TWTW - the one that was freaking cold

Friday night I sage smudged Stephen & Aubrey's new house, then MFD and I met Mark & Nicole for dinner at Carlucci's. Good food and good catching up.

Saturday morning I headed to Stephen & Aubrey's to do some moving stuff, have lunch and a beer, and head home all by noon.

While waiting for Comcast, I walked and did weights, laid out my clothes for the week, and did some light hausfrauing. Once they came, the dogs joined the Comcast Hating Club because they had to be sequestered in the basement. Even though Comcast the corporation is an evil asslord, the tech guys were really nice and got our Internet fixed.

After the Comcast guys left, I met MFD at Hand & Stone and we got our monthly massage followed by Hong Luck for dinner. It was delicious.

We picked up dessert, went to Target, then came home to enjoy. This is my sweet ass brownie from Fritz's bakery and a side of Haagen Dazs Vanilla Bean.

Sunday I got groceries delivered before heading to Stephen & Aubrey's to do some little stuff for them.

When I got home, I was freaking spent. Extreme cold really takes it out of me. I fell into a L&O SVU marathon and didn't look back. Sunday in pugs:

Weekly food prep: savory oatmeal topped with EVOO and jalapeno cheese, spinach muffins to freeze, hard boiled eggs for snacks, baked chicken and roasted sweet potatoes for lunch, cod bouillabaisse for dinners, and salad and baked potato for Sunday dinner. Other dinners of the week are chicken and steak. I tried out Blue Apron because Stacey sent me a code. It was interesting. Have you heard of it/tried it?

Sunday night was reading and SNL 40th anniversary watching. I miss Maya Rudolph. I think she's hilarious. It felt like a long walk down memory lane and I didn't mind it. 

Was this boring? Sorry if it was. The negative windchills have frozen my brain and sapped my will to engage. Let's hope for better tomorrow, yes?

A big wet fart noise to everyone who has off for this bank holiday. As you may have surmised from my attitude, I'm not one of them.

Linking up with Biana at B Loved Boston for Weekending

Netflix, shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

via

The Evil Asslord Comcast has chosen this week to fuck with me and raise my monthly payment for zero reason. Of course this is the week our Internet has been on the fritz nightly as well, requiring a technician to come out today. But back to the cable bill. 

 As you Comcast customers may be aware, this is nothing new and happens at least once a year. Two years ago I had a manager lock me into a rate only to have it go up before the time period was over. I called and had to bully them into keeping their word.

After 12 years, I've had it. Cable is being cancelled. MFD says he's with me, but he lingers long over My Strange Addiction instead of catching up on The Good Wife, which he says he wants to do before I pull the plug.

Get a move on, Mike. My rage is going to spontaneously combust to form a wrathful demon not unlike something one would see in Rosemary's Baby or The Exorcist if I don't get to spew it on them soon.

I am acquiring this antenna so I can watch Jeopardy, Channel 6 Action News, and awards shows. We have a Roku in the living room to stream Amazon, Netflix, Hulu (currently not subscribing to Hulu).

I don't watch a ton of TV. When I do, it's rarely in real time. Showtime and HBO are poised to offer standalone streaming service this year, as is CBS. It'll be all good and soon we will no longer be living under the thumb of Comcast, the shysters with black souls, for cable.

Last week Kelly at A Lovely Life, Indeed tagged me in a Netflix post. Timely, given the Comcast fuckery going down right now. Shows I've loved on Netflix:

House of Cards. Kevin Spacey is everything.

The Fall. Gillian Anderson and serial killers. Yes and yes.

The Killing. I will love Netflix forever for making this show stretch to a final season.

Orange is the New Black. I thought I wouldn't like this show, but I do.

Things I'm planning on watching in the future:
-The West Wing
-Peaky Blinders
-Call the Midwife
-Breaking Bad
-Luther
-Boss
-Lillyhammer
-Broadchurch

Due to my lack of Valentining, you might have surmised that I'm not a lover of the day, but I do love love and I also love a lot of other things. Like you, dear reader. And Netflix. If you've enjoyed this, perhaps you might enjoy my big love post from 2013.

Happy Friday. Damn the man! Save the Empire! 

Linking up with Amanda for Friday Favorites.

Shit MFD Said Vol 15

10:58 pm

MFD: Look at these. Hands me phone

Me: They look like bowling shoes.

MFD: That's why I like them. Hey! Groupon knows what size I am. Ordered.

Me: You just ordered shoes from Groupon?

MFD: Yep.

After I have thundered down the stairs in my typical morning mood on a Wednesday

Me: Mike! I got NO SLEEP because you had the thermostat on 68 degrees. I CAN'T SLEEP LIKE THAT. 

MFD: Good morning.
Me: AND MAISIE THREW UP.
MFD: Why did she throw up?
Me: BECAUSE IT WAS TOO HOT.
MFD: Ok. So..have a good day!

After he changes the song

Me: Really?

MFD: What's wrong with Cat Stevens?

Me: What's wrong with Van Halen?

MFD: Sammy Hagar.

All read and approved by MFD before they go live...
Shit MFD Said Vol 1, Shit MFD Said Vol 2, Shit MFD Said Vol 3, Shit MFD Said Vol 4
Shit MFD Said Vol 5, Shit MFD Said Vol 6, Shit MFD Said Vol 7, Shit MFD Said Vol 8
Shit MFD Said Vol 9, Shit MFD Said Vol 10, Shit MFD Said Vol 11, Shit MFD Said Vol 12, Shit MFD Said Vol 13, Shit MFD Said Vol 14

Show Us Your Books! - What I read in January

Link up your posts about the book(s) you've read recently with Jana of Jana Says and me!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.lifeaccordingtosteph.com/" title="Life According to Steph"><img src="http://i1290.photobucket.com/albums/b536/lifeaccordingtosteph1/bookbuttonlinkup_zps01365b43.jpg" alt="Life According to Steph" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Saving Grace by Jane Green - I knew what was going to go down in this book before I was a quarter way through. Green's reads are typically mild and pretty mindless, and they're great when you're in the mood for them, which I was when I read this.

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters - This one disappointed me. At 576 pages, it was at least 250 pages too long, and that's being generous. At times overwritten, melodramatic, and repetitive, the big twists could be seen from miles away. I think this is a case of a popular author being overindulged and not well edited.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - I'm not a huge Austen fan. I don't swoon over Mr. Darcy. Kristen recommended this one and I actually quite enjoyed it. I found it amusing and a pretty quick read.  

You by Caroline Kepnes - You guys, this book was fucking nuts. And I couldn't stop reading it. Caroline Kepnes, how did you make me like a crazy stalker psychopath? It's weird to admit to loving this story because everyone in it is insane and the person I liked the best was the textbook psycho killer. It reminded me of reading Nabokov's Lolita. There is great power in an author who can make you like someone who is quintessentially unlikable.

Private Sector (Sean Drummond #4) by Brian Haig - Formulaic novels with my favorite wisecracking JAG lawyer, Sean Drummond. These books keep my interest and are quick reads. 

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - This was a crazy ride in more ways than one. I had to keep reading, which is the mark of a good book in my book. I even bought it which I never do because I heard the hype and couldn't bear to wait for 234 other people to read it before me at the library. I'm glad I did. I sent it off to Jana to read next!

Delicious! by Ruth Reichl - This was no big literary masterpiece or page turner, but I really enjoyed it. I liked the characters even when some of them (main) were being stupid. I loved the talk about food and cooking and history. A nice change of pace after The Girl on the Train. This is an ideal lazy weekend book.

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty - Teen drama and angst. I read it in less than 24 hours. There are more of these books, and I'll probably read them even though I sometimes cannot stand the protagonist.

Since I didn't want to wait for The Girl on the Train, I don't want you to either. Enter to win a copy, and it'll be ordered for you by Sunday!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

********************

Haikuesday

Daylight lasts longer.

Spring whispers over the winds.
I wish it would yell. 

********************

Non-bloggers, what have you read recently? Let me know what you recommend!
Bloggers, link up your posts about the book(s) you've read recently with  Jana of Jana Says and me!

This link up happens the second Tuesday of every month. 

The next one is Tuesday, March 10.

An InLinkz Link-up

TWTW - Feb-ru-ary

Friday night after I got groceries delivered I got busy in the kitchen. First task: brining Horace the turkey. I believe in naming my turkeys.

Second task: making salted caramel butter bars. What a bastard mess, but worth it. MFD was off frolicking around seeing Dave Attell and other comedians, so I also made spinach casserole and sweet potato casserole before calling it a night around 11:30.

Saturday I woke up to a Keurig that would not produce coffee. Motherfucker. So I headed out and got coffee and gas at Wawa, then picked up a new Keurig. When I got home I worked on stuffing and got Horace in the oven. He was a beaut. Then I sage smudged my house because the heater, the washer, and the Keurig have all broken since the second week of January. Sayonara, bad energy.

Saturday night framily joined us for dinner and it was a great relaxing night. We're trying to make a better effort to see each other once a month. Life gets so busy and before you know it three months have gone by.

Pic courtesy of Evan Leslie

Do you guys have professional photographers document your soirees? No? Cool. Thanks to Evan for these pics! Anyone in the PA/NJ area needing a photographer, check out Evan Leslie Images.

My photos from the night? LOLz. Our dogs were worn out from company.

I finally fell into bed around 1:30 Saturday night and slept for 11 hours. It was wonderful. The dogs needed even more rest because this is what they spent most of Sunday doing while I was laying out my clothes for the week, putting fresh sheets on the bed, and doing laundry:

Weekly food prep: egg muffins with spinach, mushrooms, and jalapeno cheddar cheese for breakfast; lemons cut up for water; hard boiled eggs for MFD; cucumbers, hummus, bananas, and apples for snacks. I used Horace's carcass and made turkey soup with onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic, spinach, and brown rice for Sunday dinner and this week's lunches. Other dinners: lemon chicken thighs over sauerkraut; salmon and steamed veggies; baked potatoes with laughing cow light cheese, salsa and veggies; and veggie omelets.

Other than that, I finished a book because I wanted to get it in for tomorrow's post. Are you linking up with me and Jana for Show Us Your Books?

Five chances to kill it daily this week. Let's begin. 

Linking up with Biana at B Loved Boston for Weekending