Confessions of a One-Track Mind

Getting up so early Monday totally buggered my sleep schedule...I'm at the point where I'm so tired I feel like my IQ has dropped 20 points. gah.

On the other hand, work is going swimmingly. Doing something different this week, namely sending emails to people who are already signed with us, asking them to refer their friends and offering free time if their friends sign up. Nice change from browsing websites.

This afternoon, I got a text from J, asking if I'd like to be kidnapped for a quick drink. Since the walls have been closing in, I agreed with alacrity. While I was changing into something less disreputable, Mb called and proposed kidnapping me over the weekend. I agreed to that just as fast---now that Bozo is gone (long damn story that I haven't gone into, but the fool needs killing), Casa Mb is a happy place to be again.

The walls are closing in here; I am not good with trusting the Universe; this may be what I'm supposed to be learning here, but I'm struggling with NEED/WANT/MUST GET. I'm not going to starve, FFS---I just really crave things I don't have on hand, woe is me.

Mb *did* suggest that I might like to do some baking up at her place while I'm there, which is actually quite a good idea; I have some chicken in the freezer that I'd love to get baked---I don't mind if that means I'm finding creative uses for pre-cooked chicken all next week. It beats living on eggs, tinned beans, soup and ramen, which is largely the alternative.

Yesterday's mail brought a lovely card from pwcorgigirl as well as a belated Valentine parcel from kukkurkurat. (It's hard to time these things intercontinentally.) Three very inspirational jewelry crafting 'zines---I haven't had any new 'zines in months (aside from my BHG supscription)---and a terrific leopard print wristlet. The wristlet I've been using has prongs that snag on everything and the zipper splits if you're not careful with it, so this is really freakin' timely! (Also a coin for luck and a sweet little dragonfly ring!) So I make be isolated by circumstances, but I still feel the love---thanks, gals!

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Ahh...I slept til almost nine this morning. Woke to a sunshiny day and the knowledge that good has triumphed over evil. All's well.

I had breakfast, and now I've got the pork project simmering on the stove. Just tried a nibble. Mmm, good. Should be scrumptuous over pasta. (I don't like the look of those rolls.)

I scanned next week's Publix ads, since I'll have my food stamps toward the end of their run. There's a BOGO on my prefered bread, deals on canned biscuits, Monterey Jack cheese from the deli, boneless skinless chicken breasts, lunch meats, Fig Newtons, and a few other goodies. (Including Mb's Christmas present, which is something I *can* get with FS.)

Now that the elections have concluded, the holidays will commence in earnest. I ran across a book of first class stamps, and need to check with the post office to see if I'll need additional postage with them. So it looks like I'll be able to send out cards after all. I need to do an address round-up....

I'd better go stir! TTFN.

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Lunch was sublime. I tried Ruby Tuesday's Watermelon Fizz as my beverage, and it was delish. Kind of like liquid bubblegum. With a squeeze of lime, it was downright amazing. Alas, I had to sqitch over to diet Coke after a couple refills, because they were out of watermelon.

BigRed ordered the southwestern egg rolls for us as an appetizer---they were fresh out of the fryer and very tasty.

After much deliberation, I had the asiago-peppercorn sirloin, which was oh-so-tender. I ate every morsel, probably making little unconscious whimpers of bliss, as I'm wont to do, although BigRed kindly didn't say anything.

We chatted about the usual---books, movies, tv...I mentioned Sons of Anarchy, and she said, "I saw Bill Lucking when I was flipping channels the other day and thought of you."

"That's why I love you," I replied. "Not only do you know who Bill Lucking is, you have correctly identified him as one of my lust interests." Which goes clear back to our high school days, and a short-lived show called Big Hawaii that we both enjoyed for our own reasons...although Bill was the reason I started watching it, actually....

The Italian cream cake was as good as I remembered, although after several glasses of watermelon fizz, steak, salad and green beans, I couldn't finish it. BigRed also left about half of her cheesecake. She had errands to run on her way home, and declined to take it, so I put them both in a to-go box, having had the foresight to provide myself with an insulated carrier bag in the car. Prescient much?

In addition to the luscious lunch, BigRed also presented me with a cute card and a WalMart GC. Yay! I considered the Person of Interest DVDs, but that's a little out of my price range. I think I may invest in an iTunes card and/or a TracFone card. Or Barnes and Noble. Decisions, decisions!

Departed Ruby Tuesday and visited the Entermann's store, where I snagged a loaf of bread and some pumpkin spice cake that was too yummy-looking to pass up. From there I hit Publix---they have Progresso soups on sale for $1.50 this week, which is a fantastic price. Thanks to Mb, I had a couple coupons as well. Ended up nabbing a dozen cans, which will serve as quick-and-easy meals for a while.

Speaking of quick and easy, I need to spend time this evening clearing off my kitchen counter; PJ is coming by after church with my "new" microwave. Woohoo!

TTFN.

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Not only did Mb carry me away, she fed me ice cream, really GOOD ice cream---coconut chip, with shreds of real coconut and little shavings of dark chocolate, in a waffle cone. It was divine.

I managed to check my email at the library (and discovered that Publix has wifi!) but haven't really been online because LJ is forbidden at her res. *le sigh* So it's good to be back!

Ice cream notwithstanding, life at Mb's tends to be a lot less caloric than life Chez Fluffy. Even so, I was rather startled when I got on her scale today. Aside from canasta night last weekend, I've been eating lightly this week, and the scale reflected that. On the other hand, she has one of those flat, digital scales. My home scale is one of those classic doctor's office numbers, with the big block in 50-lb intervals and the smaller slider in 1-lb and fractions. So I'm going to wait til tomorrow to announce anything, but if you've awakened by loud squeeing, you'll know it's good.

I'm almost rady to crawl into bed---I have a book I'm looking forward to reading---but I figured I'd let youse guys I hadn't fallen off the face of the earth.

TTFN!

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Mb invited me for Chinese food on Tuesday. We discovered when we got to Melbourne that her favorite Chinese Buffet has closed. Oh dear...we ended up at Cici's Pizza, which is AYCE. Mediocre pizza, but the price is right. Also, I discovered they have free wifi for the win.

Wednesday, J and I had a dog. It's a myth that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. You certainly can---IF you know how to go about it. However, teaching an old owner? Forget about it. This one was boohooing about not wanting to be "mean" to the dog. *eyeroll and gnashing of teeth* Having rules and letting the dog know what they are is NOTNOTNOT being mean. So we doubt we'll hear back from this one. It's the dog I feel sorry for.

Got confirmation about house-sitting next weekend, oh yay! I said YES quite smartly. I know they're having work done on the house, but I'll deal with that. I need the money AND the change of scene and air, glorious air! I'm also looking forward to a nice, flat driveway so I can clean out my car, which is a hot mess, literally. I'm also hoping I can scrape together a few nickels and see The Expendables 2, which is my kind of movie.

More running around with J on Thursday, including her comping me lunch at Five Guys Burgers, which was fabulous. I honestly couldn't remember the last time I had beef. They were really sweet. When I said that the fries weren't very fresh, the counterperson immediately made us a fresh batch. Mmmm! I'd go there a couple times a month, if I could afford it.

Friday, I was kinda fatiqued from all the running around of previous days. I did some laundry, not much else.

Yesterday was canasta at J's, and it was a hoot. The first hand we played, I was getting skunked. J, her BFF and I were playing cut-throat, which is every player for herself. We got down to the bottom of the deck, and BFF got the last card in the pile. In the variation we play, the next player, which was me, can take another turn if they're able to pick up the pack of discards. I lamented that unless BFF discarted something I could use, I was screwed. BFF waved around the cards she had left; the highed value card she had was an 8. "They make lovely discards," I said breezily...and she promptly discarded it. I pounced. BFF couldn't believe it. J was laughing her ass off. I just smiled and completed a wild-card canasta from the pack. It was an awesome moment. I didn't win, but it put me in second place.

The second hand, the deck was getting low, not more than two or three turns left, and I just wasn't getting the cards I needed to complete sequences. I sorted things and realized I could go out if I didn't draw anything too unfortunate on my next turn. Sure enough, I got cards that would work with what I had, and proceeded to go out. There was some fussin' and cussin' for sure! I won that hand neatly.

When I got home, around 1AM, an odd thing happened. I walked into my living room, and it felt a little cleaner than I expected. Nothing had been moved, the elves hadn't magically come in and tidied up for me, it just seemed less dingy, more welcoming. I have a long way to go, but I could tell that there's been progress.

Today was church. The speaker was someone who's new, and she gave an interesting talk about the erosion of civil rights. Hospitality was plentiful; there was a Buddist retreat at the church this week, and there were plentiful leftovers. Enough that we all ate, and most of us got more to take home. I have a bag of salad greens, a bag of cooked brown rice, two onions, some grape tomatoes and two hard-boiled eggs. Woohoo, I'm set for the week!

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Made it to church today, and was rewarded with a bag of cans, which is nice. Showed my Nook off to AI and discussed the merits of Calibre. (I'm for it, and she's going to be looking into it, because apparently Adobe is not getting the job done.)

Cross your fingers, the C's are going away for a weekend soon, which hopefully will get me into a/c for the duration.

On the strength of my expectations, I went by Publix after church and got bread (on BOGO) as well as Pasta Roni White Cheddar and Shells and some Ghirardelli brownie mix (ditto and ditto).

I'm struggling to stay awake, but otherwise, I'm feeling good.

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The house is pungent with the aroma of collards cooking. Until last year, I'd never sampled collard greens, but when I got a bagful at the food bank and Mb cooked them up for us, I discoverred I'm a fan. This is my first attempt at cooking them on my own, so...fingers crossed!

Once they show signs of being done, I'm going on to phase two, which is rustling up some cornbread to go with them. Mmmmm! And since I know I have A Lot of it, I may cook up some rice, too. Starchy, I know, but at least it's real food and I don't make a habit of that often enough, so I'm trying to encourage it.

Or maybe some black-eyed peas, I've got lots of those, too....

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I love Mb, really I do. *And* her glorious a/c. I've even fallen for one of her tiny little adorable kittens, me, the NOT-a-cat-person. However, she has this bizarre notion that LJ made her former computer catch fire, so I am forbidden from accessing it on her current computer. (I'd use mine, but her wireless is fubar and she doesn't care about fixing it.) I've missed youse guys.

Tried Burger King's new bacon sundae, OMG, much nommynomnom! Salty-sweet fans, rejoice! Mb, who turned me on to salted caramel, says it would be better with more caramel and less hot fudge, which I agree would also be good. Either way, much yumminess!

Had canasta night at J's with Mb and J's BFF. Good times! Plus, J has wireless, so I got to catch up with some LJ, update my apps, the usual. OTOH, J has only extreme basic cable, while Mb has the full-on digital package. But they both have AIR.

GK will be here Thursday, woohoo. Friday is the memorial service for Bryan and the reunion. I need to go through my clothes and figure out what I want tailoring help with. Am probably going to drop out of the ovrnight trip to Savannah for money reasons. As much as I'd like to get away with GK, I don't have money for restaurant eating unless it's very fast food.

I discovered to my absolute horror that I inadvertantly paid FPL via a bank account that was closed last year. So while I was off at Mb's, blithely thinking everything was taken care of, it's not, and now they've tacked on yet another fee and I still have to pay it. I am SO fucked. *headdesk*

Time to dust off the resume again. I've got a few leads. Knock wood one of them will have me.

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I've been up at Mb's the last few nights---she picked me up Sunday evening, and I've been basking in her a/c. Downside: Her wireless is OOO and although I could look at my emails, she refuses to let me access LJ on her computer because she's convinced it's the sole cause of some problems she's had. (I don't accept that, but whatever.)

Home for a little while, then out and about with J and back up to Mb's. Between the quiet neighborhood, the a/c and the home cooking, I'm willing to overlook the lack of wireless. (We had collards and chicken last night with buttery Italian bread. It was fabu.)

I'll answer all emails soon---cross my heart!

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If your ears are keen, you may have heard me squeeing. This evening, after Mb and I went out for "coffee", I came home to the new Entertainment Weekly in my mailbox, and thumbing through it, I found out that Alphas will be back on SYFY in a few weeks. Happy, happy! (I'm also looking forward to the "Dallas" reboot as a guilty pleasure.)

Then to really knock it out of the park, I heard from GK, who went to the Comic Expo in Albuquerque today. According to her, "I met Adam Baldwin today! Got about four or five minutes, just him and me (and his aide). I got to shake his hand (twice), he looked me in the eyes and took his time. I was one of the first to see him on the first day of comicon so he was still fresh, i guess. I told him all about you and got him to sign an 8x10 made out to Fluffy! I also told him you liked Clancy Brown and he laughed and said how cool he is, that they know each other. SO! happy early birthday, I have pic in protective rigid 8x10 cover (also wore an "I (heart) Jayne" pin and he said, "I like your pin!". So that's yours too. :-) I'll bring on it June 21st...." Now all I need is a nice frame---and a suitable place to display it! Although..."I told him all about you"?! Oh, to be a fly on the wall for THAT.

Quotes around coffee because I never touch the stuff, and it wasn't all she had, either. Heads up, their new Real Banana milkshakes? Really have chunks of banana in them. It was divine, although butter pecan is still my favorite. Had that with bacon-chili-cheese fries and was blissed. Enjoyed the time with Mb---lately she's had stuff going on, so we haven't seen much of each other. It was nice to just sit and schmooze---and get out of the house for a couple hours---I haven't been anywhere since Monday. Sometimes I feel like I'm stuck in flypaper....

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If you ate school lunches as a kid, what menu item did you most dread seeing on the week's menu list? Or, if you more often brought a lunch from home, what did you hope wasn't inside your lunchbox or bag when you opened it up? What made this item so revolting for you?

Mostly, I brown-bagged it. Sometimes I'd have school lunch (You could sign up ahead of time, and I'd nag my mom if there was something "good" on the calendar). I avoided the Salisbury stead, but I adored fish sticks. And it seems to me that the chicken was pretty good. Alas, somewhere around seventh grade, they stopped cooking in the cafeteria and brought in pre-made meals ala TV dinners.

Unfortunately, my mom wasn't terribly inventive when it came to lunch. Peanut butter, peanut butter, peanut butter! (and jelly). Not every day, but an awful lot. It was years before I could eat peanut butter after grade school! Or, worse, a slice of American cheese between two slices of white bread. Ugh! Nasty yellow wax! Sometimes there'd be leftovers, like a roast beef sandwich, or meatloaf. Those were the good days!

I liked tuna, but she was always worried that it would spoil if the weather was warm. This was long before the days of insulated coller bags and those plastic freezer cubes. I did have a wide-mouth thermos, but it tended to leak, so that didn't get used much.

And now I'm craving fish sticks, which I don't have on hand....

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Mb agrees with me that the haircut is BAD. I was at her place last night---A/C, fabu! and we took advantage of her local pizzaria's two-fer Tuesday deal. (I've been craving pizza for weeks; I earned it.) It was a good night for to stay in and schmooze---it started raining fish just after we got in with the 'za.

I commandeered the remote for "Secrets of the Museum", which I really like. Asked Mb if it was geeking her out too much, she said no, it was kind of interesting to listen to while she was gaming on her computer. I told her watching this kind of thing is why I have such an array of trivia accumulated in my brain.

Had a dream, something about my dad being a junkman and bringing in a bunch of stuff. I was trying to find a big metal frame that I'd seen, to turn it into a room divider. Couldn't find it. There were several very old wheelchairs, and then I saw a really cool ironing board. I'm not sure how the mechanism worked, but when it was set up, it had a vertical pole beside it with horizontal bars so you could put hangers with freshly ironed garments on them. It was chrome-plated and really shiny and I'm lusting after it even now. I should invent it, if it hasn't been already.

*yawn*

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You're having guests for the weekend -- what one local restaurant is at the top of the list for your visitors, and what dishes will you be recommending? (Links to the restaurant's website always welcome, in case readers are ever in your area!)

I had to stop and think about this one for a little while. Because the honest truth is, I tend to go to chain places, and while there are a few non-franchise restaurants in my repertoire, I'm not sure I'd claim any of them as exceptional dining experiences. Furthermore, I tend to stay within my comfort zone---driving 20 minutes or more for food doesn't entice me, either.

Since the demise of Fat Boy's BBQ---and I really miss them, they were GOOD---there's Kay's Place, which is okay, but not spectacular. My fav is the Monday lunch special of beef-tips and gravy over noodles. That's sentimental, I confess; I used to meet Kat there for lunch on my days off and have the beef-tips. Other BBW joints are Woody's and Sonny's---I prefer Sonny's for brisket, cornbread and OMG-corn-fritters!!!---which I was chagrinned to find are both franchises.

That doesn't leave a lot. There's a Chinese buffet called New Century on Merritt Island (no website, sorry) that's not bad for economical face-stuffing. I'm partial to their peanut chicken or the duck, when they have it. They do a bacon-wrapped chicken that I'm always up for. And, when the machine is working, there's soft-serve ice cream for dessert!

I can think of a few Mexican places: Chaparral, La Bamba and El Charro. El Charro has been around the longest---at least 20 years in the same location, and they're pretty good. (They're also the priciest.) La Bamba's been around for a few years; I've been there a couple times and always left happy. Chaparral is fairly new, about a year, and I'm not overwhelmed. I'd recommend La Bamba as tasty, clean and affordable.

If you want something with a little atmosphere, you might enjoy Ashley's, which has been a restaurant for as long as I can remember. The building is formerly a train depot---and downstairs tends to be crowded. Sit upstairs, though, and enjoy its funky charm. They have a bare-bones website: http://www.ashleysofrockledge.com/ They're a little on the pricey side, but the appetizers will make a meal if you're on a budget. I'm fond of the Irish nachos (made with thin-sliced potatoes instead of tortillas), the southwestern eggrolls, the teriyaki wings or if I'm feeling particularly affluent, the smothered steak.

What can I say? I don't get out much, and when I do, I tend to stick to known qualities so I feel sure I'll get my money's worth. It doesn't help that a number of places that were good have closed due to the economy. Theoretically, the ones that are left ought to be the best, but they tend to price accordingly.

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I just got in from running around. I went out this morning, and by 9 AM, had my battery charged and was at the library with my woefully* overdue books shortly thereafter. Snagged Elmore Leonard's Raylan, which should be fun.

After the library, I went by Publix and did some knee-jerk shopping, the kind where we've been running out of things and craving other things and making the occasional impulse buy.

I'm going to do laundry later, honestly I am. Meanwhile, I still feel a certain sense of accomplishment for today.

The toe hasn't grumbled at all, despite shoes and no bandage.

And tomorrow, Jason the Lawn Guy is coming out to mow.

o=o=o==o=o=o=o=o

* "Woefully", in this case, being $8.40. I got a discount for my tale of toe, er, woe, and because they know me there.

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What food traditionally considered to be a delicacy are you quite sure you can live without ever trying? Similarly, what food or drink have you always wanted to try but haven't had the chance to yet?

Spare me anything on the half-shell, and you can throw in escargot for good measure. Also, I'm underwhelmed by the idea of eating anything's liver. Yuck.

I'd like to try more kinds of fish. I've heard of tilapia, orange roughy and mahi-mahi, but I couldn't pick them out of a lineup. The only fish I'm really familiar with are tuna (canned), salmon, and cod ala fish sticks. Nothing exotic, like swordfish (although I hear mercury can be a problem with that one, so moderate moderation) or shark. Heck, I've barely even tried common catfish!

I'm self-taught when it comes to the consumption of mushrooms. Growing up, my mother was highly suspicious of any such fungi, and they did not appear on our table in any form, not even white buttons. Finally, during my twenties, I realized that I'd never heard of anyone croaking from eating cultivated 'shrooms, and I got tired of picking them off my pizza. I even progressed to the point of liking grilled 'shrooms with a burger, or stuffed at a buffet and occasionally sampling a grilled portobello. There are others out there, I know, what I'd love to try some day: shitakes and criminis and chanterelles. (Now I'm thinking about that organic mushroom risotto again....)

I'd also like to sample interesting veggies prepared by someone who knows what they're doing. Things like jicama, which is fun to say---is it as much fun to eat? Or fennel, which I hear has a mildly licorice flavor, which predisposes me to like it anyway. I've never had eggplant, but with a layer of parmesan, sure, bring it on. I wouldn't mind investigating various kinds of squash, or root vegetables. Maybe I'd even like sweet potatoes if they were prepared and presented in an appetizing way.

That's kind of the point: I'm clueless when it comes to cooking fresh veg, and I watch all these cooking shows wistfully thinking that they make it look so easy. They make all these "Mmm nommy!" noises as they taste their creations, and I feel like I'm missing out. My attempts are clumsy and disappointing; in the immortal words of George Carlin, "Is there a picture of it in the cookbook? I bet it doesn't look like that!"

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The more I see this commercial,



the more I want to try his gauchpazo and that organic mushroom risotto. He's a badass AND he cooks? Be still, my heart!

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Restaurants have a way of removing your favorite items from their menu just after you've discovered how much you love them (such as seasonal or 'limited time only' items). What beloved dish, drink, or dessert do you wish was available all the time? If you could get it anytime, how often would you do so?

A few years ago, Cracker Barrel briefly had the most divine spinach salad. While as previously mentioned, I'm not a fan of lettuce, I love spinach. And I especially like it when it's married with a warm, tart dressing and features chunks of bacon and hard-boiled eggs. Scrummyumptious!

Last year, IHOP had a gingerbread-hot chocolate that was really good. Although considering how rarely I get to IHOP, it probably doesn't matter much if it's a seasonal item...on the other hand, if Olive Garden had their never-ending pasta bowl as a regular item, like soup, salad and breadsticks is, I'd be in there all the time.

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Have I mentioned that I detest lettuce? And yet, in the last eight days, I've probably consumed more of the stuff than in the last year or so.

What's next, exercise?

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