Domestic Geek

The other day, Laura posted a pic of her shopping list for a meme she was doing. I'm rather proud of my Thanksgiving list, so I figured I'd share (click on image for bigger). Graphics used on the list were found at Graphic Garden. The great thing about keeping this list on my ol' computer is I don't have to strain the brain every year trying to remember what I need to get. I print it out, check my cupboards for stuff I already have, stick it on a clipboard and off to the store we go.

This year's shopping trek only took two hours and three stores. That even included walking around most the the new Walmart at I-70 and Tower Road to help Dad find a squeegee. It could've been done with two stores if either King Soopers or Walmart carried Kellogg's Stuffing. The only place that seems to carry that anymore are Super K. I hate shopping at Kmart with a passion, especially the one on Colfax/Chambers. There were some King Soopers listed on the product finder list. Last year I drove around to all of them hoping to find my elusive stuffing, but to no avail. I ended up at the Super K over on south Broadway. This year I wasn't going to drag Dad all around town and waste gas, so I suffered the Super K closest to my home. I thought I was screwed when I couldn't find it anywhere, nor could I find an employee to ask for assistance. As I was giving up and heading for the door, I found a small display in an aisle! Victory!

See, I make this really good shrimp stuffing that I think I found on the back of a stuffing box one year. I tried it one year with a different brand of stuffing and it just wasn't the same. It's got to be the seasonings they use or something. Thus the special trip every year. Anyway, I put the recipe in the extended just in case it every disappears from their web site. It is SO GOOD!

Well, I guess I better wrap this up and get going to the pizza job. I said I was going to make a pumpkin pie from scratch this year and I mean it! I've got a couple of pumpkins sitting on my dining room table that need to be cooked today so that I'll be ready to bake the pies tomorrow night. I'm going all Martha and even bought a tiny leaf cookie cutter to decorate the edge of the pie. If it turns out decent, I'll post pics.

Well, the lady who wanted to interview me called me this morning to inform me that she had already hired someone else. Damn! At least she had the decency to let me know that the position was no longer open. I hate waiting and waiting and never knowing if you're going to get the job or if they had already filled it.

It's coming up on that time of year, so if anybody is wondering what to get me for Christmas, this is what I want:

anything on my Amazon wishlist in the sidebar -->
Michaels or Hobby Lobby gift cards

I plan on taking an oil painting class in the new year. The next one starts January 14, 2006. It's part of the nurture my inner child/artist plan. I have been wanting to take the oil painting class offered by Aurora Parks and Rec for over two years and I always talk myself out of it because, in addition to the $59 the class costs, the supplies are another $100. So, that's what I want for Christmas.

Sorry for being absent the last week. Between the job loss and the crap at the pizza place, I've been really depressed. Even though I hated the manager's guts and am not really sorry that he killed himself (just shocked that he actually did it), the workplace has been a little stressful. The power struggles and backstabbing resumed the day after we all found out about it. Top it off with the fact they kept closing the store resulting in a $200 loss in income for me last week. I've felt like being a hermit and hiding from the world. I've been wearing the same clothes all week (t-shirt and sweatpants) and eating everything in sight. The weather has been crappy and I've been doing a lot of sitting on the couch watching mindless television. I'm starting to see holiday commercials and it sucks once again not having the funds to really "go all out." I'm still feeling positive that things will be better after all this, but sometimes you just need to feel bad. Especially during one of the worst astrological periods in a long time. Several retrogrades hit this month. Marcus calls astrology crap, but after some stuff that's happened to him this month, he may be wavering on that belief.

I may have an interview tomorrow for a part-time job. Part-time is better than no job at all. I keep playing phone tag with the lady that placed the ad on craigslist. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I found out that the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is going to be in town next week. I really wanted to go the next time they came through, but I don't have spare cash right now and I can't find anybody giving away tickets. Booooooo!

Well, I'd better post this and go back to watching the news. The Aurora police announced that the little six-year-old girl they've been searching for the last three days, Aarone Thompson, may indeed have been murdered over a year ago. That's so sad and sick that the dad comes up with this bogus runaway story. They whole story didn't smell right from day one. I guess that explains why they didn't have a more recent photo of her than the one that was 18 months old.

Yes, dear readers, once again I am underemployed right before the holiday season. Damn, this seems to happen every year. *sigh* Last Thursday, at the screenprinter, most of the remaining staff, myself included, was given cash and told it was their last day. The handful of remaining staff will finish up the pending jobs and then the place is closing its doors. I was a little sad about it, but amazingly enough, I feel a strong surge of hope. It's hard to describe, but I have a feeling that this was meant to be and bigger, better things are in store. Normally I would be ridden with anxiety and fearing for my future, but things will work out. They always do one way or another. So, in addition to putting resumes out and seeing the placement lady at my old school, this next week I plan on taking care of me--cleaning my house, exercising, crafting, etc. All the stuff that I've put on hold because I've been working too darned much. I need to keep making sure I get up early and get the dough done before everybody else gets in. This week I have spent so much time talking to other employees that I haven't talked to in months because they need to talk about the manager's suicide and stuff. While I'm glad that I can help in listening, I know my time could be better spent elsewhere, y'know?

I did manage to get a couple of my designs printed before I had to vacate the premises (lol). The two production guys that were left even stayed late to finish them for me. They even let me make them for free. Normally, as an employee, I would've had to buy the shirts and pay a reduced amount for the ink used. I guess they felt bad about having to let us go and just let me have the shirts. Anyway, I made myself a Domestic Geek baseball swash design and Team [Housewares] shirts for Marcus. I'll see if I can get Marcus and Mike to pose in their shirts this evening while they're gaming and post a pic. I'm really happy with how they turned out except for the color of the shirt. I was pretty much limited to what we had left in the storeroom, which wasn't much. The only color that had all sizes we needed and was still military-looking was a green color. I wanted them on tan. Oh, well. I had them print one tan one, though, to see how it would turn out. I also took my films, so one day we can get more done if Marcus needs them. I wish I had been around long enough to finish the kokopelli design I was working on. It will be done one day, though, and even if I have to pay, I'll get it printed.