Friday, January 08, 2016

Further Thoughts On This New Adventure

You guys will have to bear with me while I take baby steps here with the spell check and punctations so bear with me....for those whom I  have been around for a while, simply consider this Boshi speak 2016.

Pictures from the I Pas will take a while so be patient.

Carry On.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Well, This Should Be Interesting To Say The Least.

Recently, I decided dto buy myself an I Pad.

Yeah.

Well...in my usual crazy way.

For the longest time , hisslf and I shared custody of the home pc...no big deal until  got tired of that so last year about this time I bought the pc.

Hisself has borrowed it and been using it for golf which is fine . I still have my kindle and now so does he courtesy of my office Christmas party.

Still, I have been thinking of an I pad. I found a great deal on one with value pays ( if you know what that meabs you know where I got it ...lol.....So I got the Ipad Mini with a keyboard. I see what people mean when they say it throws them to go bck and forth between toucch screen and mice /pcs.

This is my first apple product and I gotta tell you it's a real learning experience.

Syncing the keyboard and getting all of th shit fired up..lets just say that I am grateful for the help I have gotten from Nee Nee and th Dark Lord of The Underworld ......aka my IT dudes.

Anyhoo....



Have a Great Weekend.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Wednesday, August 05, 2015

Zucchini Is The New Kale ?





Wait long enough and everything recycles in one way or another .

I guess over the years, I have become more aware of food fads and or trends because the husband and I watch the Food Network, get the magazine and...shhhh....I have a shit load of pins/boards on Pinterest.

Quinoa, Sirracha, Kale...and now ( again  ) zucchini.

You can't throw a rock, swing a cat ( calm down..it's a saying , that 's all ) or fart nowadays without seeing some zucchini variation.

No , I am not talking about just the quick bread recipes that everyones mother , mine included had in the 1970's.

Chocolate zucchini cake...casserole........stir fry......slow cooker.....with pasta...with chicken....this is everywhere....it's ALIVE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


And don't get me started on Iceberg lettuce salads. That's the only kind of lettuce my mother bought because it was cheap and carried at the commisary.

Anyhoo, I guess I noticed all of this in a state of boredom at the office that required me to either play with Pinterest or take a nap...at work....pinterest for the win then.

Now mind you , I have boards dedicated to Bacon, Chocolate, Bundt cakes etc...and that's when I noticed the lil veggie breeders.

I wonder what the big thing for 2016 will be....saltines ?


And  for the record...all ya'll can have all the zucchini your lil heart desires..I am genuinely allergic to it .


Happy almost Friday Eve.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Is It Too Much To Ask ?




Ah Wednesday..you sorry bitch.

I thought it was going to be a simple day..that's what I get for thinking .

Is is too much to ask for a legal assistant to give us full disclosure when they book rooms for depositions ? is it too much to ask that if more than one of our attorneys is involved to give us all the names of all the parties ? How about the names of opposing counsel , witnesses or the actual style of the case ? How about an actual copy of the depo notice ?

Today started out fine, we got in and out of the hubbys dr. appt quickly so that was no biggie. I get to the office and one of the other receptionists ( there are 3 of us ) tells me that a lady is here for a depo and gives me the name of the attorney conducting it. Standard procedure . The lady is early so she goes off for a coffee, soon returning. She is then joined by her 2 attorneys. All is good, proper notifications all around.

Then it hits the fan.

We actually have a total of 3 depos up here today on 2 floors.

Did we get any information that we needed ?

Ah hell no.

Did attorneys flip rooms ?

Yep.

Did they tell us ?

Ah hell no.

One legal admin is out so the floater covering her desk had no information and NO inclination to be proactive in any way...not unusual on her part...GRRRR.

There is a reason folks that I use the legal pad at my desk to jot down names and as MUCH information as I can get because NO ONE sees fit to share.

I went above and beyond to be as gracious and charming ( opposing counsels words, not mine ) in  order  to sort it out.

Is reception happy ?


F NO.

Did admin. get an e mail detailing this situation ?

F YEAH.

It has to be done better and more effectively  if the management wants to keep a sense of polished professionalism within the Houston legal community......no small thing by the way .

Am I happy ?

NO.

Am I going to lay it at the door (s) of those responsible for creating this mess ?


Grab popcorn and watch me....

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Monday, July 20, 2015

Okay, So I Lied..Just A Teeny Bit .



Okay..I'm going to contradict myself.

I want to play with this and since I know that hubby reads this lil bloggy , I can get his opinion .


Eggs Benedict Casserole:

Ingredients:

12 oz Canadian Bacon chopped
6 English muffins, cut into 1 inch cubes .
8 Eggs
2 Cups Whole Milk
1 Teaspoon salt
A few dashes of hotsauce ( optional )

Hollandaise Sauce ( If using Pkg)

2 Packages Knorr Hollandaise Mix
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 Tablespoons cream cheese

Prepare mix per package instructions, add lemon juice and cream cheese , whisking together .


Hollandaise Sauce ( From Scratch )
4 Egg yolks
1/2 Cup heavy cream.
2 Tablespoons leemon juice
2 Teaspoons Dijon nustard
1/2 Cup melted butter


Sauce from scratch instructions:
In the top of a double boiler or a metal bowl over simmering water , whisk egg yolks, cream , lemon juice and mustard until blended. Cook until just thick enough to coat a metal spoon and the temperature is 160 degrees, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to very low, drizzle in warm , melted butter and whisk constantly. Serve immediately with casserole.


For the casserole:

Place half the Canadian bacon in a buttered 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Top with English muffins and remaining bacon. In a large bowl, whick eggs, salt and pepper .Pour over top. Refridgerate , covered 4 hours or overnight .

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove casserole from refridgerator while oven heats. Bake covered 35 minutes then uncover and bake 10 - 15 minutes until a knife inserted near the conter comes out clean.

Serve immediately with the Hollandaise Sauce .


Notes:

I think for the first run I'd halve the recipe, seems like a  lot for just the two of us.This could work into a nice meal in the winter with a green salad..

Nom Nom..

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Just Another Melted Monday ........


This is what my brain feels like.

MELTED .

It's 94 degrees with a heat index of 108 so yeah...it's officially " Aunty Pol ain't going outside in this shit  " time . There is no promise of rain this week at all other than a random pop up shower which not at my house so we all gonna be cranky pants down here. It's also hurricane season for the next 4 months which means we are all watching the Gulf temperatures ..warm water means " Uh oh " .

I've been pinning on Pinterest recipes that I won't be making /baking anytime soon but is nice to be able to archive recipes on various boards that make sense at lea\st to me..I think that the biggest one is " Chocolate !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...hee hee. I'm a bit of a magpie like my late mother was regarding recipes . I have a binder of recipes that I have collected that I need to work on but that would mean that I'd have to turn too and attack the clutter in the den. It's only been 2 years after all.....

Things are fine finally at the house now that the A/C is fixed along with the car..don't get me started on that one..suffice to say I can now take breaking down in the HOV lane off my bucket ( or fuck it )  list.

OH and lets see..what makes me happy/amuses me today :

1. Watching or listening to The Donald Self Destruct...completely worth the good popcorn .
2. Syfy's 3'rd Sharknado movie this Wednesday...again ditto with the munchies .

AND


AND


THERE IS A VERY STRONG POSSIBILITY THAT THEY ARE BRINGING XENA, WARRIOR PRINCESS WITH LUCY LAWLESS BACK TO TV !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


HUZZAH !

Have a great week and stay safe.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Friday, June 26, 2015

Gasp ~! She's ALIVE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Don't faint y'all.

I know it's been ages and I haven't been posting as much as I used to .

Part of it is that life sometimes gets in the way and when the dust settles there , I find I need some quiet time..I can't focus enough to post something here and frankly, I have certain standards..even for this teeny self posted bit oh fluff .

Then there are times when there is nothing going on...nada...zip..and why bother.


Then..revelation.

These are the times that I should be grateful for . Yes, it seems boring to go to work Monday through Friday, come home , do the usual routine and the usual weekend variation. We  , knock on wood aren't getting the middle of the night dreaded calls and other than knee replacement issues ,  my father in law is in fine shape for his age. Gordy and I are in pretty good shape save allergies, arthritis and things that are natural to the 55 and over . The house and car are  fine. Jobs are fine . Gracie Marie is fine . But we know that this is the time of life when things can change on a dime.

We are grateful for the moments of genuine calmness.

We have friends and loved ones with real family /friends issues, some medical , some permanent as in the big dirt nap version .

I am a bit more motivated to yap here , when the mood strikes so you have been warned.

Waving from Houston.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol




Monday, May 18, 2015

Thirty Five Years....Wowzah !



It's hard to believe that it's been 35 years since that bitch had the mother of all hissy fits. Pullman is south of Spokane by about 80 miles or  so so you'd have to pick a spot between Spokane and Ritzville to get an idea of where I was in all of this.

NOTE " Sistah, I know that isn't really accurate but WTF..other than us and you guys, no one that reads this tripe has any idea of there WSU is...I'm just sort of going for a frame of reference here ..."

Onward.


I remember how quickly it  got dark...as in oh dark thirty dark...early afternoon. I thought okay..massive rain storm headed for the Paloose ..and then it hit me.


Utter silence.

No sound.

Nada .

No birds, no crickets, no frogs, no cats nor dogs.

The world hit the mute button .

Missy and Oogie were hiding in my closet . Nothing would get those 2 cats out for over 24 hours. I think I actually moved their box, food and water in there for them.

Then, I think the Civil Alarm siren went off. Maybe not, but I think it did. Doty said if we ever heard that to haul ourselves to the office...so I did.

Sistah and I worked together in the same building, I for the campus switchboard and Sistah for the campus pd. All I knew was that something was going on...


Now remember, this is before cell phones, the net, e mail , pc and all of that .Yes we had computers but that was back in the days of keypunch, Cobol and Fortran. If you wanted to talk to your folks/family/hottie you got lucky with at the Tavern ( dating myself..you bettcha) you called on a phone, now commonly referred to as a"land line". ..or you wrote a letter.


Yeah , the Dark Ages.

We soon found out that Mt. St Helens had blown and I remember thinking the younger version of SFW..that's down on Oregon.

Hah !

I had no idea that we were in the path of the ash . All I knew was that I was in the process of leaving Pullman,,,and how the hell were we going to paint the apt so I could get my deposits back. Having moved all my life courtesy of Uncle Sam, painting in/out was absolutely ingrained into me. Luckily the Professor who owned the building was understanding and it was not an issue.

We got used to hosing our clothes off before washing to not mess up the water hoses/plumbing. When you are in your 20's , your sense of modesty may not be as well developed as you might think . Everyone was having to do it so it so it became normal.

Trudging through ash..normal. Figuring out whose car would be the best one to make the beer run before the air filter gave out..normal.  I do remember Colfax County cops blowing  the shit out of their patrol cars before they realized what the ash was doing to the air filters..yep..

If you've ever watched " Dante's Peak" , that's pretty close to accurate.


It was a hell of a ride.


Have what ever kind of week you want to .

Ciao,
Aunty Pol