Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Happy New Year. Or not....


I just woke up. The coupons I'm using to order the digital photo albums expire at 10pm Central Time. There are thousands of them expiring, so the traffic will be heavy. I'm not ready; I still need to make one recipe.

I needed the sleep. I'm in a much better mood. But I'm going to miss the New Year's Eve party tonight.

So I'm sitting in front of my patio door, at my temporary work table. I have my laptop, a cold drink, my 11" fiber optic Christmas tree. I have Handel on the stereo, with Mannheim Steamroller loaded behind it.

What do I do with two bags of Doritos?

Any more good news?

Sorry. I'm tired, I can't sleep, I'm cranky and more than usually sarcastic.

While searching unsuccessfully for something that I need today I found the installation CDs for my scanner and laser printer. This was really exciting, because my ongoing infrastructure problems are a major source of stress, and they are really hampering my efforts to put my life and my home in order.

I eagerly sat down to install the printer to the new computer, and learned why I was unable to install it using the drivers I downloaded from the Internet. It won't run under Windows XP.

Ok. I have an eight year old computer that is thoroughly corrupted but might talk to my laser printer if I reinstall it. It talks to the Internet, but won't run Java or my security software. I have a new computer that talks to the internet, but not to my printer. I have a wi-fi card, which gives me a blazingly fast connection, but only at the airport, and installing the router is what corrupted the old computer.

And since installing my new six-button mouse on the new computer the touchpad has become manic. It skitters all over the window and clicks on things I don't want.

Also during the search I thoroughly broke the lamp that had only been sort of broken. I now have pieces of the shade and a CFL bulb scattered around the office.

And the cookbook, which must be uploaded before I can go out this evening, isn't even close to being done.

And I never did find what I was looking for.

This, too, shall pass.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

100 is not always a perfect score.

I saw my oncologist this afternoon. After several months of accelerating increases in my white blood cell count, I was hoping that the increase had at least slowed, if it hadn't stopped.

Nope.

My WBC count is now 100. Actually, 100.9. I've also become anemic, which pushed me straight to Stage 3. (Do not pass Stage 2, do not collect $200.) And I have palpable nodes in a new area. The other staging system uses the number of areas as a criterion.

And because my WBC count is so high, if I should decide to have chemo, it would have to be inpatient instead of outpatient. The toxins released by 100K lymphocytes imploding will clog up my kidneys and wreak havoc with my electrolyte levels.

I reread some of the online reference material after I got home. My current stats qualify me as "high risk." My doctor seems to think there is a very real chance that I will wake up one morning feeling really, really bad.

But...she agreed: I'm still not doing permanent damage by waiting. And I'm still waiting.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Crockpot revisited


Maybe a new, smaller crockpot wasn't that indulgent.

After searching three stores for yellow split peas I tried a new recipe. Well, half a new recipe. Yes, I said yellow split peas.

Apparently Low is really High if you only fill one third of the crock.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

True Confessions

I ordered another crockpot. It's already shipped.

Why is that a true confession? Because I already have three. And four pressure cookers. And a rice cooker. And money is extremely tight.

I'm working through the cookbook Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two. She recommends a 1.5 qt cooker for some things. (She suggests an oval, but I couldn't find one.)

I recognized that sometimes I don't eat well just because everything seems like a big deal. I wait too long, then it's too late to start. I'm working on a food plan -- no, it's really more of an approach, a philosophy -- along the lines of "small is more."

I think when most people think about cutting down effort in the kitchen we think of cooking big: once a month cooking, or make three/freeze two, or making a huge batch and freezing individual meals. That approach got me through grad school, but it's not working for me now, and I suspect I'm not the only one.

I happen to be sick and tired, but there are others who are simply busy, engaged in life.

Cooking big means buying big, prepping big, cleaning up big. I just don't have the energy. It also means having to eat a lot of whatever you make. Cooking small, however... I can peel one carrot, saute one onion, wash one pan. Then I can pop the crock in the dishwasher, eat leftovers for a day and start over.

I'm hoping that the smaller crock will be less of a mental obstacle, that instead of being put off by the thought of "dragging out the crockpot" I'll instead see it more along the lines of pulling a dish out of the cupboard.

So, I'm working towards a plan involving components from several schemes developed by others.

And the other tools I mentioned? I use all of my pressure cookers except the one that was my grandmother's. I keep that for sentimental reasons, but I use the second generation ones. I use my rice cooker, but the parts don't go in the dishwasher. I use my largest crockpot whenever I cook beans from scratch. I plan to experiment with the broth from scratch that I currently make in my largest pressure cooker. That gives me ingredients, though. I haven't been using the crockpots to put a healthy meal on the table.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Opa!

Although I really enjoy the food at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant, at the Chandler Fashion Square* mall, I hadn't been there in a long time -- so long, in fact, that I can't remember the last time I was there, before today.

A good friend's birthday was yesterday. I usually take her out for lunch. This year I asked if she'd like to try Greek. She agreed, with one caveat: she had received some money for her birthday and wanted to use that. My gift would be my company and knowledge of the food.

There are several local chains of Greek restaurants that I enjoy, however, and when I picked her up I still hadn't decided where to eat.

I chose MBFGR in Chandler -- in spite of the holiday traffic at the mall -- because they have the best avgolemono soup. I suggested that we start with that, then order a variety of appetizers. She agreed, and we began.

Oh. My.

Although my friend had misgivings about lemon soup, she tried it. (That was the only dish I really pushed.) I could tell from the look on her face after the first bite that she was glad she did.

The soup was served in a fairly standard sized cup, which gave no hint of what was in store for us. We had each ordered an appetizer to eat individually, due to differing tastes, then four additional appetizers to share. The birthday money gave us the freedom to explore.

Everything was outstanding. Simply amazing. She wasn't wow-ed by the dolmades, but I was. I've never had them in lemon sauce before. I knew I could indulge in only a small amount of tzatziki, but she loved it. We both really enjoyed the spanakopita, which is what I usually order.

By the time the server brought the bruschetta we were each comfortably full and the table was completely covered with dishes waiting to be boxed. We had to at least try it, however, to determine who got the leftovers. It, too, was wonderful. I've eaten bruschetta at two other restaurant chains. Each of the three is very different, but I enjoy them all.

We each brought home enough leftovers for at least two more meals.

Throughout the meal and on the drive home my friend could not stop talking about how much she enjoyed the food. That was her gift to me.

We talked, we laughed, we ate, we explored. It was a good day.

Note: while locating the hyperlink I read the reviews, and have to agree: the service at this chain is very uneven, ranging from outstanding to appalling. Today's was mixed, friendly but slow and forgetful. It took 15 minutes to get napkins and flatware.

* Yes, the location matters. I've eaten the soup at four different locations of MBFGR; the food is clearly superior at the Chandler Fashion Square location.

Friday, December 19, 2008

1492

No, not that 1492.

I filled my gas tank Thursday night for $14.92. 10.51 gallons @ $1.419/gallon

The last time I bought gasoline I paid $2.99 per gallon; the total was more than $30.

I really intended that to be the last time I bought gasoline this year. It was Halloween night. I usually try to buy gasoline once a month, whether I need it or not, but I was going to be out of town for most of November. I thought that would allow me to stretch the tank to two months.

It wasn't to be. Although...I still had a couple of gallons left. I could have tried....

Maybe I paid a higher price than I realized for those trips to Sky Harbor to use their free wi-fi.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Is this thing on?

I've been conspicuously absent from my blogs this year. From May 14 until November 19 I was traveling and having my apartment gutted. I've also been fighting extreme technical difficulties. For months I was only able to post to this blog when I was away from home, either at my sister's or at a wi-fi hotspot.

I'm now able to post. Can't print, but I can post. I will try to get back in the habit of using this blog.

Flo

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

I'm a jerk.

I finally figured it out...I'm a jerk. That's why I keep making messes at home.

The first one was superheated, sweetened milk, while making rice pudding. I got the stove, the floor, the wall. The counters, the sink. Everything in the sink, everything hanging on the wall. The pans on the stove, the food on the counter.

Next was Dr. Pepper, in the dining room. My side table, my recliner, my lapboard, the carpet. My scrapbooking supply cart, the mail, the receipts, the calendar.

Miracle whip, flour, cocoa.

The kitchen is cleaner than it's been in years, right down to taking the stove apart.

I'm a jerk...that's why I keep spilling things or knocking them over. I misjudge the distance to a container, or pick it up before I have a good grip on it.

eta*: coordination. That's the word I need. I'm having problems with coordination.

*eta = "edited to add"

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

No more produce baskets? Sigh.

I've recently realized that I may have to give up even trying to participate in Bountiful Baskets produce co-op.

For the six months that I was traveling the dates just didn't work out, except during July, when my kitchen was ripped out. When I returned in November I was eagerly looking forward to resuming my participation. I was bitterly disappointed to log on on Nov. 20 and discover that they had already sold out the capacity for that weekend's hostess supplement baskets.

By the following week I had begun to have a sense that I shouldn't participate, but no clear understanding of the reason. Now I know.

My primary goal right now is finding a "new normal," that combination of routines, activity, rest, eating, exercise, etc. that will allow me to be as productive as possible while managing my health and avoiding the crash-and-burn syndrome. I'm very much afraid that bringing home two laundry baskets of fresh produce contributes to the latter.