Ho Hum

I'm trying to get it into me to write something funny or snarky or angry or bitter. But I've got a case of the well rested ho hums and the only thing really bugging me at the moment is a pimple on my lip that looks like a cold sore.

We still have no power, and judging by the lava flow slowness of the grant people, we may not have any all weekend. Which means that you may not hear from me again until Monday afternoon when I am back at work.

But it hasn't been too bad. It has been cold as fuck, and all I want right now is a piping hot dinner and long hot bath followed by hours of mindless tv wrapped up in an electric blanket. Instead, we're doing urban poverty camping. Hurrah! At least we have indoor toilets.

I have found that not having power has quickly fixed some of my serious insomnia problems. Last night I did my normal wake up at 1:30am for no good reason at all. For weeks this has been my "regular" wake up time and I didn't go back to sleep after. But last night, having nothing to distract me (like checking my email or bad infomercials) I just rolled over and went back to sleep, only to wake up again at the much more reasonable 5:30. Maybe this power out thing is a better cure for winter blues insomnia than an expensive SAD lamp and a pile of happy pills. I'm not willing to spend the rest of the winter in dark to find out, but it is interesting to think about.

So I am being as zen as possible about the whole ordeal. And I am catching up on some reading. And spending quality time with the Kid using his cell phone as a music player (it has surprisingly loud speakers for a small hunk of plastic).

Just when I think all the major crisis are over...

After last month's thrilling rent problem and subsequent suckiest Christmas ever, I thought I would have a short reprieve from major drama, at least until my tax return comes in next month.

But no such luck.

Monday night I came home to a lovely notice on my door that the electricity will be shut off sometime today. I spent yesterday in a room full of shocked people who got the same notice. Everyone in the room with me either had small kids or was elderly or pregnant. We were waiting to find out about a grant to keep our heat on.

So I will get a grant, almost enough to keep the power on, but it takes them at least 48 hours to process it. Once I get that grant, there is another I can get (but only AFTER the first one is processed) that will cover the rest.

So I call the power company to tell them money is on the way, can they please give me the 48 hours to get the grant taken care of.

Nope. And I know that for all those desperate moms and grannies that were sitting in that room with me yesterday, it's a nope to. We're all going to be without heat and electricity in the middle of January. I'm waiting for the shut off any minute. In the mean time I've made sure that all the dishes are done, the fridge is cleaned out, the laundry is done and the heaters are jacked up so that we can retain as much heat as possible when it goes out. It's only temporary, and mostly it means cold sammies, cold showers, no tv or computer and sleeping with many blanket for a few days. But damn, it's January.

Now I understand, we need to pay our bills, etc. What I don't understand is why the we only get 24 hours notice, when the power company KNOWS that the only place in town that offers federal grants for heating assistance takes at least 48 hours to process the applications? It doesn't cost the power company any extra to send the notice out a day or two earlier, so what gives?

Hello Hello Hello

It's been quiet on the comments front the last day or so. Is it because the comments were broken? Do you all not love me anymore? Show me some love!

Maybe it's a good time to have a delurking post. Stop in, say hi. Don't be shy. I mostly don't bite ;)

Besides, it's delurking week. It would be positively anti-holiday of you to stay quiet.

Keep throwing the misogyny around folks

Cause New Hampshire pretty much shows what happens when you rile up us ladies.

Keep attacking Hillary for being a woman- come on. I dare ya.

Since they prolly aren't going to have an actual woman

To beat up on once Hillary is out, I guess calling Obama a woman is the next best thing.

Hey Varkentine! I take it back, sort of. They will pick on Obama for having a scary sounding name AND for being a girly man. Best of both worlds for the press, dontcha think?

Unless it's your feet in the stirrups

It's not YOUR abortion.

Sure, guys can feel bad about abortion. But in the end, they are not the ones faced with the physical responsibility of choosing between pregnancy or abortion. They also don't have to face nausea, vomiting, weight gain, back aches, pre-eclampsia, diabetes, infection, insomnia, death, etc.

Of course, the prevailing attitude of these men is "I never really thought about it for the woman,".

Of course after reading these guys' interviews I have no doubt to why some woman would not want to be tied to these guys for life through a baby. I'm pretty sure the women think they dodged the world's crappiest bullet.

Things that suck

My electric bill alone is 34% of my income. We don't have ac. We use compact florescent bulbs.

My phone and internet is 24%

My rent is 38%

That leaves 4% of my income for food, clothing, transportation, etc.

No wonder I'm so fricken broke.

Oh the fricken humanity!

The later it gets in the game and the more I like Clinton. Oh I know she has some great big issues when it comes to Iraq and she's more moderate than I would prefer.

But damn, the woman has 16 years of being the dead center of the rethuglikan and media bulls eye. She's been incredibly strong, stronger than most of us could be under that kind of pressure. Can't the woman cut a break. "She's too cold, too aggressive, not likable".

So when she shows some emotion and gets the slightest bit misty while talking about where our country needs to go, of course everyone jumps on her for being an emotional girl. Fucking hell. I'd much rather have a president who gets misty over our country rather than one whose only emotional states seem to be dickwad cowboy and tantrum throwing tyrant.

Thanks for doing all the hard work for me

Erica Barnett actually does the hard work of explaining why she's not for Obama.

Ralph Nader quietly comes out in support of John Edwards. I hate Nader as a candidate, but as a public rabble rouser and endorser he might redeem himself for 2000.

Fame done right: George Clooney to boycott the Golden Globes and the Oscars because of the writer's strike- other celebs follow. And Brad Pitt's project raises over 10 million to build houses in New Orleans.

It's Monday and I have no coffee. That's all you get till I'm caffeinated.

Just to make B jealous

Yesterday we got two containers of nearly perfect blackberries, some gorgeous fuji apples and a bag of delicious cherries.

Just to make B even more jealous, we got them with the Safeway card she so kindly sent me for Christmas. Every time I pop a juicy, delicious cherry into my mouth I will remember to thank the postal gods, the inventor of gift cards, the Chilean fruit industry and B for being the coolest blog friend ever.

RQ Cooks! Americanized Cubanos

If you've ever lived in Florida, you know the awesomeness that is a Cuban sammy, or Cubano. It's simple and perfect and awesome.

Whenever I talk about them to people here in the drizzly cold Northwest, they want to know where to get them. Since you can't get them here (Seattle has exactly one Cuban restaurant that is sooooo far out of the way that it would take 3 buses and more fortitude than I have) I have to tell them the truth. You can't get them here, but you can bribe me to make you one.

So a normal cubano is pork, ham, cheese and pickles on a specially grilled roll with mustard. But as you peeps know- I am lazy. Grilling a roll in a special press is too much for me and the only way I'm getting pork sliced for sammies is if I have a leftover pork roast. So I half-ass it, and the Kid says they are The! Best! Sammies! Ever! They are basically extra-awesome grilled ham and cheese.

I start with sourdough bread cause it does nice things in a frying pan. On both pieces of bread, I spread a thin layer of mayo and good mustard (I'm not from the south, so I have a minimum of 3 kinds of mustard in my fridge at all times, I like spicy brown for sammies).

Now the stacking is important. On the bottom do a relatively thin layer of cheese. I like sharp cheddar. Then super thinly sliced ham (pastrami works well too). Then a layer of thinly sliced kosher pickles.

Melt some butter in a hot frying pan and throw the sammy in with the cheese side down. Cook until just golden brown and flip. Do the same for the other side. If your cheese was sliced thin enough, this should be all you need to melt it.

The heat will make the mayo-mustard combo a bit dribbley. So enjoy with a napkin very close by.

Words Mean Things 2- "Was she attractive doing it"

I must be a glutton for punishment, I am watching Fox News Sunday and the bobbleheads are talking about the debates last night.

While discussing Clinton, they say (sorry, you peeps know I am no good at transcribing live teevee) "yadda yadda yadda, had to be tough, sell her message, yadda yadda yadda". But the part I am 100% sure I heard correctly (because they fucking repeated it) was "but the real question is 'Was she attractive doing it?'"

Attractive? Fucking attractive! If Clinton had a penis, they would have used the much more appropriate effective. Fucking attractive! I could care less if the next president is "attractive". I want someone who fucking gets results and is EFFECTIVE.