all kinds of gadgets in it. One of which was a tiny bow and arrow with the super sharp arrows attached to natural spider silk. They tell Max that “…it was very labor intensive to make. Each spider had to be individually milked. And they didn’t like it…” ha-ha-ha
I recommend it for a fun time — no deep meaning or thought provoking scenes and it was full of a lot of silly punch lines, so don’t go expecting to think a lot — just go to laugh and be entertained!!!
I give it a strong B+++ or a 4.25 out of a possible 5………go see it!!!
WHEW!!!
NO – It can’t rain tonight or tomorrow!!!!!
It has been hot and dry all week long — now, I’m looking out the window beside my desk and the wind is picking up and it looks an awful lot like it is getting ready to rain any minute!!!! NO!!!!!
I’ve been watching the weather and thought I was home free — in fact, when the alarm went off this morning, the first words I consciously heard was “hot and humid” — it went off in the middle of the weather report for the day!!!
Please, please, please let the rain hold off another day or two………I want to put my deck and patio furniture back where it belongs and have a nice new looking deck!!!! And, I don’t wanna wait another 3 (or more) days to get it!!!!
Updates, random thoughts, and general FYIs……
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The girls have really loved the beautiful mornings – warm enough to be pleasant, but not hot, sunny, breezy, just nice!!! But, as the day progresses and it gets hot, they don’t want to be outside for very long!!! If they DO decide to stay out for a little bit, they come in and go right to one of the registers and lay on it to get cooled down fast!!! What a smart idea!!! ha-ha
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I am watching the first episode of the new season of “Shear Genius” on Bravo – a reality show that has hair stylists competing to be a “cut above the rest”……anyway, the first challenge is to cut their model’s hair while BLIND FOLDED!!!! Are those models NUTS???? Who in their right mind allows someone with sharp pointed shears (and some with razors) to come at them to cut their hair BLIND????? Surprisingly, most came out not too bad — but, some were pretty much a mess!!! Luckily, none of the models were injured and only one stylist cut their finger!!! (By the way — Jaclyn Smith is the host of this show — her face is pretty tight – too tight — I’m thinking she’s had some work done or maybe some botox — it looks like it hurts her to smile!!!)
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I had dinner at Myra’s tonight and were they PACKED!!! I had the meatloaf and it was delicious! As I sat there listening to some of the conversations the waitresses were having with the customers, it sounded like most of them were first timers! I’m so happy to see the word get out about this lovely country restaurant!!! I made a wise crack to Buddy on my way out saying “doesn’t look like that article in the Herald did any good at all…” – he just laughed and said that it has been “unreal”!!!!
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Today’s “Hidden Gems” focus in the Herald was on Bud’s BBQ. I am ashamed to admit that I have never made the trip out to Bud’s, but I have heard a lot about it and know several people who swear it is the best BBQ around!!! Last week, we had some visitors at work from a couple of our sister sites for training – some from Canada and some from Massachusetts. One of our co-workers took them all to Bud’s for lunch on their last day here to show them some true local flair! They LOVED it!!!
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A couple of the visitors (the ones from Canada) stayed an extra day to meet with me and some others. I took them to Cafe 121 for lunch! They really enjoyed their meal and one of them had their very first glass of southern sweet tea – they are hooked!!!
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I used to watch “Jeopardy”, but haven’t paid much attention to it in years — well, I was flipping around the other night and stopped on it and think I may have renewed my interest!
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I have been really enjoying the second season of “Army Wives” (Sunday’s at 10:00 pm on Lifetime)!!! That is the best show I’ve seen on TV in a VERY long time!!! It is fast moving, full of complex characters with interesting story lines, and it really grabs at the emotions!!! The minute it ends, I am already looking forward to the next episode!!! I wish it was a daily show so that I wouldn’t have to wait a whole week between episodes!!!
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This bullet is for Jay……….he’ll know why! he-he-he-he I am in the process of changing doctors (before I go on, I want to say that this has absolutely nothing to do with my previous doctor – I adore him and his practice – he’s been great to me! It was a difficult decision that I gave a TON of thought to, but there were some personal convenience and specialty things that swayed me). Anyway – I am now going to the Family Doc! So far, so good……..in fact, my first visit was like a reunion of sorts – of course, I saw Jay there and I also saw an old friend that I haven’t seen in YEARS – she also works there and it was great to see her again and see photos of her grown daughters that were just little girls the last time I saw them!!!! Basically, I was VERY impressed by the nurse practitioner that I saw and the girl who drew blood from me twice already is an ANGEL!!! I have very deep, weak veins that are hard to find and once you do find them, they roll or collapse! I’ve had some that are really good at drawing blood and have been successful with mine, but most of the time, it takes multiple attempts and I leave looking like someone mutilated my arm with a sledge hammer!!! This girl got it on the first try with no pain and no “fishing around” and very little bruising (I bruise easily – no matter how good they are, they won’t get away without bruising me – not her fault) — and she did it TWICE in one week!!!! I told her that I’m putting her in my will……..
I think that’s enough for now…….
George Carlin
Where would we be today if he had not identified and defined the seven words you can never say on TV???? I especially enjoy listening to his comparison of Baseball and Football – it never gets old for me!!!
He was truly unique – he got his start in the 60s, but became an icon of the 70s and his incredible sense of humor is still appreciated to this day!
Rest in peace, dear George – and, by the way, I would venture to guess that those seven words probably shouldn’t be used where you’re going…….
Radio Shows of Note…
The focus of this post is Radio Shows that have caught my attention in the last few days:
First is Billy Liggett’s new radio talk show, “The Rant”, that is on locally every Wednesday morning from 8:00-9:00 starting this past Weds. Sadly, I can’t hear it live, but have listened to the taping of it and it was actually pretty interesting to listen to! Click here for a link to Billy’s blog to get more info on his radio show.
But the one that prompted this post is one I heard about on the CBS show Sunday Morning this morning. It is a news quiz show on NPR that sounds really cool — I’m gonna have to find out how I can catch this one!!! Apparently, it is a live radio show called “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” with a panel of celebrities that answer questions about really bazaar news headlines and the results are hysterical!!!! Click here for a link to the CBS Sunday morning article or click here for a link to the “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” web site.
Update: I just checked it out — “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” airs on UNC NPR station 91.5 on Sundays at 11:00-12:00 noon and on Saturdays at 12:00-1:00 pm – I can’t wait to check it out.
Strange Google Search
But this morning, I noticed one that I’m not sure how to take — the location just said “United States” – no city or state and just a generic IP address – no specific internet provider. The google search they ran took them to a post I did a while ago about a strange dream I had about the girls (my dogs, for those of you who don’t know who “the girls” are – I just wanna make that clear) and at the end I mentioned that I woke up to “the girls licking my face to get me to wake up and start the day” or something like that…….. What I found odd (and maybe a little disturbing) is that the google search key word that got them there was “girls licking my face” — hhhmmm……. sorry, but I somehow think that my blog didn’t give them the type of info they were searching for………………..he-he-he-he
Thumbs Up for "On The Street"
On page D2, he sums up his weekly column by announcing that the Herald will be doing a 5-part series on “hidden dining gems”. And, guess who is going to be FIRST to be highlighted??? Myra’s Kitchen on Colon Road across from Turner Chapel!!! He certainly picked the right one to kick off this series — it is definitely a hidden gem that needs to be put on Sanford’s radar!!!
If you’ve read this blog at all, you know this is one of MY favorite restaurants and I try to raise awareness of Myra’s around town whenever I get a chance! Since it is close to where I work, it is a popular lunch location for many of my co-workers. I typically go for dinner so that I can relax and not be so rushed and I almost always run into folks I know!
Since I have been mentioning it in this blog, I have turned several other local bloggers and blog readers onto Myra’s. Amy Burns has given them a nod on her blog, as well. I’ve also notice more and more people finding my blog by doing a google search on “Myra’s Kitchen Sanford NC”!!! Myra and Buddy have said they get folks coming in to say that they “just had to check it out cause we’ve been reading about you in every one’s blogs”!!! (Power to the bloggers!!! ha-ha-ha)
So – the word is getting out there!!! Thank you to Jon and the Herald for giving it the next level boost to bring them out in the open!!!! Double Thumbs Up — I Love It!!!
I hope to run into more of you at Myra’s – I know Myra and Buddy will be glad to meet you and make you feel like you just walked into their home and pulled up a chair in their kitchen for a helping of whatever they got cookin’ up that day – and don’t miss out on the desserts!!!
What got my attention this morning….
Luckily, the rain has passed and I won’t get drenched putting the top up on my way out for work……
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