The best laid plans...

So here was our grandmaster plan for today. My friend Kristy and I were going to meet up at 9:20 to catch the 9:34 train. We had figured that the 9:34 train would be good because we'd probably miss most of the rush hour commute crowd, but probably not a lot of people would be heading to the parade just yet. We would buy our tickets at the platform to save a few bucks. Once we got on the train, I was going to text my friend who was getting on a few stops later to let him know where we were sitting, so we could all sit together. We'd get there nice and early before the parade started so we'd get a good place to stand. We'd watch the parade, and then try and get on a train around 3 or 4 so we could beat the rush hour traffic going back. We'd be home by dark. What a great day we'd have!

Boy, were we naive.

We got to the train station at 9:15 and the platform was swarming with people. I've never seen anything like it. There must have been at least 250 people there, if not more. I've never seen more than, like, six people at my train station. We waited for two hours. They sold out of tickets, and you had to buy a ticket on the train, but all of the trains were filled to capacity by the time they had reached our stop (and we're, like, the third or fourth stop on the line), and the trains were just whizzing by. They had to bring in the cops because people were pushing and shoving on the platform, and they were concerned about the safety of everyone, especially children, who were pushing people right near the platform where trains were whizzing by without stopping. We couldn't even get physically near the platform anyway. We were told to expect at least an hour delay for a train, if not more.

We were there about two hours (we took a break to get coffee) and we got back and there was no sign of improvement (We found out later that while we were out getting coffee, they were actually telling people to go home because they were most likely not getting on a train, and possibly not able to get a train back because they were shutting down the line. This was only 10 AM, and the parade was not even due to start until noon). I had texted my friend, and he said the same thing was going on at his station- complete and utter chaos with no chance of improvement. He was giving up and going home. Since we realized that we'd been at the train station for two hours and the chances of getting on a train were slim, and the chances of getting home were even slimmer, we decided to give up. We went to Trader Joe's instead and each bought groceries, and then came back and watched the parade at my place. We probably got a better view from my TV than we would have if we had actually been down there. In fact, we'd still be trying to get there and miss the parade altogether, and that would have upset me a lot more than not going at all. I'm actually not really that upset by it. It would have been nice to go, but it was complete and utter chaos. They estimated that THREE MILLION PEOPLE were down there. I don't think they were expecting that magnitude of a crowd. We agreed that this was much better! We watched part of the parade on TV, and then we ate lunch outside on my balcony because it was a beautiful warm day, and then we went to Wegmans, and then we went our separate ways. And that's fine by me! I would have loved to have been there, but I think it would have been more trouble than it was worth. I would have gotten down there, missed the parade, and been stuck in the city without a way to get home (they've actually SHUT DOWN the trains, the last I heard). That would have upset me a hell of a lot more, I assure you! Oh well... at least I'm safe and sound in my own home!

I still have a lot of book news to post, but right now I'm on trick-or-treater alert, so it will probably have to wait until tomorrow. Since I ended up getting all of my grocery shopping done today, I don't have to go this weekend, and that opened my weekend wide up! Fine by me... I desperately need to catch up on sleep (I got up at 7:45 today to essentially walk to the train station and stand for two hours, haha), and I need to just relax and chill. The past few weeks have been absolutely insane, and the mental and physical exhaustion is finally starting to creep on me a bit! :-D

If I get a little more energy, I might post book news tonight, but don't count on it. :-)

Oh, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! :-)

THEY DID IT!!!!

The Phillies are the World Series Champions!!! It was SO amazing to watch, it still feels a little surreal, and it happened about 24 hours ago!!! I've never seen anything like it. Ordinarily I don't really get caught up in sporting events like this, but baseball is really the only sport I like, and so to see my hometown win the World Series after a L-O-N-G wait (and watching them lose fifteen years ago) was awesome. Awesome isn't even the word. I can't find a word right now. I'm a little sleep-deprived. I was up until about 1 a.m. last night watching all the live coverage, and the past few nights have been equally as sleep-deprived, because these games have been keeping me up until at least midnight (and then, of course, there was the one on Saturday that didn't get started until 10 p.m. because of a rain delay, and it didn't end until 2 a.m.... it's definitely been a crazy World Series, that's for sure!)

I had one unscheduled vacation day left, and I took it tomorrow to go to the city parade!!! I'm heading down via train with a friend of mine (they are encouraging people not to drive- they didn't even have to tell me twice- I hate driving in the city, and I can barely deal with suburban rush hour traffic), and I am so excited! It's going to be so much fun. Complete and utter chaos, hopefully in a good way! The crowd will be rowdy, but hopefully all-in-good-fun-rowdy, not I-get-knocked-over-and-stepped-on rowdy. I couldn't miss this parade. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity... let's hope not! But it took them 28 years to win another World Series title, and I gotta live for the moment and be down there and celebrate with everyone. And even if I didn't have that vacation day, I would have taken one of my holiday vacation days. I would work the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Year's Eve to get to this parade! I'll post pics, if any come out! (I don't anticipate quality shots- I anticipate lots of pictures of the tops of random strangers' heads.)

AND I already had a scheduled day off for Monday. So I have a four-day weekend. How SWEET is that??? I offered to come in, but my boss said don't worry about it. She did not have to tell me twice. I plan on catching up on sleep- and all my favorite blogs! And catching up on my own! I have SO much to post about!!!! It is so easy to fall behind in blogging! I still have to post about my happy book sale from last weekend, and I finished one book, and I'm thisclose to finishing another book (I'd actually like to finish it tonight, if I can keep my eyes open long enough- I only have a few pages left, and it's such a tease to be so close to the end of a book without finishing it! Diehard readers know what I'm talking about, haha). But I fully intend to get caught up in everyone's blogs, including mine, over the weekend. But I'm too drained right now, and I still have some things to do before I hit the hay. Once I curl up with a book, I know I'll crash, haha. And I want to get stuff ready for tomorrow. I'm going prepared- layers, lunch and snacks (I doubt I'll be able to move, let alone find a place to get something to eat!), water, a book (for the train ride! In fact, I almost never go anywhere without a book), camera, etc. You'd think I was going camping. But this is going to be an epic event. They're predicting at least a quarter of a million people crammed onto the streets of Philly. I just hope I don't get separated from my friends!

While I'm too tired to get into all of my exciting book news, I will post two new and exciting fun food finds- Pure Protein Blueberry Crumb Cake Bar (yum!)- and my new all-time favorite soup possibly ever, Trader Joe's Low-Sodium Organic Fire Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup. Oh. My. God. Was this amazing. I threw in some broccoli and carrots and found happy soup nirvana. I need to do a TJs run this weekend, and this is SO getting bought again.

Okay, time to get ready to get my parade on! I'll be back at some point over the weekend. Oh, and Happy Halloween! I keep forgetting that tomorrow is Halloween. Philadelphia's priorities are a little different right now. :-D

I've been a bad blogger lately...

... but I can't help it. And I have a great reason too! All of my concentration this past week has been focused on watching the Phillies play in the World Series. They've played all week. And tonight, they are one game away from winning the championship.... I can't believe it!!! I'll never forget watching them play in 1993 (the last time they played) and they lost, and I had just fallen in love with baseball at that time (I just started playing little league, my favorite movie at the time was A League of their Own, and I had honestly convinced myself in my twelve-year-old mind that I would be the first girl to ever play professional baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies... what can I say, I had a bit of a vivid imagination!), and I watched them lose, and I was just crestfallen. And I truly think that tonight is their night, and they're going to win. I really do. If not tonight, then I think they are going to win the World Series, but I really think they're going to win tonight. They have their best starting pitcher leading tonight, and I just feel like it's going to happen. And when it does, Philadelphia is going to celebrate their asses off, and rightfully so, because we have been waiting a long time for this moment! I'm totally taking Wednesday off and going to the parade!!!! The last time the Phillies won the World Series was 1980... I wasn't even alive then! People are still talking about that parade! I was watching the news, and the consensus was universal- everyone is calling out sick, and people were even saying that they would pull their kids out of school to take them to the parade. I can't miss it... it could very well be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Once the Phillies have won and all the excitement has died down and my life has officially gone back to normal (so we're talking by the end of the week or the weekend, haha), I will be back with my regular posts. I have so much to post about too... including a very exciting book sale that I went to with my sister last weekend, where I found some great books! I was going to post on Sunday afternoon, but we were having internet problems all weekend. I had almost forgotten how much I despise Comcast, but luckily this weekend helped refresh my memory. So I didn't get to post about the book sale, but I will... don't worry!

Until then...

GO PHILLIES!!!!

I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it...

Tonight's post is not about books, food, work, or anything else. (Although I will say this- I am just loving The Samurai Garden- it is a wonderful story and a beautifully written book- but more details will have to be provided in a later post).

No, tonight all I can concentrate on is GAME #1 OF THE WORLD SERIES...  PHILLIES VS. TAMPA BAY RAYS!!! It starts in an hour, and my adrenaline is pumping! The Phils have not gone to the World Series in fifteen years, and we are long overdue for a win.... our team is phenomenal this year... I think we can do it!!!

I'm sitting here in my "fake" Phillies jersey (it's not a real "official" baseball jersey; rather, it's my T-shirt from ninth grade little league when I played for the "Phillies", which was obviously the most coveted team in the league... I'm glad I held on to it for the past 13 years... and it's still in pretty decent condition too!)- with a long-sleeve white tee underneath, because it's cold out (plus it just looks cooler), and I am ready to see Philly kick some serious Tampa ass! (*No offense if anyone who reads this blog is Tampa fan or lives in that area. You're all wonderful. Really. This is strictly just baseball trash-talk. Florida is actually quite a lovely state... just now at the present moment in my mind, haha)

GO PHILLIES!!!!

Baby, it's cold outside...

.. it's only Mid-October, and already I'm freezing. It's not too bad during the day, but in the morning, and at night... those are the worst. We have our heat on and I'm still cold. My hands are already starting to get dry and crack (I know, sexy, right?) I'm wearing layers and slippers and I still feel chilly. This is just wonderful. Really makes me look forward to the upcoming months ahead. I detest winter. I hate always being cold, and there's nothing I can really do about it. I've been tested for anemia before and been told that I don't have it, although my iron count is on the lower side (I almost never eat red meat, but I do eat a lot of lean meats like chicken and fish, and I love spinach, so you'd think that be enough to cover my bases on the iron homefront). Thank God we have free heat. Regardless, I'm going to be a very unhappy blogger in the upcoming months, in terms of weather. I just hate that feeling of being so cold and not being able to get warm no matter what I do. It's frustrating. But there's nothing I can really do about it except deal with it, ya know? ;-) Plus I take my showers at night, and that helps to get me nice and warm for bed.

So I finished Silent Witness today. And I have to say, that I liked it. Mark Fuhrman is a criminal detective, not a writer, and I hate to sound bitchy, but it shows a bit. The writing is not very good. Case in point: the following paragraph- "Why does someone have to die before a thorough investigation is performed? If this had been done fifteen years ago, we wouldn't have so many questions today. And Terri Schiavo might still be alive. Um... does anyone else see the glaring contradiction here? If Terri Schiavo was still alive, I'm curious not only as to why she'd need an autopsy, but how an autopsy could be performed on her. That would be an incredible medical marvel, to perform an autopsy and determine a cause of death for a person who is still alive, wouldn't you say? There were also some grammatical errors, punctuation struggles, etc. So the writing... not so much.

But the information regarding the case was really interesting. There was testimony from family, doctors, investigators, friends, hospital workers, etc. And they all agree that Michael Schiavo did not truly have his wife's best interests at heart regarding her long-term care- he refused to let her have any type of physical therapy, her family was not allowed to visit her once he became estranged from them, she wasn't even allowed flowers or sunlight in her room. Why on earth would he deny her of these things? There was also speculation that he was mentally/emotionally abusing her during their visits together, because she would display outward physical symptoms of distress whenever he left. There was also speculation that he caused her collapse to begin with, because doctors and medical experts could never determine what precisely led her to collapse and have heart failure to begin with- she was 26 years old and in good health. The book also included affidavits from nurses who worked with Terri and found her to be emotionally responsive and able to swallow on certain occasions, and certainly not in a vegatative state, and they were baffled and appalled at Michael Schiavo's orders not to let her have any physical therapy- he even had a DNR order on her. Anyway, it was a very interesting read. And sad. I felt so awful for this poor woman and her poor family, who all suffered horribly throughout this whole ordeal. And there are so many unanswered questions that, unfortunately, will never be able to be completely answered. I can't imagine how hurtful that must be on a family that has lost so much and is trying to heal. It seems like the legal and medical systems both failed this poor family miserably, and that will forever affect the ability for them to find peace or closure. A very sad story all around.

I finished the book today when I got home from the gym today. And as per the No Book Left Behind Project, when one book closes, another book opens... the new random pick is The Samurai's Garden, by Gail Tsukiyama. It's about a young Chinese man who is sent to his family's summer home in Japan to recover from tuberculosis, right before the Second World War. While he's recovering, he meets four locals, and the story is about the friendship that develops between all of them. I saw this at my favorite book sale last year, and I had picked it up and looked at it, and was actually going to put it back, but this woman nearby came up to me and said that this was an amazing book, and I had to buy it. Very random, but I appreciated that she came up to me and said that- plus, it was only $1, so I figured, what the hell. So I guess it's time to put it to the test and see if this woman was right, or if she was a library employee in disguise just trying to raise more money from the book sale. LOL.

And on that note, it is time to hop in the shower and get ready for tomorrow. Have a great night, everyone!

Another successful book sale!!!

Hello, everyone! I hope you all are having a great weekend! I've had a pretty good one so far. It's been cooler out than usual, and I'm still getting over a cold, and I'm a bit concerned because my "service engine soon" light has been on since yesterday morning (keep in mind I just had my damn car in for inspection two weeks ago and they said everything looked great.... hopefully it's just a fluke!), but other than that, I'm good! :-)

I went to one of my favorite library book sales ever with my friend Rick, and we both found lots of great books! I spent a little more than I wanted to- $32, and that was after putting lots of books back. If I hadn't put any back, I would have spent $50! Even I can admit that's a little excessive, LOL. So after some careful weeding and eliminating, I whittled my pile down to $32 worth of goodies. Wanna know what I got? Of course you do!!!

So I got fourteen books, $2 each:

*You Must Remember This, by Joyce Carol Oates. I've been wanting to read more of this author, and this sounded like a particularly good one... it's about a "typical suburban family" in 1950s upstate New York that is anything but the stereotypical "All-American family" they portray themselves to be.

*Life's Work: Confessions of an Unbalanced Mom, by Lisa Belkin. Lisa Belkin is a columnist for The New York Times, and this is a book she wrote about trying to juggle a professional career, a marriage, raising two young boys, and challenging the whole "Supermom" myth. I love women's studies and sociology books, so I figured I'd like this.

*Death by Suburb, by David L. Goetz. A humorous book about how not to let living in the suburbs "kill your soul" and how not to turn into a Stepford Wife or Soccer Dad. I thought it sounded funny!

*When Women Stop Hating Their Bodies: Freeing Yourself From Food and Weight Obsession, by Jane R. Hirschmann and Carol H. Munter. Like I said, I love these kinds of books. And I've struggled with food issues in the past, and thought this sounded really interesting.

*Second Chance, by Jane Green. LOVE Jane Green! She's one of my favorite chick-lit authors. I hadn't even heard of this book- it's one of her newer ones. And it's in really nice condition too!

*More Tales of the City, by Armistead Maupin. This is a book in part of a series called "Tales of the City", following the lives of a group of individuals who live in the same apartment complex, I believe in San Francisco. I bought the first one at a book sale a few years ago at Rick's urging, because he said it was such a great book. I haven't gotten around to reading it yet, but I figured it would be nice to have the second one for when I finally do get to it! :-)

*Best of Friends, by Cathy Kelly. LOVE Cathy Kelly. She's one of my favorite chick-lit writers too. I hadn't heard of this book either, so I was pretty excited!

*The Second Stage, by Betty Friedan. This is the follow-up book to her groundbreaking feminist movement book "The Feminine Mystique", which I actually just bought at the paperback book sale two weeks ago. So it was cool to find this.

*Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls, by Rachel Simmons. This. Was. A. Fantastic. Book. Absolutely amazing. Every girl needs to read this, whether you're in high school or you graduated ten years ago! It was awesome. So I was happy to find it. And it's in really nice condition too.

*Conversations with the Fat Girl, by Liza Palmer. This is a fiction novel about two friends who befriended each other in childhood because they were both overweight and lonely. Now as grown-ups, one is still overweight, while the other had gastric-bypass surgery and is now marrying a surgeon, concealing the fact that she had surgery, and she asks her best friend to be in the wedding. It sounded like a Jennifer Weiner novel, or something along those lines. It sounded like a fun read.

*The Worst Years of Their Lives, by Barbara Ehrenreich. Barbara Ehrenreich writes a lot about economic sociology. Every book of hers I've read, I've liked. This particular book is about the 1980s and how it was dubbed "The Decade of Greed". Which means there's going to be all sorts of 80s references. Awesome. :-)

*An American Childhood, by Annie Dillard. This is an autobiography about the author growing up in 1950s Pittsburgh. I like autobiographies/memoirs, so figured I'd give this a shot.

*Holy Hunger: A Woman's Journey From Food Addiction to Spiritual Fulfillment, by Margaret Bullitt-Jonas. This is a memoir about a woman who comes from a dysfunctional family- her father was an alcoholic and her mother was depressed and emotionally distant- and how it drove her to compulsive eating, and how she overcame that. It sounded like a really interesting book. I have never struggled with this addiction, because I have such an interest in the psychology of eating disorders, I thought I would like it.

*The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls. I've heard amazing things about this book. My sister actually lent it to me and told me that I had to read it, that she just could not put it down. I saw a few copies at the sale and figured I'd pick up my own copy. It's a woman's memoir of growing up in a very dysfunctional family.

In addition to the books, I picked up four videos for $1 each:

*A weight-lifting workout tape: Kathy Smith's Time-Saver: Lift Weights to Lose Weight. I like Kathy Smith. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I have a few of her workout tapes and DVDs and like them a lot. I have her Strength Training DVD, but thought this might be a nice change.

*P. M. Yoga: Conditioning for Weight Loss. I'm too cheap to pay for yoga classes, my gym doesn't offer them, and I thought it would be a nice addition to my workout-at-home tapes. I only have one yoga tape and I figured it couldn't hurt to have another to mix it up a little.

*Pilates Intermediate Mat Workout. I love Pilates. I've been doing it for years! Had to get this!

And last but not least...

*Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty, Fully Restored Limited Edition. Sleeping Beauty was my absolute favorite Walt Disney movie when I was a little girl. I loved this movie so much. I would prance around the apartment in my princess costume and my tiara and pretend to be Princess Aurora, or sometimes I would get out the accessory wand and pretend to be the fairies when they're having the fight over what color to make the cake icing ("Pink! Blue! Pink! Blue!"). I saw this movie and immediately felt warm and cozy and nostalgic. I had to buy it. LOL.

So it was a good sale! Rick and I rejoiced with tea at an adorable little coffeehouse near the library, then we walked to the local Trader Joe's to pick up some fun treats. I bought sodium-free whole wheat bread, pumpkin butter, organic brown rice marshmallow treats (healthy Rice Krispy treats... there is a God!!!), frozen mango chunks (these are a must-have in my freezer at all times, especially now that fresh fruit is getting a little on the expensive side), and chocolate chip fruit and nut bars (my new favorite pre-cardio workout energy bar).

So it was a very successful outing! And now today is a typical Sunday... picked up a few groceries to get me through the week (I successfully managed to not spend a lot of money- $24- trust me, for me, that's good! Normally I spend quite a bit more than that! I didn't need much though, and what I needed was cheap). I picked up a new sandwich roll that I've been wanting to try, those Arnold's Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins. They'll be perfect for veggie burgers. So that was exciting. This afternoon I'll probably hit the gym and then chill out for the rest of the day and get all my stuff ready for another fun-filled work week.

Oh! I started a new book! I can't believe I almost forgot!

Silent Witness: The Untold Story of Terri Schiavo's Death, by Mark Fuhrman. In case you don't remember the Terri Schiavo case, she's the woman who collapsed in her bathroom in 1990 for reasons still unknown (she was only 26 years old!), and went into a vegetative state, needing a feeding tube to live, and her husband and family spent the next fifteen years fighting each other over whether to have the tube removed or not (her husband wanted it removed because he said she wouldn't want to live that way, but her family wanted to keep it and keep her alive. She hadn't left any instructions either way). It's a very interesting read, and I'm liking it. Personally, I don't know what I would want in that situation. She did eventually have the tube removed, and died in 2005. Anyway, I'm about halfway through already (it's a fast read), and it's extremely interesting. Her husband sounds like a very manipulative, controlling ass! He was even engaged to another woman for years while still married to Terri, but refused to divorce her, because then he would lose control of her medical affairs, as well as her estate and life insurance. Makes you wonder what his best interests at heart really were.

I tried a new concoction side dish for dinner last night...cheesy vegetable rice!

Nothing extremely fancy here... 1/2 cup instant brown rice, frozen broccoli, and frozen pepper and onion mix all mixed together with a Laughing Cow Light Swiss Wedge melted in. It was so freakin' good!!! It kind of tasted like a healthy version of those casseroles people make, with the chicken and rice and creamy Campbell's soups? Very delicious!!!!! I also made some grilled chicken. I <3 my George Foreman grill. We're very good friends.

And last but not least, I wanted to show my readers just HOW much I am a sucker for "limited edition" products:

I bought an 18-pack case of Clif Z Kids Bars in the Spooky Smores flavor, LOL! I have always been a sucker for any food product with the marketing gimmick "limited edition" stamped across it. I always buy it, figuring, I have to... it's limited edition, it will be gone soon! I am their total target audience, LOL. Anyway, I looked for this flavor all over the place, and finally found one, and tried one, and LOVED it... they reminded me of a healthier version of those Quaker S'mores flavored granola bars that I used to LOVE as a kid...I bought a few more and loved them so much, that when I went food shopping last week, I asked if I could buy them by the case! The guy seemed a little taken aback (I didn't blame him, haha), but said it was fine! So I got this case for $12.99. I didn't think that was bad at all, since they sell for .89 cents apiece! Plus, I had to... they're limited edition! LOL. And by the time they're gone, I'll be sick of them until they come back next October anyway, haha. Anyway, I thought that my healthy food aficionados would get a kick out of that. :-D

And on that note, I'm going to take some more daytime cold medicine and make some lunch (have I mentioned how much I'm digging hickory-smoked tofurky lately? Love it!). New Cold Case and Mad Men on tonight- can't wait! :-)

Hope you all had a nice weekend! :-)

Blah week, but exciting weekend!

I'm not going to mince works here- my week sucked. Work sucked. I fought a cold all week.  Shanghai Baby sucked. I quit it about halfway through. It was just one of those weeks that left you physically and mentally drained and everything was totally blah. I could not be happier that the weekend is here... especially because in just a few hours, I will be going to one of my favorite used book sales!!!! I can't wait!!! I'm meeting a friend of mine there bright and early so we can get our pick of the litter (I'm not kidding; people are hard-core about book sales... they start lining up before the doors even open, I've learned from past experience!). And then afterwards we're going to rejoice and celebrate our new finds over much-needed caffeine. I've only been to this particular book sale once, but I found so much great stuff the last time I went... I'm so excited! I'm getting up nice and early and having a big bowl of my favorite cereal (Barbara's Multigrain Shredded Spoonfuls) for book-finding fuel! What better way to end a bad week than with an awesome book sale, I ask you???  :-)

I'll be back tomorrow to post all about my new finds! Hope you are all having a great weekend so far!!!