cooking spree!

This weekend, I planned out a whole menu and went grocery shopping in anticipation of a week's worth of good cooking. It started last night with my single person pot roast [the butcher was quite sure I wanted 8 pounds, not a pound, but I quickly corrected that...what would I be doing with 8 pound of chuck roast?]. Tonight I made sun-dried tomato and broccoli alfredo. Mmm. The best part? It only takes as long as the noodles take to boil, about 10 minutes.

Quick and easy alfredo

8 oz linguine

1/4 cup chopped oil soaked sun-dried tomatoes

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

In one pot, bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to directions. In the meantime, saute tomatoes [and whatever other veggies you want] for one minute. Add cream and cheese. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5-7 minutes until sauce begins to thicken.

Drain pasta, add to sauce. Toss and serve topped with fresh pepper and Parmesan cheese. Delicious with a mixed green salad and Balsamic vinegarette.

I also made Lemon Mousse pie for coworkers. Tomorrow night, vegetable tortellini soup!

peace and love,

m

what it takes to raise a stink...

...for some people. H/T to C&L.

You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.

You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate energy policy.

You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed by the Bush administration.

You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed and took away many of our Constitutionally mandated rights.

You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.

You didn't get mad when we spent over 600 billion(and counting) on said illegal war and didn't include that cost in the Bush budgets.

You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq.

You didn't get mad when you saw the Abu Grahib photos.

You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.

You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.

You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.

You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.

You didn't get mad when we let a major US city drown.

You didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark.

You finally got mad when.. when... wait for it... when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick.

Seems like illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all ok with you but helping other Americans... well fuck that.

peace and love,

m

oh my god, shoes!

Tuxie Cat loves shoes. And yes, the internets did need another cat picture, thank you very much!

peace and love,

m

sweet project

The Yellow Bird Project is a collection of indie musicians who design t-shirts and the proceeds go to various deserving charities--for example, Bon Iver designed this shirt and the proceeds go to Interval House, a women's shelter in Toronto. Other charities include Amnesty International, Greenpeace, and St. Jude's.

I always appreciate celebrities using their celebrity status in a way to give back. It doesn't surprise me that it's indie musicians spearheading this project. Unfortunately, those with the most fame seem content to focus on only themselves [there are some exceptions, i.e. Brad and Angelina].

So, check out the site, buy a shirt, get involved! Bon Iver is going to be in Milwaukee for the AIDS Walk Wisconsin!

peace and love,

m

offensive?

Does anyone else find those Super Modelquins or whatever the eff they're called in the ads for Old Navy highly insulting to female intelligence? I think I just lost a dozen brain cells in that ad spot.

peace and love,

m

mr. tux update #6

Well, Tux has been home since Tuesday night, and he is a very happy kittycat. The little monster has barely left my side since returning home. He sits on my lap when I'm at the computer, sits on my feet while I'm washing dishes, and snuggles his cold plastic cone on my legs while I'm sleeping! His surgery went very well and he is peeing like a rockstar ;) You might not believe that someone can be overjoyed about his/her cat going to the bathroom, but let me tell you, it's a major relief and a definite cause for celebration!

You can see his shaved front leg where the IV was, the spot they shaved for the echocardiogram, and his shaved Hostein belly. You can also see that he was very happy to be home!

Tomorrow I take his fentanyl patch off. I think his pain level will be okay though. I'm sure he'll let me know if it's not :) YOWL! I'm more worried about actually pulling the patch off rather than his surgical site being painful. Think about it--taking tape off yourself hurts; now imagine pulling something sticky off a cat! At least his nails got trimmed at the hospital :D

Tuxie's shaved behind and fent patch.

Stitches will come out in 1-1.5 weeks from now, and until then, he has to wear the cone. I laugh at him on a daily basis as he tries to lick himself [he's got some contortionist moves but just.can't.reach!], runs into the walls, eat and drink with it on, and tries to fit into places [i.e. futon sling] that he can't.

Here he is , looking a little groggy, but adorable as always! And you can see the cute little heart they made with Coban on his IV site...yeah, he got that dressing off in about 2 seconds flat! It took him until the middle of the night to get the cone off, but he woke me up in the process so the attempt to get to the stitches was foiled. Now, the cone is secured with a ribbon and a collar.

peace and love,

m

quick comment

I think it's absolutely hilarious that Sarah Palin has a facebook page where she is spewing her chronically misinformed observations. The thing about technology is that it makes your intellectual shortcomings so much more obvious :)

Updates on Mr. Tux's homecoming will be posted tonight. He is very happy though and doesn't want to leave my side!

peace and love,

m

mr. tux update #5

Tux made it through surgery with no complications. He is now anatomically...not male ;) Hopefully he will be able to come home tomorrow night. He'll have to wear a cone so he doesn't pull his stitches out...I'll have to grumpy-kittyproof the house! I can't wait to have him home again. I miss everything about not having him here, from the thump and race to the door when he hears me turn the key at night, to the snugglebug hogging the bed, to him hiding in the laundry when there's a storm.

peace and love,

m

mr. tux update #4

The Tuxie Cat does not, repeat, does not, like his NG tube. Well, if the little monster would eat, he wouldn't have to have it! He does this little cough-sneeze-snort thing because it tickles the back of his throat when he moves around. Poor dear. Hopefully, he'll start eating on his own and it can come out.

When I visited today, he stumbled out of his cage and promptly climbed in my lap for a 45 minute snuggle-bellyrub-love fest. I say "stumble" because an excited cat on painkillers with 3 lines [NG tube, catheter, and IV] and a cone does not move very well!

More news to come tomorrow after I talk with the surgeon.

peace and love,

m

mr. tux update #3

I got a call from the vet a couple of hours ago and they had to put an NG tube in Tuxie Cat. He was still refusing to eat [brat!] and has lost an 1/8 of a pound in 2 days...which is a lot when you're only 11 pounds to begin with! He needs the calories and protein though, because he's going to surgery and needs to heal.

Sad panda :(

mr. tux update #2

Tuxie Cat is doing very well but is still in the hospital. He's going to be there another couple of days, as he's going to have surgery early in the week. They are leaving his catheter in until then too, because he still has some sandy sediment in his bladder and is a high risk for re-obstructing--and Dr. Tarrasov said that it was very difficult to get the catheter in the first time so it would be even more challenging to do again. What can I say, he's a special [needs] cat!

Here he is being all active. I was trying to get a shot of his shaved belly so you could see all of his "Holstein spots" but he was too interested in trying to lick his catheter with the cone on :)

They took his cone off for a while during my visit today, but then he tried to get his catheter and IV out so we had to put it back on. Needless to say, he wasn't pleased. I did however, get him to eat some food. He still isn't eating too much for them and I don't want them to put a nasogastric tube in--what a pain to put in people, I can't imagine in a cat! Obviously, there is sedation involved; I don't think you would have much of a face left if you tried it without :)

My sweet, painkiller-addled kittycat, additionally blissed out by a bellyrub! Also looking rather resigned and defeated in his "party hat."

peace and love,

m

mr. tux update #1

The monster known as Tux has been in the kittycat ICU for almost 24 hours now. His catheter was placed last night around midnight and he had a lot of bloody urine, so they increased his IV fluids to try to flush it out, which worked as he now has clear urine. He's not eating for them, but I think that's because he can't figure out how to eat while wearing a cone :) I visited him tonight and he was very excited to see me--he ran [as best he could] out of the cage and tried to flop for a bellyrub...didn't work so well! Tuxie is a very grumpy cat because of the catheter, IV, and cone he has to wear, and gets really frustrated trying to move around. Dr. Tarrasov, who, incidently, is NOT easy to understand, especially while trying to talk on a cell phone in an elevator, said that he thinks they will pull the catheter tomorrow morning. Yay!

Here is the promised picture of very grumpy Tux and his cone! The catheter is taped around his tail, which he hates, and the IV is in his left front leg.

peace and love,

m

breaking mr. tux news

Last night around 10 pm, I had to take Mr. Tux to the kittycat ER because he wasn't peeing...again. Turns out, he had a completely obstructed urethra...again. He is spending the next couple of days in the kittycat ICU with a foley catheter [I've gotta find humor in this somehow, hehe] and some IVs. He'll probably be having surgery next week sometime to fix the problem, hopefully for good. This cat's medical care costs more than mine, but I'm so damn attached to him that I didn't even think twice :)

I miss my little monster already, but I'm planning to go visit him tonight. I'll remember my camera so you can all see the monster in his cone collar, hehe.

peace and love,

m

josh groban...

...is amazing and makes me cry.

My migraine is gone after leaving work after 2 hours, stopping at Target for medicine and chicken soup, and an Advil PM-induced sleep that lasted all afternoon.

That is all.

peace and love,

m

kitchen sink catch-all

Books I've finished recently:

-Twilight. Delightfully insipid, mindless reading. I finished it in 3 one-hour segments. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the print belongs in the large print aisle of the library. Thoughts: I can't stand whiny, weak heroines. Bella shows some flashes of strength, but then quickly folds under what tweens will call Edward's "love" but we all know is his desire for complete control. He doesn't tell her what they're doing 99% of the time, and everything in the relationship is on his terms. I'm torn on this one--I'm glad that it has gotten more high school age girls reading, but I wish that it had healthy relationships and strong female characters for girls to look up to. I guess I have to accept it for what it is and simply hope that it will lead these former non-readers to more meaty literature.

-Eleanor's Story: An American Girl in Hitler's Germany. Now this is what a strong girl looks like! This memoir is written for young adults, but everyone should read it. For so long, we've been taught a singular view of history--the old white man with a PhD. This book gives us a glimpse of Hitler's Germany through an unlikely source: an American girl trying to find her identity in a country devastated by war. The author draws you in with her compelling story--a young American family returns to Germany just as WWII breaks out--and keeps you hooked with her easy prose and unique experience.

-Diary of a Wombat. What an adorable book. This fuzzy little wombat has quite the adventure with the new human neighbors. The pictures are great, the deadpan humor is wonderful, and the wombat will steal your heart.

Manifesta. Anyone, but especially teen girls, reading Twilight should pick this and Full Frontal Feminism up for a primer in Third Wave Feminism. It explains where we are, how we got here, and how to keep moving forward in a world that is still not equal.

Music I've been loving:

Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam. Amazing guitar licks and soulful blues from a twentysomething from the Isle of Man. I envision a tour with Fedora ;) <--but seriously, that would be awesome.

Fleet Foxes. I can't get enough of the harmonies and lush sound of Mykonos.

Bon Iver. Indie rock from Eau Claire, now hitting the big time. What's not to love? I still remember the day that the video from his duet with Lykke Li popped up on my "most popular" youtube box--I was so excited and surprised!

What I've been up to:

-Uncle Jimmy Z's 50th birthday party in Lewiston last weekend--which involved grilling out, free beer, a DJ who played waayyyyyyy too much country, and yes, a performance of The Worm.

-Sylvia's long-awaited return to Milwaukee, celebrated with a night at La Cage and lots of hugs. I'm so happy that she and Jeanette are finally reunited after 6 long months apart.

-Finding studs. Hahaha, but not what you think--I was decorating my apartment and turned 4 nails into right angles :) The end result is lovely albeit slightly off center :P You can't tell unless you really stare at it though.

Agenda for today:

-Drink more coffee, shower and get dressed, do laundry and dishes. Maybe cook something.

peace and love,

m