Interview with a Headache Slayer

Deborah at Weathering Migraine Storms posted an Interview Meme, and I just love being interviewed ;)

The Rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions. (Muahahaha)
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Here are my 5 questions--Deborah has been poking around my archives (woohoo!) :)

1. Have you been back to Panera since the attack of the killer grasshopper? oh and eeww
Not yet. They did send us a gift card which I have in my wallet, but I just haven't been able to bring myself to go back. But secretly, I am dying to try their new Grilled Salmon salad. I did come across 2 things that made me put the gross grasshopper into perspective.

One, it's not totally uncommon to come across a bug or two in organic products, and that's not necessarily a bad thing--pesticides are scarier. Two, I watched Fast Food Nation this weekend, and nearly hurled at the end. It is NOT a movie for the faint-hearted. Let's just say I'd rather have a bug in my salad than cow poo.

2. How many copies of Gone With the Wind do you currently have, and what is the oldest?
At last count, I have 10 copies, 6 hardbacks, 4 paperbacks (including a 2 volume set in Vietnamese). My oldest copy is dated 1936, the year Margaret Mitchell published it. However, it's something like the 45th printing, so while it's valuable, it's not nearly as pricey as the 1st edition. My Air Force friend who sent me the books from Vietnam also got me a bootleg copy of the movie with various Asian subtitles. I can't wait to introduce Drama Queen to both the book and the movie!

3. Do you have a pic of the cake that took 3 days to make; who was it for; and what flavor was it?
I'm sure I have a photo of it somewhere....trying to put my boxes of pictures into albums and scrapbooks is my project when Superboy starts Kindergarten in the fall. In any case, it was a recipe by Marcel Desaulnier, called "Death by Chocolate" and it was for a Halloween party we had at home (might have been back in our pre-kids years). It has layers of Cocoa Meringue, Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Brownies, Chocolate Ganache, Mocha Mousse, and Mocha Rum Sauce. Worth every minute and every calorie (you don't want to know how many!) I decorated the top with Milanos so that they looked like tombstones in a graveyard, complete with cookie crumb dirt.

4. Have you seen the Phantom of the Opera yet? OMG it is so awesome!! The first time I saw it, which was the only time I saw it, other than the DVD, anyway, we sat right in the middle....wait, I'll finish AFTER you answer this question, I don't want to blow it in case you haven't seen it. I know, I'm nuts!
LOL not nuts, I totally understand, because I LURVE POTO!!!! I've seen the Broadway musical only once, from the back row of the balcony, but it was still so awesome, I cried. I think I saw the movie version 3 or 4 times in the theatre, and naturally have it on DVD. Drama Queen absolutely adores it too, and can't wait to see the stage production. Bet you sat under the chandelier, eh? :::jealous:::

I did get to see Michael Crawford perform in a "Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber" concert and it was incredible to hear him sing pieces from Phantom. But honestly.....after listening to both soundtracks, I think I prefer Gerard Butler.

5. Where is your absolute favorite place to be at 7pm; and what do you like to be doing?
Most nights, I am home having dinner with my family, with is not a bad place to be, considering how many families don't share meals together. But, if I'm being truly honest (sound like Simon Cowell here!) my absolute favorite place to be at 7pm would be at a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game, cheering for my Bolts!

Alas, they lost the Stanley Cup Quarterfinals to the NJ Devils, 2 games to 4 ::sob:: There may not be crying in hockey but I cried when they lost on Sunday. No more Lightning hockey til the fall. Plenty of time though to redecorate our family room with a hockey theme!

Thanks so much Deborah, this was fun, and way better than moping around with mono! :)

The Crafty Angel Studio--Work in Progress

In the beginning, there was new paint, a new floor, and a 115 year old piano.....

I am positively giddy (well as giddy as you can be with mono), about my new studio. We chose to repaint the ceiling (which was badly stained thanks to the 2004 hurricanes) rather than scrape down the popcorn. The house is old enough that there were concerns about asbestos. GoalieMan and my dad put down the laminate flooring this weekend, and the first thing I did after moving back the piano was to dig out some piano books from the POD.

Growing up, my middle sister and I had this favorite classical book that we'd gotten from an estate sale, World Famous Piano Pieces, edited by Hugo Frey. It was tattered and yellow even then. When I got married, I took the book with me, until my sister protested and took it back to my mom's house. Over the years, it would travel to her home and mine and then back to mom's. It finally fell apart at my house, and I contemplated having it rebound until a quick Google search showed that a new edition was available at Amazon! So now, both my sister and I have a copy, and it feels strange to play such familiar music from pages that don't have that "old book" smell. Turns out there's even a 2nd volume, out of print, but I'm determined to track it down as well.

My arms and hands protested quite a bit later that night, but it was worth it to try out my favorite 2 pieces in my new room, Chopin's Prelude in c minor (Op.23--No.20) and Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

Still a lot of work to go, but it will be a music and craft haven when it's done.

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GoalieMan finished a shelf for my candles in the bedroom. I needed someting a bit wider and had him add some drawers underneath for my incense and tealights.

Here's the much sought-after Tart Warmer, currently burning a Key Lime Pie tart.

Some of my favorite miniature roses, what I would give to be able to grow these at home.

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How in the world did I live before discovering Bloglines???? I have a subscribe button for my blog in the sidebar.

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Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs are in full swing. Lightning have tied the series against the NJ Devils, 1-1. If anyone is interested, I have an Excel spreadsheet to enter scores. You know, if you're an insane hockey fan like me LOL Just holler in the comments, with an email addy.

The Smell of Playoffs and Ice in the Air

And THIS is what's up for grabs:

So the Lightning got spanked at last Friday's game, the last home game in the regular season. 7-2. Ouch. BUT check out the BLING!!! I couldn't believe our luck that we got to see The Stanley Cup!!

Yeah, so I went to a hockey game while recovering from bronchitis and mono. I'd pretty much have to be in the ICU or six feet under to miss a Lightning game LOL. Those sunglasses hide the giant dark racoon eyes I have.

I thought I'd pay for it on Saturday, but I actually felt pretty good. The weather was gorgeous, and I took our dog (who turned 14 last month) out and brushed him. I think I could have made 5 more dogs from his winter coat! So naturally I overdid it and slept through most of Easter. I took pictures of the kids with their Easter Baskets from bed.

I'm up right now (after watching the Vancouver/Dallas game which went into 4 OTs. Amazing!). But that's because I napped until 6 pm.

Saw the doc today. One of my EBV levels was 4 times the norm. Which is funny, because normally docs run lots of tests and all I get is "everything is normal". Basically she said it's going to take time and rest, and expect at least 1-2 months until I'm feeling more like normal. Yay. I have to laugh to keep from crying, but more than a few tears have been shed because I haven't felt this bad since I got CFS 12 years ago. I've got headaches that my meds don't help a bit--I think some of that is the antiviral, so hopefully that will get better after Sunday (when I'm finished).

I finished Their Eyes Were Watching God, and it was amazing and beautiful and sad. I really need to read more of Hurston's work. And I absolutely LMAO watching Little Miss Sunshine, so dark but so very funny.

My piano/craft room floor goes in Friday! WOOHOO! Got a big ol' POD in our driveway. We sold our 2nd car, it needed far too many repairs and didn't get too much use anyway. We've lived with one car before, we can do it again. Photos of the room as it progresses.

I forgot to post a photo of the lamp I got on eBay (shade from Walmart on clearance!)

The 3 crickets that Superboy brought home from school procreated. We now have dozens of itty bitty baby crickets.

Lightning plays game one tomorrow night against the New Jersey Devils. GO LIGHTNING!!!

Ok, hockey makes me hyper. It's 4 a.m., I think I better crawl into bed now.

Looking on the Bright Side

Top 10 Good Things About Having Mono

1. No one questions me when I say I need a nap. Even if I just woke up.


2. I'm contributing to the economy by keeping Netflix in business.


3. My kids make me cute Get Well cards.


4. The cat senses I don't feel well and cuddles with me all the time.


5. Cold Stone ice cream and Ben & Jerry's sorbet are great for my sore throat.


6. My Don Juan rosebush is blooming, so my bedside vase has a steady supply of flowers.


7. I can see part of my newly redecorated bathroom from bed, which makes me smile.


8. Plenty of time to work through my 2007 Reading List.


9. Two words: No Housework!


10. Having a reason to listen to all the music stored on my Creative Zen. All 500+ songs.

And speaking of bright......check out my bathroom!

I still have to make the curtains and put up some Wallies (wallpaper cutouts of Gerbera Daisies). The floor is linoleum tiles, but it really looks like stone. The orange paint is bright--it gives off a bit of a glow LOL But it really made the room look new despite still having the old fixtures. Can't say I'm ordinary ;)

Work on my Piano/Craft/Toy room starts next week--it's going to be a phenomenal room when it's done!

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.....

The Good.......Last night's Tampa Bay Lightning game vs. Carolina was ****AWESOME****. Oh my, there is nothing in life quite like a full arena of roaring hockey fans and the thrill of an intense game. One of the best nights of my life. True we're in the nosebleed seats, but even then, we could see everything, including an 'almost goal' where the puck was just on the red line but didn't cross it. We won, 3-2. I can't wait for Friday's last home game!

More Goodness......an eBay seller, 57ponytail , came through for me on that Yankee Tart Warmer I wanted. It is so very pretty! Goalieman is making a new shelf for all my candleholders, photos when it's done. OH and my bathroom got a makeover, I need to post pictures of that too.

The Bad......I have Mono. (And no, I didn't get it from kissing GoalieMan! LOL) That would explain why I'm longing for the "good old days" of just CFS and FMS. I am TIRED. My doc phoned in an antiviral for me. Let's cross our fingers it does the trick. Having to take a nap after I shower is getting old.

The Ugly....and not for the faint of heart......I didn't get to share my story of our Christmas Eve dinner. We went to church and had a bunch of stuff waiting at home for us to eat. Goalieman had gone to Panera to pick up some bread and salad earlier that day. As he's serving us dinner, he says we won't be having salad. I ask why, and he says "There's something in it". Now, it takes alot to gross out my hubby, and the look on his face made me follow him into the kitchen.

Can we say "disgruntled employee"??? (If you're eating, stop. I warned you.)

We know by the pristine condition of the very dead, 2 inch long grasshopper that someone had to put it in there. But Panera claimed they don't know and all they offered was a measly giftcard for my case of Christmas Eve nausea. Why oh why do I have to like their food so much??? But we haven't been back since then.