The weekend is here again

Thankfully, this weekend I'm not working. While it started a little cool, things are warming up now. Hubby and Bubba are not far away at Meet the Machines, which is sponsored by a local demolition company and the local Caterpillar dealer. This is the third year Bubba has attended, and he always looks forward to seeing all the big, yellow equipment from "Peordia" (why he can't pronounce Peoria is a mystery...)

Since both guys headed out early to check out some local garage sales, I got the pleasure of cleaning the house. It is a little more placid this way, since I don't have to herd the kid, the dog and the husband from room to room as I vaccuum. Happily, I had the floors finished by the time they came back to load up for Meet the Machines.

After I got the floors cleaned, I went out to see my sister. Alas, she escaped while I was down the street at Kohls spending a gift certificate I got for my birthday. To console myself, I went out to lunch at Lenny's Sub Shop, which is about a mile from her house. I enjoyed looking at the menu, because I haven't seen many sub shops (except on the Hill) that had capicola on its sandwiches. I had the #2 Italian sub with all the trimmings, including the hot pepper relish. It was really good!

Once I got home, I made another load of bread pudding. I had tried this recipe earlier this week and Hubby and Bubba really liked it. I just added slivered almonds to the recipe I found in the Better Homes and Gardens 11th Edition Cookbook.

Bread pudding

4 beaten eggs
2 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon or orange peel (optional--I used lemon)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or cardamon
4 cups dry french bread cubes or regular bread (I use whatever is available--today was oat bran)
1/3 cup dried tart cherries, dried cranberries or raisins (dried blueberries or a mixture also work well)
1 recipe Whiskey sauce (see below)

In a bowl, beat eggs with milk, sugar, vanilla, peel and cinnamon. In ungreased 2 quart baking dish, toss bread cubes and dried fruit. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool slightly. If desired, serve warm with Whiskey sauce. Makes 8 servings.

Whiskey sauce

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 beaten egg yolk
2 tablespoons water
1 to 2 tablespoons bourbon *

In small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in sugar, egg yolk and water. Cook and constantly stir the mixture over medium-low heat for 5-6 minutes until sugar dissolves and mixture boils. Remove from heat and stir in bourbon. Makes 2/3 cup sauce.

*You can substitute orange juice for the bourbon for a light, fruity sauce.

Now, since the baking and most of the laundry is done, I can sit down and read. I have a few books from the library and I'm reading The Attitude of Leadership: Taking the Lead and Keeping It by Keith Harrell. It's not a new book, but I noticed it was listed on one of our intranet sites at work as part of a service area reading list, so I reserved it online at the St. Louis County Library at 0300 one morning when I was working the night shift. So far, it is pretty interesting and very good if you need to read in short chunks like I do.

More later...stay tuned.

Goodies a-plenty

Here are a few tidbits of interest I've found lately on my tour through the blogosphere.

1. In the things to do in your spare time category, CrankyProf talks about her experience at one of those randy-dandy alternative Tupperware-like parties, and, no they ain't selling no Tupperware!

2. Since the Pope was visiting New York this week, some people were wondering why he was wearing red shoes (especially since they don't match the normal whites). Check out Don Jim's Dappled Photos for more information on the minutiae of Roman Catholic clerical dress.

3. Kids say the darnedest things. I loved this post from Stethescopes and Diapers about buying scrub tops. I can't even begin to tell you some of Bubba's favorite "bob" quotes.

Whole lotta shaking going on...

At 0436AM today, there was at our house, due to a small earthquake. Since I tend to wake up early on my day off, I figured it was nothing unusual, although I was dreaming that I heard a strange noise. I suppose it wasn't strange or a dream, after all.

While I was surfing around today, I did find some good earthquake links:
LAFD Earthquake Safety Guide (pdf)
Office of Emergency Services homepage (also in CA)
Red Cross Earthquake information

Hubby and I visited the folks at Giacomo's today. They were bringing up the rear at IC, since he told them by sitting near the front they were scaring off the regulars. (He's always giving them trouble.) We always go over and engage him in some debate, but this time, we didn't make him late. I brought along a cheesecake, so with Toots' jelly roll, we had a fun time eating, drinking and being merry after Mass.

Hubby's car had a nasty shake and rattle thing going on, so we took it into the shop. Said rattle is now history, since he just needed a new tie rod, brakes and rotors. So hopefully, it'll be smooth sailing ahead for his blue Swedish battlewagon.

Bubba got his official full day kindergarten acceptance letter today. He will go to our assigned school, so this also means he'll get to ride on the school bus, too. He is very excited about kindergarten. Let's just hope it stays that way!

Gotta run to pick up the car and take Bubba out to the "train station" (his term for the mall--don't know where he got that from) as is our usual weekly custom.

Murphy's Law

It doesn't surprise me that with the help of a nap, a double shot of espresso, a thermos of coffee and my lunch, I survived my first night shift.

It was, however, a bit annoying, that three ambulances and a fire truck drove by my house, along with a helicopter that flew in a circle four times directly over my house while I was trying to get to sleep at 0900 today.

Thankfully, Zyrtec really is a sedating antihistamine.

Headed to a movie career?

Bubba has Enchanted rolling on the big screen downstairs...again (is the the fourth time since yesterday?). Arrgh! D(*&ed Disney movies!

And now back to our regularly scheduled Sunday...

Getting ready for night shift

I'm sorry to say that I'm one of those morning people. I like to wake up anywhere from 4:30 to 6AM. Even on days I don't have to, like today, I was up by 6. Starting tomorrow night, I get the pleasure of working my first string of night shift hours, as part of my orientation.

So, to start, since I am so diurnal, I asked around about how people survive the night shift. I got lots of answers.

• Go to bed as soon as you get home in the morning.


• Do not sit down at 0500, or you may fall asleep. (One coworker suggested cleaning or restocking, so your mind is active.)


• Use room darkening shades.


• Get one of those masks for your eyes.

I also surfed the internet and found some intriguing articles:

Sleep tips from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Coping strategies for night shift (from encyclopedia.com)

Now all I have to do is figure out how to go back to sleep...in the morning. It should be interesting.

One little boy says no..

And the kindergarten test is pretty crazy. This week, Hubby took Bubba for his developmental screening for kindergarten. In theory, this will give the educators a look at where his strengths and weaknesses lie. In reality, it's just a big headache.

They were nice enough to direct us to the list of things Bubba should be doing by his current age in months and years. Bubba recently turned five. His report card for the exam was a score card with four columns.

The first column consisted of skills, the second, specific skills, the third column was age appropriate and the last column was areas to work on. Bubba was about 50-50 in terms of where the checkmarks were allocated. He did very well in language, concepts and pretty well in behavior. For some reason, the test administrator, ranked some skills right in the middle of the third and fourth column for behavior and motor skills.

Bubba mustn't have liked this tester, either, because, as usual, he refused to count. He also wouldn't build anything with blocks, even though, he's known to assemble small skyscrapers (about 3 feet tall) in the basement with his blocks.

Finally, just to add to the excitement, he flunked the hearing and vision screening. Yes, the same child who can identify DVDs in the store window from 40 feet and can drive past a chain restaurant and tell you what it is, flunked. He also doesn't miss the sound of a slight fizz from opening a root beer can from 40 feet, either. I'm not sure if it was a bad day (Hubby took him to the test) or if he was just feeling testy.

Only about four months to go, and we'll see how he really likes kindergarten, instead of a bunch of tests!

Thoughts on the drive to work

My drive to work is quite placid and not your average commute. Just down the street from my house and on my way to work is Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. My unit is within sight of the fence on the northwestern end of the hospital grounds.

The cemetery itself is also visible from the highway, but it is, in my opinion, best viewed from the entrance off Sheridan Road. Right now, the grass is getting greener, and in the morning, you'll often encounter deer or other wildlife out and about.

The hills are rolling and the symmetry of the markers in the early morning is amazing. Some people might find it upsetting. However,it makes me think of this portion below of Song of Myself by Walt Whitman, as I look at the grass, and in a way, it inspires me to do a better job at work.

And now it seems to me the beautiful uncut hair of graves.
They are alive and well somewhere,
The smallest sprout shows there is really no death,
And if ever there was it led forward life, and does not wait at
the end to arrest it,
And ceas'd the moment life appear'd.
All goes onward and outward, nothing collapses,
And to die is different from what any one supposed, and
luckier.