It’s morning! And I have to go to work! Blurf.
Hugs.
GT
I am at irk.
Huzzah.
Moommm - there is no such thing as autumn in my neck of the woods. Hell, the woods are on fire! No rain in the forecast until Monday! 103 frickin’ degrees today! We’re breaking 100-yr-old records.
Sigh.
**Rebo **- there’s an easy solution - move! 
I did see something on the weather channel last night about the 100+ degree record being shattered today. ugh.
Jeans are on the line, and in half an hour or so, I’m heading to class. Wish it wasn’t so far away…
Rebo, did you catch Billingsley last night? They used dendrochronology to assess the historical extremity of the Texas drought, going back to the year 1550 looking for a parallel. So in the last 460 or so years, only one time, in 1789, was there as little ring growth (read lack or rain) for the region. Bad news, but in a really cool way.
I found a really good salsa that uses them and bought 4 jars, just in case. Well, as Rue would say "Not a whole case, but at least a third of one. Now my breakfast huevos can’t get lonely.
Irk is very irksome today. I can’t get our IT department to understand the concept of IP recognization for database access.
Lunch is chicken fried steak and mashed** N.O.T**. courtesy of the cafeteria. Don’t know about din-din though. Maybe popcorn and a candy bar. The ultimate comfort meal.
I had a very nice ride on my horsie last night. He is 26 so has aches and pains cuz he’s 26. But he felt good enough to fight with me last night about going out on trail. I won though. And he got 8 sugar cubes throughout our ride, plus an apple and a pound of carrots when we were done. My mother (R.I.P. Naomi) used to say “a whole pound of carrots???” Well, he weighs 1,000 pounds–I think he can handle it!
Sorry about Charles, swampy.
Of course I remember you soapy! Sorry there were some stressful times there. I’m coming off months of covering two jobs until two backfills were hired so I hear that! It’s good to be doing just one job!
Glad you found the recipe, herbs. I don’t have access to upload things to the blog and don’t feel comfortable reposting recipes that were published on Food Network or other such sites. I know they can’t trademark/copyright a recipe, but… I don’t want to piss off the Food Network folks because I like them a lot.
I didn’t look at my google calendar before scheduling my parents’ visit. So now I have opera tickets for the Saturday night that they’re here. 
It’s Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, and I really want to go. I’m trying to figure out what to do. I don’t really want to abandon poor Keith with my parents!
MOOOOOM yep. I’m far more likely to be goin’ to funerals of people I know/grew up with than any other occasion now. 
I first read this as “Jesus is on the line.” I thought, hmmm… now that’s a long distance service provider! 
Oh and everybody sing!
Awwww… no job in ChocolateLand.
Oh well. Gots chocolate, will consume
I’ll also call the renters for the apartments I’d liked and which still seem to be available, rent one. I’d been thinking of renting a small one in Madrid for a long time, as it would make travel a lot easier even from one corner of Spain to the other: here’s my chance.
Back from class. After 2 spectacular failures, I halved the amount of clay I was trying to throw and made a really nice bowl and a pot that will become a yarn bowl. I made one once, but the thickness wasn’t very good and it cracked. This one is more even, I think. We shall see.
Lunch was leftover BBQ poke from last night - made with Sonny’s BBQ sauce - our last bottle. No idea what tonight’s supper will be - I’ll forage in the fridge and figure something out.
Well, that was fun. I just tore out my 'mater plants and all the paulownias from hell that are growing out of the old roots. I’m going to rake that bed bare, cover it with a thick layer of mulch, add lime, and cover it all with black plastic. With luck, the heat will kill the roots and help decompose the mulch. Then come spring, I can plant without worrying about the damned paulownias. Evil evil tree…
I also changed out about 10 gallons of aquarium water. Our salinity was a bit low, so I mixed up a slightly salty batch of water this morning.
And supper decision has been made: ham steak, pineapple, sugar snap peas, steak fries. So I guess I can veg till it’s time to cook. I think I may assume the knit position.
OK, who kidnapped all the Mumpers? I don’t see any ransom notes. This is suspicious… :dubious:
Supper was yum.
That’s all I’ve got now.
I’m here. Home from work. It seems like something just started to bloom in the last day or so because I woke up with all kinds of allergy symptoms as did several of my work friends.
Am still considering the wisdom of going to book group as I’m pretty spacey.
Hugs.
GT
I’m here! Dindin was teh nummy, as usual. 
That is seriously one of my favorite combos for a meal.
Irk was, well, irk. Some trainin’ on the big upcomin’ open enrollment. Some paper irk. Phone calls. Settin’ up home visits. Fun times.
Now 'tis veg and chill time.
OMG! The park is on fire not a mile from my house. Thankfully it’s moving north away from me. There is a premade firebreak because this is a reservoir, and has levees surrounding it. They say it’s a mile across! I’ll keep you posted.
(That’s where my dog park is! )
Yikes Rebo! That sounds awful.
Had dinner. Flank steak and fried rice. Kids’ request and it was yummy.
Went to the Rescue Squad meeting tonight. I should be finishing my orientation stuff this weekend, and then I will be a probie once more.
Then I have to figure out the byzantine process of transferring my NC certification to MD. That might eat up all of my 6 month probation period…
OK, so today:
Roomie, Teddie the uberSheppard, and other “sister from another mother” were in a car wreck(just bumps and bruises, and a small dent in Hippi(the Jeep)'s bumper. Hitter car is totaled).
“Just friend” wrecked her car
Assistant manager’s mom passed away.
By the time i was finished ministering to the wounded, they were poring me the shot of Patron.
{{{{{swampy}}}}}
I may have to hire BBBobbio as my personal EMT if this keeps up
Per my prayer on Facebook last week:
“Dear God,
No more pets, peeps, or players.”
Home from Spanish class. I very much like my professor (born in Spain, raised in Germany - teaches both languages in MA). He’s funny and nice and his method of teaching is much harder than what I’m used to. Instead of showing us pictures and words and asking for a response, he TALKS to us. Ugh. We’re actually expected to be able to comprehend what he’s saying enough to answer. It’s much harder than reading, especially since he has a mix of Spanish and German accents. But, even after only 2 classes I feel like I’m learning faster than I did in my last Spanish class.
Din din was meatball sandwiches again. I just didn’t have it in me to boil pasta at 10 pm. We usually eat late anyway but I’m usually home and cooking earlier. Class doesn’t get out until 9:30 so no heavy cooking for me. We still have enough left for pasta tomorrow but I already thawed a pork loin for tomorrow. Hmm. Decisions.
My mom and step dad came to visit today (they’re my ride to school). She gave me a new supply of thrift store jewelry so I dismantled it all and made her a bracelet and 4 charms. I also made a clay Santa ornament but I have to cook it. Why is it that the only times I’m motivated to make jewelry or clay stuff is when I’m also taking 5 or more classes at the same time? I had 3 weeks of summer vacation between school sessions and I didn’t make a single thing.
I have survived the neck skewering with the foot-long needle.
Actually, the doc who did it has obviously done a few trillion of these. On Tuesday mornings, they set up a treatment room and run people through almost assembly-line style. I laid down on the table, they scrubbed my neck, then he said there’d be a big sting for the anaesthetic. A big wha…yow! Yes, it was a substantial sting. Then, I felt tapping on my neck. Thought he was gauging if the anaesthetic had taken hold. Turns out he was tapping in the big long needle. The contrast stuff went in, then with a wild crackling and gurgling, the actual medication was in and I was done.
All in all, a FAR better experience than when I had a similar injection done in a hospital. At the hospital, it took them longer to wheel me in a gurney from a holding room to the treatment room than it did for the whole procedure today. Better music too. I told the nurse something like “My compliments to whoever chose the music today.” Playing on the PA from one end of the imaging department was 80’s music. When I first walked in, I was surprised to hear The Cure, then afterward, Heaven 17 was on. Penthouse and Pavement? No way! Yes, way!
Now, I just have the expected residual headache. Fingers are crossed that this will actually have beneficial short- and long-term effects.
Wow, that’s awful, doggio. I think that someone needs to declare a general moratorium on bad things happening to Mumpers’ friends and families.
Went to book group after all; I missed our last meeting, so I hadn’t seen anyone in months.
Have to say that As Always, Julia is one of the most interesting books I’ve read in AGES. It’s an exchange of letters between Julia Child and one of her friends (who became her friend by accident; she responded on her husband’s behalf to what amounted to a fan letter from Julia). They were imaginary friends for two years before they ever actually met. There’s a really impressive combination of food information, political history, and general wit. It really gives you an idea of how everyday life and politics have both changed and stayed the same. I’ve only read half of it, but I think it’s amazing. The editor did a marvelous job of selecting letters and annotating references so that you’re not left wondering who they’re talking about in references to well-known people and places. It’s a nice, unforced way to learn history.
I should be asleep by now, but…still really awake. Attempting to persuade my brain to calm down; lots to do at work tomorrow.
Hugs all.
GT