its been a loooong time

I have not posted in a long time and I apologize for that. the economy hit and I lost my job and my house in quick succession. I have moved in with friends and after a year found a job (half the pay of the old one) spent a lot of last year depressed out of my mind but I am getting better. I may even start posting again.

In other news

Indra and I are making changes. it is slow but we are going to do it. We both need to loose weight, we want a cleaner house (dirty dishes on the counter is a sorry thing) and we both want to eat better. Depression is a major obstacle for both of us, followed closely by pain (it is hard to clean when it hurts to sweep).

We are making plans, simple easy plans, and starting to dream (while trying to stay realistic, I will never be a size 14 again, I will be very lucky to every see a size 16 again) But it is a start.

I have a new knitting project, it is a Xmas present for Indra that she sort of knows about but since it is lace (with beads) she won't get to fully see it until I give it to her, right now it is sort of scrunchy.

I am quiting Daring Bakers, I just don't have the energy, money or interest needed to complete their challenges, instead I will be challenging myself to cook at least one recipe a month from my favorite desert book. Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax. Indra and I have a system worked out, I select the chapter and she selects the recipe. To make it a little more challenging I am going to be reducing the recipes to two person size and I am thinking about making a second variation of each just to challenge my creativity. Indra has expressed an interest in baking bread (which I am all for) so hopefully there will be fresh bread around here soon too.

Indra is talking about starting up blogging again, and I am going to try and blog more if only for myself. Indra wants us to do a blog together but I am really not sure about that, we have to drastically different styles and different interests and well everything. We will have to see what happens. Meanwhile I am redesigning my food blog High on the Hog. It needs some color and graphics and sparkle and pizazz! I may even be using wordpress with it, assuming of course I figure out how to do that.

My AC1 results came back as stop eating bad stuff before you become diabetic (so did Indra's) so we are trying to cut down on processed foods and carbs and up the protein and veggies we consume. It is not easy let me tell you. Protein costs money, and that is something in short supply around here, so Indra and I are talking food alot more and she is going to be helping me more so I can cook food instead of just heating things up. At least that's the plan and we all know how well those work.

In other news I have given up on WOW and am now playing EQ2, granted not alot but it really is alot more my speed. As a bonus they have housing for me to decorate :)

Sorry!!!

It has been a bit since my last post for which I apologize. I got busy, got sick and played a whole bunch of catchup. Lately it has been I felt like crap, mostly anyway.

For those of you that don't follow Facebook and aren't members of Recipes to Rival (shame on you) I spent a week in the hospital and three weeks on either side of that feeling slightly better than crap. So I spent my whole month not eating, not cooking and not doing much of anything not required for basic survival.

I learned a couple things this month, like after a week of juice, malt-o-meal can make me cry and when you have a fever of 104 an ice bath is a lovely thing. I also learned that I have no idea how to clean and hiring a maid once in a while will make my life much much cleaner (and happier). I also learned that you can't dry heave forever, eventually you will find something to get rid of (not my most favorite discovery).

Most importantly I rediscovered how great my friends are, the one that took care of the car payment, the one that paid the electric bill and the one that got the new water heater on their Lowe's card. Not to mention the constant calls to see how I was doing and offering to drive an hour to take Indra shopping or pick up meds.

So Thanks all, and I got alot of catching up to do. :)

The Weekend

This was the most productive weekend I can remember ever. I made strudel, I made onion strings, I did 4 dishwasher loads and 2 washers of cloths, I swept the floor and washed the dogs. I got highlights in my hair for the first time ever and waxed my eyebrows (also the first time). I moved Indra's computer to a bigger Case and hooked up her secondary drives. I did a little weeding and went to the movies. In short I was busy and accomplished alot.

I also figured out at least some of my health issues, I am getting night sweats because I can't breathe laying down (I have started sleeping in a recliner until I can get my mask recalibrate). My stomach has been acting up because I hurt, I am apparently gulping air when I get tired and giving myself gas and if I don't take pain pills my stomach gets cranky and I feel rotten. So I am being scanned and poked and prodded to figure it all out. I know more about my insides now than I ever wanted to.

So I guess it is a mixed bag, but in general I am feeling pretty positive. Now if I could only win the lottery

Rain Rain go away

It has been raining off and on for the last several days, sometimes it is just a sprinkle and other times it is sheets of rain marching across the land scape. The yard is loving it, I am sure the pecans this year will be gorgeous. Indra and I are not as fond of it however. Our sinuses and allergies are making us tired and irritable. Plus I am cold, and being cold in Texas in may is just wrong. It is also limiting my activities on the weekends which I take exception to, tax season is over, I am suppose to be able to go outside on the weekend and do things.

All the rain has brought the fleas out in force and everybody is infested. I have ordered the flea meds but who knows when it will get here until then I think the boys are going to be getting frequent baths.

To add to the misery Indra's thyroid is being bad and making her tireder and sore and just plain Icky. My tummy is acting up, I am not sure if it is a result of the surgery or something new and interesting. Hopefully the Dr. will fix it on Friday.

Not everything is Doom and Gloom though. I received an invitation to Abacus from the Mushroom Council for a three-course meal, including a recipe demo and discussion on the latest mushroom ideas and trends from chef Kent Rathbun. To say I was thrilled would be an understatement. Indra was jealous until she heard it was about mushrooms, then she just made me promise to take her some day for regular food. Indra is using this as an excuse to doll me up. Personally I am still hung up on someone reading my blog and thinking that this would be a good event for me.

Riding this high, Indra took me out to get booze. Originally she was looking for hard liqueur, Bourbon, amaretto, rum, etc. We ended up in a wine shop however and after she was done drooling over the meat we did a small wine tasting and she bought me a very nice bottle to redo my Coq au Vin with. We signed up for their mailing list also and I think we are both looking forward to going back for more tastings. Since I don't like drinking wine, it surprised me that I enjoyed the tasting.
Indra also picked up some bottles of gourmet vanilla cream soda that wasn't half bad.

Indra is trying to convince me to celebrate an un Xmas so she can have her prezzie early. I compromised and told her I would show her another hint. This is what was hiding under the bubble wrap. Wonder what it could be ;) And no I am not removing the protective wrap so you can get a better look. At least not yet.

Under the weather

We were Internet less this weekend starting about Friday afternoon. Indra went into serious withdrawal and started to clean. It got so bad she scrubbed the kitchen counter with a toothbrush. Granted it was an electric toothbrush but still. If it wasn't so cruel I would consider random Internet outages to keep the house clean.

I am in training for the next several weeks, A+ and Individual tax. I start work at 8:30 and the A+ class ends at 10, that is really not alot of time for a life, or well anything. Poor Indra is having to take care of herself and the house without me. I come home and pass out, if she is lucky I may peck her cheek on my way thru.

The A+ class is easy, I have taken the test and passed once already, granted it was several years ago, and not alot has changed. Besides I do that stuff for a living. But I get a new computer out of it and a shiney new certificate to hang on the wall.

The Ind class on the other hand has me scared. I am not good with money and the IRS insanity called a tax code. Honestly it gives me a headache and makes me very frustrated. To add to the pressure this means I will be expected to take at least a few tax calls. I have alot of mixed feeling about the whole thing but I can't complain to much, I did volunteer after all.

I find it ironic that I am spending all day on a computer but I am not finding enough time to do all the things I need to do on the computer. I also find it Ironic that working as hard as I do in a supposedly well paying field that I have as many money worries as I do. Obviously I am doing something wrong.

The sucker punch to my productivity the last week or so (besides the appendix thing) has been the weather. It has been rainy, hot and all around blechy. I have felt lethargic, sticky and floaty headed, not exactly conducive to hard work. Which has been bad because as always there is alot to do and alot I want to do and neither is getting done. I am almost at the point of having a bunch of friends over to clean everything.

Insult and Injury

Last Thursday I had my Appendix removed. Believe me this surprised me as much as anyone.

I had gone to bed Wed at my regular time only to be woken up about midnight with stomach pains. The Mexican from supper I figured and went back to sleep. I woke up several more times and by 6:50 hurt to much for sleep. At that point I figured out it wasn't the Mexican, because as far as I know Mexican doesn't hurt in just the lower right hand side.

I confirmed the 'not Mexican' feeling with a handy google search, decided it was also not kidneys, and figured out for anything more specific than I think it might be my appendix I would need a professional opinion. besides its not like I could treat not Mexican or kidneys myself.

At this point it is almost 8 so I decide to wait another 10 minutes to see what my local Dr thought, since I did not want to go to the emergency room if I had any other options. Unfortunately I chose a day the Dr was out and the nurse was late to get sick, so off to the emergency room i went. I decided against the ambulance because even though it was a 30 minute drive I figured I would be alot more comfortable sitting up then laying down (and ambulance rides are expensive).

I have nothing but good things to say about my emergency room experience. That might have to do with being out of my mind with pain and then pain killers but I don't think so. I was treaged quickly and in bed with out alot of poking, prodding or questioning. Even better they came by with morphine pretty soon after that.

I have been to the emergency room with other people enough to know they don't hand out pain pills until after they have decided whats wrong with you and that you really need it, so I was very surprised and very grateful. It didn't stop the hurting but it was enough to take the edge off. I was extremely grateful.

They gave me an IV and took a ton of blood, made em pee in a cup, sonogramed and scanned me. By noon they had a diagnosis, sick appendix, and by 3 I was out of surgery.

I really don't remember much of the recovery room, except for some strange reason my shoulder really hurt. They gave me more morphine, called Indra for me, and Most importantly gave me something to drink! I had a couple sips of water at 7:30 am and nothing else since 9 pm the night before. To say I was bone dry would be an understatement. Just before I lost consciousness again they said my oxygen was low and gave me an oxygen tube. Then they got panicky because I was cold, I got 4 heated blankets and told to keep my hands under the covers.

I woke up feeling pretty good and alot more lucid, I could actually use big people words (instead of owchie) and complete sentences. They told me I looked alot better then when I first came in (I didn't feel a whole lot better) and once I had proven that I was once again functioning, they said I could go home.

5pm and I was taken home by some good friends, even better they split up and Paul drove my car so I didn't have to worry about it. Not that I was worried about much of anything at that point.

Indra took over from there and for the last week I have not been allowed to do anything. I belched every time I set up for the first couple days and used alot more pain pills then I expected. On top of that I got my period and poison ivy. I am better than I was but not where I would like to be.

Pictures are from my visit (once I discovered I had my camera and the pain meds kicked in enough for me to get bored.)

Boxes

Easter came and I finally got the Xmas tree down. I also cleaned like crazy and did some baking, over all a pretty productive day. I even decorated eggs with Jon, which was fun but now I have a dozen hard boiled eggs to eat.

Whoever is responsible for our hold music needs help. Just today I have listened to a woman singing about being a better man and a man singing about love hurting so good. It almost makes me scared to transfer calls. And our clients are not getting any smarter (or happier). this morning they were all calling in about an alert (see screen shot) they thought that it meant the efile deadline was 4/9. One guy yelled at me for 5 minutes because he read a message wrong (he thought return/extension meant it was efiling an extension not a return). I will be so glad when this is over.

It got cold after it got warm (again) but we are back to decent weather. Soon it will be to hot to do anything, but for now I am enjoying it. I am also working furiously at getting the kitchen cleaned so after tax I can dismantle it and put everything back where I can find it. Right now cleaning something involves moving alot of things around and putting other things in their place. I feel productive though.

Ready for the second installment of taunt Indra. We have rules in this house about opening other people boxes. But its really not Indra's box until I give it to her, So I am going to show you whats in the box today!

Ta Da! packing material! Huzzah! But wait, what is that underneath those giant bubbles? ......

You will have to wait for next time.

Spring has sprung

Spring is officially here, I have the first rosebud outside my window and the other day a swarm of bees crossed the road in front of my car. It also means the poison Ivy is back and I got my first rash of the season, itchiness abounds. :(

In general I like spring it is one of the few times of the year I can go outside without the heat killing me. Usually I take advantage of this (and the new greenness of everything) to plant stuff. I am planning on picking up some basil and thyme today (the oregano from last year is still growing good) and am debating getting some strawberries or peppers (If Indra wasn't allergic I would be all over the tomatoes). If nothing else I have fun browsing.

I got notification last week that I had won a blog giveaway and received a very nice electronic something I am going to give Indra for Xmas. Like I told her I get 8 months of enjoyment by teasing and taunting her the joy of seeing her open it, and then I get to play with it just as much as if I had kept it for myself, which is to say not much.

To that end I took pictures, and shall post them one picture per post. Just little teasers, it will entertain me for at least a couple weeks. So picture #1.... The box it came in! OOOO AHHHH, look at that! I even included my hand for scale! see how generous I am?

You know what else spring means? Tax season is almost over and I almost have my life back.

The Word of the Day

The word of the day is Random (and not our darkly sexy friend with a thing for spiders.)

This kind of Random... Refreshed by KFC some one has been reading their Mercedy Lackey's Vladamir series. Not that is a bad Idea, just more people should do it.

And the handsome kid to the right? My nephew, apparently my sister in law is practicing her piercing on the family members (I can't wait to see the dog.

Every English Wizard present was staring, open mouthed, at what they’d just seen. Draco Malfoy, one of the biggest daddy’s boys in existence, had just attacked and threatened his father. It didn’t seem possible. It was one of the most surreal experiences any of them could remember, and Arthur had experimented with Muggle drugs.

I won something really nice (which I am not naming here) that I have decided to tuck away for a Xmas gift to Indra. I plan on mentioning it alot because it is cute when Indra gets worked up.

My birthday gifts are grand, I have made ice cream and rice (not together silly) several times. The ice cream still needs work (texture is to grainy for Indra) but the rice is nummy! So I foresee much fun in my future playing with food.

Any one wanting to give me a belated birthday present (or who just has cash to burn), I would like a flickr pro account, A Lowe's gift certificate so I can buy plants, a pasta machine or I am still waiting for that Kitchen Aid Mixer.

Happy birthday to me

Today was my birthday, and while I wish I could report that is was a perfect day, it has been along time since I have had one of those, and never on my birthday. It is like my birthday is cursed. (I think last yr I did a similar rant so feel free to wander away)

I got a concussion one year, the year I decided to have a birthday party no one came (not even my cousins), I have had a birthday cake that was slightly scorched and tilted at a 45 degree angle, when I went to college my father didn't send me a birthday card or present until Xmas time, and then their is all the years I had angel food cake for my birthday because it was dads favorite (I am not a big fan of angel food, my favorite is chocolate or pie, I like pie).

This year has been about par for the course, not terribly bad but it still fell short of expectations. Starting with last night when it went from 80 degrees outside to 40, I woke up at some strange am freezing important bits. I was then woken up about 3 hours before I would have preferred cause someone was cold and hungry (let me give you a hint it wasn't me). Because of the cold miserableness I did not get the house work done I wanted, and the rain and weather has made my head ache all day.

On the plus side I did not have to work, I got 60 dollars for watching a friends cat while they are out of town, said to heck with everything and went shopping for me food (easy and tasty) so we had real french toast (made with french bread) and real maple syrup for brunch and for supper we are having cheese enchiladas and apple pie courtesy of the freezer section with vanilla and black walnut ice cream (the black walnut makes me very happy).

For presents a friend bought me a good rice cooker and I bout myself and icecream machine and recipe book. I found out that you can make a wish list on Target (I listed all the kitchen stuff I want) and that the company spotlight awards will work on overstock.com and for things other than books at amazon (I did alot of window shopping).

Only three things left on my I don't need it but boy do I want it list, a good pasta machine, a Kitchen Aide mixer and an upright freezer. Right now I seam to be on a roll, who knows what I will have by this time next year (if you want to win major points with me the kitchen aide is the way to go, though the pasta machine would make my day (the kitchen aide would make my year)

FYI: my perfect birthday would be getting to sleep in, no house work (cause everything was already clean) and someone else cooking, Presents would be nice too with colorful paper and big bows.

Quick note

I am finally feeling better, took three weeks, but still life is looking up.

I have two weeks of dishes and cleaning to do.

I am tired, oh so tired.

I love Indra.

I love Indra (something's need repeating).

The end

just one of those days

This tax season is so bad I have started drinking Dr Pepper again. I have been caffeine free for several yrs and now this.

I was sick last week, it seems to be a never ending theme with me. I was miserable the whole time but not so miserable I didn't get frustrated that I wasn't getting anything done. Fortunately I got better rather dramatically, and almost caught up with my missed week. But the point is I am tired of being sick or busy or what ever that keeps me from having a life.

I am not sure what I am going to do about it (besides stop drinking Dr Pepper) but something has got to change. I have a feeling what is going to have to change is me and the way I think. And you know those are some of the hardest things to change.

A new day.

My previous estimate of time worked was incorrect, according to my time sheet I am working 60 to 70 hour weeks. If I wasn't working from home I couldn't do it. As it is I am dragging bottom. The days I have an hour lunch are a reason to celebrate. I have never had a tax season like this before, last year went so smoothly I guess I got spoiled, I definitely wasn't ready for this! The money is nice but having time to spend it would be nice too.

We have great friends and one of them came thru with computer parts (no sex involved). The floppy drive smoked and the video card fan sounds like it is trying to take off, but it works. Well kinda, the memory that came with it was mostly bad and the dvd drive and cd rom drive are making me crazy (sometimes it works, sometimes not). And to top it off Indra's main hard drive is acting flakey and i have4 to try and salvage the data from it and find a place to put it. In my copious free time of course.

I got good stuff though. I cashed in my Lowe card I have been saving for 2 blueberry bushes and 4 raspberry plants. I have been wanting berries since we bought the house! I was lucky, they were just taking the plants off the truck when I showed up. Now all I need is the pampas grass I have dreamed of since I was a child and I will be one happy gardener!

In other news I am getting free books! That's right every bibliophiles dream come true, FREE Books! A blog I read daily Blake Makes is starting a magazine and looking for writers. I offered to do book reviews (and maybe an occasional article) in exchange for books to review. I started an Amazon wish list of food books that sounded interesting, and can't wait to see what shows up first.

I gotta say, right at this moment, Life is looking pretty darn good.

Bad Hair Day

Indra has a theory. We were talking about all the Blagojevich craziness, and the man has said some truly crazy things, and she asked me 'do you think his hair is sentient?'. That stopped me for a moment, I actually thought about it, and you know it might explain things.

For example why his hair looks like it has a life of its own, and is apparently eating his head. Also some of the ignorant, stupid and down right odd statements could be explained by alien hair taking him over.

Apparently I am not the only one to think so. The Inside Dope speculates that his hair may be planning to run for office. MSNBC had a report of Blagojevich refusing to let the professional stylists for The View touch his hair. Suspicious, huh. The Chicago Sun Times thinks his hair might be a sign of mental illness. Mental illness, alien possession, not that different really. Even the Washington Post has noticed his hair, calling it a black cloud. Yeah a black brain sucking cloud! But if even the Washington post has commented on it it must be true!

When Moneys tight

This was one of the post cards on the Post Secret site this weekend. I initial reaction is she should have told him to peddle his own ass, and secondly that she was worth more than a measly armor upgrade. I told Indra about the postcard and told her that I would generously let her have sex with other people but I expected her to hold out for the good stuff, computer parts! I think that was very generous of me.

Tax season started on January 15th with a bang (hence the lack of posts). We broke efiling and wouldn't you know it everyone wanted to efile. :( I am working 50-60 hour weeks already and I am really not happy about it. funnily enough the people that wait over an hour to talk to me aren't very happy either. I was spoiled by how easy last year was. Darn it, I shouldn't have to work this hard!

To top of a great week Indra's computer tanked. It looks like her Video card went bad and took her windows with it. I swapped her video card for mine and reinstalled windows and she is up and running, I put an old video card in my machine and I am finally up and running too. Neither one of us is pleased with the quality of our display but so far it is tolerable (Indra is having problems raiding in WOW though). The problem is we don't need a new component so much as we need a whole new system and that isn't in the budget for a couple more years (lots of other more important things first). I am not sure Indra's computer is going to hold out that long. So referring back to the first paragraph anyone want to help us out?

Back Again

So I am back again. December was a bad month for me. I forgot to get my depression meds refilled and by the time Xmas rolled around I was crying at Christmas carols. Now newly medicated life is good and I am back to singing badly whenever Indra isn't around to complain (and even sometimes when she is).

Tax season has started and I worked my first 60 hour week. It wouldn't be so bad if the stupid people didn't keep calling. You know the ones that can't figure out that the customer id and customer number are the same thing. Or my favorite for the week the woman who called me up because she only reads for fun and wanted me to tell her how to install the program so she wouldn't have to read our instructions. I can already tell its going to be a long season.

Xmas was good despite the depression, I actually managed to get alot done. I am now working from home and let me tell you that saves a bundle on gas and gives me about 3 extra hours in my day (4 if I don't get dressed). I am thinking this will only get better as tax season progresses. The best thing about working at home has got to be the warm fuzzies, pets and sunshine. Though I will admit the food is pretty good too.

With the new yr It is time for resolutions, I always have a hard time with this because I hate make resolutions I know I won't keep and I hate making wimpy little resolutions that are easy to keep. Its a fine line but once again I am going to try.

I hereby resolve that in 2009 I will.....
Lose weight thru better diet and exercise (the exercise is the killer here)
That I will never again let my depression prescription lapse (I am mean when depressed and Indra doesn't deserve it)
I will find a way to make more money (I got a spare kidney if anyone is interested)
I will finish Lisa's sweater, some sort of top for me and a pair of socks this yr. (I can do it I know I can)
And you know I think that's about it.

Good luck with your new year resolutions.

I'm a Winner!

or maybe that's Whiner, I can never remember.

As you can clearly see to the right I won mine sweeper at 32X24 with 200 mines, this is the first time this has happened in the 8 yrs I have been trying. And No I didn't cheat. (I took a screen shot and assumed the resolution was fine shows what I know.)

Obama is president (and not dead yet). and I am working from Home. See all Winners.

On top of that I am apparently popular for the first time in my life, in the last week 3 people from my past have contacted me to say hi (Indra thinks they want me to join their facebook thing). One was my first crush, I was silly and immature and all those things you are suppose to be as a teenager in Lust and everyone but him knew it. Still a great guy but now taken (well duh, I would have taken him ions ago) Second was a guy from high school, he was the strong quiet type but his friends where jerks to me, never hung out, never talked, no clue why he decided now 15 yrs later that I am interesting but OK. Lastly is a girl who called me stuck up because I was quiet and yelled at me for talking to her cousins (funny the things you remember). Once again not friends never hung out talking was limited to her being mean to me, but now she wants to chat. In this case I think it is a case of she kissed a girl and I am gay and she has a shorter memory then me. As my mother once said, its not that she didn't like me its just that she care one way or the other.

I am not sure what to do with this sudden largess of interest in me. Do I spill everything and hope they run away? do I chat them up and play nice? Do I even want to talk to them? Brad at least the answer is yes, Him I liked. Kevin and Jen, not sure, I really want to know what they want before I decide.

Its Donut time!

I have discovered that the local grocery store puts out its fresh warm donuts at 8am. And they are good, not to greasy, not to sweet and warm, mmmmm. Now there is a reason to get up early.

TMI

I started my period on Sunday, TMI I know but it is relevant, I am having a terrific craving for chocolate chip cookies, and strangely enough corn bread. I just ran out of chocolate chip cookies but with luck I will have cornbread tonight (If I remember to get eggs)and there are more cookies at home, I just have to make it through the next 8 hours.

We got a new dog this weekend a very nice black Schnauzer mix. He is very polite and very shy. He even has a dignified, civilised name, Ashton. I would post a picture but he is black and there are enough black blobs on the Internet and I don't need to add to them. If we get a decent picture I will post it.