Category: Food

August 2023 Recap

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8/03 (Thu)
Joe’s work gives employees a half day off work for their birthday so we decided to pick up a movie from Redbox and grab lunch from Beef Shack. They recently put an Atlas Chicken Shack next door so we got some rice balls from there as well.

8/04 (Fri)
Joe took a vacation day and we went to Cantigny Park in the morning. My biggest gripe with them – they have landscapers with very loud and obnoxious leaf blowers all over the property. I don’t understand why they can’t do that outside of visitor hours. Needless to say, despite the beautiful gardens, the visit wasn’t exactly peaceful. To add insult to injury, they proceeded to ignore my inquiries about whether there are certain times they do the leaf blowing so I can plan my future visits accordingly.

8/13 (Sun)
We went on our first bike ride of the year at Armstrong Park. I only made it 15 minutes before growing too exhausted. Apparently the fact that I walk on my treadmill nearly every day of the week doesn’t mean squat when it comes to riding a bike. Muscles I forgot were there were so sore.

8/15 (Tue)
Ran into a fellow nature photographer I’ve been talking to online at a local park. I knew it was only a matter of time since she lives in the area and frequents many of the same places we do. We had a nice conversation and she gave me some helpful info on where to find certain species of birds.

8/16 (Wed)
They ripped up the road in front of our house as part of ongoing roadwork that started in July which includes replacing most curbs (ours excluded since they were in good shape) and the entire street in our subdivision.

8/17 (Thu)
Bought a new dip at Costco from La terra fina called Smoked Gouda & Peppers, and let me tell you, that has to be the single best dip I’ve ever had. Not only is it delicious with crackers, pita bread, and naan, but later in the month I mixed a small amount into some scrambled eggs and it was amazing.

8/19 (Sat)
Was craving takeout, but wanted something a little healthier than normal fast food fare. Yelp to the rescue! We discovered a Korean place called Bibibop and decided to give them a try. So glad we did because the food is fresh and flavorful, and the green sweet tea is amazing.

8/22 (Tue)
Joe had the day off work since the original plan was to visit the DMV (or Secretary of State as it’s called in Illinois) to get our REAL IDs. We cancelled it when we realized they were working on the roads and we didn’t want to chance not being able to easily get back to the house because Wookie is on medication I need to give her at a specific time every day.

That being said, we did go out in the early morning to Springbrook Nature Center in Itasca.

Unfortunately, it was a morning of loud noises. When we arrived at the nature center the landscapers were unloading mowers. We walked out to a section far away from them but the loud expressway was there and the planes taking off from O’Hare were flying low overhead every minute.

Stopped at Krispy Kreme and there was a mower right by the drive-thru speaker so the employees couldn’t hear us ordering, nor could we hear them. Then mower guy just stopped there but didn’t turn off the mower. So annoying! We couldn’t go inside to order like we tried originally because the doors were locked for some reason even though it was 8 am.

We got home to them paving the street so that racket was going on for hours as well. Lukcily the road was safe to drive on by the time we were ready for a late lunch.

I had a sudden craving for Red Lobster and they had a lunch deal where you get to pick four different types of shrimp, two sides, cheddar bay biscuits, and drinks for two for only $22. Not a bad deal, even having to pay a bit extra for caesar salad which is considered a premium side. They had this crab rangoon shrimp which was absolutely amazing, particularly with the accompanying dipping sauce. Everything else was ok, but that stole the show.

8/26 (Sat)
I’ve had a Super Mario t-shirt for approximately two years (Joe found it at Savers but I stole it because it’s so soft and comfy) which I wear frequently and no one ever commented on it until two men complimented me on it in the same day. Talk about random.

We took advantage of a T-Mobile Tuesday offer at Burger King so we could get “free” Whoppers. Mine wasn’t actually free because they charge $1 extra for the Impossible patty and another $1 for cheese. I’m ok with the latter but was a bit annoyed since there was no fine print about the Impossible Whopper not being completely free. It wasn’t even as good as I remember it. You had to spend $3 to get the “free” sandwich, so we also tried the chicken fries (pretty good, although the strong pepper flavor gets overwhelming after awhile) and the bacon double cheeseburger which was hands down the best item. In fact I keep craving another one.

8/29 (Tue)
I realized what I’ve been experiencing on and off since I got sick in 2019 is called closed eye hallucinations and they aren’t indictive of brain or eye damage.

Sometimes when I have my eyes closed I’ll notice a colored orb that kind of pulsates across my field of vision while changing size. These orbs are usually purple, bright pink, or neon yellow. They can get pretty intrusive and hard to ignore, but it doesn’t happen too often.

8/31 (Thu)
I started reading a Stephen King book (Fairy Tale). This is significant because years ago I got so frustrated with the shitty endings in his more recent work that I vowed not to read another book of his again. Luckily this one didn’t suck and had a proper ending with closure.

July 2023 Recap

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4th of July we went out to multiple sites to take photos and saw the infamous Monk Parakeets that have taken up residence not far from where we live. How did I not know this before?

We also saw a tagged coyote near Joe’s work.

We had a little cookout at home where I made mushroom swiss burgers. We recently discovered the deliciousness that is small portabella mushrooms from Aldi sautéed in butter. Mmmm. I still hate the texture of mushrooms (so slimy!) but they are tasty.

I added more watch bands to my collection because I love wearing a color that matches my outfit. I got them from Jane for $20 which is a great price for five bands. They’re very comfortable!

I hit my annual reading goal of 24 books in July. Guess I’ll need to choose a more ambitious goal next year!

We got some delicious Rainbow Cone.

Joe found a tick on Wookie in the house. IN. THE. HOUSE. Ugh! Ticks freak me out. Between the possibility of Lyme Disease and Alpha-gal syndrome, where you become allergic to red meat, I can’t stand ticks! I check for them all the time and that’s the first time one has ever been in the house. I guess there’s one good thing about winter – no ticks.

We had a small tornado blow through town and tornado warnings more than once.

Our neighbor across the street passed away from an aggressive brain tumor. I feel so bad for his family. We went to the wake to pay our respects and rushed back home as yet more bad weather was on its way.

We saw some red-tailed hawks and on the way home from the grocery store one more saw a bald eagle!

Tried the Japanese Kewpie Mayo that everyone was raving about, only to learn it’s just disgusting Miracle Whip! Seriously, that’s exactly what it tastes like. What a letdown!

Joe got COVID, almost exactly a year to the day he got it the first time. We suspect it was the coworker who was coughing and sneezing all day. Luckily I managed to avoid catching it again. I feel really lucky that I’ve still yet to have COVID, or at least that I know of.

Both YouTube and Spotify decided now would be the perfect time to raise their rates even though wages have stagnated and we’re dealing with “inflation” (aka corporate greed they are trying to gaslight us into thinking is inflation even though they are reporting record profits). Needless to say, I put my YouTube Premium on hold because I’m not sure I want to pay $14 monthly just to avoid ads. We’ll see how I feel after the ads start showing up, though. I’m paid up through sometime in September I believe.

The kids came over for dinner and ended up staying until 2 am to avoid having to drive in the strong thunderstorms in the area. We had fun playing games most of the evening. We started out with Taboo, which is one of my favorites. You need at least four people to play so we rarely get the opportunity. Sadly, I lost because I was teamed up with K and we weren’t getting each other’s references. That’s the price of the generational divide. If it was Joe and me against the kids I think we’d win. We’ll have to try that next time, muahaha! Afterwards we played a Nightmare Before Christmas board game they had recently gotten us, which was better than any of us expected, and then various UNO games. We especially like UNO Flex and UNO Flip.

I keep saying this, but I really need to go back to posting more frequent blogs instead of these recaps, but I never seen to want to sit down and actually type out an entry on my computer even though I have the time to do it.

June 2023 Recap

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One day I was browsing Facebook and there was an ad for special edition Goose Creek candles featuring Strawberry Shortcake characters. I immediately thought of my cousin and sent her the link. She quickly responded “way ahead of you” and sent me a screenshot of an order she had placed for all of them the day before. Then a week later a package arrived at my house with these inside. My cousin is so thoughtful!

Joe and I were hanging out on the patio one evening when I spotted a rabbit amongst the basil my neighbors grow.

I was on my morning walk with Wookie on June 5th and texted Joe.

Me: Awww man the lighting out here is perfect for picture taking. I’m pulling you out of work. I’ll get the red sports car and disguise.

Joe’s reply: Do you have a kiss for daddy?

The funny thing is I had no idea this was the date from the movie until I saw this meme. What are the odds?

Some weird nature related wizard started letting me see insects & birds after I wished to do so out loud. It happened four times where I’d tell Joe I’d really like to see x thing and then not five minutes later, it would appear. It was really freaky! I have a hard time of believing in God (or any gods for that matter), but I did say he could turn me into a believer if he got rid of my tinnitus entirely by the end of the month. Sadly, it didn’t happen, so I remain a skeptic.

Donated items to my friend – including board games & a bunch of candles she said her daughter would like (I don’t plan on buying candles anymore because I’m worried about the harm they do to our lungs).

Heard that a new A&W restaurant recently opened in the area. Now, the last time I ate at one many moons ago I was not impressed, but we decided to give it a try since it was on the way back from a bird sanctuary we wanted to visit anyway. We ordered a root beer cream freeze (it’s like a cross between a float and a shake), corn dog nuggets, and a chili cheese dog. We also grabbed some Portillos fries on the way home. Everything except the freeze was disappointing. I suppose the silver lining is we won’t be tempted to eat at either place again anytime soon.

Met a fellow photographer at a park we frequent and became Facebook/Flickr friends which is cool.

Intended to go to the DMV to get the REAL ID that is now required to get into Fermilab’s grounds (they have some nice nature areas I want to photograph), but could not find my birth certificate anywhere. Took advantage of Joe having the morning off anyway and visited Cantigny Park to get loads of lovely flower photos. I wish it had been a more peaceful visit, however. After a little mulling over, I sent them a message via Facebook:

I’m not trying to be THAT person, but I came early today to enjoy a rare morning off with my husband and it was anything but peaceful with staff members walking around with loud leaf blowers and kicking up dust. I’m not sure why they can’t do that before you’re open to the public, but I’d like to avoid it in the future because it ruined an otherwise pleasant visit. Therefore, if you could tell me what days/times your staff normally walks around with the leaf blowers I can avoid the park during those times. Thanks.

That was on a Friday right before 5 pm so I wasn’t surprised they didn’t respond, so on the following Monday after 7 pm I sent another message:

The above wasn’t a rhetorical question. I would like to know the schedule for the leaf blowers, please.

Still no response (other than an automated one stating they’d respond during business hours, even though to this date they never have). Ok, then. I see how much they care about their visitors. I guess all subsequent visits will be via the Museum Pass I can get at the library instead of paying them. I just hope I can avoid those goddamn loud leafblowers!!!

I was able to get a photo of the birth certificate my mom has and use that info to request my own copies. We’ll see how long that takes!

I had my annual wellness exam with a new doctor because mine left the practice. She’s… ok. I don’t dislike her but I don’t love her either. She ordered bloodwork which you have to fast for, and I knew this ahead of time, but made the mistake of making an 11 am appointment and wasn’t sure I’d last. I called the office to confirm they do have a phlebotomist on staff and they assured me they do not and that I would have to go next door to immediate care to get my blood drawn. I assumed that would take too long mid-day and would just come back a different day when they first open. Well, that was a mistake! Not only did I find out from the doctor there is a phlebotomist on staff, so I wouldn’t have had to wait, but when I did go to immediate care a few days later I was behind 8 other people who arrived early as well. The wait ended up being slightly over a half hour which still wasn’t bad, but it would have been zero had I not eaten on the call center person’s advice. Note for future reference, I guess.

Joe’s great aunt (his late father’s sister) passed away and we attended her funeral and wake. On the way home we stopped and picked up Culver’s because we were hungry and it seemed like a fitting tribute since she loved that place. In fact, the last time we saw her was when Joe, me, she, and Joe’s dad went out to Culver’s for lunch.

January 2023 Recap

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Egg prices were outrageous. $7.50 for two dozen at Costco which is considered a deal.

Discovered the Unsolved Mysteries podcast and started binge-listening like a mofo.

Put my Robert Smith Funko Pop on my Cure shelf above my computer desk.

Bitched on Facebook about the fact that you cannot add McDonald’s Arch Card to their mobile app for payment. So stupid!

Made cream cheese strudel for breakfast one day and dare I say it, was tastier than any stupid coffee cake you can buy at the store.

Found the cutest and comfiest slippers on clearance at Walmart ($6 each).

Started tracking my sleep with my Apple Watch in an effort to prioritize it. Gamifying life is the way to go!

Made zucchini bread with walnuts that made me question why I do not make it more often as it’s delicious!

Finished, and started, a few TV series:

Finished Better Call Saul. Final season was a bit of a slog.

Started three new series:

That 90’s Show (Netflix) – 7/10 – Love the nostalgia factor & the one girl reminds me of Alana from Broad City

The Last of Us (HBO Max) – 6/10 – Olivia from Fringe is in it. Based off a PlayStation video game

Night Court (Peacock) – 7/10 – Bernadette from Big Bang Theory is the judge & John Larroquette reminds me of an old Billy Eichner. Loved watching the original when I was at my grandparents house.

Culver’s ruined my day, and all future trips, by switching rom Pepsi to Coke in all their restaurants. Coke is too sweet and rips up my stomach so it’s a sad day that yet another restaurant only serves Coke products. I normally do not get soft drinks when dining out anyway, but the kids meal at Culver’s comes with one and I looked forward to a little Pepsi with my burger. I refuse to buy soda for at home when a case of 12 is $8 and you used to be able to get a case of 24 for $5!

The main tv in our living room (a Samsung 55″, which we got in June 2015) developed the purple spots of death meaning we’ll need to replace it relatively soon depending on how quickly the rest of the backlit LEDs burn out (or how much it starts to annoy me seeing a purple cast on everything). So far it’s just in two spots along the top and left side so they aren’t always noticeable.

Discovered our new favorite ice cream brand – Favorite Day by Target. All the flavors we’ve tried thus far are delicious (Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter Fudge, and Mint Cookies & Cream). Didn’t think to check the ingredients until the third container, only to realize there’s high fructose corn syrup in them. No wonder! Will probably still get it, but won’t go as hard on them moving forward.

Finally added Wish to my vinyl collection. It’s a re-issue that I preordered from my new favorite record store, Mile Long Records. The prices are a bit higher than you’d pay on Amazon or Walmart, but I like supporting a local business and it’s owner, Mike, is really nice.

Decided to stop spending hours every night scrolling TikTok and get back into reading instead. Set a goal of 24 books this year and was ahead of schedule after reading 4 books in January alone. Since my eyes suck and I’ve yet to get bifocals or progressives, I dusted off my old 2010 Kindle and started using that again. Other than needing to be charged more frequently than when it was new, it’s been great!

Christmas

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Christmas Day was a relaxing quiet one. We had opened the majority of our gifts the day before, but after breakfast we opened the remaining ones.

Joe got me a non-picture disc vinyl copy of Seventeen Seconds by The Cure, a paper cutter from my wish list, a phone & watch charging stand for my nightstand, and of course, the Apple Watch.

He also got me a pair of earbuds (same type, different color than the ones I got him below) because he thought they would be great with my new Apple Watch (since you can only listen to music and podcasts directly from the watch with earbuds). He totally spaced on the fact that I avoid earbuds now with my ear issues. He had forgotten about them because I haven’t been talking about my ears lately (still have tinnitus but it’s calmed down and the sensitivity in my ear is much better lately). Needless to say, those will be returned.

What’s missing is a cute t-shirt that looks like this:

The postal service said it was delivered in our mailbox on 12/12 but it never materialized. We thought maybe they put it in a neighbor’s box by mistake, since it’s a shared box with individual slots, so we were waiting to see if they would bring it over. When that didn’t happen, we went to the post office on 12/17 and filled out a form, but haven’t heard squat from them. Joe contacted the Etsy seller but they can only refund us if we can get a letter from the post office stating the package is missing. But they’re not going to do that since according to them it was delivered. Ugh! So we’re out that money now. So help me if I ever see someone in this neighborhood wearing that shirt…

I got Joe a Darth Vader print he had requested, some earbuds from his wish list, candy (two different types of Turtles so we could do a taste comparison – Turtle brand wins if you like caramel, but Fannie May does it you’re not into chocolate – and watermelon Sour Patch Kids since they stopped making the watermelon flavored Twizzlers he loved), a small Star Wars LEGO set, and two bars of Bath & Body Works soap.

Wow, seems lame when laid out, right? But the Apple Watch for me was a last minute decision. We don’t typically buy each other big gifts since we like picking out expensive things ourselves as needed. Although last year he got me a new computer monitor which I didn’t like so he uses it instead. That’s just how things go sometimes when you’ve been together almost 21 years.

We watched Die Hard & Scrooged and had planned to have a steak dinner but weren’t hungry enough after lunch (which was homemade baked mac & cheese) so we had it the following day with green bean casserole, crescent rolls, and some of the sweet potato casserole I had frozen from Thanksgiving. Dessert over the entire week has been the pistachio cake I made, although on Monday I made the pumpkin pie we originally intended to have on Thanksgiving but didn’t, so Joe had that (I don’t care for pumpkin pie).