Just playin' around

I played with my camera lens the other night - Love it!

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

If you haven't seen Christmas Vacation then you need to stop what you are doing and run out to the video store this instant. It is one of the funniest Christmas movies ever made. And at our house (or rather, my parent's house) it has been a tradition to watch it every Christmas season. Unfortunately, as I've gotten older and spread my wings we are becoming a little slack on that tradition. However, what we lack in watching the actual movie, we make up for in acting it out throughout our own Christmas Vacation montage. Complete with the squirrel jumping out of the Christmas tree. Ok, so that's being a little overly dramatic. But, I'm sure everyone reading this knows what I'm talking about. Each family has it's own little Christmas drama I'm sure. What would the holidays be without it?! Anyway, we had a great Christmas this year at my parent's house. The in-laws came over and celebrated as well so we were one big happy family (more room for drama don't you think? j/j) But all in all, it turned out to be a good time with only a pinch of drama sprinkled in.

We arrived in Pensacola on December 24th and set off to McQuire's for a tasty Christmas Eve meal. Delicious! Afterwards, I had wanted to go look at Christmas lights (another holiday tradition) but was poo-pooed. (This is where some of that drama was sprinkled). So instead we headed home. We all opened one present and then headed off to bed so that Santa would not pass us by. I tried to convince my parents we needed to leave the lights on outside so that Santa would be able to find us through the dense fog, but that idea was poo-pooed as well. So I went to bed hoping that Rudolph's nose would truly be able to guide him through the snow, er, fog.

Christmas morning Jeremy and I woke up just as the parents were about to stick the dogs on us. Holiday spirit my butt. Hmph! But luckily we beat them to the punch and were headed downstairs just as the dogs were running up. Whew! We had mimosas and holiday eatery complete with cinnimon rolls (another tradition - the one that adds pounds to the waistline!) And then we proceeded to open presents .... for FOUR HOURS! Yes, we are a slow bunch. But there are a lot of coffee breaks, bathroom breaks (with all the coffee and mimosas, who can blame one's bladder?), and of course the fact that only one person at a time may be opening a gift. Everyone else is obligated to watch and "ooh" and "ahh" at the appropriate times. Yes, this is another tradition and I will not break it! After all was said and done, everyone walked away with some pretty good loot. Mr. Daniell received his lob wedge that he'd been wanting; Mrs. Daniell received the toaster oven she'd not-so-subtly left hints about; Dad received booku golf shirts - a great gift since he practically lives on the course since retiring; Mom received booku books - also great because she can read a book in about a week. Oh she also received Mamma Mia - which we promptly tortured Jeremy with by making him sit down and watch it; Jeremy received his cordless drill and a new golf bag; and I received the best gifts of all: my new AWESOME camera lens AND Sugar Bowl tickets!!!!!! What more could a girl ask for?!? So yes, it was a pretty lucrative Christmas.

And we didn't go without food either. There was plenty of that to go around and, as always, it was delicious! We went to bed fat and happy!

Some pics of the family.
A family portrait:


Another version of the family portrait:


One of the furbabies waiting to open their stockings:


Friday the boys played golf (Jeremy's dad coudn't wait to use his wedge, dad got to wear one of his new golf shirts, and Jeremy put his new golf bag to good use), while the girls hung around the house and watched movies and played with the dogs. That night good friends Stephanie and Brian came over for dinner and after we were all fat and full again, we played pictionary. Talk about a fun game! The first round we had 2 teams of 3 people. Of course my team lost. How could we compete with an art teacher (mom) and a couple who played this every Friday night for like a decade?!? (slight exaggeration, but still....) So then we split into 3 teams of 2 people - making sure to separate the married Stephanie and Brian. Mom and I ended up on a team and after a looooooong four hours (yes you read that right) of playing we smoked everyone else. Good times were had by all - except maybe Jeremy and Brian, who were a team and ended up very frustrated at the end. Jeremy poo-pooed my idea of buying the game. :-( But little does he know that I intend to buy it anyway. Hehehe.

Saturday. Well, Saturday is when the drama creeped back into the scenario. So we will skip Saturday. Except to say that we headed to dad's park (yes, according to some people, he really IS that important!) and played with the dogs. Then we took them swimming in the bay. It was a pretty DOGone good day. Hehehe.

Dad's Park:


Kai enjoying her ball and needing a drink:


Sequoia trying out her new agility gear:


Kai after having fun in the bay and getting a bath:


And Sunday we headed home - exhausted but fat and happy! Hope everyone's Christmas was just as wonderful!

Merry Christmas to all . . .

. . . and to all a good night!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Christmas this year! I am so thankful to have so many special people in my life this year and I love you all!

Christmas Love Soup Jeremy and I made this year:

Cheddar-Topped Shepherd's Pie

This recipe turned out delicious. It's a great meal for a cold night!

Cheddar-Topped Shepherd's Pie
Makes 4 large servings

1 1/2 pounds white baking potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (I used 2 large Idaho baking potatoes)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/3 pounds ground beef
6-8 ounces baby carrots, sliced
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup whole milk (I used skim because it's what I have on hand)
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese (I probably used more than 1 cup)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees



2. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover by 1 inch salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are easily pierced - approx. 10-15 minutes. (This goes faster if you cut your potatoes very thin).

3. Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Remove beef with slotted spoon to separate bowl and drain saute pan.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in same saute pan and add carrots, onion, and thyme. Cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring 1 minute.

5. Add beef back into saute pan. Add 3/4 cup water, corn, and peas. Bring to a boil and simmer 1 minute. Season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.

6. Drain potatoes, return to saucepan. Cook over medium, stirring, until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers the bottom of pan (about 1 minute). Remove pan from heat; add milk and 1/2 cup cheese. Mash until smooth and season with salt and pepper.

7. Pour beef filling into greased 2 1/2 quart baking dish. Drop spoonfuls of potatoes over beef; spread to edges with spatula. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

8. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.



*Topping and filling can be made ahead and stored separately.

**I used a lot of salt and pepper throughout the recipe and when it was done I still felt like it needed more. So use S&P generously! Or just keep some handy at the end so everyone can add it on themselves.

Creamy Chicken Risotto with Peas

I will admit that most of my recipes have been blog-napped from other recipe blogs I follow. This happens to be one of them. I have heard horror stories about risotto in the past: how long it takes it to cook, how much stirring is involved, how if you don't do it EX-ACT-LY right it is ruined. And the best tidbit I heard: if you manage to make a decent risotto you are a true cook. So needless to say when I decided I wanted to tackle this risotto dish, I was a little petrified.

In the end, it didn't take half as long as I expected to make this dish. Yes, there was some excess stirring involved, but again, not at all like I imagined. And the result was SO worth the wrist pain in the morning. It turned out DELICIOUS! I was absolutely shocked and ecstatic at the same time. Paired with a fresh salad and this is the perfect meal.

Creamy Chicken Risotto with Peas

1 cup risotto
3 cups chicken broth
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup shredded chicken (I boiled the chicken first and then shredded it. When I make this again I will use more than 1 cup of chicken because I felt like it could handle more)
Frozen or fresh peas - as much as desired (I used frozen and heated them in the microwave before adding to the recipe. I used approximately 1 cup and that was a good amount)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Warm up broth in sauce pan and keep at a low simmer until ready to use.

2. Heat butter and oil in skillet/sautee pan over medium heat, adding chopped garlic and onion to cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add dry rice and 1/2 of the wine (so 1/4 cup) to pan with garlic and onions, coating with butter and garlic, cooking about 3 minutes (rice will absorb the wine).



4. Add 1 cup warm broth to rice and stir. Keep simmering and stir often until rice absorbs most of the liquids. Add 1 more cup of broth and repeat until absorbed. Add last of broth and simmer, stirring often.



5. Once rice has absorbed most of the liquids, add the last of the wine, peas, chicken, and cheese.

6. Simmer and stir until cheese is melted and chicken and peas are warmed up. Serve and enjoy!

[Side note to all you REAL chefs out there.... I don't want to know if the rumors I heard about risotto are true or not. I was very pleased with my result and like to believe that since I managed to create a delicious risotto first time out that I have been given a gift - the gift of cooking! LOL]

Pesto with Walnuts

The other night I was scrounging around in the kitchen looking for something to make for dinner. I had some spaghetti and a packet of pesto sauce. I thought "this will be something different" since normally when I can't decide what to make, we have spaghetti with meat sauce. As I was cooking the dish, I realized it might be sort of boring. I mean, noodles with some green sauce?!? Yah, boring, and if you ask me, not too appetizing looking. So I go back to the pantry (BTW, those who have known me for awhile, realize how freakishly excited I was about getting a pantry in my new house. I love it!) and I find some chopped walnuts. I thought "this might make it more interesting."

The end result was actually quite delicious . . . and not as unappetizing looking as I first imagined. It was very simple. Just cook your noodles. Toast your walnuts - set the oven for around 350 and put the walnuts on a baking sheet in the oven for approximately 10 minutes. Buy one of those pesto packets and follow the directions. Add the noodles to the pesto sauce. Then add some toasted walnuts and fresh Parmesan cheese and WHA-LA! Instant dinner.

Ode to Bourbon

As the Christmas season is upon us and that means holiday parties and football bowl games, one thing is clear: there will be plenty of holiday merriment going on! And in honor of Jeremy, as it is his favorite drink, and in honor of Alabama playing in the upcoming Sugar Bowl, because you can't go to an Alabama game without getting some spilled on you, I give you this Ode to Bourbon!

"In light of the recent 75th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition, it seems appropriate—and not just a little necessary, since we are also in the midst of an especially fraught holiday season—to meditate on America's great contribution to the world of spirits, bourbon whiskey. First produced in the late 18th century in the "Old Bourbon" region of Kentucky, bourbon was recognized in 1964 as "a distinct product of America" by Congress, which also laid out the "Federal Standards of Identity." It must be made of a grain mixture that is at least 51 percent corn, distilled in America at less than 160 proof with nothing added but water, and aged for a minimum of two years in new, charred-oak barrels.

. . .

Bourbon's individuality comes from the quality of the oak barrels in which it is aged and the environment in which they are stored, as well as the length of aging and final strength. The resulting range of nuances can be so varied that a tasting vocabulary not unlike that which is ordinarily reserved for fine wine is often used to describe them.

. . .

A life-long Scotch drinker, I have never shared the tendency of my fellow Southerners toward American whiskey (Percy said drinking Scotch was like looking at a picture of Noel Coward; Faulkner said if forced to choose between Scotch and nothing, he'd take Scotch). But some of the small batch brands have finally made me a believer, and I'm not alone: since 2002, sales of super-premium bourbons (those costing more than $30) have risen by more than 60 percent. My favorite, 20-year-old Pappy van Winkle's Family Reserve, is as suave and rich as a fine brandy—and, at about $100, as expensive. But for less than half the money, I am also happy to sip, neat or on the rocks, Knob Creek or Basil Hayden's—both Jim Beam brands. (I think the real reason I abjured bourbon for so long was that so many drinkers of my generation inevitably mixed it with Coke.)

Though I have come late to drinking bourbon, I have long understood the benefits of cooking with it. Bourbon balls (a mixture of crushed vanilla wafers, chopped pecans, corn syrup, bourbon, powdered sugar, and sometimes cocoa) are a traditional Christmas treat, and my mother always puts a healthy dose of bourbon in her holiday charlotte russe. My friend Robert Carter at Charleston's Peninsula Grill features bourbon-grilled shrimp with creamed-corn sauce, Hoppin John and green-onion hushpuppies on his menu, and at Birmingham's excellent Hot and Hot Fish Club, Chris and Idie Hastings offer up a sublime toddy made with fig-infused bourbon over ice and garnished with a bourbon-soaked fig.

In these trying times, bourbon, with or without the fig, is a wholly American and appropriate indulgence. [Novelist Walker] Percy would approve. Dr. Tom More, his character who took refuge with the Early Times, was doing so because in the "dread latter days of the old violent beloved U.S.A.", pure "wickedness" abounded in "high places" and all hell had broken loose; he was anticipating nothing less than the end of the world. If that scenario sounds scarily familiar, take heart. At the novel's end, not only is the world still in tact, but More has married the best of the three women and is outside on his patio, merrily barbecuing a turkey on Christmas Eve. His accompaniments are the songs of Sinatra and several restorative shots of bourbon. There are worse remedies."

So, go out and have a nice glass of bourbon. And if you must, add some diet coke. At least you are still partaking. And for those of you who are secret bourbon-aholics, enjoy the recipes below to get your fix:

My Mother's Charlotte Russe

1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons of unflavored gelatin
4 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 eggs, separated
1 cup bourbon

1. Place milk in a small saucepan and sprinkle-in gelatin. Set aside for 5 minutes to soften, then stir over low heat until dissolved. Set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, whip heavy cream with 1 cup of the sugar until firm peaks form when beaters are raised. Set aside.
3. Place egg yolks in a large bowl and gradually beat-in remaining sugar. Beat at high speed for several minutes, until mixture is thick and pale yellow. Stir-in gelatin and bourbon. With a rubber spatula, fold-in a quarter of the whipped cream to lighten mixture; then fold-in the remaining whipped cream.
4. In another large bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form when beaters are raised. Fold into cream mixture. Line an 8-cup charlotte mold with ladyfingers (or thin slices of sponge cake cut into strips measuring 1 1/2 ½by 4 inches), spoon cream mixture into prepared molds and chill in refrigerator until set.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Fig-Infused Small-Batch Bourbon

Makes 1 (750mL) bottle
1 pound fresh ripe figs, such as brown turkey, mission, or celeste
1 (750mL) bottle good quality small batch bourbon, such as Basil Hayden

Wash figs well under warm running water and pat dry. Remove stems and cut fruit into quarters. Place quartered figs into a 3-quart sterilized jar. Fill jar with bourbon (reserving the original bourbon bottle) and secure the top of the jar. Allow bourbon and figs to sit in a cool, dry place for at least two weeks or until the bourbon has a distinct fig aroma and flavor.

Strain the infusion through a fine-meshed sieve into a clean container. Place bourbon-soaked figs into an airtight container. Refrigerate and reserve for the Fig-Infused Bourbon Toddy recipe. Pour the infused bourbon back into the original bourbon bottle. The bourbon is ready to use and will keep at room temperature for up to a year.

Fig-Infused Bourbon Toddy

By definition, a "toddy" is a drink of brandy or whisky, with hot water and sugar. But Idie Hasting's father Jim's toddy was always part whiskey and ginger ale over ice cubes. This updated version uses bourbon and ice.

Makes 1 serving:
3 tablespoons fig-infused bourbon
1/2 bourbon-soaked fig, cut into quarters
1 cup ice
1 preserved fig or maraschino cherry, for garnish

Combine bourbon, bourbon-soaked fig and ice in a martini shaker. Muddle until fig-half is well mashed and ice is somewhat crushed. Pour mixture into a rocks glass and garnish with the preserved fig, or cherry. Serve immediately.

[Courtesy of http://www.newsweek.com/id/176709/page/1]

De Mariage

December 13 Jeremy and I headed to Pensacola for my best friend's kid-sister's wedding. What a great time I had catching up with my second family and seeing "little ears" (aka, Amanda) get married. I can't believe how grown up she is! They got engaged in Paris and so it made perfect sense when they chose the French restaurant, Versailles, as their wedding location. It was a beautiful room, made even more beautiful by the love between Amanda and Ben. Yes, I realize I just crossed the line into sappy. Sue me. Here are a few photos I took in between eating, dancing, and chatting!

The Families:



Mr. and Mrs. following the ceremony:



Amanda and Ben enjoying a moment prior to cutting the cake:



The delicious cake:



After exchanging cake - without smashing it in each other's faces, I might add:



The couple enjoyed a laugh after toasting. I think it had something to do with the fact they managed NOT to spill on themselves!



First Dance:



Me and my second family (minus Ryan, who couldn't make it):



I love you guys!!

Go Speed Racer!

One of my absolute biggest pet peeves is slow drivers. I can't stand them! And the ones that really send me over the edge? The people driving UNDER the speed limit in the LEFT lane. I.HATE.IT. It makes my blood boil just thinking about it. I know, I need to have more patience. But until you find a store that sells it, I may just be out of luck. This morning I was driving down Blairstone in the left hand lane. This portion of Blairstone has a speed limit of 45 mph (still a tad slow if you ask me, but DOT, aka, the Department of Transportation, failed to do so). So I come upon this car and suddenly feel like I'm crawling down the road. I think I saw a turtle pass us, no kidding. And then I realize why we are going so slow - the idiot is going 40 mph ... IN THE LEFT LANE! WHY?!? Why do people do this? Why do they feel the need to slow down the flow of traffic. Is the scenery that much better in the left lane? I admit, the median on Blairstone is quite lovely. But the right hand lane can be just as pretty. There are plenty of pretty oak trees ... and moss ... and yes, maybe a dead animal or two, but who's counting? And over in grandma's lane people won't give a crap if you are slow-poking along. There should be a rule that the minimum a person may travel in the left hand lane is 5 mph ABOVE the posted speed limit. And if you are one of those people who fret over getting a speeding ticket - suck it up. Cops will not take the time to pull your ass over going a measley 5 mph over when there are other people out there weaving in and out of traffic. Oh wait, the cops don't pull them over either. Have you ever noticed how there is never a cop around when someone really needs to be pulled over? When someone is blatantly driving 30 mph over the speed limit, or racing in and out of traffic, or not yielding in a round-about? Why is it that cops seem to all take their donut breaks at the exact same time? Is it in some cop handbook: If you get a feeling that someone is actually doing something wrong, make sure you find a Krispy Kreme and fast! And yet, they are always there when you are doing nothing but driving a tad over the speed limit and then they want to pull YOU over?!? The nerve!

I digress. So, next time you are driving down the road in the left hand lane, please check your speedometer and make sure that it reads, at a minimum, 5 mph over the speed limit. Otherwise, you may become the subject of my next post . . . and on here you are always guilty until proven innocent; and yes there will be mug shots.

SEC Survival Guide

I realized why I tend to get behind on this blog - I don't upload my photos on a regular basis. And I don't want to post until I have photos to go with the post. So sorry - I will try to handle myself better. So, for the aforementioned reason, I will continue to put off the post about the wonderful wedding I attended last weekend. So in order to keep everyone's attention until I do that, here is a great article about what Southerners like to call "the best conference in the Nation." And it truly is. Without further ado:

A survival guide to the SEC for outgoing Bucs coordinator Monte Kiffin

First thing, Monte, you're going to need a go-to story about the Bear. Everyone who coaches in the SEC has one.

If it involves football, that's good. If it involves drinking, that's better. If it involves generous portions of both, you're going to make some booster's head explode from the excitement.

The SEC is a Good Ol' Boys' league, after all. It doesn't matter that Paul Bryant has been dead for a quarter of a century, or that hounds-tooth hats have been out of style everyplace else for twice that long. If you want to coach in this conference, you're going to have to know all about Bear.

While you're at it, it wouldn't hurt to brush up on your stories about Herschel and Bo or Hacksaw and Snake or Archie and Peyton. Especially Archie and Peyton.

That's the thing to keep in mind, Monte, even as you and Lane set up that father-and-son football shop you've always dreamed of in Knoxville. The SEC is a different place. Frankly, there are towns where it even seems like a different time.

This is a league where a team nicknamed "the Tigers'' has a mascot that is an eagle, where a team nicknamed "the Crimson Tide'' has a mascot that is an elephant and a team nicknamed "the Volunteers'' has a mascot that is a dog. Don't ask. The answers just make your head hurt.

This is the league of "Punt, 'Bama, Punt'' and "Run, Lindsay, Run" and the ever popular "Rebound, Kentucky, Rebound."

This is the league where Ole Miss students yell "Hotty Toddy'' and Alabama students yell "Rammer Jammer'' and Auburn students yell "What do you mean we hired Gene Chizik?''

This is the league where you can travel on the Volunteer Navy (Tennessee) or the Cockaboose Railroad (South Carolina) or on top of Tim Tebow's shoulders (Florida).

This is a league of bad, bad music. At LSU, they play Eye of the Tiger. At Alabama, they play Sweet Home Alabama. Worst of all, in Tennessee, they play Rocky Top. You'll get tired of it after you hear it a thousand times. Just guessing, but that should get you halfway through next season's opener against Western Kentucky.

This is the league where victory is celebrated by ringing the Chapel Bell (Georgia), throwing toilet paper into the trees at Toomer's Corner (Auburn) or trying to talk Bobby Petrino out of leaving (Arkansas).

Most of all, Monte, this your home.

Welcome aboard.

Ah, don't fret, Kif. You'll do just fine. For one thing, 68 teams make it to the postseason. Just think: The Bucs would have clinched a bowl game by Nov. 2. And they would love Shreveport. Honestly, they would.

And remember all of those years you had to lobby for the defense to get the No. 1 draft pick? In college, a team gets all the No. 1 picks it wants. All it has to do is talk a guy into it.

Monte, I'll be honest. You aren't going to like recruiting. No one does. No one wants to drive to Upper Eyebrow, Ga., to convince a defensive back to wear orange instead of, say, red. But you'll be good at it. You'll walk into the room flashing that Super Bowl ring, and you'll mention Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks and Ronde Barber and John Lynch, and before you know it, the players will start following you home.

And, yeah, class work can be a distraction. So can graduation. Think of it like this: Remember how frustrating rookie mistakes can be? In college, next year's rookies will be your most experienced players.

Then, of course, there are the boosters. You know, the guys with the orange hats and the checkerboard underoos. Yeah, those guys. Don't let on you know, but they think they are your boss. Some places, they are. (This just in. What Bobby Lowder said to Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs was, "I want some Cheez-Its.'' Not Chizik. Oops.)

Of course, you've coached in college before, back when General Neyland was a sergeant. People forget that because you've been in the NFL so long. At N.C. State, though, they still remember the day you dressed up as the Lone Ranger and rode that white horse into the stadium. There was the time you jumped out of the helicopter (about 8 feet) and the time you volunteered to fight Joe Frazier (you touched gloves and left).

It was tough to win at N.C. State, however. At Tennessee, it won't be easy, either. But given the facilities, given the tradition, you have a shot.

The SEC likes to beat its chest about how tough it is, but there is reason for the swagger. Most years, it is pretty tough. Over the past 30 seasons, five SEC teams have won nine AP/UPI/BCS national titles. Who else can say that? Five of the league's coaches have won national titles.

Your job? You have to keep them all out of the end zone.

After all, you volunteered.

(Courtesty of: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/article940454.ece)

Complete disbelief

Check out this article: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/thrifty/orl-budget10met08dec10,0,1524896.story?page=1

If you don't want to read it all, at least check out this suggestion on page 2:
Government operation $400M: Cut salaries of all state employees by 5%

I'm in utter shock honestly. I know that the state is in dire straights and I realize we have to cut budgets and all that. But I honestly can't believe they are even considering cutting state employees' salaries by 5%. That is a lot of money. Excuse my language, but WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY THINKING??? Most agencies haven't given raises, bonuses, or even a freaking cost of living increase in 3 years. And now they want to REDUCE people's salaries? Most state workers barely make enough as it is. I know that for me to even GET CLOSE to what an attorney makes with the same level of of experience, I'd have to get a 14% RAISE. And no, that is not even to try and get close to what private attorneys make, that is just to get close to what I would be considered for if I transferred to another state job. Since I've been practicing for over 2 years, I would be considered for a Senior Attorney position - and the 14% increase would get me just at the LOWEST price point for senior attorneys. I'm sorry, I know it's the state and they don't treat their employees well, but I am flabergasted. I know I shouldn't be shocked by this, but I really just had some hope that they would treat us better. But I'm telling you, if they go forward with this salary cut, I could definitely see a lot of state employees finding other jobs. The benefits are not THAT great.

There are so many other programs that they could cut. For once I totally agree with something Senator Storms said: Instead of doing across the board budget cuts, look for programs that we created when we had the money but that are not truly necessary or needed right now. And get rid of those since we now don't have the money for them. That makes sense. And quit buying stuff..... this whole CSX contract really pisses me off. I mean, I'd love to have a commuter train in Florida (not that it would benefit any of us up here, but whatever), but is it an absolute necessity right now?? NO! It could wait until we have money in the budget again - or at least aren't considering cutting state employees' salaries. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so frustrated and annoyed right now it's not even funny!

I'm not the only one...

In my previous post I commented that the SEC Championship Game was actually the REAL National Championship Game. Check out this blog. See? I'm not the only person who believes that the crystal football should have already been handed out.


http://deas.tuscaloosanews.com/default.asp?item=2297731

What a Shout-Out!

Back in October a wonderful thing happened. The Florida Supreme Court releasd its opinions (finally!) in two very important cases: Jews for Jesus, Inc. v. Rapp and Anderson v. Gannett Company, Inc. I had been waiting for these opinions patiently - and at times, not-so-patiently - for months. Seven months to be exact. You'd think that the highest court in the state would be more efficient.

But let's back up. Last summer, my interim project report at work was analyzing the cause of action for false light. It was a very intriguing piece if I do say so myself. Yes, I'm sure I'm the only one who would say so. Anyway, if anyone is interested in reading said piece, here ya go: http://www.flsenate.gov/data/Publications/2008/Senate/reports/interim_reports/pdf/2008-144ju.pdf After my report was finished, I attended the oral arguments for the two cases listed above...in March! Then I religiously checked the Supreme Court's website every Friday to see if an opinion was released. I was about to give up all hope of ever seeing the resolution to this issue when on October 23 I was greeted with great excitement: the opinions were posted!

Justice Pariente is one hell of a judge and I enjoyed her opinion immensely. Maybe it was because I felt along the same lines as her throughout writing my interim report. Or perhaps it is because she gave a shout-out to my report on the bottom of page 28 of the Rapp case. Seriously, check it out:

http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/decisions/2008/sc06-2491.pdf Remember, page 28. I realize my name never personally appears on the report or the opinion, but that matters not. I know I wrote the report. Everyone at work knows I wrote the report. And everyone I know knows I wrote the report. So I'm doing the happy dance:

Because I will take whatever recognition I can.

SEC Championship Weekend Photos

I wanted to supplement my previous post with photos, but figured the post was already long enough. So I am posting them here.

We shall start off with the most important photo of all: the dedicated Alabama fans!

Moving on to Laura and her roommate Jules. Even in a house divided, we can all get along. Notice something Jules and I have in common? Yah, Laura can't live without her redheads!

The Trolls, aka, my good friend Michele (the biggest Gator I know) and me, showing school pride:

And the Beasts, Jen and Laura, doing the same:

Now, moving on to the more incriminating photos of the weekend: Friday night wine tasting! What a fun evening!! We went over to Laura's friend's house (Kim) and the idea was everyone brings a bottle of wine and then you cover up the label so no one knows what they are tasting. They then rate the wines. Tons of fun... and total debauchery. I can't wait to try it at home!

The beginning of the evening. Before things went downhill.....

The girls loved to get silly!

And then the dancing began .......

Well, as you can see, a good time was had by all. And by some, a little TOO much of a good time! LOL

SEC Championship Adventure

With my beloved Alabama making it to the SEC Championship for the first time since 1999, I felt an obligation to try and go to the game. Unfortunately, tickets were unbelievably priced - with you know, this being the TRUE National Championship game (every Southern football fan knows it's true!). And as much as I love my team and wanted to go to the game I had trouble spending almost 2 car payments on a ticket. But I thought I would head to Atlanta anyway, stay with my good friend Sal, and we would try and scalp tickets the day of. Good plan right? For any other game it might have been. But not this one. Saturday morning we get ready: Sal and me in our Alabama attire and her roommate Jules in her Gator gear. Yes, we were a divided household. (Betsy, you remember being a divided household right?!). Anyway, after stopping off at Einstein's for some breakfast and then what seemed like forever of a ride on the Marta, we arrive downtown. We kindly asked some nice looking people if we could see their REAL tickets so we knew what we were on the prowl for. Thank goodness we did! There were SO many people selling fake tickets. And they just didn't get it when we were like "Nope, sorry, the hologram is wrong." We'd get a "Whatcha mean??" Anyway, those nice people saved us some cash! So we literally just walk around the block multiple times trying to find tickets. During this trek, we ran into some very literal "Jesus Freaks" who give all Christians a bad name. I can't even go into the craziness they were shouting. But needless to say, the cops had to get involved. Like I said, bad name. I mean, Jesus' whole message is to not judge others. But I won't get into scripture in this post. Moving on. When we found ligitimate tickets, they were still selling for $350 or more. I know my Northern friends are like "WTF?!? Why would you ever pay that for a ticket???" Well, like I said earlier, this was no ordinary game people. For all intensive purposes it WAS the National Championship. We Southerners take our football very, VERY, seriously.

Anyway, it's getting close to kickoff and still no tickets. At this point we are getting sad and frustrated. But like all good fans, we figure that prices have to go down after kickoff right? Right??? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Ten minutes after kickoff people were still selling their tickets for $400. I was in shock...and awe actually. And then, as quickly as they were there, all the scalpers were gone. And we were left on the sidewalk next to a very crowded bar wondering what to do. As we are making this decision, we barely see that Florida scores a TD from the bar TVs. Well this was not going to do. We had to find someplace to watch the game! So we head into the CNN Center. They have big TVs everywhere .... they MUST be playing the game, right? THEY WERE PLAYING FREAKING CNN!!!!!!!! Who the hell cares about CNN when you've got arguably the two best teams in the nation playing like 1,000 feet away??? I was literally in shock. This is something I would expect up North. But down here? In the South? It was blasphemy I tell you. Well luckily there was a nice little Mexican restaurant/bar inside the CNN Center and we pushed our way through and found an area by the bar behind these two very nice Florida fans and we had a perfect viewline of the TV. So it all worked out. As sad as I was to not make it inside the Dome, I still had very good seats for it on TV. And we had a blast....maybe a little too much fun. But what happens in Atlanta, shall stay in Atanta .....

Moving on to the game. I know, we lost. I'm very sad and a tad disappointed. But, in the grand scheme of things I can not be mad at my boys. I am VERY proud in fact. I will list my reasons below:

1. No one expected Alabama to be this good this year. Saban was still supposed to need at least 1, if not 2, more years to get Alabama up to this level.

2. We were undefeated in the regular season.

3. We made it to the SEC Championship Game.

4. We were ranked #1 in the BCS poll for 5 weeks in a row (before that we were #2 for 5 weeks in the AP Poll and BCS). We started the season barely in the top 25 - ranked #24.

5. Bitch all you want that we didn't play anyone good this year, but when we played and beat our opponents, several of them were ranked: Clemson #9; Georgia #3; LSU #16. Plus, let's not forget that we beat Ole Miss who turned out to be a very good team (Hell, they beat Florida!) and in general, no matter the rankings, you can never "expect" a win in the SEC. It's just too good of a conference. I mean, look at good ole' Vandy! To all of those ACC fans out there who like to point out that this year the ACC technically was a better conference than the SEC, I have one thing to tell you: No one cares how many times you beat Duke! One year means nothing. Go count how many National Championships the SEC has won and then come talk to me.

6. Even after the SEC loss, Alabama and Florida are on equal ground: both 1 loss teams. We lost to the AP ranked #2 team (BCS #4) in the SEC Championship Game - Florida lost to Ole Miss. Please, I do not want any Gator out there claiming they are "so much better" than Alabama. It just ain't so.

7. Shoulder-backing off of the last one, we barely lost to Florida. They did not come out and score 40+ points over us like every other team they've played. In fact, Alabama had it won until the 4th quarter. A few mistakes cost us - because Florida is a team you can't make mistakes on or they capitalize. But until then, they did not have us beat. In fact, in the SEC game Florida TRAILED for the first time since September 27. I'd say that's saying something for how Alabama played.

8. We held Florida to a field goal when they were in the 5 yard line. Has any other team done that this year? No. If Florida is within 10 yards of the goal line, they get a TD. But not against Alabama.

Ok, I guess I'm done. But I just want to reiterate the fact that Alabama kicked some major ass this year and I am proud.

Just one last thing: New Orleans, you better watch out, because the Tide is rolling in!

ROLL TIDE!

I'm a slacker - Iron Bowl 2008 recap

I know that my loyal, faithful fans are wondering why I never posted my thoughts on the Iron Bowl game. Well I'd like to say it's because I was coming up with a wonderfully funny, in-your-face post.... but sadly, no, I'm just a slacker.

However, now that I have a moment I would like to comment on that game. It was FREAKING spectacular! Say all you want about "6 in a row." WHATEVER! None of those wins were by more than 10 points and none were a shutout. Let's just face it, we whooped Auburn's ASS and I loved every second of it! Let's just look at some stats shall we:

1. It was the biggest win in 46 years. To be specific, it was the most "lopsided Iron Bowl since Bear Bryant's 1962 group won 38-0."


2. It was Alabama's first shutout of Auburn since 1992 (where we won 17-0).


3. It was the first time Alabama beat Auburn in Tuscaloosa (but in Bama's defense, they haven't played that many years in Tuscaloosa - six to be exact).


4. Auburn only had 170 total yards.


5. Auburn only had 8 first downs the entire game.


6. Auburn had 3 turnovers.

Shall we look at some photos now? Yes, I think that's a great idea!

Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark:

What an interesting position:

You gotta love Mount Cody:

Is that enough? Nah, I didn't think so either!!!

You must respect #8! What an amazing player.

Ingram was never even touched!

Who doesn't love Coffee??

Celebrate good times, come on!

Ok, I know, now I'm being obnoxious. But that's ok. Because I'm not nearly as obnoxious as this:

One of my nice Auburn friends sent me an email after the SEC Championship Game (which I shall discuss in a moment) that said "Go Gators. Gators are #1!" To which I sadly shook my head and thought "It's sad you needed to change your team alliance just to be able to claim a win over Alabama this year." But instead I wrote something else. Something that I would like to say to all of my Auburn friends - because I know they can handle it and our friendship can prevail:

"All I have to say is 36-0 baby!"