*I can't believe I actually need to write this.

( Please read before attempting to contact me. )

Do I have to go into the closet in order to come out?

I recently began experimenting with home canning. To that end, I bought a large pressure caner. This, combined with my lack of time and energy since I got hired full time, led to an interest in pressure cooking. A huge pressure caner is not very useful for cooking for 2, so I bought a 6 quart pressure cooker.

I then promptly lost the instruction booklet. A bit of cursory Googling turned up more horror stories and cautionary advice than recipes and tips, so the pressure cooker has been sitting on a shelf unused. Last night, I bit the bullet and tried it out.

( Experiments with beans an sausage. )

The purple is back.

Yes, I'm still alive. I just haven't had much to post about of late.

I got super sick with the Noro Virus, but I'm all better now.

There was a major restructuring at work, so all us temps are in limbo while our boss works to convince the new powers-that-be to let him replace the 6 people they promoted away from him a year ago.

Work has been super busy, but I still love my job. It's so nice to be in a position where I actually feel appreciated.

I'm 10lbs overweight. None of my coworkers believe me, but I can tell by my comfort levels and how my clothes fit. I spent $300 on workout-clothes-that-don't-look-like-workout-clothes this weekend to help motivate me to start walking again. I live about 3.5-4 miles from the office, so walking to work at least a few times a week would be ideal. I was in the best shape of my life when I was walking to work at one of my old jobs.

And yes, I'm off to see the Wizard (the Wonderful Wizard of Aus.).

April 21, 2007 - April 30, 2007

I have a favorite stall at the Farmers' Market. The gentleman who runs the stall has noticed that his is my favorite. Every week, he gives me a few freebies; a handful of beans, an extra tomato, a piece of fruit. Today he gave me regular size tomato and half a pint of cherry tomatoes.

( More )

I seem to have picked up an anonymous troll.

For a variety of reasons, I went about 2 months without shaving my legs. I finally shaved again this weekend.

The office is, for reasons unknown, kept freezing cold year round. Most people keep a jacket in their cube, and many have brought in small heaters as well.

I have heater, long pants, and big sweater, and I'm *still* freezing.

Who knew finding a job would motivate me so well?

I've been in a cooking frenzy, all of my laundry is caught up, and the apartment is the cleanest it's been since we moved in.

bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored

The job is recovering after the horrible start. I've made it known to the temp agency that my recruiter is not sending me the emails that she is supposed to and that this is not okay. At least I got it sorted out so I can log my time.

I still have no phone or computer access. I've been sitting with a coworker to be trained. She's covering two of the hardest countries that will become my responsibility, so this works out well. I expect to start doing hands-on training on those two countries tomorrow. I know my supervisor wants me to be able to work on my own ASAP.

The company is fairly laid back, beyond the enormous amount of security. You can pretty much tell who the temps are because they are the best dressed. The dress code is more or less "No holey jeans. No snarky t-shirts.", which is only slightly stricter than Apple's dress code of "Employees must."

The price of vending machine snacks are about on par with the last place I worked, though I don't think anything is more expensive than $0.65. The soda machine, however, is only $0.25 a can. Even though I don't use disposables, I was pleased to note that feminine hygiene products are free.

This morning, around 9, I get a call from my recruiter asking why I'm not at work. It then occurs to to her that maybe she forgot to tell me I was starting today.

So, I rush around getting things together and get to work about 30 minutes late. My recruiter, who is supposed to tell me how to log my time and such, has gone back to her office and I'm greeted by my boss, who she neglected to tell that I was late because I hadn't been informed of my start date.

I'm walked back and given the nickel tour. He mentions, in passing, that he only knew I was cleared to start as of Friday afternoon, so he hasn't yet submitted tickets for phone, computer and building access.

The person who was supposed to train me had their last day on Friday, and the person who was going to train me instead was out sick today. So, I spent the day watching someone who was not expecting to be training. I had to have someone let me back in every time I needed to use the lavatory because it was located in the lobby.

I'd call this a Garfield Monday.

The last few days, I've been tending my garden, and killing tree sprouts in my future garden, wearing nothing but pajama bottoms and a bra.

I'm sure you can see where this is going.

My car tends to get really dirty in between washings. We're talking dirty almost to the point where you'd need a chisel to write "Wash Me" on it.

What? It's a pain to wash and this area doesn't seem to believe in drive-thru car-washes.

Where was I? Oh yes, I went to the farmers' market this morning, like I do most Sundays. I had plans to sweet talk M into washing my car when I got home, as it was super filthy, even for me. I managed to find a parking space right about a block from the market that was right behind a white Lexus mini-van.

The owner of said mini-van, a middle-aged woman, was getting out of it just as I pulled up to park. The entire time I'm struggling to parallel park (want to buy "depth perception"), she stands by her door watching me with a very sour look on her face. She walks off towards the market just as I straighten my car out and pull up a bit so the elderly couple in the car behind me can get out easier, but she keeps looking back with the same evil look on her face.

I finally park, perhaps a bit closer to the mini-van than I would have normally, grab my backpack and head for the market. Ms. Sour Face has been turning back to give me death glares every few steps while I get myself sorted out. Once she sees that I've gotten out of the car, she storms back to hers and moves it several blocks away, presumably far, far away from dirty old Toyotas and skeery young women.

I win.

I have cookies, and you don't.

Paperwork is filled out and fingers are crossed. (Thank you so much, vilia64. They should call you soon, if they haven't already.) If all goes well, I will start work as early as the middle of next week.

I find it amusing that while I had to find info covering the last 7 years of my life and sign a waiver for the background check, I have heard nothing about needing a drug test.

Today I got my car smogged so I can renew the registration. My car is almost 10 years old, so I'm always worried it might not pass. The smog check guy said it's extremely rare for a Toyota to not pass.

Still to do this week/weekend:
- Make bread. The tail end of 1 small loaf is 1, maybe 2, sandwiches and there is none left in the freezer.
- Make yogurt.
- Come up with some sort of menu for the week ahead so I'm not starting just starting to get dinner going at 11. What is reasonable to make during the week, what should be relegated to weekend?

The company wants a list of my jobs from the last 7 years. I had a job from hell that I quit 6 or 7 years ago that I have never listed on any resume. The circumstances of my leaving were "leave or sue", so I simply do not trust them to be honest about my employment there. Should I mention them when I'm filling out background check info tomorrow?

ETA: I also have zero contact info for said company. I wanted very much to wash my hands of them when I left.

I GOT THE JOB!!!!*



*pending a background check (which shouldn't be a problem)

I had an in person interview with the agency today. Halfway through it, the HR person came in and asked if I'd be available for a phone interview this afternoon. It would be for a 7 month contract with temp-to-perm possibilities at the end of 7 months for a nice chunk of money (to me, the recruiter was afraid I'd think it wasn't enough...). So, I have a phone interview at 3 with the other company, and then a follow-up with my recruiter afterwards. If all goes well, there will be another in person to fill out paperwork later this week.

So far, I'm really liking the agency. They discuss benefits up front, which I've never known an agency to do. They do not advertise, preferring to find jobs for the people they've already got in their database. They recruit when they have an opening, and they work for a personal relationship with the people they are sending out. It's refreshing.

After a year of absolutely nothing, I finally got an interview. Granted, it's with a temp agency, but they contacted me first (they found my resume on Monster.com) and they offer full benefits after 60 days.

I just juiced 2 dozen oranges by hand.

Can you solve Petals Around the Rose?

(note: If you put the solution in the comments I will have to screen comments and think horrible things about you.)

One of the side effects of my shoulder injury is my left shoulder lost a lot of range of motion. My shoulder blade was allowed to lock, and when it was moved again by brute force, a lot of muscles were damaged. So, my left arm just doesn't move right anymore.

I miss the strangest things.

I miss being able to hold a broom and sweep. I can no longer manage the hand position necessary, nor can I do the sweeping motion.

I miss being able to ride a bike. Between my left leg and my flaky left hand, I can't balance well enough to ride a bike.

I miss being able to work out. Did you know you need your upper back muscles intact to do sit-ups? I didn't until I was in physical therapy. I can do modified sit-ups with the aid of a device, but not on my own. I can't do a lot of the exercises I did before I was injured.

The battle with the squirrels resulted in a much needed hard pruning of everything but the mint and thyme (which are currently battling for world domination). My first harvest was about 3 cups of very dead plant matter. But, in the end...

( I win )

This afternoon, I took a book with me and sat outside while I watered my flowers. I figured I'd only be outside for a minute or so, so I didn't bother with sunblock. A few minutes turned into 15...

I now have a second degree sunburn and a fever to go with it.

For dinner tonight, we had slow baked beef back ribs and green salad. The ribs cooked all day, making both of us very hungry.

For desert, we had mini pavlovas topped with plums and blueberries.

( Not very pretty, but oh so yummy. )

I have a good sized container herb garden going on the back patio, along with a potted lemon tree.

The squirrels think this is the best thing evar!, and keep digging up my herbs. This morning I found a hole dug in every single pot, with no less than 10 in the tree's pot. And, since these are suburb squirrels, they can't be scared off by the usual means.

I had finally found a facial moisturizer that did not contain grape seed oil and didn't make me break out in hives from some other random ingredient in it. (Seriously, why do people insist on putting perfume in stuff for sensitive skin?) So, of course, the company stopped making it, and their recommended replacement contains the evil oil. So, I have made my own moisturizing facial cleanser.

( Sooper Seekrit Recipe )

One of the (few) nice things about living in this area is an abundance of year-round farmer's markets. Most weekends, I get up early and visit the two closest ones in search of produce for the week to fill the gaps left by the limited selection in our weekly delivery. Both markets also have a fish monger, so I've been able to reintroduce fish to my diet without having to endure the smell of the fish counter at the local supermarkets. If I get there early enough, the fish is even still frozen and can be safely stored for later in the week.

At this time of year, most of my purchases at the farmer's market are salad oriented. Not just young greens, but fresh beans, celery that actually has flavor, purple radishes, and nearly anything else that is good raw or blanched. Nearly every meal these days includes a large serving of salad. Even the ever picky M is eating his share of the summer bounty.

M is trying to cut back on the sugar in his diet. He was greatly disturbed to discover that nearly all dried fruit in the stores has sugar added, even the varieties available at Whole Foods and Andronico's. Our fridge is slowly filling with dried fruits and berries as the local harvest seasons go buy. Cherries are mostly gone, as are blueberries; but I managed to put up enough of each for a bit of snacking and some baked goods this winter.

The apricot crop is coming into its own and will have at least another good week. Each week I purchase five or more pounds of the ripest organic apricots available at the farmer's markets. The fruit is turned out into a sink of cold water and gently scrubbed free of dirt and scars. It is so ripe, it easily tears away from the seed, but I use a knife for smooth edges to divide each fruit in half, cutting directly over a weak acid bath of water and lemon juice. The larger pieces are gently flattened while in the acid bath, so by the time the dehydrator is loaded the water has the color and scent of an apricot soda (sadly, it still tastes like weak lemon water).

The smells from the dehydrator and my latest cooking experiment (which I won't know the results of for another week or two) fills the apartment like baking treats, warm and spicy. A smell made even nicer by being achieved without adding the heat of the oven to the already oppressive temperature.

Some months ago, a 75ML bottle of Rumpleminze with a bad seal was inadvertently placed in the freezer top down, culprit unknown.

My back and shoulders are now very angry with me, and I fully expect the freezer contents to be one solid mass packed in ice the next time I go looking for something, but at least there isn't a thick layer of mint flavored glue all over the bottom of the freezer anymore.

We get much of our fruit and veggies delivered weekly from Organic Express. There are a number of things about the service I'm less than thrilled by (such as unripe or already rotting fruit, out of season hot house veggies from FL, etc), but over all it's nice to have organic veggies that show up on the porch every Friday. Lately, there have been 2-3 artichokes in the box every week. Artichokes are not on the list of things M will eat, so they are all mine.

For lunch today I had an artichoke that had everything wrong. The stem was long, the leaves were dry and turning brownish black. After trimming and steaming, the leaves were universally woody, with none being thin enough to bite through, not even surrounding the choke.

I ate it dipped in left over yogurt dressing from last night. Each leaf came away with a large chunk of firm, but tender flesh. The heart was nearly the size of my palm, dark green and tender. It was probably the best tasting artichoke I've ever had.

Now, you too can grow your own black flower garden!

Or mix and match! Grow black pansies and moon flowers for a stripy effect.

I've managed to seriously fuck my back up, again. I have no idea how I did it, but while I was putting away this week's farmer's market haul on Sunday, I started getting sharp pains in my lower back, right in the same area I injured in the car accident a year and a half ago. My back often hurts when I first get up in the morning, so I tend to forget that I've hurt it again until I do something stupid*.

I'm trying to take it easy, and not go out of what's left of my mind with boredom. I've cleaned the kitchen, tended my herbs, and am now making tahinopita (with dates instead of raisins). I'd like to go shopping and play in the dirt (more green things!), but my back emphatically says I'm pushing it already. Maybe tomorrow.


*You know, like opening the blinds, getting a cup out of the cupboard, stretching, sitting down, getting dressed, etc...

I am on a mission. I'm searching for real, honest to gooseberry, currants.

You see, I am very much allergic to all things grape. I can't eat raisins or grapes, nor can I manage juices containing grape, grape wines, or grape wine derived vinegars. I wish to make scones, tahinopita, and other such baked goods that normally contain bits of dried poison raisins, but wish to also be able to eat the finished product.

Unfortunately, your average "dried currant" is actually just a variety of dried grape. I have had real currants before and know that they do not upset my allergy, but I am at a loss as to where to purchase some for my own use. The closest I have found is fresh frozen from The Currant Company, but I'd prefer already dried. Does anyone know where to find real dried currants?

My birthday present to myself was:

- A potted myer lemon tree.
- Two window box planters and trays.
- A big bag of potting soil.
- Seed packets of basil, dill, cilantro, parsley, marjoram, and catnip.
- Seedlings of peppermint, chocolate mint, thyme, and rosemary.
- Two hours playing in the dirt with a trowel and hose.

Last night, I sent the boycreature to the store with the instructions: "Find something for dinner." Our cupboard is mostly bare and I've run out of ideas for feeding him while his throat heals.

He returned with "Greek Marinated Lamb Kabobs" from Andronico's and had a lot of fun grilling them while I made some light salad to go with. He, of course, bought far more than we could actually eat, so today I have left overs.

I thought a nice tahini sauce would go wonderfully with the lamb. I dig through the cupboards only to find I have all the necessary parts except lemon juice. I do, however, have some nice yogurt that needed to be used or extended.

( Here's what I came up with: )

M doesn't snore anymore. Like, at all.

I had no idea just how badly his breathing problems were effecting my sleep. I'm having the same reaction I did when I moved out of the crack house; I fall asleep when ever I stop moving for more than a few minutes. I guess we both have a lot of catching up to do.

M has sleep apnea. He's had it for 20 or so years. He's finally getting surgery to try and correct it on Tuesday.

His dad is flying out to stay here while M recovers. He arrives tomorrow.

We've been attempting to clean the house before dad gets here. It no longer looks like a bomb hit, but it's still pretty clear this place is inhabited by geeks.

M has asked me to not make a big deal out of his surgery. I have, of course, completely ignored him. I've laid in a supply of things to keep him fed until he can eat again (broths and such) as well as the ingredients for soft foods when he's up to those. I've utterly trashed the kitchen daily making him various favorites since he won't be able to taste anything for a while. Last night we had home made gnocchi from this recipe. I'm not fond of gnocchi, but this was very good. I'm not looking forward to cleaning the bits of dried mashed potato goo off of everything, though.

I am not dead.

I am very drunk.

That sentence took 3 tries to write.

That is all.