New Register Receipts

Coming out of newWalmart this morning, I glanced at the register tape. Whoa! Something weird going on here - it was too short and half of the items were missing. I turned it over for some reason and lo and behold, the first half of the printout was on the other side. Seems like a darn good idea to me to use BOTH sides and half as much paper. Kind of startling at first, tho.

DWTS, this week's results

I, for one, am certainly happy that CountrySinger is gone. But I fear CuteCowboy's turn is next week. Although, it could be Cheerleader since her rib won't be healed and she won't be 100%. I think GMW needs to go as well - she has not improved since the first week, even slipped back. My guess is that YummoG and the Rapper will be the last two standing - that will be a really interesting face-off.

Passwords

Google was being mean to me this morning – it wouldn’t let me access my blog account unless I entered my user name and password. I could come up with the user name, but none of the various versions of my universal password seemed to work. Google said they had sent an email to my gmail address with instructions – only I couldn’t access that because it was demanding the password and I couldn’t remember the freakin’ password! Finally, I managed to click on the right thing, entered the first few letters of my user name and the whole name and password came up. Of course, the password was just represented by black dots, but I counted them and figured out which version of the universal matched and all was well with Google once again.

A little while later, I decided to check on our account at a local bank. When I tried to access it online, the whole stupid password issue reared its ugly head again. This time the claim was that my password had expired and I had to enter a new password that would be “hard to guess”. Yeah, right. Hard for who? The person probably trying to guess it would be me, and I sure don’t need things to be any harder. The evil beings ruling the web site didn’t like any of my versions of the universal password – too close to the original. So I had to come up with something entirely new. This website doesn’t “remember” user names or passwords; they have to be entered each and every time. That is probably the only reason why I have a chance of retaining the password in my mind. And, I had to change the user name a few weeks ago as the website decided it resembled something or other and needed to be changed. So 4 ½ years of retained memory flushed.

I have all sorts of bits and pieces of paper with scribblings on them, listing user names, passwords, etc. for various websites in one of my drawers. The problem is that different entities have different requirements as to type and number of characters and numerals. So a multitude of such things come into being; and not only do I have to remember what they are, but what they apply to. And at my age, that’s not easy. Hence, the piles. I have been intending to make up some sort of master list of user names and passwords. I think it is past time that I do just that.

DWTS, this week

Whew! JudgeLen sure had a burr up his butt last night. He was unnecessarily cruel to CuteCowboy after the individual dance; although he did sort of try to make up for it following the team dance. But then he turned his spite on YummoG. Cranky is OK; it’s what we expect from JudgeLen. Mean is not, ever.

What a lousy break for the Cheerleader. She has been good enough that she would have been way up the leader board, but I fear she will be booted without getting the chance to dance to stay. Bummer!

Julianne is still carrying the CountrySinger – I don’t share the judges’ new found enthusiasm for him. He remains really ordinary.

Nor do I understand the judges’ fascination with GMW. She doesn’t come close to TheRapper in excitement and Cheerleader in style.

The Rapper, once again, had the best individual performance – as well as best team dance. Some dances are inherently dramatic and effective when done well, and the Rapper’s Paso was extremely effective. I continually marvel at how her pro – who is not a tall person – can make himself look long and elegant. He’s one of the best.

YummoG was a lot of unexpected fun doing the Lindy. It didn’t reach out and grab like some of the more intense, dramatic dances do; but it was good for what it was.

We’ll see what the results are this evening. I won’t be watching – too painful to sit through all that nonsense. I’ll pick up the results from the internet.

Pull-thru Parking

GolfGuy and I arrived at Costco a few minutes prior to opening time this morning – actually about 15 minutes before but our Costco always opens 5-10 minutes early, unlike an Oregon one we used to frequent that waited, deliberately I think, until 5-10 minutes late so that there was a sufficient crowd gathered to cause a mini-stampede when the door did roll up. Anyway, as we sat there chatting we noted a number of vehicles that had pulled through the parking spaces so as to land with their noses out to the driving lane – set for a quick get-away perhaps.

Most of these pull-through vehicles were SUV’s of some sort or vans with TAILGATES. We wondered how these people planned on loading their purchases should some inconsiderate soul park behind them and actually pull close enough that not only could they not squeeze their carts in, they probably could not open their tailgate. We watched one lady in a large SUV, who had no idea where her back end was, leave it hanging over the space behind her. Whoever parked in that space would have no choice but to pull up close or leave their back end hanging out in traffic.

Then we speculated on how much fun it would be, if we had an old beater of a car, to pull up bumper-to-bumper with one of these pull-throughs and then hide and watch what they did when they returned. Do you suppose they might learn something? Not a chance!

Are all these people that backing-up challenged?

DWTS this week

Now that we’re getting into the doldrums of the DWTS season, I have found the perfect way to watch (other than reading a good book and only looking up for the actual dancing), is just to record it and watch the next day. That way I can fast forward not only through all the commercials and the stupid Samantha parts, but also bypass the ever-so boring practice clips. Also, my tolerance for the results show has dropped to 10 minutes, max; so I just check the ever handy internet the next morning and Voila! I know who is a goner.

I’m not at all surprised that LT was the chosen one this week. His heart has never been into the show, and he never seemed to enjoy what he was doing. Perception can be a major part of how people react, and it was easy to perceive that this was not where he wanted to be. Although he might be a very nice guy, a dancer he is not.

The Cute Cowboy did a really good job on the waltz, but either he or the Country Singer will be the next to punch out. The Country Singer’s pro partner is carrying him, but Julianne can’t do it all.

I’m getting less and less impressed with the GMW, although the judges – particularly Bruno – seem to really like her. The Rapper is the one to watch – she just keeps getting better. YummoG seems to have reached a plateau – hopefully he can find some way to regain momentum as he is still the best dancer on the show.

No More Warm, Fuzzy

This morning, GolfGuy went in to the BigTown to practice chipping golf balls - says that course's practice area is better than the one at the golf course a mile from our house. OK, whatever works for him.

On his way home, he stopped at the local Jack In The Box to purchase 2 cold, delicious fountain Diet Cokes - one for him and one for me (because he can be really thoughtful at times). The manager on duty refused to give him the senior discount on both drinks - "One person in the car, one discount."

I don't think it ever occurred to that manager that he has totally alienated 2 customers - we won't bother to stop there again. Not a good thing to do in these stressful economic times.

I am really disappointed by his attitude. I had had such warm, fuzzy feelings about that place; but no more.

May We Have Some More Spring, Please?

It is warm today, very warm – bordering on hot. Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer. Last Wednesday it snowed. As the natives say, that’s Utah for you.

But it’s only the late middle of April. April is supposed to be soft Spring days, with just a hint of the summer heat to come. It’s not supposed to be early Summer.

I know it will get hot, wretchedly, horribly hot for weeks on end come July, August, September, even into October. But please, not yet; I would really like some more Spring.

Pi's Pillows

I have several functions within the family – Kleenex Cozy Lady, Coaster Lady – and Pillow Lady, among others. Shortly after we moved here, Mamie asked if I could make her a “car pillow”. I thought I could, so we selected an appropriate sized pillow form and fabric she liked. And the pillow factory came into being.

Soon Aunt Mamie decided that since she frequently transported Bubby and Pi in her vehicle they needed car pillows as well. Bubby’s fabric was some sort of black-red-gold pattern and Pi’s was a Dora the Explorer print (Pi was DEEP into her Dora phase at that time). Without realizing it, we had created a monster. Pi dragged that darn pillow EVERYWHERE, and hysterics ensued if the pillow was inadvertently left behind.

Over time the pillow cover became worn and filthy – Mrs. Igor had to sneak it away from her to wash it. I bought more Dora material – but it was wrong, pink background not blue, and would not do. As the blue Dora disintegrated into shreds, the situation became desperate. Mrs. Igor located the fabric on-line and was able to order some (the local Walmart no longer had it in stock). A new cover was made, and disaster was averted – for a time. Then GrandmaT took Pi shopping and let her pick out 2 or 3 fabrics herself. Covers were constructed, but they never really satisfied her.

I had been churning out pillows all along – Charger pillows for Igor, Bronco pillows for Mrs. Igor, Raider pillows for Mamie (NFL Sundays get very interesting in the family), various themed pillows for Mamie’s friends, holiday pillows for Mamie and for me, etc. Pi eventually latched onto one of Mamie’s purple pillows, and that became the pillow that accompanied her everywhere. Somehow, it almost completely disintegrated; but before it’s last gasp, GrandmaT managed to piece together and stuff a shape about 4 inches by 2 inches.

That worked for a while, and I suspect we all harbored the hope that the days of pillow hugging were finally over. The last time Pi was over, I noticed that she was clutching one of Igor’s Charger pillows. So much for that hope.

Health Care Hell

This was going to be a simple rant about the $419 we spent on prescription medicines today – and that was after the insurance company paid their pitiful part. But I find I can’t rant about our current insurance without getting into why we no longer have our previous insurance. So the back story goes like this.

A year and half ago or so, I reached the magic age of 65. Hallelujah! Benevolent Uncle Sam was now going to provide me with Medicare coverage. For months prior to my birthday, I was inundated with information from a multitude of insurance companies offering all manner of coverage. Part B, Part D, supplemental, replacement, on and on… When I tried to get further information about the offerings, I became hopelessly entangled in voice mail hell or disconnected or if I did manage to reach an actual person, told that they didn’t cover our area. Hellooo – why are you sending me brochures if my area is not covered?

I finally settled on one company that seemed to be a major provider in this area. I agreed to allow a representative to come out to the house and pitch their product. The coverage sounded good and the premiums were reasonable – much better than what GolfGuy was paying through a well-known senior citizen organization. Forms were signed, hands were shaken, and the coverage would take effect the 1st of the following month, one week from then.

Early the following morning, GolfGuy had to rush me to the emergency room of the regional medical center in the BigTown. Subsequently, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer, monstrously high blood pressure, and kidney failure (loss of function in one kidney, reduced function in the other). The fortunate part of this is that Medicare coverage had taken effect the 1st of THAT month, even though the other coverage wouldn’t kick in for a week.

The new insurance proved to be quite good through all the months of treatments – co-pays were not unbearable and there were no hassles about payment. GolfGuy signed up with the same company during the open enrollment period. The drug coverage was exceptionally good – I paid $4 each for my 3 prescriptions at Walmart and GolfGuy got his through a mail order place and paid little or nothing. The insurance even paid for our memberships at the local health club where we went for Silver Sneakers exercise class.

Then rumors started flying around the class – the insurance company was going to raise premiums by as much as 400%! That couldn’t be true – but a phone call to the agent confirmed the bad news. The reasons being heard were that there were too many cardiology and oncology (heart and cancer) claims in our county. No brainer – large population of retirees and large population of Downwinders (people adversely affected by the above ground atomic tests by benevolent Uncle Sam in the Nevada desert). And subsequently, a concentration of medical specialists in those areas – drawing people to the facilities. What did the insurance company expect when they set up shop here? However, rates were NOT raised in neighboring counties or throughout the whole state.

Thus, we were forced to change insurance companies. Our agent recommended one that he said was a “good replacement” – this company was looking to take over from the other company. It’s not nearly as good – particularly the drug coverage.

GolfGuy and Dr. Dan have been going around and around with the company, trying to find medications that are effective on GolfGuy’s issues and that they will cover. The company finally came up with some, and those were the ones we picked up today. My one prescription was $4; GolfGuy’s 4 prescriptions totaled $415! At least that’s for a 3 months’ supply, so that brings the cost down to a slightly more reasonable range. The total cost of our prescriptions for this year after a bit more than 3 months has almost reached the total cost for the whole of 2008!

I fear we are locked into this situation until next year when open enrollment rolls around again. Health care has become a huge national shame, and all the high-sounding talk out of Washington, D.C., is but posturing and hot air from the politicians who don’t have to navigate the hell of health care.

DWTS, results

Wrong again. So what else is new? Jackass WAS the one to get the boot. FINALLY!

I must confess – I didn’t bother to watch the results show after about the first 20 minutes. There is something excruciatingly painful about watching nice guy Tom and dumber-than-dirt Samantha trying to s-t-r-e-t-c-h out the proceedings to fill the hour. The over-blown, highly dramatic (?) pronouncements of who is “safe” and who is not make me want to yell “Just get on with it!” Samantha’s colossally stupid questions of the celebrities “backstage” make me cringe in sympathy as they struggle to come up with some reasonable response. Does she write her own stuff? I can’t believe professional writers would come up with such garbage.

Oh well, at least I get to watch CuteCowboy one more time.

Snow in April

Yep, it is April 15, and it did snow today. For about 45 minutes, it was coming down pretty good. Our Silver Sneakers instructor threatened to take us out for a run in it, but decided it might be a tad slippery for her senior students - fortunately.

The only place it seemed to stick down here in the valley was on the canopy at the Chevron station in the Village center. But it was a nice wet snow, and we'll take it gladly. It is so dry here that almost any moisture is more than welcome. Hopefully, the mountains around us got a good layer of snow - can't tell yet as the clouds are still flying too low.

Next week, the weather gurus in the BigTempleCity tell us our high temperatures will top 85. Sounds about right for here. Of course, I didn't really believe them when they showed snow for today - they got it right for once.

DWTS, Wk Whatever

I knew YummoG could do passionate and intense, but I wondered about more fun and light-hearted. Wonder no more, he can’t – at least not as well. It was a good performance, but a bit of a let-down after the previous two weeks.

The Cheerleader and the GMW better look over their shoulders – that’s the Rapper closing fast, breathing down their necks and set to race on by.

LT tried so hard, but even a session with Warren Sapp couldn't turn surly into fun. LT could have the moves if only he could lose the football attitude.

Time to get serious about culling the herd. I think CuteCowboy will be next to go – the hordes of brain-damaged adolescents will probably keep Jackass on for a couple of more weeks, in spite of the judges' best efforts to get rid of him. The CWSinger will also be one of the culls shortly. I’ve been wrong most weeks about who will go, so we’ll see.

Poor Snickers

Poor Snickers. He’s in deep doo-doo with The Family – and he doesn’t even realize it. Maybe that’s for the best.

Everyone was over for Easter dinner last evening, and I was in the kitchen finishing up when I heard a big ruckus in the living room. Igor yelled, “Damn cat – you’re lucky I didn’t drop kick you into the wall over there!” By the time I got there, Snickers was so stressed out from all the noise and yelling that he hissed at me when I approached and appeared ready to attack. It took a long time, but I finally got him talked down enough that he let me pick him and carry him into the bedroom out of harm’s way (Snickers, that is, not Igor – who is way too big for me to carry). I closed the door and told him he would have to stay there until everyone left – Pudge, of course, had bee-lined for either under the bed or the closet shelf as soon as the first scary outsider came through the front door.

Turns out that for some reason, Snickers had felt threatened when Igor walked by him to put something on the table. Snickers slashed out, claws at the ready, and left some very ouchy scratches on Igor’s leg – right through his jeans. Cat scratches burn like the dickens, so I understand why Igor reacted so strongly.

As is our habit, GolfGuy and I walked out to the drive with them when everyone left later on. Mamie and GrandmaT were the last to leave, so we headed back inside when they rolled down the street towards home.

When I got inside, Snickers was coming down the hall, aiming for the front door; Pudge was still in the bedroom, peering around the door that was now open about 8 inches – plenty of room for a cat to get through. A quick check with GolfGuy and the departed family showed that none of them had opened the door. Had to have been Pudge. Our interior doors have lever handles and she has gotten quite adept at opening doors that swing AWAY from her. She has been working to perfect her technique on doors that swing TOWARD her, as the bedroom door does from the room side. I’d say she has it down pat – I frequently find the front closet door and/or pantry door open in the morning; and I know for darn sure that neither GolfGuy nor I have been opening doors while sleepwalking.

We’re fortunate that Igor was the object of Snicker’s wrath and not Pi, who has been the usual target in the past – earning him banishment from family gatherings on many occasions. Snickers has never forgiven Pi for coming over here with Aunt Mamie when she used to bring her dog as well; nor has he forgotten that she used to basically chase him and try to squeeze him, as toddlers are wont to do. He was called “Mean Meow” for a long time by her. Cats have long memories, so we’re told by the vet.

Poor Snickers – he’s getting on in years and doesn’t handle noise, confusion, and invasion of his territory by hordes of noisy people very well. Family gatherings here will now be time-outs for Snickers, behind the closed bedroom door. Hopefully, Pudge won’t spring him until people are gone.

Now I am ticked off!

The following, a direct quote from the local Daily Disappointment, is a PRIME example of #7 on my TTT list of Things That Bug Me About Our Little Corner of the World.

"A dazzling display of quilts and fiber arts awaits visitors to the Dixie Quilt Guild Show, Festival of Fabric Arts, April 10 and 11.
There is an array of quilts and a lecture by a NQA judge. There will also be a merchant's mall, boutique of hand-made items and gift baskets and special exhibits by our featured artists. Bring your quilts to be appraised."

Is it just me or did YOU see any mention of just where this dazzling display will be held? I might have had some interest in attending, but evidently the paper doesn't think anyone should go who doesn't already know where to go. Guess I'm not one of annointed ones.

Snarky - not yet

The past few days, I have felt crummy – not cruddy or crappy, just crummy. Not bad enough to call in sick, but not good enough to do anything but mope around, feeling sorry for myself. I’m grumpy and close to out-grouching my cat, Snickers, but I’m not really snarky – not yet.

I haven’t felt like writing – don’t want to try to be creative, witty, clever, wise, informative or anything positive. Negative is where I am. Besides, is anyone actually reading this drivel?

Don’t like any of the books I’ve been reading – too intense and I know that the hero/heroine is about to get in big time trouble if they go through with whatever ill-advised things they are planning (which they will do no matter what) and I don’t feel like struggling through their troubles with them. I bought a couple of basically fluff books during our newWalmart trip yesterday, finished one, and will probably take care of the other today.

My latest Kleenex Cozy project has been tossed aside – don’t like the color of yarn I started to use, doesn’t work with the other shades of pink, so now I have to take out what’s been done with it and dig through my piles and piles of yarn to find a color I’m happier with. Crap! And I really wanted to have it done by Monday when I do the switch out of Easter stuff with the more generic spring stuff. Crap and double crap!

My computer games aren’t doing their job – which is to provide relaxation and to refresh my mind. Particularly the HOGs (Hidden Object Games), of which I seem to have 17 on my computer (I just counted). Takes too much concentration, so I dump out of them almost immediately, and go back to Spider Solitaire, Slide Tiles, and Bejeweled. But I’ve played them so much over the years that I am getting REALLY bored with them.

Maybe if I did something wonderful like cleaning the house or sorting out drawers and closets, I would have such a feeling of accomplishment that I would snap out of this funk. Nah! Not going to happen!

I know I’ve been whining relentlessly, but I don’t care. I’m not allowed to whine in real life, so I’m doing it here. IT’S MY BLOG AND I’LL WHINE IF I WANT TO!

TTT - Kitchen Tips

Yesterday, when I should have been working on a REAL TTT list, I got side-tracked by my daily email from Tipnut (http://tipnut.com). One of the items looked interesting, so I clicked on it, which then had 2 or 3 more links, each of which also had more links… I not only found myself going from site to site to site, but copying and pasting tidbits I wanted to remember to a Word document. After about an hour and a half of clicking, copying, and pasting, I had a list of 25 items I had extracted. Here are 10 of them:

Ten Kitchen Tips from Tipnut -

1. French toast is made crisper by adding a tablespoon of flour to the egg and milk mixture. Oooh! I can’t wait to try this; I LOVE crispy French toast!
   
2. Popcorn should always be kept in the freezer. Not only will it stay fresh, but freezing helps eliminate “old maids”. We keep ours in the ‘fridge – seems to work.
   
3. Measurements: Mamie this is for you, particularly the yeast part
   a. 1 cup of whipping cream = 2 cups whipped
   b. 1 cup uncooked rice = 3 1/2 cups cooked
   c. 1 pkg. yeast = 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
   
4. Whenever boiling potatoes, it seemed that the pot always boiled over no matter how we tried to prevent it . . . until discovering this simple tip: simply put a little slice of butter into the pot! Hope this works – wonder if it also works for rice?
   
5. Use a steamer basket to cook potatoes for mashing (instead of boiling them). The flavor is MUCH better, and you never have to worry about your potatoes being watery. Now THIS would be a way to prevent the dreaded boilovers!
   
6. Prepare your mashed potatoes an hour or two before serving the meal and store them in the slow cooker (on low heat). Serve with the rest of the meal and they’re still hot and tasty. How great for Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. when the stove is extra busy.
   
7. Use a pizza cutter to quickly slice everything from pizzas, fudge, pancakes, French toast, chicken strips and more. If you have small kids, this is a great time saver when cutting up food! Mamie uses a fork to poke vent holes in hot corn dogs to get them down to kid temperature!
   
8. When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size and frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. Doesn’t this kind of negate the whole convenience thing of canned frosting?
   
9. Use spices and herbs sparingly when preparing dishes for freezing. Cloves, black pepper and garlic become stronger; onions lose flavor; nutmeg, cinnamon and sage remain about the same; celery flavor becomes more noticeable. Mamie and Mrs. Igor, pay attention to this when you do your big cookathon!
   
10. Use a small funnel for separating eggs. Cracking/separating eggs is one of many activities that I do not excel in, maybe this will help with some of that.
    

The rest of the hints next week – got to make this last you know!

Return of the Shopping Cart

Last Thursday, before the unfortunate restaurant karma experience, GolfGuy and I did our weekly Walmart shopping. As we were unloading our shopping cart into the car, I noticed a young woman several cars down from us unloading her cart. I mentioned some time ago that the cart returns at new Walmart are few and far between, so I thought I would do a good deed and offer to return her cart as I was returning ours. Because she had a young child with her, I thought it would be helpful for me to take her cart also.

As I approached her, she spoke up and said “I’ll take your cart back for you.” I explained that I was about to offer to do the same thing for her; and she replied, “Oh, my 5 year old will do it. He loves doing it!”

I told GolfGuy about the exchange when I got in the car; and as we were leaving, he pulled up next to her, rolled down the window and told her, “I was going to have my 66 year old return the cart, but your 5 year old did it instead! Thanks.”

Mamie's Birthday

Thursday was Mamie’s birthday – I won’t reveal her age because I don’t know how she feels about that. It was also my brother’s (GoodGuy) 62nd birthday – I can say his age with impunity as not only is he on the other side of the country but he’s a guy and guys don’t care about stuff like that.

We had our requisite family birthday dinner on Friday. The birthday person gets to dictate the menu. Mamie chose green salad, teriyaki London broil cooked on the grill by GolfGuy and sliced thin, BIG baked potatoes (no dinky ones from the 5 and 10 lb. prepackaged grocery store bags), green beans with bacon (because I insisted on a REAL vegetable), and Peaches ‘N Cream Cake. Good choices all.

On one of our Walmart trips, I spotted some “giant bubble wands” in various colors. Because she is the birthday girl and is **-going-on-11, I selected a purple one for her – purple being her favorite color. I briefly pondered purchasing 2 additional ones for Bubby and Pi, but decided against it. They are old enough to accept the fact that it IS the birthday person who gets the gifts – and if they don’t accept that, it’s time they learned. But on a subsequent Walmart trip, I came across little paddle ball toys in the party favor aisle and since there were 4 in a package, 2 packages for the 8 of us went into the cart.

As mentioned yesterday, GolfGuy was doing poorly indeed. He did manage to get the grill lit and the meat on before retreating once again to his sick bed. Igor tended the meat and did the slicing honors, which he did very well. The food was all very good, and those of us who were able to eat stuffed ourselves liberally.

One of the biggest treats was that Mrs. Igor was in attendance. Her work schedule has been such that for many months now she has been unable to join us when we have family dinners. She has been sorely missed, and we need to find a way to schedule these get-togethers so she can be a part of them.

I have been dancing around the fact that I have a daughter who has reached this advanced age, an important decade mark in life. On one hand, I feel great joy about the wonderful person she has become. On the other hand, I wonder how on earth I could have a child that old – and who the hell is that old bag looking back at me in the mirror every morning?

Restaurant Karma

GolfGuy and I just do not have good restaurant karma. Seems like we always find the worst places to eat, have the worst meals, and get the worst service. I don’t understand it – we’re basically nice people, look presentable, and usually tip more than the minimum.

Anyway, yesterday GolfGuy needed to go to the Village center to get some thingie for his new computer and he suggested that I go along and then we could go to the new Chinese buffet in town. You know me, always up for NOT fixing lunch at home.

Of course, it was NOT a good restaurant experience. The food was tasteless and the various chunks of chicken were tough – the so-called teriyaki chicken should have been labeled “old shoe leather.” The sweet and sour chicken came with a gelatinous red goo that oozed over everything on the plate and crept up my fork to spread onto my hand. The list of horrors continues – but the absolute worst part was that NOTHING on the steam tables approached being warm! Hello trouble!

Today GolfGuy is doing poorly – with all the classic symptoms of food poisoning. We had basically the same things – except he had noodles rather than rice and some beef stuff AND sushi, #1 candidate for culprit of the day.

Usually in instances like this, I react quickly and violently to the slightest hint of food being “off.” So far I seem to be okay, which is a good thing as the family birthday dinner for Mamie is scheduled for this evening. Hopefully GolfGuy will be sufficiently recovered so that he can man the grill, even if he can’t eat or join in the festivities such as they are.

Recycling Revisited

OK, I lied. I’m not done grousing. Number 8 on the TTT list of things that bug me about this area concerned recycling. I have just a little bit more to say on that subject.

A fledgling recycling effort is struggling to get off the ground in our county. Somehow this small group has managed to persuade the county fathers to institute a program strategically locating community recycling receptacles around the county. These receptacles are large and yellow. They are called BINNIES.

Binnies. What the hell kind of name is that? Binnies sounds like something a snotty-nosed toddler has plugged into its mouth or a dirty rag being dragged around by that toddler. Oh wait… that’s Binkies and Blankies.

At each site there are separate Binnies for plastic, cans, paper, etc. So far, so good. But the geniuses who designed – and/or named – the Binnies not-so-thoughtfully included LETTER-SLOT sized openings. Thus, bottles and cans have to be individually deposited, and about one day’s worth of newspapers can be put in at time. Not real conducive to encouraging participation.

Oh well, it has been said that a thousand mile journey begins with one small step.

DWTS, Wk 4

Talk about Shock and Awe!!! I am still in total awe over YummyG’s terrifically tantalizing tango! He should have gotten bonus points for Beyond Perfection.

I AM shocked, tho, by the harsh judgments heaped on poor Woz by the judges. Cloris was just as bad last season, and they were not nearly as cruel in their criticisms of her. He really didn’t deserve such treatment, even bad as he was.

BlondBunnyBimbo managed to whine her way right off the show. There IS a god.

I agree with the judges on GoldMedalGymnast – too much flipping and not enough dancing. I bet she wasn’t that chunky when she was competing in the Olympics.

The Rapper did an outstanding job on her tango and is closing on third place.

The competition has made the first turn and is headed down the backstretch. I am looking forward to an outstanding race. But can YummyG possibly get any better?