Thanks for the idea-- My son actually just did a research paper and presentation (in Spanish, not in English!) on the Murcia region in Spain. “His” (yeah right) dish is supposed to come from that region, so I think that’s how paella came to be chosen!
Sounds like some company finally realized that “Customer Service” is actually something they have to do for the customers, not something the customers have to do for them.
Belatedly, of course, but hey… :rolleyes:
You couldn’t get it with XP? I thought almost all the major retailers were back to offering it as an option…?
OK, I’ll bite… why does a rubber ducky need 7 violins as backup…?
Maybe it’s time to teach the young 'un all about the Joys of Cooking… (yes, I do have a mean streak, why do you ask? :D)
snowbunny, your kitteh is teh kee-ute!
Hi ya, mamatigs!
soulbro, that stuff looks nummy…where’s the toast points???
Way to go pie. I’ve got to replace my Model T computer at home after the first of the year and am trying to decide what to get.
Still cold this morning. :mad:
Tupug
Morning. We went to the orchestra last night for the first in an educational series. They spend half of the show talking about the composer, the music, the time period in which it was written, etc. and then the second half is the performance of the piece. Last night was Mozart’s Symphony 41 Jupiter. It was really enjoyable. We went to one of these educational shows last year and enjoyed it enough to buy tickets for the whole series (3 midweek shows) this year. I’m really looking forward to the rest of it.
I have a voucher on Northwest from a flight I had to cancel last Feb and it has to be used up by the end of Jan this year. Given the current economic situation and some sudden precariousness in my husband’s job (not awful… he’s not worried yet, but there are starting to be layoff rumors. But his department has open rec’s so… it doesn’t seem like they’d lay people off when they have fewer people than they need… but… it seems smart to be a bit cautious.), we don’t want to spend much $$.
So I’m looking for someplace to go for a long weekend where I can find cheap flights ('cause we still have to pay for KT’s flight; the voucher’s only for me), cheap rooms, and preferably someplace we won’t need to rent a car. At the moment Vegas is at the top of the list because it meets all of these criteria. Seattle’s on the list, but it’s the rainy season there. DC was on the list, but flights are kind of expensive, even if I look at flying to DC on the weekend after the inauguration. (I was thinking that might be cheap because they’re going to have more people flying out of DC on that weekend so they’d have empty seats going to DC. But it appears not to be the case.) Any other thoughts on places that are generally cheap to fly to and cheap to stay in? The flights have to be on NW/Delta due to the voucher. (On a related note, this is hopefully one the the last flights we’ll have to take on NW/Delta. Southwest is coming to town in March! YAY!!!)
KT’s headed to the dentist in the next hour to get his remaining two wisdom teeth extracted. Shouldn’t be a bad procedure, but still not a lot of fun.
Mornin’…
Cool on the new laptop, Pie
Soapy, I always had to make my own food to take to Spanish class. It sounds like that boy needs to learn how to do it himself! (Then he’ll appreciate you more.)
Taxi, I give up on understanding how big companies handle layoffs. Right now, we have more work than the amount of people can manage, and last week we laid off Traders. This week, had new hires start. Traders. I guess they just like paying people not to work or something. Our laid off people get paid until the end of the year, then get 2 weeks pay for every year they worked here, then they’re eligible for unemployment. Most of those guys are getting severance until this time next year.
Paella isn’t from Murcia, though, and murcianos would yell high murder if someone packaged them into their northern neighbors…
A search for “plato típico murcia” yielded this recipe, from someone who actually lives in Murcia so I hope she knows what she’s talking about 
translation mine and also mine. I’ve modified it slightly from the original version as there’s things she’s just taking for granted.
ZARANGOLLO (PLATO TIPICO DE MURCIA, ESPAñA)
Ingredients:
3 medium-sized potatoes [don’t cha love how exact we are even when we’re giving “exact” measurements? what is medium-sized, eh?]
3 medium-sized calabacines [they’re a cousin of pumpkins and cucumbers, sort of like big okras? try a google image on “calabacín” or calabacin]
2 medium-sized onions
3 eggs [I assume medium-sized 
]
100cc olive oil (other oils can be used if you don’t have olive available)
Preparation:
Slice the peeled potatoes and calabacín in thin slices. Chop up the onions. Heat up the oil and fry the veggies on a low flame: add the potatoes first, then the calabacín and when the whole thing is almost done the onion. Once it’s fried, add the eggs one by one: break the egg, toss it in with the fry-up without battering it previously, mix it well. It’s served hot.
So it’s something halfway between a potato omelette with calabacín and a “potato and calabacín scramble,” and easy enough to introduce His Soapyness into the joys of cooking.
For those who want to have a fun time with their dictionary and google translations, this page has a lot of info on Murcia recipes.
Because a composition with only the ducky would be very easy, I need something deep when I go into “thoughtful, attentive meditation mode”!
Morning, all. Barely. I’ve been up for a long time, but you wouldn’t know it by how awake I am (not). And I’m well caffeinated and everything. I blame my late night second wind; I finally got going on the next Great Big Huge Job, which is an easy one and one I enjoy doing, and was cooking along so well that I stayed up an extra hour. Which is already about three hours too late. And then the Idiots (our dogs, for the folks who started hanging out here in my absence) need to go out first thing no matter whether I’m short on sleep or not. Oh well, it’s all my own stupid fault. As usual. :rolleyes:
I had a college acquaintance who composed a musical work for car horns. He’d never actually heard it performed because he didn’t physically possess all the necessary horns, but he had each horn specified by car make, model, and year. I had many strange friends in college. 
Not much else is going on here today. Except work, and lots of it. Money is good, right? I’ll keep telling myself that. Maybe I’ll even believe it before the day is over.
Taxi, I suppose Hawaii’s out of the question? 
Soulbro, I thought we went over this–if you tell us about some yummy thing you made, a recipe is required! Or at least a link to the recipe you used if it’s not an original to you–have you not yet figured out that we are FOOD FREAKS?!
Congrats on the new lappie, Pie! Vista isn’t so bad once you turn off the nagware (UAC) and get used to the differences–it’s extremely stable, especially the 64 bit versions. I’m running Ultimate 64 and I’ve had zero meltdowns and BSOD’s. The bells and whistles are pretty cool, although the Dreamscenes (animated desktops) are kinda disorienting for me but they’re very neat, and the sidebar is the poo. Disable UAC (Google search will give you exact instructions,) uninstall all the stupid crapware the thing shipped with, make sure your display properties are set correctly for the widescreen res your lappie is capable of and maybe hunt around for better video drivers and you’ll be very happy with the results–especially the display properties. For some stupid reason most laptops come configured to square monitor resolutions (1024 x 768) but yours will probably look better at 1440 x 1024 for a 17" or 1280 x 720 for a 15"–play around until it looks good. I don’t know why in the world they do that but most laptops come configured with the wrong resolution. Also, go hit the Sony site to check for updates to your system software–unless that thing came straight to you from the factory there are probably some applicable updates that can improve performance.
Himself has a phone interview for a telecommute tech support job–he’s already been through two tests and a preliminary interview so today he’s talking to the big IT bossman so keep all applicable appendages crossed, 'kay? It’s good money and bennies and he’d still be able to keep his other consulting gigs which would be perfect. Hope, hope, hope!
The dogs are stealing a Kong toy back and forth from each other–Bear is a morning person, leaps up as soon as I show signs of life, wiggling his butt and all ready to go out and play. Widget drags out of bed, then staggers out with his eyes closed to take a nap in the living room before he finally wakes up enough to go out for a pee and have breakfast. Funny that Bear is Himself’s dog and Widget’s mine, because their sleep habits are exactly opposite ours!
Hee! Wouldn’t that be nice??
New Orleans is tentatively back on the list because the flight is <$400 right now, but with both Seattle and Vegas coming in at <$300, I don’t think it’s going to make the cut. Denver’s cheap, but I don’t know what there is to do there, and I think we’d have to rent a car 'cause it doesn’t look like there’s all that much within walking distance of the downtown. At least it’s kind of fun to consider the alternatives, but it’s getting discouraging when so few places are coming in <$400 for the flight.
I am kinda liking this ‘not having to go to work but can stay at home and work’ thing…I was up at 5AM this morning as I just couldn’t sleep. I did a bunch of work, then dropped my car off to get the windshield replaced (stoopid rock), came back had breakfast, did more work etc
Now I am off to marinate some flank steak for supper - and sort out the hallway closet and sort out the paperwork/filing stuff then I have lunch plans.
Productive day so far…
I no longer own my bed. It has been claimed by my kitty. I knew it would happen, but I didn’t realize it’d happen by the second night she was with me! She did spend the entire night snuggled up with me so I must forgive her since she’s such a sweet kitty. She’s goooooood. And I think I might call her Sapphire, but that’s not definite yet. She seemed to like it, though.
Well… maybe that wasn’t the region he did. What? I’m supposed to pay attention to my kids’ homework???
Good sounding recipe!
One of my mom’s neighbors sends her quotes from their local obits when they have amusing or odd euphemisms for death in them. Today’s obits: one person transitioned; one went to her heavenly reward; and one is plowing his heavenly field.
If I laugh at all that, is that an automatic one-way ticket for that bus that occasionally gets mentioned around here? Or is it a handbasket? Whichever, I think I may be on it. What’s that? Why, yes, the way in front of me does appear to be paved with good intentions.
If I heard somebody transitioned I’d think they were transgendered, not that they’d died!
ok - I lied about the lack of coffee - I forgot there was a Dunkin on the way to the mechanic’s.
I also managed to squeeze in a few more errands than I’d hoped and still get home in time to do make up and put on the costume.
laterz
If I heard somebody transitioned I’d think AT&T’s done bought out another cell phone company. 
Howdy Y’all! Home from anudder excitatin’ day of mobile phones. I got out a little early even cause we had a super high intensity training session that started at 2:30 and got done fifteen minutes early so they said go home. They didn’t have to tell me twice!
Dindin tonight shall be Papa John’s. Ol’ y’all know who is bringin’ it. I supplied the coupon. I like to do my part.
I wait in anticipation for the completion of this musical composition.
I need an adult beverage.
Best.
Euphemism.
Ever.
Thanks for the tips, Smarty!
I’m just sitting here working on my computer now. Not much else to report.
Almost supper time - waiting for SIL to get here.
We’re having chickie and dumplins. I don’t know what I did last time to screw up the dumplins, but these are BEEEYUUUUTEEEEEFULL!!! And it smells good in here. Plus I picked up some cinnamon pull-apart bread for dessert.
Back after supper. MWAH!
Meatloaf and oven roasted NOT for dinner. House smells good!