Thursday, April 28, 2005

Wingnut Thought #457

If you dance while eating donuts do the calories cancel out?

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Thesis Update

The countdown is on! A first draft has been reviewed and I am addressing comments in a second draft to be submitted Friday AM. Hence, the continued lack of daily postings.

Think good thoughts for Wingnut! She'll be back in full force before you know it :)

Partnership with the RAIN!

Well, the sky carried out it's end of the deal today. I told the sky that if it rained hard enough to get the first layer of bugs off my car, I'd do the rest. It did and so I did. I can actually see my car now, instead of that mound of dirt that used to be parked outside my house. The bugs got so bad, that I was actually embarrassed to bring it in for an oil change. Maybe I'll win an award for being the dirtiest car that went through their shop. That would be fun. I like winning awards.

Thanks Rain! Come again another day. (Please give my car some time to get dirty first)

Sunday, April 24, 2005

Wingnut's brush with FAME!

Who knew that a quiet night in the valley (Los Olivos / Buellton / Solvang) could turn up hunky celebrities? Well, Amy did. She lives there. We took a field trip from our slumber party to see "The Interpreter" at the Buellton movie theater. After we were seated, a very good looking couple almost entered our row, but chose the seats in front of us. I thought she looked familiar, kind of like Nicole Kidman, and he was just plain gorgeous. I didn't give it much more thought, because Wingnuts only have so much thought power. Amy was giving me all kinds of strange looks, and I was not getting the hint. She finally leaned over and whispered "That's Jennie Garth and her husband". OH! Now I had a huge smile and was bouncing in my seat that I saw a celebrity!!! I'm so glad Amy was there to notify me. Otherwise, I would've just sat through the entire movie and never known.

Saturday, April 23, 2005

Kiteboarding in Pismo

I stand corrected. I referred to these folks at kite surfers, and apparently the sport is kiteboarding. There's a whole event in Pismo this weekend! It's too bad Craig is at a duck race and can't sign up to try this "easy to get good at" sport. The event is free! Details on the event found here: KiteXPO

Maybe next year we'll see Craig out there.

Friday, April 22, 2005

Wingnut Fun Facts

Yup, I have a complete draft of my thesis in the hands of the committee, so I'm not feeling guilty for blogging :) A few fun facts that came my way while I was working hard the past few days:

Fun Fact #1: Is there really a root in Root Beer?
It turns out there just may well be, but mostly, it's sugar. Some of the plant materials that have been used in root beer over the years include sarsaparilla root, sassafras root, dandelion root, ginger root, yellow dock root, burdock root, spikenard root, birch bark, wild cherry bark, wintergreen bark, prickly ash bark, spicewood, allspice, juniper berries, vanilla bean, coriander seed, licorice, dog grass, pipsissewa, cardamom, cinnamon, and even hops. Some recipes did not use roots, or relied mainly on one ingredient, and that's where Birch Beer and Sarsaparilla Soda came from.
You can find the whole history of rootbeer here: ROOT BEER HISTORY

Fun Fact #2: There's a new Food Pyramid!
This one's got stairs so you don't forget to exercise. Still no chocolate food group though. Sorry Dad.

Your Passions

1. What is the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning?
2. What is the last thing you think about when you go to sleep at night?

Monday, April 18, 2005

Wingnut Epiphanies

I know I put up the Do Not Disturb sign, and I appreciate how quiet you've all been today....I made some great progress on the thesis! Three chapters down, four to go.

Anyway, I went for a run this evening (because Wingnuts have a lot of energy they have to expend) and I had two epiphanies. Let's see if I can remember them.

Oh yeah. Here they are.
Epiphany #1: Looking for a place to live before you start planning school is easy. Find an apartment you like and take it. Looking for a place to live after you finish planning school is much more difficult. There are ethics, morals, and planning philosophies that come into play. Lucky for me, I think I've found a good balance in my new home.

Epiphany #2: Watch the cell phone minutes! It actually would have been cheaper for me to have two cell phones this month. I guess I shouldn't have been so gung ho about having all my phone interviews on the cell phone. A lot is happening in life, and I've had much to chat about. Why aren't more of my friends on Verizon?

Sunday, April 17, 2005

Do Not Disturb (Wingnut Working)

Shhhhh. Please do not disturb Wingnut. She is writing a Master's Thesis. Please tune in the first week of May to follow her thoughts and journeys as she moves to Sacramento and begins a new career!

Friday, April 15, 2005

Mickey D's

I broke my rule today. I bought food at MacDonald's. Normally I just use the Golden Arches as a place to use the restroom while I'm on the road, and will occasionally buy a bottle of over-priced water. Today, however, was an occasion to celebrate. I completed the interviewing phase of the job search. No more interviews! So as an act of celebration and to prevent myself from fainting while on the road, I splurged for some major grease (Large Fries) and a small chocolate shake. In the hot sun and traffic of the east bay it sure did taste great!!!

I realize that I have just announced that throwing junk into my body was an act of celebration. You would think that I could do something rewarding for myself instead. Why does eating stuff that will kill us feel so rewarding?

I also celebrated with a nice dinner at the Fish Market. I cracked into a crab and scooped out some mussells and clams in a delicious pot of cioppino. It's a really good thing they gave me a bib! Thanks for dinner Pops!

Thursday, April 14, 2005

Wingnut Wisdom # 213

I've had three great hair days in a row! I guess showering daily does have benefits! I should also thank my TextureShine TextureLine hair goop!

Monday, April 11, 2005

Who could ask for a better Monday?

The day started with the crew coming over for waffles. No, the day started with my hair looking great! Then, preparations for the waffle partaay....Thanks for the waffle maker Mom! They come out wonderful! We topped them with strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, syrup, and whipped cream. We were celebrating my colleagues who have been awake for four days doing a take home test (in lieu of a master's thesis) and they needed the nourishment. The bloody marys and mimosas also helped revive their spirits.

I had a few short hours in the afternoon to clean up the house while jumping and squealing in excitement about a job offer coming to me..and it was off to a goodbye party in the evening.

It was one complete day of partying. I closed the day with a bubble bath, phone chat with a wonderful friend starting a new job, and then a bowl of bananas, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream during the season finale of Summerland. And my hair still looks great at this moment!

It would have been great if it was just a "Good Hair Day"...but I can't put a label on how wonderful this Monday was! After all, the working world dreads Mondays.

Now, I ask you. Could you have asked for a better Monday?
Congrats to those who finished the test!

Sunday, April 10, 2005

A Timeless Weekend with my Sidekick

I just returned from a timeless weekend with my sidekick Boots and the serenity of the Central Coast. We cashed in on a gift certificate to the Lucia Lodge this weekend!(It’s just south of Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park and north of Limekiln State Park along the beautiful Big Sur Coast.)

Our weekend of long walks and waterfalls turned into a very different sister bonding adventure. We started on Saturday morning with a pact to NOT do two things for the next two days: 1) think, and 2) plan. So, when we pulled into the parking lot of Hearst Castle’s visitor center to use the restroom, we didn’t inhibit the urge to take a tour. Our guide was fabulous and we’re awaiting our invitation to be guests at the ranch. I’m sure it’ll come any day now.

We stopped to wave hello to the elephant seals on our way up the coast. They were very active in waving back and splashing sand all over themselves. What a life! If only, I could withstand the wind, I think I could get along very well blobbing in the sun on the sand with the seals. They seemed so peaceful. Except, of course, when they are biting at each other.

The strong winds enticed us to shelter ourselves for the late afternoon. We were very entertained with a couple rough games of Rummy 500 and boy talk in the adorable room at Lucia Lodge for the afternoon. At this point in the weekend, we had no time pieces and no means of telling the time, until we started the car the next morning. We used the sun as a time piece for a whole 18 hours!!!! We clearly come from a long line of natural wilderness survivors.

We ventured out for a beautiful view of the sunset over the water. If I had known about the path to the top of the ledge we wouldn’t have had to crawl behind a tractor, over mounds of gravel, and up the side of the mountain. We took the long way around, but it goes to show that my nose knows where to go for sunsets. It was well worth it, and just right behind our room. Thanks to the Lucia Lodge for providing access to a great lookout!

The next morning, we ventured to the McWay Waterfalls at Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park. The path to the falls is wheelchair accessible and less than a mile long, so it wasn’t very strenuous and right up our alley! The views were absolutely beautiful and fulfilled our mission of natural serenity for the weekend.

After a visit to Sand Dollar Beach and brunch at Linn’s in Cambria, we were home in time to catch a matinee of Fever Pitch! It was truly a wonderful weekend.

Thanks Boots! You’re the best sister a gal could have.

Friday, April 8, 2005

Splish Splash Chowder on the Central Coast

The unbelievably delicious Splash Cafe opened a second store in San Luis Obispo! We city folk can now walk to the world's best chowder instead of travelling 10 miles to Pismo Beach.

It just opened on Tuesday...and what surprised me is that the first write up in the local paper was the fact that the Splash Cafe had been listed on
The Gastronomic Guide to the Michael Jackson Trial. Apparently there are so many press and photographers covering the trial, they need a centralized database of restaurants to eat at while they are in town!

It took an additional day for the paper to publish an article about the
Splash Cafe Award Winning Clam Chowder.

My congratulations go to the Splash Cafe owners, there have been lines out the door all week :) We were lucky enough to receive complimentary baguettes on opening night. Scrumptious! I can't wait to go back and feast from the new breakfast and pastry menus!

Wingnut followers will learn that I come from a family that understands the importance of good food. We take pride in this :)

Thursday, April 7, 2005

Wingnut the Kite Surfer

I'm totally envious of those folks that can kite surf. It seems like the coolest sport! Craig and I had the pleasure of watching several at Pismo Beach the other day. He thinks it would be a snap to learn. I don't think I could even hold up the equipment. I told Craig to call me when he goes out to try it. I'll be there with a video camera.

Of course, there are several factors that lead me to believe I may not be the best at kite surfing.
1. I'm not a fan of salt water
2. I hate wind (which seems to be a necessity to keep the kite up)
3. I have no idea how to handle a surf board or a kite.

I think I'll stick with being a spectator. The jumps they do are pretty cool!

Wingnut the House Cleaner

House cleaning is a great way to procrastinate! I just hate it when part of the dust pile walks away. Spiders and ants should keep to their own outdoor territory.

I'm actually notorious for finding bugs. It seems that every day I find one ant, in a random place...crawling on my desk, or in the bathroom. Today, I stepped into the shower to find a spider companion! I promise, I don't live in a dump...the bugs just like me. Those little annoying gnats have been hanging around me too. They are small enough to come through the window screen. Why can't they be small enough for me not to see them?

Wingnut the Prep Chef

Favorite Prep Chef Task: Slicing strawberries
Reasons for NOT being hired as a Prep Chef: Strong tendency to snack while cooking
Least Favorite Prep Chef Task: Grocery shopping (even less than deveining shrimp or chopping onions)

Credit Where Credit is Due

I must give credit to my good friend Craig for introducing me to the bloggin' world. He's into political stuff that's way over my head. If you're a West Wing fan, you'd get along great with Craig. He posts daily to Craigorian Chant. Take a peek!

Wednesday, April 6, 2005

Welcome!

Welcome to my world. You'll find that I love to use exclaimation marks! Everyone else seems to be doin' the blog thing, so I figured I'd be cool too. I'm not sure what this site will turn into, but join me for a fun ride!