Penny Stock

One of those days

Do you ever have a day that you know will be "one of those days" even though it is only 6:38 am? I think I am going to have one of those days today.

I was in a great mood, coming off of the high of going to NY this past weekend to see O.A.R. at MSG (more on that later, maybe) and I left for work at 5:30. I was doing great. I looked down and my gas gauge and realized I needed gas. No big deal, right? Wrong. I stopped at the Exxon on Fairland road and started to fill up my tank. What I didn't realize though was that the nozzle was not completely in the tank (this has never happened before) and gas shot out all over my jacket (yes, my new one) and my hands. Luckily (I don't think) it ended up on my clothes.

I got to work and went to the bathroom to try to wash off the gas smell from my hands and jacket. I laid my jacket out on the left most sink of the row of four sinks. as I was cleaning off the sleeve I realized that the other side of my coat was sitting directly under the automatic sensor soap dispenser. The sensor went off and poof, soap all over my jacket, including the furry collar. I know I am going to have to wash the jacket completely anyway, but that just added insult to injury.

Now I am sitting at my desk. The offending jacket is sitting in the empty cubicle next to me trying to dry off but I can't get the gas smell out of my nose. I don't know if I still smell like it or if it is just residual fumes but I am not happy. Needless to say, I don't think I am going to be one of the more popular employees today...

Ladies: I Need Your Help AGAIN!!!

OK, so after that extreme and very spontaneous makeup purchase last week I have COMPLETELY broken out. We are not talking about the pimple here or there that I have been graced with since I finished a certain strong acne medicine in 11th grade (too much information? too bad). I have 5 gross zits on my face. My children have said to me, "mom, what is that on your face?" Greg who is very understanding of breakouts has commented to me. I felt guilty that my boss had to sit in an office with me during my performance review today because she had to stare at my zits.

Anyway, what are your thoughts? Do you think this break-out is related to the new cosmetics? I am not itchy or irritated at all (besides the fact that I have these ugly zits on my face). Do you think I should stop using it immediately or give it a few days and see whether my face gets used to the makeup? Finally, anyone know MACs return policy? The website is unclear.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Dedicated to Greg by Horatio Kane

In the old days, we'd dedicate songs on the radio, now I am dedicating this youtube video to you, Greg. Enjoy.

A Question for the Ladies (and if any men know the answer- um ok fine)

I just went to the MAC store (that is cosmetics, not computers) at Towson Town Center. Not only did I spend more in makeup/skin products then I have in all of my almost nine years of marriage (I am typically pretty "low maintenence" when it comes to make-up), I was also lucky enough to make a new friend- Jesse, the MAC Makeup consultant who helped me choose my colors and products.

Anyway, like I said, I sat with the consultant for quite a while and he helped me with everything from moisturizer to blush to eye shadow to the lip gloss I am wearing over the lipstick he gave me (I was very frugal and didn't buy the lip liner because I have something like that one at home). I would have felt bad that he was spending so much time with me, but there were a ton of consultants/sales people in the store and whenever new customers walked in they didn't have to wait to be helped.

Did I need to tip the guy? I sort of assumed that the cost of the makeup (which was NOT cheap) included the service that came with it. Sort of like when you shop at Nordstrom. Thoughts?

Fear Factor still on in our home

Just about two years ago, I blogged about the way eating had become Fear Factor-esque in our home. I thought I would give you an update.

Things are no better. I will start by saying, I don't make my children eat vile things. You will never find brussel sprouts on their plates, I never make meatloaf (although I like it personally), and I wouldn't even think about making them eat fish (except the stick variety)-even though I would be happy to eat it every night.

I was under the opinion that most kids beg their parents to make things like spaghetti and meatballs or hamburgers with french fries. I was wrong.

Let's take the hamburger situation. I'll start this by sayin that the girls did great with this. They ate their hamburger's happily. I made yummy steak-fries (wouldn't even think to call them that since that implies more meat so I called them GIANT FRIES!!!) to go with the burgers and I thought it was a pretty decent dinner. Apparently not. We had a 7 1/2 year old sit at the table sullenly refusing to take a bite. We told him that he would continue to sit at that table indefinitely until he ate a bit (we were serious there- he was actually pretty tired and kept pleading with us to let him go to sleep. we told him that if he had to sit in the chair the whole night, he would). Finally, after 45 minutes of this behavior, he gave in. He cut up his hamburgers into small pieces and proceeded to DROWN (or is it drowned>) them in ketchup. That would be gross even for world ketchup lovers (like me) to take, so of course he made a face at the sourness.

After that, he tried to wash down the hamburger with a drink. Sounds like a good idea except he had a lot of hamburger in his mouth as well as a large amount of liquid. Gagging, choking,and crying insued. I found myself telling him that I AM A SWALLOWING EXPERT (usually we lie to our kids about being experts but in this case, I was being completely honest) and his method of swallowing was of course going to result in him gagging and choking.

Finally, after him sitting at the table for a total of an hour and 15 minutes, (note: in this time we were able to finish dinner, empty the dishwashers, and Greg CLEANED OUT THE REFRIGERATOR!) he had managed to eat half a steak fry and about 3 two inch pieces of hamburger.

He then had the audacity to get up and say, "Well, I didn't hate it, but it isn't my favorite food either!"

Go Peninah, Go Peninah!

Here is an e-mail I just got from Greg (I didn't watch 24 last night and I am in work now at 6:30 AM so you can imagine that we didn't talk after the show).

There is a 24 spoiler so I am going to post this down

down

down

down

down

down

down

ok. you had ample time to shut my blog so I am copying the e-mail now.

_________________________________________________________________
From: Greg
To: Peninah
Subject: RIP Curtis

Jack had to shoot him because he was threatening to kill a terrorist the President had made a deal with. Oh well.

Greg
__________________________________________________________________
Do I have to start gloating at my superior prognostication skills yet? I am so glad I am not watching 24. I heard what happened at the end of the last episode too. So happy.

Mendy's at MSG

According to Bangitout's Blog, Mendy's is opening up a kosher food stand at Madison Square Garden.

Do we think it will be open in time for the O.A.R. concert there on Sat. Night, January 27? If so, count me in!!

I'm Out

I was trying to decide whether or not to watch 24 this season (see the comments on technomind's blog). It is now 8:10 pm during the first hour of the first episode of the season. I can't do it.

When Chloe was talking to whoever the woman was and the script went something like this, "How are we going to get Assad?" and I answered at the exact same as the other chick, "Jack Bauer" I decided that I couldn't sit through another season of this garbage (after Edgar died I had a hard time watching last year).

I can't do it. I refuse to commit. If I happen to be bored and choose to watch one week here or there, fine. But I am officially out of the game.

Oh, and here are my predictions: Curtis (who I love), Chloe (who I have always loved even more), and Bill Buchanan: 2/3 won't survive.

If you could be everything to everyone would you even try?!?

Rachi (aka Technomind) gets the prize today. He was at Tov Pizza and was nice enough to take this picture on his way out. This was the picture discussed 2 posts ago...

DeLurk Yourselves, Please

I just found out that this has been National Delurking Week. See the Below picture. Thanks in advance.

In cast you don't know what that means, if you have been lurking on this blog and haven't proclaimed yourself yet, Now is the time. Judgements will not be made. We all read blogs.

(hat tip: Unwellness for the image)

The Most Ridiculous Sign in Kosher Baltimore

I was driving down Reisterstown Road this morning when I noticed what must be a new sign in front of Kosher Bite (you remember- the people who brought you "Number one in U.S. and Overseas" and "95% of our customers are satisfied!"). I don't have a camera phone- otherwise I would have taken a picture of the ridiculousness of it. I can't remember the exact wording on the sign but let's say that I snorted so loud I almost burst a tire.

Here is my mission/challenge. The first person to post the wording on the sign correctly in the comments will get a prize (I am lying- really I will only acknowledge you) and the first person to e-mail me (pennygersh at yahoo dot com) a picture of the sign (that you can take on your camera phone) will also get an acknowledgement as well as the picture posted in my next post or an edited version of this one.

Come on folks- take one for the team. I need you to do this for me.

When did you grow up?

So for the past month or so almost every time I have called my sister between the hours of 5 and 10 pm (and all day sunday) my almost 12 1/2 year old niece answers the phone and either sighs loudly as she gets off of call waiting or tells me that her mother (my sister) will call me back when she (my niece) is off the phone. The amount of times my sister actually gets these messages is few and far between (I feel like that sentence completely didn't work grammatically but I am too tired to figure it out).

What is crazy is that when my sister and I were growing up we shared a phone line. You'd think that since there were only two of us, it wouldn't be too difficult to make or receive phone calls. You'd be wrong. When you are the younger sister (by 4 1/2 years) there is virtually no chance that you will ever get any phone time.

I used to come in to school to find my outraged friends who told me that they called me 3-4 times the night before but my sister wouldn't get off the phone. My friends knew enough not to call me on my parents' line because "we didn't give you your own phone line for your friends to still be calling on ours!" I remember sitting outside my sister's room just waiting and waiting and waiting for her to get off of the phone with whoever was her flavor of the week at the time (Can you tell I am reliving bitter memories?)- and she wondered why I knew everything that was going on in her life- well that and I read all her mail and diaries.

Anyway, I am rambling. But the point of my post is this. I don't know when my niece grew up. When did she stop being that cute little kid who wanted to go to Baskin Robbins with me? When did she start monopolizing the phone? My niece is reminding me strangely of my sister as a teenager. And the worst thing is that I am the one suffering again!

Perspectives

As I was trying to fall BACK asleep last night at 11:45 (I was asleep by 8:30 in a post fast haze) and the premature fireworks were going off (or maybe it was just the automatic shotguns in Baltimore City- I don't know) I got to thinking about the first time I stayed up to "ring in the new year".

I realized it was 20 years ago. 1986 going into 1987. I watched the MTV countdown and if memory serves me right, "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel was the number 1 video (as opposed to "Walk Like an Egyptian" by the Bangels which was the number one song on the radio- I am doing this from memory- please feel free to research and give me credit for my awesome memory or prove me wrong for my horrible memory).

Anyway, I was in fifth grade. I remember thinking that 1986 was such a good year and how depressing it was that it was over. I felt so nostalgic of 1986- I was 10 years old! It is pretty funny how perspectives change.

I then thought about 10 years ago. Ringing in 1997. I remember being obsessed with the song "Same Auld Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelberg. I must have heard it once Light 102 (101.9 for you Baltimorons- basically a station that I don't listen to anymore unless I am in an elevator going up to a doctor's office) and fell in love with it immediately. I remember asking all my friends if they knew what this song was and if they had the CD or tape but to no avail.

But luckily I was smart enought to realize that they would probably play it on New Years Eve. So I put a blank tape in my trusted boom box from high school and waited up until midnight. After the countdown they played the traditional "Auld Lang Syne" but that quickly made way for the piano introduction of Dan Fogelberg's tale of love lost and the holiday season.

I must have listened to that tape over and over again. It was great. I don't know what happened to that tape and I don't really care because around two years ago (even before I got my iPod) I downloaded that song on iTunes. I can listen to it (and any other song I was EVER nostalgic about) ANY TIME I want.

Once again, how perspectives change.

I wonder what I will be doing when 2016 turns into 2017.