Friday's Tornado

Well Friday it happened. Norman was hit by a tornado. Around 4 they announced at work that we needed to go to the storm shelter. A great benefit that we have at work is huge storm shelters. This is the first time since we've been in the building that we had to go their during work hours. Of course half the building was gone (probably storm chasing) so we had lots of space. Cell phones don't work very well so I had to rely on wifi. I checked in with Whitney and she kept me updated on what the news was showing because I couldn't get any streaming tv on the iPad. Probably too many people doing the same thing. The forecasters came down so I knew it was serious. Then they gave us the ok to go back. Sirens were still going off outside for town but it was to the east of us. I trust the forecasters if they say it's ok to go back. Dan was finally able to call me and say he was ok. Cell phone coverage was very sporadic so if you plan on that for your escape think again.

We made national news almost right away, probably because half of them were already in the building doing stories about the high risk over the weekend. My mom called to check on us before I had even left work.

When I got home I watched the news and the helicopters were showing the damage. Norman lucked out and no major injuries or fatalities. The tornado was a small one but it did do damage. It hit an apartment complex and then skipped its way across downtown. Somehow it missed two middle schools and a high school which hadn't left for the day.

I went around today to look at the damage. The area near the apartment was still closed because of downed power lines.

This is one of the old trees near a downtown park. They have a lot of concerts here in the summer.

This building got hit and lost a lot of its outside brick wall. They were already tearing it down today.

Norman was very lucky. We know this. Others in the state and Midwest were not so lucky yesterday.

Fragments and Following - Double F Friday

UPDATE - We did get bad weather TODAY and actually had to go to our storm shelter. Tornado was about three miles west of our building. We are safe but don't know if we have power at home. The storm shelter won't get cell phone coverage but we have WIFI so was able to keep in contact with Whitney so she could tell me what was going on.

Hooking up with Mrs. 4444 for Friday Fragments.



The weather is supposed to be nasty tomorrow. The good part of working with weather people is I know too much stuff. And I get free codes for weather aps. Got one for Whitney that acts as a weather radio and wakes the phone up if there is severe weather where you are. Uses GPS so it knows when to act. I like that and feel a little safer with her having it.

I really need to decide if I'm planting anything this spring. We tore out our front hedges two years ago and still haven't put anything there. I'm thinking maybe I'll plant flowers. Of course I'll have to pull weeds to do that. Blech. There is a reason why I stay inside all summer.

I've been working on seven different proposals this week. We may have good news about one of them where I can do a little less work. Its my biggest one so that would be super exciting. However the one proposal that I really need to get done can't be because the organization hasn't announced our guidelines. They better hurry because I have people on it and I need to figure out how to pay them shortly.

I actually made a to do list the other day for work. I don't do that too often but was so covered in paper I knew I would forget something. Luckily I've crossed off several things on the list and only added one.

Whitney hurt her knee yesterday and went to urgent care. They wrapped it up and gave her crutches. Poor thing is trying to get two tests, three papers and a presentation done in the next week. Plus a bunch of sorority stuff to raise money for their cause. And today is Relay for Life which she is doing.

Cruise countdown is 9 1/2 weeks. I got to print out boarding passes last week. Let the excitement build.

I survived volunteering at two services last Sunday. The 10:00 had 1,800 people. I'm not kidding. We had every chair in the auditorium and overflow in the lobby so they could watch on a big video screen. For the six services they had there were 8,000 people. That was the most they have ever had. WOW is all I can say.

Hodgepodge Away

Time for a little hodgepodge today. Lots of people playing along.


1. Have you ever played golf? Any interest in playing? Do you have a significant other who loves to play? Did you watch The Masters this past weekend?

Does miniature golf count? I have a bad shoulder so I've never played the real sport. Dan has played but not lately. I drove the cart for him once, my one experience at the golf course. We've watched the Masters in the past (like 10-15 years ago) but haven't lately. Mostly I watched because of the scenery. I can never see the ball flying in the air even with the cameras following it.

2. Hats are back in fashion this spring...how do you feel about wearing a hat? (fyi-I'm not talking baseball caps) When was the last time you wore one?

No hats for me. I think I look terrible in them. No ball caps, no cowboy hats, no stocking caps. Nothing.

3. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 meaning proficient and 1 meaning "I'd starve", how adept are you at using chopsticks?

I'd say probably a 7-8. I love sushi so I figured I'd better learn how to use it for that. When I get pad thai I start off with chopsticks and when I'm tired, I switch to a fork.  Lately that has gotten less frequent so I must be getting more adept at it. No rice though. And if you watch people using them, a lot of times they use the shovel/slurp method. You know keeping their face close to the bowl/plate. I don't think that is attractive.

4. Has technology taken over?

The age old question. Technology has been taking over since the days of the steam engine. We just have to accept it and adapt.

5. In the course of a day how often do you look in a mirror?

Only when in the bathroom or after I eat to make sure there is nothing in my teeth.

6. Tulip or Daffodil?

I like tulips. Growing up in Wisconsin we had them planted outside the house and I thought they were so pretty. I know we can grow them in Oklahoma but it just seems like too much of an effort to get one flower out of the bulb.

7. I am proud of myself for __________________.

Taking a two+ week vacation this summer. I haven't done this in years and I've warned everyone that once I leave I'm not looking at emails so they will have to just survive without me. How many people think that this is really going to happen?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Whitney sent a text at 1pm on Sunday to see if she could come for Easter dinner. We had nothing planned (i.e. no food) and she wanted to bring a friend. I ran to the store, bought a ham and side dish stuff and by 5:30 we had dinner on the table. Thank goodness hams are pre-cooked and all you have to do is warm them up. Met another of her friends and I have to say she has had excellent taste in girlfriends this school year. Joining her sorority was the best thing she did.

Meet My Friend Sarah

The long awaited blog about my blog friend Sarah. Sarah writes Sarah has Moxie and if you haven't read it, head on over and see how fabulous she is. I found her blog through Bloggers "Blogs of Note". Its the only one I've ever seen on that list that is remotely interesting. She currently lives in Brussels but originally is from Minnesota. She travels the world both for her job and also because she loves exploring. In many ways we are complete opposites and yet we talked for hours over two nights.

We met for dinner twice last week. (Guess that means she didn't get tired of me after one night, lol). I love what she wanted: steak, Mexican and BBQ. To hear her describe the food in Brussels they don't know anything about beef. So the first night we went to Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse. It satisfied her steak need and we shared a bottle of wine and talked about random topics. Of course, the only photo I took was of dessert. The steak was delicious but my dessert was the star.

Apple Crisp

Key Lime Tart

The next dinner we had was BBQ. We went to Earl's Rib Palace and the moment you walk into the place you smell the smoke. Sarah was so funny, she just wanted to take in all that smoke and try and smell like it on the plane the next day. Once again, Oklahoma delivered and she was quite happy even saying the sauce was one of the best she had in a long time.

Being around Sarah made me realize that you take many things for granted when you live in the same place forever. She talked about the open sky and the grandness of the land. To me it is so normal to see the sky and the grandness I see as plain old flat land. What a refreshing take on things. The other thing that we take for granted is being an American. You never really think about it unless you are like Sarah and live in a different country. For all our faults, the USA is still the best place to live in the world.

I'm very happy to have finally met this woman who has kept me entertained for years with her stories about trips to Paris and South Africa, the "Sass Cobra" and living life across the ocean. Thank you Sarah for two great evenings.

Crazy Cooking Challenge - Blueberry Crumb Muffin

Month two for my participation in the challenge. When I saw the topic I wasn't sure I would do it. We don't eat muffins. Anytime I have tried to make them, they never come out. Of course I've always used the mix and they seem to stick to the papers or the tin. But I figured Whitney would be home for spring break and this would be a good treat. I printed out about 10 recipes. So many looked similar but I diligently went through them all. I gave them to Whitney to pick out and she narrowed it down to two. I was surprised she didn't pick the chocolate/blueberry one but she said it sounded strange. So we had two with crumb toppings. I chose the one that used a little less butter (since of course muffins are healthy). HAHA.

The recipe I chose was Blueberry Crumb Muffins from Dishing the Divine. Paula said that this recipe was just as good as her favorite muffin recipe. I figure that had to be a good sign.


Ingredients

crumb topping

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

6 tbsp unsalted butter

1/3 cup light brown sugar

muffin batter

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 pint blueberries, rinsed, drained, and picked over (I used frozen blueberries)

Instructions

1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375F. Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners.
2. For the crumb topping, combine the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Melt the butter in a small pan. Remove from the heat and add the brown sugar to the pan of melted butter and use a small heatproof spatula to stir them together. Scrape the butter and sugar mixture into the flour mixture, stirring it until the flour is evenly moistened. Set aside while preparing the batter.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl and stir well to mix.
4. Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for about 1 minute, or until well mixed and a little lightened in color. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating smooth after each addition.
5. Decrease the mixer speed to low and beat in 1/2 the flour mixture. Stop the mixer and use a large rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl and beater.
6. On low speed, beat in the milk. After the batter has absorbed the milk, beat in the remaining flour mixture. Stop and scrape down the bowl and beater again.
7. Add the blueberries to the bowl and beat them into the batter on lowest speed for no more than 2-3 seconds, to crush some of the berries slightly.
8. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a large rubber spatula to give a final mixing to the batter.
9. Divide the batter evenly among the cavities in the muffin pan. Break the crumb topping into small crumbs with your fingertips and scatter over the top of each muffin. Bake the muffins until they are well risen, feel firm to the touch, and the topping is golden, about 30 minutes. Cool the muffins in the pan on a rack

Ready for the oven

Comments: I couldn't believe how thick the batter was. My experience with muffins usually is just the ones you get at hotel breakfasts. I think of them as somewhat light. These were very dense. I kept thinking I had the wrong size muffin tin. I filled up 12 cups to the top and overflowing. Then when I added the crumb topping I had so much extra. And they were pretty covered. I think I overcooked them by a minute (eventhough I pulled them out before the time on the recipe). The nutmeg was pretty strong (I like nutmeg) but I think a little less would let you taste the blueberries. The crumb topping was pretty crunchy (which is why I think I cooked them a minute too long). The next day I warmed one up and then put some butter on it and that seemed to help the denseness. Someone had mentioned that theirs were dry on the original blog and everyone else wondered why. Mine seemed dry too but butter helped.

Out of the oven

The blueberries kept their shape nicely

Would I make these again? No. Not because the recipe was bad its just that we don't eat muffins (in fact I've got most of them in the freezer). And actually with them being in the freezer, they have regained some moisture when we defrost them. Still wouldn't make them again but better this way for us.

Check out all the other versions of blueberry muffins out there.

Friday Fragments - Oh What A Week

My blogging has been slow of late. Lots of stuff going on and nothing came to mind to write about. Hopefully will pick up soon.

I spent two days with the worst headache in the world. I don't get migraines but I imagine this is similar to what they are like. Literally I was a log with no energy and ate only some crackers all day. Day two I was just tired. I looked at my work email and forwarded the important stuff to my assistant. It would have helped if I typed in her email address correctly. I knew my decision to stay home that day was probably smart if I couldn't remember to not send it to a yahoo address. She doesn't even have one.

I got to meet my blog friend this week and have dinner with her twice. More on that to come. Of course did I take a picture of the two of us? No. She did so I'm just waiting for it to come via email. I did take a picture of the hotel she stayed at. The Skirvin is an old renovated hotel that is supposed to be haunted. In the two story lobby then had red velvet curtains and these were carved at the tops of the pillars.

Not what I expect in Oklahoma.

I volunteered for three services Sunday for Easter at church. I thought when I filled out the form that they would just pick one but they have me for all three. I could probably get out of the 6pm one but that looks like the one they need the most help at.

I didn't buy into that MegaMillions ticket buying spree last week. If it had gotten up to a billion dollar pot I might have. So I'm glad people won to save me from buying a ticket.

Remember the reason we celebrate Easter. Here's a hint...it doesn't involved bunnies, chocolate or eggs.

Guess What This Is

I went to a meeting and when I returned this was on my desk. No note, just this. I knew what it was immediately because I've told people at work this is how to bribe me...with chocolate. And not just any chocolate...good chocolate. Seems as my Swiss researcher's girlfriend is in town from Europe and brought chocolate. European chocolate counts as good chocolate, no matter what type it is. So the bribe has worked and he is now on the "good" list.