I am moving to a new apartment this coming Saturday, 7/12/08, and I have started going through all of my stuff, throwing away some things, and boxing up the rest for the movers, and until you have to do something like that, you never really know just how much STUFF you have.
Most of the things I've been throwing away were belongings of my grandmother, who passed away nearly two years ago. When I cleaned out her apartment at the retirement home, the nick-knacks and other mementos that I didn't give to Goodwill I boxed up and they've been sitting in a corner of my bedroom since.
I loved my grandmother deeply, but she was a pack-rat (Hey, I come by it honestly). It was hard going through these boxes, knowing as I did that most of the things I would be getting rid of and never seeing again. It was like I was getting rid of little bits of her, that I was losing her all over again.
I am reminded of a bit of (most likely) apocryphal history regarding Queen Victoria. When she was getting ready to marry Prince Albert (and I have some trivia about him, but that's for another time) she needed the advice of another woman regarding her upcoming 'duties' as a wife. She was not on speaking terms with her mother, the Duchess of Kent, at this time, so she turned to her governess, Baroness Lehzen. When the queen asked the baroness about what she would have to do when her soon to be husband came into her room that night, the baroness is said to have replied "Close your eyes, and think of England".
Sometimes, that's all you can do, and that is what I have been doing. I have been closing my eyes when I have come across something of my grandmother's while packing up my apartment. I haven't been thinking of England of course, I've been thinking of my grandmother. I know in my heart, she would not have wanted me to dwell as much in the past as I have been. She would have wanted me to move on and get rid of the things she left behind that serve no practical purpose anymore. So far, I've taken out three garbage bags of stuff to the dumpster, but I have a lot more to go. I needed a break though.
By the way, if anyone needs some used (gently) luggage, let me know. Some of you have my phone number, some of you have my e-mail, and you are all free to post a request on the comments section. It's easy, just move the little arrow down to the bottom of this post and click the word "comments". It's just that easy.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Strawberry-Spinach Salad
Here it is, the first Sunday of July and once again it's time for the Recipe of the Month.
Since it's summer, and it's been so incredibly hot lately, I thought something light and cool would be the perfect choice, so I'm posting a recipe I found in the "Test Kitchen Cook Book Favorites" my grandmother received from "Better Homes & Gardens" when she renewed he subscription one year.
I have even included a picture of what the salad should look like when you're done, but as ANYONE who has ever tried to follow a cookbook recipe knows, they very rarely ever look as good as they do in the book.
Since it's summer, and it's been so incredibly hot lately, I thought something light and cool would be the perfect choice, so I'm posting a recipe I found in the "Test Kitchen Cook Book Favorites" my grandmother received from "Better Homes & Gardens" when she renewed he subscription one year.
I have even included a picture of what the salad should look like when you're done, but as ANYONE who has ever tried to follow a cookbook recipe knows, they very rarely ever look as good as they do in the book.
STRAWBERRY-SPINACH SALAD
- 1 lb asparagus spears
- 1/3 cup bottled poppy seed salad dressing or Italian salad dressing
- 1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 8 cups baby spinach or torn fresh spinach
- 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries and/or whole blueberries
- 3/4 to 1 lb cooked turkey, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup pecan halves,toasted
- Snap off and discard woody bases from asparagus, and if desired, scrape off scales.
- Cut spears into 1-inch pieces and cook, covered, in a small amount of boiling, lightly salted water for 3 to 5 minutes or until "crisp-tender".
- Drain asparagus and rinse with cold water. Let stand in cold water until cool, then drain.
- In a small bowl, stir together poppy seed dressing (or the Italian), orange peel, and orange juice and set aside.
- In a salad bowl, combine asparagus, spinach, berries, and turkey. Place on salad plates.
- Top with pecans and drizzle with dressing.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
This was always a favorite dish of my grandfather. He loved asparagus and whenever he would go for one of his long walks, he would always take a bucket to hold all the pecans he would find from all the wild trees growing near their house.
I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we all did.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Feeling A Little Shitty
I woke up this morning feeling like shit. I have begun, I think, my summer cold. I also call it my "Change of Seasons" cold, because like clockwork, twice each year, shortly before or after the summer and winter solstices, I get this cold.
It began, sometime last night. At first I thought it was just something I had eaten earlier that evening. I was woken up by and made my mad dash to the bathroom by the need to empty the contents of my stomach into the alter of the God Ralf.
Now, I feel chilled to the bone. My joints ache and it's hard to move. A doctor I know calls this "Stomach Flu Arthritis".
My stomach is roiling. I feel nauseous and the thought of food makes me feel even more ill. But I must make sure to keep some small amount of food in my belly encase I do have to throw-up. To do so on an empty stomach is not pleasant. My mother called it "the dry heaves". Not a nice experience.
I am not fit to be seen.
It began, sometime last night. At first I thought it was just something I had eaten earlier that evening. I was woken up by and made my mad dash to the bathroom by the need to empty the contents of my stomach into the alter of the God Ralf.
Now, I feel chilled to the bone. My joints ache and it's hard to move. A doctor I know calls this "Stomach Flu Arthritis".
My stomach is roiling. I feel nauseous and the thought of food makes me feel even more ill. But I must make sure to keep some small amount of food in my belly encase I do have to throw-up. To do so on an empty stomach is not pleasant. My mother called it "the dry heaves". Not a nice experience.
I am not fit to be seen.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Historic Figures
Wow! Three posts in one day. I think that's a record. I wasn't going to write again today, but then the spirit moved me, so here we are.
I have held an idea, a theory related to my belief in reincarnation, that we can get an idea of when we may have lived in previous lives by looking at our most favorite, and most hated, periods in history. I believe that these are times in which we lived and have happy memories, or when we had fairly miserable past lives. It all depends on the circumstances.
Now, my most favorite period of history is 16th century Elizabethan England. I have no logical explanation. They lived brutal (by our modern standards) lives, they had no antibiotics, bathed only once or twice a year (if that often), most lived in abject poverty and dejection, but still it is my favorite period. Now, I'm not saying I was Queen Elizabeth I or anyone famous like that (after all, I'm not Madonna or Tina Turner who both claim to be the reincarnation of the same Egyptian Queen). For all I know, I was the spit-boy (who's job was to turn the meat roasting on a spit over the fire) working in a disreputable inn, but you never know. I have a great admiration of the achievements of not only The Queen, but the common people as well.
Speaking of Queen Elizabeth, I've always felt it was a little sad that she was unable to marry and have children to carry on the Tudor Dynasty. I am convinced she would have married if she could have, but whom could she marry? The English would not accept a foreign born prince as their king. To chose an Englishman would be to risk creating factions and fomenting civil wars. No, for peace and safety, she had to remain unmarried and childless.
Though I make no claim whatsoever that I am the reincarnation of Elizabeth Tudor, I identify the most with that 16th century queen. Alone. Isolated. Looking at and seen by the world through a pane of glass. We see each other, the World and I, but we don't really interact or have much to do, one with the other. I have such a longing in me, a hunger, a desire, a need to break that glass down. To shatter the barrier. But I also have a fear and a terror of living my life without that barrier, the safety and protection that the barrier brings. I don't know what to do.
I did find this interesting tribute video on YouTube. The song is "Famous Last Words" by the group My Chemical Romance. The video is from the BBC/PBS production of "Elizabeth I". I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and I look forward to hearing your comments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFPlcwwqu9c
I have held an idea, a theory related to my belief in reincarnation, that we can get an idea of when we may have lived in previous lives by looking at our most favorite, and most hated, periods in history. I believe that these are times in which we lived and have happy memories, or when we had fairly miserable past lives. It all depends on the circumstances.
Now, my most favorite period of history is 16th century Elizabethan England. I have no logical explanation. They lived brutal (by our modern standards) lives, they had no antibiotics, bathed only once or twice a year (if that often), most lived in abject poverty and dejection, but still it is my favorite period. Now, I'm not saying I was Queen Elizabeth I or anyone famous like that (after all, I'm not Madonna or Tina Turner who both claim to be the reincarnation of the same Egyptian Queen). For all I know, I was the spit-boy (who's job was to turn the meat roasting on a spit over the fire) working in a disreputable inn, but you never know. I have a great admiration of the achievements of not only The Queen, but the common people as well.
Speaking of Queen Elizabeth, I've always felt it was a little sad that she was unable to marry and have children to carry on the Tudor Dynasty. I am convinced she would have married if she could have, but whom could she marry? The English would not accept a foreign born prince as their king. To chose an Englishman would be to risk creating factions and fomenting civil wars. No, for peace and safety, she had to remain unmarried and childless.
Though I make no claim whatsoever that I am the reincarnation of Elizabeth Tudor, I identify the most with that 16th century queen. Alone. Isolated. Looking at and seen by the world through a pane of glass. We see each other, the World and I, but we don't really interact or have much to do, one with the other. I have such a longing in me, a hunger, a desire, a need to break that glass down. To shatter the barrier. But I also have a fear and a terror of living my life without that barrier, the safety and protection that the barrier brings. I don't know what to do.
I did find this interesting tribute video on YouTube. The song is "Famous Last Words" by the group My Chemical Romance. The video is from the BBC/PBS production of "Elizabeth I". I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and I look forward to hearing your comments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFPlcwwqu9c
Risks & Rewards
It is an infrequent occurrence, my posting twice in the same day, but I've just learned something so potentially earth-shattering, I felt I had to.
Facebook may be going public!
At the moment, it's just a rumor, but my reading and research lead me and others to suspect the site may decide to file with the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) to go public and issue stock. If that happens, it could, quite possibly be the next Microsoft.
For now though I'm advising financial caution. Personally, I have about half of my investment portfolio in cash, and the rest divided into what I like to call "Wesley's Super Six". These are what some Wall Street professionals would call "defense stocks" of companies that do well in good times or bad. They are DuPont (chemicals and agriculture), Pepsi (major beverage company that also owns Frito-Lay), AT&T (telecommunications), Bristol-Myers (drugs and medication), Unilever (diversified household cleaning, personal hygiene, and food company), and McDonald's (fast food super-star). These are all companies that produce good/services I know, understand, and/or use on an almost daily basis, so I feel safe, in these troubled economic times, investing the money my grandmother left me in them. Also, they pay an average dividend of nearly 4.25%.
Facebook may be going public!
At the moment, it's just a rumor, but my reading and research lead me and others to suspect the site may decide to file with the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) to go public and issue stock. If that happens, it could, quite possibly be the next Microsoft.
For now though I'm advising financial caution. Personally, I have about half of my investment portfolio in cash, and the rest divided into what I like to call "Wesley's Super Six". These are what some Wall Street professionals would call "defense stocks" of companies that do well in good times or bad. They are DuPont (chemicals and agriculture), Pepsi (major beverage company that also owns Frito-Lay), AT&T (telecommunications), Bristol-Myers (drugs and medication), Unilever (diversified household cleaning, personal hygiene, and food company), and McDonald's (fast food super-star). These are all companies that produce good/services I know, understand, and/or use on an almost daily basis, so I feel safe, in these troubled economic times, investing the money my grandmother left me in them. Also, they pay an average dividend of nearly 4.25%.
Rude People
I'm sorry, but rude people piss me off! Here is one particular example.
Last night was the I.S.J.D.E.'s monthly bingo. We raised over $150 for the court to disperse to the various charities we help support, and I like to think everyone had a good time. Also, everyone seemed to love my "Wesley Toll House Cookies".
The only downside was one drunk, obnoxious, stupid, and rude individual. A woman I won't name, but only because I never saw her before last night, hopefully will never see her again, and don't know her name.
I had to keep going over to where she was sitting to explain the rules and games we were playing because in her words "I've never played bingo before.". For crying out loud, how do you go through life as long as she has and NOT played bingo before last night? For the love of all that's holy, I first began playing bingo when I was 5 years old (24 years ago, that's my story and I'm sticking to it) in kindergarten on rainy days, when we couldn't go outside to play.
Also, if that weren't bad enough, if I didn't explain to this person something to her satisfaction, she would grab my arm as I started to walk away and pull me back to explain further. That was the rude part. No one has the right, no matter who they are, to grab hold of another person without the other person's permission! Am I wrong? I would ask for your opinions and comments, but very few people ever post a comment on my blog, so I won't ask, and thus avoid the disappointment.
So, let me just reiterate, (feel free to say it along with me) "Stupid people piss me off!".
An interesting little side note here by the way. I have never spelled the word 'reiterate' before, though I have heard it used and understand what it means. I just finished checking my spelling before publishing my post, and that word was correctly spelled (the first time) without the use of spell check.
Last night was the I.S.J.D.E.'s monthly bingo. We raised over $150 for the court to disperse to the various charities we help support, and I like to think everyone had a good time. Also, everyone seemed to love my "Wesley Toll House Cookies".
The only downside was one drunk, obnoxious, stupid, and rude individual. A woman I won't name, but only because I never saw her before last night, hopefully will never see her again, and don't know her name.
I had to keep going over to where she was sitting to explain the rules and games we were playing because in her words "I've never played bingo before.". For crying out loud, how do you go through life as long as she has and NOT played bingo before last night? For the love of all that's holy, I first began playing bingo when I was 5 years old (24 years ago, that's my story and I'm sticking to it) in kindergarten on rainy days, when we couldn't go outside to play.
Also, if that weren't bad enough, if I didn't explain to this person something to her satisfaction, she would grab my arm as I started to walk away and pull me back to explain further. That was the rude part. No one has the right, no matter who they are, to grab hold of another person without the other person's permission! Am I wrong? I would ask for your opinions and comments, but very few people ever post a comment on my blog, so I won't ask, and thus avoid the disappointment.
So, let me just reiterate, (feel free to say it along with me) "Stupid people piss me off!".
An interesting little side note here by the way. I have never spelled the word 'reiterate' before, though I have heard it used and understand what it means. I just finished checking my spelling before publishing my post, and that word was correctly spelled (the first time) without the use of spell check.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Arts, Crafts, and Other Stuff
It's the I.S.J.D.E.'s monthly bingo tomorrow night, and I'm really looking forward to it more than usual this month.
Aside from the fact that it's being hosted by my friend and neighbor, Greg Ruiz, I'm also hoping my efforts to get more people to come to the bingo game will prove successful.
The prize I'll be donating is a very special gift basket, containing 4 of my special spice blends. Well, technically, they're not "my" spice blends, but I am making them myself from recipes provided by Martha Stewart (Hail Martha).
They are, in no particular order of preference;
Aside from the fact that it's being hosted by my friend and neighbor, Greg Ruiz, I'm also hoping my efforts to get more people to come to the bingo game will prove successful.
The prize I'll be donating is a very special gift basket, containing 4 of my special spice blends. Well, technically, they're not "my" spice blends, but I am making them myself from recipes provided by Martha Stewart (Hail Martha).
They are, in no particular order of preference;
- Chinese Five Spice
- Cajun
- Tex-Mexicali
- Spicy Chicken & Poultry
I'm also planning to bake a batch of my semi-famous "Wesley Toll House Cookies", which everyone loves.
If you're reading this, I hope it entices you to come down to Club Paradise, 10100 North Lower Sacramento Road, Stockton, California, on 7/3/08 at 8:00 PM for the charity bingo game. One card costs $4.00, 6 cards cost $20.00, after the halfway point, the cards cost $2.00 each, and for the blackout game, $1.00.
Not much else to talk about right now. So I'm gonna get the cookies made and go to bed. I have Friday, July 4th off, and I have to get all my stuff ready for my move on July 12th. Also, on July 20th, I'm going to be trying something new. I'll be cooking a big batch of my award winning chilli and some of my jalapeno cheese corn bread and selling it at beer bust at Club Paradise for $5/bowl to help the I.S.J.D.E. raise money for our charity donations. I hope I'll see you for beer bust as well. I'll be taking lots of pictures at both bingo and beer bust and adding them to my blog as soon as I can.
Till next time everybody, keep reading the greatest blog in the world, mine.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)