Scrap of Wisdom
It's your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude.Lucky Numbers: 37, 22, 17, 29, 45, 10If you play & win, I want a small cut of the prize. Happy Tuesday.Labels: Scrap of Wisdom
Bulge 1, Chowderhead 0
This weekend wasn’t so good for watching what I ate and how much. I’m a P.I.G. PIG I tell you. I know I'm being a bit hard on myself. But I'll let you decide once you hear what & how much I had this weekend. It's going to be tough getting back to "Smaller portions". This weekend was a bump in the road. Minor obstacle.
I had a few vacation days left over from last year so I took Friday off. I ran a few errands and then met S for lunch. I had a nice "light" lunch of Jaeger Schnitzel with Spaetzle and potato salad. Oh, and a pitcher of beer to wash it down with. Yeah. Nice & light! At least it was delicious. P.I.G. oink, oink I say!
More errands after lunch then off to meet up with Michelle and some of my other friends for happy hour. Yep, more food and drinks. So Friday was spent drinking and eating. Not necessarily in that order. Again, P.I.G. Then we went to the ElectroBelly 2 show. Belly dancing and electronic music. Different and entertaining. I had no idea “how” they were going to blend the 2 different styles but they pulled it off. I can’t wait for ElectroBelly 3!
Saturday morning I felt guilty for having my 100,000 calorie day so I got on the recumbent bicycle (a.k.a. Chowder Cycle) for a while. Then I took HRH to the dog park since it was a decent day. I got a walk in. He got to run, hump, mouth, wrestle with the other dogs. We were both happier for it!
I took HC out for her belated birthday dinner. No I didn’t forget. She didn’t feel like going out last weekend so we postponed it. We went to Ma Provence in Squirrel Hill. The appetizer and salad were great but the main courses were only OK. I made an effort to not gorge myself. (But failed since we HAD to get the appetizer since it was foie gras. Simply had to. P.I.G.) And Foie Gras. Come on. Does it get much worse for you than that? But I HAD to have it.
Yesterday: Brunch at the Point Brugge Café. Have I mentioned I love this place? I do. Omelette with fruit salad. I shared a waffle with HC. I wanted to try them out since the waitress said they were different than regular waffles. (Oh any excuse to eat more. P.I.G.) They used crystallized sugar so the waffles have crunchy parts to them. They were great! I’ll have to get them next time!
I had a great time with everyone and had some nice meals. This weekend was a minor set back as far as diet was concerned. But I’ll do better this week since we don’t have any plans in the evenings. I’ll get to Chowder Cycle. And I bought a truck load of fruits and veggies so I can make a large dose of them to go with our dinners.
It’s an ongoing struggle but it’s worth the effort. No need for Hypertension, High Cholesterol, Heart disease, or Diabetes just to name a few things I’m trying to avoid.Labels: Bulge, food, frustrations, Health
Friday's feast
Feast One Hundred & Twenty EightAppetizer: If you could take lessons to learn any musical instrument, which would you want to learn? I would love to learn how to play the guitar. (I love rock & roll and wouldn't mind knowing another way of expressing myself. And I have a secret adolescent rock star fantasy) I own one. It sits there in the gameroom. I pick it up once in a while and make noises. Currently my best form of expression cooking. I let all out there. Soup: Have you ever mistaken a person for someone else? Yes. I'm lousy with names AND faces. Especially of people I've only met once or twice. Salad: On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets? 10. Part of my job is to work on company confidential projects. Or to work with confidential information. Tight lips is part of who I am & what I do. Main Course: What's the closest you've ever been to a dangerous animal? 10 feet from sharks as I was swimming with them in Tahiti. Sorry Sting Rays don't count but I was interacting with them in the Cayman's at Stingray City. Bummer about Steve Irwin. That was a freak accident. Dessert: When was the last time you lost your patience? I don't have much patience so it's misplaced all the time. Daily is probably a fair statement.Labels: Friday's Feast
Riddle me this…
Why do people order Hot & Spicy food if they can’t eat Hot & Spicy food?
- You wouldn’t order a beef dish if you didn’t want to eat beef.
- You wouldn’t order mushrooms if you were allergic to mushrooms.
So why order something marked as Hot & Spicy if you can’t/don't eat Hot & Spicy?
I hate going to a restaurant and ordering something on the menu marked as “Hot & Spicy” only to be sadly disappointed. Those dishes are ruined by people that order Hot & Spicy and can’t eat Hot & Spicy. Then the restaurant has to tone it down to reduce the number of complaints they get from these cry babies. Why don’t they stick with the other dishes on the menu?
I take the "Hot & Spicy" designation as a warning. No different than: Contents under pressure, Caution: Contents Hot, High Voltage, Do Not Enter.
Labels: food, Rant, things I don't understand
Battle of my bulge
I love food. I love to eat. I love to cook. Totally love it.
There's not much better than having a meal done well. It doesn't need to be Fillet Mignon. Or lobster. It can be a hamburger. It can be pizza. As long as it's done well.
A few years back my doctor said I needed to watch my weight and cholesterol. So it began. To maintain a healthy lifestyle, I’ve been trying to:
- Exercise more. (It's sometimes tough to make time for this.)
- Eat less (Very tough.)
- Watch what I eat (This keeps me from dropping it on myself.)
These 3 things have helped me lose 20 pounds and keep it off for over 3 years.
The past 5 or 6 months I’ve slipped from my regimen and probably gained about 10 pounds back.
Why did I stop?
- I got tired of always being careful
- I had been stressed about LIFE & work.
When I’m stressed, I use food as a coping mechanism. (I know this and try to stop myself from doing it but… I also shop but that affects the wallet more than the body.)
I’m trying to get back to watching what I eat, how much I eat, and exercising. Boy I had forgotten how tough it is to break bad habits. It’s hard to stop at 1 serving of food. I’m on the see food diet after all right?!
But I have to do it. My metabolism did this mean thing in my mid-thirties of slowing down. Before then I could eat as much of anything as I liked but not anymore.
Besides, I felt better. My clothes fit better. I have more energy. It's not that I'm grossly overweight or anything like that. My BMI is 25.1 so I'm barely in the "overweight" range. But the doctor said I had to.
Labels: Bulge, food, frustrations
Insomnia
About once a month I get insomnia. I fall asleep OK. And then a few hours later…H-E-L-L-O!!!
I’m wide awake!! Blink, blink. Ready to go!
Most of the time, I can get back to sleep in an hour or so. (Last night was one of those nights.) Sometimes, I’m awake the rest of the night.
When I was younger, I’d get mad about being awake. (This would start a vicious cycle since getting mad would make me more awake and less relaxed which would get me more perturbed, etc..) But through trial and error, I’ve learned what works for me is to lay there for a while and think about what I feel like doing: Relax & try to get back to sleep, get up and read, get up and watch TV, listen to music, workout, play on the PC. Is it too warm, too cold, do I have to go to the bathroom?
Whatever I choose, I try to be quiet and not move too much so that I don’t wake HC. That pisses me off more than being awake. She’s a light sleeper and needs as few distractions as possible in her sleep cycle.
I know sometimes the insomnia is due to my obsessing about something (a task, issue, vacation, event, shinny new something…) I get so wound up in my thoughts I can’t fall back to sleep. Sometimes my tinnitus really kicks in and it’s so loud it keeps me awake. (That really sucks! When the noise in my head is keeping me awake!)
I think sometimes I’m not meant to get as much sleep. I’ve noticed the wake ups usually happen when I go to bed earlier than usual.
Last night the answer was: stretch, do yoga, listen to music.
Public transportation woes in Pittsburgh
I don’t have all the details regarding PAT’s problems. What I’ve heard on the news is: In an effort to get out of the bad financial situation ($80 Million in debt) they are in, PAT is proposing to: Cancel roughly 60% of their routes, severely limit the number of busses on the routes they are keeping, layoff 400 workers.
I don’t have any answers. All I have are flippant remarks regarding this situation:
- This is yet another reason for a person/business to move to Pittsburgh. NOT. Pittsburgh has been complaining for years about losing it’s population and businesses. How does making it more difficult to get around this city help the situation? PAT’s cutbacks will neither entice businesses/people to move to this town nor entice people/businesses to STAY in this town. World class cities have good and readily available public transportation. (LA, SF, DC, NYC, Paris, London, Toronto, need I go on?) The politicians in this area need to take this situation more seriously if they truly want to retain businesses and population.
- PAT’s been broken for 20 years. The County Chief Executive said as much in a news conference a few weeks ago when they first announced they were going to do something. 1. Why didn’t they do something to fix this sooner? 2. Why do they care now? 20 years it’s been broken and having financial problems. I’m pretty sure we’d never be able to go 20 years without some negative consequences. (Bankruptcy, foreclosures, etc..) So why weren’t/aren’t the people running PAT being held responsible? I’m sure they collected nice paychecks the whole time.
- It’s the poor, elderly, and disabled that will be hurt by this. I have the option of driving to work. (It would cost me more in parking, gas, and insurance but I can drive to work) Those people who don’t have any other options will be the ones who will be hurt. I heard a few people say on the news they’d rather pay more for the service than have it cut. They’ll find a way to get the money to ride the bus. The bus is their only means of transportation.
- Yeah, how about those stadiums we didn’t want but got forced down our throats! (They’re a real sore subject for me.) I tend to bring them up whenever this area is crying about money for something. (Public schools, roads, public transportation, etc..) I’m sure some of the money used for the stadiums could have been used to fix PAT. Does a new arena for the Penguins really matter in comparison to public transportation? Isn’t it more important that people have a convenient way to get around this town? Sports are nice to have but transportation is a need to have. I know there are many die hard sports fans out there that totally disagree with me but in my mind what is more important: entertainment or transportation? Entertainment is a luxury whereas transportation is a necessity.
- Maybe we can use some of the revenue from the casino’s to fix PAT? Afterall, casino’s seem to be the answer to all of our woes. (Another sore subject) Governor Rendell has got to find a link between the casino’s and a cure for cancer, HIV, male pattern baldness, acne, etc.. to justify his overwhelming support for them. Casino’s are the end all be all.
I’m lucky.
- The 2 bus routes I can take are going to be changed slightly but not eliminated.
- I have the option of driving to work.
- I can afford the proposed rate hike.
- These changes are going to make riding the bus less convenient but still doable.
Labels: Rant
Dinner & a show
Friday night we met up with D & B at Café Allegro for dinner. It’s been a few years since we’d been to Café Allegro. HC had the duck breast. I had the rack of lamb. Both expertly prepared and delicious. The food and service were as good as I remembered. And the company was fun and engaging.
After dinner we went to the City Theater to see Late Night Catechism. What a hoot. HC had seen it before. I was a first timer. It brought back scary/repressed memories of my Catholic School upbringing. I sat still and quietly in my chair. Yes me. Still & quiet. I was afraid to laugh at times for fear of Sister.
I know. I know. I’m being weird since the actress isn’t really a nun but the habit and the mannerisms. Man, she had the mannerisms nailed. She reminded me of many of the nuns I had in school. The show brought back some memories. But I did have a good time. It is a very funny and creative parody of Catholicism and Catholic School education.
I was always the: fidgety one, the talker, the daydreamer. And I got in trouble for all of that!
Did I ever get hit with a ruler? You bet. And chalk, erasers, I even had a book thrown at me. Did I ever get paddled? Nope. I was bad but not bad enough to get paddled. And the paddle I remember had holes in it so it whistled as it came down on your butt. Less wind resistance = Higher velocity = Bigger ouch!
Labels: food, show
HC’s birthday dinner
My Dad took us out to the Middle Road Inn for HC’s birthday dinner last night. The Middle Road Inn is a nice local bar & restaurant. No, it’s not as fancy as the Point Brugge Café but the food is good and the people are nice. HC had a sandwich. The Daddy-o and I opted for their All-you-can-eat Crab Legs. My Dad and I were pigs! In our defense the Middle Road Inn enabled us to be pigs. Usually if you go to an all you can eat place they start you out with a couple of crab leg clusters or ribs or fish fillets or wings. Then they’ll check in on you in 20 minutes or so. If you ask for more, they’ll bring you 2 or 3 more. The pace is usually slow. They’re hoping you’ll notice you were full 2 plates ago or tired of waiting before you eat all you can eat. Also they usually try to fill you up on sides or bread. (Gee it sounds like I’m talking from experience of something….Not like I’ve ever gone to all you can eat places.) I guess I should add glutton to my profile. I love food. Making it. Eating it. The Middle Road Inn does not use this strategy, they start you off with a heaping plate of 6 crab clusters and bring out refills 6 clusters at a time. The crab legs were meaty, hot, and fresh. The meat was sweet. No need for the drawn butter.Seafood tip: Fresh seafood does not smell or taste “fishy”.
Honestly, my Dad and I each had a plate and a half of crab legs. In the context of “all you can eat” that’s not that much. In the context of crab legs, that’s a lot-o-crab. In the context of watching what I eat and smaller portions, that was a lot of food. I could’ve eaten more but the “smaller portions” voice in my head eventually became louder than the sound of cracking exoskeleton. So I couldn’t ignore it anymore and had to stop. Now that’s not to say I wasn’t full. I was full after the first plate… Some vices die H-A-R-D!!!!!!Labels: Birthday, food, Parents
Awesome dinner last night
Neither of us felt like cooking last night. We were both in the mood for something different so I took HC out for a pre-birthday dinner to the Point Brugge Café last night.
I’ve got 2 words for you: Food Buzz!
You need to go!
C told me about this place a while back.
It’s a Belgium themed café. The food is really good and the atmosphere is nice.
So I filed it away under the “need to try” category. And as with so many things, I promptly forgot about it. Until last week when D brought this place up in an e-mail. I took it as a sign that I needed to look into this place.
So I went out to their web site and had a look. It sounded interesting. Something out of the ordinary. Different.
Let me tell you, HC and I had food buzzes going from the first bite of food to the last. This place is a best kept secret that shouldn’t be a secret. They were busy when we arrived at 7:30 so it may not be accurate for me to call this place a secret. (But I haven’t heard much press about this place unlike other local restaurants that are overexposed.) It’s a small place. Maybe 15 to 20 tables/booths. We had to wait 15 minutes for our table. So we had beers at the bar. The bartender was knowledgeable about the different beers on tap and in stock.
Belgium cafés are known for 3 staples: Frites (Belgium style french fries), Carbonnade Flamande, and Moules (Mussels).
I can confirm the Point Brugge Cafe: - Does have a European café feel. Small, but comfortable. Tables close together, but not right on top of one another. Friendly, knowledgeable, helpful staff.
- The food is great. We started dinner off with side salads. Fresh mixed greens in a wonderful light vinaigrette. Very well done. HC had the Carbonnade Flamande which is roughly translated as Belgium style pot roast. It was very flavorful and fork tender. Who needs a knife when the meat falls away with the slightest touch of your fork?? Her meal came with frites so we were able to try those as well. They were good. Crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside. They still tasted like potatoes. I had the Chicken Milanese which was also very tasty. The chicken breasts were perfectly seasoned and pan fried. Crispy but not greasy. We didn’t have room to try the mussels but they looked really good. I saw many plates of mussels going to tables so I gather from that they were good.
The wine list was nice. Not huge, but a nice representation of varietals and countries. The prices for a glass/bottle of wine were very reasonable. Nothing over $40. Some selections rated at 90+ by Wine Spectator. The beer selection was extensive. A very large selection of Belgium beers (of course) and a nice representation of beers from around the world as well as US micro brews. So there’s something there to like for everyone.
You need to go! You deserve a food buzz!!!!
Labels: food
Happy Birthday to my Wife
Today is the HC's birthday.
I give thanks daily for such a talented, smart, funny, patient, hard working, and adventurous mate.
And I'm thankful that she makes me use my words. Communication is so vital in any relationship. And I know sometimes I'm not so good at communicating what's going on in my head. I am so lucky.
She's the best of all time!!!Labels: Birthday
A rose by any other name?
Naphthalene....Oh you know it. The active ingredient in Moth Balls. That headache/nausea inducing smell. That’s naphthalene. My parents always used Moth Balls. A L-O-T of Moth Balls. You’d open a closet or a drawer and be assaulted with the heavy smell of Moth Balls. (The funk would damn near knock you to your knees.) I always figured my parents were the victims of some kind of vicious moth infestation/attack in the past that must have done some major damage to their clothes. And with God as their witness, they-were-not-going-to-let-that-happen-again!!
As a result, my sister and I weren’t big fans of Moth Balls. Couldn’t stand the smell of them. I’d use them sparingly since I knew they were effective in keeping moths away. But man! I wasn’t so sure the defense was any better than the moths. When I was older, I learned about cedar’s ability to ward off moths. I burned a path to the nearest housewares store and switched right away to cedar blocks, balls, and planks in all of my drawers and storage containers. If I was going to be afraid of moths and the damage they could inflict, at least my clothes could smell nice instead of making me gag!
So fast forward to this past weekend. We took my Dad on a ride up to the Grove City outlet shops on Saturday. (We’d hit some sales. Kill some time. Get out and walk around.) The smell of moth balls was so concentrated in my Dad’s clothes that it was making HC sick on the car ride up to the shops. She was getting a headache and feeling a bit queasy.
HC and I talked about it that night after dropping my Dad off. She was really getting sick from the smell. We had to come up with some kind of strategy to get my Dad to lighten up with the Moth Balls.
My Dad came over on Sunday after church to hang out. Well, again he was smelling up the house with Moth Balls. (The naphthalene smell is so strong that you can smell it hours after he’s left the house.) This is when I decided to approach him about his naphthalene assault.
With my Dad, you’ve got to come up with a plan to get things to happen. There’s always strategy involved. Nothing is ever simple or straightforward. (I guess that’s where I get it from.) Anyways, I asked him about why the heavy handed use of the Moth Balls. I reminded him our friend the Chief said they were bad for you and could irritate the lungs. Maybe we could switch him to another remedy if he was concerned about moths attacking his clothes.
My Dad told me just that day one of his friends at church mentioned the Moth Balls. (Bingo! I had an in. We were ganging up on him now. I’ve got a chance to get him to switch.) If I had approached him solo with the idea to switch from naphthalene, it would have taken many attempts to get him thinking about it. But if one of his friends mentions it AND I mention it, then he’ll consider the idea quicker.
As we were talking about Moth Balls and the whole “Why so many”, he tells me it’s not as much for moth repellency as body odor. Yes you read that right. My Dad is worried about BO. He’d rather damn near kill you with the naphthalene cloud around him than have his jackets, coats, and sweaters cleaned. I kid you not! I can’t make this kind of shit up!!!!
So I told him all of his clothes should be either laundered or dry cleaned. It would get rid of any BO and help them last longer. He smiled at me. I could tell he was skeptical. I’ll have to hit him up with this a few more times. Oy! The gyrations I have to go through to get my Dad to do anything!!!!
HC suggested I go over there and purge his place of all Moth Balls. “He’s never going to do it. You’re going to have to go over there and get rid of every last 1 of them. And you’ll need to buy some of those odor removers to get rid of the remaining smell.”
I know she’s right. I’m going to have to clamp down, make a trip over to his place, and get rid of all the Moth Balls. It’s going to be a chore. I’ll let you know how much of the stuff I collect.Labels: Parents
Peanut update
It’s been a while since I wrote about my pinched up state. And the fact that I was going to try and let go of some of the peanuts. - I was feeling pressure: To be a good husband, to be a good son, to be a good worker. I was feeling like I was failing HC and my dad. So much going on but I was barely keeping on top of it.
- Yes. It is/was all self-inflicted. HC made me understand I’m not failing her. We are doing OK financially. And she thinks I’m doing OK with my dad too.
Here’s an update:
I’m feeling better and trying to use my words when I’m feeling stressed about something. The trip to Toronto helped. We got to spend some time just the 2 of us. No outside distractions. Talking to my EAP counselor has helped. He’s given me some different perspectives on things.
I’m doing well with work. I’m OK with our financial situation. HC got a part time job in addition to pursuing her artistic dream. The Daddy-o is doing OK.
I know the big thing for me is not listening to the nagging, second guessing, doubting, neurotic, and worrying inner voices. This is the toughest part for me since they’ve been with me most of my life. Not that there isn’t some truth in what they are saying. BUT I’ve got to temper those thoughts with happier, playful, carefree thoughts. Life isn't all work, drudgery, and duty. I need to remember to laugh and enjoy myself on occasion.
Read this...i mean REALLY read this
I got this in my e-mail today. I don't usually forward these kind of messages. I think these messages are silly and certainly do not grant you luck, guarantee you doom, or seal your fate. But I do like some of the sayings so I'm going to put a spin on it by including my comments:
#2, 8, 16, 17, 19 are right on the mark!
#3 I'm working on my spending.
#7 I'm not a believer. Maybe lust at first sight but not love. Certainly something that catches your eye right away but not love.
#9, 14 yep. Life is a contact sport. You've got to get in there and mix it up. Maybe get a little bloody. Here's the body of the e-mail
_________________________________________________________________________________
This is without a doubt one of the nicest good luck forwards I have received. Hope it works for you -- and me!You have 6 minutes.
There's some mighty fine advice in these words, even if you're not superstitious. This has been sent To you for good luck from the Anthony Robbins organization. It has been sent around the world ten times so Far. Do not keep this message.This must leave your hands in 6 MINUTES. Otherwise you will get a very unpleasant surprise. This is true, even if you are not superstitious, agnostic, or otherwise faith impaired.
ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.
FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson
SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: R espect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.
Now, here's the FUN part! Send this to at least 5 people and your life will improve. 1-4 people: Your life will improve slightly.5-9 people: Your life will improve to your liking.9-14 people: You will have at least 5 surprises in the next 3 weeks 15 and above: Your life will improve drastically and everything you ever dreamed of will begin to take shape.A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart. Do not keep this message
Ticked – Part 2
Since I was on a rant last night, I totally forgot to mention we had the Daddy-O, J, and AL over for dinner.
After the vet visit, I came home and prepped for dinner. It was nice to turn on some music, drink wine, marinate chicken, and start cuttin’!
- Curry Shrimp with noodles.
- Vegetarian Moo Shu
Grilled chicken.
I wasn’t happy with the size of the chicken breasts. I should have been more careful selecting them. They must have been steroid enhanced birds because they were H-U-G-E. Godzilla sized. As a result, they didn’t pick up as much of the marinade as I would have liked AND they took F-O-R-E-V-E-R to fully cook. Yes, we were eating in courses but still it would have been nice to have the chicken course within 20 minutes of the moo shu course!
Ticked
Friday evening we went to the
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. There was an opening that night for Bill Miller, Vintage Linoleum Works. Very creative how he used scraps of linoleum to construct his scenes. Who knew?!? Ron Donoughe's Essence of Pittsburgh paintings were very nice too. Saturday: We went shopping at the Waterfront. The past couple of years, I've bought HC some small things for Christmas and then taken her out after Christmas to hit the post holiday sales as her "big" present. It's a win-win for both of us. She gets to get what she wants and knows that it'll fit her. And I spend the same amount I would have spent before Christmas but get more for the money. She's OK with my approach. She's not hung up that these items need to be bought before Christmas, wrapped, and exchanged. It's a matter of the calendar. It's the same item, just a few days later and a lot cheaper....Saturday night we met up with 2 couples for dinner at Lidia's in the Strip. Good food, service, and company!!! You should go. I had the Gnocchi and HC had the Pasta Tasting. (Gnocchi when done poorly are hard & heavy as bullets. Gnocchi when done properly are light as air. Little potato pillows even. These Gnocchi were light as air.) The duck ragout complemented the Gnocchi perfectly. HC's Pasta tasting was nice. The Linguinni with Pork Bolongnese sauce and the Swiss Chard & Ricotta ravioli were quite good. You should go.This post is entitled Ticked. Keep reading you'll get to the reason it's called ticked...Today: Was supposed to be a lazy day full-o-nothin' to do and all day to do it!! Well that changed when I was petting HRH and found a tick attached to his neck. I had HC come and verify that it wasn't a skin growth or him breaking out in hives again. I looked up on the web what to do. As an FYI...They don't recommend burning it out OR putting Vaseline on the tick. Also, don't squish it. The say you need to use tweezers and get a hold of the tick as close to the dog's body as possible, and then pull the tick straight out without twisting. If you are not able to get the tick off cleanly, you need to visit the vet and have them remove the rest of the tick and provide anti-biotics in case the tick is carrying any nasty illnesses.
Well, HRH was pretty good about holding still but you can't blame him for being a bit squirmy with your humans holding you & plucking at you... Anyways, I was not able to remove the tick cleanly so we had to go to the emergency vet. They removed the rest of the tick and gave him anti-biotics. With HRH's past medical history, it was wiser for us to take him to the emergency vet to have him treated versus waiting until tomorrow and taking him to his regular vet. While in the waiting room, a woman was complaining about the wait. And how she should charge them for her time. She thought she was being funny & clever but I found her to be an ass. How self-important are you that you should show up at the emergency room and get top priority? True the animal is triaged when you first arrive and if it's critical they are seen right away. If it's not critical then you get to wait like the rest of us! I'm sure there are places willing to welcome you right away and take care of you & your pet ASAP, but you my dim witted friend didn't go to one of them. You went to a place where everybody checks in and states what's wrong with their pet. And no we don't get to charge them for our time. Ha, ha you're a laugh riot. You're hill-ar-ious. You just think you are so funny. Village idiot is more like it. You are not funny. Saying to the workers you are thinking of charging them for your time is not funny. You didn't come off as clever. I'm sure they've heard it all before. Telling them to deduct your time waiting from the bill is not funny. You came off as whinny. They are doing you a service. Do you think they want to be there on a Sunday? Maybe they should charge you since they had to put up with your smart ass remarks. Just be polite to them and leave it at that. You're lame attempts at humor are just that...L-A-M-E. What's wrong with being nice to them? Did you forget, they are taking care of your sick pet? Do you say the same kind of thing to your doctor? How about mechanic? The phone company? How about the cashier in the grocery store? Where do you think you are, Jiffy Lube? I don't recall seeing a30 minute or it's free guarantee when we signed in at the front desk.Maybe she was nervous and trying to hide it. Maybe she was trying to distract herself. Maybe she's one of those that talks and talks and talks. Who know, who cares. Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut. I was not amused. If you've got nothing to say...zip it!!!! It would have been better if she needed to talk then she should have talked about our freaky weather. Maybe I was a bit irked at having to take HRH to the vet so I was a bit sensitive to this woman's statements. Certainly it's not my idea of fun to take HRH to the emergency vet. But fact of the matter is: it needed done. Everyone's time is valuable. Even though I had nothing planned for the day, my time is still valuable. I'm sure everyone in that waiting room had better things to do than unexpectedly taking their pet to the emergency room. And I bet she couldn't afford to pay most of the people's hourly rates. ha,ha. I'm so funny. Anyways, sorry for the rant. I've been overly-sensitive lately to people making stupid remarks that think they are oh so clever. And having worked in customer service before, it was a reminder of the kinds of people you have to deal with. I'm sure the people working behind the counter would have been perfectly fine with polite behaviour. They didn't need her feeble attempt at "lightening" things up.
First day back at work
I tell you what, it was rough going back to work after an extended vacation/holiday. That alarm went off way too damn early this morning. How rude!I'm glad I took a traditionally slow work week off. I only had 80 e-mails to wade through. I was done reading & responding to e-mails by 11:00am. (Just in time for lunch.)The manager I was filling in for is back to work full time. He looks great and seems to be in no pain at all. So that's wonderful. I'm happy for him. He looked miserable right before he went out on medical leave. So it's good to know the procedure worked for him.I'm back to my regular duties at work. (Yeah! I can concentrate on my projects.) There's talk I may go back out to NJ. (We'll see. I'm not opposed to it. The people were nice and the food was good!)HC made a wonderful meal: pasta with tomatoes, anchovy & peperoncinni and crab cakes. That's all that's worth reporting for now. I'm going to get some sleep.
