new year's eve 2016

if you've had a good year i hope next year is just as good.

if you had a bad year (like most of us) i hope things improve next year.
also:

bufflo/bison jerky

found some at at local convenience store several days ago & decided to try it.

first was tanka buffalo jerky with cranberries; it was really tender, not a lot of flavor but the cranberries were kind of tart.
this company wants to return the buffalo to the native american people on the great plains. but how can they do that if they're using them for jerky?

last was the epic bison jerky with cranberries; pretty muck like the above, but was pinker in color in the center.

one more (pumpkin) thing

managed to find another pumpkin thing several days ago. it was a pumpkin snack pie from krispy kreme that i was surprised to see so late in the "pumpkin" season.

it was ok. it didn't even have any "spice" as far as i could tell.

and this seems to have ended the pumpkin/pumpkin spice saga for the year. possibly forever for me. unless i forget that i did this & do it again next year.

christmas '16

hope you're having a nice holiday if you're celebrating it, a nice sunday if you're not.

if you're drinking, don't drive.  & remember "buzzed" driving can be just as bad.

weather

....is still a bit wacky. really cold & then kind of warm. it's supposed to be ridiculously warm for christmas this year. thereby annoying all of those hoping for a "white christmas."

new IHOP pancakes

went to IHOP not long ago & had their new egg nog pancakes. they ere ok, nothing special. not like their caramel bon-bon pancakes they had a couple of years ago. i don't like pancakes, but i loved those things.

the weather

it keeps going back and forth between being just right for this time of year & a bit too warm for this time of year. it's driving me up the wall.

starbucks pumpkin spice

had this last week (as a non-coffee blended cream) and it wasn't too bad. they even sprinkled some nutmeg on top.

this is getting to the end of pumpkin season, we have some wal-mart pumpkin cookies that we need to try. so unless i get that one pumpkin thing form a convenience store i was thinking of or that mini pumpkin pie krispy kreme has, this is it for the great pumpkin spice experiment.

thanksgiving 2016

happy thanksgiving or happy thursday if you're not celerbrating.

try not to eat too much today & stay safe during the black friday sales tomorrow.

and most drunk driving accidents happen on thanksgiving, so don't drink & drive. and "buzzed" driving can be just as bad.

more pumpkin spice madness

had IHOP's pumpkin spice pancakes. not a fan of pancakes, but they were ok. not much spices.

also had voortman's pumpkin spice wafers. the were ok at first but the spice "came back" on me later.

veteran's day 2016

just a brief reminder that no matter how you feel about military actions, do not forget the people who were actually involved in them.

pumpkin cookies

pepperidge farms has pumpkin cheesecake cookies, so we go a package to try.

they were ok, not too much spice.

cobblers

wal-mart has cobblers by patty labelle; apple, peach & mixed berry. we (brother & i) had the apple & mixed berry.

they were both pretty good, but i liked the apple better. but since i don't like berrys in my pies & stuff, it was a given.

trick or treat

since halloween is monday, all of the trick or treat stuff will most likely be this weekend, stay safe by using flashlight, having reflective tape on costumes & making sure you can see out of your mask.

but a lot of place are having the T or T sessions in the afternoon when there's more light, but still be careful.

cheerios pumpkin spice

not that great, tastes kind of smoky. almost smells like the cardboard of the box it came in.

this seems like the end of the pumpkin spice experiment. unless we to to starbucks for their pumpkin spice blended cream or another local convenience store's pumpkin spice frozen drink.

yet more pimpkin spice

wal-mart pumpkin cobbler bread: not too bad. kind of dry.

pepperidge farms' pumpkin spice bread: not as much flavor as the wal mart one, but not as dry.

thomas' pumpkin spice bagels; not much flavor, but with pumpkin spice, that's a good thing.

i wonder if we should try the cheerios pumpkin spice cereal.

the autum leaf test

You Are Spirited and Spontaneous

You are an energetic, passionate person. You are quite impulsive, and your passions tend to change with the wind. You are lively and fun. You like to stay busy with your various adventures. You are a wanderer and a traveler. You're curious about the world, and it's hard for you to stay still for too long. You get bored easily and tend to shirk on your responsibilities. You don't want to grow up yet!

The Autumn Leaf Test

not me at all

what color pumpkin are you?

You Are an Orange Pumpkin

You are a bit average and ordinary, but that's a good thing. People appreciate you for who you are. You believe life's too short to not forgive and forget. You try to let the small stuff slide and focus on what's important. You appreciate the ordinary things that most people ignore - good friends, a warm home, a tasty meal. There's so much to be thankful for in your life that you would feel wrong to complain too much!

What Color Pumpkin Are You?

don't know how

....but this blog when from 90% blogthings & quizes to food and weather.

fall "themed" donuts

while in wal-mart not long ago i came across apple cider donuts from entenmann's and i had just been talking to my brother a few days about how i'd like to try apple cider donuts like you hear about at apple orchards in the fall. well, the entenmann's version doesn't seem very apple cider-like. perhaps the "real" ones are better.

and while getting those from the display (i need to have blinders like a horse when i go into a store) i found some pumpkin (not pumpkin spice) from the same company. they didn't taste like pumpkin, but occasionally i'd get a hit of it like on the left edge of my tongue.

but both were very fresh & had a nice glaze. entenmann's is expensive, but good. there's a "thrift" store that deals in day (or two) old baked goods somewhat near here & if we had the time, money & freezer space we'd go and load up on stuff.

arby's stuff

went to arby's not long ago & the had a few new things.

a pumpkin pie cheesecake shake, which i had, it was pumpkin pike like but not great tasting.

a cinnamon apple crisp which had too much cinnamon, not enough apple & wasn't "crispy" at all. and it's smaller than the old cinnamon roll & "chocolate lava" thing they had a couple of years ago. not worth at all what they charged for it.

more of the pumpkin spice

found some krispy kreme junior crullers of th e pumpkin spice kind. not too bad, they were the right texture & not too muche "spice".

little debbie has pumpkin spice rolls, not much "spice" but the icing/cream filling is like lard with sugar or something.

mom's b-day 2016

Your Birthday's Wisdom is Individuality

Life has required you to go your own way and do your own thing. You've been taught to rely on yourself. You don't feel comfortable relying on others. You are highly motivated and aggressive. You have no problem getting things done and getting what you want. You feel like you have to look out for yourself, because no one else is.

What's Your Birthday's Wisdom?

pumpkin spice thoughts

i regret ever thinking about trying these things.

mcdonald's has pumpkin spice latte, but i didn't want it hot so asked if they could make it cold. i think the woman forgot to put the flavoring in, so i drank coffee for no good reason. (is there a good reason to drink coffee?) maybe the one from starbucks would be better.

wanted to get the krispy kream pumpkin spice donuts but they were out.

we saw that twinkies had a pumpkin spice version so we got that. but apparently "pumpkin spice" is more spice than pumpkin. at leas it wasn't very strong.

reese's cup with reese's pieces

not sure who thought this was a good idea.

it's just a reese's cup with mini reese's pieces in it.

they need to keep trying for a better idea.

crystal pepsi

brother & i were going through wal-mart not long ago & discovered a shelve of 20^oz bottles of crystal pepsi. i was like WTF? that's from the 1990s but my brother pounced on one to try. we split it & it kind of ad a vague fake vanilla flavor, but it's not the worst soft drink i've had.

i guess everything old is new again.

i must be getting weirder

....in my old age, but i wasn't try try pumpkin spice stuff this fall.

last year i had a local convenience store's "harvest spice" cookie. it was ok, not heavy on the spices but the large grain sugar they sprinkled on it hurt my lip.

a long time ago i had the pumpkin pie at golden corral for thanksgiving & it was loaded with so much pumpkin pie spices, that i couldn't eat more then two bites. that's why when we made pumpkin pies in my family, we only put in half of the amount of the spices they called for.

arby's cookies

this summer arby's added cookies to the menu and not long ago we tried them.

there are just two; triple chocolate and salted caramel & chocolate. (BTW salted caramel seems to be the food thing now) we tried both.
i thought that the chocolate was softer and had just the right amount of chocolate flavor. the salted caramel was a little too salty & was firmer. my brother preferred the salted caramel. no reason was given.

since cookies are apart of their happy hour promotion, we got them for $1 each!

almond butter

always wanted to try this nut butter, but never wanted to invest in a jar in case we didn't like it. well wal-mart had a snack thing with a bit of almond butter & pretzel sticks, so brother & i got some to try.

first of all when you open it you're assaulted by the smell of ground almonds. second the oil separated out of the nut butter & it had to be stirred in, which wasn't easy because it was like stirring half-dried cement. the almond butter didn't taste great, so it was hardly worth the effort. we're really glad we didn't get a whole jar. and i suspect that cashew butter would be similar.

i wouldn't mind trying cookie butter though.

dad's birthday '16

Your Birthday's Wisdom is Action

If there is one thing you've learned in life, it's get moving. Procrastination just makes things so much worse. If you dream it, you do it. You believe in going for it. And as a result, you've had success in many arenas. You would rather regret what you did than regret what you were scared to do.

What's Your Birthday's Wisdom?

mountain dew or don't

mountain dew brought back 2 flavors that people wanted. you can go on-line & vote for one to be a permanent flavor. the flavors are baja blast & pitch black. my brother wanted to try them so we got one bottle of each to split.

the baja blast kind of smells like bubble gum, but only on like every other sniff. it as a vague almost minty taste. it's supposed to taste like tropical-lime, but i didn't get that at all.

the pitch black is supposed to be grape, but i only got a vague grape flavor. which is better than the grape cough syrup flavor my brother read that other people said it tasted like.

while looking up how to spell these flavors i discovered that pitch black won the contest. but i can't imagine why anyone would want these flavors back. i rarely even drink mountan dew unless i'm at a restaurant that has only pepsi products & they don't have mug root beer.

cake!

for some reason my brother got it in his head to have a pepperidge farm cake, but all wal-mart had was coconut. we got it anyway, despite the fact that i don't like coconut. (the the lure of the cake was too strong.) it's was pretty good, but smaller than it used to be.

we also got a 4-flavor (where they have sections of 4 different cakes) wal-mart bakery cake. it is carrot, red velvet, german chocolate & chocolate. it's ok, kind of dry, as most wal-mart bakery cakes seems to be. the worst wal-mart bakery cake we had was come kind of multi-color "blast" cake. not only was it dry as dust, it broke down into crumbs the moment you cut it.

i don't know how they can keep selling it. it must be bought by people who never had one before & then never get it again. or by people with very low cake standards.

the heat of summer

it's either in the 90s or close to it all of the time. and humid as well.

this makes thunder storms more likely. which you'd think would cool tings off, but just increase the humidity. bleck!

PSA: heat exhastion vs heat stroke

since it will get hotter before it gets cooler, especially in the south & southwest, this is info people need.

HEAT EXHAUSTION 
feeling faint or dizzy
excessive sweating
cool, pale, clammy skin
nausea or vomiting
rapid, weak pulse
muscle cramps
treatment: get to a cool, air conditioned place. drink water if fully conscious. take a cool shower or use cool compresses. (i suggest using them around your neck or on the inside of your wrists, where the blood vessels or arteries are close to the surface.)

HEAT STROKE 
throbbing headache
no sweating
body temperature above 103 F (39.4 C)
red, hot, dry skin
nausea or vomiting
rapid, strong pulse
may lose consciousness
treatment: CALL 911 (or whatever equlivent is in your country) take immediate action to cool the person until help arrives. (i suggest providing shade, maybe getting them inside if they're on hot cement & use cool compresses on them)

hostess twinkies

we (brother & i) don't have twinkies very often, but the marshmallow cream coated in white fudge that's out for that new ghostbusters movies sounded interesting. it's not too bad. we had no interest in the key lime slime one as we've had "key lime" stuff before and found it not to be very good.

the other kind we got along with the marshmallow/white fudge was chocolate cream. we had it before & thought it was ok, but this time it wasn't all that good.

i was tempted by the banana split ones they have now but; 1. they have the chocolatey fudge coating which is kind of terrible & 2. they have banana flavored cream which is also kind of terrible.

brother's birthday '16

Your Birthday's Wisdom is Rebirth

You believe the beauty of life is that anyone can be reborn at anytime. The world is full of fresh starts, and you take one whenever it comes your way. You are constantly evolving and changing. And to you, that's a beautiful thing. You aren't the person you used to be... you're so much better now!

What's Your Birthday's Wisdom?

BK mac 'n cheetos

it's the latest thing from BK; mac & cheese formed into a cheese curl type shapes coated with cheetos dust.

i tried some not long ago & they weren't terrible. it was like cheap mac & cheese that didn't taste very cheesy with a hint of cheetos flavor from the coating.
i've had fried mac & cheese bites before from a local convenience store. BK's were creamier, that's about all, besides the cheetos coating.

BK keeps trying, i'll give them that.

slience

the locusts are finally done with their life-cycle. they were unbelievably noisy & the sound was assaulting even indoors.

my brother said it seemed like it was hotter when they were making noise. that's the stereotypical sound they have in TV and movies for the "heat of summer" weather it's a year where locusts out or not.

now if the sink-bugs would go away.

BK cinnamon roll

no long ago i tried the cinnamon roll that burger king has now. it's kind of small for the price, but pretty good. much better than the DQ pull-apart cinnamon bun. and much better than the cinnabon stuff we (brother & i) tried.
we had two different things: pillsbury had something that you warm up in the microwave & i think burger king had cinnabon stuff before. it's otis spunkmeyer that supplies them now (they have the chocolate cookies too).
my brother & i think if the cinnabon stuff you get that their retail locations are as bad as the stuff we had, we can't figure out how they stay in business. those things were almost as bad ad the DQ pull-apart.
of course maybe that's why BK switched to someone else.

movies in 3s

no long ago we (brother & i) did a re-watch of the first two mummy movies from the late '90s.

the first is better than the second & the second is better than the third.
which is true for a lot of movies where there was 3 of them. the first x-men movies & jurassic park movies come to mind. the only ones to break this rule are the original star wars movies, where the second was the better one. & the back to the future movies, where the first one was good and the two that followed were equally just ok.

DQ cinnamon pull-apart

gave into temptation last time i was a dairy queen & tried their  cinnamon pull-apart roll. i regretted it.

first of all it was nearly rock hard & difficult to cut with the little plastic knife and fork they provided.
second of all the cinnamon was just awful! it was the really cheap kind and stays with you far longer than it should. that's the problem with cheap cinnamon.
there's a convenience store near here that has food that you can order. they have a little cup of churros (10 or so small pieces) that i had a couple of times. the first time the cinnamon didn't bother me, but the second time it did so i decided it wasn't worth it. pity.

pepsi 1893

pepsi put out two new drinks recently, we (brother & i tried them) & i was reminded why we don't care for the vast majority of pepsi products.

the first one, a cola, taste like generic cola. probably because of the kola nut ingredient.

the second one, a ginger cola, had a "bite" to it, but not as much as a ginger beer (nonalcoholic) we once tried & left a warm, tingly feeling on the back of my tongue & throat.

my birthday 2016

Your Birthday's Wisdom is Action

If there is one thing you've learned in life, it's get moving. Procrastination just makes things so much worse. If you dream it, you do it. You believe in going for it. And as a result, you've had success in many arenas. You would rather regret what you did than regret what you were scared to do.

What's Your Birthday's Wisdom?

what kind of breakfast are you?

You Are Cereal

Playful and lighthearted, breakfast is likely your favorite meal of the day. (In fact, you're probably the type who sneaks cereal as a midnight snack.) Your culinary skills are probably a bit lacking... and you are a sucker for junk food. Some people accuse you of eating like a kid, but you prefer to think of yourself as low maintenance.

What Kind of Breakfast Are You?

i just realized

....i don't know if march came in like a lion & went out like a lamb, or vise-versa  the weather people usually make a big deal out of it, but i don't recall that this year.

PB & J gummies

not long ago we (brother & i) tried welch's creamy PB & J fruit snacks. not really impressive in our humble opinions. the gummy part was just the usual kind & "came back" on us. the peanut butter was practically tasteless.

and the little pouches were nearly impossible to open. so i don't see if it's meant to be a thing to put into a kind's lunch, i don't see how they could open it.

what type of cruse should you go on?

You Should Go on a Mediterranean Cruise

You're the type of person who likes to shake things up from time to time. You're always looking for a new kind of fun. You'd like to put a twist on your typical vacation routine, without going too off the map. You are stylish, sophisticated, and worldly. You're ready to experience the sights and tastes of Mediterranean port cities. A whirlwind vacation through European is exactly what you need to break out of your routine!

What Type of Cruise Should You Go On?

lost one

when  i signed in to this blog the other day i notice i lost a follower. (only ever had 2) i don't know if it's because that person deleted their blog (how many have one at blogger/blogspot anyway these days?) or because i don't really post that much & when i do, it's not very interesting.

so to my one remaining follower if you're reading this, hello, hope you can stay awhile & i'll try to do better in the future. 

bug season

now that the weather is warming up the bugs are coming out. back by not-so-popular demand are the stink bugs. creepy things.

here's a tip: if you want to keep bees, hornets & similar things away from you, don't wear perfume. especially floral scented ones. insects find flowers by smell.

smoothie test

You Are Inspired

You are always thinking up new and amazing ideas. You are not bound by rules or convention. You never do something the same way more than a few times. And you never follow a schedule, script, or recipe. You love to experiment, and you just laugh if your experiments fail miserably. You're always learning something. You never get too attached to any one thing or idea. You'll just end up changing it soon enough anyway!

The Smoothie Test

it's been a while since i've had a smoothie

spring flower test

You Are Sweet

You are a genuinely kind and generous person. It lifts you up to give to others. You don't believe any deed is too small, and you enjoy thinking of little things to brighten the lives of those you love. Winter is a special time for you, as is every season of the year. You enjoy quiet nights with good company. You know that it can be a struggle to get through the short days, so you do all you can to make your loved ones happy. Spring is something you look forward to every year. You delight in fresh flowers and the world waking up. You love to bask in the first warm day an the first flower you see bloom. For you, there is no sweeter season than spring.

The Spring Flowers Test

the spring test

You Are Dreamy

There is a lot going on in that imagination of yours, and you would be content to daydream all day if you could. You find it easy to transport yourself to another place - the past, the future, or a whole new world. You experience spring a bit more intensely than most people. Every color, sound, smell, and feeling is heightened. You think there is nothing better than waking up to a perfect spring morning. And if you don't have one, you'll just dream one up.

The Spring Test

it may be spring

....but it's still cold.

it even snowed over the week-end!

of cookies & candy

unfortunately did not get any girl scout cookies this year. the one time we managed to be at a place & time that was listed on their site no scouts had been there at all that day. grrr!

however, we did manage to score 50% easter candy at wal-mart today!

girl scout cookie season

it's upon us again & we (brother & i) can hardly wait until we get our hands on some tagalongs (peanut-butter patties).

we were hoping to do the new on-line ordering thing they have now, but it's a 4 box minimum & $10 for shipping.

candy bar test

You Are Refined

You aren't uptight, but you are still very polished and polite. You are graceful. You are classic, both in style and tastes. You don't even notice trends. You are charming and charismatic. You are good at smoothing over even the most difficult situations. You are eloquent and understated. You don't keep going once you feel someone gets the point.

The Candy Bar Test

this is not me.

more on the weather

it's warming up and rain is in the forecast for the foreseeable future.

leap day

it's that one day that shows up every four years (along with presidential election day) so if you have a birthday or anniversary of some sort you can celebrate it on the proper day now.

and since it's a "leap" day take some time to watch an episode of quantum leap (or even read one of the tie-in novels) or at least think about it, if you're a fan,

valentine's day 2016

hope you have a nice time today. and if you don't have anyone hope you can score some discount chocolates tomorrow.

what symbol candy heart are you?

You Are a Peace Symbol Heart

You value love that's harmonious and compassionate. You want to completely trust the person you give your heart to. You don't like relationships that have too much bickering or fighting. You believe love should be a sanctuary. Your ideal Valentine would be happy to just be hanging out with you. You want someone who's into you... not where you're going to dinner. You're looking for a partner who treasures the deeper and simpler things in a relationship. There's no substitute for quality time and connection. Your ideal Valentine's Day would be personal and thoughtful. You don't want the cookie cutter experience of dinner, chocolates, or flowers. Unless any of the above were homemade. You think it's always the thought that counts - especially on this holiday.

What Symbol Candy Heart Are You?

the weather

this winter has bee weird. first december was warm, the we had the usually cold & snow, now we get a few days of warm-ish temperatures and them back to typical winter weather. WTF?!

the superbowl

so apparently it's the panthers vs. the broncos.

 i'm not really sure i car who wins, but if denver does that means that both manning brothers will have two superbowl rings and there will a balance in the force once again.

i watch mostly for the commercials anyway, but they haven't been all that good for that past several years. like my brother says, they spend all that money to buy the air time, but have nothing leftover to make a decent commercial.

january is a rest month of sorts

after the madness of halloween/thanksgiving/christmas there isn't much going on holiday-wise (nothing major "they" want you to buy stuff for) until valentines day & then st. patrick's day and easter come along right after.

remember when easter ws just some candy, dyed eggs & maybe a new outfit for church? now "they" expect you go bout these pre-made baskets loaded with little toys and stuff for your kids. someone said they're trying to make it a second christmas.

what knid of chocolate dessert are you?

You Are Chocolate Mousse

Compared to most people, you are blissful and content with your life. You enjoy each moment, and you try your best to live simply. You think people cause their own anguish. You are charming and a bit of a smooth character. You can always get by on your charm. You are confident and sure of yourself. You are comfortable with your own skin and don't try to be someone else.

What Chocolate Dessert Are You?

it's cold!

the almost spring-like december weather has given away to a cold january as climate change messes with our heads again.