orz!

Have you ever had a shitty day?  I did on Monday.  It was one of the worst days where thing after thing happened that made me really just want to crawl into bed and call it a day--at 11:00 a.m.

The first thing that happened was I woke up not feeling great.  When you have a busy week ahead and you wake up on Monday morning not feeling great, that's not promising.  As you all know, I am very close with my sisters.  Well, the next thing that happened was an explosive argument via text.  This was all before 9:30 a.m.

Then, when I arrive at the office, I notice that I forgot to bring my laptop.  I really, really, really, REALLY hate when that happens.  So, I go to my office, get notes, and decide to just work from home.  I thought, "Okay, well, everything is telling me to go home, so I'll just go home and maybe the day will improve."

Next thing I know, I back out of my space into someone else's car.  I'm only one month away from getting a new Dolly!  Gah gah gah...  So, the whole way home, I'm trying to think of ways that I can cover up the mess so that Mr. Nonny Nu won't be mad at me.  But, I didn't and just told the truth when I got home.  After some well-deserved berating for my carelessness, I set up shop to do work.

Work work work...

I actually got a lot done.  By dinner time, I started to believe that the Apocalypse might not happen that day after all and I was ready to enjoy the evening.  Had a great dinner, and then I was about to head upstairs to shower when--*plop!*--I dropped my two-month old phone.  For those of you who have not visited the Nu Residence, we have the hardest stone floors known to mankind.  I picked up my phone to find this.

This is when my brain screamed, "orz!"

But you know what?  That was Monday.  Today is Wednesday.  And,

look what I got in the mail just now!

Update:  Oh, wait, today is Thursday!

Indian Giver of British Products

Less than three months ago, I was in London.  It feels like it has been ages since then, though.  I had so much fun.  I am working on a small, informational publication on the subject of London to be delivered, hopefully, as Christmas presents to my Friends.

On that trip, I met up with an old friend from yesteryear--Old Chap.  Back in the day, Old Chap, Cl. Panic, Green Thumbs McGillicutty, L. Woods, and I all worked in the same law firm.  Old Chap was in the London office.  One wintry day, we all flew to Washington, D.C., to participate in some training, and that's where we all met each other.  We have kept in touch since then!  It was one of only a handful of good things that came out of working in that firm.

Naturally, when I finally made my way to London, I called up Old Chap and off we went to have wonderful Pakistani food.  We went to Tayyabs.  O.  M.  G.  This was so good.  But Old Chap's food tips didn't end there.  He also directed me to Fortnum & Mason, described by Old Chap as "the quintessential supplier of English goodies."  Boy, he was not kidding.

On my last full day in London, I paid a visit to Fortnum & Mason and bought so many biscuits (cookies), teas, and jellies.  Most were slated for gifts to friends and family.  But I learned a valuable lesson:  Send food gifts as soon as possible because, the longer you hold on to them, the more likely they will end up in your own stomach.  There were two jellies (a hunter's marmalade and a rose jelly) that were slated for MonkeyPig and 3-Fish, respectively.  Those did not survive long enough in the US to reach their intended destinations.  So, I ordered replacements (plus other things) online.  I kept the dark lime jelly (detailed description).

Dutifully, I sent the goodies to their intended recipients.  In advance of their arrival, I tell 3-Fish that I'm sending her a rose jelly.  Well, guess who's too good for rose jellies and breakfast in general?  So, I tell 3-Fish to send the rose jelly back if she's not going to eat it because I would eat it.  The rose jelly was delivered back to my house yesterday.  What's wrong with this picture?  Yep, Mr. Nonny Nu had to pay the postman $1.55 because *somebody* didn't pay the full postage.  But here is the treasure trove, complete with polar bear greeting card to Mr. Nonny Nu conveying a hateful but accurate complaint about a most beloved rabbit:

Happy Belated Birthday to Cl. Panic and Kashy Boy!

OMG, I'm such a horrible person.  It was Cl. Panic's and Kashy Boy's birthdays on July 13.  I will have to get calendars to everyone, including myself, next year.  This is too much!

Cl. Panic, I hope you will like this cake for your 5th birthday.  May your days be filled with your ladies and laughter.  High five!

To my dear little Kashy Boy, I'm a bad momma.  But, I love you so much!  You're a good little boy, so loving and kind.  Sometimes you get snippy but that is the province of a Siamese, isn't it?  For you, a moth cake.  Enjoy!  (But share with Skillet.)

Happy Belated Birthday to Nonny Nu! by guest bloggers Cl. Panic, A-Dog, and Little Miss

We found you a cake that goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on.  Just like your birthday celebrations....(how many birthday bbqs did you have?)

Love Cl Panic & A Dog & Little Miss

Happy Belated Birthday to Cl. Panic and Kashy Boy!

What's a birthday without a cake picture found by Nonny Nu?

Cl. Panic, happy, happy birthday.  I thought this cake was especially appropriate for you.  You are diving into such an adventure!  I admire you.  Way to go!

And, for my little boy, you truly walk the line, don't you?  For you, a jaunty Kash cake.  I love you!  You are a cutie pie with a cutie face.

Self-Portrait and Magnets

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

This morning, I rode the rails with Cl. Panic and dribbled tea all over my sweater because my beautiful Jane Austen inspired travel mug sprang a leak.  But all is well because someone at work gave me an enzyme stain remover wipe.  It works ok, but not as good as a Tide Pen.

Anywho, the moral of this story is:  I got a new magnet!!

Whenever I or one of my friends or sisters go on vacation, we bring back refrigerator magnets to share with the people who we left at home.  My very first refrigerator magnet was one from Seattle, but I will tell you how I got that later in this post.  Check out my office minifridge and my magnet collection (you can see a reflection of me taking the photo)!

I can't remember the order in which I received the magnets, but I know that the first one I got was from Green Thumbs McGillicutty.  It was from one day trip she took from San Jose to Seattle just to make the miles to keep her in some sort of airline "best customers" club or something like that.

I also have ones from San Antonio (from when I went to my niece's wedding), another one from Green Thumbs when she went to Philadelphia for a deposition, and another from myself when I went to visit MonkeyPig in Georgia (the little fish pictured was from Cl. Panic for our unfortunate but thankfully temporary stay at Drones 'R Us).

This one is from MonkeyPig when the sisters went to Georgia for a surprise visit.  And, this one is also from MonkeyPig from a few years ago when we had a sisters reunion in Washington, DC.  We ate at the Supreme Court's cafeteria and I saved my ticket stub!  The two Tinkerbell magnets holding the stub are from L. Woods when she visited Disneyworld in Florida.

Now, this one is an international magnet from Heidelberg, Germany, where L. Woods visited on business a year ago.  Note the giant gummy bears attached.

And, then, there is my most recently acquired one from Cl. Panic and A-Dog from when they flew to the Pacific Northwest recently.  It is from the actual Tillamook cheese factory and is 24K gold plated brass.  The magnetic bunnies are from Cl. Panic.  They got very hungry and attacked the cheese (they are not partial to giant gummies).

Finally, this one is not a magnet, but is nonetheless a sentiment from a dear friend who had gone afar and kept me in mind.  It is a keychain of a polar bear dressed in a UK t-shirt from when Mr. Nonny Nu went to London recently.  The bear has the Harrods' "H" stamp on the bottom of its foot.

So many little treasures!  I think my most prized items in my office might be my magnets and keychain.

Happy Birthday to Cl. Panic and Kashy Boy!

Happy happy, joy joy!! Two special birthday boys today!

For Cl. Panic, a strawberry cake, because I know he must really love strawberries to not share any with me:






As for Kashy Boy, to celebrate a healthier you, a ferocious cat cake:






Enjoy!

Farming

Spring is over and summer has officially begun with the solstice. The Panic-Dogs have been busily preparing for their new hybrid creation (a baby) but before their little one arrives, the land must be tilled and the seeds planted. Soon, there will be a harvest that will bring sugar snap peas and tomatoes to the Nu Warren doorsteps. See here (every flower promises a pea pod).

Unfortunately, aphids have struck the sleepy peaceful beds of the pea pods but Farmer Panic has taken care of them. Hopefully, the pods that were slated for my stomach have not been damaged.


Additionally, strawberries, red, luscious strawberries, were also available for consumption. Just not my consumption. I dropped Cl. Panic off one day and he showed me the strawberry patch that had one red berry and several ripening berries. Did he offer me a berry? Nope. Well, I hope you enjoyed your red strawberries knowing that millions of people are starving out there with no strawberries to eat.

June Birthdays

Hello, everyone! Just wanted to take this time to say a very special "Happy Birthday!" to my bestest kitty, Sushi Cat. You are the most special soul and I miss you so much. I know that you are up there having fun and making sure there is a comfy cloud for Momma and Daddy when we see you again. I love you very much. Here is a pepperoni pizza for you from Momma, kitty. Don't eat too much because you know you can't handle the spice so well.

Now, for my dear friend, Siddharta's girl. This has been a year of changes and progress. I am so happy that you are pursuing and finding your faith. I hope that you will find peace and happiness because you deserve it. For you, a zen cake...

Last, but not least, I had one of the best birthday celebrations ever. Not only was I taken to lunch, my awesome friends Green Thumbs McGillicutty, Mr. McGillicutty, Cl. Panic, A-Dog, and L. Woods threw an impromptu birthday celebration for me that night at the McGillicutty ranch. Even Mr. Nonny Nu was there! The McGillicuttys cooked delicious burgers on the grill, accompanied by a light orzo salad and homemade, slow cooked Boston baked beans. L. Woods provided yummy drinks to cool everyone down. And the meal ended with the Panic-Dogs' guava cake topped with Green Thumb's scrumptious homemade strawberry ice cream and TWO KINDS OF WHIPPED CREAM provided by L. Woods! These people know me so well.

But the things that touched me the most was the fact that these very busy people who routinely stay late to work had taken the day off early in order to make this impromptu party happen for me, that these people who highly value their precious and relatively scarce time with their families would give up that time to include me, and that a certain person who rarely ventured from the house got himself dressed and ready to go by the time I got home to participate in this celebration. That was the best gift of all and I will always cherish the memories in my heart.

Now, you all know how I normally like to keep my face off of the blog but I will break that rule and show you pics of me and the cake so that you can see my happiness and contentment. That fireball in the foreground is the cake with 36 candles on it.

Ticket to Ride

Good morning, little boys and girls!  I am here to tell you about a new and exciting routine.

I ride the train to work every first Thursday of the month.

Cl. Panic has been chaperoning.  It's really fun!  But I have to leave really early in the morning to catch the 7am train.  So, I take the train to a station that's near the office.  Then I take a city bus up to the office for $2.  The roundtrip train ticket costs $9 and the parking at the train station near home costs $3.  So, I can ride the rails for $16 each month!  (But I so far haven't had to pay full price yet because Cl. Panic has subsidized my train travel each time.)

There are many celebrities on the train.  For example, there's "The Elf," a petite lady who dons a forest green coat and matching brimmed hat each morning and can be seen walking to the train station (and sitting on the train).  I said hi to her once and she looked a little startled to be noticed!  Cl. Panic says that The Elf isn't aware of her own celebrity status.

There's also a "bike car."  This is the controversial underbelly of Cal-Train.  It is the northern most car of the train.  There, bikes are chained like slaves to the wall of the bike car.  (Just like the rowing scene in Ben Hur.)

I really enjoy the ride.  People are friendly and there is a real community spirit on the train.  Plus, Cl. Panic shares his free train tickets and free bus ride perks with me.  I actually got a free bus ride to the office this morning.  (He's an avowed refugee at heart.)

Homemade McGillicutty S'mores by Cl. Panic, guest food critic

The pitter-patter of raindrops served as the perfect soundtrack for a batch of gourmet s'mores.

Gourmet because they were prepared under the broiler of a sleek stainless steel KitchenAid instead of a roaring campfire. And because these were no ordinary pick-up-the-pieces-at-Safeway s'mores.

At our annual gift exchange, GTMcG presented us with her homemade s'mores kits.

That's right, an IKEA jar filled with made from scratch marshmallows (chocolate and creme brulee flavored), an assortment of gourmet IKEA chocolates (dark, milk, and hazelnut), and a bag of homemade graham crackers. Although the kit didn't include instructions, we were able to figure it out.


After a few minutes ... success! A perfect holiday treat. And a chance to play with the new camera. Mowielicious, you better watch out (for GTMcG, that is)!

Is Nonny Nu Missing?

Tomato Bountycl. panic, lycopene wrangler and guest blogger

High tomato season is upon us at the Panic household. Just this weekend, a bounty of Iraqi and Turkish tomatoes graduated from the school of ripe. (And I remember when they were just seedlings, mere overage from GTMcG's exotic tomato sprouting endeavors).

The ones with the stripes are called Turkish Striped Monastery, and supposedly there

are some "Pinks" hidden in that bowl. The plants that sprouted these fine specimens now stand over six feet tall! We are happy to report that the Iraqi Al Kufa plants have also borne fruit, though they did end up requiring cages in spite of GTMcG's emphatic pleading to let them roam free.

The days of the seedlings are now the distant past. Ms. Panic is now faced with a bowl full of red tomatoes and vines still covered with more green juveniles. Greek salads and bruschetta await!

(We have been hit with some blossom end rot this season; not sure if the water softener is to blame. Next year, we'll supplement with calcium just in case.)

Lobster Safari (and Wedding)

This weekend, I went on a lobster safari. The lobster's natural habitat is on the East Coast, and one of the best known lobster preserves is located in and around the town of Boston. Green Thumbs and L. Woods accompanied me on this quest, but L. Woods arrived a day early to scope out the place.

GTM and I flew from San Jose to Boston, careful to sit in non-adjacent seats so as not to tip off the lobsters. Lobsters are very sensitive creatures and often detect trouble with their long antennae. This was my first lobster safari but I did my homework in advance, mostly in the form of daydreaming about the moment when I would meet my first lobster face to face, antennae to ears, mano y mano.

The morning of the safari, GTM and I woke up at the crack of dawn (9-ish) and prepared ourselves physically to confront the feisty lobster. I ran on the treadmill, and GTM read a book about a girl who kicked the hornet's nest (presumably in case we encounter any hornets on the way to the lobster lair). L. Woods felt that the best way to prepare for the safari was to go back to sleep for another hour.

During that hour, GTM and I warmed up and each purchased a lobster roll next door at the James Hook Lobster Aquarium. Here's what it looked like:

Look at the chunks of lobster in that baby!

Then, it was time to go on the actual hunt. We took a 30 minute ferry to The Lobster Island, attended Cl. Panic's and A-dog's beautiful wedding ceremony, and were led to a table of lobster torture instruments. When our table was called, I shot up like a rocket and stealthily slithered over to the lobster lair. Upon reaching the lair, I pointed at an unsuspecting lobster and exclaimed, "I'll take that one!" He didn't know what hit him!

I slung the slain lobster over my shoulder and dragged it back to our table. There, I eschewed the instruction sheet and relied purely on my predatory instincts to take apart the beast, limb by limb.

Afterward, we all enjoyed a wonderfully timed sunset.

The Nus wish Cl. Panic and A-dog much happiness and contentment in their life together!

Happy Birthday, Cl. Panic! by MonkeyPig, guest blogger

HappyBirth CI Panic

and Many more tomato

Cl. Panic's Tomato Plants Begin to Panic

Check out Cl. Panic's tomahtoes!

Coworker <3

by Cl. Panic, TWONNCotY

The firm formerly known as Nu Nu & Nu, LLP recently demanded my immediate and substantial attention in Central Desertland, home of a baseball team currently ranked lower than the San Francisco Giants. I packed up and shipped out on short notice, with no time to arrange my own privisions.

Low and behold, FedEx found me, bearing gifts from the homeland. Thanks to my thoughtful coworkers, I was showered with fresh-baked cookies and a smörgåsbord board of snacks and treats. Nothing like treats from home.

My remote feed closet is now stocked and ready for action!

Thanks for the <3

Tomatoes

Cl. Panic has started a trend. I am also imprisoning tomato plants! Courtesy of Green Thumbs McGillicutty, these plants were arrested and jailed at her home. After conviction, they were transferred to the world's most tranquil, welcoming, and comfy prison, located at The Nu Warren. Sure, the Nus tell the plants that the beehive shaped cages handcrafted from chicken wire are to protect them from the vicious squirrels, but we all know that these killer tomato plants have a very high recidivism rate for tomato production. Hopefully, they will put their time in prison to good use (the Nus offer workshops to teach prisoners a trade, like cream whipping or flower eating).

Final Harvest

This is Cl. Panic's final harvest of peas. They were so scrumptious!

So long, little sugar snap peas! xoxoxo

Look what I can do now!!

My last attempt at posting was a bit of a failure. I was trying to post a picture like I normally would. But the problem was the link that I posted was to my entire album instead of just the picture. Not that I mind you all looking at my albums but that's just not the look and feel that I like. Cl. Panic suggested last night that I email the photos into the blog and then draft the posts after that. It worked!!

I have to do the old style blogging (being mindful of the actual coding) but it works!