joy and shadows

The events currently transpiring in the Middle East have got me very, very worried. I keep thinking about how WWI got started.

Not good.

Hello all you working class folks out there,

Tonight, at NO CHARGE TO YOU, I will tell you a secret - known only to a few - that will change your life forever.

Have you ever said to yourself, "Self, you are spending a lot of money on lunch every day?" Do you admit freely that you are a lazy sack who can't be arsed to make lunch every night, or every morning? Do you promise yourself while you're shoveling down that pad thai that next time you'll bring your lunch to work, really? Isn't sandwich bread just the nastiest thing ever?

Fear not! I have the solution, right here.

First, go to the supermarket. Pick yourself out a nice loaf of fresh-baked bread - a baguette or a ciabatta works very well. Go to the deli and order yourself a medley of sandwich stuffins. Pick out your sandwich dressing, and you're most of the way there.

At home, slice open the bread, and apply your dressing. (We tend to stay away from mayonnaise after an unfortunate trip to the ER that involved a questionable roast beef sandwich.) Pile up the bottom half of your bread with your meat and/or cheese and whatever else you want. Put the top of the bread back on and - work with me here - slice the loaf into a bunch of little sandwiches. Put each little sandwich in a sandwich bag, toss 'em in the fridge, and voila! You're set for the whole week! All you have to do now is grab one bag every morning with a soda and a snack, and you're home free!

Here are some suggestions, from our kitchen to yours.

1. Prosciutto and fresh mozzarella with roasted red peppers
2. Rosemary ham and provolone with honey mustard (a good kind like Honeycup)
3. Lemon-pepper chicken or turkey breast and fresh mozzarella with pesto and tomatoes
4. Roast beef and pepper jack cheese
5. Maple ham and swiss with honey mustard or stone-ground mustard

Bon appetit!

I need to do a big update because my last post was on 6/21. That's kind of sad.

Update the first: our trip to the Canadian GP.

( Race report from Montreal )

You know how in Paranoia Agent, Shounen Bat shows up to beat the crap out of people who are looking for an escape from reality?

The welcome mat is out for Shounen Bat right about now. Only the anime geeks are going to get this reference, but I can't think of a better way to describe work right now.

Today we decided to go for a long bike ride down the D&R Feeder Canal bike path. When we got there, a large group of people was unloading bikes. We spoke briefly with them and they pointed out the trail head.

Later on during a water break, some of them caught up to us and we chatted about what breweries to visit in Lambertville.

In another water break, they caught up to us again and described where the brewery they preferred was.

On another stop, we chatted some more and it was decided that we should all go to the brewery and have samples.

So we had some beer.

Afterwards, we were all having too much fun so then we went to lunch together in New Hope with 13 people we didn't know and had some more beer.

Then there was money left over so we went for ice cream with this friendly bunch.

Then we went back on the trail and I finished all 32 miles with a lot of groaning and moaning. They were back loading their bikes on to their cars, and they made sure to tell us how to get to the Ship Inn, where they were going afterwards.

So we went there and - you guessed it - had some more beer.

Good times, good times.

To all the media outlets out there:

I'm really tired of hearing about Natalee Holloway. I do not think she deserves to be front-page news over all the crises that are going on around the world today. Yes, it's tragic that she disappeared with no trace. Yes, it would be good to see her murderers brought to justice. But honestly - if she hadn't been a young, pretty, white, blonde girl from the suburbs, I sincerely doubt she'd be getting as much attention. Teenagers disappear every day all over this nation and don't make the front page, so why should this one be any different?

Sorry folks, had to get that off my chest.

I biked to work today, because it was Bike to Work Day!!

Not quite from home, though - we started out at a local bar establishment called Cryans, because we can go after work and drink a lot of beer it was a reasonable ride from work. It was hilly (for me) but not more than a half-hour ride, and the rain held off long enough that we had a decent trip.

This weekend I'm going outlet shopping with jaina and it will be Good. I am in dire need of at least one pair of brown work shoes, and possibly also a fabulous pair of heels to wear with my fabulous jeans that I can't fit into yet. But we're working on it.

ETA: DUDE, I won the raffle for the bike! Hurray!

...WTF am I going to do with another bike?

Had the Sale of Yard today, and it was a smashing success. We sold all the big things we wanted to sell except the VCR, and that we gave to one of the employees of the pizza shop next door. They make splendiferous New York-style pizza (the place is Donald Trump's favorite, and The Donald can't be wrong) and it's never a bad idea to get some brownie points from the guys who make your dinner.

The day's take? $320. Boom, baby. Not bad for something that should have been subtitled Let's Clean Out The Attic.

Gonna watch the Derby later and cheer for the gray horsie, because I like gray horses.

Last week was busy busy busy. We had a new instrument installed, so most of my time was spent with the service tech, learning about the instrument and how to run it. He left on Thursday, and Friday turned into Let's All Blow Off Work and Go Out To Lunch Day.

Anyway, husband and I left on Friday evening to go to upstate New York to visit with my aunt for a biking trip. We had horrible traffic on the way up thanks to scads of New Yorkers headed to the Catskills for the weekend, but it finally cleared up and we arrived around nine or so. We spent a lot of time talking about the whole Florida issue over wine and pizza, so.

The bike ride was very pleasant. I had had some trouble with my front derailleur on Thursday afternoon, so I was nervous about the bike breaking down out in the middle of nowhere, but it turned out fine. Saturday morning, we met up with my aunt at her barn where she was having a dressage lesson with her horse Corky. There were promises of a barn cat for petting, but Buddy was nowhere to be found.

We drove to the trail head and unloaded the bikes. My front wheel didn't go on quite right and one of the brake calipers was dragging, but luckily there was a small bike shop nearby and the proprietor fixed the bike for me. The trail itself was nice and flattish - only a small grade - and the spring scenery was lovely. At one point we passed a small farm that I swear belonged to Old McDonald, with a cluck cluck here and a baa baa there (geese, a rooster, chickens, a llama, a horse, guinea hens - quite a menagerie.) We had lunch in Millerston, and I thought I lost my cell phone, but I didn't.

Steak for dinner, and then my aunt took us to a local market for ice cream. We each picked up our own pint, and mine was called "Crumbs along the Mohawk:" graham crackers in graham cracker ice cream with caramel. Pure crack. It's a good thing they don't sell that kind of ice cream in my area, or I'd be fat as anything.

We went for a second short bike ride on Sunday, again after my aunt's dressage lesson, and this time Buddy was available for an extended scratch and cuddle. Beautiful brown-and-black tiger cat, stripey all over with white just under his chin and big green eyes. My aunt said that he doesn't get a lot of attention, which makes no sense to me, because he was such a beautiful boy that I don't know how anyone could resist petting him for hours on end. Either way, he purred like motor, and the paws were going, and I almost stole him right there.

The ride home was much more pleasant than the ride up. We got home just in time to watch the very end of the rebroadcast of the F1 race, and then I spent the rest of the afternoon tidying up the apartment. My parents called late (for them) and they still don't have a house in Florida to move to after they close on the 22nd of May. Not My Problem, though I continue to puzzle over how unconcerned they are about mooching off of their friends.

This week should be a bit busy, as the big local rummage sale takes place this weekend, and I'd like to have my own small sale in our front yard to get rid of worthwhile items like the ginormous microwave we received as a wedding present. If we made a hundred bucks on the weekend, I'd be happy.

The Scientology Messiah has arrived.

I do hope this ends up as a South Park Christmas special.