The Big Benford Show

This weekend has been nice. I got a few chores done and got a chance to relax as well. We had our Austin Stars Board of Directors meeting and it was very productive. We got to speak with Evan, who is still in Afghanistan, and that was so great!! Saturday night, I even got a chance to have a nice dinner with an old friend.

This morning, I woke up with a bit of a stiff neck but it really didn’t keep me from doing a few things today. I worked out and cleaned up a bit before I went to the symphony concert. Funny thing about this stiff neck, though - I figured a hot shower after some exercise would help loosen it up but it only made it more stiff. Maybe it was walking out in the cooler room after I was all done that helped stiffen it up. So, I went to the concert then to Whole Foods to get a massage from my mom. OH THANK GOODNESS for my mother!!! Now, I’m laying here on a heating pad, hoping the last of the stiffness goes away.

Some sad news, though. When I drove up to the house, I noticed something in the road in front of my house. I wasn’t sure what it was and I still couldn’t turn my head all the way so I pulled into my driveway and took a look to find a neighborhood cat laying in the road. I thought it belonged to my next door neighbor so I went over and rang on her doorbell. I described the cat and she said it wasn’t hers but she thought it belonged to our across the street neighbors. We walked over and headed to their front door when they pulled into their driveway. They’re Russian so there is a bit of a communication gap but we wanted to break it to them gently. I felt so bad of having to break the news…he kept asking me if I saw who did it but I hadn’t. When I came inside, I made sure to give my kitties some extra love. I wish there was something else I could’ve done for them or that their cat was just injured. If you have pets that hang out in the neighborhood, please be sure they wear a collar and you’re careful about letting them just hang out when you’re not watching.

This week was REALLY a long, hard week. It’s been very productive so that was good but by the Friday evening, I was absolutely exhausted. It turned out to be quite a rough evening and the emotions of having such a hard week caught up with me. Once I got past that, however, I slept like a baby; which was good because we had a Austin Stars Board of Directors Meeting here this morning.

The corps is coming along well and being that this is a brand new organization, going slowly is just the right thing. I think as long as we keep an eye on our pacing and not get overly excited but stay energized, we’ll be okay in the long run. The long haul is what this is all about and we want to last. Since we’re not a junior corps, we don’t have to worry about competing with The Crossmen or Revolution for membership. There are two other senior corps in Texas but one is in the Dallas area and the other is in Houston so we fit right in the middle for our membership. Anywho, productive meeting that didn’t go on forever!

Everyone at school was feeling the exhaustion as I did but no one seemed to know why they were so exhausted. I think it was because it the last week we had a full week of school, it wasn’t that eventful. Then, we had the ice storm then this past week; which was when grades were due for progress reports and activities cancelled last week were trying to make up time, as well as get done what was planned for this week. It really seem to hit us outta no where.

So, let’s see how this next week goes. We have our first Ensemble Recital night on Thursday (so no Grey’s with the girls this week ) My mom’s birthday is next Saturday and since the “Ice Storm 2007″ happened around my dad’s birthday, we’re going to celebrate both my parents at the same dinner. The rest of today is dedicated to laundry, paying bills, studying my scores for UIL, doing my physical therapy exercises and just chillin’ out. Tomorrow, Allen Vizzutti is playing with the Temple Symphony at Georgetown HS PAC so I’ll be going to see him. Hope your weekend is just what you need!

I wish my bathroom looked like this!

It’s amazing what talking to good friends, some sunshine, a great day with kids and a relaxing bath can do for one’s soul. Saturday was not a good day. If it weren’t for the little girl time I got to have, I honestly don’t know if I could have recovered so quickly. Thank goodness!

Boy howdy (and when have I ever said that before??), was this weather dark and gloomy! It certainly lent to a gloomy mood, and with a few other things going on in my world, it certainly led to my feeling like a jackass magnet. The last couple of guys I’ve dated were quite the jackasses and I’m not sure if I remember the last guy I really dated that wasn’t. In fact, I had to ask my friend Cathy why one ex and I broke up. Luckily, he wasn’t a jackass…we just grew apart.

In 2006, I’ve seen 6 or 7 friends go through difficulties in their marriages that have caused them to split up and many of those friends have either gotten divorced or are in the process of it. There are still two or three that may be able to save their marriages or at least their relationship. Granted, I don’t know all the details of each break up but knowing what I do know, it makes me wonder if any of it is worth it. There are plenty of couples I know that are in successful marriages and that gives me hope for a successful relationship at some point in the future. But do I really want it in the form of a marriage? That’s where I’m not so sure. I’ve talked to my dad some about this and he kind of agrees on the merits of having a successful relationship without the confines of a marriage. All very hard to wrap my mind around but still very fascinating.

My friends are amazing. They give me so much guidance with their experiences and their willingness to share with me. Of course, I can only do what is best for me and I have to take each opportunity for what they are and what they offer. The only thing I can do is be honest with them and myself. It’s only fair….

From the movie Frida:

Tina Modotti: I don’t believe in marriage.
[crowd laughs]
Tina Modotti: No, I really don’t. Let me be clear about that. I think at worst it’s a hostile political act, a way for small-minded men to keep women in the house and out of the way, wrapped up in the guise of tradition and conservative religious nonsense. At best, it’s a happy delusion - these two people who truly love each other and have no idea how truly miserable they’re about to make each other. But, but, when two people know that, and they decide with eyes wide open to face each other and get married anyway, then I don’t think it’s conservative or delusional. I think it’s radical and courageous and very romantic. To Diego and Frida.

Makes a lot of sense to a drunken me.

Once the snow stopped, there was sleet. It’s not nearly as fun as snow is…in fact, it kinda hurts if you stand out in it too long. Luckily, I’ve heard that somewhere so I didn’t stay out in it much at all. Not enough for it to hurt, anyways. We didn’t loose any power so I was able to roast a chicken. I do have ice on the tree limbs which is making them hang down and hopefully, they’ll recover. I took some more picture this morning with all the icicles and such. Ice and water are very fascinating, what it can do. Its power, its beauty. Again, you can see all the pictures in my gallery. Take a look:

Okay, so this chicken I roasted was WAY yummy. First, I pre-heated the oven to 400 degrees. Then, here is the pictoral of the steps:

Wash the chicken and pat it dry with a paper towel. Place chicken in the roasting dish, cut up veggies and place in and around the chicken. The veggies I used were garlic, onion, carrots, and celery.

Actually, before I stuffed the veggies in the chicken, I made sure to season the cavity with fresh basil, sage, garlic, and chives. After the veggies went in, I seasoned the outside with sea salt, 2 dried bay leaves (those actually went inside as well), dried basil, dried rosemary, and dried thyme.

I also added some wine to the roasting dish.

I put the chicken in the 400 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. Actually, at 45 minutes, I basted the chicken with its juices. It already looked yummy at that point!

45 minutes after that, it was ready. How did I know? The joints moved freely and the juices ran clear. Also, the little ready indicator had popped up.

It was so good and there are plenty of left overs for lunches to come. It was really easy, too. Next time, I may add some of the orange salt Saucy Joe gave me and lemon slices to make it a citrus chicken. Ooh, or I could use bar-b-que seasonings and make it a bar-b-que chicken… The possibilities on this are endless!!