Thanksgiving weeken… ? What?! Oh, right…

… Enjoy your almost Thanksgiving weekend

For the past few weeks, looking at our holiday list, I couldn’t see Friday’s date. That should have been my first clue. I talked to a co-worker who said she brought it up to her superior who very nonchalantly replied that “Oh! No we don’t have Friday off.” Note that HE took the day off.

My first reaction was to think “WHAT THE F…? We don’t have Friday off?”. So I get on my little Outlook and write to my boss (CEO, she’s bound to have some decision making power. You’d think, right?)

Me> Yo! What’s up with Friday not being off?
(Alright, I didn’t say “Yo!”. I’m past the age where “Yo!” sounds even remotely cool – if it ever did coming from me.)

Her> Talk to the CFO.
(I thought it was a pretty straight forward question. But apparently it’s a 3-person answer type of question)

CFO> Because we have Dec 24 & Dec 25 plus Dec 31 & Jan 1
(Hm… right, we do. And your point is?!)

I am a little ticked off right now. It is Thanksgiving WEEKEND. According to a BNA article “the number of companies giving workers paid time off for the Thanksgiving holiday has reached a new high in 2007″. So we’re officially a backward company. We’ve had a long weekend every year, but this year is different because they’ve already been so generous with holidays. Woop dee doop! Let me try to hide my joy a little.

Anyway, that was my rant, because I think it’s a little outrageous to not give us the day after Thanksgiving off. I had made plans, and instead I’m going to have to come to work. And I know exactly what’s going to happen: I’ll spend my whole day complaining. Well, small consolation: I’ll get paid for it.

(Big sigh…)

Yeah, that doesn’t console me at all.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!

Recipe: Sauce Bechamel / White Sauce

Bechamel is a very basic white sauce that accompanies lots of side dishes such as pasta or vegetables. You can find recipes that will contain onions and other herbs or spices. The base of the sauce contains only those 5 ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup milk
• Salt
• Ground pepper

As you make this sauce and master it a little more, you can create lots of variation and add your personal touch.

Directions:

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Wait until the mixture comes to a boil and take off the stove. Incorporate the milk and put back on the stove on low heat. Stir constantly and make sure it does not boil.

The milk will thicken after a few minutes. Depending on what you need the Bechamel for, you might want it more or less thick. Simply add more milk (just a few tbsp at a time) until you’re reached the desired consistency.

Update… let’s get back to it already!

Boy! Am I not good at keeping my blog up to date.

I have not been in that “writing mood” lately and I apologize for that. Just a few weeks ago, I had a million topics going through my mind. I fell off the wagon and it is time to get back on it for crying out loud.

A few updates:

First off all, my stock trading is going pretty well. I made a nice profit of off SSTR (Silverstar Holdings Ltd) in September buying at $2.23 and selling at $4.52 just 23 days later. That felt good. I am finally back on the profit side after a big slide throughout the year.

I am not looking for a job anymore (notice how I never posted that 2nd part to my job hunting post series). I am finally getting assigned interesting projects. I have been working on enhancing and updating some Java and jsp code, which is what I have been asking for for the past year or so. Hallelujah! It’s finally happening.

My mother is coming to our house for Christmas. She is staying for 17 days. It’s bound to get interesting. Let’s just say her and hubby are not best of friends.

Hubby and I are still trying to get a baby on the way (Oh! I never mentioned that one, have I?). It’s been a few months now. And I like to say that we are trying without trying. I have known a few women who got that rush to get-pregnant-at-all-cost attitude. Acting like it was the end of the world if they were not pregnant after 4 or 5 months. I promised myself I would never be one of them. So it has been a few months, but I’m not worried. And with hubby’s new job (he delivers newspapers in the morning on top of his regular job), our sex life has not been outrageously wild either. Hop, hop hop!!… That’s all I will say about that. Pretend you didn’t even read it.

I WILL post the recipe for the Bechamel sauce that I promised in the Recipe: Quenelles a la Semoule / Semolina Quenelles post from last month by tomorrow.

I hope the few of you you stuck around during these few weeks of dry spell will still continue to show up. I’m also hoping to attract a few more people. As always, I enjoy feedbacks, so feel free.

A cause dear to me… WWF

I have been giving to the WWF (World Wildlife Fund – not the wrestling one!) for a few years. I really like this charity.

Their 2007-2008 Winter catalog is out. I think the adoption package is a great gift, especially for kids. For $50, you’ll get an adoption certificate, a photo and a stuffed version of the adopted animal.

Please check it out: http://worldwildlife.org/gifts