I finally think I'm closing in on a decent chili recipe! It kind of reminded me of "dump" cake, as unappealing as that sounds - literally, open cans, dump, cook on stove 1 hour.

1 can beef broth
1 can kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 (little) can tomato paste
steak ... or ground beef ... or really, whatever your heart desires
cayenne powder
cumin
salt
pepper
garlic
onion

Notice - no measurements. That's because it's incredibly similar to the recipe I found in my Betty Crocker. But, their recipe called for 2 tablespoons of chili powder. I put in one, and it's on fire!! So, the moral of the story is, season it to your liking. If you like spicy, then by all means, use the whole jar of chili. If you're like me and cry over pico de gallo, maybe do less.

Next time I'll put in more meat (I thought I'd put in too much) and less cayenne; maybe another can of different beans. Yay for meals that don't take 6 hours to prepare & cook!

Ah, cars. They're a pain, aren't they?

As my car is about to fall apart, I've been thinking about what kind of car I want. It's tough, though. I mean, I've driven the same car for 10 years now. How on earth do you replace that?


Ha, just kidding. Although, if money were no object, I think I'd really like this one. I saw a middle-aged woman driving it in Huntington Beach once, and it certainly was a beautiful car. But, it's not really practical to spend more money on a car than you make in a year. An this is where I begin: start at the top, and work down.


OK, this is another dream car. And I don't even dream about the convertible. But I've been a fan ever since (embarrassingly) Legally Blonde. Yet another dream car, but we're getting closer ...


Oh yes. The Mitsubishi Eclipse. I am totally obsessed with the orange, too. In fact, the big factors here are: 1) the color, 2) the shape, and 3) the price. It's within a reasonable price range for a car, in my opinion. It would satisfy my need for a sporty, fun car, before I get saddled with the SUV or (gasp) minivan for the kids. They're not the best of cars, and it doesn't get as good gas mileage as I do now, but hey, I'm getting an MBA, don't I deserve a little fun??

I was pretty dead set on this one. I have all the options picked out. And then, I remembered this childhood (OK, maybe teen-hood) dream ...
Oh yes. The iconic Volkswagen Beetle. When these first came back, I was all in to them; I'll admit, I totally fell for the advertising (remember Absurd?). Now, these are not technologically superior cars, either; the gas mileage is a little worse than the eclipse.

{edit: No, it does not come in pink. I'm not sure why the picture looks pink. The downside to this one is the colors leave something to be desired.}

BUT ... who would have ever thought I'd be able to afford a convertible??? I know, I never really wanted a convertible. And, I don't really like the soft-top look. But there's something about a convertible Bug, in my price range, that's wonderfully attractive. I haven't test driven one, but you better believe when I get a few free minutes, I'm going to!!

Are cars like wedding dresses and houses? Do you always end up with the exact opposite of what you thought you wanted? Or is there really just no car out there for me? I guess we'll find out after my test drive.

This ...

My one experience with Waffle House: a group of people went late one night during one of our high school trips, and the next day everyone was sick with some kind of food poisoning. But hey, this was 10 years ago ... they've probably gotten better since then.

Ah, my first "but I have to have this for the wedding" item.


A long time ago, when Carmen Electra and Dave Navarro were getting married, I remember Carmen bouncing around on the big day in a personalized white track suit (similar). While the personalized ones I've found have been incredibly pricey, yet rather cheap looking, and sort of limited to pre-wedding wear, a plain white one has years of wear in it! Plus, I've always oddly wanted a pair of white sweatpants. Go figure.

But, $60 for a track suit, just so I can have something easy to get off without messing up my (likely expensive) hair and makeup? I probably have enough coupons to make it reasonable. Then again, I was really excited to get paid this week, because that meant I could make the photographer's deposit. With about $20 left over for ... you know ... everything else.

I hate money. Le sigh.

This is such a cute story.

People seem to forget all the good that goes on in the world. Yes, even Americans sometimes do right.

As for the commenter who said the Bush administration was neo-nazi-ism ... way to reveal your ignorance.

See me trying to get better at blogging?? Here's the latest:

Lately there have been a lot of babies around. Really amazingly beautiful and cute babies! Usually they kind of scare me when they're first born - they look like pruny little old men. Heck, even I looked pretty pruny and red (funny how some things don't change)!

The past few days have been good shopping days for me. And yes, I know, the semester is over in just a month and I have quite a bit of work to do. But yesterday, exhausted as I was, I managed to get from across the street:

• two pairs of shoes from Payless that I've had my eye on all summer, and on clearance!
• a little gift for a certain someone's birthday coming up quite soon
  
• jewelry findings for my someday, hopefully, bridesmaids, as well as the grand designs I have for my own necklace

Today after work, I purchased:

• a pair of jeans that fit comfortably, without me wishing those last 10 pounds were off, from Old Navy of all places. You have to understand, this is monumental. Their pants haven't fit me in years.
  
• a free pound of See's candy with a certificate I've had for over two years
• Japanese food galore: buckwheat soba and short grain rice. I miss Japanese food.
  

Which, by the way, made for a nice bland little chicken and rice dinner for my delicate tummy. I even used one of Martha's daily dinner recommendations and put a little lemon and rosemary on it. Five emails a day, one good suggestion.

Andy has been getting the wedding website up, and so far it's looking great! Meanwhile, I've been still plodding toward securing our photographer, and thinking of things to do when my parents visit. I wonder if we can get some engagement photos done by then ... ? Although, it's not like ordering save the date materials off the internet is anything ceremonious.

All said, I'll leave you with this reminder: be kind to your IT folks. Chances are good that while you're thinking they're a useless idiot, they're thinking they same of you. I'll try if you do!

I saw this article on my favorite internet news (who got rid of their entertainment blogs ... ugh!) about how Walmart is profiting off your misery. Way to feed the fire, guys.

Anyway, there's a long list of things that are offensive about this article. Well, maybe only to me, as I've been too poor to snub Walmart my whole adult life.

1. First we have the "it's too embarrassing/humiliating to shop at Walmart!!" I do it all the time. You will get over it.
   
2. The amazement that it's cheaper. I mean, really, can you not read the prices from your high horse?? They have affordable eye exams and glasses/contact lenses, too ...
   
3. Product quality. OK, I'll concede that one ... partially. I won't buy their clothes any more, nor would I buy electronics or furniture there. But Walmart is for staples! Toothpaste! Shampoo! They even have an amazing store-brand daytime and nighttime cold medication that costs $3. You can shop around for the other stuff. Correction: you should shop around for the other stuff.
   
4. It's not a pleasant shopping experience. This, I'll agree with also. But then again, I don't find shopping for boring stuff pleasant anyway. I'm agoraphobic (OK not really, but internet shopping will do that to you). I shop at odd times, like right after work. Never on weekends. And don't even get me started on the "with such a large store, she said it can seem like a workout to get from the shampoo aisle to the milk case."

Sure, you could work really hard at finding things cheaper elsewhere. Gas prices are pretty much negating all the shopping around you might be doing. Unless you can walk to these stores, in which case I am supremely jealous. And no, they aren't really kind and gentle toward their employees. I'll be the first to admit, though, that I'm pampered by my benefits package. But, with so much turnover and who they're hiring, I can't imagine the headache that causes - it's beyond me. So, consider that before you judge. For some people, saving $10 ends up being a lot of money ... maybe you could use it, too.