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 |  I've maxed out. Closed this blog. |
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This is a way of making myself write something coherent and grammatically correct almost every day. I'm opinionated and need an outlet. I'm also prone to flights of fancy. Thanks for stopping by. |
| I'll pass a tip I just learned from Julia Childs. If you love mushrooms the way I and my relatives do, lay them flat in the pan to saute. It's the only way to brown them. I tend to pile them up; the liquid seeps out with heat, and the olive oil coats them as they shrink, but they don't all brown. So I've tried laying them all flat, and cooking only half at a time, or whatever the pan holds, and they really do look nicer. They also end up with that nice carmelized outside with tender insides, instead of mushiness. As I approach another milestone birthday, I really am beginning to see my life as mostly over. I should pass on a little good advice that might help someone else. If only a cooking tip, then why not? Bon appetit!! |
| We just can't pass a sensational story. The name of the "other woman" and her teenage son have been released by shock-driven press with no regard for the boy or what this will do to his life. Other kids will tease him, he'll be ashamed to go out, not because of his parents' immoral behavior, but for the verbal abuse and the picture takers. The press overstepped. Too much publicity has been given to this. Although Maria has acted with grace, she, too, has not been allowed her privacy. I actually gave Arnold a lot of credit because of her. Now that I know he betrayed her loyalty and trust, he has no respect from me. The best thing about him just walked out on him. The press needs to back off the boy, the servant-mistress, and Maria. Go after Arnold. He deserves it, or better yet, let him fade away in anonymity. The lack of fame and attention probably would hurt the most. |
| Like most people I struggle to make a living. After a long period of unemployment, then half a year of underemployment part-time, I now go to two part-time jobs. One of them has parking problems, so I commute a combination of car, bus, trolley, and walking. The half hour of walking is a much needed exercise, so I don't regret that part. But the time spent waiting for buses, and the layover to get that last bus back to my car really ties up my day. I'm grateful to be working. I appreciate even a low level, minimal pay job. But it leaves so little time for anything after working, commuting, doing laundry, paying bills, running errands, etc. By the time I start to write, I feel wiped out. I guess most intelligent, hobby enthusiasts have the same problem, whether it's music, crafts, writing, gardening, painting, or whatever. We spend our time doing what we have to do and have little left for what we'd like to do. Or do jobs and chores and duties provide us with the excuses we need for failing at what we think we love? I don't have an answer. I spend my idle time thinking up stories, questioning the ending, changing the direction, looking at characters, point of view. But when I finally get to paper and pen or keyboard, I'm ready to sleep. There's at least 4 long envolved stories going on in my head right now: one is a time travel story, one is futuristic and war-torn told in a Flannery O'Connor perspective, one is a series of connected stories, one a tale of divorce and betrayal. I couldn't give anyone enough to "read" and follow the story. But I could take an hour and tell a well-rehearsed story. Sorry, I have to go. Time to leave for work. |
| My father is in his 80's and has been sick lately. He's still going pretty strong, still works at least 30 hours a week, drives where he wants, gardens, shops, does his own laundry, etc. But he's been under the weather, and won't eat, and sleeps a lot when he's not working. He even left work a few minutes early a few days. I've thought about how important food has been in his life. When he was 12, his mother lied about his age and put him to work in a grocery store. He carried the boxes of food for blocks to the patrons' autos, maybe for a small tip. It set his career. He's always worked in grocery, wholesale or retail, and specifically in meat. The last 15 years in organic, or since his first attempt at retirement. Although he was raised in the city, every summer of his childhood he spent with relatives in the country. He learned to hunt, fish, separate cream from the milk, operate a team of mules and a cart, and make apple butter. He ate only what was homegrown or homemade. His aunts and his mother were all great cooks. My mom was even better, but she didn't have to use a wood stove. While weekdays, cottage cheese and fruit make a good lunch, or soup, or a salad, and Sunday leftovers for night, those Sunday and holiday meals had to be a feast. And it got bigger for guests. It still does, even though Mom isn't here to do the cooking. His ideal feast would start with cantaloupe slices and chunks of sweet watermelon, locally grown when possible. Cucumbers and tomatoes are a must. A salad must include greens, radishes, raw cauliflower, carrots and a choice of dressings. And cottage cheese. He really likes cottage cheese. Vegetables include what's readily available and easily grown. Summer squash and zucchini are staples at our house. I mix them with onion and a little tarragon to keep from adding cheese which we don't need. He would eat corn on the cob 52 weeks a year, I think. Whenever I say I'm sick of corn on the cob, people tell me I'm crazy, but they don't have to cook it every week. Cabbage and turnips are frequently on our table. I have one brother who hates turnips and gets upset when the potatoes are mixed in, so I always cook the potatoes separately for him. When not doing cabbage and potatoes he likes potato salad, the kind with a lot of vegetables and mustard. You mix it while the potatoes are still hot, so they get a little mushy. My mom made good potato salad and got lots of compliments on it. I always thought it was a little heavy on pickles and onions, but otherwise good. Dad's version is very heavy on pickles, onions, and celery. He will doctor up store bought potato salad this way, and no one eats it but him. He just can't get enough vegetables! For holiday feasts, he likes seafood salad. I know the menu is full already, but he adds this. White fish, real crab meat, mayo, and --you guessed it-- celery and onions. And sometimes green pepper! Of course, seafood seasoning. He makes it himself. Mine is too bland for him. When it comes to green beans, he doesn't like my leaner version. "I like my beans greasy." So I'm resigned to some fat meat, more lean than fat, in the beans. (I've given up baking fish because he prefers it fried.) He prefers his greens heavily seasoned, country style. Sometimes, we have beets, any style. And he has to have bread. Biscuits, rolls, corn bread, it doesn't matter. Loaf bread if all else fails. I like to make spoon bread, which passes. No one can measure up to my mom's rolls, so I don't try, except the frozen variety. He can live without gravies or mashed potatoes or baked potatoes. Sometimes he settles for beans and cornbread. But soup days, he throws every thing in but the kitchen sink. It never turns out the same way twice. I can't follow a recipe if he's at home. But these aren't feast days. Dessert really doesn't matter, as long as there's something, a cookie, Jello, whatever. He does like banana pudding. Speaking of which, he has half a banana every morning with his oatmeal. Meat was just something you tacked on. It really wasn't needed. The bottom line is he's always had simple tastes, nothing fancy or exotic. He grew up lower working class, but there was always plenty to eat, the chickens in the backyard, the vegetables in the garden, or the apples from the orchard at his mother's homeplace. His table was always open to strangers and friends alike. He's always been generous. He's had variety, and wanted everyone to have their fill. If you ate too much, it was your own fault. If you made wrong choices, that's your fault, too. He offered healthy, wholesome natural foods. He has worked hard to provide and enjoy good things. |
| It's still early, but here's a heads up. Herman Cain is a name we will here more often in the next year or so. He's a black Republican, a mathematician and businessman with great leadership experience. He has clear-headed ideas and is worth a good listen. Keep your ears open and see where he goes. |
| Please, please, please, put away the cell phone when you are dealing with someone else face to face. Don't be rude. When you can't get off the phone long enough to order at McDonald's, pay at the butcher shop, or pick up your dry cleaning, you are basically saying to that clerk, butcher, or dry cleaner, "You are beneath me. I don't have time for a mere servant like you. My other business is more important, even if you can tell it really isn't 'business'." Don't go through the grocery line, the drive through or any place of business while you are on the phone. And don't leave it on while you're in a restaraunt. If you must take a call while eating, put it on vibrate instead of that annoying ring tone you have, then excuse yourself from the table to take the call. It's annoying to the people around you and the people who are trying to serve you. Face to face transactions need your attention. And don't be yelling or swearing at someone on the phone while you are in public. Go to your car or a private place for your theatrics. Multi-tasking doesn't have to invade every waking moment. Be polite! |
| An assortment of thoughts: Just what is "reverse racism" supposed to be? Does that imply that only a certain race or ethnic group can be racist? Wouldn't "reverse racism" be a preference for or deference to the other race? Racism is just racism, no matter who practices it. If a Muslim is prejudiced against Jews, he is a racist. If a black woman hates all Mexicans, she is a racist. Racism is not limited to white skinned people. Unfortunately, all skin types and people groups are subject to the trap of racism. As for blaming politicians or public figures for terrorism or acts of violence, whatever happened to personal responsibility for one's own actions? If I hear a speaker of any bent, misinterpret and act violently, no one is responsible for my decision but me. It is not society's fault, or any public group if I fail to abide by the law or normal code of ethics. Even if I am mentally disturbed or under the evil influence of a particular person (friend, teacher, spouse, etc.), the blame can't be passed to any other figure or group. Let's stop making excuses for criminals, and teach people to live responsibly in peaceful society. When did having babies become such a desirable thing for teenagers? I spend my time, probably to no avail, telling 17 year old girls that they still want to have fun, that they aren't ready for the burden of a child. They tell me they can go to class in college and take the baby with them. I tell them the professor will kick her and the baby out when the crying starts or too many students are distracted. I tell them about the lack of sleep, the hard work, the coping with baby sitters, and not being able to leave home without a ton of stuff, and not hanging out with your friends. They think I'm crazy. But I haven't lived this long without knowing lots of young mothers, married and not, trying to have a life, balance a job or school, and doing a miserable job as a parent, and being miserable themselves. A baby requires stability, and too many are not getting that these days. Everywhere you go, you see very young girls with a baby and a dog, and you just pray they're from rich families and have what they need to get by. |
| The presents have been opened. The meal was served, and it was delicious. Pictures were taken, the little one entertained the adults, phone calls were exchanged, and short naps were taken. The dishwasher has finished running, and the first two rounds of guests have departed. I've cleaned up and walked around the outside in the snow which is still falling. I've even transferred the pictures from the camera to the computer. The house is quiet except for the evening news. A month of preparation and anticipation. It's over now. We can take a big, deep breath and relax. . . at least until the next big project begins. I hope that everyone who reads this will find true peace and happiness. Merry Christmas to us all, and a good night. |
| Working for a living is a fact of life. Not many Christmas movies or TV shows show this, but have their characters on vacation before the holidays. Working when I'd rather be decorating, baking, or housecleaning, or wrapping or shopping, isn't so bad. However, covering for employees who call in sick or don't show up is a real pain, especially in retail and service jobs. Shopping, traveling, dining out is heavier during the holidays. You need all scheduled employees to show up at the appointed times. During these lean times, with scheduled manpower cut so close, appearing at work on time is crucial. People who choose to stay out are being cruel to their fellow employees and hurting their employers. Those of us who are faithful, even when we have colds or problems of our own, end up working harder, longer, and getting more stressed out. Customers, whether shoppers, travelers, or diners wait longer and get short-tempered. Since I'm griping: the average consumer has no idea how to make their own experience quicker and smoother. When buying clothes, whether it's a nice boutique, department store, or WalMart type store, remove the hangers before you get to the counter. Leave them in the dressing room or on the rack. You will save time for yourself and the ones behind you, if the clerk doesn't have to remove all the hangers while you wait. Be sure everything has a price tag. When you try things on, tags frequently fall off. "Price checks" are a painful waste of time, when you can avoid it by thinking ahead. And, no, the clerk cannot take your word for it; were you born yesterday? First rule is: Don't believe a price from someone who is going to be parting from his or her money. And with modern registers, a price alone is not enough; they need a sku or inventory number. I have waited in line behind people who actually tried to convince a cashier of a price while she waited for someone to come up and verify a price. They get mad when the cashier doesn't just trust them! It's so obvious they could be making up what they're saying. Or they want to argue about it being on the sale rack. Maybe it was, maybe they put it there, maybe someone else put it there by mistake. It happens all the time in stores; things are put in the wrong place by customers, and the store does not have to honor the wrong price. Another thing I see all the time where conveyor belts do not exist. People place their items out of reach of the cashier. I know from my manufacturing and engineering experience that the faster and more productive work is done when the materials and tools are within easy reach of the worker. Every time the worker has to reach arm's length, time is added to the process. If he has to lean, even more time is added. Yet, people will put things on a counter and not try to move them closer to the register or the cashier's work space. The consumer has been made lazy by the conveyor belt, yet they get steamed up over standing in line and waiting. When there is no conveyor belt, keep placing your items in front of the cashier and move them closer as her work space clears up and your bags get filled. Don't decide you need additional items after you get in line. Doesn't it make you angry when the guy at the grocery store decides he needs two more things close by, and you have to wait while he goes to get them because the cashier already started his order. He gets distracted or can't make up his mind and takes way too long? It is rude to you and everyone else in line. Then there's the cell phone. Turn them off, people. If you plan on shopping and paying for something, do not answer the phone or talk on the phone while trying to conduct business. It's really rude. You're saying to the cashier, you are unworthy of my time and attention. Whey should that cashier be polite to you or give you good service? You're treating him like a robot. And the extra noise is just a nuisance to everyone around. Save your phone calls for outside. Be honorable and polite. Believe it or not, people who work in retail are humans worthy of your good manners. Remember, you can't be responsible for an underpaid employee's attitude or a young person's distraction. But you can do simple things like discarding hangers, checking price tags, turning off the phone, making your kids behave, using basic manners, and giving your undivided attention to making your "checking out" process go faster and smoother. |
| Wrapped gifts are beginning to accumulate. The tree is decorated. The mantles in the family room and the dining room are decorated. Animated figures have fresh batteries. I can't wait for the two year old to come visit and see all our grown--up "toys"! I'm reading some Christmas short novels, listening to John Tesh on the radio in the car at night with Christmas songs. I'm ready for some egg nog and homemade cookies, but don't have any yet. My church has wonderful musicians and some nice greenery. All the ladies wear their Christmas sweaters. I'm getting in the mood. The nativity scene downstairs has only animals and angels. Mary and Joseph will arrive Sunday--it's still early, but I want to see them before Christmas Eve. The magi and camels will show up then, even though they really show up two years later in Egypt, but we go with the folk version. The baby Jesus will show up after midnight Christmas Eve. Yes, I know it was really in a different time of year, but it's still meaningful. So I'll work every night, and cook and clean every day, and hope everything goes okay. One day at a time, I'll make the most of it. Isn't Christmas wonderful when you let it be? |
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