How do you Hot Wire a Car?

In case you missed an older blog, I had a company car with my previous employer.  When I was downsized, my car was too.  Joe and I had been sharing one.

Vehicle Update:  The passing of my father-in-law left his wife with two fully paid vehicles, 2 insurance payments, and one driver.  She is generously loaning us one of the cars and we are reciprocating by covering the insurance payments.

This morning I left the house to go to one of my much needed Employee Assistance Program (EAP) sponsored therapy sessions. Upon entering the garage, I realized my husband decided to switch vehicles, but not keys.  I was left with a car and a key that could NOT start it.  The first thought I had was to hot wire the car.  The second thought that darted in my head was...  how did I grow up in the Detroit area and not learn that skill?


Oh the irony of this situation!


Success of the Day:  Catching myself stress eating before I ate the entire industrial size tub of hummus from Costco

Pink Inspiration: My yorkie's pink tongue.  It is hard to stay bitter when his sweet smile includes a pop of his  little tongue

Light in the Shadow of Death

This is dedicated to my father-in-law: Robert "Bob" Maltagliati 1953-2011

During the eulogy for him, I stated:

"Bob may be gone, but he will not be forgotten.  Please do NOT remember him as you see him lying here in state.  He would want you to reminisce that he was a:

·        loving and devoted family man

·        man of generosity

·       hard worker that provided for his family

·       man of style with a flair for fashion

·       master of jokes- no matter the color

·       the next Tiger Woods

·       master chef of pasta sauce

·       charming flirt

·       and a gifted gambler

He has touched each of you in this room in a special way.  Please take that with you when leave tonight.

If Bob was standing here instead of me, he would…

·       Tell his wife Jay to keep on living

·       Tell his family to keep on loving one another

·       And tell each of you to keep on laughing"

And laughing among the sadness is what just we did.  I like to think I am a smart cookie, but sometimes I doubt myself.  My joke loving father-in-law would have appreciated the following misunderstandings:

1. A family member said to me "last time I saw you, you were in white."  I retorted, " I have always been Caucasian." ...they were referring to my wedding day. 
2. My aunt mentioned  that there is a potential ban on menthol cigarettes because kids like the taste of them.  I questioned " kids are now eating cigarettes?"
3. My husband informed my brother-in-law, his wife, and myself that we would be delivering the host to the priest during the funeral service.  I asked "why can't the host deliver whatever the priest needs them self? After all they are the HOST."  Then he explained to me the act of delivering the sacrament during a mass.

Success of the Day:  Celebrating that death is not an end, but the beginning of eternity

Pink Inspiration: The gorgeous pink roses that were scattered among different floral arrangements at the funeral home. You can not fall into an abyss of sadness when you are surrounded such beauty.

Frisky Fish

This post is dedicated to all of you that will observe Lent and eat fish tomorrow.

I decided to make this simple recipe for dinner:

20 oz Tilapia
2 tomatoes diced
1 clove garlic minced
4 tbls bread crumbs
4 tsp Parmesan grated
2 tsp margarine
2 tsp lemon juice

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.  Place fish in non-stick dish.  Combine ingredients.  Divide onto each fillet.  Bake for 15 minutes.

My mother has been making this delicious dish for years and I have seen her prepare it a zillion times, but I just did not inherit her cooking gene.

Today's cooking catastrophe started with dicing the tomatoes while talking on the phone.  After ALMOST slicing my finger, I decided it was a good idea to end the conversation. Disaster avoided and onto the the next...

Premade bread crumbs do not exist in my home.  The previous chef  dried his own bread in order to make the homemade version.  Thankfully, there is a chop chop tool thing that you put the bread  under and after a few hits it makes crumbs.  However, I would not recommend doing this by an open window with a breeze. The bread crumbs (as I learned today) easily blow off the counter and onto the floor. I will let you use your imagine to determine whether or not I made new ones. 

Another fancy tool in the kitchen is a cheese grater with a handle just like in an upscale restaurant.  I did not have grated cheese in the fridge, so this came in handy.  It really should come with instructions. FYI:  do not put the cheese into the hole.  In there, it does not grate.  You need to open the handle and put the cheese next to the blades, then it will snow out of the hole. This act lead me to sampling the Parmesan out of frustration.  Thank you to my friend for giving it to me as a birthday gift.  My birthday was last month...was that cheese still good?

Success of the Day:  Realizing that I took my husband's culinary skills for granted and telling him he is appreciated

Pink Inspiration: My pink bottle of Hello Kitty perfume: just because you cook fish does not mean you need to smell like one

Popping the Costco Cherry

I am a super warehouse virgin.  I have never been a Sam's Club or Costco member.  I used to spend my Sundays at Whole Foods and Target, putting anything I desired into my basket without thinking about the cost.  With the recent events, I have been downsizing my lifestyle.  My financial advisor reviewed our household budget. He was appalled at the money we spend on groceries and at Target. 


Mission:  To save money on groceries and household items without...

1) Giving up my all natural and organic pescatarian diet
2) Being hypocritical and going to Walmart ( I do not like the labor practices of Walmart as well as the amount of items imported from China)

My mother is a Costco card holder, so she took me on my first super warehouse adventure.  My initial impression was not good.  I was flustered just parking.  There was a man directing traffic to the gas pumps because there was a line around parking lot to purchase gas for $3.44/ gallon.  The  parking lot was so full that we had to stalk members as they walked back to their vehicles.

Inside there was wall to wall people and items stacked from the floor to the ceiling.  This was very overwhelming!  I cannot forget to add the people fighting for 42lb bags of kitty litter that were on sale as well as the hoards of people grabbing and shoving one another for free samples.  I laughed at the senior citizens hopping from food kiosk to food kiosk for a free strolling lunch.

I may not have enjoyed this experience, but I was amazed at the money I saved.  The tub of greek yogurt that we buy every week was $5.99 versus $7.99.  The price difference was worth only the 0% formulation being available instead of my usual 2%.  Another weekly staple in my home is kalamata olives.  I buy a small container from the olive bar for $7.99, but at Costco I purchased an industrial sized jar for the same price. I do think my mission was accomplished.  Super warehouses may not have all the items I need, but I know that I can find a balance between Target, Costco, and Whole Foods in order to decrease the monthly budget of groceries and household items.

Success of the Day:  Realizing that it is not the end of the world to give up small luxuries like the olive bar in order to save a few bucks

Pink Inspiration: Pink pajama pants on a female Costco member/ Ladies wear clothes to the store!  You never know where the hidden cameras of the "People of Walmart" may be lurking.

Unemployment

Jobs in MI Talent Bank: 37,770

Resumes in MI Talent Bank: 893, 119

With these statistics, it is not a surprise that I had to file for unemployment.  However, I was surprised at how difficult this task was both emotionally and physically.

Emotionally:  I felt like Hester Prynne from "The Scarlet Letter", except with the word "UNEMPLOYED" tattooed on my forehead. This label makes me feel like an unproductive member society, as if I am worth less than those who are employed.  Rationally, I know this is not true.  I just need to keep telling myself that unemployment is not spelled L-O-S-E-R.

Physically: The application process it not very easy.  There is a 25 minute instructional video that reads the power point presentation to you.  Then there are over  12 pages of questions to answer.  I must admit that I struggled.  I kept thinking that I have masters degree...what do those with less education do? Those with out the Internet?  Those who have not kept good employment documentation?  I am very fortunate that I was able to complete the application process.  I feel sorry for those who are not as capable.  This really put my self loathing into perspective.

Success of the Day: Being thankful for what I have

Pink Inspiration: Pink yogurt-  I put pomegranate juice into my greek yogurt to add color and flavor/ I am thankful for breakfast, many people in MI are not as fortunate

Watching my Wheels Roll Away

Perks of a company car: no car payment, no checks to an insurance company, a gas card, and best of all the decision on what kind of car to get is made for you

Downside of a company car:  the car is taken away from you as a product of your downsizing

On this perfect rainy, cloudy, and gray cliche of day I watched my car drive away.  My husband and I are now officially sharing his Challenger.  We made this decision because:

• not sure if my next job will include a company vehicle
• unsure of new salary thus household car budget
• can not justify the expense if I am not working

I must admit that I am peeved at a person close to us.  They have an extra car that is just sitting in their garage. It is not a classic vehicle or a summer sports car...just a regular box on wheels.  This individual will not loan us their car.  Is this person selfish or am I for thinking they should help us out?

I am not in total despair.  The snow is melting and I have a brand new bike in the garage.  I ordered it on-line last summer.  FYI: when you order a bike from the Internet it arrives in a box.  My generous father put it together last year, but was unable to properly attach the chain and I never took it to a bike shop.  In my effort to become more domesticated, I tried to fix the chain myself, and was unsuccessful.  I also realized the handle bars are on upside down!

Success of the Day: Being financially responsible and sharing a car with my husband

Pink Inspiration: My old pink Pontiac Sunfire aka "Pinky"/ If a high school girl was bestowed a brand new pink car, then anyones' vehicle dreams can come true.  R.I.P. " Pinky" 1996-2004

Adventures in Cooking

While I was employed my husband did most of the cooking.  He did this because 1) he got him from work at least an hour before me 2) I STINK at cooking.  Now that I am home during the day, it is my turn to be lead dinner chef.  HOWEVER, my famous escapades include:

• Spinach Artichoke Dip:  I used a wooden spoon in an active blender to mix the ingredients, the sharp blades destroyed the spoon and pieces broke off into the concoction, then I served this extra fiber dish at a holiday gathering
• Paella: Rice is rice, right?  This recipe called for some specific type, but I decided to use the rice in the pantry.  This 30 minute recipe cooked for 3 hours as I waited for the liquid to absorb, but it never did.  Paella soup anyone?
• Eggplant Lasagna:  My parents and sister were joining us for dinner.  I wanted to try a low carb alternative to vegetarian lasagna that used eggplant to replace the noodles.  Unfortunately, I sliced the eggplant too thick and did not cook it long enough.  My poor family laughed as they ate raw eggplant.

Today's Adventure...Couscous with jalapeno: Chopped jalapeno. Washed my hands. Few minutes later rubbed my eye. Intense pain. Rinsed eye with water and patted dry with towel used to dry hands. DOUBLE intense pain!

Success of the Day: Not giving up at something that I am not good at

Pink Inspiration: I wore my favorite pink panties/   everyone needs a pair of underwear that makes them feel good about themself

Join me on my Journey

I remember when the world was fabulous and I was happy simply because everything around me was pink.  There was pink paint on the walls and plush pink carpeting in my bedroom, pink theme to my Strawberry Shortcake collection, my fashionable pink faux fur jacket, and even a pink bow on Hello Kitty's head.  Now the world is cloudy and gray.  In the past 12 months I have endured :

• 2 uterine surgeries
• Hormone injections
• Fact that I will more than likely not be able to carry a child to term
• Anemia
• Diagnosis of high blood pressure
• Gaining of 20 pounds
• Adult onset acne
• Loss of a friendship that was over a decade and half
• Terminal cancer diagnosis for my father-in-law
• AND within the past few weeks...the LOSS of my JOB

 My dear friend suggested that I journal and gave me a pink book for that task.  However, when I tried to write in it, I had flash backs.  I saw my 4th grade teacher making me tear up my poem that I poured my heart into because she thought that I had plagiarized.  I winced as I remembered my 7th grade teacher accusing me of the same action.  At that moment in  middle school, I swore off writing FOREVER!.  Hence, I could not journal as I had in the past, so I am trying my hand at blogging.

I welcome you to join me as I travel through this new journey of healing, becoming domesticated, reducing my lifestyle, and job hunting in this digital era.  Together we will find pink in this gray world.

My promise to you is that every entry will include a successful reflection for the day and a pink inspiration.  Let the laughs BEGIN!

P