Spring Break 2020 Part 1 (or the Coronavirus Blog)

What a time to be alive. Spring break is here and the university is free of the majority of children. What is usually a relaxing time for those of us on campus has been disrupted by talks of COVID-19, AKA “The Coronavirus”. I did not want to write about this but here I am. Life during a pandemic… It’s the conversation piece when I walk into the office. I hear it all across campus. I hear about it all day. I walk into it in the mornings. Heck, people are asking me if I’m concerned because of my compromised immune system. (I’m not, btw.) It’s like we are living in a quagmire of fear right now. Being on a campus the main worry is where have the kids traveled for spring break and what will they be bringing back with them. I get it. Campus is already a cesspool of germs. It’s no big stretch to think that they could bring this new threat back to campus. It’s good to take the necessary precautions. But the panic is driving me out of my mind! I have an anxious energy about me because of it. It’s that kind of feeling I have before a thunderstorm comes rolling in. All the uncertainty. Not fear of infection, but how is this going to disrupt my everyday life. I was laughing at my youngest brother when he started stockpiling beans & rice. He has been on panic mode since this all began. It was fun feeding into those fears. Now he is saying “I told you so”. The University already extended spring break one extra week in order to “assess the evolving situation”. With Texas Tech and many others going online courses only, I think it’s only a matter of time before we do to. (UPDATE: We did! Remainder of the semester all courses online and students encouraged to stay home and not return.) I have no idea what that means for my job and many others across campus. Who knows how long this will last. No precedent for it. It’s just eerie. And it is giving me a f***ing headache. So many stupid people!

All the event cancelations. Music festivals, the NBA, movie releases. Disneyland & Disneyworld… My beloved March Madness!!! It’s just crazy. I don’t know what to think about all of this. If you look at the facts, it’s not yet the end of the world. I have seen no sign that the apocalypse is upon us. I just don’t understand it. I’m baffled & confused. Do we really fear the unknown so much? Something new comes around and mass panic ensues? But this isn’t the first time and the reaction was never this drastic. Social media and THE media have people going crazy with fear. “The sky is falling!!! The sky is falling!!!!!!” And it’s having a real life effect on things. Stocks are down, jobs are dropping, everyone is afraid. People believe everything they read or hear without a second thought. I see it getting worse before it gets better. It’s spiraling out of control so quickly. Italy basically shut everything down for quarantine. Sometimes I even ask myself if I’m not downplaying this a little much. Thankfully I have friends that are not yet in panic mode either. It’s nice to have a little reassurance from time to time. I am reminded of one of my favorite lines from the first Men in Black movie. It seems fairly relevant right now. “A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it!” Why am I surprised? One of my favorite novels is The Stand by Stephen King. The book is about a manmade virus that gets out of containment and decimates the world population. Lots of human stupidity in that book. Sadly, some of the stuff in that book people are doing now in reality. I had always just hoped that people were not as stupid as they are depicted in works of fiction. Thanks for proving me wrong, humanity.

Stores have sold out of toilet paper. This is a respiratory virus, not dysentery!!! What does that say about society? Having a clean a** is top priority? I said the one thing that I did not want to come out of this was for it to interfere with my shopping experience. I love my shopping experience and now it’s starting to piss me off. The stores is crazy. I could care less about hand sanitizer. I don’t need toilet paper at the moment, but eventually I will. I will admit that once I saw what was happening in Australia & Japan I made a point to buy a little if I was at the store and I thought about it. I thought maybe that could happen here, but hopefully not. Can’t hurt to grab a package of 6 just in case. But I never bought in bulk! Panic purchasing toilet paper is going to put some people in a real bind. A friend desperately needed some and had zero luck finding any Thursday night. She had a sick child, a house of 5, and 2 rolls. To the son-of-a-b**** that bought 8 cases w/ 40 rolls each, you sir, deserve a good kick in the balls. You are part of the problem. Stop being part of the problem. The only thing that I did find pretty humorous was that all the hand soap was gone… but the dish soap was aplenty. People… people… people… It’s all soap. So dumb. I have been overwhelmed with stupidity. My brain has hurt for 3 days straight. The only thing good to come from the “toilet paper crisis” would be the meme’s. I wonder what the history books will have to say about the year 2020. Will it be the year of the “Coronavirus” and a decimated global population? Or rather the year of the great toilet paper shortage and mass hysteria? Only time will tell.

Thanks, everyone. I might have needed some of that TP….

It’s only fitting that this crazy week ends on Friday the 13th. It would. A day that is synonymous with bad luck. What a cherry on top. At least the weekend is almost here. I can’t wait to get out of this office. I hate to sound like a total drunkard, but I really am looking forward to pouring myself some peach crown, getting comfortable, and sitting back for a little while with some soothing music to ease my weary mind. It’s not that the day itself has been very taxing. In truth, I have done very little. I f***ed off more than I did any actual work. It’s just that I have had enough of people for the day. I like people, but I’m done. Done with the Coronavirus. I don’t even want to turn on the Weather Channel when I get home because I am afraid they will be talking about the f***ing virus. See, it’s even making me cuss like a f***ing sailor. So you all have a nice weekend. Try not to live in fear. Follow the necessary precautions. I’m out. My mind is mush. Happy f***ing Friday the 13th!!! See you next week for Spring Break 2020 Part 2.

Jalapeño…

Sunday was black eyed peas with grilled chicken. Throw some avocado & pico.

So this week we tried to keep things pretty healthy and basic. Just grilled meats and either grilled or steamed veggies for the most part. Caribbean jerk pork tenderloin. That has been in the blog a good few times because it is Bekah’s favorite.

Pretty basic steak w/ lemon pepper asparagus.

Teriyaki salmon w/ broccolini.

I found this new McCormicks grill mate at the store I wanted to try. Garlic herb & wine marinade. Lea & Perrins had a white wine Worcestershire sauce that they discontinued a few years ago. It was one of my favorite things to use with chicken. To my surprise, this taste very close to that. I am so happy that I tried something new.

Grilled tuna & seaweed. Another very common entry in my blog because it’s my favorite. I could eat this once a week.

Cocktail of the Week: Peach Crown and Sprite Zero

As Little As Possible… Isn’t So Bad

Thunderstorms. I’m ready for a nice spring storm to come rolling through the neighborhood. It’s a real rush that I know most people probably don’t share. While I should be hiding in a safe place you will likely find me by an open door looking out into the storm. Like father like son. Weather geek or village idiot? You tell me. We got some really good rain on Wednesday. Not the thunderstorm I was wanting, but a good drenching. I was ecstatic. Couldn’t have been happier. I wanted to sing and dance in the rain. Lots of students apparently felt the same way because they were dripping drowned rats. They looked so happy & I was just waiting for them to burst out into song. Lucky lucky ducks. I was VERY jealous. Kids get to have all the fun.

The gloom was followed by too very sunny days without a single cloud in the f***ing sky. Everyone on campus: “Oh it’s so nice outside. Oh, finally the sun is shining. Oh, the first half of the week was so miserable. Oh, everything was so wet and gloomy and now it’s just beautiful.” I say to you all: SHUT UP! Summer is right around the corner and it’s going to be like that just about every single day and you will be b****ing about it in not too long a time. Like the sun doesn’t shine enough in this state!!! When summer rolls around & you are complaining that it’s hot & we need rain just know that I am showing restraint because what I will be wanting to do is kick you right square in the a**. Learn to enjoy a little rain & gloom.

The weekend arrived and we for once didn’t really have anything going on. This pleased me, for I was looking forward to a lack of obligations. Saturday I was somehow allowed to sleep in. I woke to find 2 dogs and a cat snuggling with me. When Bekah came home from her morning workout she was a Chatty Cathy. I was groggy from over sleeping and I hate to admit, not really paying much attention. No fault to her, I just couldn’t find my focus. I’m just not a morning person. I need a little more time than most to get engaged. Especially without coffee and I try not to drink the black gold on the weekends. That’s just for my work weeks.

Once I had my wits about me I was ready to start the day. I wanted some Easter décor. I was on a mission. I found a few bunnies. Back home the question was posed “What’s for lunch?” For unknown reasons the 2 suggested locations ended up being establishments where the wait staff are half naked. Twin Peaks or Hooters? Bekah chose Hooters because apparently the service is much better. Is this true, I don’t know. I can get nachos. They have good nachos. They use fresh jalapeños. It was a nice lunch. Ran into some other people from the campus sitting at the bar.

The rest of the day we just fiddle around the house. Bekah worked on her puzzle. I read my book. We talked about possibly going to a birthday party up the street but we both really just wanted to chill. Maybe we should do the yard? No, let’s put that off and just be lazy. Sometimes just doing nothing is nice, right? We talked about what’s for dinner and could not make up our minds. I made a trip to HEB to maybe get inspired to cook something. I ended up agitated by my trip. The place was a mad house. Maybe that’s how Bekah feels every trip? If so I understand why she hates shopping. I would too if every trip left me in that condition. The place was a mad house. I went home defeated.

On a whim we decide to have a date night. We both realize that on weekends we just don’t ever go out at night like we once did. We got dressed up and headed to The Wharf. I said I would not order my usual. Guess what people, I ordered the same thing I have ordered for years & boy was it good. Dinner finished we decided to stop for a night cap before heading home. I had an Old Fashion. For reasons unclear, Irish Car Bomb shots fell into the picture. A truly fool hearted thing to go with after an Old Fashion. Actually, a pretty stupid drink any time. That’s a college drink. That’s a “let’s get wasted” drink. It’s not Saint Patty’s Day yet. Sheeesh. Once back at the casa Bekah is determined to finish her puzzle. I make another strong drink. Poor choice. It hit me like a punch in the face. I was tipsy. No sense in fighting it, I was not long for this world. I went to bed. Bekah finished her puzzle. We had a nice evening together.

Sunday was a very productive morning. It was also gloomy!!! I seem more inclined to show productivity when the weather outside is overcast. Don’t ask me why. Bekah took advantage of the gloom and slept in past 12. The bloody time change. I hate it. My eternal clock was out of whack. It will take me a little while to adjust. Once Bekah woke up it was once again what is for lunch. Well, Twin Peaks here we come. She was right about the service… yikes. I was tempted to throw a napkin at the server to get her attention after sitting about 10 min trying to close out. The Thai ribs were good so I won’t write it off as a total dud. The rest of the day we binge watched a show called “The Outsider” and enjoyed the sound of the rain. Yes, unexpectedly we got more rain. I was in a happy place. The weekend with no plans might have not been exciting but it was just what I needed. I think what we both needed.

One last thing before I wrap this blog up. I currently cannot get enough of orange flavored tic-tacs. I don’t know where these have been all my life. Like, I am eating a ridicules amount. My teeth will probably fall out from the amount of sugar that I’m consuming. All my life I’ve been proud to say that I’ve never had a cavity. Now that orange tic-tacs have entered my life…

Jalapeño

Grilled salmon with Best seasoning & lemon juice served with steamed broccoli drizzled with velveta cheese. The salmon was good, the broccoli was better.

Jalapeño sesame chicken. So very good & warm. I cooked this for myself.

It was a good day for some chili!!

Chili hotdog monstrosity or carb free chili dogs? You tell me. This was by far one of the most disgusting things I have ever put together. I’m not all that big on hot dogs. Maybe I’ll have one on the 4^th of July. Maybe. This was just a mess. Look at that plate will you? Is it something you would gobble down? It won’t hurt my feelings if you say “NO WAY!” To make it even more disgusting why not squirt some mustard on top.

Bekahs enchilada chicken.

Cocktail of the Week: 12 year Dewars

As Life Gets Longer, Awful Feels Softer… (I Baked A Cake)

Monday was a Monday. Made worse by the fact I had to see the eye doctor. I’ve been putting it off for a couple years & my PCP had finally had enough of me saying I would get right on that. Guess what, 6 months later I still hadn’t gotten on that. It would be 4 months before my eye doctor could see me, but at least I finally was on the books. The reason I prolonged seeing them is because they dilate my eyes. For some that is 1-2 hours of inconvenience. For me it’s 6-12 hours. That’s a fun way to spend the day, let me tell you. So I went to get my eyes checked. I wait in the waiting room for 30 min. They check my eyes. Shocker, my vision has declined. This I knew. I was squinting often. Time for some new lens. Time for the dreaded drops. Dilate me please. Lucky me. Another 30min wait for that to kick in. Oh the joys. In a dark room my doctors says: “All is fine. No diabetic retinopathy. Maybe think about LASIK. See you next year.” Sure thing, buddy. I can’t wait to do this over again. They supply me with some shades and send me on my way. Next time I promise I will have someone drive me but I’m stubborn and hate taking up other people’s time. If you’ve never had your eyes dilated it’s kind of hard to explain. Every light had been cranked up to 10, blind and painful. Vision goes from blurry to fine and back again. I look like I’m on serious drugs. I get bad headaches. So I sat in the dark waiting for my eyes to get right. I eventually pour a drink hoping it will remedy my headache. Monday, Monday… oh how I love thee.

Bekah’s birthday week! She is not feeling it this year. “Birthdays use to mean something to me”, she said. I say: “Once you reach a certain age it’s just another day.” That’s not entirely true. I still treat myself very well on my birthday, usually far away from work. So what is different for here this year? Is the age 35 the age where she finally feels defeated by time? Is her mortality catching up with her? Is it because it falls on a Wednesday? Not much fun can be had in the middle of the week? Could it be all the slumber parties that she has been having that she is all partied out? Or is it that she caught the cold that I had the week before? Who knows? Her birthday just so happens to be “Inconvenience Yourself Day”. I wonder if she know this? I wonder if her mother knows this.

To show her just how special she is to me I decided to do something I have never in my life attempted. I decided to bake a cake. It might sound ludicrous that I have never made a cake. Not even cupcakes. But it is true. Outside my comfort zone I was. Would it be an epic failure? A disastrous blunder. Rubbish? Filth? The terror was next level. The anxiety through the roof. What if I was a failure? I mean, could I be that guy that can’t bake boxed cake? Kind of like the guy that can’t boil noodles to save his life. Or the guy that consistently overcooks any and all meats? A title like that would shame me for the rest of my existence. How brazen of me to even attempt something of this magnitude so late in life. Fool heartedly, I make the decision to go forward with my plan, the outcome be damned. The things you do for love.

So the day before her birthday I set out to make the cake during my lunch break. Frantically moving through the kitchen, I gather my arsenal and start the oven to 350. Time is of the essence, and this mother***er better preheat. Cracking the eggs was never such a disaster. I got shell in the mix!! Was I already doomed before I had even began? Say it isn’t so! Please god, give me a chance to prove my worth! Carefully removing the egg shell and very aware that the clock is ticking, I manage to overcome my first blow and move on to the next phase: mixing. Oh lord, where is the bloody mixer!!! Clearly I planned this poorly. I give up my search and settle on a miniature egg beater. It will have to do. After a ferocious beating the mix finally surrendered and resembled the cake batter I recall my mother making thought the years of my youth. Feeling a bit triumphant, I begin to think I’ve got this. But then I realize in my frenzy to get the batter together I never actually hit the start button on the unholy oven. This blasphemous beast still has to preheat!!! All my earlier fears resurface and I utter some explicit words to myself. My dogs look on with what can only be described as amusement. I pace and pace. It seems to be taking a lifetime to preheat. I curse myself and the oven. If I am lucky, I can get this done before I have to go back to work but it’s going to be so close. Finally I hear the alert that I’s reached 350. I was jubilant. Maybe this was my break. The batter was in the oven and now all I had to do was pray that the cook time was accurate for my oven. I wait. I wait. I need to be at work in 10 min. I wait. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1!!!! Now the true test. Will the toothpick come away clean. I was a nervous wreck. The moment of truth. And it came out clean!! I successfully baked my first cake!!! All my fears were for nothing! Now let’s just hope it is edible.

Red velvet cake. Isn’t that just a fancy chocolate cake? I mean seriously? Aside from the food coloring, what the world is the difference? It’s just a pretty chocolate cake with cream cheese icing, right? I’m not even going to pretend that I have any sort of knowledge when it comes to cakes, but it seems if you wanted chocolate you would just get a chocolate cake. It’s unnerving to me how red it is. Blatantly unnatural. Something that would appeal to a vampire. Blood red. I mean, this s*** stains. Is it dyed red to make it a “sexy” looking cake? “Sexy” chocolate cake… I guess we tend to eat with our eyes first and our mouths second. If the same cake was “pea soup” green would it be just as appetizing? Would it evoke the same amount of desire? I tend to think not.

I managed to disguise the fact that I had baked a cake in our house that evening by cooking ground beef with onions, garlic and cumin. I didn’t want the surprise to be ruined with baking smells. Cake was stored away in my closet for the morning. While she was working out I made my set up in the kitchen. When I hear the garage open I lit the sparklers and in she came. It was quit the surprise. She was in disbelief that I baked a cake. Bekah: “Who baked this for you?” “Wait, you don’t bake?” “How?” “When?” It was a hit. Of course, she can’t really eat it so it’s off to the office for her coworkers to enjoy. What do I care what happens to it afterwards. They seemed to have enjoyed it because it was all consumed by noon. I’m just glad my mission was a success. Happy Birthday, Bekah!

Thursday morning was humorous. Someone across campus needed a box. One of my dear friends. Quite the character, this woman. Miss Needy is what I’m now calling her. So Needy needs something shipped out. “We can pick it up.” “NO!!! Please bring me a box.” Turns out she needs a really BIG f***ing box. 36x52x28, that’s a big box. You could fit my entire office staff in that box. You could ship us to China! (Not that I want to be in China right now… but you get the point.) What is Needy shipping out that she needs that big a box, we wonder. I’m thinking that a box that big won’t fit in the building. The doors are not wide enough. I mention my concern, but my boss is in the zone and already constructing this big box… “No, it will fit.” Okay. Sure. Build your box. Box is built, dimensions even bigger than needed. Leroy wasn’t about to bring that box. He said it was “bulls***.” So boss & another guy took it. Boredom is a thing. You find ways to escape the office. In less than 10 min later they returned with the box. Guess what, it didn’t fit. I got a good laugh. “Told you so!” Curious what needed such a big box he asked Needy. Well it turns out it was personal, not work related. That was why Needy didn’t want us to pick up. Needy is sneaky. She didn’t want us to know that she needed to ship off a kids riding toy for repair. To be exact, a Mercedes. Got to give her credit, it would have worked on a smaller item. Later that afternoon the Mercedes was dropped off. Oh, did I mention Needy also needed 30 boxes of facial tissue? 🙄

The weekend was just a weekend. I was alone again on Friday while Bekah stayed at her sisters again. Once again, I made spicy orange chicken. I also watched a new H.P. Lovecraft adaptation called “Color out of Space”. The short story it was based on was always a favorite of mine. Ummmm, the movie was dark. I was surprised how far they took the source material. Visually remarkable. Richard Stanley has not directed a film since the 90’s. He jumped back in with both feet & some. I’ve heard he is in the talks to direct some more Lovecraft stories and after seeing this I can only hope. Lovecraft is lacking in cinema. I basically did the exact same thing I did a few weeks back. Had drinks, screwed around on my phone & listened to music. Nothing to write home about.

Saturday Bekah had birthday lunch with friends and I was invited to accompany. It was a 4 hour lunch. It was an expensive tab. Someone was annoying. Best taken in small doses. Not stuck at a table with for hours. I did my best and made a good time out of it. I laughed. Birthday shots a plenty. I kind of felt sorry for her. It was an onslaught. When it was time to go, it was clearly time to go. Someone had had tooooo much. The night concluded with another slumber party. Someone told me this was to happen and I didn’t believe it. Birthday parties. It was fun. I think I’m now officially partied out. I’m waving my white flag. I’m done. I call it quits. Hasta la proxima ves.

Jalaps… seemingly absent from most meals.

Teriyaki salmon. I use to make this all the time before meeting Bekah. When we first met she did not care for fish. Never had it properly cooked I suppose. In the subsequent years I guess I just never made teriyaki salmon again. It wasn’t until someone else recently made this that it even crossed my radar. It turned out really tasty and Bekah liked it enough to want to have again.

I needed to mask the kitchen of all baking smells and what better way to do it than make some Mexican beef & squash. The smells of garlic, cumin, chilies & onions overwhelming the kitchen. Just throw what’s in the kitchen together. The squash was cooked al dente and couldn’t have been better.

The birthday meal, stuffed chicken. This isn’t the easiest one to make and it’s sort of messy. I have to butterfly the breast & then beat it thin with a mallet in order to wrap it around asparagus, ham, and spinach & Gouda cheese. Then I have to bread it with panko crumbs. THAN I have to make a sauce. It’s such a great meal though and I’m happy to make it once a year.

Avocado chicken salad. This is a recipe that came from Jamie. Her husband thinks it’s a hit and I’m looking for new dinner ideas that are healthy so no brainer I try this. I marinated the chicken with chipotle and beer at lunch. Little McCormick gill mate packet. Red onion, corn, cilantro. I added some mixed greens and jalapeño. Grilled the chicken. She just used lemon juice & olive oil. I thought I’d make a quick lemon vinaigrette to lightly toss the mixed greens in. The meal was a success. I can see this being a regular on the menu during the hot summer months.

I’m kind of stuck on making orange chicken when I have the house to myself. It’s easy. It’s good. It’s spicy.

Cocktail of the Week: Beer. Specifically, Miller Lite.

Under the Weather

Cold symptoms, oh so lovely. Waking up in the middle of the night with a raw throat. The anguish that comes with swallowing. One of the more irritating things in life. Next comes the congestion. Mornings feel like I’ve had brick to the nasal region. Steaming showers trying to loosen everything up. Don’t you know that I love being all snotty nosed. Dripping like a leaky faucet. One of the finer joys in life, let me tell you. The alternative is stuffing tissue up my nose and looking like some uncomfortable fool. Persistent tickle in the back of the throat. Like a feather gently caressing, it’s a challenge to not give into the urge to scratch the itch. For that will only make it worse. What about violent sneezing outburst? Got that going on to. I’m so lucky. I lost track of how many times that I’ve been blessed the last couple of days. Everyone is so kind to me. Why would I want to get well?

Did I mention all the wonderful drugs I was taking? Nothing quite as enjoyable as squirting fluids up the nostrils. I should be doing this when I feel 100%. Why deprive myself the feeling when I could be doing this on a regular basis. It makes no sense at all. The Dayquil that makes me zone out on nothing at all. That makes ordinary mental though an act of God. It’s as if my processor has fried. So many vitamin and immune system boosters. They are like candy and I am the kid crunching down on them. Mixing these so called “fruit flavored” packets in a glass of water. I question myself why I only use them when I am sick? Such a fantastic refreshment. Chloraseptic & lozenges for by troubled throat. The taste alone is reason to take these. Artificial f***ing cherry medicine, oh how I love thee. My mind is boggled that they don’t make cherry candy taste so good. What are these whacky candy companies thinking?

As a last-ditch effort to fight this irritable little sonofab****, I go with an age old remedy: The Hot Totty. A secret weapon developed in the days of old, this has been a century’s long weapon against the common cold. A mixture of whiskey, honey & lemon juice heated up, a true medicinal marvel. If so inclined, one can add a bit of butter and cinnamon. Modern medicine pales in comparison to this concoction. This magical elixir. The warm whisky and honey soothe the throat while the lemon breaks up mucus & gives you a bit of needed vitamin. It also has the welcomed side effect of being able to relax you and possibly lull you into a much needed sleep. Sleep is a key to overcoming this little devil. And it can be hard to find when you cannot breathe or swallow properly. Top if off with a little Nyquil… Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

Truth be told, I very rarely come down with a cold. I should count my blessings. It’s an annoying way to spend the week. And since I’m foggy brained from the virus & all the medication, I really couldn’t think of anything else to write about. I’ve done all I can to combat this filthy beast. May time be on my side?

The new meat substitute!! Go get this immediately!!!

Jalapeño

Grilled chicken Caesar salad. I mean, it reached 84 degrees on Monday. What the heck! It’s February. It should feel like February. But whatever… The high temps made it a nice evening to cook outside and enjoy a lite meal like a salad.

Baked cod tostadas. This was, simply put, amazing. Thanks to my work BFF, we now have a new meal. Aside from the baked corn tortilla and guacamole, the ingredients were the same as my fish taco salad. Another one of our favorite meals. So why not oil up some corn tacos and sprinkle a little salt and bake to make a shell. So much better than buying the ones from the store and honestly just as simple to make. They don’t crumble apart on you either.

Skillet king ranch chicken. Can of cream of chicken & rotel. Chop onion. Simple simple.

Ram-Don. This is a meal featured on the film “Parasite”. It’s a Korean dish that blends wealth and poor foods together as one. Two cheap ramen noodle meal kits: Neoguri & Chapagetti. Kobe steak. I did not use Kobe steak. I’m not rich. If I was going to cook Kobe steak I sure as heck would not be throwing it in cheap ramen. I used a nice New York strip. Worked well for me. Any who, the meal was nice. I followed the directions the movies director & writers released. No work here. It was a reminder how much you can do with ramen when using it as a simple starter.

Grilled chicken with some Julio’s green sauce & some squash, onion & red bell. I wish I could master the green sauce. I.. just… can’t… What is it I am missing? What is it that eludes me?

Cocktail of the Week: Happy National Margarita Day!! Pineapple Habanero Margarita

Random Thoughts

I’m bored senseless this morning. Productivity is at an all-time low. My boss is absent. My “want-to-be” boss fainted and went to the ER. It’s certainly a Monday. I have foggy brains. I left my keys at my house and couldn’t get in my desk. I went to pay a ticket and went to the wrong store. Is this how my friend was feeling? I don’t know. MAJOR ADD going on today. I’m all over the place. I’m going to do things a little differently today since I can’t concentrate.

Random thought.

Aliens invaded the moon on July 29^th, 1969.

I mostly use my driver’s license to buy stuff that impairs my ability to drive.

It’s “Random Acts of Kindness” Day!!! What kind act have you committed?

Is a hot dog a sandwich?

My weekend didn’t feel like a weekend.

I want sweetheart’s candy and I didn’t get any for Valentines.

Why is my left little piggy throbbing?

Is a kick in the a** justifiable when the same stupid question is asked of you again?

Furthermore, does it make me a bad person that the act of violence of kicking said person in the a** would be a satisfying solution of todays problems?

Which letter is silent in the word “scent”? The s or the c?

Tall people are expected to use their reach to help shorter people, but if a tall person were to ask a short person to hand them something they dropped on the floor it’d be insulting.

I’ve counted and my coworker Leroy has said “bulls***” 9 times that I have been in the room with him. How many times has he said it when I’ve been out of the office?

I HATE Suddenlink.

The person that would proof read Hitler’s speeches was the first grammar Nazi.

Pet Peeve # 47: People that come to a complete stop to make a right turn. I’m not talking stop signs. I’m talking free flowing traffic and coming to a dead stop, and then turning right. You can have a little forward f***ing momentum when you make a turn.

Pet Peeve # 23: People that try and turn left out of a parking lot into heavy traffic holding up everyone else trying to exit the lot.

I have a lot of pet peeve that are driving related, I just realized. 🙄

Being original is an impossible ambition.

Jalapeño!

Orange chicken again. Bekah didn’t get it last week because she was at her sisters.

Chicken in a pot. This time around I used chicken thigh rather than legs. I honestly couldn’t taste a difference.

Quiche. Crustless. Does that make it a frittata? No it does not. A frittata is more like an open faced omelet.

Grilled snow crab & cream of jalapeño soup for Valentine’s Day. The crab was excellent. The soup, which I winged, did not taste like the Wharf version but more like the Reata in Alpine. Either way, it was a good thing.

Teriyaki steak & veggies.

BBQ pork loin & street corn.

Cocktail of the Week: Tequila

A Night Alone

The weekend arrived quickly when you only work 3 days of the week, thanks to well-timed vacation & snow day. Bekah was staying at her sisters Friday night so I had the casa to myself. What first comes to mind when I hear I have the night to myself is that I can make dinner as hot as I want it. So I took advantage and made myself an extra spicy meal. I do mean “extra” when I say it. I could feel the burn. Orange chicken that would likely be unbearable to the average Joe. I might be insane, I know. It’s just that I’ve had to tone down the heat as of late unless I want to start cooking for myself. I took full advantage of it being that I was all alone.

What kind of movie should I watch was the next question? With the spouse gone why not watch a foreign film. There was one that my brother kept raving about, Parasite. I have seen most the other films by Boog Joon-Oh and he is a visionary. My first experience with his films was the Host. A pretty good monster movie and a warning message about pollution. It wasn’t until the movie Snowpiercer that he became a filmmaker I would keep my eyes open for. His first English language film. A thought provoking metaphor on classism. And then there is Okja… That movie… hurt. I remember Bekah, through sobs, saying “We are never going to watch this movie again.” She literally cried herself to sleep that night. I don’t really care to watch it again. The message wounded my heart. The love between a person and an animal. Are animals more self-aware than most of us give them credit for? Films like this pull at the heart strings. In the case of Okja, it pulls those strings REALLY f***ing hard. I will admit to also sobbing like a little kid all teary eyed and snotty nosed. Not often does a movie have that kind of effect on me. Anyone that is an animal lover might be best advised to stay away from Okja. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an excellent film. Thought provoking. Had me questioning my own life. The damn movie made me question eating meat for about 2 weeks. I felt guilty craving hamburger. I felt shame.

Knowing how his last film hit me I was going into Parasite w/ trepidation. I quickly found out this was a whole other beast. I don’t wish to spoil anything so I will tread lightly. I loved the way the movie made so many sudden tonal shifts too – it starts as a sort of black comedy and ends up in a bloodbath. Sometimes that sort of rapid change in mood can be detrimental to a film, but here it’s just another big dip on the rollercoaster. The ambiguity of all the characters is another plus for me – it could easily have been a cookie cutter “poor but nice” family vs “rich but horrible” family scenario. But its more intricate than that – everyone in the film has flaws and strengths, just like in real life. I know it being in subtitles will likely turn many viewers away from it, but after about 5-10 min you don’t even notice anymore. Also, I find subtitles make you pay full attention which makes the movie leave a longer last impression upon you. Let me tell you how pleasantly surprised I was Monday morning to discover that it basically swept the Oscar awards. Best picture, best director, best foreign film & best original screen play. That’s a big win for Korean film.

For most the remainder of the night I spent listening to music in my kitchen, playing on my phone & chatting in text messages all the while enjoying some adult beverages. At some point a Quentin Tarantino marathon caught my eye so I moved to the couch. A risk, considering how often it claims people. Real exciting night alone. Pretty much on par with any other Friday night due to Bekah’s narcolepsy. I did manage to stay up a little past 1AM. Party animal, right? Actually that just comes with being a night owl. I can stay up all night with ease, but try and get me out of bed… An early bird this guy is not. So that sums up my night alone. Fun times!

Jalapeño

Bison steak w/ asparagus. I have never cooked bison before, let alone had bison steak. Bison burgers, sure, but steak, no. The only reason I even purchased the steaks was because the butcher at HEB pointed out to me that they were on sale for half off. Sold. I’m open for out of the ordinary. So what to do with these? Exactly what I would do with beef steak. It’s a very lean meat so I kind of treated them like tenderloins. Nice sear followed by a broil. They turned out to be really great. I am not a person to use A1 sauce but for some reason I had a craving for it and it went well with the steak.

HEB crab stuffed salmon. Usually I really dig this meal but for some reason this batch just doesn’t have the same quality. I did everything on my side the same. Same season, same cooking time. I don’t know what they did differently. At least the broccoli was good. Seamed with cheese.

So it was a snow day. It was cold outside and perfect soup weather. Tortilla soup! This was a nice warm batch to the body temperature up. I have been making this recipe for so long I don’t even measure or look at ingredients. Soups are probably one of my favorite things to make.

Still had enough tortilla soup for another night. To keep the meal fresh I added a can of cream of chicken to the mix. This makes it a cream of chicken tortilla soup. It’s a nice variation.

All alone to my own devices I got to make whatever I want and that turned out to be VERY spicy orange chicken. I have a couple different orange chicken recipes that I cook so I went with the Panda Express imitation. Only big difference is that the chicken I do not bread. Bekah would have b****ed about this being too hot. I was satisfied.

Sunday was imitation bunless animal style In-N-Out Burger. What a pain in the butt this is to make. It took me at least an hour to caramelize the onions to how I needed them. Constantly stirring, charring, adding beer, stirring and repeat. If you have not had an animal style burger its caramelized onion, a sauce that is basically Thousand Islands, and a burger patty coated with mustard before grilled. Although time consuming it’s still a very good burger. I now recall why I probably only ever make it once a year or less often.

Cocktail of the week: Cabernet Sauvignon

Snow Day

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!!

Adult Slumber Party

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…

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”

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.

Cocktail of the week: Whatever this was.

The Trails & Tribulations & Conspiracies Against Leroy

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.

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.

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?

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 3^rd 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.

Cocktail of the Week: Cherry margarita.

Pets

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cocktail of the Week! Old Fashioned