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More Doggies More Problems

Today I left for a business trip to Charleston, SC. The flighty was bumpy, the cabin was freezing, and the flight attendant talked too much. Otherwise, it was a pleasant flight.

When the plane landed, I pulled out my Blackberry to read my e-mail. Among the regular work-related messages, I noticed a note from KayEm with the subject line: Help Ginger. I figured that something bad had happened because KayEm only sends me e-mail messages about Ginger when something bad has happened.

I tentatively opened the message and was surprised by what I saw:

Nov, 9, 2009 4:36 PM

Ginger is running around the backyard w/a piece of poop still attached to her bottom. What should I do? She can't seem to get it off...Help!

KayEm

I started to call her to see what was going on, but I decided to let some time pass and see how this situation would be resolved.Ten minutes later, I received a follow-up message with this subject: Ginger OK. The message read:

Nov 9, 2009 4:47 PM

Thankfully Ginger resolved her own problem. Clearly, I wasn't going to!!!

KayEm

Crisis averted. KayEm was saved from having to extract poop from a dog's bottom and I was saved from any further poop-related e-mail messages.

Mocha Dad

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I'm tired

PD and I left our house before 8:30 this morning. We drove 1 1/2 hours to MT and had to stop at 3 stores. Then, we ate lunch and headed for OT. We got to OT around 12:30 this afternoon and didn't leave until 5:00! We got home at 6:00 and are both already ready for bed. HAHA We are so tired! I swear I'm too damn old for this much to do in a day. We need to live in a larger city so we can spread out errands out over the week instead of trying to cram it all into one day. PD and a few others are making improvements at work so he needed to buy a few things while we were out today. I don't think there was a single square inch of that car that was empty! He threatened that I might have to ride home on the luggage rack. I told him HE could ride there and I'd drive. He found room for everyone and everything pretty fast.

When we got home Pretty-boy and Pretty-girl were thrilled to see us, as always. I swear, I should have forwent having kids and just had puppies. LOL They are the bomb! Anyway, we let them run around outside for a while and then took them up to the office to unload some of the stuff we bought. Then we drove around with them for a while and let them stick their heads out the windows. We came home and fed them - guess what?! Turkey from HEB! I told PD if they get sick I'm laughing at him while he cleans up the mess. So far though, they haven't gotten sick. He said he thought it might be the treats he was feeding them.

I talked to MLS and MSS yesterday and they are both doing good. I told them I probably wouldn't stop by today since we had such a long list of things to do. It sucks when we have to go to MT and OT in the same day. MLS graduates the first of December; I'm really proud of her. She has really worked hard and will be the first college graduate in the family. I'm pretty excited about that.

I bought a new toy the other day, for creating books. It's called Your Story from Provo Craft. It's for making books, like hardback books. I can't wait to make a book. I am going to make the girls both one for Christmas for a stocking stuffer. I was thinking of the first picture being the first picture ever taken of them and the last picture being this years Christmas picture of them. Everything in-between will be of them from birth to now. I'm not sure how many pages a book can hold but it wouldn't even have to be many. I have some ideas but I have a few projects to finish first and I don't have the Christmas picture yet anyway. I think I'm going to work on calendars for a couple of friends tomorrow and then Saturday PD and I have to go to a party for some co-workers. We can't really not show up, it would look bad for PD at work. So, we go...

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Today

It seems I can't remember any of my passwords any more. I used to have them memorized without even thinking about it but here lately, I can't even remember my password to the bank! It's frustrating; makes me feel old or something.

Yesterday at work, DQ was being a total pita. I swear that is the most insecure person I've ever met. She has the need to micro-manage every single aspect of every single life around her. She starts trying to tell me how to do my job when I'm the one who trained her on the software we use! I tried to be nice but finally, I got pretty rude and told her that we would already be through if she would do her own job and stop trying to tell me how to do mine. She acted like a wounded puppy for the rest of the day but she didn't tell me how to do my job any more. Bosslady is worthless as ever. She has no backbone when it comes to DQ. I doubt she ever will.

Other than that, life is pretty good. Oh but I did tell bosslady that I was bored and she offered to let me do some filing. LOL I told her 'busy-work' did NOT equal 'challenge' and I was not in the least little bit interested in filing someone else's paperwork. Then, she offered to let me set up a web-site for work, which is very interesting and something I would like to learn more about but certainly not for the peanuts they are willing to pay me to do it. That family has built their entire fortune by stepping on the backs of others.

Also, at work I am the chair of a committee designed to get people to come to or choose our business over others. We had a meeting today and I felt like it went really well. In January we will have new members come on the committee so I invited them to come to the meeting as well. Most had good input and only one person didn't have much to say at all. But he's brand new to the company and said he was just kind of watching today. I can certainly understand that so I'm not going to be too hard on the guy for not jumping right in. HA

Pretty-boy and Pretty-girl (my dogs) are both doing well but everytime we feed them turkey from HEB they get sick. I told PD we needed to stop buying that and just cook them chicken at home so we could control what went into the food they were eating. Who knows if he will listen to me. LOL I guess we'll find out tomorrow when we go to the store. The cat is still alive. Bless her heart, she's almost 14 and needs to die already. Ya, that's mean but it's also true. I think she's so old she doesn't know she needs to die. So I'll just keep feeding her and petting her until she does.

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Ginger tofu and flower salad sandwich with Tahini dressing

       

Saturday was sunny and hot and we were busy preparing our vegepatch for the summer round of vegetables. We always make sure we have lots of salad greens, edible herbs and flowers on hand year round - it's so fun to pick flowers to eat!
Our local summer roadside fruit stall (Mr Fruity) has set up within walking distance on the next street with bags of gorgeous hass avocados 5 for $4.00. As we are also blessed with a beautiful specialty bread shop round the corner (Wild Wheat) lunch was simple. This open sandwich is heavenly and such a colourful treat, especially with bread that is still warm from the oven! Here is our ginger tofu, and flower salad sandwich with Tahini dressing

Ingredients:
1/2 block of organic tofu
Freshly grated ginger
A good splash of tamari
Extra virgin olive oil

Salad greens
Edible flowers (we used calendula petals)
Fresh picked parsley
Avocado
Tomato
Tahini dressing
Gomashio (or sesame salt) to season

Crusty bread like a sourdough cob - as fresh as possible

Rinse the tofu at pat dry. Slice in half through the middle to create a thin slice then cut diagonally into a triangle.
Heat in a frying pan the olive oil, tamari and freshly grated ginger and chilli until it begins to bubble and get fragrant. Don't let it burn.
Add tofu and fry until golden.

Slice bread and top with lettuce greens, tofu, then avocado and tomato. Drizzle with tahini dressing, sprinkle with chopped parsley, gomashio and flower petals.

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Red snapper cooked in parchment

Before baking in parchment envelopes... Red snapper, Ginger, green onion, snap peas, tomato, lime, mint, coconut milk. They all steam together, there is no after picture because we ate them right up. With a sauce made of coconut milk, chili, ginger, cumin and lime. Will make again fo dinner soon.

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Squash, Carrot & Ginger Soup

Ah, autumnal soups...

Is there anything better than a thick, hearty soup in late October? I think the clear answer is that there is not. Autumnal soups are awesomeness in liquid vegetable form - they are puréed perfection! - and few things make me happier. So, in another effort to tide you over 'til I get on to the far more capitalist business of 'reviewing eating establishments', here are some rough ingredients and instructions for an impromptu soup.

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 3-4 large carrots, cut into small chunks
• Ginger, grated or very finely choppped. 1-3 tablespooons (i.e. to taste)
• Chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 medium onions
• Fresh rosemary (grow a plant in your kitchen! it's easy!)
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Dudes, it's soup. Do you really need 'instructions' for this?
2. *Sigh* Okay, fine.
3. Saute onions in a mixture of olive oil and butter.
4. After 3 or 4 minutes, add rosemary (rosemary is about the only fresh herb you can add at the beginning of cooking).
5. Add the ginger and continue to cook until the onions are golden brown.
6. Add the squash and carrots.
7. Add the stock of your choice. Bring to a boil and then simmer until vegetables are fork tender, usually about 30 minutes.
8. Whip out your trusty immersion blender - that's not a euphemism - and whiz until the soup is smooth like butta'. 
9. If you so desire, you can add some milk or cream for richness at this point, but I find that when I do, it goes straight to my thighs.
10. Season with salt and a good bit of fresh pepper.
11. Unless you're so ravenously hungry that you wish to eat from the pot, spoon into bowls and, if you like, add a garnish.

Garnishes

• For a simple topping, simply place a spoonful of sour cream or strained yoghurt into the centre of the bowl for a bit of contrast.
• If, however, you're feeling really fancy, do the following: take some 18% cream and heat it in a small pan until it begins to boil. Add some grated parmesan cheese and continue to heat until mixture thickens. When it sticks easily to a large spoon, add some finely chopped chives and continue to heat for another minute or two. Using said large spoon, drizzle the cream in circular motions across the soup. Or write your name. Whatever you want, really. 

Variations

• Add apples for a touch of sweetness. Granny smiths work well. If you do, the tiniest of hint of single malt whisky added just at the end makes things sorta' incredible.
• For something a little more fiery, add cumin and finely chopped jalapenos when you add the ginger.

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Run Away Dog (or The Beagle Has Landed Part II)

Today, KayEm sent me an e-mail message that read, “Ginger ran away.” For those who don’t know, Ginger is my 2-year-old beagle. As you can imagine, this was not the type of message I wanted to receive while I was nearly 3,000 miles away from home.

As beagles are prone to do, Ginger caught a scent and darted out of the front door. KayEm tried to chase her, but Ginger escaped through the open gate that led to our neighborhood walking trail. KayEm couldn’t pursue any further because our 2-year-old son, X, was standing in the front door planning his own get-away.

Sensing that she was free to explore, Ginger bolted down the walking trail. KayEm loaded X into the minivan and planned to corner Ginger at the neighborhood park at the end of the trail. Sure enough, KayEm spotted Ginger sniffing around the park. But once again, she had a dilemma – should she leave X in the van while she chased Ginger or should try to chase the dog while carrying a toddler. Neither option was acceptable. KayEm got back into the van and drove home. All the time she was worried about how she would tell Nee and N that their pet had run away. She knew that it would break their hearts.

Back at home, KayEm decided to make some “Lost Dog” flyers and post them around the neighborhood. Just as she was about to start, our phone rang. Some kind stranger had found Ginger and had her safely at his house. KayEm was ecstatic. Once again, she loaded X into the minivan and drove around the corner to retrieve the dog.

When KayEm arrived at the neighbor’s house, she saw Ginger resting peacefully in the back of the man’s pick-up truck.

“My brother raises beagles,” the man explained. “Whenever they catch a scent, they always try to follow it. That’s why I picked up your dog when I saw her. I knew she had a family who loved her when I saw the collar and tags.”

“Yes, the kids would have been so sad if Ginger were gone,” KayEm said. “Thank you for finding our dog.” KayEm loaded Ginger into the minivan and drove home.

A little while later, I received another e-mail message that read, “Ginger found! No worries.”

Thank God for the kindness of neighbors.

Mocha Dad

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Cheap Bento of Unagi, Shumai and California Roll Home Delivered

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Morning Glory: Posterous Themes, Google Sets Trends, Campion's New Keats Flick, Timberlake + Sorkin Join Forces, etc.

• And so it begins...Corey Watilo starts one of the first websites dedicated to theming Posterous. [Themes]
• Google introduces trends into your searches. See? Facebook isn't the only one who steals from Twitter [Google]
• Slate reviews Bright Star; Jane Campion's movie about my favorite poet from the British Romantic Period. [Keats]
• Justin Timberlake signs on to The Social Network.  Yes you heard that right.  A movie about Facebook's genesis + Aaron Sorkin + Pajiba gushing over the script... "Ginger, get the popcorn." [Sorkin]
• Rotten Tomatoes lists the top 100 worst movies of the decade.  Otherwise known as "Ryan's Netflix queue." [Movies]

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