Gettin’ my Irish up

No, I'm not angry, and I'm not even Irish. But it's the Notre Dame home opener against Nevada this weekend, and that makes everyone honorary Irish! Hey, it's Touchdown Jesus! Everybody wave to Touchdown Jesus!

We've got tickets to the game, and we'll be going with my Dad and Cousin Shane. It's Shane's first ND football game, so I'm excited for him! We'll meet him there, because he has to work until 1 pm, but we'll be tailgating with my Dad in the meantime. It's fun to just go and have lunch there, sit out in lawn chairs, just shoot the breeze. I got us all some sandwiches today, so we should have a nice little pickanick! Oh, and someone gave Shane's friend Doug (a fellow blogger) a couple of tickets--how cool is that?--so he'll be going, and I'll get to meet him. AND my friend Jimi from the lab is going with his Mom and his two boys, so maybe I'll run into him, too. There will only be a little over 80,000 people there inside the stadium, so I don't know why we wouldn't run into each other! Actually, we know what sections we're each sitting in, so we might actually find each other.

Anyhoo, I'm really psyched and excited for the game! As much as I hate to see summer end, it also means football season, and that is a good thing for Nutwoodians! When I was out at the store today, wow, things were hopping. Home football games are a very big deal, bringing in $6 million per weekend to the city in hotel, restaurant, and bar revenues. Then there is everyone buying food and beverage supplies for tailgating or watching the game at home. This is a big weekend in general, because there is a big motorcycle ride for Muscular Dystrophy on Sunday (that's when we're having our cookout), and all weekend long, the Blueberry Festival is going on nearby in Plymouth. We're quite the toddlin' town this weekend!

I'll be taking both my camera and my Flip to the game, so I hope to get some good shots for you. Go Irish!

~~~~~

I had a few comments wanting the recipe for the pork tenderloin I made yesterday. It turned out quite tasty, but I let it go maybe an hour too long, so it was just heading over to the dry side. Stick to the 8 hours on low, because 9 was a little too long!

Plop your tenderloin into your crockpot. Salt and pepper.

Whisk together ½ cup balsamic vinegar, 3 Tbsp honey, and 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard. Pour over tenderloin and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours.

That's it! It was so easy, and I love the flavor of balsamic vinegar. If you don't care for it, you might not like this, because there's a distinct balsamic tang to this. I will definitely make it again.

~~~~~

I was sitting out on the deck today, enjoying these last gorgeous days of summer, and doing a little pondering. It was a good wildlife day, too, so I was feeling relaxed, happy, and meditative as I watched some of the birds and critters. Writing about my "previous life" yesterday reminded me of the difference between then and now. I feel contented and at peace, after walking on eggshells for too many years. Have you encountered people who you quickly realize you need to be wary of? Any misstep in the minefield of their persona, and you know you'll be scrambling to make amends and appease them. You learn to censor yourself, because you know there are certain things that will set them off. I've experienced people like that both in my career and in my personal life, and for a couple of brief, spectacularly bad years, I had both going on at once. I hated going to work because of such an individual there, and I dreaded going home because I never knew what I was going to find when I got there. I had no sanctuary.

I believe these sort of people practice a sort of psychotic, emotional blackmail, a threat of craziness if they don't get their way or if they don't like what you say. I think they like it when word gets around: "Jeez, don't mess with her...she gets crazy if you cross her!" Most people seem to learn early on that the most effective way to persuade others is to be knowledgeable about the subject; the best way to interact with others is to treat them with respect, kindness, and consistency. However, some prefer to remain mired in the "if you can't win 'em over with your smarts, scare 'em with your craziness" phase, and attempt to intimidate others with the threat of irrational behavior. It certainly can be effective for a while, in a very manipulative sort of way, but it doesn't work for the long term. People always figure it out, especially when they start comparing notes. I know I certainly resent people trying to manipulate me, and I think most others also resent being treated that way; the tactic eventually loses its effectiveness when people realize what is going on and decide that they will not allow themselves to be manipulated in such a way.

Once you see it, it becomes pretty laughable. Once you get out of it, or don't feel compelled to subject yourself to it any longer, it's quite liberating. It's nice to not worry about hearing the sound of crunching eggshells.