Drama Queen

This weekend was long, and work has been busy and eventually I'll stop apologizing for not posting regularly. But I wouldn't hold my breath.

Quite litterly this weekend was long. I left work early Friday because a co-worker handed me free tickets to the musical 'Ring of Fire' 3 hours before it started. Luckily my boss let me go and we got there as there were calling 3 minutes to closing the doors. Indra and I enjoyed it greatly, if for no other reason then we were together and we liked the music. For the record it was not a play or even a musical it was what I would call a revue, lots of music very little talking and almost no plot. still good though.

On the way home though is when the real drama started. In a bad part of Dallas my car started making grumbly grinding sounds and flashing the oh no your in trouble light. I ignored those lights just once in my life and had to get a new engine. And contrary to popular opinion I do learn from my mistakes. So I pulled over immediately. At this point it is 11pm on a Friday night every one I knew was either asleep, not answering their phone or more then an hour away. I checked with the convenience store clerk where we stopped and they said even if I had parked in front if I left the car unattended it would not be in one piece when I returned.

I need my car. I like my car. And I couldn't afford a tow all the way home. So I tried a sorta friend more of acquaintance co-worker and got lucky. Since the car was still working, sorta. and I couldn't see anything under the hood that shouted I'm going to explode I decided to see how far north I could get before it truely died. I wanted to get at least to a safer part of town. as luck would have it I got all the to Mckinney before it stopped and parked it in the hospital parking lot. The next morning I called our car guy and he went to get it. And more drama ensues as the part he needs isn't in stock anywhere it is late Saturday and the earliest he can get it is Tuesday. Not alot of choice there, so Tuesday it was.

You know those 4 days with out a car were some of the best I have had in a long time. I got almost all of the chores on my list done (close enough for me), kept up with the dishes, got plenty of sleep, did some baking and dyed some yarn. The only down spots were a slight worry about where the 300$ for the car was coming from and if the little grocery shopping I had done would be enough (I had to get creative but nobody died so it is all good).

Wednesday came and I headed back to work to discover I was missed and we were very very busy and that soon I am going to be even busier as I am getting another product to support. And the possibility that the hated manager would be back. SO I have been busy and that is why I haven't posted anything recently, well that and cause Indra hogs the computer.

And that was my weekend folks.
I have some more pictures to take and then I will post about dyeing my yarn. I did bake and posted on my food blog, High on the Hog. I decided that it is going to be a real blog and not just a place to link to, so now you have two places to read for me, lucky you.

I found an artist that I absolutely love! Andy Goldsworthy is a artist naturalist, environmentalist and genius. So I thought I would share, I would suggest a Google image search to start with. He is well worth the effort.

Lucky Charms

Have you ever taken a close look at the shapes in Lucky charms? not the marshmallow bits but the oat bits. I did today and was surprised by their obvious X-tian overtones.

There is of course the fish and an X, both ancient symbols of Christianity. Also a clover (symbol of the trinity) and a tree. I find this in sharp contrast to lucky horseshoes and pots of gold.

I tried googling for an answer and found plenty on the marshmallow shapes but nothing on the oat ones other then someone mentioning that they had noticed the fish and what did others think.

Just something to contemplate the next time you are scarfing down some marshmallowy goodness.

life

Last weekend was very productive for me. I still didn't get everything done but I have resigned myself to that. What I did get done was enough. I cleaned out the pile of boxes in the craft room and sorted my yarn. I found I had both more and less yarn then I thought, Less variety but it took up More room. We cleaned off the bookshelf in the kitchen and moved the table. Did some laundry, swept the floor, and played way to much Baldur's Gate. Throw in my Sit and Knit group and you have a very good weekend. I am thinking even with an extra day this weekend isn't going to be as productive.

Freecycle came thru for me this week and I have a very nice full length mirror and a little metal cabinet that is just the right size for a end table and will give us some extra storage room. I am liking the house a little barer then in the past. Especially the bedroom. We need more storage / organization though, book shelves are top of the list to keep the clutter down.

I have been busy browsing the web this week, lots of food blogs and I signed up for my first Knitting KAL. I am not sure how I am going to manage my time to keep up with everyone but I am looking forward to it. I am hoping that I will be able to do more cooking and baking, the food blogs are really inspiring me, but I am just so tired when I get home, and there are so many other things to do.

On time

I am on time for once with my Quotage. So here goes....

Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

I was busy this weekend, got alot done but never enough. I was busy this week too, and I expect I will continue to be busy. I am however less stressed.

National Bad Idea Day

This morning on the way into work KERA had a commentary about how May 18th should be National Bad Idea day. Not only did this make a better post heading then I'm an idiot it made me think about some of the bad ideas in I have had as well as those of others.

My current bad idea was rubbing a possibly poisonous plant on my arm to see if it was poisonous when I am very sensitive to such things. I now have a rash on my arm, not only where I rubbed the leaves but crawling the rest of the way up my arm, despite washing thoroughly right after application. I think the plant was poisonous.

Indra was definitely a good Idea but some of the things I let her talk me into were definitely Bad Ideas. Lets just say Rick and Sarah and leave it at that.

But really when I stop and think there aren't that many major decisions I would change and chances are I would have the same bad ideas the second time around.

This is just to good not to share. 'Dogs in Elk' was sent to me years ago and it still makes me howl in laughter.

Kits, Kats, Sacks and Wives

More browsing of food blogs has left me feeling insuffecient. And made me want all sorts of things so I can make goodies of my own. Like Marshmallow's and cakes and pie and salady things. I want a budget, darn it, that has room for good eats. I want a life that has time to do 'Tuesdays with Dorrie' and the umpteen other cook alongs I have found. On the other hand I made smoked tuna cassrole last night, it was easy, I just turned the heat up and scorched the tuna helper a little. Haute Cuisine or bad cook, your call.

But that was for the future. He laughed as he thought of something to do tonight. Maybe they would go out and mutilate some crops and form the cattle into circles. That would confuse the humans!

Wensday's pregnancy has been called into question it is a possibility that the slight chubbyness is the result of good food and a safe home rather then Kittens. This has caused mixed feeling at our house. Kittens are cute and cuddely unfortunately they grow up to be cats.

California has declared it inconstitutional to ban gay marriage. I am sure tonight Indra will be all excited about that and want to know if there is someway we can go to California to be married. I am already married and don't need a piece of paper to prove it, and really it actually kind of offends me that I have to go to anouther state to get said piece of paper. All in all it reminds me of my mantra 'People are stupid', makes me kinda irritated.

Rain Rain go away

It started raining last night and is still going this morning, it is making my head all muzzy and I am a tad chilly. It is making me crave soup or good old fashioned home cooking. I made Swiss Steak last week and it sounds delicious right now. What I really want though is a thick stew with lots of meat and veggies and nice crusty bread to go with it. I am not sure what I am actualy going to end up with, it probably depends on how I feel when I get home.

I've spent the last couple days playing with my food blog (must put link on side panel) and browsing various goodness, but the weather today is just dragging me down. I need to do some research for my knitting patterns and just don't have the concentration. So I am being a bit Random. As a plus I found this goody, Flogos!

Funny Face

Yep, its been that kind of day and week. And I gotta tell you it is still better then tax season. I still want a do over, but you know with my luck I would do even worse the second time around.

Work is still busy, busier then tax season for the most part, but still less stressful. House work is slowly getting completed, and I think Indra and I are both happy with where we are heading. She has started cooking with me and I am enjoying that. She has also said she will help me find the time to get my knitting patterns written up to sell and format them all pretty like. Indra rocks!

I have still not got the mac set up, apparently I need a mac keyboard, cause the normal one I had typed funny (though that could have been the Dr Pepper Indra spilled on it). I really really want to get it running, I miss being able to browse and type at home.

My craft room is going to be great once I am done in there it is already a soothing place to read (or whatever) I need to get storage arranged though so I don't have a stack of boxes anymore for the dog to 'find' things in. It will also give me more floor space to play with. I already have some ideas for 'decorating' but they will have to wait, I have alot of other house to clean first.

Poor Old Micheal Finnegan..

Ok good stuff first. Best is this lovely tree with a rose bush growing up through it. It was simply beautiful. Indra wants one and I am seriously thinking I would like to recreate it as well. Think how pretty it would be growing up through an evergreen! (for more images check out my Flickr account)

Continuing on the rose theme is the Fudgy Chocolate Layer Cake I made for Clay's Lisa's Birthday party on Sunday. The cake is by me and the rose is a minicake from Kroger since my decorating skills are negligible. I used a recipe from one of my favorite books and while Indra said it was great I found it a little dense and dry though the frosting is lovely. Everyone else seamed to like it so I guess it was a success even if it goes on my don't do again list.


Now for the bad news, My payday loan went thru and left us almost broke, then John cashed the rent check for April and left us in the red and there is still the rent check for May to go through. And even with another Payday loan (which I really can't afford) that second rent check isn't going to go unless Indra's tax rebate is bigger and sooner then expected. In theory at the end of that month I should get a bonus of about 600, that will definitely help and I was hoping would put us back in the black but I am not holding my breath at the moment.

In the not so bad news Wednesday is definitely expecting and looking at her I expect her to drop at any moment, which means probably in the next three weeks since she is a little kitty and probably showing early.

busy

I have been busy this week. Work released an update to last years program that went about as expected, that is poorly so we were busy at work. And I discovered the world of food blogs, So many people taking pictures of food and sharing recipes, it makes my mouth water. So I started a food blog of my own.

It will most likely be nothing but a list of recipes and some pictures that I can link to from here. Looking at some of those blogs I swear those people must run around with a camera everywhere, and what kind of looks are you going to get whipping out a camera in a restaurant to take pictures of your food?

I signed up for 4 food challenges and figured out how to get the little link picture thingies on the side. I am so proud of myself. :)

I is for...

I is for Indra and I. Font Informal Roman.










Indra and I were handfasted on December 20, 1998. She is the most Important thing in my life. I could not Imagine life with out her. She is Intelligent, Irascible and Impressively Intuitive. I was Intrigued by her and her Ingenuity Immediately. And while at times she can be a tad Immature (who am I kidding, alot Immature) she has Improved my life Immeasurably. In short, I love her with all my being. So it will be Indra and I for eternity. (she may even forgive me for posting a picture of her in an Immodest corset)

backtracking

It has been a bit since I last posted, the reasons are the usual. Not enough time, busy, stress, and illness. I ran a fever the weekend we moved, fever chills the whole nine yards. It was Wednesday before I went back to work and Saturday before I felt decent. Saturday Indra went to see Iron Man and I conked out at home, slept the whole day, it was great. Sunday, was housework and my Sit and Stitch. It was great to get to go again.

I don't really have an excuse for not blogging Monday or Tuesday, other then I just didn't But I was busy today so there is alot to catch up on.

Indra's surprises were a Pomegranate tree and a Blue Girl rose, she was thrilled, and most determined Dean not mow them over. she was with out Internet until today and I was afraid she was going to have a nervous break down. She actually had to resort to cleaning to keep herself occupied. We got the Internet just in time for her mouse to go south. It started double clicking on nothing , which made it hard to play solitaire. So tonight we went and got a new mouse.... and keyboard... and mouse pad (20$, it is fancy). The trade off is I get the computer tonight.

My brother emailed me out of the blue. Apparently he had lost all my contact info and now after several yrs of my father not being able to remember my phone number or address he found me again. I talked to him on the phone and emailed him several times. Relationships are hard work even those you are born with. Maybe if we had telepathy it wouldn't be so hard to talk to people.

I was reading journals and browsing pictures and stumbled across the Daring Bakers website. It had instant appeal to me, pictures, recipes and people to share them with. So I signed up. And then I started thinking, I wanted to have some incentive to cook other things as well, and after a little searching I found the answer. Taste & Create, A blog recipe swap type thing. So I signed up for that too.

I now have the daunting task(at least to me) of going back over past entries and adding recipes so I can participate in the Taste & Create challenge. I started by marking all my food entries with a tag (I must use tags more) And bartered some computer time from Indra for adding recipes tonight. I think what I am going todo is use links instead of writing out the whole recipe in an entry. Indra has volunteered to create a web page for me somewhere to link to and it will be alot easier for me to format and type up my recipes separately instead of while blogging.