Always the first star that I find

If you've never surfed over to SomethingSwanky.com and drooled over the sweets that they showcase every day....well, I don't know what you're waiting for. You need to get on that. Last week I saw this red velvet cake batter dip on Pinterest and followed the link back to SomethingSwanky and nearly lost my mind at the awesomeness of everything I saw. But, this red velvet cake batter dip + funfetti sugar cookies was what blew my mind the most. I can't think of anything that would taste better than this. This even beats out chocolate for me...which I thought would be an impossible feat.

Although, on the topic of chocolate, I've had the brownies with the Symphony chocolate bar in the middle and I can vouch for the amazingness of that, as well. You won't ever want to bake anything without checking out this website first for ideas. It's so awesome.

This weekend went by so fast, but it was such fun. I went to another going-away party, and that was fun. It was with the same group who had to say goodbye to someone last month, as well. I feel like there's been a lot of leaving in the last few years. Lots of going-aways, very few welcome-backs. But, that's the way it is, I guess? It was fun. This was for someone I used to work with who got herself a job back closer to where she grew up. She's pretty excited to go back and who can blame her? I think she'll be happier there, even though she will be missed here. The party was cowboy-themed and included fuzzy mustaches for everyone, sheriff and sheriff's deputy badges, and cowboy hats. Good time. Then I went to a baby shower and it was really fun, too. Lots of cute things and activities. Sometimes baby showers can be a little too cutesy for me. I get kind of overdosed on the 'aww'. But, this was really cleverly done because it was done as a battle of the sexes sort of baby shower and the culmination was for the grandmother to cut the cake that my friend had baked and the inside of the cake would be either blue or pink and that would tell the gender of the baby. Her mother started to cry a little when she cut the cake and found out the baby was a boy. It was really cute. I liked how that was done. Nobody but the parents knew the gender of the baby, so it was exciting for everyone to find out at once. Hunter Amos will make his debut in April. It was a really well-done shower. I had a good time. It was fun too, because it was with some ladies that I don't get to see very often. I went to high school with them and I only see them now and again, so it was really great. Two acted as hostesses for the baby shower and they did such a great job at the planning of it all. Not to mention the soon-to-be mom, who is such a good chef that the cake and everything was delicious. Mmm.

It occurs to me, thinking back over the weekend, that I know some damn good party planners. I myself loathe planning parties or having to act as hostess to anything. I'm always super impressed by people who plan activities that are actually fun to do or clever or creative. I don't mind participating in activities, I just hate being the one having to make preparations and explain rules and things to a bunch of people. I'm a bit of a wallflower when it comes to social situations, especially parties. I prefer to be led or left alone...usually to eat cookies or cake if there is such a thing at the party. There were both at the parties this weekend. Nom, nom, nom.

I really am going to go back to the health plex this week. Tomorrow, I think if all goes well. I'm feeling better and slowly sounding better.

Beatrix usually sleeps with me all night and tends to be a pretty easy-going cat. She usually just sleeps the whole night. Or used to. Since I got back from Peru, she seems to be off-kilter a bit. Or maybe she's pissed off that I left. She's very clearly off routine, whatever the reason. She woke me up at 3:30 this morning by sitting next to my head and then slapping my face with her paws. I was not amused. She does that when she gets bored and wants attention. The slapping part is less dangerous now than it used to be when she still had claws, but it's still an unhappy way to be woken up, especially 3 hours before the alarm has to go off. After she wouldn't stop, she was kicked out of the room. She's starting to recognize when I'm mad at her. She gets her full name used and it only takes once and she's usually got the idea that she's in trouble. Progress in the Hartke house! She's a very good cat and rarely gets in trouble, except in cases like last night where she gets ornery about wanting attention when I'm asleep. I'm hoping we leave this phase behind us shortly.

I'm becoming more of a tea drinker lately. It isn't just because I'm sick, either. I think it has more to do with the fact that at work we have an automatic hot water dispenser (I don't mean the faucet). It takes the hassle out of making tea because you don't have to mess with the  microwave or anything. It's piping hot filtered water! It's great for oatmeal, too. I love it. Here's to hoping that (if you don't have an automatic hot water dispenser) you someday get to experience the awesomeness of this development as well.

Work is once again pretty lonely. Pandora is keeping me company today. Guster is singing about how you are his satellite. Happy Monday!

Pat Conroy

It's been 1 year!

Happy 1 year blogiversary to Morsels of Mumblings!

Work is uber-quiet. Most people are gone today for one reason or another. Me and my supervisor are holding down our corner of the office today. We got our new cart though for our field work, so we can now push/pull our scanner and equipment through the wilds of Central Missouri instead of carrying/nearly dropping things all the time. It gives a more professional air to your entrance when you aren't huffing and puffing and nearly dropping everything upon meeting the people who are willing to entrust their valuable historical collections to you. On our first trip, I was laughing so hard at our exit of the office, I barely made it to the car. I tend to begin laughing uncontrollably when I have to carry heavy things. It's why I'm completely useless during moves. Or, not useless, I can carry boxes and lamps and things. But don't ask me to help you carry heavy furniture because i start laughing so hard I can hardly move and end up dropping my side of the furniture. It just takes a long time and if you're in a moving hurry, it's easier to bypass the Jill-train altogether as far asking for my assistance with any heavy-lifting. Also, I'm a relative weakling when it comes to arm strength. I'm working on that though at the health plex!

Speaking of, I haven't been to the health plex since Peru. I figured showing up to the Health Plex coughing and all sick with a cold wouldn't do anybody any good. I hope to get back to it next week. I enjoy it. Truth.

I found out that my favorite photo editing site, Picnik, is closing down. It's apparently going to be shifting over to Google for Google+ purposes or somesuch thing like that. Not sure. Only know that come, mid-April, my photo editing site will be kaput. At least as I know it now. BUT, the good news is that from now til closing time, they've opened up all their fantastic editing schemes and tools to all users, not just those who shelled out the money for a premium subscription. I always thought about doing the premium thing, but never got around to it. Well now, I can use all the cool stuff for a couple of months. So, I've been going back through pictures and messing with them to see what I can get the software to do. You can get the software to do much. And, looking back through travel pictures always makes me happy. I don't think I've had a bad trip. Ever. I've had rough days on trips, but never has anything ever ruined an entire travel experience.

Show-Me some love.

Missouri's tourism folks are throwing out some pretty snazzy new posters in their campaign to get people to say that they 'like' Missouri via Facebook. Kudos to the clever graphic designer behind these. Nearly all of them made me laugh.

Here are some of my personal faves:

Another time when medicine head got me all riled up.

Why are some medicine gel caps so huge? I know I'm not the only person who gets intimidated by the size of medicine tablets. And the dose over the age of 12 is so rarely one giant-sized tablet. No, you have to take at least two of those monsters if you're an adult. So, if you manage to stare down the fear of choking on one, you have to face it all over again on the second. It's doubly wretched. I sometimes look at what I am about to take and measure in my mind just how sick I feel and whether this giant-sized medicine capsule is worth the risk of choking to death in order to feel better. Or shall I just hold out and get better on my own sans horse tablet by drinking water, eating an orange, etc? I felt sick enough to attempt to take the medicine this afternoon. I managed to swallow one of the two tablets. I figure a half dose is better than no dose. I don't really mind having colds. I don't like being sick, but if I have to be sick, a cold is (I suppose) better than most other possibilities. But, medicine head is always rough on me. That's what I have right now. A big ole case of medicine head.

I am going to get my own work e-mail address soon! This is exciting news. I don't know when it will happen, but the process has begun.

I was thinking about my flights back home and have come to the conclusion that USA Homeland Security people don't need to be as mean, rude, and obnoxious to travelers as they are. I understand the job that they have to do and I understand the importance of it, and I'm glad they are taking things seriously. I appreciate the purpose that the immigration and customs people are serving. But there's a line that you cross from doing the job and protecting the border in a professional way, and just becoming an asshole. It's not hard: when people are coming through your customs or immigration line, ask your questions, look for anything odd or unusual, do your little security checks, and get the job done without resorting to yelling, disrespect, or intimidation. It's like the security people themselves have never traveled out of the country before and have no concept of the fact that when you land in a foreign country, no matter the time of day, you are tired and disoriented and you don't instinctively know what processes you have to go through at what point in the airport. You may not even speak the language very well. It's tiring and exhausting and nerve-wrecking without the additional fear that Rambo in a Homeland Security vest is going to get in your face over how you spent your family vacation. Homeland Security are the first folks many visitors to the US have to deal with. Is it too much to ask that upon arrival to the United States, the weary traveler gets a smile from an American? I say smile, because I assume a friendly 'Hello' is way too much to ask from these people. I would settle for even a less hostile 'Momma-said-knock-you-out' look on their face. Anything but what they do right now, which is grab the passport, give a mean look, bark out a question, yell if the person asks them to repeat the question, and then shove the passport back and shout at them and their family to go through some door that they barely indicated by a head tilt to get to the checked baggage claim. It doesn't just happen to those who are visiting the US, it also happens to Americans returning from abroad. It's rude all around. I've gone through customs in three different airports and only once have I ever been treated in a friendly and welcoming way. Miami this last time was the worst. I don't think I've ever seen a more rude group of Homeland Security staff, who just barked orders and got in the faces of tourists, and the poor young man in front of me in the customs line was actually shaking, the guy was yelling at him so much. Then he just shoved the kid's passport back to him and turned away and waved me forward like nothing happened. Meanwhile the kid practically just crapped himself as his first official action in the USA. Just do your job, Homeland Security; don't go all UFC on the travelers. You look like dumbasses. In going through other countries' immigration and customs areas, I've never been treated as poorly as when I am just trying to get back into my own country. In other countries, I've been asked the same questions as I've been asked in the USA, they've checked the same documentation, but they do it in a friendly, or at least non-hostile, way. It makes a big difference in the way a traveler views the entire country when the first citizen they come across yells at them or gets in their face. It's a big deal. There's really no excuse for yelling at tourists who don't speak your language and who are disoriented after getting off of a red-eye flight. But there you go. Welcome to the USA. We're bullies. Try not to soil yourself on the way through customs.

Sigh. This is where medicine head usually gets me. I get on a tangent and can't get off. I might read this with a clear head and be like, 'hmm, that was kind of harsh and silly', but right now, medicine head is re-living being bullied by the Homeland Security fool and dammit, she's not going to take it anymore! Raar!

Okay, I just referred to someone on a public site as my home-skillet, so I think it's time to get off of the world wide web and say goodnight before medicine head gets any goonier.

Kurt Vonnegut

Get away, see the world.

Back home from my awesome Peru adventure! It was more than I even expected it to be (and I had high expectations). The weather was great and sunny and warm, the people were amazingly nice and friendly, the food was delicious, the ruins were fantastic, etc. I barely saw much of what the country has to offer. I'm kind of amazed that nobody goes to Peru! Aside from Machu Picchu, which is what most tourists go to see, Peru has the Amazon Rainforest, the world's deepest canyon, the world's highest navigable lake, the Nazca lines, ancient ruins in the northern desert, etc. Not to mention just hanging out at the beach or checking out the sights in the cities. Sigh. So awesome, but it went by so fast.

I had some trouble with the language because I totally gave up on learning it after August of last year and I didn't really remember much from high school. But after a few days I was kind of putting together sentences in my hybrid language of English, Spanish, and Italian. Bless their Peruvian hearts, they tried their damnedest to figure out what I was saying and usually they got it! Congratulations to them! Machu Picchu was especially amazing and that was the best day ever because aside from seeing the ruins, Dad and I got bumped up to a five star eco-lodge hotel in the town in the Amazon Jungle below Machu Picchu where everyone has to spend the night! It was: AMAZING. The food, the room, the scenery, the perks of the hotel, everything. I couldn't believe it. I just was sitting there in the fancy dining room eating the most amazing food I've ever had and inwardly going 'EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!' the entire time. I was really going 'EEEEEEEEEE!!!' that whole day from the moment I saw Machu Picchu til I finally fell asleep (which, of course, was helped by the hot water bottle in the sheets and the nice chocolate on the pillow that the hotel staff came and put on the bed while we were eating. Seriously.)

Sigh. I'm back in heaven just thinking about it all. More pictures are on my Flickr site over yonder, but here are a few for your viewing pleasure:

Classic shot!

Cusco's cathedrals at night.

Quechua sheep herder in Puca Pucara National Park in the hills above Cusco. Elevation here is near 12,000 feet.

Dad and I on the train heading up to the town of Aguas Calientes in the Amazon Jungle, below Machu Picchu and where our awesome hotel was located.

Lima was cool, too, but we didn't get too much time to see it. Just about a day and a half before we left for the States. I would highly recommend a visit to Peru! It's so amazing and beautiful and the people are so wonderful and happy and friendly. I loved every minute of my vacation and can't wait to go back someday.

I got home and Beatrix's cat-sitter had left a message for me about how good she was. That also made my flight-weary self feel very proud. The cat-sitters son came one day with her and Beatrix so charmed him that he's now requested that his mom and dad get a cat just like Bea! She's quite the little lady. I caught a cold toward the end of the trip. I think I actually began to have it before I left, but I worked very hard to ward it off using vitamins and drinking lots of water and orange juice, etc. But after Monday and Tuesday at Machu Picchu, I sort of was exhausted. It was like the culmination of all the months of planning and I finally saw it and climbed all over it and the entire experience was so amazing and wonderful and once it was over, I was just deflated and boooom the cold hit me. It's not so bad, really. I slept for 14 hours when I got home and I think that's helped a little. No real complaints because I so appreciate my body keeping me healthy to see MaPi! I didn't have any trouble with the altitude at all. I've never had any trouble before in Colorado or New Mexico, but I wasn't sure about this because I'd never been as high as Cusco. But, breathing wasn't at all a problem. You do get worn out quicker and you have to drink a lot of bottled water because the water isn't potable and you'll dehydrate at that altitude really quickly, but other than that, I was fine. Dad did well with the altitude, too. Peru is a pretty young country, population-wise. Whereas the USA's baby boomers are in their 60s, Peru's baby boomers are in their 20s, so I felt right at home. Everything was very comfortable and many of the people were my age and it was just really really cool to meet people and wander around. It felt very very home-y to me.

I'm kind of Peru's biggest fan now. They're a big deal. Let's have lunch and let me gush at you a while.

Viva El Peru!

Lemony Snicket