Phones

Does this happen to anybody else? When I'm at work and the phones go down (doesn't usually happen, except it did three times last week), I:

• Silently gasp, and think, someone just cut the phone line.
• Immediately relive every horrible Christopher Pike novel I ever read (and regretted reading) about babysitting with a killer lurking nearby, waiting to make his move until after he cuts the phone line.
• Realize we all have cell phones, so it's not really a big deal that the phone lines are down.
• Imagine how freaky it would be if everyone's cell phone simultaneously went down.

Don't worry--all these thoughts pass through my head within a second or two--but it happened every single time. Is this unusual? Anybody else worried about the psychological effects those books have on impressionable young minds? Cell phone scenario still making you shudder a little?

Craigslist

I have some serious love for craigslist. I've acquired some pretty sweet stuff from there and check the "free" postings regularly. But I'm beginning to notice a trend toward some dodgy dealings.

I've seen people giving away working computers, TVs, and treadmills "for free." When you email them, you don't hear back for a couple days, at which point you receive an email:

Oh, man, I'm sorry. Someone else came to pick it up this morning. But listen, I gave mine away because I just got a new computer/TV/diet pill for free through this website. Here's the link if you're interested. Great deal.

Lame. I'd like to post something for these guys:

Free kick in the pants to all shady marketers.

Except I'll actually deliver on mine.

Bikes

Seeing as how the last two things I've posted about have found miraculous (or, more recently, hellish) ways to backfire, I've decided to only write about topics that are more predictable than BYU football, such as the weather since El Nino, the current economic climate, and Kanye West. Oh, and bikes.

Ryan and I recently acquired a couple mountain bikes.* Because fall is my new favorite season--and we know winter is lurking just around the corner--we've been enjoying the outdoors as much as possible. The last three days I've ridden my bike either to work, from work, or both. (Ask me later, if you really care to figure out the logistics there...)

Choosing to bike instead of travel by car definitely has its pros and cons:

Pro: It's free!

Con: So are the smashed bugs that end up on my shirt, and inevitably, in my mouth.

Pro: It's great exercise!

Con: Home seems to be at the top of a hill no matter where I'm coming from.

Pro: It's environmentally friendly!

Con: The sweat and outdoors odor is not office friendly.

Pro: There's nothing to obstruct your view of nature!

Con: Or the rain, mud, and ice.

All things considered, I'm loving the bikes and hoping for a late winter.

*If you're wondering, mine is the infamous bike that spent over a year at an apartment I didn't live in because I couldn't find the key to unlock it. It's amazing, and a little disheartening, how easily those shears cut through that lock.

I stand corrected

Go Cougars!! I'm officially not regretting those season tickets now.

Meet our new pet

I'm allergic to just about any pet you can imagine, though I didn't always used to be. I loved animals as a kid. I was the little girl scout who, after having a series of hamsters, finally convinced Mom and Dad to pick up a free puppy.

[However, I wasn't the little girl who sampled the dog food to make sure it was good enough for said puppy... cough cough... christie...]

Years later, I realized how messy animals can be. And dirty. Cute, yes, but time consuming. I like to think that I willed myself into my allergy, so that I would have a better excuse than my parents did when my kids begged for a pet someday.

So when Ryan's mom brought a special friend home with our groceries, it took me awhile to warm up to him. Of course, by dinnertime, we were getting pretty cozy.

Luckily, I'm not allergic to fish.

Grandma's peach pie

I've never been a huge pie fan. I like it okay and can usually go for a piece around Thanksgiving, but I'm no Doug (who wanted wedding pie instead of cake when he married my sis).

However.

This is no ordinary pie. When I tell you it's incredible, you can believe me because

1. It's brought to you by Grandma, and everyone knows grandmas make the best baked goods in the world, and
   


2. It's not even from my grandma (but rather Cielle's grandma), so you can rest assured that I am not biased by memories of how good this was when I was a child or the knowledge that MY grandma really does make the best homemade rolls/jam. [Note to self in 30 years: Learn how to make the best homemade rolls and jam. I've got the pie down.]

Now here's the catch. You have to use the freshest peaches, so you can only make it in season. Which is now. So don't wait! Do yourself a favor and make one. Do your friends a favor and make two. If you don't have any friends, make several and pass them out on the corner. Couldn't hurt.

Grandma's peach pie

1 pie crust, baked and cooled

6 cups sliced fresh peaches (we peeled ours too)

1 c. sugar

3 T. cornstarch

1/2 c. fruit juice (I think I blended peach nectar and pineapple juice for this, but you can use anything)

2 T. lemon juice

Mash enough sliced peaches to make one cup. Arrange the remaining peaches in the pie crust and set it aside. (You may have to pack those babies in.) Put the peach mash into a saucepan and add the sugar, cornstarch, and fruit juice over medium heat. Stir until thick and bubbly, and then remove from heat. Pour the mixture over the peaches and refrigerate for 3 hours.