Although it's been inactive for awhile, I've pretty much decided to put this blog on hiatus. Like a lot of other people out there, I'm dealing with some personal stuff and facing some hard decisions, but it wouldn't be nice to explode on here and scare off whatever readers I have left. Better to leave that stuff in a journal.
For now, I have transported most of this blog to a neat site called Blurb. They can turn your blog into a book and you have some creative control over how the finished product looks. Some sites give you more control than others, so it's good to check out various ones and compare. Anyway, I did this in case I make the decision to shut this blog down for good (which is a strong possibility).
one more espresso then it's time to hit the bongos
Monday, August 1, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Homemade Pizza!!
Well, I bit the bullet today and made my first ever batch of pizza dough. That sounds silly, and it is. But I made bread dough a number of years ago, and I can assure you it's just as easy to mess up the dough as it is to make it. Knead it or flour just a wee bit too much--and you get a hockey puck.
I loaded it with beef, pepperoni, onions, green bell pepper, and shredded four-cheese. Mmmm. Once I get comfortable with dough I might just try my hand at a dessert pizza...with ganache, strawberries, and powdered sugar instead of the usual ingredients. (I've been watching too many decadent movies centered around food lately. Ah well.)
Anyway, dough turned out fine. When I rolled the dough, though, one of the balls..became a puck. The other turned out fine and I made a thin-crust pizza.
I loaded it with beef, pepperoni, onions, green bell pepper, and shredded four-cheese. Mmmm. Once I get comfortable with dough I might just try my hand at a dessert pizza...with ganache, strawberries, and powdered sugar instead of the usual ingredients. (I've been watching too many decadent movies centered around food lately. Ah well.)
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Is nothing sacred??
Last week I went for my regular trip to the laundromat near home. Put my clothes in the washer, then put them in the dryer. A while later...the owners came up to me and asked me about my clothes. They noticed that all the dryers were empty--one was running with no clothes in it. Uh oh. Someone had taken my clothes home!!
Thankfully the owners had been monitoring the machines and knew who else was there. They knew who took them because they had the name and phone number from an old order, and the customer was a regular who came every week, like me. So they called the customer and were assured that they'd come back in a few minutes.
So I waited...and waited...and waited...
The owners used their cell phones to call the customer, and I called them as well. They stopped answering their phone, and the owners asked me if I wanted to call the police. I declined and waited awhile longer. But when the laundromat reached closing time and that person STILL didn't show...
I bit the bullet and called the po-po.
The Oakwood Police Department, at least, showed up when THEY said they would. And the customer picked up the phone for THEM. The police told them to "make light feet" getting there with my stuff to avoid being arrested. They never showed. Sigh. So they filed a report and went after my clothes while the rest of us left for the night. An hour later...the police dropped off my stolen clothes with a neighbor, thank God. They were wet and smelled like ciggies, but they were mine. Most of my underwear and socks were missing, but that's fine...if someone is so desperate for clothes that they'll nab my used underwear, I say let them have 'em. Yuck. At least I got back my other stuff.
Thankfully the owners had been monitoring the machines and knew who else was there. They knew who took them because they had the name and phone number from an old order, and the customer was a regular who came every week, like me. So they called the customer and were assured that they'd come back in a few minutes.
So I waited...and waited...and waited...
The owners used their cell phones to call the customer, and I called them as well. They stopped answering their phone, and the owners asked me if I wanted to call the police. I declined and waited awhile longer. But when the laundromat reached closing time and that person STILL didn't show...
I bit the bullet and called the po-po.
The Oakwood Police Department, at least, showed up when THEY said they would. And the customer picked up the phone for THEM. The police told them to "make light feet" getting there with my stuff to avoid being arrested. They never showed. Sigh. So they filed a report and went after my clothes while the rest of us left for the night. An hour later...the police dropped off my stolen clothes with a neighbor, thank God. They were wet and smelled like ciggies, but they were mine. Most of my underwear and socks were missing, but that's fine...if someone is so desperate for clothes that they'll nab my used underwear, I say let them have 'em. Yuck. At least I got back my other stuff.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Pictures: Tornado Damage In South Alabama - WHNT
Pictures: Tornado Damage In South Alabama - WHNT
Take a look at these pictures. Theodore, Alabama appeared on the national news today. My great-grandmother used to live there and I have other relatives in the area. Apparently an EF-2 tornado touched down near the intersection of Theodore Dawes Rd. and Old Pascagoula Rd., and ripped up a gas station. Wow. O_O
Take a look at these pictures. Theodore, Alabama appeared on the national news today. My great-grandmother used to live there and I have other relatives in the area. Apparently an EF-2 tornado touched down near the intersection of Theodore Dawes Rd. and Old Pascagoula Rd., and ripped up a gas station. Wow. O_O
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Spring is in the Air!
The weather here lately has been fantastic. Groundhog Gen. Beauregard Lee predicted an early spring, so, barring any "March Surprise" (1993, anyone??) he got it right.
Finally cleaned up the car and put the closet in order, mostly.
It's also very freeing not to have my arms covered in layers of clothing. Let them breathe, I say!
They need room to move!! *\o/*
Took the car to the tranny shop (O/D light was flashing at times and my regular mechanic can't diagnose transmission problems). The car's been acting wonky again, so I wondered if it was finally giving up the ghost after 210,000 miles. Spent the weekend wondering if I'd have to sell it, or take out a small loan to fix it. Found out Monday...all it needed was a battery! The car sure has a funny way of telling me it needs simple repairs. (When the front brakes were going out some months ago, they didn't give the classic warning signs for that, either. I thought a wheel bearing had worn out.)
So the car's fixed, and it's get-up-and-go is BACK!! :D
(Still have to save for a replacement in the next couple of years, though. Even Nissans don't last forever.)
Made my first art card Sunday night. I thought about making some and selling them a year or two ago as a side hustle but never got started. The materials sat in my closet for months.
But sending the car to the shop made me revisit the idea. I may be tired every night after work, but I can draw. And God did not give me artistic ability just so I could park my butt in front of the TV every night. Now that the first card is done, my goal is to make a total of five cards by the end of the week. Time to get going!
They need room to move!! *\o/*
Took the car to the tranny shop (O/D light was flashing at times and my regular mechanic can't diagnose transmission problems). The car's been acting wonky again, so I wondered if it was finally giving up the ghost after 210,000 miles. Spent the weekend wondering if I'd have to sell it, or take out a small loan to fix it. Found out Monday...all it needed was a battery! The car sure has a funny way of telling me it needs simple repairs. (When the front brakes were going out some months ago, they didn't give the classic warning signs for that, either. I thought a wheel bearing had worn out.)
So the car's fixed, and it's get-up-and-go is BACK!! :D
(Still have to save for a replacement in the next couple of years, though. Even Nissans don't last forever.)
Made my first art card Sunday night. I thought about making some and selling them a year or two ago as a side hustle but never got started. The materials sat in my closet for months.
But sending the car to the shop made me revisit the idea. I may be tired every night after work, but I can draw. And God did not give me artistic ability just so I could park my butt in front of the TV every night. Now that the first card is done, my goal is to make a total of five cards by the end of the week. Time to get going!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Egg Rolls and Other Musings (Warning: Controversial Rant)
Soon I want to have pictures up for this, but a couple of weeks ago I made my first batch of egg rolls.
Last Christmas my parents gave me a 16" electric skillet (with deep sides), and so far I had made Chex Party Mix and a batch of pancakes with it--both with excellent results. Then came a new challenge: could it deep-fry? Turns out it can. Even with less peanut oil than the recipe called for. (I had 3 cups instead of 4 because I didn't check the bottle before I bought it-d'oh!They did come out a bit light in color, but still very tasty.) What's even better is that it didn't splatter everywhere, and my card table holds the skillet. I'm short, and the card table sits low enough for me to easily lower the rolls into the skillet while keeping one eye on the TV. My kitchen extends into the living room, so the TV's within spittin' distance.
Life's been pretty boring otherwise. We're in a transition at work, and so I'm exhausted pretty much on a daily basis. I keep wondering when the excitement's gonna end and I can get back to normal. My new motto should be: "Another day, another curveball."
As for my exploration of Orthodoxy, I'm still quietly doing that. At this point--and I've thought of this for awhile--I'm not sure I can commit to ANY church, including this one. Maybe there's no harm in just going every week and leaving my options open...indefinitely. That's why I was able to stay at Calvary Chapel for several years. They don't have an official membership. No pressure to commit. If I didn't agree with a teaching, that was fine. (In my 30+ years on earth, I have yet to agree with any church on every subject.)
Now...I'm about to say something really controversial, cause it's been circulating in my mind all day.
The older I get, the more I'm thinking...that no church has a corner on the truth.
*ducks for cover*
That's right, I said it.
None of them gets it entirely right. If they say they do, they're probably just plain arrogant. *ducks for cover again*
After 2,000 years...Christians still can't agree on Bible translations, hymns or praise songs, wine or grape juice for communion, open or closed communion, formal or casual dress code, interpretations of Scripture, rapture or no rapture, pre-trib or post-trib, who's going to heaven or hell, etc. You name it, they can't agree on it. I've seen people within the same church debate about this stuff.
Look hard enough into any church...and it's like watching sausage being made. You see the good, the bad, and the UGLY. O_O
Maybe Emily Dickinson had a point when she declared:
"Some keep the Sabbath going to Church --
I keep it, staying at Home --
With a Boblink for a Chorister --
And an Orchard, for a Dome --"
So anyway, I'm just taking it slow and have no desire to make a decision at this point. Just the thought of doing that makes me shudder. (That would probably be true of any church. I like stability, but I don't like being trapped.)
Last Christmas my parents gave me a 16" electric skillet (with deep sides), and so far I had made Chex Party Mix and a batch of pancakes with it--both with excellent results. Then came a new challenge: could it deep-fry? Turns out it can. Even with less peanut oil than the recipe called for. (I had 3 cups instead of 4 because I didn't check the bottle before I bought it-d'oh!They did come out a bit light in color, but still very tasty.) What's even better is that it didn't splatter everywhere, and my card table holds the skillet. I'm short, and the card table sits low enough for me to easily lower the rolls into the skillet while keeping one eye on the TV. My kitchen extends into the living room, so the TV's within spittin' distance.
Life's been pretty boring otherwise. We're in a transition at work, and so I'm exhausted pretty much on a daily basis. I keep wondering when the excitement's gonna end and I can get back to normal. My new motto should be: "Another day, another curveball."
As for my exploration of Orthodoxy, I'm still quietly doing that. At this point--and I've thought of this for awhile--I'm not sure I can commit to ANY church, including this one. Maybe there's no harm in just going every week and leaving my options open...indefinitely. That's why I was able to stay at Calvary Chapel for several years. They don't have an official membership. No pressure to commit. If I didn't agree with a teaching, that was fine. (In my 30+ years on earth, I have yet to agree with any church on every subject.)
Now...I'm about to say something really controversial, cause it's been circulating in my mind all day.
The older I get, the more I'm thinking...that no church has a corner on the truth.
*ducks for cover*
That's right, I said it.
None of them gets it entirely right. If they say they do, they're probably just plain arrogant. *ducks for cover again*
After 2,000 years...Christians still can't agree on Bible translations, hymns or praise songs, wine or grape juice for communion, open or closed communion, formal or casual dress code, interpretations of Scripture, rapture or no rapture, pre-trib or post-trib, who's going to heaven or hell, etc. You name it, they can't agree on it. I've seen people within the same church debate about this stuff.
Look hard enough into any church...and it's like watching sausage being made. You see the good, the bad, and the UGLY. O_O
Maybe Emily Dickinson had a point when she declared:
"Some keep the Sabbath going to Church --
I keep it, staying at Home --
With a Boblink for a Chorister --
And an Orchard, for a Dome --"
So anyway, I'm just taking it slow and have no desire to make a decision at this point. Just the thought of doing that makes me shudder. (That would probably be true of any church. I like stability, but I don't like being trapped.)
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