Hippie Stew

After much searching and agonizing and cussing, I finally got all the ingredients to my Hippie stew

1 large red onion

1 large yellow onion

Mushrooms, lots of them and in different varieties

half a bag baby carrots

1 stick butter (sorry vegans)

Some fresh green bean if you like

A few heaping table spoons of flour

1 cup merlot

1 box vegetable broth

1 box mushroom broth

salt

pepper

sage

oregano

garlic

other spices hiding in the cabinet next to the stove

In a large soup pan, melt the butter over low heat.

Slice the onions

After the butter melts, but isn't scorched, add the onions. (if I had real garlic, I would add some diced garlic at this time, but I didn't)

Cook the onions until they're mushy (technical term there, I swear)

While the onions are cooking, wash and chop the mushrooms.

(If you're using some dried wild mushrooms, soak them in water or wine)

Add some salt, pepper, garlic powder, sage, thyme, season salt

Stir it up

Add three or four heaping spoonfuls of flour and mix until you have an oiniony mess

Add the mushrooms (including the juice)

Add the broths and wine

Stir

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally

Add green bean, carrots, and other fresh vegetables

Simmer for a while

I would say share and enjoy, but since I didn't bother to add meat, no one else in the family will eat it

Amytopia Movie Awards

I've managed to see more movies this summer than I have in a long time. It can be a good way to kill a couple of hours. Or a horrible let down. Since I'm bored and all ready made my nocturnal trip to Wal-Mart and caught up on Project Runway and I don't feel like sewing, here are my 2009 (so far movie awards

OMG! That was Awsome: Star Trek. Fantabulous reset of an old favorite. The effects were awesome. The story bring a little humanity to Spock.

Honorable Mention: Zombieland, Up!, and The Wrestler

Great, Now I Really Need a Beer To Cry In: The Wrestler. For an ugly guy, Mickey Rourke can act.

Honorable Mention: Up!

German Shepherd Head Tilt: Terminator. Great action, awesome story, until the end. Really needed a better ending. Goes to show a Hollywood ending doesn't make for a good story

Surprise, It Didn't Suck: Land Of The Lost. Could have waited until it came out on DVD, but it didn't suck

I Want My Two Hours and Twenty Bucks Back: Shorts. Nickelodeon's feature was a kid movie that felt like it was written by twelve year olds.

Office Barbrady, "Nothing to see here." Award: Surrogates. Bruce Willis as a police detective with a damaged home life. Yeah, same song different verse.

Honorable mention, G-Force. Disney animal film. Hamsters save the world.

No Hit Wonder

Recently, I purchased a new mp3 player. OK, not recently, I bought at the Circuit City failure sale, but just now getting a chance to use it.

I ripped most of the cds I own to my new laptop. (Yeah, I really needed to buy one those too) And then I set about finding more music on the Internet, only a legal and authorized sites like amazon.com, walmart.com(they have the best prices), etc.

The nice way to describe my musical taste is eclectic. A more accurate term is schizophrenic dj.

If you were to get your slimy (not Sliimy) hands on my collection, it might just drive you a little batty, if not down right crazy.

There is the usually collection of hair bands(Journey, Nickelback), hard rock (Cabo, Slayer), country pop(Big and Rich, Brad Paisley), mega acts (Beyonce, Green Day), odd balls (Rehab, the band not the song, Rednex) and pretty much everything in between.

So, I was searching for songs I love, songs I like, songs i forgot, and songs I never heard of before. Some of the gems I've discovered or recovered include such classics as Covens's One Tin Soldier or Paris Hilton's Stars are Blind. And who doesn't love the rousing sing along (at the top of your lungs) quality of You Don't Have to Call Me Darling, Darlin'?

Sometimes I don't even know what triggers a search, by artist or song. A song clip during a commercial or a US Weekly fresh scandal might explain the presence of Britney Spears, Eminem, and Whitney Houston. (Wait, I don't think I have any Whitney.)

Anyway, whilst checking out perezhilton.com, my interest was peaked by Jessica Simpson. She's a singer, or so I thought. After a little search, I realized I don't know any of her songs. Oh, there are a couple of cover songs and a bunch of Christmas songs, but nothing original that I recognized.

That does not bode well for Jessica. Seriously, not one song title stood out. I love a one hit wonder, Mambo No. 5, anyone? I even have a few (ok, a lot) of songs by obscure artists few people ever heard of, Dear and the Headlights, Amy LaVere, The Beat Farmers or Jane Child ring a bell?

So, unless Miss Simpson starts worrying more about music and less about men, she may be destined to be a no hit wonder.

Oh, wait, I do own some of the shoes she designed. She put her name on. Whatever

Purpose, direction

My friend Carrie thinks she has finally found her calling. That passion that Oprah is always telling us to find. Carrie has the advantage that she doesn't have to work. So she dove into making pillow case dressed. She found her passion and ran with it.

With the down turn of the economy, the USPS is offering a modest buyout opportunity. There are people ready to retire that plan to take it. There are a few with a few years invested in the career that are taking the money and starting over. The surprising thing is the few people that are wanting to take the money, resign, and never look back. The are looking at the money is a little cushion and an opportunity to follow their passion.

Now I'll admit to having a passion, several of them actually. They doesn't pay well. Seriously, how many people get sit around all day watching television and get paid. I can even multi task, I can sit in front of the big screen TV with my laptop and watch the latest episode of Project Runway (oh how I missed Tim and Heidi) while surfing the Internet. Sometimes serious news or weather, but usually facebook, twitter, or other time wasting site.

To push the limit, I can text while I'm waiting for updates. And transferring music to my phone or music player. Yeah, I'm that good. As far as a profitable passion, yeah still looking

note to Keebler: jalapeno flavor over whelms the whole box

Food For Thought, or not

Recently several people at work were forcibly transferred due to lack of work. (Actually not, since they got called back right before the warden flipped the switch.) So, in an attempt to bid them bon voyage, we threw together a little carry in.

Every Bobby Flay wanna be has dreams of putting together the ultimate carry in success. No left overs and people asking for the recipe. Of course when feeding thirty people, a recipe has to be fairly simple, transport well, and hopefully be inexpensive. Unless you really like your coworkers, then time and money don't matter. Or you're uber competitive and then make sure to serve it in your finest china.

Me, I usually almost forget and just grab a bag of chips or a couple boxes of cookies on the way in. In the rare times I actually remember to make something, I opt for cheap and simple. Kind of like my brother's first two wives.

So I decided to make my soon to be legendary Pizza Dip. And I'm not one to measure anything so good luck with this.

8 oz cream cheese, softened

8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 package diced pepperoni (or cooked Italian sausage. Or raw if you want a trichinosis outbreak)

1 jar pizza sauce

1 can diced Italian seasoned tomatoes, well drained and rediced, because Red Gold cans them in chunks

Mix it all up, bake it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes (or you can microwave it for about ten, whatever works for you)

Save a handful of mozzarella and sprinkle it on top to make it pretty

Serve with Club crackers or those crunchy bread sticks or pretzel sticks or sliced Italian bread

Now, if you know your crowd, throw in a can of drained mushrooms or diced green peppers or some green onions. That crowd would not include my brothers, they're kind of picky eaters.

Back to the Grindstone

Some lucky South Carolinian just won Power Ball. That means I, nor any one I am related to, won the quarter of a billion dollars. Too bad, I had all ready spent most of it. It would have been nice.

I could have paid off the credit cards. Of course I wouldn't require them anymore, so I wonder what the fee is to shove a card up a CEO's rectum is up to these days? I won't be finding out anytime soon.

And that tropical island I was eyeballing in the South Pacific, the Caribbean is too close for my tastes, isn't an option. No Mai Tais and cabana boys. No watching the sunset or sunrise from my private beach. Nope, looking like another cold and snowy winter in norther Indiana.

And a car I want, not one the one I settled on. Not that the roller skate is horrible, but I want a Range Rover. Or an Escalade. Something big and obnoxious. For a few weeks, then my hippiness would take over and I'd hire someone to convert it to a hybrid. I'd be rich, I could do what i want.

And my job. The one that doesn't feel like they need me, yet occasionally offers me overtime. The one that pays well, but still hasn't decided where they need me the most. Yeah, that one. I'll be back Sunday night.

Maybe, the next jackpot is only twenty million. Ten if you take the cash payout. After taxes, I might get to keep 2.5 to 3 million of that. Enough to pay everything off and follow my passion. Once i find it.

I have found Jesus

OK, not yet, but one day.

The next time I have a stray dog or cat wander into my life, I will name him Jesus. Because I finally found him. (Unless it is a girl kitty or puppy, then I'll name the furry little street walker Mary Magdalene.)

Since dog is just god spelled backwards or god is dog backwards (or ogd for the dyslexics out there), why not?

Think about it, before I found Jesus, my life was empty and without meaning. Now, my life is filled with joyous surprises when ever Jesus is left alone for three days, just watch your step.

Before Jesus, I wandering aimlessly through life. Now, Jesus leads me on his path, through the creek and often into oncoming traffic.

Before Jesus, confusion between the spiritual and worldly. Now, Jesus eliminates the worldly and brings me to the spiritual. One lovely 3 inched heeled leather shoe at a time. God damned puppy!!!!!!

Before Jesus, I awoke to the unknown. Now, the only way to start the day is with a silent prayer to Jesus for a miracle. He better make it outside or I'll crucify him.

So, before your life gets any more out of control, go find Jesus.

Procrastination as an Art Form

I'm suppose to be packing.  I hate packing.  Mostly because I don't really want or need all the stuff in the house.  Seriously, does anyone really need 75 pairs of socks?  And all the mateless socks, what to do with them.

Since I don't want to pack or admit to spending excessive amounts of time on the Internet, here is what I've accomplished tonight.

Destroyed a colony of empty shampoo, conditioner, and body wash bottles.  The dull razors tried to defend them, but were no match for a contractor bag.  Then I peed.

Enjoyed a delightful garden omelet at the Huddle House.  

Read a book.  Yes, I read an entire book, My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler.  I think that she may be my long lost sister.  Then I peed.

Mated up six pairs of socks.  Threw three sheets, two t shirts, and eight pairs of flip flops into a plastic storage bin.  Then I peed.

Went for coffee and waffles with Carrie.  Followed by a trip to Wal Mart.  Then I peed.

Spent some quality time on Facebook, bannination, and the Forum.  Cleaned out the freezer.  Then I peed.

In an attempt to prevent any actual productivity today, I am here blogging.  An activity that I have neglected for about a month.  And I checked up on my twitter account.  

Later in the day, I am going to spend a few minutes (hopefully only a few) at the DMV registering a car and getting a replacement title.  And I will spend a few minutes posting on bannination and Facebook some more.  And then I'm scheduled to donate blood.  

At several points, I will pee.

See anything to get out of packing.  Damned firemen, why did they have to be so prompt.

The good, the bad, the indifferent

So, started the new job. Yeah. It pays well and I don't have to get up at 3 AM to go to work. Of course I'm at work at 3AM, but that's the price you pay for fame.

I wasn't really wanting to move up here for another year or two, but the economy forced my hand.

Things I know I will miss, other than my kid.

Wine. Oh there are plenty of liquor sotres with nice selections of wine, but where are the wineries. You can't do a winery crawl up here. Indiana needs more wineries.

Weahter. There is plenty of weather up here, but it all sucks. I hate winter, I was suppose to end up somewhere warm. I should have transfered to San Juan.

Things that are looking up for me:

I found my beer. Xingu is a Brazilian black beer. I use to have to drive all the way to St Louis to get the nectar of the gods, but now I only have to g0 out to Lima road. Yeah Cap 'n Cork.

Getting adjusted to the third shift, but as a night person, I'll adapt better than others. Will miss getting to go out on Saturday nights, but ehh. Most places are open seven nights a week.

Have to find my own place. Or a less crowded place. We're hot bunking right now and I really need to find a place where I an sit around naked after I take a shower.

Oh well, such is life.