... And because food is my undeniable crutch, I went to Penzey's to buy Epazote (where you buy 4 one-ounce bags for the price of a four-ounc, and it's actually quite nice that way!), some whole chipotle chiles, and some ground chipotle chili powder, as well as some more Chile 3000 seasoning. I also scored my free wee container of poultry seasoning (which I actually haven't tried-- I've used McCormick's for years), and felt rather triumphant. Then I realized I was missing something... CAKE.

 Yes, I've been hankering for cake. And I'm evil, awful, weird. I am very picky about my cake. I don't mean to be, but each time I spend good money eating crappy, nasty, no-good food, the less time & money I want to spend, period.
 So I am happy to report that when I screeched to a stop 500 yards away from Cafe Latte (my apologies once again to the handsome brunette who gave me his fist-- I guess your manners are about as good as my driving, today) to buy a bowl of delicious Swedish sausage-potato soup ( a little salty, but that will be OK for most folks other than me) and a slice of lovely carrot cake. Once more, my faith in Cafe Latte is restored. I have had good food! I guess it's a hit & miss, rather like the Birchwood Cafe (my other favorite place to go). 


 And the bonus to all of this-- it is fricking unbelievably BEAUTIFUL outside. If you live in central MinneSnota, for Hannah's sake, get OUTSIDE today! You won't regret it.

 Crap, and later remind me to tell you about Victor's on Grand-- I totally forgot to post about it.

 OK- time for work. Cheers!

 Today's brain-warp, brought to you by disturbed dreams: we are made of water, music & earth metals. Our muscles and tendons are like roots & plant fibers, our plasma is a similar sap moving through our veins. Our blood=water.  

 ( The Brain-Warp Continues )

Well, shit.

From the book "Deep Water Passage," by Ann Linnea: "Solitude offers the greatest opportunity for the fine-tuning of our souls."

I'm a fricking musician, after all.

 So how long does it take a 22lb. turkey to thaw from frozen, in a fairly cool fridge? Hmmm.

 Eventually, I'd like to cook it before Thanksgiving. I'm going out for Thanksgiving, this year (Lake Elmo Inn's brunch!). Somebody else can go through all of that work & cleanup for 2 people, thanks very much!

 Hmmm. Hope it's thawed out by Wednesday, cuz that's about as long as I want to/can wait. I am going to make turkey soup, sammies, etc. Everything you get tired of, after eating so much for The Meal. Not me. This is the beginning of many delicious dishes that I am going to make, this month. Thirty-nine cents/lb., folks. That's a helluva lotta bird-- that's a helluva lot of cheap meals. 
 The bird is big enough to take a long while to make (for once, I actually need the size to compensate for time, so I can get it done while at work), plus provide me with a lot of meat, and a fabu carcass for soup base. Yummmms.

 And now.. I'm falling asleep at my keyboard. No bad thing, because it's about that time anyway.

 Cheers!
 
 

Cannot manage to muster gumption to post every day, and I feel kinda sad about it.

 Today, I feel like shit. I am sore form head to toe... did not sleep well, and am very aware of various stages of what I like to call "synaptic narcolepsy." Not functioning well.

So here is my UnPost: it's a conspiracy theory! What better way to experiment with potential bioweaponry than to put the shit in our food? What's the easiest way to distribute this? Fast food, and faster food. Hamburger. Pork. Chicken.

 You have no idea, the conspiracies lurking in my brain... I'll have to type them up... just so I can annoy the shit out of everybody, if nothing else.

 Cheers

 It has always and ever been the wood, the stone, the brick, the water, the trees. Sometimes the soil whispers. There was never any real hope of getting away from it; I might as well have been in the dream where one is trying to run, and goes nowhere.

 So perhaps I should just try listening, instead, and feel honored to be psychic-chotic. If I was Sylvia Brown, I'd be making money. As it is, I am making mischief. At least I'm good at it!

 There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza- a holein the bucket, dear Liza, a hole...

 And that seems to be a repeat of my oogly brains. It's early, I'm mostly dead, but that doesn't stop me from wanting blueberry flapjacks & bacon for breakfast...

 Oh crap, Jennifgrr-- your birthday is on Friday! I just remembered. Ooof. Short-term memory span. I will send you something. I hope!

 However, I am glad to remember much of anything, some days. Stress has eaten my braaaiiin. Except for today; today was the last day of my lovely vacation (I was forced to go home on Wednesday, had a fabulous time with Superior Ronda on Thursday, yesterday mum came down to visit (we watched a ton of movies, including the long-drawn but well-done "Australia," with Hugh Jackman) and today I cooked. I cooked allllll day, and it was bloody magnificent! Chili, bread, squash, delidious pulled pork...

 I also shoved my face into an Epic Fail cake. Mum and I were both envisioning something else & it didn't quite make the mark. I simply had no choice. It was my punishment for making such heinoustrocity! OK, not really I was laughing so hard before & aft that I nearly inhaled some through my nose!
  Argh. I mean, I followed the recipe & everything, but it just wasn't... it wasn't chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, nor was it peanut butter fudge. Which was what both of us were actually hungry for. Go figure.

 And now...
 I shall wish you a happy NoRemember, Folks.

 My work day returneth. And don't forget to set your stupid clocks back.

 Pursuit of Happyness: The credit card thing should be resolved sometime soon--  I'm sending in all of my supportive "I already paid this debt!" paperwork, today.

 On the gray side, I am feeling shitty again. I wasn't feeling good Thursday, left job #2 early that day because of it, and ironically (as my coworkers were all happily exclaiming over how much better I looked), I feel bad again. *sigh* My throat is all scratchy & sore, my chest feels tight & breath is a foreign thing, and it I feels like I have a temp.  Plus, I am so sore all over... :sobbing:: I am tired of this! Pfooey!

 Is there some sort of recurrent flu? Allergies? Both? I look back & see I was feeling really shoddy earlier this month, too. Great. Sometimes it seems that I am seldom healthy. It is so damned sad! BAH.

 Anyway... if I can just keep going... I have Thursday-Saturday off. Thursday will be spent with a friend... then mum is coming down, but at least I can just curl up & sleep. 

 Cheers & All

PUSH PUSH PUSH PUSH PUSH!

I can do it... if I make it through today, I won't have to work until tomorrow afternoon.

Ahoy Cap'n, there be rest ahead!

 I have a cold, and it's headed toward my chest. Great.

 So it has already cost me $225 to get my car towed ($50),  to fix just the battery/labor portion of my vehicular woes. The litany continues:
 1. Struts need to be replaced= $875 worth of parts & labor (aka "p/l"), people!! Bastards. 2. Brake rotars are severely warped, and need to be replaced, along with the pads =$247 p/l 3. Exhaust has a hole by the converter, and should be fixed at some point, as this could potentially kill me via bad gas= $308 p/l. Oh wait, that's Weasel= free. 4. Blower motor resistor is shot= $100 p/l. (I need this to keep my car warm in winter). 5. Window regulators for both front windows= $273 p/l (so I can open & then shut my powers windows, without having to get out to put it back in it's track). 6. Door lock solenoid & latch are shot (and have been for a long time- it's what should click softly instead of go BLEEEAHHP! when my power locks kick in over 15mph)= $234.  7. New tires, as the warrant has expired on mine, and the right tire has had issues since I drove my car into a pothole the size of Texas. Thanks MNDoT, for once again not using my taxes wisely. New two tires (well, not even new--they'll be 55k tires... and my rear tires have less than 3 years on them, BRAND NEW. As in, I was the first person to drive on them. Where the fuck do they get these used "55k" tires, anyway? From MY car, that I'm paying $228 to replace & have aligned? Fabulous, kiss my ass. And why is it OK to have different mileage on front & back tires? Wear & tear is wear & tear. Isn't my car going to run funny??

 Where the hell is an honest mechanic when I need them? Is $95/hour a bit exhorbitant? Fawk. I didn't ask you to be cheap-- you have to pay your bills, too... but don't dawdle, either. If the job only takes 1/2 hour & you stood there itching your nuts for 1/2 hour & then call it an hour, I don't want you to put your scuzzy mits anywhere near the rest of my car, thanks.

 Grrrr, RAWR!!!!!

Piece of shit.

 Post Script two hours later: On the upside, at least I have the means to attempt to pay for my car fix-its. I am also able to rent the cute little Hyundai Accent I've had for 2 days, whilst my car is at the mechanic. Always watch for "leadfoot-itis when going from a big beast to a wee thing-- 75 arrives MUCH faster!).
 More good news: I was able to return the item I'd lost my receipt for, with no hassles. Yeah! Three hot toddies later= feeling a little better. Going to listen to Bach & go to bed.

 Gawd, this is good! 
 
 I'm savoring a luscious Austrian white-- Höpler's Grüner Veltliner Guttenberg, 2006. I have a totally useless palette, but what I managed to say in between smiles was "this is a mouthful of joy!" It's a sweet white, with a clean finish.  

 And that's all I have to say, for the moment.

 Cheers!

Holy crap, I would really like to see this painting. You have no idea how much I love Caravaggio. I don't understand the icons & meanings for shit, but I love the contrasts of light & darkness.

Anyone want to go to Chicago for my birthday, and attend one of the last few days of the exhibit??


It's fricking cold in here, I have to go to bed.

Cheers & All