How Does One Discover They Possess This Skill?

When we went to the circus, the gentleman above was one of the entertainers. He would toss a variety of breakable objects and catch them with his head, where he would balance and spin them. This particular piece of pottery (they said) weighs about thirty-five pounds. Like the other items, he gently tossed it in the air and caught it on the top of his head. It wasn't the most interesting act of the circus, but it did get me to wondering how one discovers they possess this skill ... and how many priceless heirlooms he broke honing it.

I can see his mother now, picking up and examining shattered objects from the floor and mumbling, "Oh, no ... not grandma's favorite clown bust."

Unlike a computer programmer, engineer, or secretary, this really is a niche profession isn't it? Had I been his mother, I would probably have tried to steer him towards a different vocation. Maybe she did, and despite her best efforts, he decided to pursue balancing and spinning objects on head. I guess the heart wants what the heart wants. I shouldn't judge, though ... I've always heard that if you do something you love, you never have to work a day in your life. He might be one of the few people in this world living his dream!

My Office Christmas Decoration

A woman I work with has been pestering everyone to bring in Christmas decorations and decorate their areas. I either used all of mine or gave them to my daughter ... and I'm not buying more for work! After her relentless ... I stop short of saying nagging ... I caved, and put up a tree.

There.

I have a Christmas Tree.

Ho. Ho. Ho.

Last Week's Full Frosty Moon

Superman snapped these photo's of last week's full moon. This moon is more commonly called the Beaver Moon, but I prefer it's lesser-used name of Frosty Moon. Although the temperatures that day were mild and quite comfortable, it certainly looked like a frosty moon.

It's Not Limited to Just Chromosomes

I know a few potatoes who have more personality than some humans, too!

I Don't Think My Step Tracker is Very Accurate

One morning last week, I woke up at 3:00. I went to the bathroom, then went back to bed and snuggled into my warm, comfy bed, but sleep eluded me. I got up made coffee, then went back to my room to nerd, getting up several times to use the bathroom and/or get more coffee ... and to grab some cinnamon graham crackers to snack on! After I had finished reading the morning news and had written a great deal, I got up, made my bed, and took a shower.

As I was getting dressed, I checked to see how many steps I had taken so far. I'd been up several hours earlier than usual ... on a day I could have slept in ... and I was excited to see how much of a head-start I had towards the 10,000 steps it demands I take everyday.

Imagine my surprise when, after I'd been up and moving for seven hours, the step-tracker app on my phone read ... 0 steps!

Zero!

I had walked around for seven hours and I it recorded zero steps! Okay, so I wasn't actually walking for seven hours, but I did get up and walk numerous times. Granted, I was sitting most of the time, but I had easily walked several hundred steps. I'm not asking for much. I don't want it to lie to me and tell me I've walked 10 miles when I've really only walked a hundred feet ... but I do want it to accurately record the steps I do take.

Unlike Wolowitz on The Big Bang Theory, I haven't attached my phone to a device rigged to mimic walking or riding a bike! I'm not cheating, and it doesn't seem quite fair that my app ... who pesters me to get moving ... is too lazy to wake up and record my steps!

If that's all the better it can do, I've decided I'm going to quit berating myself self on the days I don't live up to it's standards ... because, quite frankly ... it's not living up to mine, either.

Christmas Tree is Up

My Christmas tree is up. I had to buy a new one, as I would have had to cut a hole in the roof to accommodate my old one! I was afraid the angel would be way too large for this tree, but it turns out, she looks just fine. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out.

When I moved, I left all of my holiday decorations in the basement of my old house. There's no way I could use them all in my new home, and since my daughter and her husband bought my old house, it made more sense to take only what I needed. But before I moved, I didn't know how much room I'd have or what I needed to decorate.

So, this past Saturday, my daughter and I went through the decorations. I took my very favorite items, but some of the things I left behind pulled at my heartstrings. I told my daughter why they were so special to me. I know she'll cherish them as much as I do, so they're in good hands.

I took more than what I needed and planned to give her the things I couldn't use. Turns out, even though I left a lot ... I took a lot ... and I used almost all of it! I've got most everything done, but I still have a few things I hung onto that she could probably use. I'm not planning on decorating the family room this year. If I do decorate down there, it will be sparingly and Christmas light free. I rarely go downstairs, and I fear the kids will leave the lights on 24/7. Some of the decorations I held onto were things I wanted for the family room. But, since I'm not decorating it much this year, it feels selfish holding onto them.

Once I get all the decorations completely done, I'll give her the rest of what I took. As hard as it it to let some of these things go, it's time to pass them on. For years prior to moving, I'd been trying to cull my Christmas decorations, and I had already given her a lot of them. This year, however, will be the finale. Why am I finding it so difficult to let go of some silly decorations I don't need?

Never Underestimate the Ingenuity of the Intellectually-Challenged

At some point, these two geniuses decided to embark on a new career path ... a life of crime. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough money to buy masks.

Hmmmm. That is a problem, isn't it? 

Did they allow a lack of funds to derail their plans? Did they allow a few dollars to stand in the way of riches beyond their wildest dreams? Heck, no!! They're no stranger to adversity! They put their heads together! They brainstormed! They improvised and made their dreams come true! They may not have access to money for masks, but they did have access to something just as good ... permanent markers.

Although they did a masterful job at disguising their real identities, I'm going to offer up a suggestion for others who, like these gentlemen, want to begin their life of crime, but don't have sufficient cash to fund such an endeavor.

Steal them.

That's right ... I said steal them.

You don't want to be laughed at because you can't afford to dress like the other felons, do you? Then don't give up! Don't lose sight of the ball! You're a criminal, for Pete's sake! Laws don't bother you! What's one more crime? Never forget ... this is what you were born for! Remember ... this is what you do! Just like the money in the bank you intend to rob, you don't have to work for the attire this profession demands!

I wouldn't recommend going to a high-end department store or a swanky boutique, because let's face it ... those places don't carry the merchandise necessary to the unique needs of criminals. But don't despair ... there are lots of places that sell ski-masks or long stocking caps that you could cut eye-holes in! Or, hey ... what about a Halloween store?

I'm in no way advocating a life of crime, but if you've already made up your mind, don't settle for second best. I realize you're very busy and obviously have a lot on your plate, so if you don't have time for additional robberies, I'll understand if you raid your kids art supplies and draw yourself up a nice mask ... and then go out there and make your family proud!

Well Played, Mr. Camel. Well Played.

Yesterday, I went to the Hadi Shriner's Thanksgiving Circus with Superman and his grandsons. As a kid, we went to the circus every year, but I wasn't a big circus fan. After Shriner's last show, Whirlpool paid for one more show and treated it's employees and children to a free (albeit.smaller) circus ... and every child received a stocking full of candy and tickets for a drink, hot dog, popcorn, and cotton candy. That was the draw for me! I endured the circus for cotton candy and a stocking full of candy.

I wasn't all that excited about going to the circus yesterday, but I was excited to spend the day with Superman and the kids. I knew his grandsons would fired up ...and who can resist the excitement of a child? To my surprise, I enjoyed the show.

When they brought out three rings of animals, I was a little surprised to see a camel leading the pack, and ushered into the center ring with the horses. 

And all I could think of was the movie "Babe"!

Remember how (in that movie), the duck pretended to be a rooster? Farmers ate ducks, so the duck knew he had to do something vital to the farm ... something important enough that they no longer saw him as food, but an intricate part of life. The duck deduced that if he were a rooter, the farmer and his wife would see how valuable he was and wouldn't eat him ... and that's all I could think of as I watched the camel in with the horses. 

There aren't a lot of caravan's through the desert here in the States, so employment prospects for camels are slim at best. I suppose it was either masquerade as a horse or get used to the sticky hands, screaming, crying kids, and suckers stuck in your fir at the petting zoo!

Well played, Mr. Camel. Well played.

The Smurfs vs. Storm Troopers?

I walked into the family room to see my son watching a football game on television. 

I said, "The Smurfs vs. Storm Troopers? That doesn't sound very fair."

Clearly not amused, he glanced at me like "Really mom?", then turned back to the tv.

I went to the kitchen to eat a cupcake. It wasn't long before Thing 3 came in to raid the refrigerator. I asked him if it was halftime. He said the game was over, so I asked him who won. (I didn't really care ... I was just making polite conversation.)

He pulled his head out of the fridge and looked over at me. I'm sure he was flashing back to the many times we'd be driving someplace and he'd say, "Look at that cool (insert car name here)".  I'd look around, searching for some vehicle that looked cool. Unless the name is written big enough for me to read, I can identify very few vehicles by sight. Realizing I needed more clues that the name, he'd sigh and tell me the color.

So, there we stood in the kitchen ... me, licking icing off my fingers and he holding a bowl of something or other in front of the fridge. Finally, he sighed and said, "The Smurfs."

Food Network Chefs Thanksgiving Fav's

Growing up, I never really understood why everyone got so excited about Thanksgiving. To me, it was a couple of days off school, but other than that, it was just a regular day, with just slightly larger variety of food than every other dinner my mother prepared ... and I knew what she was going to cook without having to ask. There were eight of us kids, plus my mom and dad. My mother made a big dinner every night. She's always made a variety of things to make sure there was enough to go around and that everyone had plenty to eat. The only foods she made that were Thanksgiving exclusives were cranberry relish and dressing ... and both were family favorites.

I realize now that having family together was the big draw for most people, but I was with my family all the time. We didn't get together with other family members on Thanksgiving ... or any other holiday for that matter. My mom had just as many siblings as myself. Most of them lived here in town, and almost all of them had just has many kids as she did. We would have had to rent out a banquet hall to get everyone in the same building!

As the older kids began to marry off and had in-law houses to go to for Thanksgiving, getting just our core family together became more complicated, and sometimes impossible. It was only then that I realized how special it was to have all of us in the same room.

Around Thanksgiving, the Food Network is dominated with shows devoted to Thanksgiving. To keep things "interesting" and to keep viewers coming back, the chefs have to come up with new recipes every year. And I've noticed something ... as the years go on, the recipes their chefs prepare get stranger and stranger!

Like my mother, my menu stays the same year after year. I don't watch many of the Thanksgiving shows on the Food Network, but I do enjoy looking at the television guide, rolling my eyes at some of the "classics" they prepare, and taking screen grabs to make fun of them later!

Below are a few of my favorites from this year:

Celery-root and apple puree? Do you eat it with a spoon? Is it a dip? A glaze?

I'm sorry, but an EASY 11-layer potato gratin? EASY would be two or three layers ... four tops! This recipe undoubtedly calls for several different types of those "artisan cheeses" I simply must buy but don't have access to. Unless I can pick up all eleven layers of this dish at the supermarket, which is unlikely and would result in making one particularly snooty chef to wrinkle her nose in disgust, this recipe is off the table. I guess it's a good thing I never invite celebrity chefs to my Thanksgiving table.

Baked-mashed potatoes with peas? Yuk! If I want peas in my potatoes ... which I don't ... I'll put them there myself. And what am I supposed to do with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs? Is this a side dish? An appetizer? Do I put them in my salad made with locally grown, organic vegetables? And, once again, I'd have to make it with common bread and Parmesan ... from the supermarket.

Oh, the horror of serving the peasant food from a supermarket! No ... I could never serve common supermarket food to my fancy guests (insert shudder here). So, I guess this one is out, too.

A "Classic Thanksgiving" which includes pumpkin Alfredo lasagna rolls? I don't know what this is, but it sounds disgusting ... and it's certainly never graced any "classic" Thanksgiving table I've sat at! And crispy truffled turkey? I don't want crispy turkey. I want juicy turkey. 

And as for the dessert, well, I had to look up what a semifreddo cake even is. For all you fellow hillbillies out there ... it's "a partially frozen Italian dessert". While that does sound simply devine, the host and I obviously differ greatly on what we consider a classic Thanksgiving.

And, finally ... what Thanksgiving Day feast would be complete without stuffing arancini or charred Brussels sprouts crostini?

All my snarkiness aside ... I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, and good food (even if it comes from the supermarket!).