Pet Peeve: Cellphone Etiquette

Cellphones. If only they had cellphones when I was dating..
I can't imagine not having to sit home waiting for that phone call from that cute guy.

As much as I enjoy the freedom my cellphone gives me, I don't always enjoy what comes with the cellphone. Here are the things that bug me .....

Answering when you can't talk.

It drives me crazy when I call someone and they tell me it's a bad time or they are in the middle of something. WHY DID YOU ANSWER THE PHONE? Back in the day, if you couldn't pick up the phone, you let the answering machine get it and called the person back. Now days, people think if their phone rings, they are obliged to answer it. Not so, folks!

If you are peeing, in the checkout lane at Shop 'n Save, naked, have your hands full of groceries, soaking wet from the shower, trying on swimsuits, getting romantic, are driving, have anything in your mouth, are sitting in the waiting room, working, sleeping, getting your haircut, or any other number of things... we can all wait. You can call us back when you can chat. Really. People in life and death situations should call 9-1-1 first anyway.

Being a bad customer.

I've worked retail and this one really, really bothers me.

It's incredibly rude to be on a cellphone when you are being waited on. Please give your full attention to the Starbucks guy, the waiter, the deli worker, the bank teller or the department store associate. You'd be offended if they were on the phone while helping you. At the very least, tell the person on the phone to wait until you are finished being waited on.

Cellphones and driving

Seriously. Don't do it. Don't call, talk, text or email when you are operating a motorized vehicle, You could kill someone! You could kill yourself! You could run into something and cause your insurance rates to rise! Have someone else in the car do it, pull over or WAIT... nothing is that important that you can't wait until you get there or get to a place you can safely pull over.

Not turning the phone off while in a movie theatre.

Hello? Leave it in the car or turn the ringer off. Do not take it out to text either, the light is distracting to the the people behind you. If you can't spend 2 hours watching a movie without talking or texting, stay home and get Netflix. Or therapy.

Talking in a restaurant.

The only time I wanna hear someone on their phone in a restaurant is when the person they are meeting is calling to tell them they are running late or need directions. I might answer my phone in a restaurant but once I determine it is not an emergency, I'll tell the person I'll call them back when I'm done. (see? I get the protests from people about babysitters) If you absolutely MUST take the call? Go outside.

I don't want to listen to your random chitchat .. it's bad enough to listen to the random chitchat between you and your dinner companion because you can't use your inside voice but hearing the one-sided version is worse.

Not answering your phone and making no attempts to turn it off.

I get that somtimes you don't want to answer it.. then at least acknowledge said call and turn it off so I don't have to listen to Rascal Flatts or Flight of the Bumblebee over and over and over while I'm trying to read nutrition labels. People that do this often ignore their children too. It' s annoying.

Ignoring the real people you are with by cybering others.

Ever been out to dinner with someone that sits across from you, says nothing and spends half the time emailing and/or texting other people? Bad manners. Pay attention to the real, live people you are with and let your cyber shit wait.

Homemade is Better!

After reading the ingredients on store bought dressings and croutons, I decided to make my own dressings and croutons.. they taste so much better and they are much healthier.. I can’t imagine anyone using a bottled dressing after making fresh at home. I even take my homemade dressing and croutons with me to restaurants.

When I have to bring a dish to pass, I often take a 'salad bar' and make a few fresh dressings and the fresh croutons. As a vegetarian, this guarantees that I have at least one thing I can actually eat. LOL

These make small amounts that should be used within a week since they don't have preservatives.

Anyway, here are some recipes …. A new dressing, an old favorite and I finally wrote down the crouton recipe… well, sort of.

Caesar Dressing

I made this and it was so good that I had TWO salads last night. LOL It’s close to a Caesar but I left out the anchovies since I’m vegetarian. You can add some in if you like.

I used my bullet blender to mix this. I’d suggest that or a small blender/food processor as you need to fully blend the cheese in.

½ tsp chopped garlic (you can another ½ tsp if you are a big garlic fan)
1 cup light mayo
¼ cup skim milk (you can also use buttermilk)
1/3 cup fresh grated romano cheese (or parmesan)
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
2 tsp Worchestershire sauce (I found a vegetarian one, others have anchovy paste in them)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Blend together. If you want it thinner, use an additional 1/8 cup of milk (or more) to get it to the consistency you prefer. If you don’t have fresh cheese, you could probably use the traditional ‘dry’ stuff but I don’t know how that will change the recipe.


1000 Island Dressing

I love this dressing. So fresh and tangy. Kids usually go for this as well. Makes a good sandwich spread too. This should be hand blended with a whisk. You can double this if you need a larger amount.

½ cup light mayo
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP ketchup
2 tsp agave nectar (you can sub regular sugar or even honey)
2 tsp sweet pickle relish
1 t minced onion (I use the dry kind or you can use fresh)
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper



Shelly’s Homemade Croutons

When I make croutons I don’t use a recipe. I dump and mix and taste and create.. but so many people have asked me to give them a recipe, I thought I’d do a basic one and post it.

Store bought croutons have no flavor and they contain ingredients you can’t even say.. and many have corn syrup! WTF?

You can use any bread you have/like.. I’ve made croutons with plain sandwich bread, hoagie rolls, multigrain and fancy artisan bread and they’ve all been yummy!

When you are using up your bread and it starts to get stale, toss the rest in the freezer and use it for crouton day! You can even cube it before you freeze it. Sam's Club has hoagie rolls in white and wheat (packs of 12) that are perfect to use and cheap! I often buy those, come home and cube them all and then freeze them in large baggies for quick use later.

I put the dry ingredients in a small Tupperware container with a lid to shake it up and mix it.. or you can use a small bowl and a spoon. It’s just fun to shake the crap out of it!

1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp smoked salt (you can use regular salt)
½ cup dry parmesan cheese


9 oz of cubed bread
(ok, I weighed it because I wasn’t sure how else to tell you how much to use.. honestly, just cube up what you have.. you can always add more oil to coat it)

¼ cup oil (I prefer olive or grapeseed as it’s healthy, but use what you like)
2 TBSP melted butter (this is for flavor, you can leave it out)

I use a big bowl that has a lid so I can shake the croutons but a large bowl and a spoon work fine too … put ½ the cubed bread in the bowl, add ½ the dry ingredients, add second half of cubed bread and last half of dry ingredients (this is to distribute the dry stuff) and pour the oil and butter over it, toss gently to coat all the pieces well.

Spread on cookie sheets in a single layer and bake at 350 degrees for a few minutes at a time, stirring until all sides are evenly brown. Watch them though as the cheese makes them burn faster. You can cook them less if you like a chewy crouton vs a crunchy one. Let cool and place in an airtight container.

Never Judge...

Just when we all need some hope....

Have you seen this clip from Britain's Got Talent? It's 47-year old Susan Boyle. She made Simon Cowell smile. This is the perfect example of how humans pre-judge other humans.

The audience was snickering... even the judges were a little snide... and then... she sang.



I predict a big 15 minutes of fame for this adorable lady. I also think someone is gonna give her a makeover.

I love her.

Why I Love a Good Nap

I love to nap. I do it almost every day. Napping isn't given it's due. Napping is so underrated.

One of the things I look forward to is my nap. I tell my dog, Sam that it's 'nap time' and he's in the bed before I am. Often, he reminds me that it's nap time. We cuddle up and sleep for an hour or two. It's a great bonding experience. You could do it with a child or even your significant other.

Sometimes I take a nap because I'm actually tired. Other times, I may have a bad headache and I just need to lie down.. but most often I just need a quick rest.

I know if you work full-time, it becomes a little harder to fit a nap in but on the weekends, you could indulge... or even take a nighttime nap after dinner and before bed. Men tend to take couch naps.

1. Why do parents make kids take naps? Is it becasue they are less cranky after one? Do they just want time to themselves? Guess what? a nap combines those two things when you're an adult - you get time to yourself and you wake up less cranky.

2. Have you ever noticed how much pets sleep? They sleep hours and hours a day. Pets are always happy and rarin' to go. Hmm... coincidence? Besides, there is nothing in this world that is cuter than a sleeping dog... seriously.

3. In Mexico and some other countries, like Italy and Spain, it is tradition to take a siesta in the afternoon. It's the hottest part of the day so shops and restaurants close down and then re-open and stay open later in the evening.

Pet Peeve : Grammar

I wonder why it's so difficult for so many folks to get the whole your and you're thing down... and let's not even mention the whole there, their and they're thing.

I have no idea why it makes me so insane but it does.

It seems to be like a virus running rampant on Facebook and now I have to deal with it every single day!

Yes, I am an adult.

No, I do not have children.

Yes, I own a number of Build a Bears.

I want this lobster.

His shell is a backpack.

What more do I need to say?

Can We Get a Second Opinion?

Seriously.

Can someone ask the groundhog to check his shadow again?

I need spring NOW.

Falafel Love

We found a wonderful local place that serves fantastic mediterranean food and I am in love with falafel!

Falafel are balls made from chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and spices and if you get it in a sandwich, it's served on top of a greek salad inside a pita. MMM.. and healthy! yum!

Sushi!

I'm a vegetarian so that means I choose not to eat any animals - not even fish. My husband loves sushi and was kinda disappointed that I wouldn't join him even tho they had vegetarian choices. My reason? I don't like the smell or taste of Nori (seaweed) that it's wrapped in. It has a fishy scent/flavor that I am not into.

Imagine my excitement and delight when I discovered that our favorite sushi bar has SOY WRAPS to use in place of the Nori! Who knew?

Yay! Happy day! Hubby and I can eat sushi together. We need to learn to make it!

Now, if you like rice and veggies.. you'll like the vegetarian sushi. I get one roll (about 8 pieces) with cucumber, avocado and cream cheese and the other roll is made with tempura fried veggies! Yum!

and by the way... not all sushi is raw fish so stop screwing up your face at the mention of it! They have lots of cooked choices. Some rolls are made with tempura battered shrimp or fish, beef, cooked egg and more!

Live a little. Go crazy! Find a friend who knows sushi and go sometime. You only live once!

Road Trip to Madison: Gail Ambrosius

AH, there is nothing like good friends and great chocolate! I recently road tripped up to Madison with a friend to meet another friend of ours who lives in Madison, for lunch, oil sniffing and chocolate.

Gail Ambrosius has a delightful little shop on Atwood that is filled with the most amazing candy this side of Mount Olympus - truly nectar of the gods! (that's even what her last name means!)

Her hand made (one at a time!) dark chocolate creations are fabulous, unexpected and downright delicious! Plus, dark chocolate is good for you so you can indulge and wallow in the knowledge that it does a body good!

My faves are the caramels sprinkled with grey sea salt, shown here. If you haven't had salted chocolate, you haven't lived! Of course, Gail doesn't stop there .... she has some hot to trot cinnamon/cayenne truffles, rich travel inspired candies that contain curry, saffron, cardamom and more, liqueur inspired and even tea inspired delicacies! Each delicate goodie is dusted or topped with things like cacao nibs, lavender buds, chocolate shavings, candied ginger or nuts.

The french-trained Gail ships her candy but if you are within a couple hours drive, I recommend making the trek. You can have a great meal at Monty's Diner (across the street from Gails) and make a day of it!

Try her hot chocolate too. Bliss in a cup!

I Can See Clearly Now!

I needed new glasses and in my quest to always find the best bargain I learned that LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Target Optical, JCPenney Optical, Sears Optical and EyeMed Vision Care are all owned by the same parent company!

So... instead of paying $400 at Pearle, I paid $200 at Sears for the same glasses. I'll have them in a week. I'm excited! They have sunglass magnet clips! (I'm easy to impress)

Go forth... buy new glasses and be proud of the deal you got!