Pondering

Posted on July 7, 2008 by Frog

I met Control Freak at a former place of employment back in the mid 1990s. We became friends at work and then started doing things together outside of the office. We’ve been to Florida and the Bahamas together on short trips.

Control Freak has become more freaky as time has passed and this past year I’ve become more and more annoyed. She has obsessions that she flips through and for those of us around her we just have to wait until the latest obsession dies down to a dull roar before we get a word in edgewise. I’m becoming more and more intolerant of the way she behaves.

I know that her behavior has always been like this but now I’m feeling like I. DO. NOT. CARE. whenever she opens her mouth or types up an email. I flat out ignored her obsessive questioning about flying, customs and driving from DC to Richmond the other day and only responded to the part of her email dealing with a restaurant. I just didn’t want to spend time that day talking about how long it would take a person to get here from a foreign country because I. DO. NOT. CARE. Actually, I would care if I knew it wouldn’t turn into a back and forth email all day about logistics.

When I began taking classes for my master’s, I was told that I may have difficulty with people around me. Apparently, there’s a thing about needing a supportive environment for undertaking graduate school at a later age. I have a supportive husband and employer so that’s really been great. I’m wondering if my intolerance has anything to do with the fact that I’m moving in a completely different direction than Control Freak. Not that she’s in my support collective…but she’s out there on the edge.

I haven’t experienced this with other friends but my other friends tend to be more open and honest with me. We have more transparent relationships–where I don’t have to guess what in the hell is going on. Control Freak only lets out a little information at a time and so, therefore, it seems like there’s always a struggle to make a connection/to give a damn. I’m always more than an arm’s length away. I find it’s too much work and I have enough other things: work, school, family, extended family to worry about what Control Freak is thinking/doing/saying. It also doesn’t help that she says things like “dark beer tastes like ass” when I’m ordering a dark beer. Or, “olive oil is so weird” when she knows we use olive oil nearly exclusively.

I know those last two things are nitpicky but they do shine a light on the overall exhaustion I’m feeling about this relationship. I’m not sure what to do.

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Happy Fourth

Posted on July 3, 2008 by Frog

Happy Fourth of July.

In 1986, I was in Germany for the 4th. The group of people I was with went to Heidelberg that day. I’ve been to Heidelberg since then and it’s a great city. Good food and nice people. When I got back to home base in Nattheim, I went over to my friend’s sister’s house and they insisted that we watch fireworks from NY. I have to admit that nearly every 4th of July, I think about that day in Germany.

I looked for fireworks+1986 on youtube and came up with a Siouxie reference and I decided I didn’t really like that reference, so I found another one that doesn’t really relate at all, but I like it better, so here it is:

Even though I’ve never watched fireworks in Heidelberg, here you go:

The important thing to think about is that I’m positive I’ve stayed in the building that has all that post and beam in the background.

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Helping the Economy

Posted on July 3, 2008 by Frog

We had four dead trees cut down the other day. The poplar tree we originally wanted cut down was in the yard and had enough of a twist to it the better-half was reluctant for us to cut it down. The tree was at least 50 feet tall and close enough to the pool that it would have been horrible if we’d dropped it in the wrong place.

When the tree guy came to give us a price, he said that he had to cut down something else in order for it to be worth our money. He was going to charge us a set price and for one tree it seemed pretty silly. So we had him cut down some very tall dead pine trees that were on the edge of our grassy area and the woods.

Last night we cut up the poplar tree and moved the logs over near the wood pile. We’ll burn that wood next winter. Today the tree guy came back with a big stump grinder and ground the stump out of the yard and another smaller stump from a tree we cut down a few years ago. The stump grinding took all of 20 minutes and that included the time the tree guy took getting his truck and the grinder into place. Had we rented a grinder and done it ourselves, it would have taken much longer and my arms and back would be killing me right now.

Some times it pays to let the professional do it:

Posted in Gardening, Thinking | 1 Comment

With A Calmer Head

Posted on June 30, 2008 by Frog

Yesterday we dressed up in our bonnets and aprons and stepped back into old timey days and preserved some foodstuffs.

We used the pressure cooker and didn’t die.

We joked that if the thing decided to blow at least it would go straight up and destroy our master bath and that would be a blessing since we hate it so.

We canned green beans and put up 6 pints. Two did not seal and I’ve had it with this pack of lids so I’m throwing them out–yes! Wasting! But they failed on another batch of something or other last season too and so buh-bye.

We’ve picked twice and so 6 pints seems like a good start. We had some leftover to serve with dinner.

We also froze a bunch of zucchini. I held one big squash back for eating in the next day or two. I think our plants have died so this pack represents our freezing extravaganza. I think we managed to put up three servings worth. Maybe four.

After all that hard work with the putting up stores for the winter, we decided to lounge around in the pool. We did that for too long and so had to rush to prepare this:

Upon taking a bite, we had this experience:

Yes, it was that good and we’ve finally made tasty goat.

We noticed goat in the freezer case of the Belmont Butchery recently and were able to obtain a portion. We cut it in half and froze the other half of the leg. So, there will be more tasty goat in our future. If you’ve never had goat, it’s similar to beef. Only cuter.

We served it with ginger beer, because, hey mon, that’s what you do.

The goat was tender but if we hadn’t been in a hurry to eat before 10pm, I would like to have cooked the curry for longer. Next time we’ll plan better. As it was we didn’t sit down to dinner until 9. That’s a bit late for a work night for me.

Finally, the better-half taught me how to use the macro setting on our camera. I know I still need to work on depth of field, but damn this is so much better than my usual attempts at close-up.

Posted in Eating, Gardening | 2 Comments

On BS

Posted on June 30, 2008 by Frog

Well, I had written a lively rant post and then IE shit the bed and I lost tons of work including the post, work I was actually getting paid to work on and a bunch of other stuff. I hate IE and my stupid, shitty connection here at this craptastic building. GGGGGGRRRRR.

Anyway, my post was about how our highway department posts electronic messages to highway signs telling us on hazardous air quality days to either stop driving or to take transit. Even though I know I can’t take transit, I thought I’d look and see if I was wrong. I went to the local transit authority’s website and used their trip planner. My home address is invalid and I had to tinker like hell to get the trip planner to recognize my work address even though I work in an office park that’s been here at least since the 1970s. The result is I can’t ride transit unless I want to drive three quarters of the way here and then sit on my ass forever while the bus driver gets me to my destination. To which I say to VDOT, fuck you and your stupid, inane signs when you know the majority of the people who are coming from east of the city CAN’T RIDE TRANSIT because transit barely extends past city limits. You might as well tell us to use the TELEPORTER today.

Posted in General Spleen Venting | Comments Off

Perhaps I Need To Go Mix A Drink

Posted on June 27, 2008 by Frog

It started with this:

And then I had to go here:

Too bad we don’t have any Guinness on hand.

Wrapping up this triumvirate of terror:

The video is pretty poor but the song is great.

Oh, by the way, these probably aren’t safe for work–maybe I should have put that warning up top.

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Bill Paying In the Middle Of The Night

Posted on June 27, 2008 by Frog

The phone rang at 12:35 this morning and I swear I saw the words “every day” spin around my clock in a multi-colored pattern. The better-half stumbled into the other room to answer the phone only the person had given up by then. He tried immediately calling back. It was probably someone calling about his mother but who knows, no message and no message on his work phone and so SCREW THEM. Only, actually, screw me as I am awake.

The cat’s ass is on fire and he is racing around getting into mischief because someone is awake! Happy Day!

I went downstairs and drank a glass of milk and then paid some bills online. I also had to go out to the pool because I left the pool light on. I’m pretty glad that our neighbors can’t see us because I’m sure seeing me walking around the backyard with a flashlight to turn off the pool light at 1am is just what everyone hopes to see.

Posted in General Spleen Venting | Comments Off

A Little Something

Posted on June 25, 2008 by Frog

A few weeks ago my co-workers and I were trying to decide what sort of gift we wanted to give a co-worker who was getting married. We really had no idea and ended up getting him a gift card for a place where he and his fiance were registered. While we were talking about the gift, I came across the Something Store.

Have you heard of this? You give them $10 and they send you something. Two of us decided to give them the money and agreed to open the box at work. I got my box over the long weekend and then I worked at another location yesterday so I’d had the box for days and couldn’t open it. I opened it this morning after everyone had arrived and I got an eggling. My eggling is supposed to produce a petunia plant.

I considered just leaving the egg on my desk but then decided I owed it to all of us to see if the plant would actually grow in my bleak little office. I cracked open the egg and nearly broke it beyond hope. It’s so easy to go from lightly tapping to whacking. Anyway, there’s a jagged scar at the top of the egg and water has been applied. As I was setting up the eggling I was thinking about how I should get a chia pet.

Posted in Gardening | 2 Comments

A Lovely Evening

Posted on June 23, 2008 by Frog

Last night we had a great time at the Emmylou Harris concert at Wolf Trap. The weather threatened to open up on us, but instead we saw a rainbow, some far off lightning and only a sprinkling of rain. The music was outstanding. The opening act were Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein. Emmylou came out and sang one song with them.

At one point some women were camped out next to us during the opening act and they would not STFU. It was during the opening act when Emmylou was singing. All of the women were old enough to know better. I was ready to whirl around and crack skulls together, but they settled down and then started making grass whistles. Their skull fracture crises was averted by grass whistles.

This morning we ate breakfast at Anita’s. We both ordered the Famous Breakfast and cleaned our plates. There’s something wonderful about starting your day with chips and fiery salsa and then moving on to burritos filled with eggs and chorizo covered in red chile sauce. Don’t forget the refried beans and the home fries. Oh yeah.

We made stops at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods and then came home. I’ll be so glad when both of those stores open for business nearby.

Posted in Eating, Listening | Comments Off

On Bloody Marys and Birthdays

Posted on June 21, 2008 by Frog

Today is the better-half’s birthday and for breakfast I made bloody marys. The infused pepper vodka really punched up the drinks.

We ran some errands today to pick up things for our picnic dinner tomorrow night. We’ll be dining under the stars at the Emmylou Harris concert at Wolf Trap. It looks like we could get wet according to weather predictions. A little drizzle I can handle, but thunderstorms are right out.

Tonight we’re going to Julep’s for dinner. Neither of us have been there before but have both heard good things about it. I’m just hoping our car doesn’t get towed which is what happened one time we had dinner down in the Bottom. Of course that was ages ago, but it still smarts after all these years.

Posted in Eating, Generic Thoughts | 1 Comment