Rebecca Homecca

I had to go to some training for work. It was terrible. I am not against learning, but I am against bad training. Here are the top five things that made this training ridiculous at best.

5. People taking too many of the free snacks. Don’t get me wrong, I love free snacks as much as the next person. As a matter of fact, I often joke about taking my big purse somewhere when there is going to be snacks. However, I joke about it,  I don’t actually take half a dozen cookies and a fist full of nutrigrain bars off the table. I was embarrassed on their behalf.

4. The hostile environment. I guess I always figured training was a fairly neutral environment. It started with the fact that it seemed like the trainer drew the short straw in having to come there. She was a bit surly. Combine that with the fact that the room is filled with people who are not really interested in doing things differently, and it felt more like a hostage negotiation. Had they run out of pretzels the whole place could have turned into a riot.

3. The trainer doesn’t know how to use the software. Well, that’s not fair, she knew how to use it, sort of. However, there was more than one occassion when she had to click on several things before she got the right one (which led to mass confusion from the not wanting to be here in the first place masses) and answered at least three questions with “ummm…I don’t know…I don’t really use this that often”. really?

2. The trainer is hard of hearing. You have to repeat your question a minimum of four times and literally scream it at her. And she is the one that is irritated because you are not talking loud enough (thereby adding to the already combative mood of the audience).

1. Many of  the people there being trained barely know how to use email and feel the need to ask obvious questions. This was the “advanced” portion of the training, so I guess they figure you have at least googled something at some point in your life. However, based on some of the questions, I’m not sure if these people even HAVE computers.

Bonus Reason: After explaining how to use a certain feature of the software for an hour and half, the presenter says “But I don’t know who would ever use this”.

sigh…

It’s been a while since we had a good top five, so that’s what your getting! I considered going off topic and listing the top five reasons you shouldn’t throw bricks at your senators or top five ways to protest the new insurance reform bill without having the feds drop by for a visit. But instead I decided to go with the old stand by…

The Top Five Things I’m into right now

5. Mumford and Sons I heard an interview with the band on NPR, and thought that their music sounded interesting. Next thing I knew, they were all over the place. I’m digging that blue grassy/not quite country/kind of folky sound. That is totally a genre, by the way. I’ve been hearing other bg/nqc/kof bands coming out right now, but so far, for me, these guys stand out.

4. Summer clothes, even though it’s too cold. Something about this time of year, when the sun is out, the days are longer, and the robins are back  makes me think it is warmer than it actually is. Mostly though, I think I am just tired of my winter clothes. That cute brown wool sweater that I dream of it being cold enough to wear come October is so last month. My new short sleeved cotton button up is screaming for me!

3. Sleep. I know, who isn’t right? But seriously, my new job starts an hour later and I can not tell you how happy that makes me. I am not a morning person, I am barely an afternoon person, and this extra hour of sleep is amazing. And don’t tell me to go to bed earlier. If I went to bed any earlier I wouldn’t be able to work at all. I’m not a good fall alseeper. It takes me forever. So it’s much better for me to make it up on the other side.

2. Longer Days. What is it about the sun going down that makes me not want to do anything? Somehow, now that it is lighter longer, I feel more motivated. Like I have more time or something. Except, really it’s the same time, I just don’t have to turn the lights on. So weird.

1. Painting. I am sure you are thinking, “haven’t you always been into painting?” True enough. But I have not been feeling very creative lately. I bought a book (I don’t remember the name, but it was on clearance for $4!) that has lessons showing different watercolor techniques and has tips for taking it to the next level. I started one a couple of weeks ago and it is nice to have some direction (that I don’t have to count on myself for!) Also, at the beginning of the year we assigned a topic for each month (March is windows) and we each have to do a painting relating to that topic. It’s pretty fun. The topics are somewhat vague (on purpose) so it is interesting to see what everyone comes up with! We got our taxes done this week so I didn’t go to studio, but hopefully next week I will have my lesson completed. Pictures to follow!

Dis-honorable mention: The one thing I am so NOT into right now is American Idol. Worst.Season.Ever. The singing is terrible, the personalities are duds, and the judges can’t seem to make up their minds on what kind of advice to give. They are all over the place. The singers are so confused, it’s no wonder it’s a train wreck every week.

Two of my favorite blogs, Farmgirl Fare and Smitten Kitchen, both had posts recently about must have kitchen items that would make great gifts. I love all things kitcheny (don’t try and google that one) and these lists gave me a serious case of the wants.

But it also got me to thinking about what my favorite things in the kitchen are (and lends it’s self naturally to a top five list, which is also one of my favorite things!)

5. Kitchenaid Apple Slicer. As someone who has gone through their fair share of dollar store apple slicers, this Kitchenaid one was worth the investment. I love eating apples, but only if they are sliced. It makes my teeth feel weird to eat an apple whole.

4. Pyrex 8″ Square Baking Dish. I finally invested in a 2nd dish because I got tired of this one always being dirty or having something in it in the fridge. When cooking for 2, this is the best size for all kinds of dishes that normally call for the ol’ 13X9.

3. Better Crocker Cookbook. I couldn’t find a link on Amazon for this and I’ve only ever seen them in the used section at the book store. I’m not even sure where mine came from, but I use it regularly. It has basic cooking guidelines for everything. I can never remember how long to bake a potato or at what temp, or how to make boiled eggs, or how long to cook corn on the cob. This book has all this info along with cooked meat temps and the best chocolate cookie recipe I’ve ever tried.

2. Pourable Mixing Bowl w/ Handle. I thought it was the Batter Bowl, but mine looks different. Anyway, I use this thing all the time. It’s a four cupper so it’s perfect for brownie mixes, pancakes, and muffins. Mine is getting a little beat up, but I’ve also had it for like ten years!

1. Cuisinart Food Processor.  This is a total splurge item that hubs got me for Christmas one year. It is the star of my kitchen. I adore it. If you like to make your own sauces, salsa, or anything else that requires any amount of chopping, this bad boy is for you.  My  favorite is the shredder. I can shred cheese like nobody’s business. The slicer is also awesome and has potatoes ready for scalloped potatoes in seconds and they are all uniform in size. LOVE IT!

Well, not cry necessarily, but get choked up for sure…Most of these are TV (huge loser) or sports related (just weird).

5. OTL on ESPN. They always have some story about some hard-knocks kid who is making it big, or doing something amazing, or over comes some huge obstacle. Get’s me every time.

4. Makeover Shows. Obviously Extreme Makeover Home Edition is a given, but even shows like What Not to Wear on TLC get me. It seems the people on those make over shows always dress terrible because they don’t care about themselves or have self esteem issues. By the end it’s also an emotional make over and it gets me going…

3. Sports Movies. Pick one, any one and no doubt I’ll be holding back the tears. Rudy anyone?

2. Live Pre-game festivities. Take me to a baseball game, football game, whatever. The tears usually start about the time they hit the second note in the National Anthem. Especially if it is sung really well.

1. That stupid lost dog commercial that is supposed to make me want to buy a phone. At&t has been pulling these tear jerker commercials for years.

Honorable Mention: I totally cried when the Kurt Warner and the St. Louis Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV . Warner (who was already my favorite that year) emphatically thanked Jesus upon winning and it just broke me up. I remember it to this day.

Home from work today. That Salamander Flu is a bugger. Here is the upside of staying home.

5. HGTV. No matter if you are in and out of sleep, there’s always somebody remaking something.

4. Marvin loves to snuggle and is the best heating pad ever.

3. Soup for lunch. I love soup and it just makes sense when you are home sick.

2. Staying in your jammies all day. I don’t even have to be sick to pull that off (same goes for HGTV all day, around here we just call that Saturday.)

1. Not being at work. Em’s got IM so why go?

It is cold and rainy today, so we had grilled cheese and tomato soup. Since it’s so dreary outside, I figure it is a great day for a top five!

So here are the top five things I am LOVING right now

5. Cold weather food. I made chili the other day and busted out the old grilled cheese and soup combo tonight. I was contemplating a roast and my favorite beefy noodles with the leftovers. As much as I love the light freshness of summer fare, there is something to be said about the comfort of a good soup. I had some broccoli soup from Panera the other night and it absolutely hit the spot.

4. Fall TV. I am glad for new shows. As much as I enjoyed being addicted to HGTV all summer, it is time to mix it up a little. I’m not finding too many new shows that are must see (other than Glee, if you haven’t caught to the fact that I love that show) but I like getting caught up on some old favorites.

3. Taking the time to read. Even if it is a cheesy teen-romance novel. Books are so much different than TV or movies. I really let go of the real world when I read and step fully into the world of the book. It is especially nice when I am stressed out to just escape for a few.

2. ArtPrize. I haven’t even been down to see the exhibits yet and I am loving it. I love that there is a buzz all around my city about something positive, exciting, and fun. I love that over 28,000 people (so far) have taken enough interest in art to register to vote on it. I love that 159 business and countless donors and volunteers felt this was important enough to participate in. And I love that there is art all over town!

1. Raising Sand the album from Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. I can’t say I am really a fan of either separately. But together, I am totally addicted. This is in heavy, heavy rotation on my Ipod and everytime I hear the familiar music it makes me happy. There is a Crossroads special on Palladia tonight with them that I am watching as I type this!

Now I am going to curl up with my book, my favorite music, and enjoy not being in the rain.

So I guess Brett Favre is un-retired again. Seriously, this guy is an embarrassment.

I don’t mind that he wants to play football. It’s just that he keeps saying he doesn’t want to but then does anyway in these last minute publicity stunts.

It’s getting old. But apparently not old enough for every news outlet to over report on it. Shows that have nothing to do with sports are talking about it. I lost interest 6 retirements ago.

Back in the day he was on my top five, but at this point the guy can’t even see the list from where he’s at. I can’t have this kind of behavior on the top five. It’s a very exclusive list created by the utmost in superficial standards.

Let’s see who is still on my top five…

5. Matthew Mcconaughey: A long time top fiver, Matthew was #1 for ever, but recently got demoted to #5 because he is a little bit crazy. Not Tom Cruise crazy, but it’s a fine line. He should take a note from Favre.

4. Ryan Gosling: Added after watching The Notebook. I really thought that movie was going to be stupid, but I cried my eyes out and totally got a crush on this guy. He kicked Will Smith off the list.

3. Daniel Craig: AKA James Bond. I have to admit, I loved Pierce Brosnan as 007 and was not happy when I heard he was being replaced. But Pierce never made the top five.

2. Steve Young: A long time top fiver, Steve has always been in the top 2 except for a short stint a couple of years ago he dropped to #5 due to a bad haircut.

1. Kyle Chandler:  I do love me some Coach Taylor. Also, Friday Night Lights is the best show on TV.

It’s been a while since we had a top five things I’m loving right now…

5. Frozen Meals. Terrible, I know. I just haven’t had the time, energy, or creativity to put into a menu plan right now. There are some decent pre-packaged meals out there (I am fond of the Bertolli kind). They can be kind of expensive, so I try and buy on sale. But I figure even at regular price it’s still a lot cheaper than eating out.

4. Shiny Toy Guns. This is a band, I’m not into actual toy guns. I heard them on Hub’s satellite radio and when I was at the libary (see #1) one day I picked up their CD. At the time I didn’t even know if I liked them, I just recognized the name. Well, turns out hubs had one of their other CD’s and also turns out I LOVE THEM!! One of their songs is big on the radio right now. I’m hoping the get really popular so they keep making music.

3. Warm weather. It hasn’t been as warm as we would like, but after below zero windchills, I don’t want to get greedy. I’ll take 40, even if it’s raining.

2. Painting at my Studio. I had been in kind of a rut for a while. Recently, we have started doing some new things. We have introduced each other to new techniques and new artists. There is definately a re-newed energy up there and everyone is making amazing things!

1. The library. Have you all been there lately? I don’t know if you heard but everythings free! Which is important “in these tough economic times.” They have a ton of stuff too, not just books, CD’s, games, movies…  I have not even begun to explore all the fun. One of them by my work (I am about 10 minutes from 3 different ones) even has a lunch counter. Have not eaten there, but it smelled good. I’m trying to spread the word that the library is all the rage.

5. Making Summer Plans. Hubs and I have been talking about camping trips we want to take this summer and it warms me from the inside. We did not go at all last year because we were busy with the house. I have to say, looking forward to another summer of that, is just depressing. I love having trips all lined up. We ordered some equipment we needed online the other day which added to my excitement. It just gets me thinking about summer and having something fun to look forward to. Love that!

4. Friday Night Lights. I am so glad this show is back on network TV. As mad as I was that it had been playing on DirectTv, I’m actually kind of glad it didn’t start until January. It’s a great way to jazz up this dreary time. Also, I’m not really into American Idol this year (weird right?), which is my usual winter distraction.

3. Book Club bingo. It’s not just all the fun reading I’m doing. It’s all the fun conversations the ladies are having about books. Someone will come in and talk about some amazing book they just read and put it on the list and we’ll talk about it.Then there is a ton of book loaning going on. Someone will say “I need a biography for my next square.” Then someone else will have one that they loved and will share. It is more fun than I even imagined.

2. I rented the new REM CD from the libaray and I am so loving it. It is going to be a sad day when that has to go back. It has been playing non-stop in my car. I can’t even explain how much I am loving this CD. It is so reminiscent of their old stuff that got me into them in the first place. They started to lose me a little about the time they started losing their religon and with everybody hurting. But they are back and I am Loving it with a big L.

1. The generosity of my friends and family. I put together a team to at work to do a walk that raises money for Gilda’s Club. Despite our tough economic times people have been very generous and I am well on my way to my goal. Getting sponsors is always the hardest part of these things but I have had no trouble at all. THANK YOU!!

5. Farm Blogs. I’m obsessed with the rural lifestyle. My favorites are:

Farm Girl because of her incredibly cute pictures and funny stories.

Sugar Creek because she discusses the business of having a small farm. Which is incredibly fascinating.

Farmer’s Wife, for so many reasons. I first stumbled across her photoblog, which I have more than once gone back and looked at all the old posts. Then on Farmer’s Wife at Home, I love all her regular features with catchy names and endless pictures of vintage things (also with names).

4. Learning about birds. I had no idea when we moved out to the woods, how many more birds we would see. I know, it seems obvious now, what with all the TREES, but we aren’t that far out of town. I sort of assumed we would have the same birds. I used to not really care that much about birds but now I am obsessed with nesting habits and preferred bushes and shrubs.

3. Being with friends. Sounds weird, I know. But the fact of the matter is, we really don’t get out much. Also, a lot of our friends have moved away. Since I started having girls nites, I have a new appreciation for socializing. It’s fun to sit around with some people and laugh and tell stories. It’s good for the soul.

2. Tea. I’ve always loved loved coffee. I still do, but my tastes are getting pickier, I think. The dud coffee at work just isn’t cutting it. Since I can’t afford to stop and buy coffee everyday (and, let’s face it, I barely make to work on time now) and do not have the mental capacity at 6 am to make coffee, I have been having Tea at work. I like that it does not taste bad after it gets cold, which it will, because it takes me a while to finish a beverage.

1. The Biggest Loser. I thought it was strange when they just ended a season, and started one right back up again. Here we go, over do it so that everyone gets sick of it. But no, it is still awesome. I have issue with the sending of people back home, but I get that it is a game show. Also, how did Bob know that I sometimes eat ice cream while watching that show?