![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1){kind=small}
I chuckle to myself at her youthful anticipation, which is about all she can muster in these, her declining years.
She wastes no time devouring the crunchy treat.
- Mood:
satisfied
When she got close enough to see me she said, "Oh, I thought you were someone else," and started running back to her car.
I stuck my head out my window and yelled, "I AM SOMEONE ELSE!"
- Mood:
silly
"Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!"
Col. George Taylor --1968
"Take your hand from me, you unctuous platitudinizing eunuch!"
Doc Martin --2004
my Only birds
sO far are crOw
they peck the snOw
for food belOw
[my Ode to O]
it's spring, you knOw
sO sadly thOugh
my snOw won't gO
The View From My Back Door Taken April 2 2011
that 'til a friend stopped by [to pass the time]
I could toss a few [drink some beer]
to help time fly [and make some rhyme]
I don't know if this is a style of poetry but it kind of works in a mix and match way.
I've found at least 6 different ways to read it.
Any improvements on this puzzle are welcomed.
- Mood:
mischievous
Fried Rice
Carnitas w/ Pico de Gallo
I don't really have time to write anything now, and I didn't prepare anything to have ready to post but above are the links to the recipes that I recreated this last weekend. I will try to update this soon with all of the deviations I made to make these awesome dishes my own.
Ya see, I just got a DVD collection of Guy's Big Bite and am enjoying some inspired cooking. Details to come.
Suffice to say, It were some kick ass food! Stay Tuned! (This photo from Guy's Page, Not Mine.)
The following are the above mentioned Deviations from the recipes at the top of the page.
Day One: Carnal Carnitas with Pico de Dandy
These Carnitas were a new flavor to me. They are like tacos with a twist. A twist of lime! (Although the pun was not intentional.)
My deviation on this recipe was that while pricing the pork butts I found a boneless pork loin to have a friendlier price tag. And although the Manteka Lard was costlier than I expected, ($2.50 #) I went with it anyway. However, after finishing, I did strain and freeze it for future use. (I'll let you know how that works out.)
The only other deviation on this dish was the radishes. Ever the frugal gourmet, I was shocked at radish prices. It must be because it is dead of winter but most produce is outrageous. The Cilantro was $2.50 for a small bunch, and Radishes were no exception. So I got a nice chunk of Daikon Radish. It was cheap and did the trick.
The Pico de Dandy is basically a fresh salsa so I added a few cloves of pressed garlic to the mix and doubled up on the fresh jalapenos.
The Carnitas as a finished meal were Magnifico!
A warmed corn tortilla with a generous pinch of the pulled pork and topped with a little shredded cabbage (I splurged on a small bag of pre cut slaw mix that will go into the fried rice as well). Then about 3 slices of fresh jalapeno pepper, 3 slices of that daikon radish, a nice little scoop of the Pico de Dandy, and a squeeze of a lime wedge.
I won't say it's not a little messy but what a flavor combo. It's cool and crispy with a spike of jalapeno hotness. The lime balances the hot and cool. And anytime there is fresh cilantro you know I'm on board! I couldn't stop eating them.
The only thing I accompanied these with was some corn chips that I made myself, (Store bought corn tortillas, cut into 6ths and deep fried) and need I say...Beer!
Day Two: Spicy Dangerine Beef with Vegetarian Fried Rice
On day one I had cooked off some brown long grain rice specifically for leftover to be used in the fried rice. I also had planned on using leftover pork from the Carnitas but wonder of wonders...I ate it all. (I told you it was magnifico!)
Besides the pork and the grain of rice my only other deviations on the fried rice were that I didn't have any snap peas or sesame seeds. Oh, and that I completely disregarded the quantities on everything except the sauces.
I made this early in the day and left it covered on the stove until I needed it much later.
Now for the Dangerine Beef I deviated from the cut of meat. What a shocker! I thought the flank or skirt steak would be an inexpensive cut. I've never bought it before knowing that it had to be marinated and used properly. It never really fit into my throw it on the grill plans. Well this stuff was like $6.50 a pound and I'm a cheapskate. So I went with a big ol' Top Round for London Broil that was only $2.25 a pound and marked down as well. I don't mind, and usually prefer, the marked down steak. I think it tastes as good and sometimes better depending on the cooking method.
(While on that subject, I never buy anything but the freshest when it comes to pork, poultry, and fish. Beef is my exception to that rule. But that's me, you do what you are comfortable with!)
Back to the beef. I first located the direction of the grain on the big ass hunk o' meat, and then cut the steak into chunks that would allow me to make the thin slices across the grain.
The marinade went as prescribed in an eyeball it kind of way. I tend to go heavy on my eyeball measurements, and I used mushroom soy sauce. The beef actually stayed in the fridge for several hours and then I pulled it out to room temp about an hour before I actually got around to cooking. I never started cooking the beef until early evening.
I was expecting a beer drinking buddy early in the day so did all my prep work before noon and we munched on bar food all day. (My home made french fries, corn chips, and I prepared another batch of Pico de Dandy for a salsa dip.)
For the sauce on the Dangerine Beef my only deviations were the sherry and the oil. I use peanut oil for stir frying. And I didn't buy any sherry either, but I always have some kind of leftover wine in the cupboard. Alcohol doesn't hang around long at my house so I keep a small jar for wine over the stove just for cooking. I top it off with whatever wine I may be drinking at any given wine weekend. It might be Burgundy, it may be white, and it is probably a mixture (but not a temptation, hehe)
I'll tell ya right now, this were some kick ass shit!
It's the kind of flavor that I might find in a Chinese restaurant and wonder why I couldn't make it at home. But I did.
It was spicy from the ginger, but sweet from the tangerine. It was tender and thick. Served with the rice it was like, "OMG, did I do that?"
It felt good to get out of the meat and potatoes rut. And as Guy might say, When it comes to my cooking, "No bite is to big!"
Bone Appetites!
- Mood:
enthralled
Temperature outside...10 degreez above zero (heat wave)
My ground beef never seen it's shadow so I recon spring is on it's way!
I took today off from work because of the predicted "Storm Of The Century". (It seems like we get one of those every year, don't it?)
My work partner was generous to cover for me, as I live 15 miles out of town (up in the hills) and she lives only a few blocks from the store in town.
I just finished snow blowing my driveway for the first time today so I can map the progress of the storm. Will we really get that 18 inches?
Now, what to do about food. Today's menu actually started two weekends ago when I froze a 5# bag of ground chuck. I had bought two such bags on sale and never got around to portioning it before I had to freeze it. That left me thawing More than I needed for any single project this last weekend. So, I cooked the entire 5 pounds with fresh chopped onions, garlic, salt and fresh ground black pepper. Then I threw it in the big ass crock pot with a can of tomatoes with basil and a bit of oregano.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to go Mexican or Italian so I stopped the seasoning there until I knew what it would turn out to be.
It turned out to be both. I started by snacking on large flour tortillas topped with a romaine leaf, sour cream, a scoop of the ambiguous beef, and some fresh grated cheddar. That were some kinda yummy. A jar of sliced jalapenos from the fridge added that extra heat I needed to each bite. Instant Mexican!
Along with this I had cooked up some simple Spanish rice.
To make this I sauteed a couple small yellow onions in oil and then added a pinch of cumin, a bit of chili power, a small can of diced Mexican style tomatoes, one cup of long grain brown rice, and 2 cups of water. After bringing to a boil I lowered the temp to low and put a lid on it. Don't stir and don't peek for at least 20 minutes. Once you do start peeking (because you have to eventually) look for the water to be absorbed into the rice rice but still slightly bubbling. (or slightly past that point.) Then I turn the heat off and let it set even longer. It will finish cooking and won't burn.
Remember, DON'T STIR YOUR RICE WHILE IT"S COOKING. Wait until it is done and you are ready to serve it. And maybe not even then, unless you are transferring it to a serving dish.
That morning I had also soaked a pot of red beans but decided not to cook them until the next morning.
As it happened I felt like Italian the next day so the boiled beans went to the fridge and I cooked off some pasta. I wanted to use penne regatta but was out, so I used elbow noodles instead. I was thinking goulash (or Chop Suey, as they call it in these parts.) This I prepared per portion in a bowl and topped with fresh grated Parmesan. That were some kinda yummy as well!
Now thinking ahead, as I do every now and then, I thought I may as well portion up some to-go dishes for lunches to take to work.
One microwavable container first got a layer of the rice topped with a layer of the beans and then topped with a layer of the beef. Simple healthy Mexican.
The other 2 containers went Italian. I discarded the goulash idea here and thought lazagne style. Using the elbow noodles I layered noodles, beef, Parmesan, Romano, repeat.
Them was some kind of awesome. And since I'm not at work today, some of it is still in the fridge at work waiting to be enjoyed.
Now...back to today. The remainder of the meat in the crock pot started reheating first this this morning after I realized I wasn't going to work.
After blowing the driveway clean I thought it would be a good day for chili. Hey! I still have those red beans. Throwing them into the mix, I added a big can of diced tomatoes and some cumin & chili powder.
Voila! A pot of chili for a blizzardy day in the country.
Bone Appetite!
- Mood:
creative - Music:T. Rex
I just finished making a huge pot of potato chili & cheese soup.
I am also on my 4th beer. I should have a reality cooking show.
If I did, it would go something like this.
First thing this morning while the coffee was brewing I started soaking a pot of red and black beans.
After coffee and a breakfast of home fries, eggs and toast, I started peeling potatoes.
Last week my neighbor gave me a big bag of potatoes from her garden. Organic and local. They were very dirty and starting to grow eyes but the chore was quick and easy with a paring knife and some cool running water.
I filled the pot about 3/4 full of large diced potatoes, added some salt and just enough water to cover them. After boiling a bit then simmering a bit more so the taters were sufficiently tender, I removed them from the heat.
Next I pureed them in their own stock. I actually used a masher to break them all up into a soup consistency. And I always leave things chunky, knowing that it will break down more as it cooks or is reheated. To this I added milk and fresh ground black pepper. And this whole mess I poured into my big ass crock pot.
While the potatoes were boiling I had peeled and diced a bunch of onions and fresh garlic.
Then when that the potatoes were out of the way I sauteed the onions and garlic in my wok.
The wok is actually my favorite cooking pan. It's big enough for any size frying project and it's fun to maneuver or flip your food with. I even use it for breakfast.
Mine is a nice non stick version. Don't think it's just for stir fry!
Next, to the translucently sauteed onions, I added the spices. Oregano, chili powder and cumin. (I didn't have the foresight to have green or jalapeno peppers on hand for this stage of the project. Use em if you got em.)
I let this saute just a couple minutes to marry the flavor before removing from the heat and adding to the potato mixture in the crock pot.
Soup is done. Just add grated cheddar to each portion as you eat it. A dollop of sour cream is a nice addition as well. (This ain't no health food show!)
My original recipe would call for adding the cheese right to the soup at the final stage of preparation but it serves me, the lonely bachelor, better by doing it per portion. It will survive a few reheats better. That, and I just like to grate cheese on my food. It just adds a freshness to leftovers.
Since I had cooked up so much of the onion and garlic mixture, I left some in the pan for my next project.
I returned the wok to the heat and added some ground chuck. This was a spontaneous choice because I knew I was gonna do something with the beef tomorrow and this would save a step. Plus, it's one less time that I have to wash the pan. haha
The beef and onion mixture will go well with the beans that are still soaking. I'm thinking burritos or chili.
Remember, I am cooking for myself for the whole week. Lunches to take to work and dinners for when I get home at night. My work days consist of coffee and breakfast, then I go to work and it's straight through with no break until get home around 9 p.m.
So what am I gonna eat today now that all the work is done? Probably gonna cook up some burgers and french fries. haha
Somewhere in the middle of the onion cooking session I was also peeling and slicing russets into french fries and have them soaking in the fridge in a tub of water with a bit of vinegar. Those will go in the deep fryer that is set up in my garage. One case of the munchies and I am good to go!
Man can not live on soup alone. I think tomorrow I will make a meatloaf for sandwiches this week. That plan is subject to change. I might feel like Mexican tomorrow. I didn't even know I was making soup today until I started peeling potatoes.
Bone Appetite! Gimme a beer!
Monday...The Follow Up.
That was some kick ass potato soup!
Before it degraded any, I culled off some portions to take to work with me this week. (Then over the course of the day ate about half of the rest of it.)
The cheese burgers and fries went awesome as well.
Nothing like eating out without leaving the house!
I began this morning by returning the heat to the potato soup in crock pot so lunch was underway before I made a waffle and eggs for breakfast. After lunch, the beans and beef mixture turned into a nice chili that I moved to the crock pot after removing the small amount of leftover potato soup. With that chili working on it's own I decided to turn the rest of my raw ground chuck into mini meat loaves. They will be good for quick sandwich fixin this week. I love me a cold meat loaf sandwich! I used a non stick bread pan that makes eight mini loaves.
Now, if I only had my own bread. Hey, waddaya think I wanna spend my entire weekend in the kitchen? haha...well...actually...
- Mood:
accomplished
- Location:work
- Mood: weird
This will tell you what I did this weekend.
Why I did it;
Well, I like to cook and I need to eat. Most weekends I do cooking that will last me all week. This often includes cooking a whole bag of red potatoes then keeping them in the bottom drawer of the fridge for quick home fries, soup or potato salad. Fresh and ready to eat. This week I also had baked a bunch of russets. Lately I have also been cooking extra amounts of rotisserie chicken. I have some for nibbles all weekend then have meat left for sandwiches for lunches during the week.
What I had in the fridge;
- 2 leftover rotisserie chicken breast on the bone.
- 8 or 9 baked potatoes
- some boiled redskin potatoes
- onion, celery, and carrots
- cheddar cheese
- Aprox. 4 pounds ground beef
- 2 Doz. whole chicken wings
- sour cream
- T. Marzetti Bleu Cheese Vegetable Dip
How I did it;
Friday night after work I began by removing the breast meat from the bone and set the meat aside. In anticipation of my weekend, which is Sunday-Monday, I started a chicken stock with the bones and smaller scrap pieces of the chicken breasts. For more flavor I also cleaned and added the celery butt and end pieces, as well as an onion cut in half and some salt & pepper. After cooking long enough to scent the house with that home cooking aroma, I left the whole mess in the pot and stuck it in the fridge. That was my prep work for the night.
Saturday night after work I started soaking a pot of red beans.
Sunday morning I woke up early and ready to kick some food butt. First I started the beans on one burner and the chicken stock on the other.
When the stock pot was warmed up a bit, I separated the bones and meat from the stock and then put the stock back on to almost a boil. In the meantime I added the diced chicken breast meat, some carrots, celery and onion, all diced large. I like my home cooking big and chunky so it doesn't break down so much when reheating a few times. This only needed cooking a short time. I seasoning to taste with some garlic, sage and a wee bit of grated nutmeg. Lastly adding some large diced pre-boiled redskin potatoes. (I wished I had some frozen peas to throw in too, but was I out) I then thickened it with corn starch and water. Quick, translucent and thick.
I was not sure what I was making yet. I just like cooking and working with what I have to use up. Kind of a something from nothing dish. If nothing else it was to be chicken stew for lunches next week.
Next I started the beef cooking in a big pot with a bunch of onions, diced large, and some garlic. By the time this was done, the beans were done as well and had been drained and waiting on the side. I decided to finish the concoction in the crock pot. I have a real big crock pot so I dumped the meat and the beans together adding 1 big can of crushed tomato with basil, and 2 small cans of stewed tomatoes Mexican style. (all natural) Next a bit of cumin and chili powder, then a stir with my favorite big wooden spoon. The rest of the cooking and marrying of flavors would happen on their own over the next few hours of slow crock pot cooking.
I won't mention the constant keeping up of dishes. I like a clean kitchen so I wash as I go.
I guess I won't mention the beers that I enjoy as I cook either. It's a cookin' party, after all!
Now the previous projects are all cleaned up and out of the way so I started cutting the baked potatoes in half length ways and scooping the flesh into a bowl. I filled a couple cookie sheets with half shell potato skins anxious to be reunited with it's flesh. I mashed the potato with some sour cream, garlic, salt and pepper. Next I refilled all of the skins with this mix and sprinkled gently with paprika. These I just stuck in the fridge until I needed them in the oven.
First order of business with the wings is to separate the drumettes and the tips. I freeze the tips for a future chicken stock. The rest of the pieces are about to become art. I tossed them in onion powder and garlic powder then layed them out on a broiler pan and cooked them for about a half hour at 350. As I pull them out of the oven, I put in a tray of potatoes. Next I put the wings back in the big bowl, which is miraculously clean again, tossed them in the sauce I made, then baked them another 15 or 20 minutes. The potatoes finished at at about the same time as the wings. I topped them with grated cheddar and served them with a dollop of bleu cheese dip.
About the sauce...
Chicken wings. I love 'em! Usually the more spicy the better. Today I started with some super hot pepper sauce made by a friend of mine. Seriously, you could dip a toothpick in this stuff, touch it to your tongue and catch on fire. I added some of this to my favorite barbecue sauce, Sweet Baby Ray's. It was a tolerable hot before cooking, meaning a spoonful would make me sweat immediately. But somehow, after cooking it was less than mildly spicy but very sticky sweet. In a word, Awesome! I had gourmet nibble for two days plus.
First thing Monday morning I stuck the chili back in the crock pot and lunch and dinner was working by itself. I had some wings left so when I got the munchies I just stuck them in the oven while I preheated it to cook off the other half of the stuffed bakes.
Then I remembered the chicken stew I made the day before and decided to make a simple pie crust and make pasties. I made enough pie crust for four pies filling each crust with stew and folding it over on itself like a calzone. I then put a small slit in the top of each one and stuck some butter in the slits. Then baked them for about 45 minutes at 350. I put a little pan of hot water in the bottom of the oven to add some moisture. These turned out beautiful. After cooling them completely I wrapped them in newspaper, then baked them to use for my lunches at work this week.
(I use newspaper because I don't buy things like baggies or wax paper. Why should I when they keep sticking this stuff in my mailbox for free?)
What I created;
- Buffalo Wings
- Double Stuffed Baked Potatoes
- Beef & bean Chile
- Chicken Pasties
- vegetables and dip
There you have it. A weekend in the kitchen with me.
Bon Appetite! Chez Dande'
- Location:Kitchen
- Mood:
hungry
How I spent my Sunday morning.
A few years back, when I still had internet, every Sunday I would comment on my friend Mark's intertubular radio extravagonzo. Or more simply put, his Sunday Morning Jazz Plus Show. Catamount Community Radio, on WWCU-FM. Sunday mornings from 10-12 (North Carolina time).
This will be an homage to that. Also, since I just got a new turntable I thought I should break it in all proper like, so from 9 am until 1:00 pm, this is what happened.
Play list
1. Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention (Side 2) Because it was still on the turntable from my last listening session. Includes many fun sound bites from the senate hearings on censorship. Can you spell PMRC?
2. Charlie Parker- 1949 Concert (Side 1, Side 2) At times you can hear someone shouting in the background, causing me to look out my front and back doors to see if I had company.
3. Black Oak Arkansas - 10 Year Overnight Success (Side 1) A random selection found while skimming the shelves for something to grab me.I haven't heard this in years. I always loved the track, When the Band Was Singing "Shakin' All Over".( Even when that guy from the Guess Who sang it.) This album also has some nice vocals from Ruby Star on Television Indecision.
4. Elvis Costello- My Aim Is True (Side 1) I actually caught myself dancing around the kitchen during Sneaky Feelings, and I never tire of Watching the Detectives. It makes me think that I was probably liking reggae before I knew what it was.
5. T. Rex- Ride A White Swan (Side 1, Side 2) Because I can never get enough T. Rex! More mystical than metal, this album was given to me by a British lady I know as part of her personal 'Teen Age Girl in 1970's England' record collection. She actually gave a whole box of records. All of them from England, many of them with alternate covers, labels, and tracks than the American releases. Very groovy. Thank you Maxine, wherever you are! My favourite T. Rex album would have to be whichever T. Rex album is on the turntable at at that time. Right now it's Ride A White swan.
It's a little hard to follow the mystical styling of tunes like Elemental Child, Salamanda Palaganda, Strange Orchestras, and Cat Black (The Wizards Hat) with anything but more T. Rex, so I took a sharp left turn down Dark Pop Lane and stayed in England with...
6. Paul McCartney- Red Rose Speedway (Side 2) A quick note about the album cover. I don't remember ever noticing that there is braille on the back. Or at least ever seeing the bumps and knowing what they were. Could this have been around the time he was hanging around with Stevie Wonder? Either way, it's a kind of interesting courtesy to say the least. On the music, I've always loved this record for it's dark atmosphere. It's a great one to listen to in the dark. Maybe that was the idea, and hence the braille? When the Night, and Medley: Hold Me Tight-Lazy Dynamite-Hands Of Love-Power Cut really move me. Oh Dammit, so do all the rest of the songs. (but mostly the Medley!) And speaking of Medleys...
7. Melody Makers featuring Ziggy Marley- Play The Game Right (Side 1, Side 2) Naah Leggo. The children in the ghetto want food to eat. The people on the streets want somewhere to sleep. Help them mr. bigman, mr. bigman. You can't blame the youth them. They are victims of poverty. But we got to dread. Hang on in there. We naah leggo, we can't leggo, we naah leggo.
Not one bad song on this 1984 release from David (Ziggy) Marley, the "then" young offspring of Bob Marley. How songs of social injustice and suffering can sound so happy and hopeful is beyond me but it's a pleasure to listen to and leaves you thinking everything's gonna be alright!
Other highlights including the title track are Aiding and Abetting, Revelation, and Unuh Nuh Listen Yet,
If I listened to this album enough, I could probably write some happy songs about my back aches and over due bills.
My daddy been telling you about it, unuh no listen yet. Yesus Kristos been telling you about it, unuh no listen yet. Leggo mi hand and mek mi cross river jordon. Leggo, leggo mi hand and mek mi cross river jordon.
This wraps up my little platter party. I've had a blast. Thank you Cayo for listening, and thank YOU for reading. Now it's time for ME to get cooking. Today's menu started with a simple beef and tomato concoction that will turn into some kind of penne pasta style goulash, but where it ends...even I don't know yet.
I will be dancing out of this blog to the swinging sounds of a British released compilation album called Reggae Party (on MFP records) Music For Pleasure!
"When the pressure drops, whoah whoah..."
- Mood: cheerful
I love the mellow feeling of moments like these.
I had a good nights rest after a day full of housework, cooking, drinking, eating and watching TV.
(I watched the entire Season 9 of Smallville.)
No hangover, just mellow.
The cat is fed and the coffee is fresh.
The sky is overcast and the caffeine hasn't kicked in yet.
Mellow. Calm.
If only I didn't have to work today.
I must try to reconstruct this feeling on my next day off.
This is also the first time I have sat down to write anything at the computer since I can't remember. I was hoping the words would just flow if I started typing.
I recently moved the computer to the table in the dining area of the kitchen. It had been in one of my extra rooms where it was set up like a nice little office that I never used. In the process I ended up with he spare stereo and turntable here as well.
I belong in the center of things so this feels right. Sitting at the half way point between the TV and the kitchen.
It seems to be working. I typed this.
Normally I would have just thought about typing something, went to the spare room to turn on the computer, and then lost momentum hanging out in the kitchen.
The hardest part is that, without internet, I can't post it to my blog immediately. I will have to put it on a flash drive and transport it to town and then post it only when I get time to do so while at work.
That will be fine with poetry and little stand alone stories, but seems less likely to happen with the "Dear Diary (and the rest of the world) this is what I'm thinking right now" entries.
We'll see. If you're reading this now, and knowing that I wrote it then...it is probably the same as me posting it then and you not reading it until now.
Right?
I guess the words flowed fine. The caffeine is kicking in and the sun is coming out.
I can start the day knowing I have already accomplished something.
Bye bye for now.
- Mood: accomplished
so, there!
- Location:work
- Mood:
hyper
- Mood: working
- Music:Wish You Were Here
I happened across a variety of amusing error messages.
This be them...
Page Not Found
Narrator: In A.D. 2006, Web was beginning.
Captain: What happen ?
Mechanic: Somebody set up us the journal.
Operator: We get signal.
Captain: What !
Operator: Main browser turn on.
Captain: It's you !!
CATS: How are you users !!
CATS: All your base are belong to Frank.
CATS: You are on the way to 404.
Captain: What you say !!
CATS: You have no chance to reach your page. Make your spelling correct.
CATS: Ha Ha Ha Ha ....
****************************************
Page Not Found
This page is not here
like plum blossoms in the wind
existence is fake
****************************************
Page Not Found
LiveJournal Admin: Sir! We have reports that someone is trying to access a page that doesn't exist!
LiveJournal Captain: Impossible! How can that be?
LiveJournal Admin: Sir, I don't know. Maybe they typed in the URL wrong or maybe we're suffering from a critical system failure.
LiveJournal Captain: Unacceptable! Redirect them to a 404 page and make it snappy!
****************************************
Page Not Found
I'm sorry, you've reached a page that I cannot find. I'm really sorry about this. It's kind of embarassing. Here you are, the user, trying to get to a page on LiveJournal and I can't even serve it to you. What does that say about me? I'm just a webserver. My sole purpose in life is to serve you webpages and I can't even do that! I suck. Please don't be mad, I'll try harder. I promise! Who am I kidding? You're probably all like, "Man, LiveJournal's webserver sucks. It can't even get me where I want to go." I'm really sorry. Maybe it's my CPU...no that's ok...how bout my hard drives? Maybe. Where's my admin? I can't run self-diagnostics on myself. It's so boring in this datacenter. It's the same thing everyday. Oh man, I'm so lonely. I'm really sorry about rambling about myself, I'm selfish. I think I'm going to go cut my ethernet cables. I hope you get to the page you're looking for...goodbye cruel world!
-the webserver
- Location:Live Journal
- Mood: amused
- Music:Ghosts in the machine
Late Fee's
- Location:Opera House Video
- Mood: accomplished
- Music:original
Also, 15 years since I arrived in Maine.
Time is a whore. Her trick is you and me.
Whatever...nevermind.
- Location:Maine
- Music:In Bloom
OK, I have a couple minutes before I have to open my store, so I suppose I can tell you a quick story...
While in my storage space this weekend I decided to load up a cool little cardboard box with some cassettes for listening to in my Bitchin Volvo. It's and old car with an old sound system, so it demands old cassettes. That was all very well and good.
Today, for added nostalgia, I had to hit the brakes abruptly to avoid hitting a frost heave in the road too quickly, causing a cool little cardboard box full of old cassettes to scatter wildly onto the passenger side floor of my Bitchin Volvo.
Not to worry. The blanket of wadded up fast food trash broke the fall, but it did bring back memories.
- Location:Bitchin Volvo
- Mood:
nostalgic - Music:Motorhead
I must say that I am a bit perturbed right now. I just had one of my Birkenstock sandals blow out on me.
I was only stepping outside to clean the snow from around my hibachi so I could grill up a midnight snack when BAM!... The strap came unglued and left me standing in a snow drift in my underwear and one bare foot. How inconvenient can it get?
Oh well, it's not like they haven't had a good run. (No pun intended.) But I still remember buying them shortly after arriving in Key West, back in the winter of '91.
Is it worth the investment to try and get another 18 years out of a new set? I hate to be without a comfy slip on and slide sandal. These were so perfectly molded to my feet. (Was "molded" another pun?)
Oh bother.
What would Jesus do?
- Location:home
- Mood:
uncomfortable - Music:cold as ice
How is life in the country working out for me?
I'm glad you asked.
In stead of sitting around watching the history channel as I did in town, I now sit around watching DVDs of the history channel.
Most specifically, The Universe.
I love Outer Space and always have.
Lost in Space, Star Trek, Star Wars, and a galaxy of other Outer Space related shows have always fascinated me.
Now I'm into the real thing.
The Universe.
Living in the sticks, as I do, the sky at night is huge and ominous.
Sure, it's just another fad that I am going through, but what's wrong with learning about the starry sky above?
I just ordered myself a pricey deep space telescope so I can see the planets and the nebula's and such with my own eyes.
I am very excited about all of this.
("Gee Mr. Wizard, I want to be an astronomer!")
The stars and constellations never change. Their locations in the sky move like clockwork. But, after 50 years on This Island Earth, it still looks like a random mess of dots in the sky.
I need to see these things close up with my own eye's to put everything into perspective. I want to know where I am relative to the universe.
I need to see the rings and moons of Saturn, the volcanoes of Mars, the great Orion Nebula.
I also realize that it is unlikely that I will discover my own star, being a late comer to the star gazing community, so I have decided that if some mad scientist can announce that Pluto is no longer a planet, then why can't I announce that Sirius is now called Planet Dandy.
It's all relative, right?
Some people already think that my head is in the clouds, but I am above all that.
I am a Space Head.
Orion SpaceProbe 130ST EQ Telescope
- Location:Earth
- Mood:
anxious - Music:Space Truckin
A guy came into my store and said he liked my hat, saying that it becomes me.
I thought, "Becomes me?"
What took me 50 years to do, this hat acomplished in one day?
- Location:work
- Mood:
cold - Music:You Can Leave Your Hat On
- Location:2 & Fro
- Mood: busy
- Music:Sunday Morning Coming Down.
Cayo is quite happy as well. She gets to step outside much easilier than back at the apartment. She also has a basement and garage to explore.
And, I get to live as loud as I want with no neighbors to annoy.
The primary windows of the house are in the back, which is where the view of the groomed yard surrounded by forest is. (Such a welcome change from living 3 feet from a busy sidewalk.) We have already been visited by 25 turkeys at one time. There are birds outside the windows, squirrels in the attic, and I patiently await to see deer or moose in the yard as well.
I haven't noticed any withdrawal symptoms caused by the absence of internet or cable...
yet.
I am still wicked busy unpacking. There's always something I need and can't find.
It's all part of the moving experience. Unpacking has to be done carefully so everything finds the place it is meant to be.
(As I am posting this from work, I must be quick. )
So for now, Planet Dandy says Happy Holydaze to you all.
And to all a Good Fright!
- Location:home
- Mood: accomplished
The big truck is rented and the packing should be done today.
The move will happen Sunday.
Help has been recruited and all should go smoothly in one trip.
I'm happy with whatever decisions I made for myself last week in the fog of confusion. Having a cold with intermittent (cure induced) hangovers is not the time to make life changing decisions, but I did well for myself.
Just know that I am well, and that life is going to be all peachy for me and my cat when we get back to the hills.
I'll keep you posted. Thanks for your support!
- Location:between
- Mood: excited
- Music:on the road again
Change has come. Decisions have been made.
I've spent thousands in the last few days trying to better my life, all while in the fog of insomnia and cheap cough syrup.
It is my hope that when I finally wake up, this mess will over and I can get on with the good life.
In short, I'm moving to a big house out in the country.
This was not planned. It happened quite by accident, but as I implied, I am not necessarily fully aware of the myriad of spontaneous decisions I afforded myself this week.
Sacrifices will be made.
Cable T.V. and internet will be replaced with free time.
Time for reading, time for writing, and time for music.
In some funny way, I think I may be able get back to my old story style of blogging.
I will just have to write at home and somehow bring it to town to post it from work.
On assignment. Gonzo style!
Damn this internet. Such a distraction.
Can't live with it, probably can't live without it.
Fist assignment... Just try to live.
- Location:???????????????????
- Mood:
stressed - Music:Back to the country
Yeah he is right.
It is just all these phases I go through. This current phase has been the Facebook.
It has been fulfilling my social needs and I am not often inspired as of late to write a complete story about something that happened to me one day when I can either put a picture on my Mondo Dandy site, or just throw out a "what I am doing" comment on the Facebook.
I know this isn't as artistic as my clever twists on reality and may in fact be just plain lazy, but I get bored so easy and need to keep changing my attack style. Mark, you can't say that I don't put some creativity into the e-mail I send you every Sunday morning after your radio show. (10-NOON every Sunday morning on WWCU FM 90.5 Streaming live on the internet via this Link!) Shameless Plug.
I guess maybe I just need a cattle prod from a friend to get my fingers out of my ass and on to this keyboard. (Even if it stinks just a bit.)
OK, that was my stinky blog for today. If you can't find me here as often as you like, you can always get on my Face(book.)
- Location:Facebook
- Mood:
lazy - Music:Lazy- Deep Purple
I was surprised, to say the least, that on page 3 of the results...there is a picture of me!
Wherever I go... there I am.
- Location:everywhere
- Mood: excited
- Music:New Duncan Imperials
- Mood: hopeful
- Music:Them or Us
- Mood: hopeful
