Bus Notes

I've been riding a commuter bus to work for about a year and a half now. I enjoy the chance to read or nap while someone else deals with traffic, but it is a fairly long trip and not always the most pleasant way to travel. I've learned a few things about bus etiquette that I've decided to share... in case you ever find yourself in a similar situation.

The first time you ride the bus, pay attention to the other riders. There may be routines for boarding or exiting. My bus runs from a single park and ride lot to multiple stops downtown, then back to the lot. When we return to lot in the afternoon, riders exit one row at a time starting with the front rows. Everyone politely waits their turn and there is no pushing or crowding. Those who rush to exit before their turn, identify themselves as either a "newbie" or just terribly rude.

Personal space is limited when you share a bus seat with another rider, and feeling like a sardine is no fun for anyone. Briefcases, backpacks and packages take up extra space, and can be safely stowed in overhead storage. A note for tall people: using your elbows and knees as assault weapons is considered bad form.

Climate control seems to be a puzzle that is yet to be solved by the bus drivers of the world. I have found the bus to be chilly most mornings and comfortable to warm in the afternoons. A broken A/C in our Houston summers can make the ride home almost unbearable. My solution is to carry a sweater in my bag for the mornings and wear layers that can be peeled off in the afternoon, and hope for a working A/C.

A bus full of people can be a noisy place. Cell phone calls, conversations, coughing, sneezing and snoring can make it difficult to read or nap. Ear plugs or headphones with soft music can help block out the noise. Vitamins can help protect you from those coughing and sneezing people with colds.

Smells are not as easily blocked as sound. Too much aftershave or cologne can cause severe discomfort for a person with allergies. We can hope that our fellow riders will refrain from overdoing,  and arm ourselves with menthol cough drops and peppermint gum for the times when changing seats isn't an option.

Riding a bus isn't for everyone. Sometimes I think it isn't for me, but then I consider the alternative - driving in Houston traffic - and I realize this is my best option. For now.

Discovering Potbelly... and a Recipe

One of my favorite places to eat lunch is Potbelly.  Potbelly started out as a Chicago antique shop. The owners thought it would be a good idea to serve lunch to their customers, and now there are more than 240 Potbelly Sandwich Shops around the country. Their menu offers a wide variety of sandwiches, soups, sides and salads. And for the sweet tooth - fresh, in-store baked cookies and hand dipped shakes.  Each shop also provides lunchtime entertainment in the form of a local musician - a very nice touch.

My current favorite lunch choice is the Uptown Salad - all natural grilled chicken, grapes, apples, dried cranberries, candied walnuts, red onion, and blue cheese - with balsamic vinaigrette.  Delicious! And because I'm eating a healthy salad, I don't feel at all bad about having one of their oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  These cookies are amazing - and addicting!  My friends tell me the shakes are to-die-for, but I haven't tried one yet.  I'm afraid I'd have to make a choice between the shake or a cookie, and I'm just not ready to go there yet.

But maybe now I am.  After a brief search on Google, I found a recipe that comes very close to those delicious cookies that I love so much. I made a batch this afternoon and I will not say how many cookies I have consumed.  Let's just say it's been a lot.  Anyway, since I love you all and I love these cookies, I want to share the recipe with you.

You're welcome!


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 cups Flour
2-1/2 cups Oats (I used quick oats)
1-1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
2 cups Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and sugar. One at a time, mix in the eggs. Mix in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir. Slowly add to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Form the dough into balls. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Am I A Crazy Cat Lady?

A few years ago, I wrote a post about my family's relationship with Stray Cats. Our newest stray at that time blessed us with four additional kittens, and my son's friends who all wanted kittens... well, that didn't happen.  My stepdaughter took one of the kittens, and we kept the rest.  So now our cat count is up to eight.  Yes, I said eight.  But I have officially decreed that eight is enough.  (Bonus points to those of you who remember that TV show.)  And I have stuck by it... the last stray who showed up on our front porch - thanks to our neighbor who thought she had to be one of ours - was dutifully delivered to the local animal shelter. She was a very sweet cat, and she really wanted to be our cat, but I was determined that I would not become the crazy cat lady.

There are very few dull moments when you own eight cats.  Someone is always annoying someone else, clawing up furniture, knocking things off shelves, or barfing up a hairball.  The excitement never ends.  Recently, one of our little guys became very ill with a urinary blockage.  He spent four days shuttling between the vet and the emergency animal clinic, where he received IV fluids and was closely monitored. We learned a lot about cats' urinary health and spent way more money than you would ever expect to spend on one little cat. The good news is that he made it through and is now back to his old self again... mischevious as ever.



Dinner time!

On important lesson that we learned from this experience is that cats should not be fed a diet of only dry cat food... and if they've experienced urinary problems, they shouldn't have dry food at all. Our cats had always been self feeding, and our job was to fill the bowls whenever they got empty. Now, everyone gets canned food, delivered twice a day. The transition wasn't easy, and a few of our guys (including the sick one) turned up their noses at first, but hunger got the best of them and everyone seems to be happy with the new routine.

Now that the cats have decided they like canned food, we go through seven to eight cans a day.  That means my weekly grocery list includes 50+ cans of cat food. Last weekend, the girl bagging my groceries asked if there was a special on cat food. When I responded with, "No, we just have lots of cats," she gave me that look.  The look that says, "Oh, you're one of those crazy cat ladies."

Damn.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas... But Not At Our House

Celtic Christmas weekend at RenFest

Christmas is 16 days away.  That’s just over 2 weeks – and I haven’t even started getting ready. 

We usually put our tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving, but that’s when Mike got sick, and then the cat got sick and, well… I haven’t really had the time to breathe, much less think about Christmas.

I bought a poinsettia for my husband’s hospital room, and we put it on the front porch when he came home. Does that count as decorating?  No, I didn’t think so.

The new tree that James and I bought back in November is still sitting in its box. We brought the decorations down from the attic so we could donate two older trees, and all the boxes are sitting in the middle of our living room.

I have Christmas cards and stamps, but I haven’t even started addressing the envelopes.  I wanted to take a new family portrait to include in our cards this year.  Yeah, that hasn’t happened either.

I haven’t bought a single gift.  I have no idea what I would buy anyway, even if I did have the time to go shopping.  I could shop online, if I knew what to buy.  Is it too late to have things delivered in time for Christmas?

The worst part about this is that I don’t really care.  It’s not that I’m anti-Christmas…it’s just that I’m not at all excited about the holidays this year.  

We’re planning to put up the tree tonight after dinner, and I have some eggnog in the fridge.  Maybe that, and a little bourbon, will put me in a more festive mood. 

Cheers!