The Freezer Bowl

No, not a football playoff in Alaska, just my evening meal from the freezer. Tonight I made a casserole from meatballs, peas, and brown rice. I tossed it all in spaghetti sauce and added some red wine and red pepper flakes. It was quite yummy. If I do it again, I'll make sure to saute some red onions to add to the mix. I made a small, green salad to start my meal with and I accompanied it all with a glass of Barbera - the same wine I put in the sauce.

All of the ingredients, except the wine, came from Trader Joe's. The sauce was the Arrabiata sauce which is spicy on its own but the red pepper flakes pumped up the heat. The meatballs were the TJ Meatless Meatballs which I absolutely love. Peas were frozen petite peas and the rice was the frozen brown rice; both are great things to have in the fridge for quickie meals.

What's For Dinner

After taking a good look in my refrigerator freezer this weekend, I've decided that this week will be a no food shopping week and I will make all meals from what is in my pantry or refrigerator. A possible exception will be fresh veggies. I can't live without my veggies.

I have a bad habit of putting things in the freezer without dates and without identifying the contents so I could be having some interesting meals.

Don't Cry For Him, Argentina

It seems like every other day we're learning about some politician having an affair. First the senator of my state confesses he had an illicit relationship with one of his wife's best friends who also is the wife of the senator's long time, close friend. What a soap opera! Now the governor of South Carolina has admitted to an affair with his 'dear, dear friend' in Argentina. And we can even read his sappy emails to her.

To be honest I just don't care about the drama in other people's lives. When it comes to politicians I'm much more concerned with how well they do their job. Of course, it's got to be hard to do your job if you're busy sneaking around, hiding from reporters and your wife. But, seriously, I'd rather just not know.

It also doesn't work for me when someone like our senator, John Ensign, wants to judge the life style of everyone else and then wants a pass on his own behavior. Speaking out for the 'sanctity of marriage' while conducting an affair with his friend's wife is hypocrisy, plain and simple. Bleh!

I just wish we could all stop worrying about what other people are doing behind closed doors and pay some attention to more important issues, like maybe the economy.

I've Got Nothing

Ever since I got back from my conference in San Diego, I've been blogless. I work, come home, eat, sleep and then do it all again. I need some inspiration!

I did have a lovely time in San Diego; the weather was beautiful and the hotel was luxurious. Deb came down to visit with me and we just relaxed. Well, I had to spend most days at the conference, but I relaxed afterward. We spent an extra day and went to the San Diego Zoo. Most of the animals were napping in the sun. The Pandas were adorable and the monkeys were monkeying around.

We went to Old Town to get home made tortillas and we stopped at Extraordinary Desserts for treats. On our way out of town, we had breakfast at Perry's Cafe, one of the best places for breakfast.

While I was gone, Las Vegas finally heated up and it's been close to or just over 100 every day. Not that I should be surprised. It's Vegas and it is summer. Duh!

Room With A View

It's a hard, hard life. I was required to attend a conference on Coronado Island in San Diego. Here is the view from my balcony. Yes, balcony; my balcony where I can sit tonight, sipping my glass of wine and enjoying the ocean air while looking across the highway to the ocean. The ocean that I can get to by the private walkway from the hotel Life is hard.

The Jest's On Me

I'm not sure what I've gotten myself into. Urged on by verbatim, I've agreed to participate in the Infinite Summer. Between June 21 and September 22, I will read Infinite Jest. 981 pages in 92 days means I have to read about 10.5 pages a day. No problem, I hope.

I had never read anything by David Foster Wallace before. After reading about the challenge, I requested A supposedly fun thing i'll never do again from the library. The book has 7 essays and so far I'm impressed with Wallace's writing. I love words and he puts them together well, drawing great pictures.

Most people in Philo didn't comb their hari because why bother. Ladies wore those plastic flags tied down over their parlor-jobs so regularly I thought they were required for a real classy coiffure; girls on the East Coast outside with their hair hanging and tossing around looked wanton and nude to me.

The people I know from outside it distill the Midwest into blank flatness, black land and fields of green fronds or five-o'clock stubble, gentle swells and declivities that make the topology a sadistic exercise in plotting quadratics, highway vistas so same and dead they drive motorists mad.

ASFTINDA is all non fiction and IJ is fiction so I'll be hoping Wallace is as good at plot as he is with words. I requested the book from the library but they will only let me renew it twice - 63 days. I suppose if I can't finish it by the time I have to return it, I can just pay the fines. Or buy it. I don't typically buy books anymore unless I think I'll read them again so we'll see.

15 Books

This was really a facebook challenge but I decided to do it here instead. List 15 books that have stayed with you. 15 books in 15 minutes - don't spend a lot of time thinking about it:

Gone With The Wind
The Wizard of Oz
Charlotte's Web
Stranger in a Strange Land
Wuthering Heights
Tristram Shandy
White Oleander
Eat, Pray, Love
Dream Park
The Source
Sarum
Bleak House
Another Roadside Attraction
East of Eden
The Hobbit

Okay, that wasn't really very hard. I did try not to repeat authors and these are the ones that pop, without a lot of thought. I love to read and there are lots of books I've enjoyed. What books come to mind for you?

0 for 2

Yesterday Deb and I watched Benjamin Buttons and Slumdog Millionaire. I was not overly impressed with either movie. I hadn't expected to be crazy about BB, I thought it would just be some light entertainment for the afternoon. Instead, I was pretty bored by it and almost turned it off but decided to stick it out. The last half was slightly more intriguing than the first half, probably because it had the real Brad Pitt at that point, and he's pretty darn attractive. Overall, I just wasn't captivated, even by the growing backward premise. The characters just didn't speak to me and the plot was predictable and too slowly developed.

I expected to like SM much more but was disappointed by this one too. Maybe it was not a good movie day for me. I know better critics than me loved this one, but I just wasn't awed. I wasn't attached to any of the characters and the story of poverty and struggle, along with the love story, dragged on for me. I anticipated much of the storyline and just wasn't overwhelmed by the acting.

Talkin' 'Bout My Generation

Listen up. Demos is coming out tomorrow. Just one reason my generation is so great.