Shopping...Organically?

I made a brief sojourn in Trader Joe's in Ann Arbor over the weekend. It was cool...and crazy. I was just there to peruse and most people were there to get their groceries, so I am not sure if my strolling was helpful to those people. I did buy some groceries. The only grocery I have eaten from Trader Joe's yet was the sweet potato chips, which were delicious by the way.

We had to drive past Whole Foods to get to Trader Joe's. Seeing the Whole Foods reminded me of this secret I saw on Post Secret a couple of weeks ago:

I am into a lot of things, but I am not that into eating organically. I am not against it, I just don't feel the need to eat everything organically, neither does my wallet.

Ironically, I bought organic bananas last night. Not because they were organic, but because they were ripe and the regular bananas were not. And I shit you not, they didn't taste as good as a regular banana. I mean, it could've been that certain banana. I will know further after eating another banana.

Celebrity Thumbs Up of the Week

Last week CTUOTW featured the lovely Ralph Fiennes who plays the evil Voldemort.

Today, I give you Alan Rickman who plays meannie Severus Snape.

Current Obsessions

1. Panera's Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich: Considering I don't even even like most veggies, this is an amazing feat for me. I've eaten it like three times this week. I might go broke if this obsession doesn't end soon.

2. "Jolene" by Dolly Parton: I love Dolly Parton for a number of reason on any given day. But recently I've loved Dolly all because of her song about a bitch named Jolene.

I am going to celebrate these obsessions with a decorated thumbs up and my ongoing obsession; a vodka gimlet.


Have a good weekend y'all.

We're Not the Only People Confused by Lost

Can't Wait

I can't wait to see The Fall. Not just because it stars the new, young Clive Owen, but because it kind of feels like Pan's Labrynth and I thought Pan's Labrynth was FANTASTICAL.

Here's the trailer in case you are interested.

Celebrity Thumbs Up of the Week

Ralph Fiennes...quite literally the man of many of my dreams.

Suzy in the Kitchen

About a month ago I made some shrimp and penne (it was supposed to be shrimp and orzo, but I couldn't find orzo at the store I went to and I was too lazy to go to another store). This was super delicious. Ask Ashley, she partook in the feast and contributed a German Chocolate Cake.



More recently (this weekend) I made baked artichokes. They were also really delicious.



If you are interested in any of the recipes, just let me know.

April is National Poetry Month

You can sign up to receive a daily poem for the month of April here.

"Sir Stitches McGuiri" the Clown

That's my clown name. What's yours?

Thumbs Up Part II

Thumbs Up Part I

My Blog's Mixtape

Germs and Other Messes

Did you know that the proper amount of time to scrub your hands equates to the time it takes to sing "Row Your Boat" three times? I have been washing my hands and singing this song a lot. Especially in an office where people can't be bothered to cover their mouths when they cough. I've also been drinking a lot of Echinacia tea...just for good measure.

Apparently, people who keep healthy day-to-day habits are better at fighting off illness. You know, people who exercise, stay hydrated, get plentyof sleep, don't smoke, etc. This bodes well for me, as I do the first three in the list almost daily. I still smoke a little, but really only when I drink, which isn't very often anymore either. I actually kind of miss drinking. Maybe it is the smoking I miss...no, I think it is the drinking. I think about a drink almost every night, but then I think of the empty calories and blah, blah, blah, and I think I better not drink...at least until the weekend.

Back to germs, though...I normally always disinfect the cardio machines before I use them AND after. I've seen some NASTY people get off machines and not clean them off, so I try to be pretty obsessive about the disinfectant. Yesterday though, I forgot. I had been on the treadmill for about, two minutes when I remembered. I immediately got off, disinfected the machine, washed my hands and got back on.

I don't think I am a germophobe or OCD. I just think that at this time of year, it is way better to be safe than sorry.

Wouldn't it be ironic if tomorrow I was sick?

Harry Potter and Other Etc's

Did you guys hear that the last Harry Potter book is going to be split into two movies? Some people don't like that idea, but I think it's great. It totally extends the Harry Potter magic a little longer. It also means that they are probably going to be very, very true to the book. Get ready for some hot Ron/Hermione action.

I joined a little weight loss program at my gym and last night was the end-celebration party. I won a gift certificate to the spa, so now I can get a massage. I am going to get a really long one too. It was a fun party as well. It was intersting to see everyone in real clothes, smelling nice.

It seems as though spring is moving quickly all of a sudden, although it isn't officially spring yet. Maybe Easter being so early makes it feel that way.

I am still waiting for word from NMSU. Each day I get a little more nervous, constantly looking at my phone, checking my email and regular mail. I think I am too nervous to call and find out anything. I hope I find out soon. My heart might beat out of my chest and then I wouldn't be able to go even if I did get in.

I've Got Some Tiny Problems

My clothes are dirty. I do laundry, but apparently if I don't CLOSELY inspect my clothes at the end of the day, I put away dirty clothes and then I pull them out to wear at a later date and wear dirty clothes. I don't know if I've always done this and just started noticing or if I've just started doing this. Needless to say, I am trying to make sure all dirty clothes get laundered before going back into the closet.

I am also tired. Every morning when I wake up (to the actual alarm, usually I am up a little before, but wait for the alarm to go off), I feel as though I could use another few hours of sleep. I move slowly, my eyes are droopy. As soon as I wake up I think, I am going to go to bed early tonight, but I am not tired enough to go to bed early. Spring Forward, this week you are my worst enemy.

I Sweat!

I know that technically sweating doesn't really measure how hard you work when you exercise, but I really don't understand how people can leave a kickboxing class looking as fresh as a daisy. I truly believe that if you don't sweat during that class, you can't be working very hard. I leave that class TOTALLY gross. Gross, gross, gross.

Gross.

I think I might go take advantage of $1 scoops at Baskin Robbins.

You Can't Wear Shoes Without Feet

I went to the New Balance store today to get some new tennis shoes. It was way past due; it had been about 11 months since I had last gotten a pair and the balls of my feet were starting to hurt after working out for about an hour.

The New Balance store analyzes how you stand and walk to figure out which shoe is best for you. This sounds good and in theory it is (I was told I have wide feet, which I know, and that I walk heavily on the outside of my feet). I love my new shoes, they feel great. But it was weird. They measured my feet (they are sized 7 1/2, I could've told him that) and they actually put the shoes on. He didn't really loosen the laces up and each time it felt as though I had to shove my feet in them. He said, "You don't have to force it."

He asked me what kind of socks I wore. I was like, "Champion, Columbia." I guess he meant if they were made of cotton. I don't really know if my socks are cotton. I think they are. It was a question I had never been asked before. It seems personal when someone asks you about your socks. I don't know, maybe I am weird.

I don't mind the analysis, but I think I prefer that they let me tell them what size I am and that they leave the boxes of shoes for me to try on at my leisure.

What A Saturday

It was windy. It was cold. It snowed. Not as much as Laura down Cincinnati. Laura is completely covered with snow. That is not a snowman, that is actually Laura covered in snow. Haha, I crack myself up.

But the weather kind of ruined the evening, well, not ruined, but postponed the evening. You see, I was going to make an orzo with shrimp dish (although now it is a penne and shrimp dish as I could not find any whole wheat orzo or any regular orzo) and Ashley was going to come over and have some. But I called her and said we could do it tomorrow if she didn't want to venture out in the weather and she called me back and said she would come tomorrow.

I am going to try my darndest not to forget to change my clocks tonight. Spring forward is so hard. I always feel that lost hour for a couple of weeks.

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday.

So...

I was just watching E! News (whatev...I'm a whore for celeb gossip) and they had a segment about some guy who runs a website trying to get people to vote for the bad singers on American Idol. They showed him at the computer and on his desk was a large bottle of lotion on it. I will leave it to your imagination as to what he does with the lotion at the computer, but I personally wouldn't want to type on that keyboard.

In other not so news, it is freezing rain and hailing, but I still made it to kickboxing. Later it is supposed to snow 2-4 inches. I HATE you winter.

What's Cooking in Suzy's Kitchen - Part II

Been a busy bee in the kitchen.

Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole

Broccoli Soup

I've gone gourmet.