2/19/08 10 on Tuesday

I'm going to try this 10 on Tuesday thing again. Every Tuesday I decide that I'm going to do it, and every Tuesday I write waaaaay too much for each thing, and the post ends of being a bazillion miles long, and I end up not doing it because you'd probably lose your mind if you tried to digest that much quirky, all at once.

But if at first you don't succeed, nobody will bother to read it anyway. So I'm trying again, although ya'll bear with me, because brevity is not my strong point.

1: You know how I've decided to eat Cheerios to drop my cholesterol levels? I've recently discovered that the health day cholesterol screenings have tended to be on the high side. Apparently, the finger prick test isn't always the most accurate cholesterol test, given that cholesterol pools in your fingers. (Who knew?) So a lot of people *ahem* were told that they have high cholesterol *ahem* when in reality, they may not. (Lesson learned: you can't trust someone who stabs you in the finger with a needle). I'm probably fine, but I've decided to stick with the Cheerios anyway, just because all that whole-grain oat stuff is good for general heart health too.

2: Some people called us the other day to see if we would be willing to participate in a week-long radio survey. Marketing class has made me more open to the plight of the surveyor, so I said sure, why not? And Arbitron was very happy, and sent me two radio diaries and $5, but not until after they made me swear that I would return them. Then about halfway through the survey week, they sent us $4 more dollars ($9? How weird is that?) and made me re-swear under oath that I was still going to send my diaries in when I was finished. (Arbitron is serious about returning these diaries). Then they called again the day before the survey ended to remind us that we had SWORN on the life of our firstborn to send these diaries in. It got to be a joke in the house where every time the phone rang, Tony and I would yell, "It's Arbitron! Do we promise to return these surveys, so help us God?" The crazy part was, 99% of the time, it WAS Arbitron calling. They must have "checked up on us" about 50 times! You'll be happy to know that we put the surveys in the mail as soon as we were finished with them, because we keep our words...and Arbitron would never let us rest if we didn't.

3: Speaking of Arbitron, we also just received Nielsen TV diaries in the mail yesterday. Tony and I start those Thursday. Obviously we've been added to the "will take any kind of survey as long as you make them promise" list. We'll see how Nielsen goes. Aren't you scared that Tony and I are now in charge of picking the tv programs that will be aired? Say goodbye to your precious reality shows and say hello to the 24 hour Hockey Channel! Mwu-hahahahahahaha!

4. I was in Lowes last weekend, and I totally impulse bought a grapevine. I don't know why. I guess that I saw them, and in my head, I envisioned lazy summer afternoons, lying in the hammock in the backyard, and being like, "Hey! I sure would like some fresh grapes!" and then being able to reach out and pick a perfectly ripe and photo-quality bunch of grapes and eat them as I admire the bountiful beauty of all my lush flowers in my garden. So I put the grapevine into the cart and went on my way. Here's the thing though: according to the Internet, you can't just toss a grapevine in a hole and expect it to grow. First, only certain vines can grow in certain regions. And even if you do get the right one, it needs moist but well-drained nitrogen rich soil with 10 hours of sun exposure a day (preferably from the Southern sky) and a trellis that is 6' tall. (I had been planning on planting my generic grapevine by the semi-shaded back fence and ignoring it). Now the grape vine is sitting on my kitchen counter while I decide if I'm ready to make a long-term commitment to a high-maintenance plant.

5. Speaking of fruits and veggies, I've been craving cherry tomatoes lately. I'm buying two boxes at a time now because I tend to eat one container just as a snack. It started out innocently enough. I ate one tomato to see if they were ripe, then another, then another, until I was sitting in front of the TV, popping tomatoes like they were potato chips. Then of course, I didn't have any left for salads and tacos and such, hence the two containers. I'm not sure where the sudden desire for tomatoes came from. It may have to do with the semi-cold that I have. Maybe I'm seeking something in the tomatoes to kick the cold.

6. Speaking of colds, (aren't you impressed with how I segue all these together?) I'm coming down from a cold (again) so I picked up some of the Airborne stuff at Wal-mart the other day. Technically, I think you're supposed to take it when you first feel a cold coming on, but since I've had two colds in the last month, I figure that my immune system could use a little help now. I gotta say, I do feel a lot better since I took it. The stuff itself is nasty, like overly-strong fizzy Tang, but it works. You dissolve it in water and then gulp it down. It's got 1667% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C. (Seems a little like overkill to me, but hey, these Airborne people probably know what they're doing). Mom says that that stuff doesn't really work cause your body can't absorb all the vitamins and stuff, but I'm willing to take all the help I can get. DIE COLD DIE!

7. Speaking of Portuguese explorers...(okay, I know we weren't, but I couldn't figure out how to get from colds to coconuts. I'm just hoping you won't notice the sudden change in direction). Anyway, speaking of Portuguese explorers, did you know that the coconut got its name from Portuguese explorers? It has nothing to do with cocoa either. The explorers thought it looked like a little hairy face so they called named it the coconut, because coco is Portuguese for Goblin. I've gotta admit that they've got a point. It does look a little goblin-like, doesn't it?

8. Speaking of coconuts, (yes, we're back to the segueing), That tidbit from about the coconut above came courtesy of the Food Network, which after my Nielsen diary is returned, we'll all be seeing a lot more of.

9. Speaking of things I plan to see a lot more of, I've discovered the the Dollar Store has packets of beef jerky for only...a dollar! Annnnd, they're the same packets of jerky that Wal-mart sells for about $4.50. Since beef jerky is a good high-protein snack that I happen to really like, and it was such a great price, I purchased 20 bags. (Yes, 20 packets of jerky. The cashier thought I was crazy too. But hey! They keep! It's jerky! I can eat it every day!)

10. And finally, speaking of things that I do every day that make me happy...My crocus are blooming! Every evening I come home from work and do a flower check for bulbs coming up. My daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and crocus were all coming along nicely, but the crocus has actually bloomed! They make me so happy. I look forward to going home and seeing their pretty little blue petals all day long. I'll see if I can't snap a picture for you so that they can make you happy too. C'mon spring!

Okay, there you go. 10 things. What do you think? It's long! It's rambling! It's...10 on Tuesday!