Cooking success

Last weekend I decided to try out some frozen sweet potato fries on the family.  They were a huge hit – both kids loved them, as did N and myself – which is always a plus.  So then Tuesday evening I decided to try my hand at making them from scratch.  I had seen several recipes online and it didn’t look hard (which is my main qualification in any potential menu item).  I cleaned and peeled a couple of large sweet potatoes, cut them into roughly fry-shaped pieces (which was the most difficult part.  I had no idea that raw sweet potatoes were so hard!), tossed them in olive oil with salt and pepper and put them in the oven.  Thirty minutes later, they were just about perfect!  They may not have looked as nice as the store-bought kind, but they tasted just as yummy and were less than quarter of the price.  Win-win!

Professionalism FAIL

This afternoon at work I decided to sample a leftover candy cane that has been mocking me for awhile.  It wasn’t a standard peppermint candy cane (judging from the bright green, blue and yellow stripes) but I gave it a shot all the same.  In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed its mystery fruit flavor, crunching merrily through the entire thing in a matter of minutes.   Then I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and SWEET FANCY MOSES.  Good thing I didn’t run into anyone on the way to the restroom.  My lips, teeth, gums and tongue were all stained a rather horrific shade of dark green.  NICE.  When BB got a look at me she almost fell out of her chair laughing.  Because you know, nothing says Competent Professional like lips that resemble the Incredible Hulk.

Wardrobe malfunction

When I picked up Miss T from daycare, I noticed that not only was she wearing a different shirt than what she had gone to school in, but it was on backwards.  If she was old enough to attempt dressing herself I may have understood, but is there really any excuse for an experienced daycare teacher to put a baby’s onesie on backwards?  Especially if it has snaps and a tag that clearly denote the back?

Personality transplant

For the last several days I’ve been working with one of my most challenging faculty members.  He has never really done anything to me personally, but he has a reputation for being…grouchy.  To say the least.  BB had an ugly run-in with him some time ago, as have a few other coworkers.  So I find myself walking on eggshells every time I work with him.  But this time he was perfectly cordial.  Pleasant, even.  Normally when he calls he greets me with This is Mac Jones (not his real name, OBV) in a very businesslike, no-nonsense manner.  He never deviates, he says that every single time.  Until today.  I answered my phone as I always do – This is nonsoccermom – and the voice on the other end goes Howdy!  This is Mac! I think it took me at least 10 seconds to recover from the shock.  AND THEN, he wrapped up the conversation with Excellent!  Thanks much! Wonders never cease, I can tell you that for sure.

The Motivator

Sunday night I sat down with my iPod and the laptop and created a new playlist to try and get the blood pumping at work.  And I am pleased to report that my little experiment was a complete success!  I can put in the earbuds, start this baby up and work like a focused maniac until the work is done.  No distractions, just kicking ass and taking names.  What do I find motivating, you ask?  Well, as it happens, the magic combination for me is mostly a blend of Metallica, Prodigy, and Tool, with a little Guns N’ Roses, Pearl Jam and Nine Inch Nails thrown in for good measure.  Now I’m not going to claim that this combo would work for everyone (like my 90-year-old grandma, for instance) but for me, it is the perfect mix.  Of course, it is only a matter of time before my extremely stealthy boss sneaks up to find me rocking out in my cube but the way I see it, whatever gets the work done, right?