When that work whistle just isn't blowing...

So you probably think that I am a total slacker, writing on my blog while I am at work, and I would agree with you, if it wasn't due to not having a single thing to do right now. I've done all the work I can and now I'm sitting here twiddling my thumbs and not feeling so good about it. I would take a crazy, super busy day any day than these super-slow nothing-to-do days that go by in super slow motion. I IMed my boss to ask if he would send any other work my way, and I haven't heard anything out of him. I'll pester him again soon.

Here's an update on what's been going on: me--working, sleeping, eating tons of chocolate, craving dairy all the time, reading "Northanger Abbey" by Jane Austen, teaching Temple Prep at church, playing a little Wii, and still being tired all the time. Niklas--going to school, doing homework, sleeping, eating, playing a little bit of Wii, and reading Star Wars books, among other types of books, and still being tired all the time.



We did get the pleasure of seeing Diane and Nolan this weekend, our respective siblings. We all ate out at Original Thai this last Friday night and it was sooo good. I love love LOVE Thai curry, and I LOVE it hot. My only complaint with Thai restaurants is that the waitstaff never believes me when I say that I want it really hot. One Thai place in Idaho Falls I ordered the level 5 "Thermo-Nuclear" spicy hotness when eating lunch with my boss and a co-worker, and they were surprised. Then I got to be the one surprised and disappointed when my dish contained not even a hint of flame. However, this last Friday it was different. I told the waitress as usual that I wanted it really hot---"I like it when my nose is running." And when the yummy red curry came out, it was actually spicy! My nose did run a bit, and I enjoyed every single hot bite. Not sure how this spicy-loving trait came into being in me, but I'm not the only one in the family that has it. :) Niklas likes hot, spicy dishes also, but not quite as much as me.

Last Saturday Nolan, Niklas and I headed out to shop at the small mall in Idaho Falls and found a few pieces of clothing. Of course, I'm still not satisfied in the clothes department so a little more shopping each month will be had.

For future news, there is a lot going on. In April Niklas' mom and dad and sister Jacqueline will be coming up to Rexburg for the latter to attend school this summer, and that should be fun to see them. Jacqueline just got off her mission at the beginning of this month from Ohio, and we haven't seen the Skinner parents since we were both married last May. The one-year anniversary is coming up--oh my!

In May, during our one-year anniversary weekend, Niklas and I will be flying into Washington thanks to our Miller parents. :) I'm really excited for the trip and plan on hitting Seattle on the Saturday we are there. I also am looking forward to seeing family that I haven't seen since...Christmas of 2007 I think! That's an amazingly long time.

In June Niklas' sister Jennifer and her family will be stopping by our humble abode in Rexburg to see us while on a trip. I also haven't seen them for quite a long time also. Also in June Kristine, Alex, Niklas, and I will be driving over to Portland, Oregon for a good family friend's wedding. Although this trip will also only last the weekend, and will consist of almost 24 hours total stuck in a car, it will be so nice to take a trip and see more friends and family again.

And my sister Lynda is graduating from college at the beginning of May! It's so crazy that 4 years have gone by already, but I'm sure that Lynda is super ready for it. :)

As a side note, Niklas and our friend Bill have been taking a British Literature, etc. class together this semester, and last night as Bill's wife Linda and I played "Cooking Mama" on the Wii, they were putting together a "Flampoyntes Pie," (basically Flame Points) which is a medieval recipe consisting of shredded pork and provolone cheese in a pie---and then some of the pie crust dough is cut into triangles, fried, and then put inside the pie, the points sticking out of the top crust. I believe when it was baked back in the day the points in the crust would catch on fire, hence the name. Bill and Niklas made this for the Medieval potluck they were having today in class, and Linda and I agreed that it was one of the nastiest recipes we've ever heard of. Niklas explained that someone was going to make something for the potluck that consisted of grains, etc. cooked inside a sheep's (?) stomach, and that he was going to eat some, as he has had some before; and then he and Bill went on trying to convince Linda and I that it was "just like a sausage casing." I think I wanted to hurl just thinking about it; and I've decided that this man I married ("I am a medieval man...!") really belongs in the Dark Ages while I should have been born during the 1800's in England. Who knows how two such beings could have connected.

Niklas right this minute just sent me an IM:

skinnerman02: Our Pie was Awesome! Quite the hit as well

Karen Skinner: Great! did you eat the sheep stomach or whatever it was?

skinnerman02: lol, Haggis

skinnerman02: and you dont actually eat the stomach

skinnerman02: you just cook everything else in it

skinnerman02: but yes, I did

skinnerman02: I thought it was alright, but I forgot to eat it with the turnips, which is how it's supposed to be done

skinnerman02: but it was WAY different than the sausage type thing

skinnerman02: this was much nastier looking

skinnerman02: none of the people who made it liked it

skinnerman02: I brought home the left overs of the flampoyntes though (our pie), so you could try a tiny bit

skinnerman02: It'd make me happy if you tried some

Karen Skinner: I guess I can try a little bit. Don't expect me to kiss you today...

skinnerman02: I've rinsed my mouth out

skinnerman02: saw that coming

I thought you'd appreciate a visual of this wondrous dish. So there you have it. Haggis is not like sausage, and if you expect a kiss from your spouse, don't eat it.