kapachino

Category: obsessions

  • Current Obsession: Competitive Reality TV

    Since I’ve been on maternity leave I’ve had a lot more time on my hands. It’s not always time that can be used on just anything, though, because the baby refuses to be put down for any stretch of time. So I’ve found myself watching a lot more TV than usual. And since I started writing reviews for ApeDonkey, an entertainment blog run by my brother and his friend, I’ve become even more interested in TV in general.

    So my thing is that I refuse to jump in on a show in the middle if it is a serialized drama. That’s why I’ve been watching a lot of competitive reality shows, since they start new every season. (But I do watch some other shows via Netflix; right now we’re into Prison Break and Mad Men, both available on instant streaming.)

    Shows I watch now:

    >Project Runway – how have I never watched a full season of this before? I love it.

    >So You Think You Can Dance – again, I watched my first season this summer on my brother’s urging, and it was quality. I’ve always loved watching good dance.

    >Dancing With the Stars – this is one I’ve watched for years, not only for the dance (which is sometimes terrible) but for the personalities. I’ve come to enjoy it as much for the pros and judges as for the “stars.” (And for the record, my favorite couple going into this season is Hope Solo and Maks!)

    >American Idol – one of the classics, and as a singer myself I even feel somewhat qualified to critique the performances.

    >The Bachelor/Bachelorette – some may call this a guilty pleasure, but a pleasure it is.

    >HGTV Design Star – another new one that I absolutely love. One of my favorites got kicked off this week so now I’m rooting for Meg to win.

    What other shows in this genre should I be watching?

  • Current Obsession: Time Management iPhone Games

    I am what you might call a “casual gamer.” I really enjoy video games, but they’re not my primary or even my secondary hobby. I love our Wii and my favorite games for it are MarioKart, Dr. Mario (old school!), and Kirby’s Epic Yarn. But it’s hard for me to find time to sit down and play these games, especially when the TV is usually being used for other things.

    I recently upgraded to an iPhone 4 after dealing with the slowness of the 3G for the past year, and now my iPhone experience is completely different. It’s so fast! Apps no longer crash! I’ve completely rediscovered my love for casual gaming. There are certain word and puzzle games that I like a lot, but I think I’ve found my favorite genre of video game, one that really shines with the touch screen of the iPhone: time management games.

    My obsession first began with Sally’s Spa. I played this one a couple of years ago when my old phone was still new-ish. You are the owner of a spa, and you must handle all the incoming customers for the day by dragging them to the appropriate station and performing tasks in a certain amount of time. You earn money according to customer satisfaction, and with that money you can purchase upgrades. There are 50 levels which allow for a lot of play time. Even though I finished the game, I like it so much that I’ve gone back and replayed it from the beginning a couple more times.

    Now that I have my new phone, I got the urge to find more games. I started playing Sally’s Spa again, but then realized that there are probably others out there similar to it. The search was on. The next game I tried was Chocolate Shop Frenzy because it was only $0.99. The concept is similar to Sally’s Spa except that it’s not as challenging. The money you earn only determines your score, you don’t do anything with it. Your shop is automatically upgraded. There is a fun Bejeweled-type game embedded, and awards you can earn. I completed the entire game in only a few hours, and although I could go back and get more out of it, it didn’t provide enough variety for me to love it.

    The game I just finished playing last night is called Ranch Rush, and I loved it. In it you build up your own ranch and each level has you trying to complete a specific order for a customer. At first it’s simple things like a few crops, but as you advance you have to buy animals and machines in order to produce complex items like milk, cheese, wool, ketchup, jam, etc. There are lots of awards you can earn and organizing the ranch is fun on its own. I can tell that it’s one I’ll enjoy going back and playing over and over again.

    I’m already planning my next time management game purchases. I’ve heard good things about Diner Dash and Cake Mania 3. Anyone else love these kinds of games? Have any to recommend?

  • Current Obsessions: Sick Edition

    I started feeling sick on Monday, and by Wednesday afternoon I had thrown in the towel. This cold, or whatever it is, has hit me hard. I won’t get into all my ailments, old lady style, but trust me when I say that they are numerous.

    The only times that I have ever called in sick to work are when I had gastroenteritis and ended up in the ER, and when I had my miscarriage. But since I’m not allowed to take hardly any medication at the moment I haven’t been able to stay on top of this one. (Plus, since nearly all of my patients are immunocompromised and our routine discharge instructions involve telling them to stay away from sick people, being at work like this would kind of make me feel like a hypocrite.)

    The end result is that I’ve been home for the past two days and I don’t think I’ve taken off my robe for 48 hours straight. Here’s what’s been helping me survive in the absence of Mucinex or Sudafed.

    1. Halls Breezers, cool berry flavor. These are my favorite cough drops. They taste like candy, not like medicine at all! And of course, are completely soothing.

    2. Water. Lots and lots of it.

    3. Chicken bouillon. Nothing better than a warm cup of broth when you’re sick. I’ve probably had about 32 ounces of it in the past two days.

    4. Humidifier. This is a lifesaver for nighttime. Since I can’t breathe out of my nose very well, it helps me not to wake up with cracked lips and eases my raging sore throat.

    5. Tylenol and Benadryl. These are the only two medicines that I’ve taken, and they help somewhat, although the Benadryl makes me sleep so I only take it at night.

    6. HGTV and Netflix streaming. There are so many things I would have loved to do these past two days, starting with the dishes, but I have barely had the energy to feed myself and I’m pretty proud of the fact that I showered. Instead, I’ve been watching nonstop HGTV interspersed with episodes of Veronica Mars on Netflix instant streaming and, of course, naps.

    7. A super sweet husband. He’s babied me, brought me food and water and supplies, taken care of the dogs, forced me to rest, and given me two of the sweetest cards. See one for yourself:

    The fact that I’m writing this I think means that I’m over the worst of it, and I hope I didn’t just jinx myself by saying that. What are your sickness survival techniques?

  • Current Obsession: Mix1 Protein Drinks

    So I’ve talked a little bit about how my diet right now is pretty restrictive. No gluten, no meat for the most part, and trying to avoid dairy. When I first started this, people would ask me, “What are you going to eat?” A month later and I realize what they meant.

    It’s a particularly difficult diet for me since I hardly ever cook. If I’m not comfortable cooking normal food on a regular basis, how am I supposed to jump right in to specialty meals? Well, I’m working on it. Slowly. But in the meantime I need some nutrition!

    After one particularly discouraging day where I hardly ate anything and had an emotional breakdown, David took it upon himself to scavenge the grocery store and find some food for me. My favorite of what he brought home were Mix1 protein drinks. When I told him how much I loved the first one I tried, he opened one just to taste it and he couldn’t stop from drinking the whole thing. Seriously, they’re really good.

    The great thing about them is they’re totally natural and free of gluten, lactose, soy, and caffeine. They taste like a delicious, delicious smoothie/yogurt hybrid and are pretty filling. Perfect for those times when I’m not sure what to eat but I need something, or when I’m at work and don’t have time for a full meal.

    Now if I could only wake up tomorrow morning with a supernatural desire to cook!

  • Obsession: Pop Chips

    Now, I’ve never been a huge chip person. Sure, I’ll go for the occasional Cheeto, and of course I can never turn down a tortilla chip if queso is involved. But chips by themselves have never been my snack of choice.

    But THESE. Y’all, I have a new addiction. A Pop Chip addiction. One of my friends has been raving about them for ages, and the other day when I was in Georgia’s Farm to Market I saw them by the register. I had no idea they were all-natural! It was destiny! I had to try them. I bought two flavors: cheddar and salt & vinegar.

    In one day, the entire bag of cheddar has somehow disappeared. The salt & vinegar isn’t far behind. What’s so great about these? Let me tell you. They are not fried, so they’re healthy – as long as you don’t eat the whole bag at once, I suppose. It’s an easy thing to do, as I have recently demonstrated, because they’re so delish. Nothing against baked chips, which I don’t mind, but the popped version is far superior.

    As far as I can tell, Pop Chips have only two downsides. One, not enough chips in the bag. I’d probably say that no matter how many there actually were, though. And two, it’s going to be hard to keep them all to myself. I mean, I discovered them, I bought them with my own money, so I should get to eat them all, right? No reason at all that my husband should get any, unless I’m feeling particularly generous, or he goes above and beyond his normal duties. I’m thinking cleaning the bathtubs (worst chore ever), walking all three dogs at once, and then giving me a foot rub.

    I suppose that would earn him a Pop Chip.