Mostly In The Kitchen
This is one of my favorite kitchen utensils: an old wooden spoon that Philip may have found somewhere or- I don't really know how I came to have it, only that it is perfect for sauces and beans. Not soup. Not sautes. Sauces and beans. I wonder if the spoon resents being pigeon holed into specific kitchen tasks? Well, if you have no arms how can you be expected to golf? That's my response.
I have been wanting to learn to make Mexican food for a long time. I have a cookbook that I have used to make tortilla soup that was really good, so I have been planning to give it a go. Then I get worried about it. Because that's the kind of thing I do. I finally did it and the result on the left is what I got for not paying attention to home canning math. The recipe called for 3 whole tomatoes. I used a quart of my home canned tomato sauce. 1 quart of home canned tomato sauce = 15 million tomatoes. So, I had a brilliant moment and made a roux and added a small amount of the the concentrated sauce mixed with water to it and it came out perfect. PERFECT. 
This is my favorite baking sheet. Due to an unfortunate stove-top incident this week it is now my only baking sheet. The other one was coated with a questionable non-stick chemical coat which the incident managed to toast and curl up and to make a long story short- I am probably actually finally really sterile! This favorite baking sheet is coated with layer upon layer of baked on meat juices from years of use in a bachelor household in which much meat was consumed. At first I was grossed out and then I discovered its magic powers and I am now in search of another heavy steel baking sheet already cured by the juices of less fortunate beasts than myself.
My cats are almost a year old. They cost us a couple thousand dollars to keep them from dying when we adopted them but every single day they make me laugh and they make me happy. I might have to sell my Vespa because of them- but look at how much they complement my unfinished quilt! What you never get to see which is insufferably cute is how Max scoops Pippa up at every opportunity and holds her prisoner in his lap or under his covers to snuggle with at bed time and she just lets him. She senses the futility of resisting his abundant love. She doesn't let me get away with the same stuff. Max still thinks Ozark is the best cat that ever lived and died but Pippa is almost as good.
So listen, would you all please subscribe to my RSS feed? Please? Is there any way I can tempt every single one of you to press the button in my header to help it seem like I'm kind of popular? If I put naked pictures of women on this blog would you do it? What about sweet pictures of puppies that will make you want to have your very own litter of them instantly? What if I promise to shower you with optimism day and night? What if I promise to show you pictures of my feet more often? I know how popular my foot portraits are!! C'mon... what will it take to get all of you to add me to your list?
I'm aware that asking this is pandering. Grown up dignifired people do not pander. Not unless they are pimps. Or prostitutes. Or salesmen. Or corporations. Or really pathetic.
Obviously I am none of those things.
But I felt pathetically sad today to finally have access to my feedburner account only to find that only 56 people are signed up to get my feed. I expected at least 60 subscribers! An acquaintence of mine just revealed that she can only read my blog once in a while because I am so depressing and dark and plaster my universe with negativity. All true. True. I'm sorry to say that this has always been the case with me and my social universe. I give friends headaches. I make them think too much. I make them uncomfortable. I trail calamity behind me like a safety blanket.
The weird thing? As dark as my head gets a lot, I am a pretty optimistic person. No, I'm serious. Stop laughing! You don't actually know everything that is going on right now because I am not at liberty to disclose my most recent deft dive into misfortune but the funny thing is that I have not felt this optimistic about life for years. I am coming as close to happy as I've been in over three years. A few adjustments and we're going to be in a very good place.
Being mentally ill, being married to a mentally ill man, and having a mentally ill child makes life interestingly dark and opressive at times, but we enjoy the little details of life better than almost all people we know. Because there are times when that's all we have. A really good Airhead for desert...a carrot from the garden...hanging up on a creditor triumphantly...we live for these simple joys.
This has been a really good week. It really has. I worked 14 days in a row and I had today off. I spent it drinking coffee with a good friend and holding her insanely cute puppy. I was free to stay up late and sleep in. Gorgeous! I made excellent food and was so proud of my newly discovered kitchen skill. I was enjoying all my odd old kitchen tools. I have been learning to budget and though I'm not so good at it yet, I'm improving every day. It feels good to not be the bills person. Philip has been working on our taxes and doing them by himself is a first in the sixteen years we've been married. Men doing the family finances, it turns out, is pretty sexy.
Life is a constant balancing act between the light and the dark and I like to report it as it comes.
Speaking of readers, I just started my own for the first time ever. I used to prefer to check out each blog as I'm in the mood. However, I've been getting behind on all of your blogs because of my schedule- I don't have the same time slot I used to have to peruse blogs at liesure. It isn't that I don't have any time to read them, but I don't feel like clicking on everyone to see who's posted. So I finally understand the charm of blog readers. And now I have one. And if you're here I probably already have you on it. I'm finding lots of cool new blogs to read too.
The next task is to figure out how the hell to make links in movable type. I can't seem to get it right. Can you tell I'm still trying to learn how to use my new blog? Dang, it is so much more complicated than my old format.
I have to go write my FAQ's now. And check the potatoes in the oven. Have a great week-end everyone!
So listen, would you all please subscribe to my RSS feed? Please? Is there any way I can tempt every single one of you to press the button in my header to help it seem like I'm kind of popular? If I put naked pictures of women on this blog would you do it? What about sweet pictures of puppies that will make you want to have your very own litter of them instantly? What if I promise to shower you with optimism day and night? What if I promise to show you pictures of my feet more often? I know how popular my foot portraits are!! C'mon... what will it take to get all of you to add me to your list?
I'm aware that asking this is pandering. Grown up dignifired people do not pander. Not unless they are pimps. Or prostitutes. Or salesmen. Or corporations. Or really pathetic.
Obviously I am none of those things.
But I felt pathetically sad today to finally have access to my feedburner account only to find that only 56 people are signed up to get my feed. I expected at least 60 subscribers! An acquaintence of mine just revealed that she can only read my blog once in a while because I am so depressing and dark and plaster my universe with negativity. All true. True. I'm sorry to say that this has always been the case with me and my social universe. I give friends headaches. I make them think too much. I make them uncomfortable. I trail calamity behind me like a safety blanket.
The weird thing? As dark as my head gets a lot, I am a pretty optimistic person. No, I'm serious. Stop laughing! You don't actually know everything that is going on right now because I am not at liberty to disclose my most recent deft dive into misfortune but the funny thing is that I have not felt this optimistic about life for years. I am coming as close to happy as I've been in over three years. A few adjustments and we're going to be in a very good place.
Being mentally ill, being married to a mentally ill man, and having a mentally ill child makes life interestingly dark and opressive at times, but we enjoy the little details of life better than almost all people we know. Because there are times when that's all we have. A really good Airhead for desert...a carrot from the garden...hanging up on a creditor triumphantly...we live for these simple joys.
This has been a really good week. It really has. I worked 14 days in a row and I had today off. I spent it drinking coffee with a good friend and holding her insanely cute puppy. I was free to stay up late and sleep in. Gorgeous! I made excellent food and was so proud of my newly discovered kitchen skill. I was enjoying all my odd old kitchen tools. I have been learning to budget and though I'm not so good at it yet, I'm improving every day. It feels good to not be the bills person. Philip has been working on our taxes and doing them by himself is a first in the sixteen years we've been married. Men doing the family finances, it turns out, is pretty sexy.
Life is a constant balancing act between the light and the dark and I like to report it as it comes.
Speaking of readers, I just started my own for the first time ever. I used to prefer to check out each blog as I'm in the mood. However, I've been getting behind on all of your blogs because of my schedule- I don't have the same time slot I used to have to peruse blogs at liesure. It isn't that I don't have any time to read them, but I don't feel like clicking on everyone to see who's posted. So I finally understand the charm of blog readers. And now I have one. And if you're here I probably already have you on it. I'm finding lots of cool new blogs to read too.
The next task is to figure out how the hell to make links in movable type. I can't seem to get it right. Can you tell I'm still trying to learn how to use my new blog? Dang, it is so much more complicated than my old format.
I have to go write my FAQ's now. And check the potatoes in the oven. Have a great week-end everyone!
Comments (14)
I'm already subscribed. Because I like to look at my bloglines and either feel excited or overwhelmed, depending on the day.
Posted by Blaize | February 6, 2009 6:55 PM
Posted on February 6, 2009 18:55
Yay! Because maybe knowing that you are subscribed to my blog makes up for the other losers who aren't! (Ya, I know, totally immature.) I subscribed to yours too! And I'm happy because you don't post a lot and I was in the habit of checking every single day, sometimes twice, like a complete dork, and then because I felt so dorky I stopped checking as often and then I always miss when you do post.
Thank you Blaize. I feel better now.
Posted by angelina | February 6, 2009 6:58 PM
Posted on February 6, 2009 18:58
So, Angelina do I show up on your RSS? I used to be subscribed but it won't let me update to your new site. Can't seem to delete the old feed and add the new one. When I try to add you it tells me I am already subscribed. I know nothing about this computer stuff.
I have to tell you while I don't always comment I do read you, sometimes several times a day...to read the comments too. I am always amazed at how open you are and how I find myself thinking yeah me too.
Robin
Posted by robin | February 6, 2009 7:26 PM
Posted on February 6, 2009 19:26
Help! I a complete idiot when it comes to these types of things. I click on the button for subscribe and then it asks me what reader or something, my yahoo, bloglines etc. Do I have to sign up somewhere? Love the feline pics. -tonia
Posted by Tonia | February 7, 2009 8:05 AM
Posted on February 7, 2009 08:05
Of course I'm subscribed in bloglines! Yahoo. I subscribed the second I heard about the new feed and read every entry whether I comment or not!
Posted by pam | February 7, 2009 8:22 AM
Posted on February 7, 2009 08:22
I'm subscribing via bloglines too, it makes it easy to see who has posted so I don't get too behind.
Posted by French Knots | February 7, 2009 9:22 AM
Posted on February 7, 2009 09:22
as soon as I can figure out rss and readers you will be on it. My head is swimming in this junk and I'm afraid I'll drown before I understand it all. I feel like rss/readers are a secret society and I have not been granted access.
Posted by Kathy | February 7, 2009 10:05 AM
Posted on February 7, 2009 10:05
I just started my own reader yesterday. If you have a google account it is easy!! Go to your account page and you'll see an icon with the word "reader" there. Click on it. Then there is a button called "add a subscription" and you can past a url in there. It will start your reader. At the bottom of the left hand side of the page, underneath the whole reader menu is a link called "managing subscriptions" and with that link you can actually divide the blogs you read into categories.
Today was my first morning of using my reader and it is AWESOME!!
Once you have a reader, if you like a blog and they have the "RSS" button, all you have to do it click on it, and it will ask you if you want to save the blog to your main account page (NO) or to your reader (YES) and then, there it is in your reader!
OK, now go try it, ok? Because it really is cool. I have now gotten much more caught up on current posts by all my favorite blogs and I am now able to remember to check blogs that are new to me and were previously hanging out forgotten in my bookmarks.
Kathy and Tonia- I have subscribed to you!!!
Posted by angelina | February 7, 2009 10:21 AM
Posted on February 7, 2009 10:21
I had no idea you wanted to learn to cook Mexican so badly. Why didn't you tell me so? I'm a pretty decent Mexican cook!
I know we talked about readers vs. Blogger dashboard following yesterday. Since I follow you on my dashboard, I don't need to click on your RSS feed, so I bet you have Blogger people following you and you don't even know it. Counting me, you have at least 57 subscribers!
Posted by Lisa | February 7, 2009 10:38 AM
Posted on February 7, 2009 10:38
I have you on Google Reader AND on Bloglines. I need to disable bloglines, because it. is. slow. Just discovered the joys of fast RSS pick-ups that Google provides.
:)
Posted by Aieme | February 7, 2009 10:56 AM
Posted on February 7, 2009 10:56
Like others, I subscribe via Bloglines. My stats show you have 18 subscribers there. I may be switching to Google Reader...but I have years invested in Bloglines so I'm used to it. I hate to make a change even when something is annoying because it means I have to think about it and learn a new system. I have so much more important stuff to learn that I hate to spend time fiddling on little things.
Posted by mss @ Words Into Bytes | February 7, 2009 1:50 PM
Posted on February 7, 2009 13:50
I'm subscribed to you on Reader and Bloglines (even though I don't use Bloglines anymore). I did not know that about the RSS feed button, though. Thanks for the tip. And I would be thrilled with 56 subscribers! Even though I am less than prolific, so I don't really expect many subscribers.
Posted by MichelleB | February 7, 2009 3:52 PM
Posted on February 7, 2009 15:52
Thank you for posting a reply comment about "how" to subscribe. I will have to check that out, I have a HUGE list of blogs in my bookmarks file and it is really cumbersome to read them all by clicking back and forth. But I will say that I do check your blog faithfully every day, even if it seems like I am secret "lurker"...
Posted by alison | February 7, 2009 6:47 PM
Posted on February 7, 2009 18:47
You finally got me to get off my duff and get a reader going. I've been meaning to play around with them but haven't done it yet - now I have and you were my 1st! Thanks for the kick.
I don't often comment but I always read, and I thank you for sharing so much.
take care - Jen
Posted by Jen | February 8, 2009 11:44 AM
Posted on February 8, 2009 11:44