NO THANKSGIVING FOR YOU.....COME BACK, ONE YEAR!!

Let me explain. It seems that I will previously engaged in a ritual draining of my kidney. Ok, not really, but doesn't that sound better than I'm going to be in the Hospital, again?! You see I have this problem with my new kidney. It's not playing nice with all the other kidneys and my body is trying to drown it in revenge. I have a pocket of fluid that is surrounding my new kidney and causing my levels to be off (or at least that's my understanding of it all). So I have to go into surgery on Tuesday, November 22nd. They will drain the fluid around my kidney and do a biopsy of it while they are in there to check for any other problems.

But, because of this I will miss Thanksgiving. I am going to be in the hospital for 4-5 days (says Dr. Podder). Luckily I have a Jacque that is trekking down to Houston for Thanksgiving (since her family isn't doing anything) and will hang out with me in the hospital to play games with me. It's good to have your very own entertainer. In the end I have to come out and say that this just really sucks. It stinks, and I'm starting to tire of this back and forth in the hospital. I think the only really good thing that has come out of this is Coordinator Sean; he cheers me up, makes me happy, and always sees the brighter side of it all. I am truly grateful for him.

Now, here is my kidney:And here is my kidney on crack: (the one of the right)
Just kidding, I have no idea what is wrong with that kidney...I would hate to find out.

So now I sit and think of all the wonderful treats that come with Thanksgiving. Like turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, rolls, gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, and so much more. There is also the tradition in my family of all the cousins going out to a movie after Thanksgiving dinner. Oh, there's also my Aunt Marianne, who promised to make me a sugar free cherry pie (she wanted to include me in everything). We also pull out the leftovers at the end of the night (when we are all hungry again) and get the croussiants to make sandwiches. Not just any sandwiches, these are super deluxe, really bad for you, heart-stopping sandwiches (as you can see my family is very health conscious). We pile on the leftover turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, mayonnaise, salt and pepper, and anything else you may want or find in the house; microwave till warm and toasty and enjoy! You may think that is horrible, but I know a bunch of you are salivating right now just thinking about it.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Eating Utensils...A Mystery Untold

Have you ever pondered the eating utensils that you use on a daily basis? As for myself, I scrutinize and study the little (and sometimes uncommonly large) pokers and proders that make our eating experience better (or so they would have you believe).

Let's start with the obsessive need to fit in. This is a common phenomenon that we find in Chinese and other Asian style restaurants. Take someone like me, for example, I'm a fairly normal individual with an abnormal need to fit in to the society. I will go into a Chinese restaurant that is serving a variety of rice and noodle items. I will then proceed to awkwardly pick up and fidget with the two sticks that they gave me. Being an American the smart and logical thing to do would be to pick up the fork (sitting next to the chopsticks) and use it. But no, I do a horrible job of trying to put food in my mouth. This only leads to food on the ground, table, my clothes, and sometimes even my neighbors clothes.

Give it up for the society that manages to eat all food items with two sticks; and never resorts to stabbing the food like a shish-ka-bob.

Now, I have always been fascinated with the concept of a spork.
That crazy utensil that lays somewhere between being a spoon and a fork. But never quite growing up into complete adulthood as either. A genetic defect that is morphed between two worlds. I used to ponder the use of a spork. How useful can it really be? Soups make it useless with those little notches at the end; unless it's a stew. Then there are those times when you try to fork something into your mouth to find out that your notches are too short to hold the food or they break off altogether. It is a sad and pathetic utensil.

But then there are the other definitions that you gave for this unusual word. First, I must open myself up to utter humiliation because I know this; but the alien race that you all are thinking of right about now are Vulcans (one main character on the said Star Trek show was named Spock - very close to the word spork, and thus probably causing the confusion). Now you can all blog me in shame about my geekiness that abounds from simply possessing this information.

Finally, I like the idea of using spork as an active word. But I must admit saying that you are going to spork someone does sound a little dirty. Maybe not the best word to use...Could be confused with to many other things. I recently found a website that is completely dedicated to the many uses of a spork. It mocks it, reveres it, and even finds many uses for it. What will we think of next in the line of eating utensils?

My Birthday has Come and Gone

My Birthday was more of a weekend. It all started on Friday at work. My co-worker, Karen, took me out to eat for lunch and gave me a bracelet with a mustard seed in it. It is very pretty and very nice of her to think of me.

Once I got back to the office a package was delivered to me. This was from Jacque: a party in a box! This box not only had a DVD of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, but many other items needed to celebrate. I had confetti, balloons, noise-makers, party hats, bubbles, sugar-free candy, and even a Backstreet Boys game. I loved it!! Just so everyone knows...Johnny Depp is always appreciated as a gift; whether it be a movie of his or the actual person, I will never scoff at that gift.

The next day I enjoyed a small gathering on my family at home for a birthday dinner. The kids (my nieces and nephew) were very cute and funny. They cracked up when they saw the cake with the one big taper candle in it. We pulled out the party in a box and let the kids play with all of the stuff. They kept thanking me for letting them play with the bubbles and glow sticks (so Jacque thanks a bunch...it was a hit). We daringly tried a sugar free cake and found that it turn out that sugar is the key ingredient to making cake taste good. Don't try it at home folks.

On Sunday (my actual birthday) my parents took me out to eat at The Melting Pot! For those of you that have not experienced this fondue phenomenon you are missing out. It was a fabulous four course meal that filled me up. I truly enjoyed watching cheese fondue be made before my eyes and chocolate fondue flame up in the middle of our table. I recommend this restaurant to anyone that wants a little dinner show with their food.

And now a parade of beautiful specimens of the male
species...just cause I can.

Only Six Shopping Days Left...

There are only six shopping days left until my birthday! For those of you that wish to make me happy on my birthday you must acknowledge this passing of time in my life with a simple gesture. Some people prefer to give gifts...and I have no problem with this tradition.
While others prefer to give cards or say "Happy Birthday!"...which is an acceptable way to pay homage to my day of celebration. See, even Ewan McGregor has stopped by to show me some love.

"Happy Birthday, Hayley!!!" -Ewan
McGregor

For those of you that want to go that extra mile and get me something, let me introduce you to my "wish list". This is a list of the many things that I want (mainly DVD's, books, CD's) and is updated, by me, on a regular basis. I put this together as a service to you. This way you don't have to go wandering around the mall asking yourself, "I wonder if Hayley would like a copy of the new Star Wars DVD?" This list answers that for you....Yes!!!

So please take the time to visit this link (Hayley's Wish List); or go to amazon.com on your own and click on the icon for wish list. It will ask you to search by either name or email address. Just put in my name and click on Hayley from Denton, TX (I know I no longer live there, but Amazon has not updated it yet...the other Hayley from Katy is not me).

Just remember...the clock is ticking!

Thanks for the Memories

Well, it's the end of the World Series and the Astros had to come home to a defeat. But, in true Houstonian fashion they came home champions and heroes. We still love this team and the players. We have grown with them over the years and have learned how they play. We have waited the many years that it took to gain a mature team that can go all the way. And now we have gone to the World Series. The experience was a rush!!!

The Fans Thank You!

But let's move on to my boy, my guy, my favorite pitcher in the whole world: Brandon Backe. This is the guy that pulled it together for us in the end. He was called to start game 4 in the series when Clemens was injured. He went out there and pitched 7 amazing innings. He kept the White Sox from getting any runs the entire time he was out there. He truly played the game of his career in the World Series. Even though they didn't come home with the prize; Backe came home a true hero.

So, the best that I can say to the many players and managers and team owners and fans: Thanks for the Memories!!