Blogger is throwing up again!!

In the 'compose' function, I am not given a cursor. In HTML mode, I am unable to make paragraphs or anything. It's EXTREMELY frustrating that this problem is going on AGAIN for who knows how long. I'll be checking in daily, and will begin posting again as soon as I can. Sorry for the delay folks. This is making me NUTS.

A post in which we have brunch out

The plans had been made last night to meet the guys for brunch at noon, which was about as early as we could reasonably expect such a lot of slugabeds to meet in public.  That was fine.  I was up at about 7:30am of course.  I tried to go back to sleep, but in the end just got up to do quiet stuff and let Gary sleep in.  I know he didn't sleep well last week, and I wasn't about to wake him up.  There was plenty of time.

I finished up the potato salad (I had put the cubes in the fridge to cool so they didn't fall apart when I stirred it) and turned on the computer.  When I moved the iTunes into the laptop I lost all my playlists, so I'm working on putting them back in and making some new ones.  When Gary woke up we made coffee and I prepared to go to the flea market while he got cleaned up for brunch.  I bought fruit and picked him up some tomatoes from the woman there I know grows them herself, and then headed back and got cleaned up.

Brunch today was planned for Neue Southern.  We had been told to be there when they opened because apparently things get crowded up pretty fast.  Now Neue Southern is a food truck.  I know they are all the rage now, and the guys had gotten food there several times and raved about it, but I was less than leaping with excitement over eating on the street out of a truck rather than in a restaurant with air conditioning and a place to sit down.  Nonetheless, I was curious about the food, and I wanted to try it. 

It didn't rain today. That's notable since it has rained every day for what seems like months.  It's also notable because we stood in line.  And stood.  And stood.  The food was being made to order, which is good, but apparently quite limiting in the understandably small size of the kitchen.  As the sun became brighter, it got hotter.  And hotter.  I took some breaks.  There were little stores around there open, and I went in and looked around, but poor Gary waited in line all that time. 

Eventually, we all got our food.  RBL had brought a table and chairs and set them up in the parking lot (which I thought was a nice touch) but by the time we got our food we were all quite done with the blazing sun.  There was no shade to be had.  So we packed up the stuff and adjourned to Russ's shop, which was thankfully conveniently close.  Now after all this waiting, I was prepared to be dazzled, but the food, though quite acceptable, was not anything to write home about.  The topper for me was that while we had been standing in line, a man had brought his sandwich back because it had aioli on it, and he had ordered it without.  When Brian opened his sandwich, they had given him the returned one.  We knew because THERE WAS A BITE MISSING.  That just pretty much topped it for me.  I ate my food, but I was pretty much squicked from going back, especially after waiting in line in the hot sun all that time. 

I had an order of french toast, which was tasty, and made of fancy thick-cut bread with a nicely flavored cinamon butter, but which had not been soaked long enough and was pretty dry in the middle.  Had the cook been on Chopped, he would have been chopped over that.  I also had what was listed as a grit 'cake'.  It was really more like a grit pudding.  It had a nice flavor, and was topped with a pleasant pepper and corn pickled relish, but the texture just wasn't what I was expecting - I was more thinking about something like a crab cake or fritter.  The best thing I tasted was a fried green tomato sandwich that Logan ordered, but it was topped with a 'pimento' cheese that had suffered from being put next to the hot tomatoes, and had been 'revved up' with hot peppers of some kind.  I am not a huge fan of pimento cheese with hot peppers in it.  So while the flavor was good, it was greasy and just not quite what I thought it should be.  Plus, the price-tag for this was pretty hefty.  RBL paid $60(!!) to eat out of a truck; and that was without drinks.

After brunch, the group just unanimously pulled out their phones to play on them.  I have no idea why this passes for social interaction at this point, but since I have a smart phone now I just followed suit for a while.  When in Rome...  Eventually I picked up a magazine.  It was hot in the shop, and since we weren't going to do anything, Gary and I left for the house.  Russ had mentioned something about going to see The Conjuring, but there was no way I was going to sit through that.

I had thought that Gary would leave when we got home - he had dinner at his aunt's house tonight - but he instead wanted to hang out for a while.  I wanted a nap.  I turned on the TV, but we ended up having a 'relationship discussion'.  Sigh.  I know it needed to happen, but I really wasn't up for it today, and thought it was a bad time because his last week had been so stressful.  As I thought, he's much further along than I am emotionally about this relationship.  I'm not sure what I should do.  He's a great guy, and I really like him, but I feel kind of like I'm wasting his time.  My strategy has been to just date him, enjoy his company (which I do), and not worry about where it's going, but he obviously is thinking about where this is going.  That kind of makes me feel like I'm not being fair to him. 

I gave him some potato salad and cookies to take home, and burned him a CD because there was a song I had that he wanted.  I sent him on his way.  But my contributions to his happiness feel woefully inadequate. 

I got pretty down about that.  Gary is almost exactly the guy I say that I've been wanting.  He's the guy I've been bitching about not being able to meet.  And now that I meet him - crickets.  I know that he feels this.  Eric and Tyler were both at brunch today, and the sexual tension was just crackling all around me in regards to Tyler in particular, but nothing for poor Gary, who is just good to me and likes me.  Dammit.  So I just felt bad over the whole thing.

I stayed in and took a nap.  I ate left-over pizza and cookies, watched TV, and messed around on the computer way too much and way too late before I finally went on to bed.  I feel pretty much like a dirtydawgslug.

A post in which it is a really nice Saturday*

I woke up with stuff to do. That was fine.  Eventually I got up and decided to go do some of it.  I had a lovely breakfast of left-over garlic knots from Della Ventura, deliciously crisped in the toaster oven and devoured with scrambled eggs with cheese - YUMMY!  I had to go get eggs, having eaten the last two this morning.  I try to schedule to buy eggs on Saturdays because then I can go over to Swamp Rabbit to get locally produced eggs which are hopefully from places where they treat the chickens a little better.  Now their prices are pretty high, and they're located next to a popular biking trail, so the place is usually eaten up with high-strung yuppie women with their organically-fed spoiled children and bike riders who all but snort derisively at you for your sedentary lifestyle, equipped as they are with $500 (or more) bicycles, designer riding togs, and high-maintenance abdomens.  I usually recruit Rhonda to go with me so at least I have a real person ally, but she refused to go this morning.  At my most charming I failed to change her mind.  So I went on alone.  I had thought that since I left the house in a driving rain that the place wouldn't be as crowded, but I was wrong.  They were just all inside today. 

I finally emerged triumphant, having spent a little over $11 for a dozen eggs and a gorgeous-looking, organic-floured, baked-that-morning spinach and feta pastie (apparently called a pogacha if you pay $6 for one - what I had bore no resemblance at all to any pogaca I found online).  On the way out the rain had stopped, and I had an itch.  I had planned to go to the flea market this morning, but the continuing monsoon had put the kibosh on that little plan.  But there is a big thrift store over near Swamp Rabbit, so I decided to stop in and nose around.  I hadn't really gotten in the door well when I found two Ruby Red tumblers.  They matched the set of five that I have at the house (I would have sworn that I had six of them, but when I washed them out of the window there were only five).  So I picked them up.  I stopped into the grocery store on the way in to the house. 

I had picked up some potatoes last weekend, and was toying with making some buffalo potatoes (my own recipe), but after having that potato salad at work last week I was craving Mama's potato salad.  I picked up three more pounds of poatoes to go with the ones I had, along with some stuff to make bars.

RBL were having a game night tonight, and since Gary had told me he was coming in the morning rather than tonight, I had made plans to go over there. I've been really craving those Hello Dolly bars.  Apparently everyone can make them but me, but I had a new strategy and was keen to try again.  Because Logan hates coconut, I also made some chocolate chip cookie bars, to which I added some Butterfingers. I had intended to chunk them in the little food processor, but they went right to dust, so I just mixed in the Butterfinger dust. 

While those were baking and cooling, I peeled my potatoes and put them in to bake.  The hardest part of making good potato salad is getting the potatoes right.  Cooked too much, you have mashed potatoes, and cooked too little you have "crunchy" potatoes.  Yergh.  I had a technique I use for another recipe that I decided to try today.  You wash and eye the potatoes and put them in a big ceramic baker along with about an inch or so of water.  Then you cover them tightly, bake for an hour or so, and just turn off the oven and let them cool.  The get cooked through without getting boiled apart.  I have done it with red potaotes with the skins on, but it seemed to work just fine today with peeled potatoes also - they were delightfully tender. 

While all this was going on, I had a text from Gary.  He had changed his mind because he didn't want to miss game night, so I just sent the boys a text and got cleaned up.  About the time I showered up and all, he got to the house.  I talked to him and caught up on all of his stuff about his dad (that's where he was all last week) while I cubed up potatoes. 

We went on to game night.  The guys just orderd pizza for everyone.  The cookie bars (that I was sure wouldn't work) actually turned out great, but the Hello Dollies again didn't turn out right.  They were edible, but not the way they are supposed to be.  I can't believe that I can make freakin' pastry cream and souffle, but can't make these stupid bars, which are supposed to be super easy.  Grrrr.

The game tonight was called Quelf.  Meh.  It wasn't the most fun ever, but at least it didn't take three hours to understand how to play.  I just must not be a game player any longer.  I don't have much patience for them.  But Logan REALLY likes games of all kinds, and everyone else wanted to play, so I went along.  Afterwards we adjourned to the comfy chairs in the living room, where they found a movie called Sharknado already in progess on ScyFy.  Now I never watch Scyfy channel, and was quite surprised to find that even they have apparently stopped taking themselves seriously, and produce a lot of openly satirical fare at this point.  Sharknado was such a spoof.  It was pretty stupid, but once I suspended my disbelief (an effort even for me in this case) it was pretty funny. 

When the movie was over and a second stinker came on though, I was pretty much done.  Gary and I went home to go to bed.  It had been a good day, and it wasn't quite over just yet...

A post in which it is Friday

For some reason, I just can't shake off this worthlessness.  I got what had to be done today done, but I had a hard time getting anything else done.  I was just kind of waiting for the weekend.

After work I was trying to decide what to do.  I didn't need to spend any money.  I didn't feel like going to see Miss Kat and Dana.  I just had a case of the mousy blahs.  But I didn't want to eat a tomato sandwich for supper - I'd had one for lunch.  I made the decision to go to Fresh Market and spend my Christmas gift cards on something scrummy for dinner.  As I pulled into the parking lot I got a text message, and checked it before going in.  It was from Billy, inviting me to dinner with him and Russ.  Logan is working late again.  I was very glad to accept, and ran home to change clothes.

I got to the house and it was so good to see them.  I was chattering away as we got ready to leave.  We went to Della Ventura for supper.  My meal was delicious (as usual) but not cheap.  I decided to have something other than my usual order tonight, and ordered shrimp in a garlic butter sauce (called 'Shrimp Stacey') that was quite good.  We had dessert too, and I had forgotten how great their Tiramisu is (that is one of my very favorite desserts ever).

So after dessert we went back to their house, quite satisifed, and settled in to visit for a while.  I'm thinking about ditching DirecTV (I really, really want all the cable poeple out of my house), so Billy ran through some of the alternatives available on their TV.  There's a lot more out there.  They are thinking about having their cable taken out too, so I'll see how they do, and then maybe get Billy to help me with it.  The prices for TV have just gotten ridiculous.  I pay more for drivel to be pumped into the house than I do for power, water, or gas for heaven's sake - $83 per month for BASIC.  The very smallest package they offer!  That is cuh-razy. 

So we watched some stand-up comedy and hung out for a while, and then I went home to bed.  It was a nice start to the weekend.

A post about "Dom Drop" or "sub drop"

So in reviewing the stats on this blog, it's a little embarrassing for me to admit that the most hits in any given day are on a post I did back in 2008 about a 'Dom Drop' day I was having.  So I guess I'll give the people what they want.  I DO appreciate you folks. 

For regular readers, you know that I have a kinky side (which, sadly, has not been indulged of late).  Part of expressing your kinkiness is that transition back to the 'real' world after a great scene or event you have experieinced.  The name for that transition is called Dom Drop.  I understand from a much more experienced person that this is also sometimes called 'sub drop'.

Dom Drop is more complex than just the usual little blue period you have after any vacation, trip, great sex, or whatever.  Emotionally I have compared it to feeling like dryer lint.  I just seem to attract/trap every kind of negative feeling - angry, sad, confused, helpless - and they seem to be amplified.  Everything seems like a bigger deal than it really is.  Everything seems kind of like the end of the world.  I find myself on the brink of despair or on the verge of tears over things that on a normal day would be relatively minor.

When I have described this feeling to women friends of mine, they look at each other and say "P.M.S."  (or if you're in the UK, P.M.T.)  Having never had PMS, I can't say, but it seems to jibe from what I read about it. 

If you think about it, it makes sense.  You've been coasting on an endorphin high for hours (or days).  It's kind of like emotionally stepping off the escalator - it takes you a step or two to get your bearings.  I do BDSM more for spiritual reasons than many people I have talked to, but there is a definite mental element to BDSM play for everyone - acknowledeged or not.  (I have often said that if good sex is at least 60% mental, then good BDSM has to be about 80% mental.)  One of the big attractions for me is that BDSM strips away all the bullshit of the everyday world, and I can step out to be my best, my truest self.  I love to be a Good Boy.  However demanding or confusing your Dom or Domme might be, generally the demands placed on you in a scene or at an event are more simple, more clear cut, more direct (and more logical) than those of the outside world.  Leaving that place of clarity - that place where you and those around you know your place, what you should be doing, and actually approve of (or at the very least allow) that can be jarring.  I hate to keep comparing it to intoxication, but that's the best metaphor I can think of - and like intoxication, it can come with a wicked hang-over.  Having cast off the bullshit for a while, I feel kind of like a crab that has shed it's shell (and you could argue that you do this too in order to grow, if I may be allowed to extend the metaphor) - hyper-sensitive and kind of 'soft' for a while.

The first time I experienced this feeling I had no idea what was going on.  I had heard the term 'Dom Drop', but until you have experienced it (as with many things), it's hard to understand.  I felt like I had stuffed myself on a too-rich dessert.  In the aftermath, it all seemed like too much, and it actually turned me off of the life temporarily. 

Fortunately, I came back.  I'm going to share some things that helped me and some ideas for what might help you.  Like most things BDSM, Drop is of course extremely personal and maddeningly subjective.  I hope this helps.

1. Know what you're in for.  If you're reading this it may be too late for that, but after future scenes, you'll know this is coming.  That brings me to:

2. Be aware of what's happening.  I have found that it helps me immeasurably to actually realize "Hey, wait a minute.  I know what's going on here..."  That helps me take that crucial step back, and once I do, many times I find things much easier to deal with.  Really.   

3. Have a good partner.  Although I am somewhat of a libertine (I think that sounds classier than ho) in my sexual life, I am generally pretty selective about with whom I do BDSM play.  This goes back to the trust issue.  You are playing (and allowing someone access to) deep in the toybox.  The more intense the play, the more you need a partner you can trust to do the after-work with you, talk to you, do what you need to help get you through it.  A lot of times a top will schedule a check-back with you to be sure you're OK.  I've had tops assign me 'homework' - an email about the whole scene.  First to lay out for them where I was, and make them more a part of that; and second to help me process all that happened.  Even if there isn't one scheduled, you may find that your partner will call you to check in.  It could be disguised as a 'Hihowyadoin' call.  The first time a BDSM partner called to do a check-back on me, I had no idea what he was even doing!  It was years later before I finally put the pieces together.  I am using partner here on purpose.  There is nothing that says that you have to be a top to make a check-in call.  Just sayin'. 

(**While I"m here, I'm just going to reiterate something.  I'm writing from a bottom's perspective because for the most part that is what my experience has been.  BUT there is no way you can over-estimate the power of reassurance.  I think that goes for a lot of tops too - I've done both.  I really never get tired of hearing that I've been a Good Boy (!!) just typing it gives me a little frisson (and I'm smiling too - just typing it).  My leather sister tells me that being able to replay that reassurance later can be a precious and helpful thing for her.  I know as a top it's gratifying to hear my partner has had a good time.  I think there is a respectful way to do that, and I don't know of any top who wouldn't appreciate it.)

4. You know you.  Hopefully you have a good partner, but whether you do or not, you know the things that you need when you're upset.  Maybe you have certain music that you listen to, or maybe you curl up with a snuggly quilt, comfy t-shirt, etc.  Maybe you watch a favorite movie, or have some special cookies that you don't buy yourself that often.  Call a good friend who understands and will listen.  A leather sister of mine says that it helps her to connect with someone who was actually at the scene, to talk about what happened, and kind of resurrect some of the magic; kind of like spiritual methadone.  Sometimes you have to suck your thumb a little (metaphorically or not).  Give yourself permission, and make the time to do it.

I've had limited success with 'scheduling' my drop.  I used to take a day off work after an event to allow myself time to come down, but emotions are not usually that convenient and accommodating.  I found that I started 'coasting' through the extra day off, and just dropped afterwards - usually at the most inconvenient time.  So I quit taking that extra time off. 

The good news is that I found that as I became more experienced, the drop wasn't as severe.  I've been on hiatus for a while now (I had a serious illness in 2011 and spent about a year in diagnosis, treatment, and dealing with complications.  I haven't tried my wings again since then.), so I'm not sure if I'll have to start over or not - maybe that will be the next post? 

The hits show me that there is interest in this - and an apparent dearth of information available.  I hope that something I've written here will help someone.  If you're in the midst right now, remember that this is temporary.  It will pass.  I hope that for you it will become less severe in the future, as it has for me.  In the meantime, congratulations on having a scene that moved you enough to have a bit of withdrawal.  Good for you(!!), and I hope you feel better soon. 

A post in which I shop my way home

So I started the day today with no coffee.  "No big deal." I thought. "One day without it won't kill me."  Oh how wrong I was.  Apparently to rise and function at 6am, my body now requires coffee.  I kept thinking I would wake up, and it kept not happening.  I drove to work like a zombie. 

I hadn't gotten ready for work in time to go by Starbucks, so I just had to go on in and drink the awful coffee in the office.  Bleah.  But necessity is a mutha.  When I got to the coffee area, some asshat had started two pots of coffee without emptying the pots, and then walked off to leave them both to overflow down the cabinets and all over the floor.  So I spent twenty minutes or so cleaning that up, moving the coffee machine for the first time in, I would guess, about three months.  There were Jurassic raisins under there.  Gross.  And not a great way to start the day.

So then I got my coffee, and went in search of creamer.  There's always someone in the office that has a secret stash of the good stuff.  I hate that powdered white crap.  Eventually, I found a stash and begged some.  What was on offer was International Delight Butter Pecan Creamer, which was of course full of God-knows-what-all Dow Chemical nastiness; but not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I availed myself to the last of Christie's stash with much gratitude.  The new coffee they're using at the office was surprisingly palatable - who knew?  Of course that could have just been the paroxyms of a system on the brink of collapse.  I got through the morning.

Today was 'Employee Appreciation Day' at work.  Were I of a more cynical nature, I would be suspicious of it's proximity to the timing of the 'Best in the Upstate' employee surveys.  We were listed as one of the ten best places to work in the state last year, which the company has ballyhooed with wild and reckless abandon.  While I personally would have been more impressed if they had appreciated us by not raising our health insurance premiums again, I guess it was harmless enough.  There were a number of stupid contests (flying paper airplanes, guessing the number of M&Ms in a jar, etc) that straight people seem to find endlessly delightful, and which did not cost the company a sou to offer.  There were a number of emails that most people deleted without reading, and a series of 'prizes' awarded by lottery in the afternoon, which were largely plastic cups and other dreck that the vendors send constantly, and which you usually only have to wait for the premiums closet to be cleaned out to obtain.  I suppose the foregoing comments have just revealed a cynical nature I cannot deny.  They did offer us a free lunch in the cafeteria.  Unusually, they still had veggie burgers when I went downstairs, and they were actually quite good.  The potato salad on offer was really good too - made there out of red potatoes.  So I enjoyed the lunch anyway. 

I heard from Gary today, and he's planning on coming up this weekend, either Saturday night or Sunday morning.  Still (maddeningly) no details as to his dad's health, or how he was greeted by his family.  I guess I'll find out soon enough.  I am hopeful of good news since he sounded in good spirits.  I'm trying to decide what I'll make for breakfast on Sunday. 

Since I hadn't been to the store, and started the day yesterday by breaking my french press, there was plenty to do before I could go home today.  I went to Target because I figured I could get everything I wanted there, and happily that proved to be the case.  I needed french fried onions (for California Club sandwiches), and they didn't have Durkee, only French's.  That's really potAYto/potAHto to me, but French's has a new plastic package that is not recyclable.  Sigh.  Since when did that become necessary?  I bought them anyway, because I didn't feel like making another stop.

I was able to find a french press.  You really can't find one cheaper than $21 anywhere (my last one came from Wal-Mart, I am embarrassed to admit) except the flea market unless you get a mini, which I didn't want.  The latest one is a Bodum, which is the best brand.  I bought it becuse it was on clearance (marked down from $30 to, you guessed it, $21) because it's apparently a size they don't carry any longer.  This one is about 48oz.  So I guess I'll find out if that is great or is awkwardly large.

While I was at the store, I strolled through the kitchenware section, more out of habit than anything else. Of course now that I no longer need one, they have the GreenPans in the size I wanted.  They do cost about twice what I paid for mine.  I'm trying to decide if I'll pick one up anyway or not.  The one I bought in Savannah seems to work fine. There was not one Paula Deen pan on offer (after that had been about a quarter of the department six months ago).  Wow.  So much for 'phasing out' the line.  I guess in light of the new scandal that erupted about her today, they are glad to have it out of the store.  But still. 

On the way home, I had to stop off because I had forgotten to get lettuce (I can no longer shop without a list), and picked up some tater wedges to go with my sandwich.

I got home before it started raining (yay) and got everything in the house and put away.  By that time I was hungry, so I made my sandwich and ate taters.  Yum.  About the time I got finished, the satellite went out courtesy of the storm du jour.  I turned the TV off, put a DVD in the computer, and started washing glass.  I had raided the window ove the sink to fill the new cabinet, and it was in need of re-arranging and washing.

I also treated (again) the slow drain in the bathroom.  With limited success.

I made coffee for tomorrow and put it in the fridge to chill, having switched over to iced coffee for the summer as I am wont to do.

By the time I did all of that (the window is mysteriously full again, despite having about half of the glass in it) it was time for bed, and I was tired. 

A post in which I am kind of off

I just woke up feeling kinda bleah today.  I started the day by breaking my french press.  Sigh.  More money I have to spend.  But I had coffee made for today already. 

I should have done a lot of stuff today - there was a lot that needed doing.  But in the end I didn't do any of it.

I renewed my book on CD at the library, and requested a new Savannah Reid mystery, but I did that online.

I got caught up on a re-run marathon of RuPaul's Drag Race, and watched that until bedtime. 

A post in which I see the folks

So the cats hide from me sometimes.  I have to find them in the morning before I leave for work to make sure that they're not shut up in the bedroom or something.  Yesterday morning, I looked all over the house for Crooner.  Here lately, they've been living on top of the new display cabinet in the living room, but he was nowhere to be found. Eventually I gave up and headed to work.  This morning, I found his new hiding place:

Alan was caught up in the big mess at LaGuardia airport today.  He was on his way to Canada and was there when they shut it down.  That resulted in a 24-hour delay.  (He wasn't actually in the wreck.)

So I hadn't seen the folks in about a month now.  They had the three-week vacation that was extended to four weeks because Dad ended up in the hospital with pneumonia.  Then the next week they had the power go out in half the house (due to a lamp Eve had bought that shorted out and flipped a breaker switch they couldn't find).  Then after that they went to see Grandma in Wilkesboro. 

We decided to go to Portofino's tonight, and it was a s good as always.  I had been thinking about the trip this afternoon, and was all primed for some of their lovely, decadent cannelloni.  Fabulous.

We had plenty to talk about since we hadn't seen each other in a while, and everyone was on their best behavior.  Things went well, and it was a nice evening. 

On the way home I ran to the store.   I only bought a few things, and then realized when I got home that I would just have to go back the next night, but whatever.  It was fine. 

A post in which I have stuff to do

When I left work tonight, I had to go to the store since I didn't do that Sunday evening.  I knew what I needed, and thought I could get it all at Aldi.  I did get most of it, but suprisingly they didn't have any general purpose cleaner, like Spic N Span or something.  So that means another foray tomorrow.

I got home and put everything away, then started working in the kitchen.  I heated up all the left-overs from last night at Tupelo Honey, and actually had a nice little supper out of that.  Then I started working on cucumbers for a side this week.  The cucumbers felt - odd.  I'm not sure what it was, they must have been on the old side, but they felt spongy.  It was weird.  But they were free, so I cut out the bad places, semi-skinned them, ran them through the mandolin and added some onion.  I mixed up a quick oil and vinegar dressing, gave them a toss, and threw them in the fridge. 

Then, at last, it was time to do what I had been waiting to do.  The hearthg was dry, and I hadn't put anything on it for over 24 hours.  I got my stobs, which I had carefully painted and padded on the bottom with my old mousepad.  When I put them in place, though, I found that the FLOOR wasn't level (part of living in an old house), but because I had some pieces of mousepad I had kept, I eventually moved everything around and got it level. 

I picked out pieces to go in there, got out plate and bowl stands, cleaned all the glass in the cabinet, and then cleaned all the pieces I was putting in there.  Eventually, I got it pretty much arranged.  I cleaned a lot of the glass out of the window over the sink, and now I have to get all that cleaned and re-arranged, but I have some room to buy some pieces now.  It was getting kind of stacked up in the window.  I'm also over-due for a glass day with Justin, where we take everything out (I need to get the stuff out of the attic and all, and decide what I'm going to display) and re-arrange all the displays in the house. 

It was nice to get it all back together, and re-claim the living room - it has kind of been disarranged since the July 8th, when they dropped the cabinet off.

I got cleaned up and got to bed, where I could not sleep.  A wink.  I tossed and turned, watched TV, and finally took a pill, but I had a hard time dropping off tonight.  I had iced tea with dinner, and although it was delicious, I wonder if that was the problem.

A post in which I get some things done

It was a fairly lazy Sunday. 

Since I hadn't bought any fruit yesterday, I got up and ran over to the White Horse Road flea market.  I found some nice peaches there, and picked up some other produce.  I ran by the store for a couple of things on the way home, and picked up a loaf of discount sourdough bread.  The day-old section (which they don't have at Publix, because they make their day-old bread into croutons) is one of the few reasons I go in BiLo any more. 

I got home and decided to use up some fancy cheese that needed to be used in making cheese toast this morning.  It was a sharp cheese with dates and nuts in it.  Although it was good, it did not melt, so I literally had 'toasted cheese' on my bread.  Still, it was tasty.  I finished off the repast with a single doughnut I had picked up at the store.  After wanting one for the last two weeks, I finally just decided to break down and have the damn thing.

After breakfast, I taped off the hearths and faux finished them.  I did a bit of laundry and played on the computer a little.  I had decided to take tomato sandwiches for lunch this week, and the boys had left cucumbers for me Friday night; I'll throw together a quick cucumber salad for a side. There was no cooking to do today. 

After a while, I decided to check in with the boys on what they were doing this afternoon, but apparently they had partied hard the night before at the Edge, and were staying in this afternoon. 

I put a coat of acrylic on the hearths, and laid around for a while.

 Eventually, I got hungry.  I was going to have to get cleaned up to go to the store, and I wanted some company.  I didn't want to stay in.  So I got in touch with Rhonda.  She was free, and agreeable.  So I got cleaned up and went to get her.

We ended up going back to Tupelo Honey Cafe.  They have a veggie burger they make in-house that I want to try, but I was lured away tonight by a veggie melt sandwich.  It was pretty good, but something I could have made at home.  The surprise hit of the meal was the tofu 'wings'.  They were delicious!  It was the second-best tofu I have ever eaten.  Rhonda had some sesame asparagus (which wasn't sesame enough for her, but then few things are) on a veggie plate, and overall she seemed pleased with her meal.

Since we had already had one rain today (about the time I was thinking I should shift my worthless bulk and mow the grass - saved by the bell) I hadn't taken an umbrella to dinner.  As it turned out, that was a mistake.  As we walked back to the car (one of the reasons I seldom eat downtown is the forced hike to parking), it began to spot, and then to rain lightly.  I was afraid we wouldn't make it to the car before the bottom fell out, but we did.  We got wet, but were pretty much none the worse for wear. 

I dropped Rhonda, and really needed to go to the store, but I didn't want to do it in the rain.  I decided I could do that tomorrow.  I headed for home, did a few little odds-and-ends chores, and turned in. 

A post in which I see James, and get bad news from Gary

So I was up and at 'em this morning.  Gary wasn't coming until tomorrow, so I had the whole day to get things done instead of having to get ready for Gary.  I decided to start at the flea market.  I called Rhonda, got her up, and we headed for breakfast first (we were both hungry) at Landmark Diner. 

When we got to the flea market, the glass that I found last week was still there, but both pieces were chipped, and since I already had one of them, and wasn't wild about the other, I left those for others to find.  There is a hex optic whisky glass up therer that I really do like, but the woman has it priced at twice book value on it, and I won't pay that.  I settled for some tomatoes that looked good.  I also picked up a Little Jewel bowl that I ran across by accident.  It is clear, but it was very cheap, and I just can't resist that pattern. 

On the way back, we stopped at the hardware store - where against every inclination in me, I purchased black and white paint to faux finish the hearths.  I decided to go with something completely neutral, and this is an effect I have done before, years ago. 

I dropped Rhonda off, went home, ate a small smakerel of lunch, and took a nap.  When I woke up, I started getting ready to put the base coat of paint on.  About the time I was finishing moving stuff and wiping everything down, the phone rang.  It was James and Trey.  They had been to Columbia for the morning, and were headed home.  They wanted to know if I could come by, and I said yes.  I don't see James that often, and even though the house is a wreck, he wouldn't care, and I wanted to see him.  Besides, after all the painting he has done at the house, it isn't as if he has never seen it torn up. 

They got there just as I finished the base coat.  We hung out and talked while I finished up and got cleaned up, and then went up to dinner at Corona.  The food was delicious as always, and it was so good to see them.  I really enjoyed supper, and spending some time with them. 

When we got back from dinner, they left for home, and I had dessert.  I ate a bowl of ice cream out of my new bowl to officially claim it as mine, and then headed for bed.

I had a message from Gary about 2pm today, telling me that he has to go to Ohio tomorrow.  His Dad is in the hospital, and that it is serious enough that his sister called him to come home.  His dad hasn't spoken to him since his parents threw him out of the house for being gay.  His mother died without ever speaking to him again.  So he's headed home not knowing if his dad will be alive when he gets there, or if he will even speak to him.  My heart hurts for him, but I don't know what to do except be there to talk to if he needs me. 

A post in which it is Friday

It was an interesting morning.  An movie I saw as a child popped into my head today, and I decided to see ifMidnight Madness.  It came into my head because I had downloaded the title song (which was no great hit - there's a reason you have never heard of it) into iTunes years ago.  The entire movie was on Youtube!  So I watched it while I got ready this morning.  I suspect the only reason it was preserved is that a very young Michael J. Fox plays the 'troubled younger brother'.  The movie itself was a vehicle for David Naugton (of Dr. Pepper fame) - there's a reason you never heard of the movie either.  It wasn't very good.  But it wasn't as bad as I remembered, is still disco-tastic, and I watched it with nostalgia. 

I could find any of it online.  It is called

Work went pretty smoothly, and I sailed through the twit meeting pretty much unscathed.  The month is on track, and I'm good.  I got paid today, and my beautiful new mouse pad came in the mail.

After work I had made plans to see Rhonda.  Hadn't seen her since last Saturday, and I had a purse Larney wanted me to take her.  We went to eat at Kannika's Thai Kitchen, and unfortunately my food wasn't very good.  It was a special that wasn't actully so special after all.  Meh.  It happens. 

After supper, we ran by the hardware store for me to pick up things to faux finish the hearths with.  I have that new glass cabinet I want to put over the one in the living room, and I have to paint the hearth now, or I never will.  I've only lived in the house for fifteen and a half years.  When we got there though, all the colors were calling to me.  At fist I was thinking sage green, but I had to have something that matched the bedroom ceiling.  Then I thought about a brick red, but I wanted something that would go with the burgundy rugs in the bedroom but not clash with the orange/melon in the living room.  It was clear that I would have to get paint chips to decide on a color.  So we ended up leaving empty-handed.

To make up for the lack-luster dinner, we decided to go for dessert.  Rhonda (amazingly) really didn't want ice cream, so we went over to Whole Foods.  Now that sounds like a strange choice, but they do have an amazing (if quite pricey) bakery.  My goal tonight was to get some macarons.  Now the macaron is THE hot pastry right now, and after reading about them (they are apparently pretty difficult to make), and watching them being made on Master Chef the other week (they bounced the cute bear guy out of the competition) I was keen to try some.  They are basically little layered sandwich cookies that are a cross of marshmallow and a miringue.  Unsurprisingly, they are not cheap.  I got several flavors, Rhonda picked out some dessert, and we repaired to the boys house for dessert.  The macarons were pretty good, I have to say, and I'm toying with trying to make some now. 

We turned on the telly for dessert, and there was the movie Valley Girl (apparently it is my day for nostalgic movies.  Rhonda likes that movie too, so we contentedly watched, munched, and marvelled that such a movie really wasn't made as a satire at the time - they were perfectly serious.  It also proves that Nicholas Cage, while insane, is almost irresistable on screen.  

So it was a lovely evening with my best girl Rhonda.

I was tired.  When I got home, Jinx had pulled a Linda Blair all over the kitchen counters (her new thing) because her supper was so late, presumably.  There was cat vomit everywhere.  I really, really freakin' hate that, but there was no choice.  I cleaned it up and headed for bed.   

A post in which I do very little

I did the twit report today, so that's out of the way.

I went by the store after work, and limited myself to buy only what I had cash for.  I'm out of sammich filling, and forgot that the Publix downtown doesn't carry veggie bologna, so I opted for a tomato.  I've eaten too much fake meat this week anyway.

Speaking of fake meat, when I got home I made a chili cheeseburger with the last of the chili in the fridge - tasty! 

I played with iTunes for a while.  I'm putting together some playlists.  I lost mine when I transferred the music to the laptop, and I'm going to send some CDs to a friend having a bit of a rough time right now. 

I chatted with Adam for a while, played on the computer, half-watched some telly (there was nothing on) and turned in. 

Tomorrow - FRIDAY!  And even better -  PAYDAY!!  Thank goodness!!

A post in which I go through the recipes

Was a pretty quiet day at work today.  Odd that a month that came in like such a lion has settled down to be such a lamb; nice too, by the way. 

We had free lunch, which was burgers, but they had a veggie option available.  That was nice.  So I had a portobello mushroom sammich with chips.  The bun fell apart, but hey, it was free, right?  And I'm behind on lunches this week, so it was good to get one thrown in there.

Tyler was supposed to come see me tonight, but in the end he couldn't come.  It's a shame he doesn't make more money for a job that eats so much of his life. 

I made it home before the rain, but the storm started almost as soon as I got in. 

Eve had been in touch with me Tuesday, because she was going to buy cucumbers, and wanted Grandma Shumate's sweet pickle recipe.  I was supposed to send it to her, but had forgotten all about it.  When she called me today, I promised to go through the recipes as soon as I got home.  When we got home from the Mother's Day trip I had just put them on top of the fridge and hadn't touched them since.  Although I wanted them and I know she wanted me to have them, it just felt wrong to dig through them for some reason.  It felt kind of personal, and kind of like something you would do after someone died.  Maybe I'm superstitious about it on some level.  But since I had promised, I sat down to go through them.

It was surprising, touching, and sad.  Grandma had been a formidable cook, but there were surprisingly few recipes in the collection.  She probably knew most of her go-to recipes by heart, as I do.  There was the usual hodge-podge of clippings, things jotted down on the backs of scrap paper, copies, and a few recipes people had sent her.  Some of them she was probably intending to make and never had.  It was familiar to me because I have recipes scattered hither and yon in my kitchen that fall into the same categories.  It really underlined the transience of life.  She won't ever have a chance to make some of the things she intended to now.  I guess it's kind of a maudlin way to look at it, but it's kind of a metaphor for life.  There are so many things you mean to do, and it seems like there is so much time, and then suddenly there isn't and it's too late. 

I found the pickle recipe, and called Eve because the computer was on the fritz in the storm.  After I read her the recipe, she told me that couldn't be it, but it had to be.  Grandma's pickles are legendary in the family.  They're super-uper-duper sweet, but they are very crisp and there's an underlying bite.  The recipe as she wrote it out was of course incomplete.  I'm sure she learned to make them and just needed notes to help her remember the key steps.  I don't know if I could make anything based on it or not, but after reading it to Eve, I sat down and typed it out verbatim to send to her via email, and told her I would scan the actual written recipe so she could look at what was written.  It will be interesting to see how they turn out.

I made some supper, and fooled around online for a while (mainly because I wanted to play with the new speakers, watching some videos).  After a while the satellite came back up and there was a double-episode of Master Chef on, so I settled in to watch that.  I really love that show, but that Krissi has got to go!  It's almost made me stop watching, because they keep getting your hopes up that she'll leave, but of course they won't take her off.  It's manipulative.  I'm sure there are people tuning in every week just to hate her.  From what they say though, although she's a witch to get along with, she seems to be a pretty good cook.

I found Sabrina and Wendie on Facebook today through a post, and got in touch.  I haven't seen them for a while, and now I'm missing them.  I messaged back and forth with Sabrina for a while when I got in bed tonight.  It was so good to get in touch.  I hope I get to see them soon. 

A post in which I have dinner out

It was another pretty quiet day at work. 

I emailed Billy and Logan today about getting speakers for the computer, and Billy emailed me back that they had a set I could have.  They have a LOT of electronics, being early adopters and such.  So after work I went by to pick them up.  Sure enough, it was a really nice set of speakers - perhaps a bit more than I needed, but I guess better to have more firepower than you need than less.

After we got the stuff out of the closet, Billy and I sat and talked for a while.  Logan was working late, and Russ wasn't home yet.  We had a good talk.  It was good to re-connect with Billy and just get some stuff out there.  Their moving into a cirus tent of ever-changing crowds has been a rough adjustment for me.  I've just had to adjust to seeing less of them, and at times it has been lonely.  But all relationships change.  That's just life.  I'm trying to focus on the enjoying the time they have for me, and finding other things to do.  Uusally now if I'm home by myself it's by choice, for time off.

They're going to River's Edge for the weekend, and man would I really love to go.  But I've made plans with Gary for Sunday.  Russ was trying to talk me into going down for Saturday, but I really need to stay home and do stuff. 

When Russ got off work, we went to Irashiai for sushi.  We enjoyed the meal, but there was a very large party behind us that made a lot of noise.  Still, it was nice. 

Afterwards I said my goodnights and headed home.  I really should have gone on to bed, but I had those new speakers, and I really wanted to set them up and see how they sounded, so I did.  In the process, I knocked the cover off one of my recessed lights in the kitchen, and I spent as much time trying to get that back on (those are really aggravating fixtures) as I did putting the speakers in place.  In the end though, I got it all hooked up and it sounded GREAT.  I'll need to move some things around in the kitchen, but that's overdue.  I rocked out while I washed dishes, and then turned in. 

A post in which blogger is finally working again

Oy.  I'm weeks behind now! 

A post in which things are calm

Which is good.  It was a fairly tranquil beginning to the week. 

Jody came today - finally - and sorted out the yard.  I couldn't really afford for him to come, but I was glad to get it done.  Since it rained again this evening, it's a good thing he came and did it during the day. 

I hadn't cooked last night, so when I got home I made a squash casserole.  I have a recipe I found that I have been playing with.  I like it.  I have made all different kinds of squash casserole through the years.  This one turned out puffed and brown.  Yum.

I ate the left over hot dogs and cleaned up the kitchen.

I watched some of Kung Fu Panda, and saw the parts I had slept through the last time. 

I played with my phone, and then went on to bed. 

A post in which I still have a visitor*

I slept better than I thought I would, and woke up not feeling too badly.  After some canoodling around, we went to breakfast.  We went to Stax Omega this morning, and because we were early, I again enjoyed good luck with seating.  The omelets they make are amazingly delicious, and I suspect I know why.  They use some kind of artificial butter-flavored grease to cook them in (Waffle House and Huddle House do the same - I think the highter temperature, coupled with an intense egg whipping, yields that impossibly high loft).  That was confirmed today.  I try not to think about what they cook the eggs in.  I rationalize that their omelets are a 'sometimes' food and just enjoy the flavor.  But today when mine came and I pressed on it, there was this bubble of yellow grease that came out.  Ew.  I engaged my Southern Power of Denial and ate it anyway, and it tasted as good as ever.  But ew. 

So Tom was just prepared to stay.  I was a bit at a loss of what to do with him all day (um, to put it delicately, I wasn't inclined to another sheet-romp), so after breakfast we headed up to Barnyard Flea Market.  I meant to get some peaches yesterday, but in all the running around had forgotten.  It had rained (of course) during breakfast, but Barnyard is the default flea market for rain, and it looked like it was going to clear up.  Plus it was something I wanted to do, and would eat up some time.  Off we went.

It turned out to be a pretty good flea market day.  I got a new belt-holder for my new phone.  I found some glass too.  One of the vendors who usually has his stuff priced too high had some good deals on offer today.  I bought the wrong piece (I was flying naked - since I hadn't planned to go I was sans backpack and therefore without my field guide), but it was the one I wanted.  It also gives me an excuse to go back next week to see if the others are still there...

Windsor "Diamond" 16oz milk pitcher in crytal by Jeannette Glass, circa 1936-1946

I got produce, and we walked around.  The weather improved and people started to pack in about the time we left.

By the time we got back to my place, we were both ready for a nap.  It clouded over again, and I pulled the blinds and put in a movie.  Then Tom asked if I would wash some clothes for him.  Now he had just driven up from his home yesterday, and I'm thinking "What, you brought dirty clothes with you?"  But I washed them.  Meh, I had some new socks that I wanted to wash anyway.  That involved getting my clothes out of the dryer, etc.  I did the cat box and got cleaned up.  About the time I put the clothes in the dryer and got ready to shower, Tom woke up.  I figured he would be hungry, and he was.  While he showered, I folded his clothes and put them on his bag. 

When he offered to follow me to lunch, I was relieved.  I had run around all day yesterday, and today was my 'day off'.  He was a really nice guy, but I just hadn't counted on him being there all weekend.  After washing his clothes and all, I had no qualms about letting him pick up the check for lunch.

I ran by the grocery store, and then home.  I played with my new phone, getting 'moved in', and had a buddy come by for a short visit.  Since I had eaten a huge lunch (it was a buffet, I didn't stick Tom with a big check) I didn't need a lot of supper.  I had a bowl of ice cream, and some fancy bread I had at the house with butter.  I mainly just relaxed and was indolent until time for bed. 

A post in which I have a visitor*

So I spent the day running around.

Rhonda has been in a funk lately, so I got in touch with her this morning.  I thought that an offer of breakfast at the new Tupelo Honey Cafe might tempt her out, and happily I was right.  It has been open a couple of week, we were a little early, and the weather (of course continues to be ugly).  I had hoped that might mean we could get near the place, and it worked.  We walked in and were seated - bonus!  Now the menu had been mouth-watering online, and I wasn't sure what to order.  I finally settled on the crab scramble (I was being bad - I'm probably going to get sushi tonight, but it sounded so good I just couldn't resist).  The food was a mixed bag.  I was a little disappointed I have to say.  Rhonda's biscuit wasn't cooked through so it was all gummy and doughy inside.  Mine was cooked through (just) and good, but unremarkable.  The blueberry compote they brought to go with it, though was spantaculous.  The scramble itself was GREAT - big chunks of premium crabmeat, fresh asparagus, the eggs perfectly done.  The sourdough toast (a house specialty) was a bit chewy - it had been made for too long.  I asked for some hollandaise, which I expected that they made there, and it was pretty bad.  The coffee was delicious, and tasted as if it was made by the cup.  Rhonda said hers was a mixed bag too.  It could be opening-up issues.  There are other things I want to try, and I'll go back, but it wasn't a rave.  But it did get Rhonda out of the house, and we had a nice visit.  I caught her up on Savannah. 

Afterwards I ran her by the post office, and we went to the Marshall Home Store because she had a gift card for there, but neither of us found anything we wanted.  We walked down to Ross, because it was right there.  Rhonda wanted to buy some speakers, and I have been meaning to buy some, so we looked.  They had them, but didn't have any names I had ever heard of.  I picked up a set for $6 - it is amazing how cheap electronics are now.  (But sadly, they were craptastic when I got them home.) 

Next we ran up to Best Buy to pick up an SD card.  When we got to the car, it seemed to go in crooked.  Rhonda realized that the old SD card was actually still in the phone, but for some reason it was refusing to read it.  Weird.  Nonetheless the phone is now at least fully functional.

I dropped Rhonda at home, and went back to my place to get ready to have company.  I fooled around with my phone some.  I figured out that the computer (using the adapter Billy gave me) would read the old SD card, and successfully moved the pictures off of it, into the computer, and onto the new SD card.  So I got them back into the new phone.  I was pretty proud of that.  I did more laundry and changed the sheets, etc.  By the time I had the house straightened up and showered, Tom was there. 

Tom is a really nice guy.  He's good looking.  He's a great big ole guy, and he has nice fur.  We greeted each other enthusiastically (we've been talking online for years) and then decided to head out for dinner.  We went to Irashiai.  He said that he really liked sushi, but was surprisingly unfamiliar with some pretty basic Japanese/American dishes.  But he enjoyed everything and we had a nice meal. 

When we left the restaurant, I asked him if he wanted to go over the RBL's for a bit.  They were having game night, and he had mentioned that he wanted to go out and do something tonight, but he didn't seem interested, and we went on back to the house. 

When we got to the house, he just carried his stuff on in.  Now we hadn't really discussed him staying over (I had specifically asked about hotel info, and he was pretty vague), but he HAD driven all the way up from Charleston (although he had to come up anyway, he had come a day early) and I decided just to go with the flow.  I wasn't particularly thrilled with his staying.  Having the bed to myself is one of the perks of being single, and one that I enjoy - plus did I mention he is a BIG ole guy?  And kinda sweaty. 

When I went in the bathroom when he got done, it was also kind of a wreck.  But I straightened it up.  Then I walked into the bedroom to find him kind of spread out on the bed.  I asked him to skooch over, and although he did, he was not happy about it.  We settled in to sleep. 

A post in which I get the new phone hooked up!*

Tom and I sent texts back and forth today.  I'm pretty excited about meeting him. 

So my battery was charged and I had everything all ready.  I went by Verizon after work and had the service moved.  The new phone is super swank!  I was going to set it up just like my old one but the display is so pretty I may just leave it the way it is. 

It did take a while to get it done though, because I had to wipe the phone and re-install everything, plus I had to wipe the old phone so I could donate it to charity.

I had heard from Randy though, and he wanted to come over.  I of course said sure. By the time I got home, he was pretty much at the door.  He is so HOT. 

After he left, I just laid around.  Tom is coming tomorrow, and it's raining (again).  It was nice to have some downtime. 

A post in which it is dinner out with the boys

Now I usually don't go to the Thursday night dinners.  I don't have the cash, there are usually too many people for me, and a lot of times they are going someplace I don't particularly are about eating.  Tonight was an exception.  Although I had no particular desire to go there, several of them wanted to go to Twin Peaks.  I hadn't been, was curious, and mainly just wanted to see how it would play out. 

Now we were going into hetero central, a bastion of chest-beating machismo with a side order of mild sexism, so I was trying to kind of fly under the radar.  I wore cut-off khakis and white t-shirt.  When I got there, I met Lee and Joel.  Joel was wearing a bright turquoise shorts and a matching v-neck, skin-tight shirt.  Well so much for flying under the radar.  Now I DO think you should be able to wear whatever you want to a public restaurant, I just also don't think that means it's a great idea to actually do it.  But for the most part, it was pretty laid back, and fortunately I am pretty much impervious to disapproving looks.  As long as I came out with all my teeth I would be fine.  When I had to admonish Lee to get his hands off Joel's nipples, though, I pretty much just cast my lot to the wind and decided to let it play out.

It's unusual for me to feel that I'm somewhere I feel I shouldn't be these days.  There is a unique feeling of  'other' for a gay man breaching a 'guy place'.  It's hard to describe.  It was a feeling I lived with in high school, but it's not a great feeling, and not one I relish.  So I don't seek it out, usually.  But I had a bunch of friends with me, there were some hot guys there, and there was also the thrill of doing something that wasn't a great idea.  I like that.  I have to say, it wasn't nearly as weird as I thought it was going to be.  I mean, basically it's just a restaurant, right? 

Our server (although overloaded with tables) was sweet as she could be, and cute as a button.  She wasn't the best pre-busser in the world, but they had her picking up tables out of her section.  The menu was limited, but the food isn't really the draw, right?  I had already looked at it online.  The food was acceptable.  It wasn't great or awful.  It was fine.  As I say, the food isn't really the draw.  I had fried trout and fries.  Brian had the worst experience with the comestibles.  He found a hair in his food and in his drink.  To make things worse, he had to pull the one that came in his drink out of his mouth.  He was underwhelmed, and I can't say that I blamed him.  But then we weren't exactly going to become regulars anyway, right?  My biggest complaint was that they seated us at a bistro table (which I hate) on bar stools to eat.  By the end of the meal my back was killing me. 

Russ came in in a bad mood, and that didn't really improve a whole lot.  I ended up getting (mildly) into it with him, and said something about their moving on.  It was a bad thing to say at all, and a completely wrong place to say it.  Sigh.  But overall, it was good to see everyone and to get out.  I hadn't been out with them in a while, so it was good that I went.  Besides, they are going to some bacon place next week, and I know I won't be going to that. 

A post in which I devour hot dogs

I came home after work, put a load of laundry in, and made chili.  I make excellent hot dog chili.  When it was done I had glorious Southern dogs slathered with mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, chili, slaw, and onions.  YUM.

For good measure, I put together a marinated vegetable salad for lunches.  It goes together in a snap, is tasty, and isn't too horribly unhealthy:

Marinated Vegetable Salad


1 can French-cut green beans

1 can little early party peas

½ cup onion finely minced

1 small jar diced pimentos

½ cup or so finely chopped celery

1 can diced water chestnuts

1 cup cider vinegar

½ cup light oil such as canola or safflower

½ cup sugar

Generous sprinkle of Italian seasoning blend (or a ½ teaspoon each of basil, oregano, thyme, and good healthy pinch of rosemary)

Drain all vegetables well. Dump all except peas in a bowl. I usually leave the peas out for now because they’ll mush up if you stir them too much.

In a smaller bowl, whisk vigorously to combine vinegar and sugar. Continuing to whisk, add the oil in a thread about the size of a pencil lead. This will help it to integrate. The sugar will help also, acting a bit as an emulsifier. Sprinkle the herbs over the top of the dressing and whisk them in, then pour the dressing over the vegetables. Stir to combine, then add peas. Gently fold the peas in, and leave it alone for an hour or two. Keeps well for a week or so in the fridge. Stir gently before serving.

Tonight, for a change of pace, I threw in some shoepeg corn for added crunch. 

A post in which Blogger has pissed me off

Folks, the freakin website is broken, and I can't enter new posts. Sorry. Until they fix it I'm stuck.

A post in which I am back in the saddle

So after all the kerfuffle of last week, re-entry into the workosphere was pretty quiet today.  Jeffrey finished the US short form on time, and I was able to get the Canadian slides finished, approved, and distributed. 

Since there was no food in the house, I went grocery shopping tonight and bought the makings for hot dogs.  It's that time of year. 

A post in which it is the long road home*

I slept pretty well.  Better than I thought I would.  When I woke up, folks were already stirring.  It was the start of another pretty day (aside from spits of rain, we've had unusually pretty weather for the trip), but I really felt like I needed to get moving.  I don't travel light, and had stuff strewn all over the house to gather up.  I'd had the foresight to get my toiletries out of the bedroom last night so I could get ready this morning, and proceeded to do so.  Rob was up in time for me to get all the stuff out of the bedroom.

The rest of the gang were going to the flea market today, which has become another tradition, but the traffic back after a holiday weekend is always awful.  I wanted to get out in time to beat it, and hopefully have a little downtime before I had to go to bed. 

About the time I was ready to mobilize, Miss Kat and Dana were up.  We decided to go for breakfast on our way out of town.  Since we'd had such a good experience yesterday, we just went back to Perkins.  It was just as nice today, and I really enjoyed nabbing some more time with them.  Miss Kat allowed me to buy breakfast for them.  I am always trying to find ways to do a little something for them.  Miss Kat has mentored me through so much garbage in my head, and they were so good to me during treatment.  Dana has always been gracious about sharing Miss Kat time with me.  I feel like I owe them more than I can ever re-pay, but they usually won't allow me to do anything for them in return.  It was especially nice to be able to do that today. 

And then we hit the road.  Ugh.  The traffic, always bad, was worse today.  The wrecks apparently started early, and things slowed to a crawl.  Mile after mile I spent creeping along, bumper to bumper.  I thought once I got off of highway 95 it would get better, but the back-up on 95 actually proceeded onto the exit and around onto highway 26.  It was excruciating, but there was nothing to do but wait.  A four hour drive took six and a half hours.  Boy was I GLAD to be home. 

So I had been playing with my phone because the traffic was so vile.  A guy I've been chasing for some time hit me up when I got home.  I had just finished unpacking, cleaning up the (epically loaded) catbox and destroyed bathroom, and stepped out of the shower when I got the all clear to come see him.  There was (yet another) storm moving in, which squicked my phone AND the computer out, but when I got there it was completely worth it. 

Afterwards, I was pretty relaxed.  I had felt the tension coming back on the drive home, but it was a really great end to a nice vacation.  I got home, made a smakerel of supper, and gratefully turned in. 

A post in which it is the big day

So I slept pretty well this morning.  When I woke up, I was in no hurry to get up.  One, I was losing my bedroom tonight to Rob, because Jo Ann's guy Dan was coming in: and two, I figured no one would be up for hours anyway, so there was really no point in leaping out of bed.  I had signed on to my computer and was lounging around like a maharini when Billy tapped on the door to tell me we were going to breakfast - super! 

Russ, Billy, Logan, Miss Kat, Dana, and I headed for the local Perkins.  Now I hadn't been too impressed with the Perkins in Greenville, but it was nice to be out with the gang.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  Our server was super nice, all our orders were right, and my food was really good.  They even made Miss Kat's eggs the way she likes them, and that hardly ever happens. 

We headed back to the house and relaxed for a while before heading out to the pool.  We watched movies, hung out, and relaxed.  There was discussion of a cook-out for lunch, but because breakfast had been late and large, we didn't really get around to that.

While we were lounging around in the house, Jo Ann overheard that my phone was having issues, and that I was waiting for Billy to upgrade.  "I've got a Thunderbolt I'm not using that you can have." she said.  Jo Ann is an early adopter too, so she didn't need it any longer.  I am not proud.  At all.  So I accepted it with profuse thanks.  I can hardly wait to have it activated!  Woo HOO!

We were in the pool with cocktails when Marty and Petal arrived.  They changed and headed out as Dana, Rob and I went out to get the shrimp for the Low Country Boil.  I went out with them to run errands and get the rest of the stuff for supper.

About the time we got back, Dan came in.  Now Dan is Jo Ann's guy, and I hadn't met him before, although I have heard an awful lot about him.  At first glance, he was a fairly standard-looking guy.  But then he hits you with those eyes.  He has intense light-blue eyes that are kind of like being pierced by twin lasers.  After being skewered, I was like "OK, now I get it."  He was here to see Jo Ann, and that's fine, but he was cordial to everyone else.  I didn't interact with him that much, but he seemed nice. 

When we got back we all relaxed before starting hors d'oeuvres and cocktails on the fabulous porch.  The boil was prepared, and the feast began.  The weather has been cool enought that it was enjoyable to sit outside, so I had the first plate outside with folks on the porch, and then moved indoors for the second plate.  Jo Ann, being Jo Ann, had made me my own separate boil (without sausage).  It's very sweet of her to do it, but I hate for her to go to the trouble when she already has a house full of people to deal with. 

So after we ate, it was time for more relaxing and lying around.  We watched some movies, and played on our relative electronic pacifiers.  It has been a good trip, and a nice visit.  I have really enjoyed seeing everyone.  It's kind of sad that it's all over tomorrow. 

A post in which it is vacation*

Ah, glorious vacation.  The sweet surcease of toil that is all too rare.  I woke up today prepared to be a soap bubble.  As it turned out though, the fates had other things to strew in my path first. 

My smart phone is working just fine.  I was hooked in to the wi-fi and getting all my notices.  I have to say that the Savannah natives were both welcoming and appriciative.  Shortly after I awoke this morning I had a message from one of them to come visit, so I did.  Lovely.  A very nice way to start the day. 

When I got back to the house, Rob was up and Izzie had been delivered.  I sat down with Rob and Izzie for a bit for some quiet time.  Izzie was up, though, and ready to roll.  She wanted an apple, but she couldn't have one until Rob washed it, and he seemed most disinclined to move.  So I just got up and washed it for her.  When I handed it to her, she thanked me.  I was quite surprised.  Kids now just don't say thank you, and she's only 5!  I complimented her on her manners. 

By the time Billy got up I was pretty hungry.  I decided to take matters into my own hands and decided to make some breakfast.  Jo Ann doesn't eat left-overs, so I know that anything from dinner last night was up for grabs.  I made some toast and did a scramble with onions, broccoli, cheese, and some of the rice, which made for a surprisingly good textural element. Rob kind of hovered all around me while I was cooking, which was getting on my nerves, but I got it done.  After scrambling Izzie an egg, the four of us sat down and had a nice breakfast.  Afterwards, I was scrupulous about cleaning up.  Jo Ann is even more OCD about the kitchen being spotless than I am. 

We hung out, watched TV, and waited for Russ to get up.  And waited.  And waited.  Sleeping Beauty finally made his entrance around 1:30.  I was glad that I had gone ahead and eaten breakfast.  Jo Ann was up shortly after.  Apparently they both had been up most of the night.  So after some discussion, we decided on shopping.  But first, lunch.  Jo Ann always lays in enough food to feed an army, so there was plenty at the house to eat.  We did ham and cheese sandwiches (mine sans ham) and chips.  Afterwards we got dressed and headed for the stores.

The shopping trip has kind of become a tradition on the Savannah trip. They have a great Tuesday Morning down there that always has cool stuff, and there's a big Home Store we usually hit too.  I didn't have anything in particular I was looking for today, but I picked up a puzzle for Izzie, since she was looking for one earlier that wasn't at the house any longer.  I also picked up a 10" ceramic non-stick sautee pan (I have despaired of finding one of the down market GreenPans from Target in the regular size - I have a big one, a small one, and a wok, but not the standard 10" size, aggravatingly).  I don't know how it will work, but it is sparkly blue on the outside and is marked POFA free, plus it was a great price, so I am game to try. 

After that we made a stop at the grocery store.  Apparently Jo Ann was upset because we had eaten part of the cheese for lunch, and it had to be immediately replaced (no, there was no plan for it, she just wanted it replenished).  We picked up a few things and then headed back to the house.  Miss Izzie had charged Russ with finding her some colored marshmallows, but they apparently don't make them except at Easter.  He picked up some others to try to appease her - she is not thrilled with them at the mo. 

After we got back to the house, it was time for them to get ready to go downtown to meet Lee and Joel.  They had planned to go out to The Lady and Sons tonight.  This was partially a show of solidarity with Paula Deen - Russ is way in her corner, but I think it was also partially because those restaurants are part of the national focus at the moment.  They're kind of the place to be.  Because we were right there, I think he just wanted to go and be a part of it in some way.  The idea of it is exciting, but I knew it would be a mob scene (which is definitely not my scene).  I've heard that the food there isn't spectacular.  Plus, I come to Savannah to spend time with Jo Ann and Rob, hang out at the house, and take some time out of time.  Jo Ann really loves to have everyone come, and attendance was low this year.   It just fit with my natural inclination and social calling to stay home.  So I did.  I can see Joel and Lee (who are sweet guys, don't get me wrong) every week in Greenville. 

So Jo Ann, Rob, and I repaired to the porch, ordered a pizza, and settled in for some quiet time together.  It was quite nice.  We ate and talked.  I don't spend a lot of time with them when the boys aren't around, so it was kind of a treat for me.  After dinner we went in the house and I sat with Izzie until her Mom came to get her.  She really is a sweet child. 

Miss Kat and Dana were on their way in tonight so we settled in to wait for them.  When they arrived I got to spend some time with them.  I haven't seen them in a couple of weeks, and I've been missing them.

But it was getting late.  There was no sign of the boys, and I had been up early.  I said my goodnights and turned in.  It was a long, good day.