So we got a snow day. Yay!!! Hazardous road conditions. A full paid day off work and guess what? The roads are fine!!! No joke. I lounged around before I went to the local HEB and it felt like I had the store to myself. Some of the most meditative shopping I’ve ever experienced. I also ran into a few other people from campus who were also enjoying the shopping experience. Zen like peace.
My doggies didn’t know what to make of the icy mix littering the ground. “Sniff sniff. Maybe it’s food.?” Hazel had to try it. She seemed pleased. Owen just watched. He seemed confused. They both seemed happy to have me home with them. Sweet lazy animals.
The remainder of the day I will spend cosied up on my couch with a book and catching up on films. In particular Last Christmas. Emilia Clarke. I admit to having a crush on her. She is just too cute. It’s nice to see her branching out after Game of Thrones. The movie was great for a cold icy day. Although predictable from the title song, I enjoyed it thoroughly. George Michaels for days!!! The title song might be the absolute worst Christmas song ever written but I was able to tolerate Emilia singing it. 😂
Lovely gloomy weather. It’s nice to have a few days which actually feel like winter. Would have liked more snow but beggars can’t be choosers. Am I right? Maybe I’ll make a fire? Until that time, cheers!!
Jalapeño!!!
I found these at HEB. Bacon wrapped chicken stuffed with cheese and jalapeño. I basted it with BBQ sauce. The slaw was a nice side.
Chicken & dumplings on a cold winter night. Crockpot meals are the best.
Shrimp with Best Stop seasoning and butter. Look at that baked potato though!! My lord! I need to work and avoiding carbs.
Beef tips, mushroom, gravy over sushi rice.
Super Bowl Sunday!! Who really cares!!! Anyway, we used it as an excuse to grill. Chicken, steak, and pork ribs. Yum!!
It was that time again. During the week our friend the Slovak went back and forth saying she wasn’t going to stay, she was going to stay, and she might stay. Well, Saturday came along and she was finally determined to stay the night. Bekah and the Slovak have these biannual sleep overs. Or what I like to call “adult slumber parties.” What is really just an excuse to reminisce on old times while getting completely wasted like 21 year olds. Which they no longer are so the after effect is a god d*** mess. I usually step to the side and watch the train wreck unfold with a mild bit of morbid curiosity. This time I was much more involved with the activities.
I suppose I’m weak. I am easily bribed. All the Slovak has to do is bring me pizza every time they have a party and I’m bought. I became the chaperone for the evening. Is it sad that pizza is such a weakness that I will subject myself to an evening of reckless debauchery? Maybe just a bit. Honestly though, the only time that I get Christoval pizza is when the Slovak comes to stay (party) with us. I’m not driving out that way just for pizza. Doesn’t matter how good it is. Or does it? I might make the drive. I currently don’t have to but if she stopped bringing… I don’t know what I wouldn’t do for a good pizza. Please don’t get any ideas…
Delicious!
So we went out for lunch. It wasn’t 100% a slumber party yet. It took a little convincing on Bekah’s part. Slovak has separation anxiety from her boy until the drinks start to flow. Flow they did. Helped in part by the fact I ran into some high school friends that had just left a funeral. People drink after funerals. This is known. So we drank. We laughed. They cried. They departed in higher spirits. And we needed to go! After also seeing one campus coworker I didn’t want them to see the mess that would be if we stuck around much longer. All I need is to be part of the campus gossip. In no time everyone would know how plastered my company was. “I saw ****** at the bar with his wife & friend. Jesus!” The tab would agree. By this point it was full on “adult slumber party”.
Apparently I laid claim to the leftover pizza because they wanted to go to HEB to find things for me to cook them for dinner. Which I guess was coming up soon considering we were at lunch for 4 hours… Make of that what you will. (BTW, I totally f***ed up dinner). Back at the house the real fun begins. No longer the judgmental/fearful look from the bartender, they were free to consume with blatant disregard from their well-being. Dance, laughs, and some tears. At a point I begin to wonder if the agents of chaos have a thing against the sanctity of my kitchen. A disaster area. And the music… My poor ears. This went on well beyond what normal people would consider possible. Even I was impressed. And towards the end of the night, also inebriated. I laughed a lot and had a rather entertaining evening. A weird night for certain.
Pain. Pain was the word for the following day. A morning of nothing but pain in my house. These ladies hurt and I didn’t feel so hot myself. Mixing so many different types of booze never has a very good result for anyone. Slovak went home. Bekah went to her sisters. I was left alone. I went for a late lunch & had a beer. Fight the beast with a little hair of the dog. I hoped, but nope. Later I asked the Slovak how she felt. “Great!” Me: “What’s the cure?” Slovak: “Nap, vodka shot & beer!” Me: “F***! I’ve been doing it all wrong”
The Slovak came prepared for pain.
Some sky shots.Napkin or art?
Jalapeño.
Okinawan taco rice. This is something my sister-in-law Connie raves about. When she was stationed in Japan this was a favorite of hers. Sold by street vendors, it was the perfect meal to soak up that booze after a hard night of drinking. Tex-Mex flavors were introduced to Japan shortly after WWII with the arrival of troop’s stations on base. The first taco shop opened in 1954. This meal was first established in 1984. It went on to become a phenomenon across Japan where now it is considered a signature dish. It’s a simple concept. Make sushi rice and top it with your favorite taco toppings. I thought it was a great meal. Talk about easy.
Bekah’s chicken & veggies. It’s been a long time since she has made this. Was always one of our favorites. She thought this batch didn’t turn out all that great. I admit it was a little sub-par than usual, but that didn’t stop me from having the leftovers for lunch the following 3 days.
My mother made her excellent spinach manicotti. We went over to her house for dinner. As always, this is a great dish. Served with some Italian green beans. I ate too much and had a couple glasses of red wine. I really need to get away from these carbs. If you hadn’t noticed, I have been indulging all week.
Alaskan cod seasoned with Best Stop served with some broccolini. Yeah, this looks kind of bad. Thankfully the fish was seasoned just perfectly. I might have overcooked the fish slightly but they can’t all be winners.
Chicken alfredo over broccoli. What’s not too like? And it’s so simple.
This just so happened to be my first week since the Llama quit that I had to stay in the office. It was a real drag, let me tell you. Stuck in the office all week. I’m not someone that can just sit still. I hate being in one place for too long. I get fidgety. So when this week rolls around I dread it. I very often take a day off just to shorten my time. But for once the week was actually rather enjoyable. I laughed a lot at my coworker’s expense.
So there is a grumpy little man that I share the office with. Let’s call him Leroy. Leroy has been here far too long. He was burnt out when I started 8 years ago. I’ve worked with lazy individuals. This has been well documented in my blog, least you forget the Llama. Well, Leroy is lazy to an extent. He at least owns up to it. He actually will get the work accomplished but in the most half-a**ed way possible. The thing is, he will b**** about it the WHOLE time. Non-stop b****ing. I have never heard someone so frequently string together the amount of obscenities as Leroy. It’s almost a talent. I go home impressed on many of days. I share the stories with Bekah and we both have a good laugh. “These dumb a** mother***er’s don’t know a god*** f***ing thing about any of this s***. This is complete bulls***!!!” Bulls***. That comes out of his mouth almost habitually. I really need to have a counter on my desk that I hit whenever I hear him say that. It’s that often. I think the way I pronunciate it has changed since I started work here. Kind of hard not to when you hear it all day long.
The guy seems to think that everyone and everything is a conspiracy against him. If it ends up being a busier week than usual and it’s his week to be handling a certain part of the job, it’s because someone knew that was his job that week and they were saving it all for him. That was the case last week. “This is bulls***! This only happens when I work. They wait for my shift & then decide they want all this done. I’m going to let the motherf***er’s know that this is bulls***.” One day he even went as far to say that our boss is also involved in the conspiracy against him. That our boss makes phone calls to ensure that he has to do more work on his shifts. The funny thing is that he clearly doesn’t pay any attention to the fact that we all do about the same amount of work. In fact, because of is consistent b****ing, our boss has made a chart showing exactly how much each of us does and Leroy is on the bottom of that list as doing the least amount of work. When we first started shifts he got mad and took every Monday & Friday off for a month.
Working with Leroy is a comedy. I often find myself trying in vain not to laugh at the trails & tribulations that drive Leroy to madness. Have I ever heard someone cuss out so many people in my life? Not until working with this guy. You should hear how he talks to people on the phone. Talk about rude. He sure isn’t going out of his way to win any campus awards. Sometimes I wonder if he isn’t stoned. He will just completely forget how to operate on certain days and do his job all wrong. I have to double check his work more often than I would care to admit. Heck, one day he showed up to work 2 hours early and wondered where everyone else was. In bed, buddy. Did the fact that the sun had not yet risen not alert you that is wasn’t time for work? Guess not. Leroy is a man of poor character. According to him he is the only one that does anything on this campus. “Bunch of lazy mother***er’s on this campus.” Everyone else just sits on their a**es all day. “If they’d get of their a** and stop calling out here they would answer their own f***ing question.” In some cases I have to agree with him on that. He also has an aversion to putting gas into any of the campus vehicles. Today I had 6 miles to empty. Now if it was the other way around and he was to get a vehicle that is low. “This is bulls***!!! The f***ing needle is BELOW E!!!” Yet he claims to be the only one that puts gas in a vehicle. The charts say otherwise.
🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄
With all that said, Leroy & I get along and I do consider him a friend. Our shared time w/ Llama was a bonding experience. The trauma of it all brought us together. I now know that coworkers can be much worse than Leroy.
What a wild week for weather. It was all over the place. Tuesday it reached 80 degrees. In f***ing January! That is not what I am after. I want to feel some resemblance of winter. We have enough warm days down here as it is. Finally towards weeks end things fortunately changed. We got our gloomy days. And for once the forecast wasn’t full of s***. It actually rained like they said it was going to. Pretty much elevated my mood to a high place. Thursday & Friday were beautiful wet days.
RAIN!!!!
It’s that time of year again. Girl Scout cookies!!! I’ve always admired the fact that they coincide with most people New Year’s resolution plans to diet & eat better. Nothing like temptation. Last year I volunteered myself to help a friend make sales on my side of campus. This year I did the same. Likely will until her daughter no longer is in Girl Scouts. I do not mind being a pusher of cookies. The dealer of sweets. They are basically as addicting as a drug. Probably eating a whole box in one setting is equally as bad for you as some drugs. I sold 17 boxes in 2 days. I thought that was a pretty good job until someone told me they sold 65 the first day. Sure glad it’s not a competition because I wouldn’t stand a chance. These guys out here are tight wads.
Might be the death of me.
Bekah has gotten back into one of her old hobbies: putting together puzzles. It’s cute how enthusiastic she is over them. She is like “When is dinner ready? I have time to work on the puzzle?” Work on it she does. I can’t even say how many hours she has spent on the current challenge but it’s coming along quite nicely. One of these days maybe I will get in on the fun. As for now I’ll let it be her thing. I am curious if the walls of my house will eventually be overrun with puzzles? She plans on sealing and possibly framing the ones she completes. Should this concern me?
Work in progress.
A long weekend. Didn’t really do much. I got bored and decided to pick up a paint brush and put it to paper. Found some kids paint. It’s been YEARS since I painted anything. I was once pretty good at it. My mother paid some good money putting me through painting classes when I was a little kid. There was a time when I sold a few. Those days are long gone, but I did have fun. Time sure flies when you get in that zone. I’m happy to say that I might have a new hobby.
Has to be placed on a wall before it is art.
Jalapeño….
Bekah Burgers. Always a real treat. This is also the 3rd time that we have had bunless burgers in a week’s time. It just happened that way. That was some bubbly cheese. I think the key to this mean is that she adds egg and oats to the ground beef. It also is cooked on the cast iron skillet unlike all other variations of bunless burgers that we make. Gives it a nice uniform char you can’t get on the grill. It might look fairly plain but it’s a really great meal.
Chicken yakitori with some sriracha broccoli. What am I doing grilling in January? Well it reached 80 degree so why the heck not. The chicken was great. One of the few meals in which I use thigh instead of breast. Also another one of Bekah’s favorite.
Grilled tuna and seaweed salad. I was worried that the tuna was overcooked but it turned out to be just perfect. I drizzled a sweet soy reduction over it with a little sriracha for good measure. Of course it need that jalapeño garnish. Tuna it by far my go-to fish and for reasons unknown it had been a while since I had grilled it. Well, the unseasonably warm weather in January fixed that.
Finally some cooler weather and what better to serve with it than a spicy Asian dish. Orange chicken stir-fry. A go-to meal that I don’t even need a recipe to make I’ve conquered it so many times. We actually had it with sticky rice, a thing I am supposed to be avoiding on this diet. It does make it a better meal. The rice just absorbs the sauce in a way that is meant to be.
Good chili weather & Jimmy at work keeps talking about the batch he made. Like that guy needs to be eating chili. Him and his rotten bowels. Sorry. Not sorry. I have to hear about it all the dang time. So we had left over chili frozen in the freezer and we had a box of mac & cheese. Let’s just throw that together for a nice comfy meal on a cold winter night. No work required. Easy peasy.
Grilled chicken w/green chili country gravy served with grilled okra & corn garnished with grilled red jalapeño. A delightful meal. I had to make a last min trip to HEP because someone failed to inform me that the makings for the gravy had been consumed at an earlier date. I should have looked beforehand but oh well.
Pets. How do people get by without them? They bring you joy that other people can’t. It’s a simple joy. Looking into a happy dogs face is something magical. If you are in a bad mood that’s the uplifting medicine that you need. If no one else is there for you, your pet always will be. Ours are part of the family and they contribute so much to our home I cannot imagine how we went without them. Samson, Hazel and Owen. One cat & two Labradors.
Samson came into our lives by accident. It was not long after we moved into our old house that we started noticing this tabby lingering around, but to skittish to be approached. I think he was probably left behind by the pervious occupants. I am not much of a cat person. Honestly, I just don’t really like them. But after about a year of having this guy living just on the peripheral, I decided to try and get to know him. Canned tuna was all it took and we became buddies. He remained solely an outdoor cat for the next two years until his accident. We still don’t know what happened to the little guy, but his leg was open to the bone. You don’t abandon your friend. I took him to the vet and the options were laid out: surgery, amputation, or death. Of course I choose surgery and he became the most expensive cat in the world. He had to wear a cast for 4 months and this was when he transitioned into an indoor cat. He didn’t like it at first and made 2 great escapes. Eventually he settled down. Unfortunately, the surgery didn’t fix the leg. It’s more of a peg leg now. The cripple cat became family. He is a goofy little guy.
Samson
Dogs. If you think about some of the better days of your life, was a dog not with you. Maybe just in the background smiling. Happy to be a part of your life. Happy to share your love. Just happy to be with you. It took me a long time to get another dog after Riley, my old yellow lab and best friend for 10 years. We went everywhere together while I was in college. He couldn’t wait to jump in the car for our next adventure. Many miles we roamed. Weeks spent only with him as my companion at times. Isolated in the Big Bend region. I’m smiling now thinking about it. Let’s not talk about fetch. That boy was addicted to chasing anything you would throw. And if you didn’t want to play, he would not take no for an answer. He would throw the ball in your lap. If no ball, he would throw a stick in your lap. And he was a walker. The excitement that came over him when he saw that leash. We would walk 7 miles at times. I was devastated when I lost him. One minute we were out back playing fetch and the next he was lying motionless on my kitchen floor. I had a breakdown. At least he had a great day and didn’t suffer. That’s what I told myself. But inside I felt a great lose.
Riley
Losing a pet is never easy. The idea of going through that again… I just didn’t want to. Bekah kept trying and trying. One day she sent me this picture of a little baby chocolate lab. At first I said no, but I kept going back to that picture. Something happened in my heart and I knew that that little puppy was the one. After a few drinks I told Bekah to contact the owners. Next thing you know we’ve added another member to the family: Hazel. There was a reason I waited as long as I did. She is one of the best things to have happened to us. Not to say everything was peachy. Hazel is a smart girl, and smart dogs are usually difficult. Training her was no trouble. It was that she liked to get into things. Boy did she ever. I feel like sometimes she intentionally pushes out buttons. Like barking… Sometimes… She sure can be a willful b****. Stubborn as a horse. If it’s on her time, forget about it. But you don’t stay mad long. Hazel loves walks, fetch, and swimming. She loves road trips. She is a lizard and squirrel stalker. When she finally got a bird. She was the happiest dog that I’ve ever seen. She thinks she is a watch dog and she is intimidating, but at heart she is just a big goofy sweetheart. She hasn’t met anyone she hasn’t liked. And she is a daddy’s girl, much to Bekah’s aggravation.
Hazel
Bekah insisted on getting another dog. I said once we move into a bigger house, let’s do it. But we need the space. Well, we moved and it was time for that dog. My youngest brother’s friend had black lab puppies and she found Owen. Labs are the cutest puppies and Owen was a joy. A destructive puppy. He has eaten my sandals three times. Destroyed a couch. Chewed up the rug. Tore up 5 pillows. Gnawed a hole into the guest mattress. Pulled my plants out of their pots. Used our coffee table and guest bed frame as a chew toy. Munched on the mail, which included the artwork I won on eBay that was to be a gift to my middle brother for Christmas. Chomped up the water hose. Leave for 10 minutes and he finds something to tear apart. If given to his own devices he will also nibble on Hazel’s poop. It’s disgusting. The dog is a garbage disposal. Potty training him was hell compared to Hazel. He is our little problem child. A year old and finally he can be trusted. I think it was the time I had off during Christmas. I got to work with him. Leave him out at longer intervals. I really love the doofus. He has come a long way. He might be the sweetest dog ever. He just wants love all the time. And he adores Bekah. She got her mommy’s boy! I knew once he got past his destructive stage he would become a great dog. Lest I forget Hazel’s destruction. Look how good a dog she became.
Owen
My family has always had pets. Mostly dogs. A few cats. Recently one of the family dogs passed away. Doc. He was an old man. 12 years is a pretty long life for a lab, unfortunately. I wish they lived a life time with us. Doc was a mess of a dog in his youth. He started out as my youngest brother’s dog. For 2-3 years he lived with my brother and his roommates in Lubbock while he was going to college. He was never trained. Unless you count training a dog to bark at you constantly when it wants something training. Most people would try to not let that happen. But my brother and his roommates were a bunch of heathens in those days. Dog was fed pizza, burgers, hot sauce, whatever was in the house. He ate out of the trash. One would think he was a lost cause. When my brother graduated he never lived where he was allowed pets so Doc went home with my mother. Where he remained and became her dog. My father and her tried and managed to make him a better dog. He still got into the trash though. Heck, he got into the trash 3 days before his passing. All of his bad qualities were made up for by how sweet he was. It’s incredibly hard to put down a pet. But it’s also a blessing that they have that option when nothing else will work. Humans should be so lucky. I mean, our pets are able to pass with more dignity then our loved ones. Think about that. So when Docs time came, we took him in and said goodbye. My eyes are welling up right now thinking about his last breath. For all his flaws he was a good boy and is missed dearly. But now he is in heaven with my father & other lost family members. He has rejoined the pack of all the ones that were lost before him. Leo. Katie. Abby. Hannah. Riley. Maggie. Ellie. Dotty. Oreo. Richard. I hope they are chasing a ball together.
Doc
This blog was cathartic for me. Hope it wasn’t too much of a bore. I’ll leave with this passage that I read somewhere:
“Despite all the bad days & mean people, I still believe in good days & kind people. Plus there are always dogs.”
Jalapeño…………….
Spicy yellow squash and chicken. Some onion, jalapeño & red bell. I added a little Velveeta to cheese it up. Pretty basic. A healthy start after my 2 weeks of gluttony? What do you think?
Bunless burger. The basic. Hard to screw this one up. Great alternative to those carb filled buns.
Chicken in a pot. My lord. This turned out to be an exceptional meal that I ate twice more for lunch during the week. Originally we were going to make some buffalo grilled chicken legs but a little birdy said chicken in a pot. Slow cook that s*** with some veggies. It just falls off the bone and the flavors were so simple. I literally didn’t have to do a thing. Only drawback to this meal was occasionally finding a bone or some cartilage. That’s not enough to deter me form making it again.
Caribbean jerk pork tenderloin. I have to make this for Bekah periodically to keep her happy. I’ve blogged about this before so I don’t really have much to say. Only thing I did do differently this time is once the pork was cooked I cut it up and threw it back on the grill with the sauce to give it a little caramelization.
Korean BBQ chicken w/kimchi. The chicken was excellent. The kimchi was terrible. I will never by that brand again.
Bunless mushroom swiss burger. Of course I also added onion and jalapeño. This might be better called a breadless patty melt. More of less what this is. A delightful mess on a plate. Note how many times I have grilled this week? It is January and warm enough to grill outdoors.
Seventeen days away from work and I’m all the merrier to be back at my desk basking under the cold glow of fluorescent lights. This place, I have missed so deeply it’s disturbing. My heart fluttered when I walked in the door. When I saw all the familiar faces I fought back tears. Such a joyous reunion. I’m feeling good. Damn, I’m feeling so fine. Boy howdy did I miss hearing about good ole Jimmy and his rotten bowel movements and weak bladder. How he almost urinated himself at HEB just the other day. Never have I been happier to be back. You should see the Cheshire cat grin upon my face.
Look at that!
For this lovely blog I’m focusing on all the food a drink I had over the break. Don’t think lesser of me when you see how much I consumed. Cry for my bank account though. She took a hit.
Jalapeño
Starting the break with a real treat, filet mignon. I made a balsamic glaze to go with it. Sprinkle a little feta cheese on top and what a delicious meal. Don’t ask how much those steaks cost. I feel ashamed just thinking about it.
Christmas Eve tamales. This has been a family tradition for about as long as I remember. I was supposed to have a little get together but it fizzled out. Tends to happen.
Christmas morning we have chocolate & biscuits. This recipe belongs to my grandmother. Funny, my mother has made this for years and only just recently found out that my grandmother hid a main ingredient from her but happened to share it with my uncle’s wife? Favoritism? Maybe? I know this doesn’t sound all that appealing to many people. You have to try. It’s a really good meal. The sauce is so fluffy and rich. This was the first time Bekah has ever made it and she passed the test. My heart swells.
Since it was only 4 of us on Christmas we decided to try something different rather than make the big spread. Someone mentioned Chinese earlier in the week so it kind of stuck. I made some Sesame chicken for the family. It was a hit. I made my own portion spicy. How says you can’t get a little adventurous on Christmas?
Loco Moco on the mind? Loco Moco but deconstructed? I don’t know? Looks like a heaping pile of rubbish but the flavors were fine. I can’t be expected to make all my meals presentable, now can I?
Time to eat out. Angry Cactus. I have had many of bad occasions with this spot but I’m always willing to try a place again. I don’t know why. Some of the other stories I have heard from friends should be enough to warn me away. I suppose I’m a fool that doesn’t learn his lessons. I ordered the chicken burrito and I sure got a burrito. It was like a freaking baby on my plate and once I completed it I felt bloated. It was delicious though. But you really could feed two with that plate. So this restaurant is now 3 for 3.
I wanted pasta abut I also wanted tacos. Then why not make a taco pasta? This was a success in all ways possible. I will do it again very soon. F***ing carbs. Why do they have to hate me?
Cork & Pig. One of my favorites. I usually order a chorizo pizza but had a hankering for their Cuban sandwich. I think they are the only one in town that have this menu option. I was satisfied.
Pot roast for dinner. Ummmmmm… I let it cook down a little too much. It was mush. The texture was a little off putting. Kind of like someone chewed up the meat and spit it on my plate. Not a proud moment for me…. Just look at that mess will you? Disgusting, isn’t it?
Hooters! What a strange place. And I was not feeling well that day. Bekah had fed me too many shots the night before. Not to mention a great mixture of various liquors. A san man does not mix. An intelligent person does not mix. Amateurs mix. What happened to me? I was in bad shape. I craved nachos!! After a beer, which didn’t help with the recovering process like I had hoped, the nachos arrived. They were excellent. I like that they use nice fresh jalapeños. Real treat. My hangover subsided for a little while before it came back full force and shut me down. The beast I had to bare.
I was a shell of a man. I knew this was going to happen at least once on the long break. I wrote about it in a previous blog. Bekah, being the dear wife that she is, made me some comfort food. Fideo. I couldn’t have been happier. It was time for a hot bath and sleepy time. I was broken. Had to admit my defeat and hope for a better tomorrow.
Chilies. I was not 100% and wanted some enchilada soup. I did not get a picture. The soup was a delight. It was needed.
Baked spasagna. This is a recipe that I ripped off from Cheddar’s. Talk about carb overload. You basically cook spaghetti noodles, mix them with a 4 cheese blend and bake it. I top it with a meat sauce and some Alfredo. I need insulin. Lots of it. Carbs………
Funny thing, the next day I actually went to Cheddar’s. Had I known I would have not made the spasagna. Mine was probably better though. Yes, I guarantee it was better. Anyways, it was Jody’s birthday so some of us from work took her out for a treat. I ordered the bourbon glazed salmon. The fish was good. The broccoli & rice under cooked. I did not get a picture. It was a fun time.
Tomato soup & grilled cheese. This was comfort food for Bekah. It was a great meal. The soup recipe is very simple. Cook down tomatoes and onions. I add a little spinach, basil, and some parmesan cheese. I can’t tell you the secret ingredient. Nope. Not happening.
Julio’s. I needed a burrito. I stocked up on them to considering this was New Year’s Eve and I would need a good breakfast the following morning. That green sauce was on fire.
Wings from Zero One Ale House. Nothing to write home about.
New Year’s Eve. My mother made some King Ranch Chicken. It was just how I liked it growing up. The green sauce also paired well with it. She is a great cook and thought me a lot of what I know in the kitchen. Much love for the woman.
Twin Peaks. I kind of sound like a pervert. Hooters & Twin Peaks within a week? I promise I don’t usually frequent these places. This just happens to be where Bekah & I usually go following NYE. The beer is cold and we are usually hung over. Man, I needed that beer. Sad thing to admit, needing a drink. Oh well, this is an honest platform. I ordered cheese bites and spicy Thai pork ribs. I was a happy camper. Because of the food, not the ladies. I promise. I promise. It’s the food.
Domino’s pizza and black eyed peas. You have to get that good luck in somehow. What a strange combination.
Okay. Time for some fast food. My brother had been in Vietnam (I know, I’m lame. Much better way to spend a vacation than how I did.) and he sent me a picture of McDonalds. I couldn’t get over how good that little burger looked. I don’t often eat fast foods. But I couldn’t get that burger out of my head. If I was going to have a fast food burger it had to be Whataburger green chili. It was everything I hoped it would be. A+
Green enchilada chicken. Just without the tortilla. Bekah made this and it was fantastic. I cooked the eggs. This is a go-to meal for us.
Decided to try a new place in town that I’ve only heard good things about. Masa’s – sushi bar & Japanese grill. We were right in the area after having seen Jumanji. (Great movie, btw.) This place is fancy. Very well done. The good preparation was basically art. You hated to defile it by eating it. I enjoyed all that we ordered. Tuna stuffed beer battered jalapeño. Well f*** yeah! Two of my favorite things right there. I’m sold on the sushi bar. It was rather mesmerizing watching the chef draw this designs with the sauces. I will have to go back and try the food from the kitchen.
For the evening, Bekah wanted store ramen noodles. The kind you pour hot water on and let sit for a few minutes. Nothing wrong with this. I went to the store that night to retrieve them. We ate them in bed. Who does that? A fine comfort food if ever there was one though.
Woke up the next morning with a craving for some cheesy red enchiladas. I had not been to Ceilo’s in a while so why the heck not. They have some of the best Spanish rice in town. It’s about as good as you can get unless you make it yourself. The cheese was so creamy and delicious. They have a nice bar atmosphere to top it off.
More comfort food. Notice towards the end of my break that’s what became of the menu? Wonder why? Too much rich foods and drinks. We needed comfort foods. Mac & cheese with chicken & green beans. Yum!
I don’t know why but we have a habit of attending Chili’s on Sunday. Could it be that they have happy hour all day? Maybe. Well, we also happen to know the bartender. Friend form Bekah’s past. I ordered some more soup (not pictured) and mixed fajitas covered with queso. Not the best in town by any means but still very edible. Plus, the cold beer.
For the final lunch of my long unhealthy break I went the Taco Bueno. The Muchaco. A staple of my youth. I ate these almost every day while in high school. It’s a wonder I wasn’t obese. For the longest time the only way I could obtain one of these was to travel a distance to some nearby town. They finally rebuilt in our town and I can have one whenever I want. I’ve been on a diet so that hasn’t been very often. But this was the last hurrah so what the h***.
And that concludes my gluttonous holiday leave.
Cocktails of the Weeks: Beer, martinis, old fashions, crown & coke, scotch on the rocks, blue Hawaiian, spiked eggnog, champagne, wine. Really, WTF didn’t I drink.
The slowest f***ing week on campus. The week before the long Christmas break. The buildings are tombs. The week just drags on and on. The campus became kind of a lonely place. You are so use to it being busy with kids walking to and from class. Now you hardly see anyone. You can hear a pin drop. It’s only the straggler’s left. The campus is dead. Once the students flee, the faculty slowly begin to vanish. Before you know it most of the academic offices are vacant. I try to enjoy this quiet time, but all the while I am anticipating my holiday. It feels like f***ing Friday is a million miles away. Somehow I managed to keep myself somewhat busy. Just space things out a little. It seems I was not alone in doing this either. I talked to a few people that only had 2 things left to do during the day and they were being spaced out. One before lunch, the other after lunch. And you can only look at the internet for so long before you begin to lose it. But hey! At least I have people sending me pictures from faraway f***ing lands. I can live vicariously through them.
Ashely, one of my favorites, decided to leave us. Wednesday was her last day so I found an excuse to go visit and wish her well. She has been working here just as long as I have so it’s kind of a sad moment. I always liked our visits because they mostly consisted of laughter. We lived down the street from each other before Bekah and I became homeowners so we always traded comical neighborhood stories. See, we had college kids, crackheads, and just crazy people commute down our street. She once had a naked lady sitting on the curb across from her house. No joke. Me: “So Ashely, what kind of crazy s*** have you witnessed since we last talked?” & vice versa. Most recently almost all conversation was her desire for alcohol consumption. You see, she has been with child. That is a long stint without a drink for someone that really likes to consume the drink. It was always “I really need a drink.” “We are going to f***ing Fredericksburg and everyone is going to be drinking but me!” “How can I do fantasy football this year without a drink?” “This baby better come out before Thanksgiving because I will really need a drink.” I mean, you were the one that got pregnant. I know this makes her sound like she has a problem but it was mostly just joking around. She never said it in a serious manner. And since popping out the child, she has had a drink. On one occasion, a little too many which led to vomitus results. I said take baby steps, you can’t just rush right back to your old ways. Your tolerance is gone. It will be hard to replace her I’m afraid. But I get why she is leaving. When a better offer is thrown on your doorstep, you do take it. I’m sure I’ll see her out and about.
The Llama’s replacement started last week. What a week to start a job. Nothing to do. Probably reconsidering. She seems like an alright person. Heck, almost anyone would be an improvement over that lazy sack of s*** Llama. That guy. Have to wonder how his new job is going. I mean, they probably expect him to actually work and that was one thing he did not like to do. He liked to sit on his fat a** and surf the web all the while picking his nose with one hand & munching down on food with the other. Such a loud eater at that. CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP! He is going to break a tooth if he doesn’t change his ways. I have the decency not go into details, but our plumbing has to have sighed sweet relief. I’m so glad I don’t have to hear his bulls*** anymore. He certainly won’t be f***ing forgotten. He literally left his mark. Llama’s replacement at least smiles and laughs. That alone is a huge improvement.
The f***ing Llama.
Thursday night was Bekah’s company Christmas party. Same place it was at last year. Napolis. It was a fine experience last year. This year…. Not so much. Party starts at 6. We arrive just before 6:30. Some people had already made orders. This year they had the liquor license so I order a scotch. Last year it was BYOB which was rather nice because the booze wasn’t included and therefore wasn’t free like the food. We sit down and the menu is rather expansive compared to last year. I’m sticking with lasagna. It was good last year. I see a table getting chicken Alfredo and think I might change my mind but Bekah says that’s what she is getting so I can stick with lasagna and sample hers. Waitress arrives at our table. It seems there was a misunderstanding. We actually can only choose from 3 items. They gave our party the wrong menu. Although every other table was able to order from the other menu, our table was limited to 3 items. How the f*** do you serve half the party from one menu and limit the other half of the party. If you make that kind of screw up you just eat your losses. But NO!!! These people make us order either lasagna, ravioli, or chicken parmigiana. Sorry Bekah, that delicious Alfredo that half the party is enjoying is off limits. And our waitress tells us we can’t even have a salad. You have to be kidding me. Well guess what? She must have been kidding because I start to see salads going to other tables. WTF!! Even with the fact the food was paid for I was not happy. I wanted a f***ing salad. The lasagna arrived and was tasty as I remember it, but the chicken parmigiana and spaghetti that Bekah ordered were both cold and bland as f***. So was everyone else’s that ordered that. It also turns out that on top of a salad we were supposed to be getting a desert menu that never arrived. The doctor that paid for the party was pissed. She had some words to say to the manager. It didn’t matter at this point though because it was already a colossal f*** up. And then came my drink ticket. 42 bucks for 4 drinks!!! You got to be joking. This is a f***ing joke, right? Nope. That the legit price. I reluctantly gave the waitress cash only to never see my change or that waitress again. It’s like she skipped town. I was SO ready to get the hell out of that place I didn’t care about the 3 dollars change. What an embarrassment. I sure hope it was an off night. I feel I could have used the F bomb more in this bloated paragraph but I used as much restraint at I possibly could. I feel better now. Needed to vent. F***!!!!
How I felt about the Christmas party.
Friday the f***ing anticipation for the long break was almost palpable. Eight hours of work left and sixteen days of vacation right around the corner. There was nothing going on. What people did remain on campus were mostly twiddling their thumbs counting down the time and trying not to look at the clock. I had nothing to do. So what did I do to pass my time? I went around the campus and handed out candy canes to the few remaining people that I could find all the while wearing a Santa hat. Why not be festive for the holidays. It was actually rather fun and I’m sure I looked like a total dork. I got some compliments on the hat and people seemed to think it was a kind gesture. Why not make the few remaining people on campus smile. What leftover candy canes that I had we to the ladies in Purchasing at the end of the day. I talked with them for a good 30 min. That office is such a friendly place now.
I was feeling festive.
The week also marked an addition to our family. My little brother & his wife had their second little boy! Patrick! I have a new nephew!! He is adorable and I can’t wait to meet him. I am so happy for them. Talk about a Christmas present. I can’t wait to spoil him rotten.
Baby Patrick!!!
3:40 arrives and I’m done with this year. I left at 4. I went and grabbed a drink. Had to go say goodbye to a friend moving to California. Chances are I won’t see her again in this life time. Whose to say. And now I’m here at home blogging from my phone cooking what will be a teriyaki dish and having a cocktail that you will read about down the line. I’m in my house alone for the first f***ing time in what feels like a very long time. Music is playing. I know I’ll be bored later. But this is kind of nice.
This could be the last blog until I return to work on the week of January the 6th. If so, have a very Merry f***ing Christmas & a Happy f***ing New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tree Angel
Jalapeño….
I figured I should at least cook for the kids one night while they were in. Also saving money. It was good cold soup weather and what’s better than tortilla soup. They sure did scarf it down. You all will be proud of me. I made a batch that wasn’t too hot!
Pizza from Lily’s again. The youngest was wanting some more ever since eating it the Friday before. Grant his wish on their final evening with us. Once again, I was impressed. We tried a supreme this time and I was a happy camper.
So you remember my kitchen screw up from the week before? My carb free steak enchilada? I’d be damned if I wasn’t going to get that right. So this time I made my own marinade for the steak. I mixed beer, Worcestershire, black pepper, seasoning from hell, salt & garlic. Let it sit for 5 hours. I grilled the steak to get a nice char. After that was accomplished I added the steak to a skillet with some red enchilada sauce and let it cook down and get a nice think coating on it. It was AMAZING! Top that with some onion, jalapeño, cilantro, avocado, cheese & a sunny side up egg and you have yourself on heck of a meal.
The only thing good about Bekah’s Christmas party was this f***ing lasagna.
I was on my own Friday so I just used what I could find in the fridge and made a spicy teriyaki chicken stir-fry. Emphasis on the spice. It was hot! Loved it!
Cocktail of the Week: I have no f***ing idea. It’s white rum, lime juice, pineapple juice & grenadine. It’s pretty f***ing fantastic. So how many times did I say f*** in this f***ing blog?
The gloom. Oh how I love thee. My general mood in elevated by you. While others worship the sunshine and bright blue skies, I will always belong to the clouds and grey skies. Why I don’t live in Seattle is a question I ask myself frequently. Oh to experience overcasts skies the majority of the year. While this thought seems depressing to most, I am excited by the prospect. Living under the gloom. Like a warm blanket it comforts me. I feel more myself on a darkened day. More outgoing. More willing to face the obstacles in life. Untroubled by the burdens that might have troubled me on a sunny day. Exuberant. Good-humored. Chirpy. Walking on air. Tickled pink. Glowing & grinning. Ecstatic.
Art!!
Imagine my joy when Monday was gloomy. I took the day off to enjoy it. Tuesday was the same but with added perk: RAIN!!! I couldn’t have been happier. It was a week with nice gloomy weather spread out amongst the sunshine. I suppose everyone got a little something. Even so, I still heard complaints. Coworker: “This weather is bulls***!” I disagree. This weather is heaven, my grumpy little friend. Turn that frown upside down!
The gator came out for the rain.
The weekend we had three teenagers in the house. Whatever could we do to entertain them? Well they have never been to the Nutcracker. Turns out my wife had never seen it either. I was kind of shocked. The Nutcracker was something I remember fondly from my childhood. In awe I gazed upon the magic dancing before me. Eyes wide, I could not get enough of it. The costumes. The dance moves. Who knew people could move like that. And the music! I loved the music. Tchaikovsky. I still occasionally get goosebumps when I hear The Nutcracker Suite. The feelings overwhelm me. The happiness of a little boy enchanted by that magical moment overcome me. For a moment I am again that little boy in the auditorium seeing something fantastical for the first time. Thank you dad for introducing me to classic orchestra at such a young age. That is something that you gave me that I will always cherish.
The Nutcracker!!!
So we went to the Saturday matinee. It had been a long time since I had last seen it performed live. I was all smiles when the lights dimmed. The music begins and I feel a warmth in my heart. The show was excellent. The choreography was simply beautiful. The little kids were adorable. The stage design remarkable. I still had a bit of a fright when the rats came marching out with their glowing red eyes. Boy did those creep me out when I was little. I had nightmares. I think the snow scene was my favorite this time around. It’s just magical. It’s funny how I enjoyed it for some different reason as an adult than when I was a child. I guess I appreciate it more as an art while as a little boy it was the story and the costumes. The only thing I thought strange is the way they concluded it. Clara never woke up. They end it with the celebration of sweets. That was confusing to those who had never seen it. Oh well, small gripe. It was a great time but that first experience cannot be touched. I probably spent half my time watching the expressions on Bekah & the kiddo’s faces. Bekah cried. She laughed. She looked enchanted. It was a good first experience. She even has a pointe shoe to remember it by.
Traditions per Jamie.
At work today I am still hearing the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. I’ve been whistling it off & on. Not at all a bad song to have stuck in my head. Overall a pretty good weekend. A little freaking hot for December. It reached 89 degrees on Sunday. I wanted to melt. Oh well, its cold again. I’m happy Bekah and the kids got to enjoy the Nutcracker. Even if one of them did understand the language of dance. lol
Christmas is around the corner now.
Jalapeño.
This night was almost a disaster. I was originally slaving over some marinated steak I was cooking with red enchilada sauce. It was going to be carb free steak enchilada. For some STUPID reason I used a steak marinade that I’d never used. Once it began to cook down we started to notice a very smoky odor in the house. LIQUID SMOKE!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. We both tried the steak and I was inedible. I mean, I need to brush my tongue. It was THAT bad. Not only was dinner ruined, the house and myself smelt like a liquid smoke bomb had gone off. Lucky for me there is a reason I keep certain things in the pantry. I took a can or cream of chicken, rotel & some chicken breast. Chopped a jalapeño & onion and threw that in a skillet with the chicken. Added the can goods and the rest was history. Dinner was saved. If I had not worked something out quickly I would have never heard the end of it from Bekah. She did give me a hard time about the house smelling like liquid smoke, but I gave her a hard time about the house stinking of fried deer the week before. Fair enough, I deserve it.
Because it was so nice and gloomy it was the perfect time for some soup. I basically just made chili but substituted the ground beef for chicken breast. The end result was rather delightful. A hardy meal. Too hot for Bekah. She hardly touched it. More for me. Leftovers frozen for a later date.
I just made something up for this one. Chicken breast, onion, ONE jalapeño, can of green chilies and some green chili sauce. Added some corn and let it cook down. Once cooked down I threw in a little bit of cream cheese. The result was something delicious. We both agreed I should make it again. But again, Bekah says this one was hot. I think her taste buds a devolving.
Wanted to make some orange chicken. I think I’m finally kind of burned out on the Panda Express sauce I bought form the store. Time to start making my own from scratch again.
Friday we had the three teens so it was easier to just order pizza. But from where? Oh yes, a new place opened right around the corner!!! Lily’s pizza! Time to try something new. The pizza was pretty fantastic. For the most part, we just had the basics. What set this apart was the crust. It was so light and soft. The kids want this one more time before they go so I will likely have this again soon.
After a holiday week eating and, let’s be honest here, drinking too much I returned to work worse for the wear. To top things off I have a lot of catching up to do. Why do I do this myself? I blame my family. That and the free time. The wine is aplenty. I pulled a Bekah two nights and found myself asleep on the couch. I now understand how it claims here so often. It is comfortable. Maybe she isn’t narcoleptic? No, no. She most certainly is. I keep sending her text messages to the website morethantired.com but she refuses to entertain the thought that maybe she does have a sleep disorder. I have them! What so wrong with that? Some people.
It’s finally that time of year. Get out the Christmas decorations and put up some lights. We realized we have a LOT more fall décor than Christmas. The house looks empty without the pumpkins. Speaking of which, I painted my pumpkins to look like Christmas ornaments. I think they look great, if I must say so myself. I need to get ambitious and put up some lights outside. I always have in the past. Heck, I decorated our house and my parents. Ever Friday after Thanksgiving I’d climb up on their roof and attach lights to the shingles. After their house was aglow, I’d go home and do our porch. For now it’s just my snowman shinning on the porch and a discounted fake tree I got last year in our front window. I suppose that’s a start.
The campus is now fully on board with the holiday. Office trees are up & you can feel the spirit everywhere you go. Well, almost. Our office is severely lacking. No Crone. All our decorations went with her. I should buy myself a little USB tree to hook to my computer. Give me a little office cheer. But this week I spent very little time in my own office so all the decorated ones across campus gave me cheer.
The annual Christmas tree lighting. I meandered my way up the road from my house to meet some campus friends for the event. Jamie, the expert on campus life, & 2 others who had never been to the ceremony. Virgins to the tree lighting. This was my second year. We sat and chatted, waiting for the clock to get a little closer to 6:30 before we all made our way to the crowd. And boy was there a crowd. It was spread out more this year and that’s good because I swear more people showed up. They had blow up slides, ornament decorating, synthetic ice skating (what is that anyway?) & all sorts of things for the kids. We were there for the lighting. If I hadn’t know the location of the tree it would have been hard to spot in the dark oak grove. We made ourselves through the many bodies to the tree. About 15 min to go and all would be illuminated. Lurking in the shadows was a very belly sick electrician. It was his duty to flip the switch. It was his wiring that everyone was counting on. What would happen if all remained dark? That was his worry. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1!!!! LIGHTS ON!!! The grove was a spectacle of Christmas lights. Satisfied with what we came for, we all departed to the sound of Christmas carols. Till next year.
Tree lighting
Bekah and I kept putting off getting a tree. House isn’t truly Christmas without the tree. I surprised Bekah by getting one during my lunch break in the middle of the week. We couldn’t keep pushing it off. One of our favorite things to do together is put up all the ornaments. So that night I started some kind of stir-fry and we had drinks and decorated our tree. I think it looks great. It was a special time. It was the night before our 11 year anniversary.
Tree decorated!
December 5th it’s been 11 years since we first started dating. What an amazing time spent with the woman I love. It’s hard to believe over a decade has passed since we first met. They say time flies when you are having fun and we have had fun. In that time lots has changed in our world. We graduated college. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. We briefly broke up. I pulled my head out of my a** and committed. We moved in together. We got engaged & 2 years later got married. Lots of vacations. Became homeowners. Lost loved ones. Found our fur babies. It’s been a wild ride. And it wasn’t always without a few bumps in the road. No two people are ever going to be on board for the same thing all the time. They say marriage isn’t easy, but for the most part ours has been. We forgive each other and realize whatever it was that came between us at that moment was usually something of little importance. We are bound together by our strengths. What might be my weakness she is strong at & vice versa. We have fun together every day. I thank the lord that she puts up with me. I can’t imagine a life without Bekah in it. I don’t want to. She is the moon of my life.
We went out for a drink. A drink became a few. People got word that we had been with each other for 11 years and started buying. Unexpected. Wonder how that happened. Facebook, maybe? Anyway, it was a fun time. Then we went home for dinner. A little carry out and a main dish by Bekah. Those drinks that were bought for us went right to her head. The narcolepsy kicked in around 8:30. It was a fun evening though.
A rare photo moment.
It’s also the day my father went on to heaven. How I miss that man. But I know he is in a better place and I will see him again eventually. We will laugh and smile. It will be a great reunion. I had myself a little bit of his label of scotch & put on some Neil Young. Neil Young reminds me of my father. For a while the emotions were to strong and I had trouble listening to him. Now his albums bring a warmth to me. So I jammed out in the kitchen. Cheers to you, dad!
I have an extremely long vacation from work approaching. I have no plans whatsoever. 16 days off. What kind of person will I be when I finally do return to work? Will I be more rested and ready to go? Unlikely. What is likely is I will return in worse shape than I was before I left. Have you seen the movie “The ‘Burbs”? Tom Hanks character takes a week-long vacation from work only to stay home and become a shell of the man he was before? That an unjust description of the movie. It’s a comedy with horror elements. He has too much time on his hands and begins to suspect that his neighbors are up to foul play. Neighborhood watch gone bonkers. Really quite the hoot. I grew up with this film and it holds a special place in my heart. One of my favorites, you really should check it out if you have not. Anyway, before I digress, I need something to do with my time or I will sleep in, stay up late, eat badly, and probably drink too much. I will come back to work in a piss poor state if I let that happen… Kind of like I did this this last Monday.
Best movie ever?
Jalapeño!
Jody, my friend on campus, made us some spicy tamales. I was pretty impressed with the flavors that were to be found. Just the right amount of heat for Bekah. Do you really want your tamales to be biting you back? No, I don’t think that you do. I know you are probably reading this, friend, so I want you to know that all my praise is genuine. Despite of what you see in the picture, I did eat one alone without topping in order to get a proper taste. As for the toppings. I had one with queso, another with green sauce I made, and a third with ketchup. Some people find that third topping appalling. To each their own, right? What do you all like to place on your tamales? Should also mention my mother-n-laws beans. Delicious.
Cincinnati chili. Leftover from a few weeks ago. Frozen and ready to thaw. You just add spaghetti sauce and WHAM! A new meal. Does it sound gross to you? Think about it. Spaghetti and chili are very similar in construct. You just change some of the spices up. Why would noodles in chili be bad? Do you like chili mac? Kind of the same concept. Don’t knock it until you try it. And it’s a great way to keep leftover chili interesting.
Let’s just throw whatever we have together and call it a meal. Green bean chicken stir-fry? Sure!! Add peppers & onion? Why not. It was pretty tasty and fairly effortless. What more can you want. Sometimes just let the meal cook itself. Besides, we had ornaments to put up.
Originally for our anniversary we had planned on going out to dinner. We changed the plans. Now that we have a venison hook up Bekah can make her famous chicken fried. Thank you, Jamie. We might need more. It was pretty f***ing delicious. No joke! I’m serious! I’m not a big fan of deer meat. I admit that with no shame. There are much better options out there so why would I eat deer? I will eat this meal again. It was tender as f***. This is as country a meal as you get. Corn and mashed potatoes (made correctly without KFC substitute!!!). But we still were missing something. What we eat every 5th of December, The Wharfs cream of jalapeño soup & jalapeno bottle caps. I went & picked up a to-go order. I know it does not pair well with the main course but it would not be our dating anniversary without that. We snacked on the caps while Bekah made the meal. The soup was served next. Delightful. I witnessed some truly disgusting behavior in the kitchen this night. Better left unsaid. And my house did stink the following day. Thank you again, Jamie.
HEB stuffed salmon with some cheesy broccoli. Pop that sucker in the oven on a Friday night that I don’t feel like cooking. Simple easy meal. You’ve probably seen this on my blog before. Sriracha goes well with it. Which is strange because the thought of eating that with salmon just doesn’t sound appetizing. Sounds like a craving a pregnant women would have. Sriracha and salmon…..
Thanksgiving. Short week on campus. My second short week, actually. I was joking that I could get used to these 20 hour work weeks. I feel like no one is doing a thing. Who really wants to start a project when you only work for 20 hours? Not time to get anything done. Just try and blow through the days. And from what I gather, many people don’t plan on coming into work Wednesday anyway. I live close to campus so it’s no big deal but if I had to commute into town… nope. Not for 4 hours.
CUBE!!
Followed my nose. The Facilities guys had a BBQ. Or better, all day cooking event. They fired up the smoker at 8AM and put pork ribs, bone in chicken breast, chicken legs, quail wrapped in bacon, all sorts of sausage links. Chorizo & eggs. Homemade tortillas. I had myself some eggs. Everyone said they were spicy. I must be missing something?
Multiple batches of hot sauce. One for the white boys and one for the people that know how to handle their heat. I impressed the grounds guys with my ability to eat the REAL sauce. I knew there was a reason I have been eating jalapeño all my life. It was for this moment! To show the world that I can handle the heat. Unlike the other gringos that were crying and puffing, I endured. I ate chip after chip. The flavor was outstanding. (Side not: the guy making the REAL sauce took a habanero seed to the eye while cutting it. He looked miserable. What a champion!)
This was delicious.
Side effect of this cook out is that I was left smelling like a camp fire all day. I could smell it all dang day. I was offered hibiscus scented Febreze. I don’t think that would mix well.
I don’t think I like the month of November. I’m bitter that October is over (my favorite month) and it’s not yet Christmas. This year the weather just won’t make up its mind. I should not have my AC blowing this time of year, but I do. It’s hot. Tomorrow is supposed to be cold & cloudy like I like it.
What?
Thanksgiving. As far as holiday meals go, it’s my least favorite. No spice no dice. Turkey is just okay and the rest of the meal is carbohydrates. Think about it. Do you really make Thanksgiving plates any other time during the year? If the food was so amazing wouldn’t it be on the menu regularly? And why must we have mashed potatoes every year? I’m not hating on mashed potatoes, but they are not special. I can find them on nearly every menu in town. Why not make au gratin for a change? Hell, even seasoned red potatoes would be preferred. Green bean casserole. Let’s put a little effort into this for once. Add some spice. Maybe don’t let the most incapable person in the kitchen make it. The reasoning being he can’t possible screw that dish up. Maybe just give him clean up duties next time. Cranberry sauce from a can is gross. When I made my own people still went for the canned stuff. Waste of my time. What is appealing about that red gelatin? Nothing, that’s what! Dressing/stuffing is okay. I really don’t crave it. (One Thanksgiving home from Lubbock I did eat it raw and cold right out of the fridge with my friend Melanie one night after having a few too many beverages. We never even thought a thing about it. My mom wasn’t to thrilled the next morning when she opened the fridge only to find the dressing/stuffing annihilated. Mel & I still joke about that to this day. We will have a laugh about it this Thanksgiving.) I’ve tried to make things exciting by introducing new dishes over the year. Everyone want’s traditional. I give up.
Raw This is my new Thanksgiving contribution.
Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!!! May your food be more exciting than mine!!
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Jalapeño
I got to cook for the sister & mother-in-law. I threw together skillet king ranch chicken. I had to make a last min run to the store for sour cream because it needed to be cooled down a bit. They seemed to have liked it.
Bekah was in need of some more comfort food so we just picked up some frozen lasagna from HEB. It was okay.
Korean BBQ chicken with a side of kimchi and broccoli that I really needed to use. I usually use this sauce with steak. Honestly, I think it caramelizes better with the steak.
Prosciutto & sage wrapped chicken. Bekah made this and I made the white wine sauce. Chardonnay, chicken stock & butter reduced. Love this meal, but the chicken was a little dry. Sorry Bekah.
Hot & Sour soup. This was my first attempt. I was really kind of apprehensive about getting the eggs to ribbon like they needed to but it worked out. My sister-in-law was with us again and she said it was amazing. She would know. I will make this again.
Cocktail of the Week: Old Fashion with black cherry.
I’m so distraught right now I really don’t know what to do with myself. I came back to the office and was immediately told the horrible news. The Llama has found another job. A part of my heart breaks. My eye well up with tears. I can’t breathe. My stomach turns and I vomits a little on the floor. I don’t know if I should just call it a day and go home or seek a bar for some sweet relief.
The
Llama and I have become best of buds over the past year. I really cannot see my life having even an
ounce of happiness without him by my side cheering me on and motivating me to excel. He truly makes my work week enjoyable in a
way that is unexplainable. This is all
so heartbreaking. I will live out my
days in utter misery without him in my life.
This was a day I always fear would come.
I prayed & prayed that it wouldn’t.
Those of you that know me and also read this blog: I am not okay right now. I am a broken man. I will need all the support that I can get from you all. If I show up on your doorstep in the pouring rain with a bottle of Jim Beam in one hand and a bottle of pills in the other, please help me. My grief is overwhelming me as I type this. The tears blurring the monitor screen. My shaky hands missing the keys. This blog is it for now. Wish me the best of luck.
En Fuego 