Mexcian extravaganza

Friday night, I made a bunch of Mexican food.

1. Black bean, chorizo and cheese empanadas. I got this recipe from an ad for Mexico in a Bon Appetit magazine. It called for packaged pie crust but I had crescent roll dough in a can and used that which made for them being more flaky but still delish. Basically, brown chorizo, saute onions, add can of black beans, some cheese, stuff, bake.

2. Squash quesadillas from this recipe. These were yummy, especially with the tomatillo sauce.

3. Chicken enchiladas from my usual throw it together recipe: shredded chicken and cheese rolled into some corn tortillas and drenched with canned green enchilada sauce.

4. Guacamole which I actually cut up the tomatoes and onions for, rather than dumping some fresh-made, farmer's-market-bought salsa into a mashed avocado like I usually do.

Overall, delish!!

Root veg. b sprouts. beef short ribs. noodles. jus

Mmm

Snow

Fortunately I saw on Facebook that it was snowing. This is now how I find out what's going on right outside my window. Now the ground is covered. Not so bad except that I had to attend the heinous radio meeting at 9 p.m. and it was cold and windy and snowing and I shoulda worn a hat.

I told Chip I feel like kids in a divorce with joint custody because I go out to his house and stay overnight and then come back in here sometime during the day and realize I've left something out there, like my iPad charger.

Also, I have no Christmas spirit. I'm not doing any decorating since I'll be gone for the holiday and I have a set of drums in my living room. And I'm not excited for shopping although no doubt next week I will go someplace and buy a bunch of stuff.

We ordered two cases of wine from Laithwaite's because hey, the holidays are coming and there will be massive excuses to drink it. And it was free shipping the day we ordered which saved us $60! I still need to order a case to ship to Texas.

Last Sunday, we went to the make-up fundraiser for the Toledo School for the Arts. Then who knows what I did the rest of the week.

The assistant IT woman from 13abc called me Tuesday to discuss what I was doing in light of not having a job. She unfortunately did not get the giant buyout I did, nor was she eligible for the Disney pension so she is more concerned than I about the job search. She's going to sign up for some classes at Owens to boost her career skills. Alas, I don't think they got anything for me. Although I should sign up for welding.

Friday I went out to the farm and after dinner, practiced my guitar for 2 hours in the man shack while Chip did some art guy stuff in the studio.

Saturday there was a band featuring Cameron Bedell at GFT but Amy and I went to Doc's to see the Joe Baker Band with Rod playing. It was a good time. Many people we knew were there. I had made lasagna for dinner.

This week, I have Snaps practice Tuesday and GNO Weds. at Connie DiPuccio's and Lil Ed is at GFT on Friday.

Tonight I looked up a bunch of music on Amazon to download so I'll have something new for my radio show Saturday.

My boy turned 30 on Saturday in LA with his sister and other people he knows who live there. 30. Sheesh.

Still working my way through Sons of Anarchy on Netflix. Watching Cash Cab.
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Thanksgiving

MASSIVE FOOD PREPARATION. To sum it up.

We had been planning the Saturday after Thanksgiving bash at Chip's the whole week, but I still had to do the Delaware thing on Thursday. So, after massive menu decisions for Chip's, on Wednesday I made devilled eggs and baked sweet potatoes and made cole slaw and bought a bunch of other stuff and went to Delaware on Thursday morning. I had been willing to go Wednesday night to get ready, but my mom pointed out I didn't really need to be there til Thursday AM and Hey, who wants to spend a night in a sweatbox and then get up and cook so I accepted her offer.

I haul my stuff down there and start in. Get the ham in the oven, mash and prepare the sweet potatoes, and peel potatoes and microwave brussels sprouts and corn and make gravy from a packet and make stovetop stuffing into which I stirred celery and onions I had sauteed the day before and bake cheap rolls. Upon the first bite of devilled egg, my mom declares, "You know what's wrong with these...." I didn't kill her. You should be proud.

Also, she has no butter in the house so although I had taken 2 sticks, I had to run to Kroger for more butter because Thanksgiving, it's all about the butter.

My Aunt Midge attended, escorted by her grandson Eric, so it was better with a 'crowd.' She brought cookies. To add to our dessert buffet of pumpkin pie (never cut), chocolate silk pie and peach pie (which I had baked the day before).

I caught some of the holiday parade on TV and the Dog Show was on during dinner. I love the dog show and remember that the wire fox terrier or whatever won Best in Show.

Overall, the meal went great. Eric left around 2:30 and then I started in on the kitchen cleanup which took an hour after which I took my aunt back to her assisted living facility and had the tour, getting home about 6.

On Friday I shopped extensively for Saturday. And prepped so that when I got in the kitchen at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, I was ready to make the sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce with walnuts, apples, raisins, corn pudding, bacon for the salad and pear cobbler with ginger chocolate chip biscuit topping, which ran over onto the oven floor. With the smoke alarm going off at 10:45, I was loading the car with crockpots and food. I had already taken out the extra chairs and various serving pieces the day before.

I get to Chip's at 11 to find that shrimp needed to be shucked or whatever, brussels sprouts prepared for steaming, potatoes peeled for the mashed, cheese tray assembled. Which is why I started in on the wine at noon. Sharp.

Chip's dad was an admirable sous chef, chopping and slicing avocados and tomatoes for the salad.

Chip's parents and brother and SIL show up around noon for the OSU-UM game. Appetizers are presented. A 23-pound turkey had been in the oven since 6:30 a.m.

My mom and sister show up around 1:30. Chip's daughter and baby daddy and grandson show up around 2:30. There is a mad dash to serve the meal, which worked out great! Eleven adults and the boy, had way too much food (as Chip's Italian SIL had brought lasagna), including the desserts: pumpkin pie and pear cobbler and my mom's cherry 'cheesecake' and a pecan pie, which we forgot to serve.

Menu: turkey, stuffing, mashed taters, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, corn pudding, rolls, salad (lettuce, avocado, bacon, tomato, gorgonzola), brussels sprouts, lasagna, cranberry sauce from a can, cranberry sauce with stuff in it.

Continued drinking and finally, they all leave about 6 p.m. Whew!

Then I picked up Amy and we went to Kim and Jim's for cards where I immediately lost $7 so continued on to play euchre with Connie and Annette and Jim and finally got home after 11.

I thought I was coming down with some disabling disease but apparently it was just exhaustion. Sunday was fab, starting with coffee and pear cobbler in bed watching Modern Family on the iPad segueing into reading We Need to Talk About Kevin, December's book club selection. Then I did a pilates DVD and later Chip and I went to the aborted Toledo School for the Arts fundraiser. Where we did not win in the reverse raffle.

Although we had done massive cleanup Saturday, I went to Chip's today and made plates for Amy and Connie of leftovers and consolidated some stuff so that there's only 10 pounds of food left, instead of 20. Finished the last of the cleanup, brought home my coolers and dishes and crockpots.

Today, I applied for a web project manager job at Thread Marketing in Maumee and got a phone interview an hour later. Wish me luck. Also applied for a web content specialist job that I had applied for in September but was re-posted. Finished the book club book, talked to Miss Jenks for 2 hours and now it's bedtime.
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Cookery

Usually, my recipe radar is pretty good. By this I mean, I can spot a recipe and, by dint of its ingredients, deem that it would be tasty. So I decide to make carrot and squash cannelloni. I had to read the instructions several times because it seemed so complicated. And has some odd stuff in it: swiss chard, chanterlle mushrooms, pasta sheets.

Chip had made pulled pork and cole slaw egg rolls last week so there were some egg roll wrappers left over and googling, I could see they are interchangeable (pretty much) with pasta sheets.

I Meijered for the other stuff, paying way too much for an acorn squash ($2.14) that I know farm people are practically giving away. Whatev. So in the end, it was not a cheap dish but it was unbelievably delicious.

The recipe was so dense with verbs I had to make an abstract of it to keep track of where I was.

First you roast the carrots and squash and some garlic cloves. Then you brown some sage leaves in butter til crisp. Then you roll the carrots and squash in the pasta sheets. Where I somehow believed (wine) that I didn't have to cook the egg roll wrappers first. But they worked out OK. You bake those for a few minutes with some parmesan on top.

Then you saute the mushrooms and then the chard with it and some chicken broth and then throw in the roasted garlic. And serve the rolls on top of the chard/mushroom mixture.

Every bite was a wild combo of mushroom, carrot, squash, chard, garlic. MMMMM. So good.

So if you feel like spending a lot of time on one dish, this is the one for you.

Plus I made some bread pudding with raisin bread and chocolate chips and pecans that was out of this world. Wish I had some now....

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Slidin' by

Time just goes...

Since I last posted, we had Connie's birthday party at GFT which was huge fun although the Snaps were nervous and jangly. The other bands were outtasite!!

Also I had my other cat put down due to severe liver failure which I apparently had not noticed the signs of.

Plus I had to go take my mom to some doctor's appointments because my sister got a new dog and can't take it anyplace or leave it home alone yet. As usual, they wanted dinner so I whipped up the usual--spaghetti. I could make this in my sleep. My mom said the sausage was too hot and the sauce was watery. Sigh....

The Atomic Mama and I attended both the Sonny Morman show at the Maumee Elks and jazz Sunday at the Village Idiot. Which really does have the best pizza I've had around here.

There was GNO at Ginger's which was heavily attended and included many good snacks, such as my famous devilled eggs and some soups and hummus with those evilly delicious chips from SS6. She had a fire in the backyard device and it was a lovely evening. There have been many lovely evenings lately, for it being November.

Lynn combined her retirement party with a Joe Baker Band appearance at Howard's. Chip and I went out to eat first so by the time we got there, we had missed the lame stripper Donna had hired for it. Apparently it was some skinny tattoo artist who had never been a stripper before.

Also Chip and I went to the Ark Oct. 30 to see Hayes Carll, who was pretty good, but no Todd. Beforehand, we ate at the Common Grill in Chelsea which was delish as always. We both had fish with oysters and calamari for appetizers. Seafood extravaganza! Also a great Chardonnay by Acacia.

Thursday night is book club chez moi. Friday, Chip and I are going to the Toledo School for the Arts fundraiser. Saturday is the holiday parade in BG and Julie's birthday dance at Otsego Park and Reel Big Fish at the Clazel and Fishing Ice at Doc's in Togany.

Today I applied for 2 jobs: web content specialist with siop.org and web manager for the Findlay Courier. Fingers crossed.

After all the booking of flights for Austin for Christmas, now Tom cannot get all those days off. This all just came up today so I don't know what we'll do.

Amy is still laid up. Went to the doc today who said 4 more weeks of no weight on it and put on a walking boot. Although she cannot walk on it.

Right now it storming like a mofo. November. Thundering, lightning, torrential rain, etc.
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Guvmint money

So, trying to be proactive in the event I can't get a high enough paying job to make my house payment someday, I looked into Making Home Affordable. It's the highly touted government program to help struggling homeowners in this crappy economy.

After speaking to someone at the first number I called, I was transferred to a counselor with Money Management International, thinking that I would get some advice on which program I might qualify for. But alas, after this kid asking me many questions about my income and my assets and my monthly expenses, here's the advice I got:

1) The program for people having trouble making their house payments because they're on unemployment is a forbearance deal, wherein your mortgage holder can, at their discretion, lower your house payments for 3-12 months. But the amount that was delayed is due at the end of the deal.

2) The refinance-at-a-lower-rate option offered is only available to homeowners with jobs (albeit lower paying than what you might have been used to) and good credit. I'm thinking, if you are already in trouble, your credit score is probably too low to qualify. Plus, the mortgages are through various mortgage lenders that do not include my bank AND all the fees and extra costs of financing apply, including that you might pay to fill out a loan app and then be denied.

3) I should look into various websites such as LivingSocial in case they might have some coupons for my dining out needs, CouponMom in case I need to cut my grocery expenses and MakingHomeAffordable, the very website where I started all this rigamarole.

4) I should know that Walmart matches any other stores price on items. What is up with this advice?? Is Walmart a proud sponsor of a government program??

5) My current house value on zillow.com is $67,600, although that site also shows my extra half lot with a value of $58,000. Apparently the value is so low due to foreclosures in my neighborhood.

So overall, no help is available to me. Or probably to anyone else either. The kid did complement me on my frugal amount of monthly expenses, although when I pointed out that buying health insurance was a costly part of my expenses, he told me he didn't have anywhere on his worksheet to enter that as an expense. What??? Is this not one of the major factors? My monthly expenses on hair and beauty care had its own line on the form. Sheesh.
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Meat and taters and beans

Gobble gobble

Yesterday, I called my mom. She had an agenda item: Thanksgiving. My mom's sister Midge became widowed this year and has moved into an assisted living place. Which will not be serving Thanksgiving dinner. So could I come down like the last few years and bring all the food and cook dinner for mom and Karen and Midge. Of course, I said. Then she went on to point out that the last two years, the stuffing I made had not been good, either the homemade or the Stovetop. And that last year, I cooked the ham too long and it was all dried out.

Now ponder this: I came down the night before with all the food-- deviled eggs and pickles and sweet potato casserole and poppin' fresh croissants and ham and coleslaw and Stovetop stuffing AND prepared all this stuff in a kitchen where the ambient temp is around 86 degrees AND cleaned it all up AND did the dishes and put them away. Without drinking. And then drove home.

But this apparently still entitles her to complain about a meal, the likes of which she couldn't have prepared and had it all come out at the same time when she was in her 40s.

Also recall that while I am doing all this kitchen prep-- with, let us be reminded, pans and knives that I had brought because all hers are bad --she is bumbling around preparing what she referred to as peach cobbler. If you can call a Jiffy yellow cake mix with canned peaches dumped on top cobbler. Which I can't.

And that when everything was on the table, they needed ice water, which they got in my way preparing.

Mainly I write this to remind myself that when I'm old, you don't need to be making me a Thanksgiving dinner. Kids take note.

Another fabulous cheap meal

Last night, I made this macaroni and cheese, roasted broccoli and parmesan-encrusted pork chops.

OMG, delish all. Now, let me say there was enough mac n cheese and broccoli for 4 already so if I had had one more chop, it woulda been dinner for 4. Cost? About $20. $5 per person. Less than fast food.

Even with the $6 worth of cheese in the mac, it's still cheap eats.

Granted, this was not a particularly quick meal as you have to stir up a cream sauce that you add the cheese to but if pushed, I could have had it on the table in an hour.

Another bargain I've been meaning to post about is Meijer razors. No more $13 for 4 new Venus blades. The Meijer brand cost me $6.50 for a new razor that came with 2 blades. Refills are about $6 for 4. They work great.
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Let's get serious

I am struck that I only have 6 weeks of unemployment money left and then I'm eligible for 20 more weeks. And then I'm on my own. So I need to step up this job search. Frankly, lately I have only been applying to my two required jobs a week, even though it's not as if there are a ton of jobs out there. Now, I need to start considering what I might be willing to do for money. Like be a manager at McDonald's. Or work two part-time jobs, for example. Now, I'm not willing to do just anything because almost everything pays the same as being on unemployment. Still not panicking. But, just sayin'.

I'm surprised at how little I miss the Big. I got so used to him being nearly invisible, just sleeping and staggering around occasionally.

It was a big weekend. Friday, Chip and I made a scallops on squash with a sauce that was odd but pretty good. Doug came out and we drank too much wine.

Saturday, Chip and I went to a party in Fremont with people he had known in high school. His friend Jude Bischoff was there from California. There was a wild drum circle of various percussion that was outstanding.

Sunday was Chip's birthday and we went to brunch with his parents and his kids at SamB's. Where they do a good brunch, no matter what I think about the rest of their food.

Later I had Snaps practice and then went back to Chip's for some wine and birthday over-chocolate-indulgence desserts.

Tonight I had a miraculously short radio meeting. Thus the blogging.

Weds. and Fri., more Snaps practice, Thursday book club, Saturday, the big party.

A job would put such a crimp in all this.

Scallops

Barbie has made an apple galette.

Ginger jalapeno (thanks cheryl) garlic for scallops with garam marsala sauce over baked squash

Harvest party crockpots

Boys playing shoes

FWD:

Sunset at the farm

Apparently I'm at the French Meijer...

Purple beauty berry

Week whatever

I thought I would blog my unemployment-- all the looking for and finding a job, the stuff I did to keep busy, how many little projects I got accomplished around the house.

But mostly lately it has boiled down to 2 or 3 hours on the internet in the morning, looking for a job, applying so I have 2 contacts to write down for the unemployment requirement and then a lot of aimless crap. Netflix streaming (Twilight Zone and just today, Breaking Bad), Angry Birds, Facebook. I haven't even painted the ceiling in my kitchen yet.

This last week I have done a lot of organizing/tidying up/Harvest party prep out at the farm. It is a beautiful time of year out there, with the corn all around and the fall colors and the blue skies. And all the stars at night.

I'm at the point where I believe no one will hire an old person. The web manager job at BGSU was posted, I applied and now they're interviewing and I didn't even get a call. I spend a lot of time plotting out freelance kind of work; this week it's been becoming a personal helper/organizer kind of thing. In weeks past, it was website upkeep. And stuff now I can't even remember.

The money is holding out OK but it won't forever, or at least long enough to start cashing in on my PERS retirement or my savings/investments. Which I haven't looked at in forever because I don't want to know how little it may have become. If I can stay on unemployment for the total 99 weeks, it will segue nicely with my 59 and a half years of age requirement to get my investments and then I'll only have 5 months til PERS retirement. It's a lovely scenario. I hope it works out.

And I don't even practice my guitar enough. Or keep my house immaculately clean. And what happened to my get-rich-quick scheme of keeping up the Studies Show website? And I flunked the Leapforce search engine evaluator exam although they are letting me take it again, oddly enough.

Plus I should be cooking. Maybe with the onset of cooler fall weather, I will be inspired. I did buy a chunk of Tillamook (County Jail (Todd song)) cheddar to make mac and cheese, which I've found a couple new recipes for in my continuing search for the perfect mac and cheese. This one looks pretty tempting.

At least I haven't started drinking in the daytime. Or worked myself up so that I can't sleep. Although I did eat about 350 calories of ice cream tonight. It. Was. Delicious.

At the gym today, I heard on 93.5 that Bob Kelly is doing a radio show again because as he says, "Retirement costs just as much as non-retirement." At least I'm going to the gym.

Today on CSPAN, I saw members of Congress grilling the CEO of Google about how their algorithms for good search are constantly changing and how are businesses to deal with that? Google is a service for those businesses. And however the search results come up, then bully for the business that has passed the Google test. Is how I look at it. How can they be faulted for continuing to improve their process?

Since I posted last (except for a few photos), we had the Labor Day party which was windy and breezy but a success overall, the Swamp which was a miracle of bad weather missing us and the formation of a book club, meeting monthly.

And I booked 4 flights to Austin from various airports for December.

Plus I have all this cat drama. The Big got a scratch apparently in a cat attack and is healing slowly but seems to be more with it and friendly than he had been. But now it's been 3 days since Kitty Witty has eaten out of her bowl and hardly ever comes in the house.

Yay! Modern Family is back.
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Weird fungi infestation at chips

Turtlehead blooming

Backstage for the Stone Foxes

New Todd song

Hey, the last song he played at the Ark was a new one, as you can see here. We're so LUCKY!!!!
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Annette's new pond and waterfall

More movies

Last night, I watched two movies. Marwencol, about some guy who uses GI Joe and Barbie dolls to construct a small town in his yard, and I Love You Phillip Morris, about gay love and prison and being a sociopath. They were both very good. And kept me from playing endless Angry Birds.

Yesterday I watered plants and tidied up some more in Chip's upstairs bedroom and got my propane tank refilled and took care of some business and other exciting things. Today I went to the gym and watered Chip's plants and now will practice my guitar until it's time for Snaps practice at 6. I had some money transferred back out of my buyout money which has lost some value but I remain hopeful that it will recover. What a gambler I am.

Tomorrow, I am having lunch with Linda and Cheryl. Later, some wimmens are going out to Annette's if some storm doesn't blow in and ruin it. And I'm going sign my will papers and go to the farmer's market. And maybe look for a job. I have applied to some good ones lately like the Manager of Web and New Media at BGSU and Global Web Team Leader at Owens Corning. We'll see how they turn out. Occasionally, I get kinda panicky about not getting a job but frankly I have at least 10 months of money left in the buyout to supplement my current income so I guess I can just panic later.

On my birthday, I screwed around endlessly and then went out to Chip's for a big dinner of grilled beets and scallops and crab cakes and filets of beef and salad and two desserts. Many people called to wish me a happy birthday.

Last Friday we went to the Ark to see Todd Snider who was fabulous as always. Our party of 6 ate at Gratzi where we had antipasti platters and calamari and salads and tomato bisque and Sal and I split a giant seared tuna on risotto cakes with spinach. Yumba. The waitress came out and offered us all a free shot of limoncello at the end, this after Sal and Amy and I had split a bottle of wine and then got an extra glass each.

There was a mixup at the Ark about some of my 17 people getting seated that I am still stewing about the way we were treated and should write a letter to the Ark about. Really, some guy was pointing his finger into my chest when obviously, as they finally admitted, I was right. Dammit.

Last week, I met with Jean Geist who wants to do a blog and had many issues about figuring out how to post and put on a template and change her login and stuff. I should do more of this. For money.

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Blue Valentine

Last night Amy and I watched Blue Valentine with Ryan Gosling and MIchelle Williams. WHAT???? we said at the end. What could have possibly gone so awry in this young couple's life together that she is yelling "There's nothing left in here for you." and he's pleading tearfully "What do you want me to do?"

The New Yorker review talks about what a wrenching portrait it is of love, once so fun and innocent and later so... gone. I mean here we have a guy who (spoiler alert) steps up to be a father to a child that is not his, holds a job, refuses to physically fight back when goaded by the wife, takes a beating by the asshole baby daddy and whose only crime seems to be that he doesn't rise to his full potential. Or maybe it's just that she is holding against him the fact that she had to lower her career expectations and now has a regular life--in a nice brick house with a newer SUV and a guy who has some growing up to do. As if all guys don't have some growing up to do. They're GUYS.

I blame it on Hollywood with its on-going misunderstanding of the lives of us regular folks out here in the hinterlands. Well, hell, out there, they just get 'em some new romance when that first blush of excitement rubs off. Here, we are sticking with the ups and downs, well past the five or so years that these two have spent together.

If the movie had given us SOMETHING to explain why she's done with this life: his drinking interfered with him holding a job, she finds someone who gives her new hope, they're living a scrubby existence with no family support. But all WE see is her running into the scumbag baby daddy in a liquor store and being obviously flattered that the gum-chewing neanderthal still finds her attractive.

And the director's trick of cutting back and forth in time, for me, was just that-- a trick. Apparently aimed at making us remember the 10 minutes ago when the couple was in that love/lust period with not a care in the world. I could have taken a little more linear storytelling, something that would explain where, as Amy said, the B was that showed us how they got from point A to point C.

The leads may be up for Oscars for this performance but the award should go to the makeup artist who made the young, fresh-faced couple age over the five-year span of the "plot" into unglamorous, prematurely aged middle Americans.

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Windowbox petunias have perked right up

Monkey off my back

Over the last couple weeks, I watched all 52 episodes of Mad Men on my iPad. It was like when I watched The Sopranos a couple years ago. Like a junkie, I would promise myself only one episode and it always turned into two and some nights I would stay up til 2 am doing it. It was fun.

Tonight we are going to see Todd at the Ark! I am so excited. My main concern is avoiding the traffic on 475 where it's down to one lane for construction.

The dinner at Chip's was a drunken good time. Pork chops, bok choy, salad, mango salsa, shrimps on the barbie, bread pudding.

We roped Kerry visiting from Houston into helping us lift the stuff from the attic loft into the second floor bedroom. Next week I will go out there and sort further in preparation for that room getting new carpet.

Tomorrow I am putting out the remnants of the garage sale for three hours ONLY. Then it goes out to the curb for free. Gotta get that garage cleaned out for the Labor Day party which is 2 weeks from Monday. Later that day, Amy and I are going to tourist around to the Levis Commons art fair and the Maumee street fair. The Homewreckers are at the Village Idiot that night but it will probably be too packed to even get in.

I have a turkey breast brining in the fridge to experiment with as I love real turkey sandwiches but hardly ever get any. I will put it in the oven in the AM during the garage sale.

Been beautiful weather lately.
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Mowed today and raked some more of the pine needle covered spots in the backyard and am watering that now. So far so good on that. Some grass is actually returning.

Happy birthday to me

Miss Jenks has sent me a birthday card

Some days

After a sluggish last week, today was a good one. I took my computer to the Answer Factory because of its blue screen problem and got a transcript from BGSU so I can apply to Owens, Then I went to the gym for my workout where I saw a woman I used to work with at the U who told me UT is looking for a last minute MIcrocomputers 101 instructor so I sent my resume to her for that.

The Answer Factory charged me $165 to fix my computer, installing 2 GB of memory and a new anti-virus program and generally tidying it up so it apparently runs lightning fast although I haven't plugged it back in yet.

Then the bank calls to tell me I should refinance my house to 3.5% and I tell the woman I"m unemployed and she says, even better, because they have special programs for the unemployed. So I'm waiting for a call from some guy to talk about this.

Then I went out to Chip's to unclutter the attic loft which I did in about an hour, loading stuff into plastic bins which, once we get down from the attic to the first floor, I will reorganize into trash and treasures for further storage in the barn. Then Chip made a delicious ribeye and grilled onions and I put together a salad and that corn cherry tomato basil side dish. MMMMMMM.

He gave me a complementary bottle of wine as a door prize which I am drinking now.

On Thursday, we will entertain some people because his friend Kerry is up from Houston so there was some menu planning for that. And I won't get to that further attic stuff tidy til later now because of this. And Friday I have to go to Delaware to take my mom to an eye doc in Columbus.

And now, I'm on the deck with the iPad hoping the mosquitoes don't wake up.

I've had some poison ivy since last Tuesday but Sherry gave me a Benedryl gel that is working great in terms of no itching and it seems to be drying up.

Another week and now it's August

My routine now is: hopeful on Mondays that I'll find a job posting that's worth applying for; Tuesdays same; Wednesdays less hopeful so I take the day off from looking; Thursday angst; Friday it's everybody's weekend so just wait til Monday. The frustrating part is so many jobs obviously pay what I'm making on unemployment, so why get one of those? I really need to start listing what I have applied for in my unemployment chart so if I'm called to account, I can show that I have indeed applied. And get no response other than the automated emails that my resume was received.

So far today, I have done 2 loads of laundry, mowed the back yard, looked for a job. On the agenda: get my stuff ready for welding class tonight, do my gym workout. And it's only 9:46 a.m. so I should be lining up some other projects. I draw a blank. The last 2 nights, other people have made me dinner that I contributed nothing to. I can't even get it together to sync my iPod and/or obtain some new music for my radio show.

Plus my daughter posted on Facebook that Mad Men is available for streaming on Netflix and now I have become sucked into that, staying up late and watching on the iPad until 1 a.m.

Gardening notes

Just a post I can refer to next year about plants.

Best coleus were from Joseph's and that guy at the east end of the farmer's market.

Impatiens from Fitkens were slow to start but look pretty good now. Might have planted them a bit late.

Back bed needs to have irises divided and 3 or 4 lilies moved out to the lily bed. Which needs to be expanded by one row.

Small butterfly bush in herb bed is crowded. Move to larger bed?

Larger bed needs some amendment in the fall after the annuals are dead. Perennials to stay: lavender, spice bush, obedient plants (2), Chip's big plant. Need to plant more big zinnias for cutting.

Move some wild ginger back up to hosta bed up at back of house.

window boxes: started with pansies that lasted til end of July and replaced with wave petunias.

$3 azalea from Home Depot died immediately in the under the tree plant area.

Out with the pansies

Window box refresh with cut rate wave petunias

Welding

Tonight at welding class, I welded the feet to the hipbone piece of steel. Hans the instructor gave me a piece of tube for the substantial spine that will be welded in back of the decorative spine. I feel the piece will be badly proportioned but it's my first piece. Also it's a little tippy and probably will be more so when I get all that heavy stuff welded to the top but I can fun some spikes through the feet and/or put bricks on the feet to anchor it. I did position the hipbone correctly so that if it leans, it leans back, so I can prop it from behind.

Many others are doing fancy stuff like cutting shapes out of sheet metal with the torch and then putting it in the forge and banging on it with a hammer to make a bowl shape. Some over-achieving Eagle Scout is bending half-inch thick pieces of steel to make the arms for an outdoor chair. Another guy has a semi truck wheel that he is doing something to as the base for a table. I don't see it.

But I'll tell you what-- some guy brought in a little mobile welding device he got at the Andersons. May have to make another ridiculous purchase.

This obnoxious guy was making some artsy fartsy piece and it turns out he's the one who did that fish sculpture in the window at SamB's. Which I had noted when we ate there the other night that it was some crappy globby welding. He says it's his trademark. Plus he's not even in the class and he's hogging up the welding table where only one person can weld at a time. Pay for the workshop, dude.

I sent in my glasses reimbursement to the insurance company and got denied and then had to figure out myself that glasses have to be reimbursed through the VSP vision insurance so I called today to get a duplicate of my invoices as the first insurance kept them although they dinged my claim.

I scheduled a meeting with a trainer at the community center for tomorrow as you are entitled to when you join. I want him to show me upper body routines. And recommend belly flattening routines which I hate but if I had one that was suggested by a trainer, I might try to stick to it. Might.

And I scheduled a blood giving appointment for Friday at 10:15 a.m. at Stadium View.D

This Friday the Peslikis are having a 75th birthday event for Michael (!). We were going to have poker that night but Hey, how many 75-year-old friends do I have??

Also today, I went for a walk at 8:30 a.m., raked more of the pine needles out of the backyard, went and picked up the necklace I won in the Tuna Fest silent auction. At the bar: Sam, Bomeli, Kurt Eye, somebody else I knew but now I forget. Bomeli bought me a beer. How could I decline?

Sunday, I had lunch with Erin and Jen from work at El Camino on Dussel. The waiter, when he brought Jen's plate, said "The plate is hot. But not as hot as you."

Then I went out to Chip's where he made an experimental pasta dish with steak which needs some tweaking. I made a peach cobbler which was OK but not as juicy and flavorful as I had anticipated.

Saturday was Tuna Fest 8: Last Call. Ginger and the Snaps played, then Joe Baker but then when Hillbilly Revenge (which was only one guy as the others had conflicts) came on, the sound was over the top as Maurice had showed up so I had to go. I made a Ginger and the Snaps FB page today.

So basically, the same thing. A good start to the day and then several lost hours in the afternoon.

I really do want a job but nothing is turning up.

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Tomato One.

Possible robot head parts

Welding class was exciting last night. Now I'm assembling parts to figure out what to make starting next monday.

Lazy days of summer

Today I cleaned some floors with Orange Glo and then walked downtown with Sherry to have lunch with Ginger and Connie at the Call. I also bought 20 more blocks for my retaining wall planter bed project and a bag of sand. Went to the farmer's market and spent the rest of my money on lettuce and a coral bells and a coleus and green beans and red potatoes and a cupcake and a piece of pie. Now it's 5 pm and i'm having a beer on my deck. Hard life. Saw Jack and Lynn Nachbar at the farmer's market who were with the Peslikises.

My boy called me last night, an unexpected pleasure. Just checking in, I guess. Says he's saving money up and eventually Jess will move out there and they'll get an apartment etc. Miss him.

Yesterday it was hotter than the blazes so about all I did was go for an early walk and weed some stuff at Chip's and read and go to Snaps practice. We're still planning on playing at Tuna Fest, if it's still on.

Monday there was torrential rain which is good as we are way behind on rainfall. Plus I finished the B&B website and it's online.

Found out they're moving Mr. Spot's to the old Pauper's bookstore between Howard's and the Grill.

Saturday was the pond party and it was blazing hot and I shoulda worn a swimsuit but alas I did not. The food was unbelievable: caesar salad and Asian cole slaw and dump cake and fruit on top of cake and smoked wings. Amy and I stayed til 9 pm but no music was being played, amazingly enough.

Now I have too many fruits and vegetables. I better get a plan or I'll once again be throwing away food which you would think I would know better than to do on my fixed income.
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What do you do all day?

People keep asking me this and the answer is, I don't know. Yesterday, for example, I had a walk and then I weeded the far back which looks nice now that Amy helped me erect the bamboo fence/background. Then I was on my way to Amy's to get a couple concrete blocks and I saw an estate sale sign, so I went and bought a big broom and a socket wrench set and some picture frames and then I went to a yard sale on S. Grove and bought a big ashtray and a cookbook and a couple bowls. I had been on my way to Home Depot and Staples but alas I never made it. The afternoons go by fast and I can never account for what happened. Like now, I should go in and do a Pilates as I have not done one for a while and i didn't walk today. Plus I need a printer for my computer. Plus I have this half-baked idea about making a low wall area over by the fence on the east side on top of the dead dirt which I would fill with pots with shade plants surrounded by mulch. For this year. I am reluctant to build the wall enclosure, fill it with hauled-in dirt, plant plants and watch them die. Like all those hosta did over there.

Connie DiPuccio made a good comment at GNO about how I can't really enjoy my time off as I know the clock is ticking for finding a job. Which is true although yesterday and today I have made about no effort in that regard. I should make a daily planner and accomplish the stuff on it instead of just winging it. Plus I haven't done anything in regards to syndicating my radio show or making those Don't Remember buttons or drumming up business maintaining local business websites and Facebooks.

I spent some time looking for tickets online to see Los Lobos at Meadow Brook Hall Aug. 12. I posted some pix to Facebook. I try to stay off Facebook as it's a real time waster.

Last night Amy and I went to Revolver in Findlay where we had pork belly hash and a salad for appetizers and then Amy got pork loin with fennel gratin and a pineapple glaze and I had ricotta gnudi with pea sauce and chicory. For dessert we got 3 ice cream sandwiches, each with a different cookie and ice cream: lemon sorbet in ginger snaps, chocolate in chocolate chip and raspberry in oatmeal. It was all good with a bottle of Cote du Rhone Village which we had to take some home because I was driving.

Today I have watered and weeded extensively and it's noon. I see I have got emails from Jessica about revising (hopefully for the last time) the B&B website. Plus Jean Geist has emailed about turning her novel into an e-book which I said I would help her with in July and here it is, July.

Girls Night Out at Annette's was a great time, good breeze in the shade on an otherwise hot day. Earlier that day, I had gone to Delaware to my Uncle Jim's funeral service and got home just in time to put together cream cheese on celery before Sherry picked me up for GNO.

tomorrow, I have a radio show and it's the pond party.

And now it's 12:30. Weiser out.
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A typical day

This morning, I had a required meeting at unemployment. I had not printed out my resume and some pdf file I had to fill in, so I got them on my flash drive and went to Staples where two employees had no idea how to use the computers at the front of the store in the copy center to do this. So I jammed in my debit card, plugged in my flash drive, and did it in about 2 minutes. I guess THERE'S a job opp for me.

At unemployment, I was certain my interviewer was a drag queen until she started telling me her life story which involved a male husband although she HAD owned a trucking company in her former life, so I guess I'm still not sure. In the hour I spent there, about 18 minutes was about me and the rest about her and life in general.

Then I went to lunch with Amy at City Tap, where I had a Groupon. She was taking the afternoon off.

After that I painted the west side of the garage, having done the back yesterday. It was the end of the Sanctuary color paint I had used on the house. Actually, I only got half of the side done and ran out of paint. So I'm contemplating getting a gallon of Cricket, the next color down on the paint chart and finishing the side of the garage and then using the rest to repaint the front and driveway side of my house as I have felt the Sanctuary was a tad too yellow. The paint is $5 off this weekend at Home Depot.

Where I also looked at concrete blocks to make a planter of sorts around the tree on my east lot line, under which nothing will grow as the dirt is apparently dead. The ones Amy uses are 22 lbs. each which I think would kill me. They have some that are 11 lbs. each but I would need more of them although they are cheaper. Still pondering this.

Also I read a bunch of Ann Beattie stories on the deck. And played Words with Friends with Jen from (my former) work. It was a beautiful day.

And I watered. And made garage sale signs although now it may have to be delayed a week because my Uncle Jim has died. He was 95. Funeral arrangements are pending.

I lifted weights during reruns of Two and a Half Men.

Then I came in here and whacked away at the B&B website AGAIN and practiced on my new electric guitar. And now it's midnight.

So that's what I'm doing with my unemployment.
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Week 5

I applied for some more jobs today and took the lengthy online Unemployment Office orientation. I have been seized by some malaise that makes me sit down at this computer and then do about nothing but check my email and Facebook.

It was a great weekend, however. Friday night we went to La Forchetta de Pasqualone up on Woodville Rd. in Oregon that has excellent Italian fare and a very reasonably priced wine list.

Saturday was the big Snaps at the city park which went OK but frankly, I messed up and we were nervous. Some of us went to Amy's after and sat outside in her newly renovated patio area which was lovely.

Sunday Amy and I went to Auglaize Village, over past Defiance, which we found out is only open on special event days, and Sunday was not one of them. Undeterred, we drove to Archbold to see the Ten Thousand Villages store, which was closed. Then on our way out of town, we drove by Sauder Village which most of was closed, like the bakery. The displays were open but we weren't into that. Then we went to a Nafziger's ice cream shop in the middle of nowhere and had a cone and went to the Green Acres greenhouse on the same road where we bought a bunch of plants on big sale.

Then we stopped in at the Candy Cane Xmas shoppe north of Archbold and then proceeded on into Delta/Swanton and ate at Shucker's. On the way home a monsoon struck.
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Step 2

No wonder I never get this step on my lawn. The grass has to have dew on it or you have to sprinkle AND you can't mow for 24 hours afterward AND it can't rain for 24 hours afterward. But today was the perfect storm of those conditions so I did it. It's the weed and feed one.

Also Kroger sux. They do not have lime Perrier and only one type of canned tuna in olive oil.

Small town goodness: I threw my sweatshirt on my hatchback and left it there when I left for the store and when I came back down Grove St., there it was in the street so I stopped and picked it up. Duh.

And the intersection of Main and Poe is closed. You can come down Main and turn right onto Poe but that's about it. So I had to go through the Walgreen's parking lot and illegally turn left onto N. Main to go to Kroger. On the other hand, traffic is light as people are avoiding the area. I saw my neighbor Don at Kroger and he commented that our street has become a thoroughfare due to people swinging off Main before the closed part. I had to go to the yard waste on Frazee and turn at N. College because Poe eastbound is also closed. I need to check out if you can go back into those apartments at the far end of N. Grove and then come out on Main. I predict alleys will also be heavily travelled.

I finally got all the detritus in my side yard raked up and toted away.
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I framed the monkey kiss print i got in austin and am preparing to mount a new display in the living room.

Week 4

Fabulous weather!! Today I took a one hour walk and deposited my unemployment check and bought some coffee and had lunch with Connie Ziss at Myles and aired up my bike tires. And tonight did more work on the B&B website: made pages but not the ones for the rooms, which will be most of the work. I captioned all the photos in a Picasa album online and sent that to Jess to make sure I have the right rooms with the right pictures.

Also I made a list of stuff I could be doing instead of wandering aimlessly around the house and yard. I'll be getting on that tomorrow. When I have Snaps practice at 4:15.

I didn't end up going to Delaware Sunday as apparently my sister has contracted this annoying nose and throat thing that is still plaguing me after 10 days. So I went out to Chip's and we finished painting that bedroom which looks great even with that pink carpeting.

Friday Amy and I went to the Art Museum for a glass blowing demo at which the Joe Baker Band played. Then we went to see Polka Floyd at the Village Idiot where we found out they cannot play at the Harvest Party which is just as well since the regulars expect to play.

Today I signed up to take a welding class at the art museum that is 4 Monday nights starting July 18.

Bought 14 tickets to go see Todd at the Ark in August.
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Exciting mail received ....

Yay Friday

Although I don't know why I say that as it's always Friday here at 222 Curtis. Or Saturday. Whatever.

I did finally buckle down on that B&B website and sent some questions to Texas but have not heard back.

Today I fixed that lamp in the middle room, replacing the 3-way switch successfully. And just now I walked downtown and mailed my rebates for a new phone and my Sonicare plus a thing so they'll direct deposit my unemployment instead of sending me one of those bothersome debit cards. Now I can finally see the top of my desk. Plus I got my mom some GFT decaf and a latte for me. I emailed the woman conducting the job search for that BGSU teaching job to remind her of my interest.

Yesterday, I cleaned up the edges of my driveway. Could that be all I did?? It turned out to be a beautiful day and I sat on the Laymans' deck for a while.

Todd Snider is coming to the Ark Aug. 19. I already have 9 people signed up to go and tickets go on sale tomorrow morning.
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Week 3

After feeling guilty about not having a job most of last week, this week is a little better. I have gone for a half-hour walk every morning. Monday I painted the trim in a bedroom at Chip's and then laid around watching TV and movies because I was in Day Five of this cold. You know: three days to get it, three days to have it, three days to get over it.

Tuesday I went to the library and Charlie Tuna's memorial service and Snaps practice and then out to the farm for dinner.

Today, I have mostly procrastinated about the B&B website. I do allow myself to watch Who Wants to Be a Millionaire at 12:30 as long as I lift weights during it. Which I did today.
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June

So far, I've done about nothing with my partial retirement. Sure, I water and mow whenever I feel like it. And I've made some new experimental foods, but overall I'm aimless. Just now, however, I am going out to paint one of the bedrooms at Chip's. So, more procrastinating about that B&B website.

And more later....

Hot Hot Hot

Yesterday it was a blazing 92 degrees for the Memorial Day party. There were many many salads, burgs, brats and Bob's homemade ice cream for dessert. People pretty much cleared out around 8:15, exhausted from the heat. Thanks to Annette and Doug for the clean-up at the end.

I stayed up way too late playing my guitar and consequently got up at 10:30 today. 10:30!! I haven't done that in years.

So today was pretty much a waste: I finished tidying up the yard and did dishes and called my mom in advance of going down there Thursday when I thought I could take her to ODJFS to see why she doesn't get Medicaid. Also she has refused totally to consider moving to assisted living. I can understand this from a wanting to be independent as long as possible point of view. Moving in there is recognition that things are winding down. But she's fallen a couple times lately, because of dizziness from sudden bending over. And I know her doctor appointments keep my sister frazzled.

In a few minutes I'm embarking on some dinner: the Nicoise salad (green beans, potatoes, hardboiled eggs, olives, tomatoes with olive oil dressing) and a raspberry tart thing that has no crust and only 3 tablespoons of sugar in it. To go with some sockeye salmon that I found a very simple recipe for on the Epicurious iPad app.

Big storms on tap for tonight in advance of a slight cooling trend, which will be good for GNO tomorrow night at Connie Dipuccio's. Maybe I'll hit the Goodwill tomorrow for some appropriate tea party attire.

I did scroll through the Ohio Means Jobs website today but didn't see anything. I gotta start making lists of things to do or I will be WORTHLESS. Everyone just says take it easy for the summer, but I think if I can get through June without total panic setting in, I will be doing good.

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whirlwind vacation

I left Sat. morning and the flights were unremarkable. Well, except that I got a text Friday afternoon that my flight out of Detroit was delayed an hour and a half. But that worked out OK as I would have had a 3-hour layover in Dallas which was then just an hour or so.

I got to LA and Anne picked me up at the airport. We went to a cantina and had some nachos and margaritas. Then she drove me out to Malibu to see some beaches and I was a very bad car passenger. One, driving with my kids always freaks me out and two, we were in California traffic on the 101. Or something. She is a really good driver but I couldn't help but jam my foot on the floor for simulated braking. Later we went out for dim sum at Bao. Then we got a bottle of Jack Daniel's Honey and a bottle of wine and went back to her place where we drank the wine.

Sunday, we had brunch at Grub, which is only 3 blocks from where Anne lives and across the street from Glen Glenn Sound. Which you old people will remember from every TV show in the 60s.

We left for Vegas about noon and I was a very bad car passenger until we got out of LA and on to I-15. The scenery is straight out of No Country for Old Men out there in the desert.

We checked into the Tropicana around 4. The whole place has been remodeled and the room was spacious and nicely appointed. We had a couple of drinks in the room and made a dinner reservation at Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris resort.

We took a cab up to Fremont St. which is where some of the old Vegas casinos like the Golden Nugget are. But it has been turned into the Fremont Experience, with this big canopy over the whole street onto which is projected a light show with songs and a panoply of images relevant to the song, which in our case was American Pie.

Also up there were a man holding a poodle wearing glasses and an Irish hat with which you could have your picture taken, a balloon twisting clown, some zip line ride overhead, various vendor carts, etc. Overall, it was overwhelming. I lost my first casino money playing Texas Hold Em at Binion's. There is also this part called Fremont East that just looked creepy so we didn't cross the street to experience it. We took this agonizingly slow bus back down the strip to the Paris for dinner. By the end of the ride, Anne had had it with me and my attitude of whatever was wrong with me. I just couldn't get down with the experience. I don't blame her one bit.

We had scallops and steak Bearnaise and warm berry crumble at Mon Ami Gabi and everything went fine until I tried to pay with the only card I had brought for this outing, which turns out to be my AAA membership card, not my AAA Visa. Oh the embarrassment. So I have to take a fast cab back to the Tropicana and back with a REAL credit card. leaving Anne as collateral.

Monday was much better. We went down to the pool area around ten with some beverages from the hotel's Starbucks and lounged around. I got a sunburn just under my swimsuit top which I didn't notice for 2 days. We had some lunch at Cafe Nikki at the hotel, after which Anne went out for more sun and I went to the room to make a dinner reservation. About 6, we took a cab to The Mirage where we were seeing Cirque de Soleil LOVE. It's one of those phatasms of choreography and costuming and music and people flying through the air, all to Beatles music. It was unbelievable. We were in the front row so performers were right in our faces or swinging out over our heads.

We had dinner after at Il Fornaio at New York New York. Another example of how you have to take reviews at yelp.com with a grain of salt because people complained about the service and the small portion and the prices, all of which we thought were unfounded. We had lasagna and chicken cannelloni, both of which we polished off.

I told Anne people would be disappointed if I had not gambled in Vegas so we get $200 out of the ATM and Anne starts in on winning at blackjack. I went to a Texas Hold Em table where I was the only player most of the time. I lost a bundle. Fortunately, we cashed out Anne's $105 and went to gamble at the Tropicana. Where she continued to smoke the blackjack while I continued to lose. If I played at her table, SHE would also lose, so I went elsewhere. At 3 a.m., I had to go back to the room but she continued on and cashed out with $230. A man at a table I was at, upon me mentioning my daughter who was winning like crazy, said "Is that the stunning young lady in the black dress?" I was so proud.

Tuesday we got up and drove back to LA, where we went to the Griffith Observatory, from where you have a great view of the Hollywood sign and panoramic views of the various parts of LA. It was a lovely day. Later we went out to the Spanish Kitchen for delicious $2 tacos, like lobster and blackened halibut and pork. MMMMMMM. And half price margaritas. After which, we went to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which has (spoiler alert) vampire mermaids, Keith Richards, a ton of sword fighting and Penelope Cruz. And at the end, an opening to POTC 5. Jack Sparrow had some classic lines. Including this, with Keith Richards as Capt. Teague:

Jack Sparrow: Have you been there?
Captain Teague: Does this face look like it's been to the fountain of youth?
Jack Sparrow: Depends on the light.

After the movie, I get a text that my flight has been cancelled for Wednesday. I call American Airlines and an hour later, I get a flight out at 7:20. I had to talk my way through the lines at security, waving my boarding pass showing my boarding time as 6:50 while now it's 6:40. Miraculously someone opens the cattle ropes and I'm through security and on the plane in time. And as you can see from these Google results, it's a miracle I even got a flight.

Overall, Anne did a great job of showing me LA while I was not the best guest. Like this cartoon. Her Hollywood apartment is spacious, with granite countertops in the kitchen and bathroom, which has both a shower and a tub. She has flowering trees outside her bedroom window.

At Dallas, I tried to offer my flight up for some of the people who had been at the airport for TWO DAYS and stay and see Karen Schaller but they declined my offer even though some of the standby people didn't get on the plane. THEN we get on the plane and out on the runway and have an hour delay because there are tornado warnings in Detroit. But finally we leave and I got home last night at 8:45.

Today, I did about nothing. It rained all day. I had coffee with a woman who also took the buyout at WTVG. I watched a bunch of sitcoms and this pretty hilarious movie on Netflix on the iPad called Trick 'r Treat.

I hope tomorrow will be more productive.

I filed for unemployment and got some emails and letters about it that I haven't dealt with yet. I have survivor guilt about work. I'm freaking out about not having a job, as I've had one consistently since 1968.

Big party Monday. Crystal Bowersox with the wimmens Sat. night. And then, dealing with my mom, who has fallen twice in the last week, once causing her to go to the hospital. I'm hoping she'll go for admittance to some care facility which I will explore in some trip down there after Memorial Day.

Adding pictures to this later. "Right," you say. "I've heard that before."
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Still flabby

My new eating regime has not made me one bit slimmer after one week. The dealbreakers: not walking 30 minutes a day AND still drinking. Less, but still. I like the eating part, though. It makes me feel good. I still haven't done the quantifying of the calories.

Tonight, I came home and raked up all those tulip tree blossoms and mowed the front then went to Ace and got a bag of dirt and patched some bare spots in the front lawn. WHICH I WILL WATER. There's a big dirt patch out toward the street where that sex offender with the barking dog next door piled his leaves when they were raked up in the fall that is dead. That's next.

Friday was the debut of Ginger and the Snaps at Howard's. We killed but no one will forward me a video of it so possibly it was not as great as people keep saying on Facebook. But there was much applause. Thank you.

Tried to book that room and Beatles Cirque show at the Mirage in Vegas but they said they were all sold out for that weekend. AND when I go online to Ticketmaster or the show's website, the closest I can get is row O which is the next to the top. I think I might just wait and try to get tickets at the Tix kiosk there. Still leaves us with no room. Gotta work on that.

Mother's Day, the kids checked in by phone and I went to Delaware where we ate at 1808 Bistro that I liked but my mom not so much. Although she did an entire 9 ounce Angus beef burger and a giant pile of fries. Then we went to the grocery for an hour where she bought surprisingly good food: beef for beef and noodles, strawberries, beets, bananas, stuff for mac and tomatoes. She declined my chicken noodle soup so I brought that home, still frozen.

Went to Optical Arts up on Central Ave. today and tried on many frames and settled on one and Thursday I have an eye exam there. They have this cool machine where they take pictures of you in various frames and then display them to you so you can see how you look in them, which is always an issue with me as I cannot see myself in the frames because I'm blind as a bat. I have been wearing my 4-year-old specs, as the last pair I got from the local guy in '09 were faulty. Which the woman at Optical Arts explained to me why. Plus I think I'll get those magnetic custom shades that are specially polarized. And I don't think they'll cost any more than the ones I got in BG.

GNO was fun at Deb's. Many attended and I held down the eating to a deviled egg and some hummus and carrots. June is a tea party at Connie D's.

Only 9 more days of work.
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Eating Day 4

It's unbelievable how much you have to eat to do this. I can't even fit in all the food I should be eating daily. And is that bad? Does it only work when you consume every bit of protein/carb/fruit-veg that's prescribed? And does it not work at all without 30-40 minutes of walking a day?

I do have to say I feel great, I'm never hungry and I am not coveting bad stuff. Tonight was GNO and while there were bowls of dips and pretzels and peanut M&Ms and banana bread and rumaki (which might have been OK), I had a deviled egg, about 6 cashews and some hummus and celery that I took and 1 10-calorie nut crisp with crab dip. So no more food today. For dinner I had chicken breast on one piece of bread with hummus and lettuce.

Earlier I had an egg, toast, string cheese, apple, yogurt, 3 triscuits, 1 T. pnut butter.

But I'm still not seeing those handfuls of flab around my middle disappear. But I will persevere. And try to do the walking. My life is so busy.

Next step is to get the calorie count on what I'm eating so I can make sure that, while it's all healthy, it's not 5,000 calories a day or something.

I ran across this from Yoplait Yogurt (and obviously Cheerios) that is about the same thing and includes a lot more dairy than I would get otherwise.

Cindy said tonight at GNO that she and Michael were on the Weight Watchers which has these tips for snacking that seem to be the same thing as the six meals a day snacks. She says it's no sugar, no fat, whole wheat carbs. And she's lost 10 pounds.

Ginger and Snaps flyer.
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It's not a diet

Amy and I have decided to research and implement the six small meals a day food regime. Basically, you eat a carb and protein and veg or fruit six times a day-- 3 bigger and 3 snack size. I'm on day 2 and the pounds are just melting away!! Well, not so much yet.

Mainly, this regime (1) makes you conscious of what exactly you're eating and (2) supposedly helps with maintaining your blood sugar at an even keel throughout the day.

For example, today I had:

Egg on toast and half a banana
String cheese, 3 triscuits, 4 giant strawberries
Half a chicken breast sandwich with lettuce and hummus, 6 grape tomatoes
Yogurt, 3 triscuits, an apple
Leftover stir fry with pork and veg, 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, cup of steamed broccoli
Bedtime snack TBD

I would have eaten most of this stuff anyway except for all those fruits and vegetables. I'll keep you posted as I'm sure you're EXTREMELY interested.

Also, I see I only posted once in April. Maybe I'll post more once I'm out of a job May 20. The day after which I'm flying to LA to visit Anne, coming back the following Wednesday. I had a job interview at Hanson in Maumee for a project manager job. We'll see if I get a second interview. I suppose I should be looking harder for a job but I'd just like to have a month off. Is that too much to ask??

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Taxes, good God y'all, what are they good for?

Absolutely nothin'. Just paying to fund the industrial military complex. At least I get $740 back from everybody.

Austin

Jess picked us up at the airport Saturday and we had lunch at Shady Grove. It was 87 degrees. Then we went to our hotel and ventured on to Sixth St for a beer. Which we had at some rooftop bar and after much walking around looking for a better beer, we went to an Irish pub and had some Smithwick's and ended up sticking around to have some food and then crashed at the hotel because we had been up early and on planes etc etc.

The weather went downhill so it was about 63 most days so we had packed incorrectly but not so bad and still warmer than up here.

Sunday we had breakfast at Counter Cafe. Some pretty good eggs benedict with poached eggs on a biscuit with bacon and these overly crunchy potatoes, as well as breakfast tacos. Then we toured the Texas capitol and grounds and their visitor center and then cruised back to Sixth St for some beer at Casino el Camino, which has a lovely patio.

Dinner was at Ranch 616 where I had quail stuffed with beef piccadillo and Jenks had lamb chops. Six of them. And then went to see Todd Snider and Great American Taxi at La Zona Rosa. Todd was of course fabulous.

Monday we had breakfast at Diner 24 Jess picked us up and took us out for a drive in hill country, to Hamilton Pool. We saw the pool and walked the trail to the Pedernales River. Then we had lunch at Salt Lick BBQ and went to Wimberley, a cute little artsy town.

Later we went to Antone's for the Pinetop Perkins celebration of life and saw James Cotton and Willie Big Eyes Smith and Daiuna Greenleaf and Marcia Ball and The Peterson Brothers, who are 12 and 14 and played some great blues. Watch for them on the blues circuits. And Carolyn Wonderland who came on around midnight to a crowd of about 18 people.

Tuesday, we got some breakfast at Starbucks on Sixth and then took a taxi to the Austin Motel. Our room wasn't ready so we walked around and shopped at Tesoros where I bought some high price silver earrings and other stuff and then we had a couple beers at Wahoo Tacos then another one later at Perlas and after much poking into various stores, we checked in to the hotel and then had a little nosh at Guero's and around 6 went to the Continental Club to see Toni Price sing with Warren and Marshall Hood and Ed Pitkin. Which was of course unbelievable. Couldn't bring ourselves to see Southern Culture on the Skids there who came on at 11:30. PM.

After that we ate at Botticelli's right next door and it was delicious. I had duck and others had lamb chops and pork tenderloin and lasagna and some great appetizers of beets with goat cheese and smoked swordfish in puff pastry.

Wednesday, we had takeout breakfast on SoCo at a little coffee shop and Jess took us to the airport and now home.

Pictures of course later.
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Retributive justice at the battle for san jacinto. This is a detail from a large painting in the Senate chamber in the Texas state capitol.

Catching up

Friday last week, I took $12 off my friends in the monthly poker game. As Amy and I are cleaning up, we discover Chip has left his phone and although I have had about a pint of whiskey, I decide to drive it out to him and he allows me to stay overnight so I don't have to drive back into town on the St. Patrick's day weekend when they are looking for drunk drivers.

Saturday I went to Zumba which nearly killed me and I was sure i was the only person there who had drunk nearly a pint of whiskey the night before. But i did not die. Later that day I had a radio show and then Chip and I went to the Arts Commission fundraiser at One Seagate where they had some delicious snacks and some passable Merlot and we saw Slow Burn and the Jeff Williams band with Isis and then we went to the Blarney and snaked our way in to see the Homewreckers and I got home at midnight again.

Then Sunday, I went to my mom's where she and my sister couldn't decide on what takeout to get so I end up going to the grocery store and buying spaghetti and sausage and salad and garlic bread and prepare it for them and do the dishes and leave there too late to get to Snaps practice on time so I arrive 20 minutes late and we practice Dimming of the Day with Cindy singing and I Feel Good and At Last with me singing and then i went to Chip's where he had prepared fish with spinach and yellow squash and ice cream with berries for dessert.

OMG my sister was talking about some guys she had hooked up with on Facebook who she believes she can sing for at events and get paid. Like she believes she is a good Patsy Cline impersonator but hmmmmm. and my mom continues to fail and I need to decide if she will go in a nursing home.

Today the new boss was at work and we had a brief meeting with him about the digital properties so I hope we convinced him not to lay us all off but who knows what their plans are.

But I am only thinking about going to Austin this weekend. Where it will be 90 degrees so I've had to find my summer clothes which I conveniently packed in a box and labeled and found in the small hall closet. Thursday is packing night. Chip has agreed to take me to the airport and Fred said he would pick me up although I need to confirm this with him.

i'm sure i've missed an entire week of March and it was packed full of activity. Oh right. The weekend before, my kids were home for their dad's wedding and stayed here and I was up too late many nights and there was much drinking and sleeping on the couch for me. Plus i was sick on Thursday March 10 so did not see Red Molly at GFT or Larry Garner at the Clazel.

And it was Welders on Sat. March 12 and although I had had the Jiggs dinner with Chip's parents that day, we went to Howard's around 9 and the crowd was huge and finally my kids showed up with my car and after showing them to Miss Oates, we came back here and drank whiskey until 4 a.m. while discussing the origin of man in America and the 911 plane crashes and many other important topics.

Sunday the kids had brunch with their dad and new family and then later that day we went to Chip's for dinner where he made a delicious osso bucco and seared ahi tuna and i made the white trash apple dumplings and much wine was drunk and i still had to go to work monday after sleeping on the couch again.

Also, March 8 we played cards at Kim and Jim's which was a fun time. More whiskey drinking but I still won some cash.
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Music news

Bu Googling endlessly, I have divined that Buddy Guy is the closer at the Madison Ribberfest on Saturday. Earlier that day, Ray Fuller and the Bluesrockers play and on Friday, Davina and the Blues somethings play. That's all I can find so far.

Plus Deanna Bogart is at the Ft. Wayne blues fest on Sat. June 18. May have to schedule that in.
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March so far

Friday night we hooked up Apple TV to Chip's tv and verily, the Netflix was accessed. So we watched Grown Ups which was pretty good.

Saturday Amy and I went to an estate sale which had been going on since Thursday so the good stuff was all gone but I got a rag rug and a picture frame. Later that night we went to Kim n Jim's for cards. Two tables of poker and at the end I was $10 to the good. The ride home was dicey since about 4 inches of snow fell during the card game. But Sherry did a great job of driving us safely back to the big city.

Mostly I have been tidying up for the arrival of my kids this weekend for Frank's wedding Saturday. Alas, I am behind. But as Amy reminded me, I cleaned like a demon before Xmas and in no time it was trashed in here.

Apparently, it was decided at GNO, which I totally forgot, that I would have it in June. Based on me having had it in June in previous years, which is mistaken. I'll be getting together a schedule of past GNOs soon. But for 2011, the schedule so far is Deb H. in May, me in June, Annette in July and Connie DiPuccio in August. Sept. and Oct. are still open. I had October and December last year. Amy is hoping to have new side steps by fall and may host one then.

Here's what I have left to do: inflate the extra bed, more laundry, buy some last minute food stuffs, and wine, and make chicken soup and cherry chocolate cookies. We'll see how Tuesday night goes. My plans are probably overkill.

Sunday, I screwed around endlessly, which I am really good at, and then had band practice and then went to Chip's for dinner. Just as we were serving up the braised beef shanks with broccoli on the side, Doug shows up, so he ate with us, luckily for him, availing himself of that PLUS the apple dumplings made with crescent rolls and Mountain Dew.

My new guitar is very satisfactory. Maybe when I am REALLY GOOD I will get an even better one. But it sounds cool through the new amp.

OMG the Band of Heathens were fabulous! Sal declined at the last minute and while we were eating at Conor O'Neil's, Stubbs called John Doering to point out there was no poker, which he didn't know, so he drove up to AA and went to the show with us! Sherry feels their new CD, which we were the first people in the universe to procure, is dark. But, damn, those boys can play. It was a delightful time.

And Welders Saturday!!

Picking up my daughter at DTW Weds. at 7 pm. Texted Tom about airport pickup but he says his dad has it covered. Whenever they're arriving. I think Friday. Hope they can attend the Welders briefly so I can show them off.
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OMG I'm exhausted

So last weekend Charles had the flu which so many of you have had. I can't even remember what else went on.

We had a delightful poker night on my new poker table with my 1,000 new poker chips that I bought off Craigslist. The guy lives in Bradner so for an extra $10 he delivered the stuff.

Then I worked on President's Day when there was yet another giant snow/ice storm and I had to go in at 6:30 A.M. And possibly I did some other stuff but it was so long ago I can't remember.

Spent Thursday and Friday out at the country home nursing Charles after his "minor" surgery. Slept on the couch. Saturday I bought a new guitar and amp and went to Ron's retirement soiree at 149 North and then played euchre out at the man shack.

Went to Jeffrey's Antiques Sunday and then had brunch at SamB's. Highly recommend. Then had Snap practice and then dinner out at the farm and then hit the sack, apparently so exhausted I slept right through the thunderstorms Sunday night.

Tonight I did Butts and Guts and signed up for more gym through May 7 and have had an evening on the phone with Miss Jenks whose cat is diabetic and now requires insulin shots and high priced cat food.

If I had more gumption, I'd post some pix but alas. Band of Heathens Thursday for which I made dinner reservations at Conor O'Neil's for the 11 that are going.

Cards at Kim n Jim's Saturday.

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Big salad from Potbelly Sandwich Co.

V Day

We went to Rockwell's in downtown Toledo for dinner at 5 and had to wrap it up quick at 7 to get to the show.

We got two appetizers: mushroom medley over puff pastry, purportedly with some cream sauce I couldn't see (mediocre) and duck confit pizza with carmelized onions and a sort of teriyaki sauce which was pretty good.

Then we got the Rockwell salad for 2, lettuce, blue cheese hunks, roasted red peppers, red onions, zucchini and artichoke hearts. They gave us separate dressing tureens and I bet there was a bottle of peppercorn ranch between the two of the. We got the bread with the salad.

Then we had another appetizer: the sashimi tuna/wonton/avocado stackers with wasabi sprouts. Pretty good but the tuna was wafer thin. Then we got coffee and the biggest damn slab of six or seven layer chocolate cake you've ever seen which we couldn't even eat half of between us.

They were having a V Day special of a 16 oz ribeye butterflied with taters and squash for $55 but we declined. Something made me burp a lot during the show, plus I was stuffed like a pig. Plus we had 2.5 glasses of wine each: first a Cabernet which was totally unremarkable and then some Nine Stones Shiraz, which had a little snap.

The show was Delfeayo Marsalis and band doing some Duke Ellington music while some guy from Treme came out and recited some Shakespeare occasionally. There were probably only 200 people in the Peristyle. We had bought the cheap seats on the side so after the intermission, we sat down on the main floor.

Fun time. I wore a skirt and heels and my new clanky necklace and my red Michael Kors coat.
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A fine weekend

Friday night I went out to the country for dinner and drinking.

Saturday I cleaned my filthy house up then I made pulled pork and oven fries and cole slaw before Amy and I went to see Gnomeo and Juliet in 3D. Then we went to Doc's in Tontogany which was packed to see Joe Bob play.

Today I watched Modern Family and Mr. Sunshine in bed on the iPad drinking coffee. Then I made a bacon cheese onion omelet and Amy and I went to Frontierland (Fallen Timbers) and shopped. I got a pair of wacky pants, heavy knit, real slim leg. Hope I have some footwear to go with them. Then we went to Dillard's and tried on a bunch of clothes and I bought a sweater and yet another long sleeve black top and a heavy silver-ish necklace. Then I did a radio show from 4-6 of all love songs for V Day.

Kelly Wicks called to tell me Jim Suhler and Monkey Beat and Eli Paperboy Reed are booked for the Swamp. And the full lineup will be announced April 1.

Then I went to the country and had dinner with his parents. Which was lovely.

Now I need to assemble an outfit to go to that concert at the Peristyle tomorrow night.
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Cat terrorism

Wailers at the Ark

Although photoshopped for brightness, still blurry:



The Wailers show wasn't as tiresome as too much zydeco like I thought it might be. They played til 9:40 and we thought they'd come back for an encore but they came back for another 45 minutes so we got home at midnight. But frankly, it's ONE Wailer and a bunch of new people. Like seeing the Allman Brothers: it's Gregg Allman and a bunch of utes.

I must say I was a little disappointed in some of Conor O'Neil's appetizers, which is all we had, 6 of them. I may have to correspond my feelings to them.

We got mussels (good), fried Brie (OK, not very creamy), artichoke dip (pretty good but both Chip and I feel the recipe has been changed), tater skins (OK), calamari (AWFUL) and the shrimp and salmon cakes which in my memory used to be these lightly griddled, barely holding together yummies but this time were like the heavy canned-salmon cakes we all remembered from our childhood. I was stuffed anyway so I guess I should shut up. LOL