Today we made two batches of crackers…so easy and so delicious. I also thawed some smoked trout that we smoked awhile ago and whipped up smoked trout pate. Combine it with the crackers and mead from Heidrun and you have quite a way to celebrate Labor Day:
Sadly, my last official holiday until Thanksgiving.
I met with the allergist today. I had to donate 7 large vials of blood and 2 smaller ones. Those will hopefully give some clues to what’s not causing my muppet face problem. That’s right we’re in the mode of finding out what it isn’t since my symptoms don’t really fit what should be happening.
I also had a skin test. I tested positive for everything except 2 indoor things that had some freaky Latin names. So when I say I’m allergic to everything that grows outside, I’m not exaggerating. Apparently, the way to get an allergist and her nurse excited is to light up like a Christmas tree. There were flames of itch coming off my back at one point–the nurse remarked on how hot my skin was as she rubbed cortisone cream on my back. That cream felt so good. My back was on tour–no lie they brought in a new employee so she could see my reaction because it was so impressive. My back is still reacting and it’s been 8 hours since the test.
At least I excel at something.
Behold the newest addition to my desk:
It’s dead simple to make. Go out to the parking lot. Find a stick. Use masking tape to tape off the sharp edges and then write the word CLUE on it. Begin whacking people on the head. Clues start dropping into their thick skulls.
So it’s no surprise that I work for a large university, right? It might surprise you to know how much our IT system sucks. This afternoon I was in a meeting and the first few minutes were spent saying mean things about how lame our system is…one person went as far to relate a story of how she was talking to the Dean of our School and said she’d rather call her on the phone than email her because she could drive the 20 minutes to campus and see the Dean in person before her computer would even consider sending email. The Dean (the MF DEAN!) said she turns on her PC in the morning and then goes and does something else while she waits for it to stop fingering itself. OK, maybe she didn’t use those exact terms. The point was our IT system blows. And, it’s been especially bad after all those students came back to town. You know, those 30,000 extra people the school has been EXPECTING.
I got home and plunked down in front of my 4 year old computer and said how happy I was to have a fast connection and a speedy machine. The better-half asked me if I was being sarcastic. I said no, I’m serious because our IT system blows filthy chunks. Then he reminded me of the new laptop that I got today and how I’ll think my old one is slow. The new one is pretty awesome, but seriously, a caveman typing with a bird’s beak is faster than what I’ve been putting up with at work.
In honor of Ted Kennedy we made Cape Cods tonight:
(yep, the phone’s camera is not quite awesome)
I have to cease and desist with my use of OTC allergy/sinus medicine for the next 7 days. I have to see an allergist to figure out why I’m having bouts of angioedema. I am NOT looking forward to the next week.
By the way, why do you think the phrase is cease and desist when those words mean the same thing?
Some friends stopped by this afternoon to drop off some food for my sister’s family–sister had surgery on Friday and needs some recovery time so folks are a’cooking for them. I’m going to make a dish for Saturday night–it will be comfort food extraordinaire.
After the friends left with a bag of produce I picked about 1 1/2 hours ago (tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, zucchini, carrots and some canned pickles), the better-half suggested that he make cajun chicken in nests for dinner. He cuts up chicken, makes a wicked cajun sauce and then puts everything over Colavita tagliatelle nests.
When we looked in the pantry we only had two small nests. He said he’d go to the store just to buy another bag because he could see how excited I was about the idea of nests tonight. He’s a good man who knows how to cook.
Have you heard the story of the man who is sitting on a park bench and a dog is sitting next to him? Another man walks up to the seated man and asks if his dog bites. The man responds with No. The dog bites the man who just walked up. The bitten man asks the seated man why he said his dog didn’t bite. The seated man says because that’s not my dog.
I was reminded of this story as I was just walking down the hall. A woman asked me if the water in the water fountain was OK to drink. I said I didn’t know. She said I thought you worked here. I turned around and said I do but I’ve never drank out of the fountain.
She assumed I’d drink water out of a fountain that sits directly outside of the most hellishly consistent bathroom I’ve ever had the misfortune to use. There’s no way I’m going to use a water fountain that is touched on a frequent basis by the people who ruin the bathroom every day. At least I can wash my hands in the bathroom, there’s no way I’m putting my face and mouth anywhere near a water fountain in this building.
More importantly, I consider this one of the dumbest questions I’ve ever been asked. If we were standing outside a squat toilet in outer Crazyistan then I might ask someone about the water, but we’re only in Crazytown, not Crazyistan.
How do you decide when to call someone on their bullshit? Especially when you know calling them on it won’t really make a difference in the bullshit?
Also, one of our AC units fried itself yesterday (repaired in the same day!) but it brings up the issue we’ve been putting off for months–entirely new units. We’ve been saving money for new units because as long as we’ve owned our house (4 1/2 years?) we’ve known we’d have to buy a new system because the first one is old and craptastic. A sales guy is coming next Tuesday afternoon to talk to us and his name is Steve Thomas. Oh how I wish it was THE Steve Thomas.
A good idea occurred to me as I was overwhelmed, yet again, by our stanky bathroom. The next time I interview at another organization I’m going to walk into the bathroom to take a whiff.
The rest areas we used to and from vacation (including the truck stop/convenience store) weren’t as nasty as our office bathroom.
