A La Main

Crazy Woman

2010-11-30T17:37:00.001-08:00

We’ve been in Okinawa for six months now. I can’t believe its been that long. When I think of six months….180 days. What do I have to show for it?

I’ve made friends. That, for me, is huge. I’m not exactly the best at making friends. I’m function just fine with limited human interaction. The more time I spend alone, the less inclined I feel to get out and see people. Then, when I do spend time with my friends, I am reminded how nice it is to be in the company of others, which makes me feel extra lonely when I go back to my solitary state. So, friends are good. Actually, I haven’t had this many friends since college (which was more than five years ago).

I’ve been volunteering at the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society. Another way to meet people and feel useful. It’s an educating experience and a good resume booster. Even if it wasn’t, at least it gets me out of the house on a regular basis. I enjoy working with the Marines and Sailors. Since prior to coming to Okinawa my interaction with the military was occasionally going to the commissary (at an air base, no less), my knowledge of the interworkings of the Marine Corps were limited. At NMCRS, I’ve been able to learn a lot about the services offered by the Corps and the various rules and structures in place that guide a Marine’s life. This is good to know, but especially beneficial since I’m applying for federal jobs on Marine Bases that require me to have knowledge of these things!

Which brings us to the discussion of my joblessness.

I still don’t have a job.

I am going insane.

Slowly and surely, I am losing my mind.

I need structure! I need deadlines and responsibilities! I need charts and calendars and lists!

People tell me I can do all that at home. Make my own list of things to get done. Create deadlines.

It is not the same.

When I think about my upbringing, I see that I was not raised not to work. Not that other parents encourage their children to stay at home; I don’t know how other people were raised. My own mother stayed at home until I was in grade school. Then she worked part time until I was in high school when she moved on to full time.

She never told me that staying home was not what she wanted to do or wanted me to do, but she also never taught me how to cook or how to clean properly. I can’t for the life of me remember what she did all day until she went back to work. There was always homemade dinner and the house was always neat. She sewed. I remember that, but the rest is very hazy.

I was sent to private schools that focused on college prep. From very early on one goal was pressed upon me and my brothers: College. There was no other option given. It never occurred to me that there was another option. We would go to college and we would graduate as quickly as possible and we would be productive members of the work force. My parents, my uncles, my teachers, my advisors all preached the exact same gospel. College. Job.

The only marriage advice I ever got from my Mom was this: Make you sure are financially stable on your own before you get married. I took that to heart and followed her advice. Up until 6 months ago, I was gainfully employed!

Yet, here I am with no job. Stay at home wife. Housewife. It makes me cringe. I don’t even have a kid to keep me occupied! I no good at this! My house should be immaculate (ha!). My office should be completely organized (haha!). My pictures should be hung and paperwork filed (hahahaha!). I should be bustin’ out the crafts!

But my house is cluttered, my office is a mess, my walls are bare and I accomplish little each day.

I know people that do this. Other women, some with kids and some without, that stay home. What is your secret? How do you stand it? I am amazed at your ability to stay sane! What are you doing that I’m not?

I just can’t do it. I am not cut out to be a housewife! I hate it. I hate staying home all day. I hate feeling useless. I hate feeling like a failure.

I need a damn job!

I suppose I could argue that this time has been eye opening. I thought I would like staying at home. I thought I would put all the free time to good use. Yeah. That didn’t work out so well.

Oh, and this isn’t to be taken to mean that being a stay at home wife is bad, I’m just saying its not for me. Like I said, I know plenty of people that love it and function just fine in the roll. Me, I’m climbing the walls and thinking about beating my head against the table.

Excuse me while I go look for more jobs to apply for.

~M.Grace

Colpo Number Three

2010-08-25T00:20:00.001-07:00

Well, as prescribed by the docs back in FL, I had a pap done six months after my LEEP. The doctor here prepared me for the likelihood that it would come back abnormal again. She said my LEEP was so recent, that she expects the virus is still in my system.

She was right.

So I went in yesterday for Colpo Number Three.

I was prepared for the worst pain I have ever known. Colpo Number One wasn’t that bad only because there were no spots to biopsy. Colpo Number Two was the singular worst experience of my life. Worse than the LEEP.

I had a tiny hope that there would be no spots to biopsy this time, but I tried my best to push that thought out of my head. I didn’t want to get my hopes up.

Good things I didn’t.

I kept remembering the FL Colpo. How horrible it was. Long and drawn out. Painful. Seriously, a pain beyond any I had every felt. Sharp, radiating, hot and intense. I mean, someone is snipping off a piece of you. There is no way that’s not going to hurt.

My doctor yesterday is now, in my opinion, the World’s Best Doctor. I love her. I shared with her my last experience. She got a look in her eye like she’s like to have a serious chat with my last doctor….or beat her with a stick. I appreciated that. She insisted she would be quick and do her best to keep the pain low.

Of course, what control does she have over my pain level when she’s snipping off pieces of me?!

Apparently, a lot! She had to biopsy one part. It took two snips to get a good sample. She had me cough each time she snipped. I very much doubted that coughing would help. But it did! I barely felt anything!

So, either she is the World’s Best Doctor, or my last Colpo doc was the World’s WORST Doctor. I think it’s a little bit of both.

Now, the second part, she couldn’t do much for the pain. She likened what she had to do next to taking a lemon zester to my cervix. That’s pretty much what it felt like.

I’m sure this part was done at my last Colpo, but I don’t really remember it. I think the biopsy portion was so amazingly terrible that it overshadowed any other part of the procedure.

As painful as the lemon zester part was, it was only ten seconds (she counted out loud for me) then it was over. I was left with aching and cramping, but it paled in comparison to the pain of what she had just done and the pain I remembered from my last Colpo, so all in all, I was ok with it.

At the beginning of my appointment, I repeated over and over to myself (because doing it out loud, I would have looked crazy!), “It’s only one hour out of my life….I’ll be on my way home in one hour.” And it was true.

By the end of the day, the cramping was over and the pain was gone. I’m prepared for the possibility that it might come back over the next few days. I have Motrin in my purse just in case.

I’d like to say it’s over, but I know its not. The concern is that the doctor that did the LEEP didn’t get all the bad cells. Even if he did, he will still go down in history as the first doctor who could answer all my questions and fully explain what was going on to me. If he didn’t get it all, I don’t blame him. Serious, he was trying to skim cells off a part of me the size of a silver dollar using binoculars and a tiny electrified loop.

On the plus side, she didn’t see any new spots, just a little spot near my LEEP scar. So that means, even if there is still some left over, there isn’t anything new growing. I’m going to take that as a good sign.

I’ll just be praying that the biopsy comes back CIN I. CIN II or III mean another LEEP.

At least yesterday is over. I’ll deal with what I must, when I must.

~M.Grace

Can’t Sleep; Clown’ll Eat Me.

2010-08-18T01:00:00.001-07:00

Name that cartoon.

While there are no clowns threatening me, I have had the worst trouble sleeping lately. This is a common problem for me. At my best it takes a half hour to fall asleep. Lately, its been taking two hours.

This is the worst its been since high school. I was tired all the time but I couldn’t sleep. They tested me for mono and anemia. All came back fine.

I recently had blood tests ran and, again, all is fine.

The doctor said maybe I’m just not doing enough during the day to get me tired enough to sleep at night.

But I don’t understand how I can be this tired during the day and then not be able to sleep at night.

I tried drinking herbal tea. A brand I won’t name says their tea will calm the nervous world around me. Chamomile, Spearmint, Lemongrass, Orange Blossom, Hawthorn and Rosebuds make a really nasty tea. At least, I think so. Plus, it does not help me sleep in the least.

I blame the bed. We currently have a full size bed. It is so tiny! I turn a lot while I’m trying to fall asleep and when I only have a foot and half of space, there aren’t very many different positions I can attempt! Swain swears he is over as far as he can go. I think he’s lying. I think we need a queen sized bed. Ours is sitting in storage somewhere in the South.

I blame the A/C! The little unit that blows directly on our heads. My head is freezing and my legs are hot.

I blame our blanket that keeps slipping off as I move around. I wake up many times at night to find that I have no covers and have to get up and pull them back on the bed.

I’m so tired.

I’m delirious.

Soon, there really WILL be clowns!

I know all the remedies. The teas. The nighttime rituals. Reading in bed. No thinking about stressful things. Etc.

But I lay there in bed with my eyes wide open staring into the dark.

I went in search of a Japanese remedy.

We went to an herbal store and asked the nice non-English speaking ladies what they had to help me sleep. They understood “help” and “sleep.”

First was lavender. But I thought I needed something stronger.

Second was “Recovery Plus,” which I’m certain is very close to “Rescue Remedy” which I gave to my cats to help with travel.

Third. A choice between two blends of essential oils. One had peppermint, patchouli oil and other things she could not translate. The other was very much lavender based, but smelled very calming as well.

How to choose?

I couldn’t. I just need to sleep! Tell me what will make me sleep!

My friend had a way. A voodoo way. Which is to say it involves little actual science and more “the body knows what it needs” logic. You hold the object to your sternum and close your eyes. Be calm. Be quiet. Be serious (that part was hard). If you find your body leaning forward (toward the object) it is the right choice. If you lean away, you’re body is rejecting that item and wants nothing to do with it.

Option one. I hardly moved. Option two. I swayed back. Option one it is!

I suppose when you can’t decide between two items, any reason to pick one over the other is good. Even if it is bunk mumbo jumbo. Or maybe its real, who knows. All I know, the decision was out of my hands and made.

So tonight, I will add this oil to my nighttime ritual. A dab or two on the wrists is supposed to be all I need.

We shall see.

The next option is to buy a bigger bed and that will cost about 75 times more than this so I really hope it works!

Sweet Dreams!
~M.Grace

Oki Job Hunt

2010-07-25T17:47:00.001-07:00

There are numerous reasons for my Oki Job Hunt. Swain insists that I don’t have to work while we are out here, but here is why I want to:

1. I’m going to get really damn bored after a while. We have no intention of having children any time soon, so I’m not a stay at home mom. Currently, all I have to do all day is clean, go to the gym, unpack, arrange and occasionally hang out with some of my new friends. Unpacking and arranging won’t take forever. I can still see my friends on the weekends. We live in a small apartment, I can clean on weeknights. Back when I worked full time in Sac, I woke up at 5am to go to the gym before work!

2. Having a three year gap in employment history is not going to facilitate the job search once we get back state-side.

3. We like to spend money, but we try to save some too. Having more income will greatly help both the habit and the goal.

4. I like to have schedules and deadlines and goals and to do lists. There isn’t much motivation when your to do list for the day has only: Go to the gym.

5. Have I mentioned I’ll probably get really bored?

6. Lastly, and perhaps, just maybe most importantly, I want to buy these shoes and I have nowhere to wear them without a job so I can’t buy them until I have a job.

I love business pumps. I love when they have just a little but of quirk to them. I love button up blouses and slacks. I love charts and budgets. I love grammar and proper sentence structures. I love goals and duties. I love alphabetized and color coded files.

So, Oki Job Hunt is on! The plus side of not “needing” a job asap like my last three jobs is that I get to take my time and find a position that I actually want to be in for the next three years. That is a very exciting prospect!

Yes, I am a nerd. Yes, I like to work. Shut up.

~M.Grace

My Mom’s Crock-Pot Chili

2010-07-21T17:26:00.001-07:00

I haven’t posted a recipe in a while. This one is from my Mother. I’ve made some tweaks and you can too. It depends on your preference of spiciness.

My Mom and I both use large crock-pots. I think hers is a 5qt and mine is seven. So this makes a lot of chili. My Mom makes it when she has people coming over, but I make it for just Swain and myself. It lasts about three meals.

There are two wonderful things about this recipe. One: It is the easiest thing in the world. Two: It tastes great!

You will need to do some chopping. An onion, red bell pepper and some hot peppers. This is where I tweaked. My Mother didn’t use fresh hot peppers. I try to use serranos but when they are not available, my second choice is jalapeño (which are not quite as hot). Chili lesson for you, smaller = hotter! So if you want to go even spicier, try those tiny habaneros. Or, if you aren’t so into spice, the jalapeños are a safe bet. I use three or four; but then, I’m looking for a burn your taste buds kind of hot.

Chop those suckers up into your desired size. I leave the onion and bell pepper medium sized, about the size of a nickel because I like a chunky chili. The hot peppers I do more of a fine chop so they can spread out throughout the whole pot.

Don’t forget the garlic!

Yes, I used six cloves. I love garlic. Mom’s original recipe called for two, so you be the judge!

Toss the fresh ingredients in the crock-pot and turn to your ground beef.

Mom uses 1lb, but Swain requested a meatier chili and I upped it to 1.5lbs. It just depends on your bean to meat preference! Just toss it in a pan and get it a-brownin’!

While its cookin’ turn to your canned ingredients.

One can kidney bean (I usually use dark red, I’m not sure how that light red got in there!). One can refried beans. Back in the States, I can find a spicy version, but no such luck here in Oki. You may be surprised at the inclusion of the refried bean, but it thickens up the chili nicely!

Two cans tomatoes. I used diced. I used to use stewed, but they I ended up grabbing scissors and cutting up those huge tomato chunk so what’s the point? Again, back in the States I could find some pre-seasoned specifically for chili. If the tomato company wants to help spice my chili, why not! But again, no such luck here.

And one small can of diced green chilies. Pay attention when buying. Don’t be like me and accidentally buy the ones that aren’t diced. They were slippery and difficult to chop.

Open and dump. But be sure to drain the kidney beans first!

Now, for the spices! The basic spices area chili powder, oregano and cumin. And of course, S&P.

Because of what I have available, I used those pictured above. In a perfect world (one where I had access to more exotic spices), I’d use New Mexican chili powder and Mexican ground oregano. These versions are spicier than your garden varieties. But since this isn’t a perfect world and I live on a tiny island that imports what sells, I use the normal stuff. Don’t worry, the chili is tasty no matter which brand of chili powder or oregano you use!

In case you were wondering, its 1tsp of cumin and oregano and 3tbsps of chili power. S&P to taste.

Should look kind of like the below at this point.

I didn’t even bother to stir in the refried beans yet!

Back to that ground beef. I don’t like leaving meat unspiced so I sprinkle on a little of each of the above while the meat is still browning. Just a dash of the cumin and oregano. A healthy shake of the chili powder. A pinch of salt and pepper.

When the meat is cooked through, dump it in the crock-pot! If you feel the need, you can drain it first. One small benefit of buying at the commissary, I have access to very well priced extra lean ground beef. I never find draining necessary.

Then stir it up. Finally. Since I hadn’t done that yet at this point!

Take the spoon out, put the top on and turn the crock-pot on!

You can do low for 8-10 hours or low for 3-4 hours.

I forgot to take an “after” picture!

Trust me, it looks delicious!

Enjoy!

~M.Grace

Quiet

2010-07-14T18:21:00.001-07:00

When Swain is away I have a tendency to withdraw. I learned a valuable lesson during his last deployment. We had just moved to a new town. I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t try to know anyone.

I got a part time job and watched a lot of TV.

Remember learning lessons at school? Not life lessons, but math and English and science lessons. We don’t really call them lessons so much anymore, but teachers still make “lesson plans.” Anyway, do remember it making so much sense when the teacher was explaining it, but then on test day, you fail miserably?

Yes, exactly.

I’ll give myself a break. It was a last minute family issue that took Swain away, not a deployment. I didn’t have time to mentally prepare for his departure. Not that advanced notice really helps.

It’s only been one day. Half of yesterday was taken up getting him to the airport, so that doesn’t count!

The second half of the day, I moped.

I have friends here. I could have called them. I did. We chatted. They offered any help I needed. I said goodbye. I sat alone. I know that being with friends helps. I know that I should go out and see people and do things. But its so easy to just stare at the wall.

I knew some people were a the pool and I sent one a text, but tried no harder to find company.

At least I got out of the house. I went clothing shopping. I feel like I wear the same four shirts over and over so I went out hoping to find new tops. Ha. What a waste of a trip. At least I got out of the house.

Then I came home and popped in the super long Pride and Prejudice and watched all five hours of it.

Laundry didn’t get done. Floors didn’t get swept. Dishes sat in the sink.

It’s so easy to withdraw. I am quite capable of spending hours, days, even weeks with little human interaction. Just me and the gatos. Me and Pride and Prejudice.

I have it on again. This version is so good! So accurate. I love the book too, but I think my copy is in storage. That was silly. I might have to buy it again (along with all Austen’s work) so I can read it here.

I don’t much like Kiera Knightly, but I must admit, she did a descent job of replicating Jennifer Ehle’s Elizabeth Bennet. She has Ehle’s tone and inflections down.

But I still much much prefer the A&E version. It is perfect.

Back to the point of this post.

Human interaction is for the weak! Kidding. But it is my nature to be anti-social. Since I was very young, I enjoyed the company of very small groups, if any at all. So I never really found a need for a large group of friends.

However, those nine months Swain was gone last and I was removed from my family and few Nor Cal friends, showed me that human interaction is very necessary for my happiness.

Which is why, today I’m watching Pride and Prejudice again. Wait, no.

Well, I am watching it again, but I also did dishes, started laundry and will be going out with some friends this afternoon to one of my favorite places on island, the Botanical Gardens.

With a conscious effort to see my new Oki friends, keep in better contact with family and friends back home and to be more social in general, I believe I will bear this separation much better than the last.

The knowledge that this will be about 1/24 the length of the last one is also quite comforting.

~M.Grace

Movie Review: Knight and Day

2010-07-02T19:23:00.001-07:00

By now, you all must know how much Swain loves going to the movies. Unfortunately, out here on the island, we don’t get many new movies. Typically, we get them after they have been out in the States for a while. For example, Alice in Wonderland just started play out here about three weeks ago. Swain and I saw it in the States before we left. Imagine Swain’s despair! We have seen all the movies currently playing!

Well, not all. The depths of Swain’s cinema love does not extend so deep that he’s willing to see Sex and the City 2, Marmaduke, The Karate Kid, Toy Story 3, Fury Vengeance, Death at a Funeral or Grown Ups. All of which are playing on this island.

I think it’s hilarious that they play children’s movies on a Camp that houses only single Marines, mostly male and mostly between the ages of 18 and 25. I wonder if those guys go to see Fury Vengeance?

Anyway, something worth watching finally arrived. Well, something that we didn’t refused to see finally arrived. I’m not going to say this movie was actually worth watching when you have other, better options back in the States. Movies like The A-Team and Get Him to the Greek, which are not yet out here and may never be out here.

But when you’re options are limited and you haven’t seen a movie at the cinema in nearly three weeks, you’ll go see the first movie that isn’t a cartoon or about a bunch of women acting they aren’t way too old to party.

That movie was Knight and Day.

I won’t say it wasn’t entertaining, because it vaguely was.

Let me say this, though, I am very glad we only paid $5 each for the tickets.

Tom Cruise looked super old!

Cameron Diaz didn’t look like any kind of spring chicken either!

The plot was ridiculous. The action was laughable (how did he not just get shot when 43 guys were shooting at him and he was standing up with no cover?!). The romance was forced. The ending was silly.

But it was something to do on a Friday night (yes, we are boring and have no lives and can’t think of anything else to do on a Friday night but watch a movie).

Luckily, it looks like a few decent movies are on their way out to our remote island. The Last Airbender will have a few showings (obviously, they don’t think it will be as popular as Twilight which has two showings a night every weekend starting next weekend and extending indefinitely into the foreseeable future. Gag me). Salt is coming at the end of July and that might not be so bad. At some point Inception will be out and that looks interesting. I guess we’ll see Predators.

But in the mean time, even though its been out in the States for probably weeks, if you haven’t yet wasted your time on Knight and Day, DON’T! Unless of course you get in for $5. Then why the heck not?

~M.Grace

Driving on the Wrong Side

2010-06-11T19:12:00.001-07:00

When I found Coche Bobo I took him for a test spin…around the parking lot.

I thought I was prepared for sitting at the wheel on the right side of the car after sitting as the passenger on the left for three days.

I was wrong.

The left side of the car feels so awkward and far away. I swear, when driving in America on the left side of the car, the right side doesn’t seem so far away! I’m sure it’ll all in my head.

After we bought Bobo, Swain did all the driving for about a week. The only driving I did in that first week was to the Chapel Sunday morning for Mass. Lucky for me, it was pretty quite at 7:45am on a Sunday. I think I did pretty well. I remembered to stay to the left.

One bored Saturday morning, Swain and I went on a little sojourn trying to find out how to get to the different bases without anyone sitting in the car telling us where to turn. It was interesting. The maps around here don’t really show much and we hear the best way to get around is to use back roads that aren’t even on the map. Most don’t even have names! We have yet to venture the back roads.

But we did get where we wanted to go and back again with no big hiccups. We even stopped along the way to check out a Pachanko Casino. Its not that impressive. Just very very very loud.

My friend let me drive her car (with her and her two year old! That’s a lot of trust). It was nice to embark on my first off base driving experience with an experienced Okinawan driver there to say in a calm voice, “You’re kind of drifting left.”

That goes back to the point about about how the left side of the car is awkward. Most new drivers drive too far to the left, like we are overcompensating for the fact that we want to really be on the right side of the road.

Since then my knowledge of the main road system has gotten pretty secure. Last Monday I finally bit the bullet! I woke up at 5:30am with Swain, rode to work with him and drove back all by myself!

I did really well! In fact, I have conquered the fear! Really, it isn’t that big a deal. Once you do it, you realize that you were freaking out over nothing.

The only troubling issues are the you can’t tern on a red light and the speed limit is way slower than in the States. Its so hard not to speed and the speeding tickets are crazy expensive here! If Swain gets a speeding ticket, they will take his license for 30 days! So no lead feet allowed!

All in all, driving on the left isn’t so bad and I would recommend it to anyone. Go ahead: Drive on the wrong side of the road!

~M.Grace

Why the Marine Corps is Better than the Air Force: Chapter One

2010-06-09T03:47:00.001-07:00

I name it “Chapter One” because I’m sure there will be other stories under this subject.

No offense to the Air Force or any members of that military branch.

The following story, though just one persons experience on a particular day, exemplifies all that is wrong with the USAF.

I went to the Marine Traffic Management Office (TMO, in charge of many things including shipping our stuff from one duty station to the next) to set up the delivery of our belongings. They took my information, made copies of Swain’s orders and my Power of Attorney and checked to see if our shipment had made it to the island yet. It has! Actually, both have! They see the same company has both shipments and can deliver on Saturday.

That was easy!

About thirty minutes later I get a call from the same TMO office. It seems that when they called the main TMO office (on a different base), they were told that the Air Force has to release our shipments and I need to go to their base to do it. Annoying, but not their fault.

So I drive to the Air Force Base and find their TMO office. Wow. It is a much nicer office. A large waiting office with a TV. Cubicles and offices with glass windows. I sign in and immediately an Airwoman comes to my assistance. I tell her the story and she looks at me confused.

“Why would we have your shipment if your husband is a Marine?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because we came from an Air Force Base. The main Marine TMO office said to come here.”

“Well that’s just wrong. We don’t handle any Marine shipments. Go to the main Marine TMO office. They will help you there.”

“But that is the office that sent me here.”

“…..we don’t handle any Marine shipments.”

“How about I call the main Marine TMO office? Do you have their number?”

“Um….well…hold on.”

She comes back with a number. I say “a number” because it wasn’t exactly the right number. It got me to the main Marine TMO office, but to the person that handles outbound shipments. They were nice enough to transfer me to inbound.

Now, the wonderfulness that is the Marine Corps.

“Hi. I have a problem. You say my stuff is with the Air Force and they are saying they don’t handle any Marine shipments.”

“Have you been dealing with this all just today”

“Yes. I was at the Marine TMO office this morning.”

“Right, hold on.”

Note, she did not ask my name.

“Mrs. Swain?”

“Yes.”

“Tell her you came from an AFB and therefore they have control of the shipment. Tell her its a ….” She ran off three letters that mean something to someone, but not me. I repeated them to the Airlady and she said, “Oh, um. Hold on.” And she ran off.

So I start chatting with the Marine. About seven or ten minutes later the Airchic came back.

“Ok. We can do it.”

Like it was a big favor she was doing me and the Marine Corps.

I say goodbye to the main Marine TMO office person and tell the Airwoman my name.

She types it in and verifies that both our shipments are in.

Now pay attention closely here and remember how the Marines said, “Ok, they will be delivering your stuff on Saturday!”

This lovely little Airlady writes a number down and says, “Ok, call the moving company and set up delivery.”

So maybe its not that big a deal that I had to make the call, but its the whole attitude that makes the USMC so much better than the USAF. The Marines took my papers, looked me us, found the info, made the calls and set up delivery (even before checking to see if they had the power to release the goods). The Airchica didn’t even want to deal with me and when she finally did, she didn’t do much of anything at all! She gave me a sticky note with a number on it!

That is all that is wrong with the Air Force. You know, from my point of view anyway. I admit, I’m biased. :)

On the bright side, the moving company said they could deliver on Saturday! That means I will soon have more than five shirts! Yay!

~M.Grace

Movie Review: The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

2010-05-31T18:39:00.001-07:00

Its not Monday but I’m doing a movie review anyway. I have actually seen quite a few movies since my last review, but I’ve been lazy. Too bad. Here is a quick run down of what you missed:

Iron Man 2: Good. Not as good as the first one, but still entertaining. Worth the visit to the theater.

Letters to Juliet: Cute. Silly. Don’t take a boy. Really, don’t see it in the theater. It’s much better for a girls’ night in type of occasion.

Leap Year: Really cute. I saw it on the plane and enjoyed it. However, I am glad I did not pay to see it. Again, no boy will enjoy this film. Be advised: my enjoyment of this movie may be based solely on the fact that I love Irish accents.

The main event: The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

This was a fluke. It was our first weekend in Okinawa. We didn’t know where to go or what to do. Each base has a theater and usually only plays one or two movies a day. And typically, the same one. So Monday is Alice in Wonderland, Tuesday is Iron Man 2, Wednesday is Repo Men and so on.

Sunday was The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

I usually shy away from movies with two names and/or with colons in the title. My go to rule is the longer the name, the crappier the movie. There are exceptions, but the rule has proved useful nonetheless.

However, when you are bored on a Sunday afternoon with no idea where anything is other than the movie theater right in front of you that has a movie playing in 30 minutes, you go see whatever is playing.

Which was The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

Going in with very low expectations was probably a good thing; I left pleasantly surprised. It didn’t suck! Sure, I found it odd that Persians had English accents. Sure, the dialogue was forced and often out of nowhere. But the action was fun and who can argue with Jake Gyllenhaal without his shirt on. Honestly, that was enough for me!

No really, let us all just take a moment of silence in appreciation for the abs of Mr. Gyllenhaal……and his cute little smile…… Oh Donnie Darko, you have grown up well.

So if you have nothing to do on a Sunday afternoon, this movie will fill up that time, give you some entertaining fight scenes and let you experience the wonder that is Jake Gyllenhaal. You know, if you like boys. If you don’t, I guess that chic isn’t so bad to look at….but she kind of bugs me for some reason. Well, anyway, I give this movie a lethargic thumbs up. It wasn’t superb but since I had low expectations anyway, it wasn’t disappointing!

Of course, we only pay $4.50 for movie tickets on base. I think $12 is a bit expensive for this movie. Matinee!

~M.Grace

O-hi-o Go-Zy-Mus

2010-05-30T20:25:00.001-07:00

That is my phonetic spelling for the Japanese “Good Morning.” I have no idea what the real spelling is. Not that the Japanese have any idea how to spell American words. Just look at this:

Yes. The area beyond this gate is “Off Rimitt.” I will leave all jokes to you the reader.

FYI, that building just showing in the left of the pictures, is where we will be living come June 7th!

My first posting about Oki may have seemed a little negative. Keep in mind that it was late, I had just gotten off a trans-Pacific flight and had gained 16 hours. Plus I found out I couldn’t have the cats in temporary housing that evening. I was not a happy camper.

However, one week later and my mood has improved considerably!

It was a very busy week. Swain had a lot of checking in to do. He gets to take his little check in sheet to a variety of different locations just to have someone jot down their initials confirming that he did indeed go see them.

For our first week we lodged on Hansen, the very base where Swain will work each day. There is nothing on Hansen. Well, nothing for families. There is no family housing, just barracks. For one week I was surrounded by single Marines. I got about eight comments on my pink hair per day. However, I also got called “Ma’am” about eighteen times a day. Say what you want about Marines, but they are very polite!

My first and nearly only frustration is medical. I have been there twice now and still have not been about to check in and get assigned a doctor here. It is very important that I get this done asap, but the red tape is tough to deal with.

I have been spoiled thus far in my marriage to a Marine. We never lived on base, or near base for that matter. I have never had to deal with Family Readiness Officers or Welcome Briefs. So not only do I get to adjust to Okinawa living, but also Marine living in general.

Luckily, there are some really great people here to help us adjust to island living. I had a tour guide drive me around Monday showing me the different bases and telling me why I would go to which one.

Tuesday I got us cell phones! And yes, it took ALL day.

Wednesday we got to sit through a Welcome Aboard Brief in which we were told over and over that our behavior on the island is a reflection on the US that the dependents are here at the invitation of Uncle Sam. If I do anything that might be conceived as embarrassing to the relationship between the State and Japan, I can get sent home. Noted.

We took a written drivers’ license test. I was a little nervous. We got a booklet from the library and studied up. Turns out that was really unnecessary. I got 100%. Shocking, I know. But when the test includes questions such as: You see a blind man crossing the street, what do you do? A. Speed up to beat him? B. Stop and let him go? C. Honk your horn? Well, you can see it isn’t too hard.

Thursday we bought a tiny car that we named Coche Bobo (Silly Car in Spanish. Yes, I name all my cars in Spanish. Don’t ask why, I just do. Even in Japan). Swain thinks its super girly and is glad it’s mine. Even if he is the one driving it around.

Friday I tried to find us a place to live and was disappointed to the point of near tears at the selection. I was starting to adjust to the idea that all place, apartment or house, smell like mildew and have kitchens the size of closets. Then, Saturday we found the most glorious apartment. It is only two years old and you can see the Pacific from each window. Pictures soon!

So, new country, foreign license, Bobo and apartment all in one week! A very busy week indeed!

Still tons to do and still tons to see! I can’t wait to share it with you all! I hope to take some pictures soon. You know, of more than just silly misspelled signs and Coche Bobo.

~M.Grace

Arrival

2010-05-30T19:57:00.001-07:00

8:45 p.m. Dark out. Hot and sticky. Just like I hate.

Wait forever for baggage. Grab the kitties. Head out to the lobby.

A man walks towards us calling our last name. What tipped it off? Oh, probably the cats.

He loads up his old car and we hop in. When you’re in the back seat the whole driver on the right isn’t really that weird.

First stop, admin to check Swain in.

Second stop, shoppette to get some kitty litter and snacks.

Third stop, another Marine’s house to drop off the kitties. I nearly cry. To be apart from my cats until we get our housing straightened out is breaking my heart.

Chat with the wife. She’s nice. Offers to drive me around tomorrow to get my medical stuff in order.

Head to the hotel. Another 30 minutes. We’ve already been onto about three of the bases in just the one night.

Hotel. I’m sorry. The Lodge. Smells moldy and there are strange sounds that make me think other things are living here as well. Put that thought out of my mind.

Attempt to get on the internet to let my mom and dad know that we got here safe. Silly me, thinking wifi would be ubiquitous here as it is in the States.

Shower off the grime of travel and go to bed.

Welcome to Okinawa.

The Period Before the Oki Stage

2010-05-16T22:25:00.001-07:00

Vacation is winding to a close and I still have a ton of things to do. When I think too much about what’s going to happen within the next week my heart rate jumps and I start to get dizzy.

I sit here in my parents’ house. The house in which I grew up. My house.

Sleeping in my old room is such a trip. Even with a different bed, a whole lot less stuffed animals and a much smaller desk, it still looks eerily similar to how it was when I was in high school.

My brothers come and go. It reminds me of when I lived in town. I would stop by the homestead at random intervals. No dinner plans? Stop on by. Need to do laundry? Stop on by. Want to watch House? Stop on by. Bored? Stop on by.

My brothers still can stop on by.

I hate how life goes on even after I leave. It shouldn’t. Everything should freeze and be just the same when I get back.

My niece is already nine months old. She is so beautiful. I could hold her forever. But she won’t be nine months forever. Will she remember me? Will she know who I am? Will she like me?

I am melancholy. I don’t like focusing on this part, yet at the moment I can’t help it.

I am excited, very excited, about Okinawa. It’s just hard to be back in Nor Cal. Especially for this long. Long enough to get into the swing of things. To acclimate to life with the fam. To get used to seeing my parents, brothers, niece, uncles, grandma and friends whenever I feel like it.

All I have to do is focus on each day. The things that need to get done. The boxes that need checking. If I think too much about not seeing that chubby cheeked angel every day I’ll start to tear up.

Its so hard to come back and leave again. Not that I don’t want to come back. I just wish it wasn’t so hard. I wish teleportation would hurry up and get invented.

Time to put on the big girl pants and focus on the next stage of my life. The Oki Stage.

~M.Grace

It Won’t Quiet

2010-04-29T23:19:00.002-07:00

I have these thoughts. Millions of thoughts bouncing around the inside of my skull and they won’t go away. They refuse to quiet. Random, disjointed, useless thoughts that pop in at inconvenient moments.

You Shall Know Our Velocity by Dave Eggers is the most beautiful, heartbreaking and inspiring novel I’ve ever read. It makes me want to write fiction again and that is a miracle all on its own.

I’ve been hanging around Swain and his guy friends too much. I have lost my sense of female camaraderie. Relationships end and I, gasp, take the male’s side.

Too much of my time is spent wondering about people I’ve never actually met and what they think of me (though, I’m certain they don’t think of me at all).

Who am I kidding? I haven’t written fiction in years. It’s nothing like riding a bike.

Every time I start to think maybe, maybe someday, I’ll want kids, one shows up at the table behind me or at the doctor’s waiting room and screams in my ear for 45 minutes straight. The urge quickly retreats as I try to find my happy place in order to protect said child from my wrath.

I have the best cats in the world.

I’m dangerously obsessed with my cats.

I wish I could have taken my Florida Friend with me when I left.

The prospect of having all military wives for friends when I get to Oki makes me nervous.

I am way too nice. I am a doormat. Even still, I have finally found someone who makes me want to inflict pain. It’s frivolous and silly. The offender hasn’t done anything to hurt me or anyone I love, yet the mere presence of this person makes my fists ball up and my jaw clench.

I keep wanting to look something up on Wikipedia but I keep forgetting what exactly it is when I’m at my computer only to remember later when away from it.

I lied. There is a second person who makes me want to draw blood. I simply forgot. See, Offender B has been out of my life for quite some time and it has been a glorious period. I call it the “Blessed Time”. I call this Offender “The Darkness”. Not really. I just made that all up. But it works for now. The Darkness is trying to worm its way back in and I’ll be damned if that will happen on my watch. Not that I have much say. But I do have fists.

I am becoming a violent person. Perhaps another side effect of Swain and his military buddies.

I can’t wait to live in the same place for three years. Even if it is on the other side of the world from my family. I get to unpack completely, make a home and stay there for over 10 months. It will be wonderful.

I have the phrase “All your bases are belonging to us” stuck in my head and I have no clue what its from or how it got on an endless loop in my brain.

The End. Well, the end of this blog. The end of this day. But not really the end of the thoughts. They keep coming. Hopefully they let me sleep.

~M.Grace

Wedding Weekend

2010-04-22T05:15:00.002-07:00

This past weekend I took a break from all this moving across the world junk and went to Seattle, WA to be a bridesmaid for the fourth time.

Don’t worry. Four different brides and four different grooms :)

A search (on this computer) for pictures of me in each bridesmaid dress came up a tad short. The problem with being a bridesmaid is that you don’t get to take a lot of pictures; you’re too busy being a bridesmaid!

I love weddings. I had one not so super experience, but it didn’t ruin me. I still love love love weddings.

It may be more appropriate to say that I love formal (or even semi-formal, or even casual!) events that involve planning, coordination and pretty dresses.

Regardless, let’s stay on topic.

I frickin’ love Seattle. I really do. It’s a beautiful place.

And G looked so beautiful and so very happy. Its so nice to see. I’m a pretty pessimistic person. The world is a dark and depressing place. For goodness sakes, I work(ed) for a divorce attorney.

Then I see G, smiling like a loon at some guy I’ve only met three times.

Then I remember my best friend is coming up on the one year mark.

And DGC is about to hit….what? Five? Which is just crazy! We’re not old enough for you to be married five years!

And I’m at about 18 months.

And I get a burst of fresh positive thoughts. Marriages do make it. People can be happy together.

I love weddings.

Yay!

Now, back to all the moving to a foreign country crap.

~M.Grace

I am a Woman. I have Issues.

2010-04-05T05:19:00.004-07:00

I read a blog called “Use Your Words Little Girl” and last week she posted this: http://nataliecottrell.blogspot.com/2010/03/weve-got-some-issues.html, a suggestion that all female bloggers post on the same day discussing issues that women face.

So in accordance with this directive, here I go.

My name is M.Grace and I have the human papillomavirus.

According to the CDC, “approximately 20 million Americans are currently infected with HPV. Another 6 million people become newly infected each year. HPV is so common that at least 50% of sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives.” (http://www.cdc.gov/STD/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm).

Did you know that “The HPV tests on the market are only used to help screen for cervical cancer.” (more CDC info). That means, men can’t be tested. See, I thought I was safe because my two sexual partners had been tested for STDs. No one told me that did not include HPV.

I could tell you about the pain involved in the colposcopy. Oh, it is indeed the worst pain I have ever endured. But I’ve already blogged about that.

I could tell you about the LEEP. Where they use an electrified loop of metal to scoop our abnormal cells. But I blogged about that too.

Here’s what I will tell you. Learning I had HPV changed my life. I grew up very sheltered. I was the good girl. I never did anything I wasn’t supposed to. I was proud of that fact. Yet I still ended up with an sexually transmitted disease.

Even now, after 18 months, its still hard for me to admit to this fact. Its embarrassing. Its dirty. Its life threatening.

It was like dealing with death. First I was in denial. I was able to hang onto that for quite some time. After the abnormal pap, I was brought back in for the colpo (a biopsy of your cervical cells) which came back negative for abnormal cells. I was sure that gave me the clear but they insisted that I still had HPV, its just that there were no actual abnormalities that day.

Still, I held out hope that the repap six months later would show no active HPV. See, if your bodies immune system fights if off, you can test negative even after testing positive in the past! So I crossed my fingers, took my vitamin C and endured the second exam.

And hope abandoned me. It hadn’t gone away, it had gotten worse.

You start to think…where did I get this? You look at your husband. You think back to the one other man before your husband. You start to wonder. You start to blame.

I have HPV. I have an STD. I have to submit myself to regular poking. Tests. Biopsies. LEEPs. My ability to have children will be threatened. I could get cancer. I could die.

Because I have a virus.

Because I got a virus either from my husband or my ex-boyfriend.

Before that anger took over and ruined my marriage, I put it aside. There is no way to know. There is no reason to know. Its irrelevant.

So instead, I started to blame myself. If only my immune system had been stronger. If only I had gotten the vaccine when I had the chance.

Then, I moved from anger to fear. Fear of the testing process. Fear of pain. Fear of being barren. Fear of death.

I am not yet to acceptance.

I tell myself that most women’s immune systems kick in and fight off the virus within three years.

I tell myself that I have liberal access to very good health care. Even if the virus doesn’t go away, they will continue to remove abnormalities as they develop before they can become cancer.

I tell myself that if the abnormalities don’t stop developing, they can just take out all the parts at risk. Well, that bit isn’t so comforting. But I suppose I’d rather be unable to have kids than dead.

Still, even with those mantras going through my head, I am not yet to acceptance.

I am angry. I am terrified. I am hurting. I have HPV.

My world was shattered when I found out I had an STD. All my assumptions were tossed out the window. The face of HPV is not a promiscuous party girl like I remember being taught in school. Its my face. I am an educated, middle class, married woman. And I am the face of the HPV.

It sucks. Its scary. Its painful. It may have shattered my world, but I won’t let it end my world.

Get the vaccine.

Go to your yearly exams.

Follow up with your doctor.

Don’t assume that it won’t happen to you.

You probably already have it.

~M.Grace

***Edited to Add Links to other "Women's Writes" contributors:

Links to other awesome Women’s Writes posts!

Marie’s Pushing Back

Travis’s My Y Chromosome Contribution

Losing It’s What I believe

DJ’s Baby I got your money

Jeney Peney’s Use Your Voice

Alice’s Clinic Escorting

Hannah, just breathe’s Women’s Writes

Lbluca77’s Let’s talk about sex…education.

Liebchen’s Speaking Up

Brad’s Let’s give ‘em something to talk about.

Rachel’s Birth on our Own Terms.

Shine, Marie, Rachel, and Natalie on In It To Gym It: Women’s Writes – How the ‘ideal woman’ makes me feel.

Rachel Smiles’ Women’s Writes

Graygrrrl’s When the Past Meets the Present.

Single Grrrl’s I am woman. I emote.

Carissa’s A Weighty Issue

Sketch’s Sex Talk: A Hsitory

Mindy’s But it’s not the 1950s…

Miss Randell’s Teaching in 2010

Phronk’s Abortion — Yeah, that sounds weird. He’s not having one or giving one. Just talking about it.

Emily’s Stop Means No

April’s Poisonous Mixtures and the Part Where People Start Taking my Advice!

Mary’s Birth Control and Reproduction

Decisions…Decisions

2010-04-03T17:35:00.002-07:00

Look at all the stuff you own. Your TV. Your clothes. Your books. Your pots and pans.

Your wedding photos. Your DVDs. Your fine china. Your bed.

Everything.

Now, imagine you are moving a long distance and need to divide everything you own into three piles. Well, actually. Four.

1. The items you will carry with you. Easiest group of all.

2. Those items you will get within one month after arrival. Up to 800lbs.

3. Those items you will get within 2-4 months after arrival. Up to 2225lbs.

4. Those items you won’t see for the next three years. Up to 5975lbs!

Keep in mind, you are going to a furnished apartment/condo that will most likely be about half the size of the house you now live in.

How do you divide it? What do you take and what do you leave behind? Do I put my mixer in the one month group or the 4 month group? What about my blankets? What about my fine china! The ice cream maker? All my college books? …yes, I still have all my political science books from college. The cat trees? The coffee maker?

Sigh.

Well. This I know. Swain’s USMC/Budweiser pint glasses….are going in group number four!

Gotta start somewhere!

~M.Grace

Where Did I Put My Sanity?...

2010-03-29T12:28:00.003-07:00

I have a Movie Review to write about Repo Men. I have one line written. We saw it over a week ago.

I have another post half written about my disdain of bars.

I have a recipe I want to share.

Yet, it seems, I lack the sanity to conduct my life recently. In one month, I will be leaving Florida. In one month I have a list of items to complete that is as long as, um, something that is really long. See, my brain is definitely off right now. It gave up. It went on strike. It said, "You think we can get all that done in four weeks?" Then all there I heard was maniacal laughter fading away until only silence filled the space between my ears.

My dear friend will be getting married on the 17th....oh shoot. That reminds me. I need have that dress pressed. Excuse me while I update my to do list that looks more like a to do jumble. Anyway. Two days after I get back from her wedding in Washington, movers are coming to my house to take away all I own.

So as excited as I am to be getting away for a long weekend. To be seeing my dear friend get married. To visit that glorious town of Seattle. I am freaking out.

Freaking out!

I need go through my clothes and get rid of the old stuff I never wear!

I need decide what kitchen stuff, craft stuff and books will go with us and what will go in storage!

I need to clean the house!

I need to book a flight home!

I need to sell my car!

I need to submit paperwork to the US Consulate in Japan so my cats can go with us!

I need to call the airlines so my cats can go with us!

I need to buy a wedding present!

I need to find out about shipping Swain's bike to his Dad's house!

I need to get a copy of my medical records!

I still need to send in our passport paperwork!

I need to remember to breath.

Seriously. How did I think I could do all this and still work until the 21st? How can I possibly do this and still work until the 21st when the movers are coming on the 20th to get my stuff?

Added to all that, it's now just setting in that I am going to spend the next three years in a foreign country. A foreign country that has typhoons.

So let's all take a moment to freak out about the things in our lives that happen faster than planned, don't go as well as planned, change in the middle of all our planning and simply defy all attempts to plan.

Now, let's all grow a pair and get done what must get done.

Sometimes I hate being an adult.

~M.Grace

Interviews

2010-03-21T16:37:00.002-07:00

I have interviewed a few times in my life. I am lucky enough to say that I have have gotten every job I have ever interviewed for. Or maybe I’m just that good.

Or maybe I aim lower than I am capable so there is no way I’m not qualified for the job.

Whatever.

The point is I have never been the interviewer.

Until now.

It sucks. It sucks more than being the interviewee.

I thought I was prepared. I found a ton of questions online and grouped them, deleted repeats. I thought I was prepared!

Then the first candidate sat before me. Boss Lady did the intro and tossed it to me. My eyes widened. My mind went blank. All my questions sounded stupid. It didn’t help that the candidate was 10 years my senior and had more experience than I.

Boss Lady finally jumped in and saved me. But not before embarrassing me further by pointing out why I was suddenly mute. “Well, don’t worry.” The kind candidate assured me. “It gets easier.” Indicating that she has indeed hired and fired people before. Yes, I get it, you are way more qualified than I for my own position.

Guess what. That didn’t really help her much. I am over qualified for the position. And if I am over qualified honey, you are way over qualified and will probably be equally bored and insulted with the tasks you are assigned. So showing me that you have more experience than I do, is not really a positive in this interview.

It got slightly easier through the day. Slightly. I still stumbled, drew blanks, and stared helplessly at the candidates until Boss Lady jumped in.

I would rather be interviewed than interview. Its true. I know how to answer questions. I’m good at it. I can spin like nobody’s business. I know what to shut up and when to talk. I can schmooze. I know when to schmooze and when to be straight.

But when someone is looking at me with those “I am paying attention to what you say because my future is in your hands and I am ready to blow your socks off with my answer to whatever question throw at me” eyes, eyes with I have perfected, I just can’t handle it.

Well. At least its over now. Unless we don’t find a suitable “me” out of these candidates. Cross your fingers, hope this works out! Because while I can’t interview people, I can train like a pro!

In the spirit of interviews, I welcome all to ask me any question you want! Though, I make no promises about the truthiness of my answers :)

~M.Grace

Movie Review Monday: Alice in Wonderland

2010-03-15T16:05:00.002-07:00

Swain and I saw Alice in Wonderland in 2D this past weekend.

Let me first tell you that I am not impressed by 3D. Sure, it looks cool. But it doesn’t add much to my movie going experience. We arrived at the theater 20 minutes after a 3D version started and 10 minutes before a 2D. So we saw 2D. I don’t think 3D would change much of my review, which is thus:

Boring.

Mr. Burton disappointed me this go around. Typically, his movies have a depth to them. They are visually interesting and have an engaging story.

Alice was beautiful. The characters, Wonderland, everything.

The story was blah. Swain fell asleep. I nearly did a few times.

The sound could have malfunctioned and I would have happily watched the movie with no dialogue. I just plain didn’t care.

Even though its not the the same story that we all remember from childhood, its still predictable as all get out. But a lot of movies are predictable yet still engaging. This one is not.

I never thought I’d say this but here goes….too much Johnny Depp, not enough, um, whoever played Alice.

So long story, short: I recommend it for the visual beauty. Matinee. Make sure you’re not tired or you’ll nod off a few times and miss some lovely work.

~M.Grace, I watch movies so you don’t have to!

My Sleep Schedule is Going to Get All Messed Up

2010-03-13T23:16:00.002-08:00

I heard on the radio the other day that to prepare for day light savings you should wake up 15 minutes earlier each day for four days prior to setting the clock back.

I did not do that.

Instead, today, I woke up 4 hours later than usual.

Don’t judge! It’s Saturday!

To make it worse, its nearly 1 a.m. and I’m still awake.

I hate losing an hour.

So why am I up at 1 a.m.?

I blame Swain.

It’s all his fault.

It usually is.

…don’t tell him I said that.

But it IS!

He’s out with the boys. I never sleep well when he’s out. I hate being alone in the house.

I could have gone out with him. I am always invited.

Yeah. Invited to hang out with a bunch of drunk guys who will be drinking copious amounts of booze (keep in mind, most of these guys are 22-25), going to a strip club or two and talking about work.

Sounds like fun to me. Totally how I want to spend my Saturday night.

I’m being sarcastic.

That’s not how I wanted to spend my Saturday nights back when I was that age!

Call me boring. Tell me I haven’t “lived.” Say I’m a prude. Say I’m so fun.

I don’t care.

I don’t want to be surrounded by a bunch of drunk twenty somethings at a nasty bar that reeks of stale beer and cigarettes.

Call me crazy; its just not my idea of fun.

So here I am. Awake at 1 a.m. But really its 2 a.m. because someone somewhere decided a long time ago that on a random day in late winter, we should all just turn our clocks back. Just for funsies.

FYI: there is nothing on at 1 a.m. and I’m still enough of a paranoid freak to have the gun on the coffee table. Just thought you should know.

I hate day light savings.

Signed, tired, annoyed, and vaguely paranoid:
M.Grace

Foodie Friday: Broccoli

2010-03-12T15:35:00.003-08:00

Yes. Broccoli. This is a simple side that I bust out about 3-5 times a week for the following reasons:

A. Swain and I both love broccoli

B. Boiling it is so boring!

This actually came about because I was using all the pots I had but still wanted to make broccoli as a side. What else can you use to heat stuff up? …oh yeah, the oven!

So first of all, get some broccoli…oh and turn the oven to 350 degrees.

We eat a lot. I used this whole bunch.

Chop it up!

We use the stems in this house. They are perfectly edible and actually I find them quite delectable! Notice my chunks were on the larger side. This will effect the baking time.

Dump it all in a dish. I used a glass loaf pan most of time. If you are making more broccoli than this, use a larger pan. You don’t want a pile. Its ok if they stack up a little, but the basic idea is to get one thick layer.

I once used a silicone loaf pan. I don’t recommend it. It drastically shortened the baking time (resulting in overly mushy broccoli). And smelled funny. I have decided that I am not a fan of silicone bake ware. But that’s a personal opinion!

Grab some olive oil. This stuff is liquid gold. Temecula Valley Olive Oil Company’s fresh basil olive oil. Divine. Heavenly. Shipping costs almost as much as the bottle which is why we haven’t had any for a while. One of the many reasons I miss Temecula. Access to this gorgeous olive oil.

Anyway, grab whatever olive oil you’ve got and drizzle the broccoli with it. I use about a teaspoon or two for the amount of broccoli you see above. You don’t want to douse it (I over did it once, it tastes really heavy and doesn’t sit in the tum tum very well).

This was my action shot. I think this is the time I used too much oil because I was trying to get a picture of it. Bad picture and greasy broccoli. Two strikes!

Cover it with tin foil and pop in the oven!

The length of time depends upon how small you chopped up the broccoli and how you prefer it cooked. We like ours to retain a bit of a bite. I always check at 15 minutes. With the larger chunks you see above, it usually takes about 20 to 22. Once you get to the twenties, each minute counts. You think “oh just a little less crunch, another five minutes” and bam! Mushy broccoli. So be sure to jab them with a fork about every two minutes after you hit 20.

Once the broccoli is just about where you want it to be, for me I begin this step around 20 minutes, grab some parmesan. I have never used the powdered stuff for this. I have used the kind that comes in little tubs as ‘shaved’ or ‘grated’ but I find that fresh parmesan is best at melting evenly.

So get to grating.

That should be enough. About a quarter cup.

And sprinkle.

Sprinkle.

It starts to melt right away. If you layers that cheese a little thick and the heat of the broccoli itself doesn’t melt it enough, just pop it back in the warm (but off) oven. Again, the broccoli can go from perfectly al dente to mushy pretty quick!

Extreme broccoli close up!

Here it is, on my plate. Perfect. I mean, who doesn’t love cheese? And parm? I could put it on anything!

So there you go. A different way to do broccoli. Simple, easy and tasty. And it frees up another spot on the stove!

~M.Grace

PCS

2010-03-11T10:29:00.004-08:00

PCS: Permanent Change in Station. But not permanent like forever, just permanent like they change your location in computer and any pay that depends on location is changed accordingly.

Since I am certain that no one actually reads this blog that doesn't already know me and know what's going on in my life, it should come as no surprise to any of you to hear that I am moving!

To Okinawa, Japan.

Yes, for the next three year I will be residing in a foreign country.

However, if we are on military property, I guess I'm still technically in the US?

Regardless of semantics, I'm freakin' out just a bit. I'm not so worried about being in Oki. I know I'll get homesick, but I also know that its not every day that you get a chance to live in another country on the government's dime.

So no, I think being in Oki will be a wonderful experience. I'm worried about getting to Oki.

I have a million things to do! Well. Not literally a million things, but it sure feels like it. I have to:
1. Get my passport (its still in my maiden name and it expires in June)
2. Get a bunch o' shots (yuck)
3. Have a doc say I'm healthy enough for travel
4. Have a dentist sign off saying I will need no major dental work in the next three years
5. Figure out how the heck to get the cats over there.

Not that long of a list, right? But nothing is every easy. Nothing is ever simple. At least not when the military is involved. Especially in this circumstance. Swain is a Marine and we are on an Air Force Base. So what? Well they operate very different which adds a whole host of problems. Another factor, I kind of slacked off on my end too. So I guess I can't shift all the blame to the military. But see how the situation makes that list so daunting:

1. I was told to go see the military passport office. They told me I MUST MUST MUST get a military passport (which really only gets me to Japan, it doesn't even get me back into the US!) and a Visa. But Swain's command said no visa needed. But the office said "um, oh yes a visa is needed." Finally, after I applied for the military passport (sans visa), I found out that I don't even need the military passport. So I still need to apply for a civilian one. You know, so I can get back into the US at some point.

2. I didn't write down the entire list of shots I would need while at a recent briefing. Silly mistake. I remember: Flu, H1N1 and JEV. There is at least one other. I went to the immunization clinic at the hospital on base. I asked if they had a list (I mean, there IS an Air Force Base in Okinawa so I thought they would have the requirements for entry available) but no, they don't. I said, "I know flu and H1N1 were on the list." He nods. "And something called JEV." He responds: "No. No! JEV?! No. The only way you can get JEV is if your doctor specifically orders it. No. We don't give out JEV. Ha! JEV! No." Um. But I do, in fact, need JEV before they will let me in the country of Japan. Awesome. I need a shot that the clinic won't give me.

3. I am healthy for travel so this part isn't so hard. I just need to get into the doc sometime in April.

4. This one is my fault. When I married Swain and he registered me in the personnel system, health insurance was automatic. Dental, however, requires you to go online and fill out forms. Which we never did. By "we," I mean I. Until last month. So my dental goes into effect 4/1 and I will have four weeks to get a cleaning and, if they find any cavities, get them filled. Let's just hope and pray my teeth are fine. But since it's been 3 years since I visited a dentist, I have a feeling there's at least one cavity in there.

5. Cats. I know in theory what to do, but I need to find out what exactly I'm supposed to do. I think I need to send out some forms 45 days before bringing them into Japan. This is one area where I did plan ahead. Knowing that Swain wanted to go to Japan, I took the cats in to the vet when we first got here and started them on track. They have been micro-chipped and had all their shots. So as long as I get the proper forms in by the required date, we should be good. Oh, and as long as we are given housing where animals are allowed. If we aren't...anyone in the market for two cats? Actually, I don't think I'd make it through deployment without them. I wonder if there is anyone I can tell that to in hopes of getting the right housing over there....

So you see, a list of five items is actually more difficult than it seems. If my posts start to get stranger and more random, know that its only because I'm being driven slowly insane by the red tape and bad inter-department communication of the United States Military.

Okinawa here I come!

~M.Grace

Monday Movie Review: The Hurt Locker

2010-03-08T05:04:00.004-08:00

I have not seen The Hurt Locker.

I will not see The Hurt Locker.

How, you ask, can I write a review of a movie that I have not and will not see?

Easy, I have been surrounded by Explosive Ordenance Disposal students, technicians and teachers for nearly a year.

They all tell me this movie sucked.

Will it entertain? Yes. Did it win a ton of awards? Yes.

Is it in any way an accurate representation of the way EOD techs are trained, behave, interact or in general go about their lives? No.

It is a work of fiction based. Fiction based on a real field, operating in a real war.

I'm writing this because I almost feel the need to defend EOD. These men (and I say 'men' because the field is about 99% male) are trained viciously. All branches of the military use the same school so even though Swain is a Marine and the main characters in The Hurt Locker are Army, what I have learned about EOD still applies.

EOD techs are not cowboys. They don't delay the disposal of dangers explosives, because they want to take their suit off. They are constantly putting the mission and their team members first, not themselves. They don't leave the freakin' wire (aka, safe zone, even though its not exactly that safe) without permission! In fact, NO ONE leaves without permission!

What would you do if someone came along and made a movie about your chosen profession? Pretend its a profession that doesn't normaly get a lot of press. No one really knows anything about what you do. So maybe a movie can shed some light on this profession! Show the greater population what you do all day. What you have made your life about.

Then lets say that movie made you and all those who do what you do look like a bunch of arrogant pricks who don't value the lives of their coworkers.

Bam. The Hurt Locker.

Its sad that the only exposure most of the country has to EOD is this flick. It paints a terrible and innaccurate picture of what these hard working, dedicated and selfless people do. People like my husband.

Therefore, even thought I haven't seen and won't see this movie, in this blogger's opinion The Hurt Locker get a raging and enthusiastic thumbs down.

~M.Grace

If I Hadn't Given Up Facebook For Lent....

2010-03-04T09:32:00.004-08:00

I'd post this:

M.Grace just paid of her car loan!

Yes, its true! I have no more car loan! No more car payment! They are mailing me the title to MY car!

Sure I'll be selling him in the next two or three months, but oh how glorious those few months will be! To have that little piece of paper in my hands that says I own this vehicle. No banks. No liens, no loans. Its all mine! Muahaha!!

Not to brag or anything, but I paid that thing off in 3.5 years. I wonder how much I saved in interest...I may have to do that math. I'm a freak like that.

Now this beautiful, green, 2007 corolla is mine and mine alone.

I feel like such an adult!

Just wanted to share this feeling of elation!

That is all for now.
~M.Grace

Monday Movie Review: The Crazies

2010-03-01T12:54:00.004-08:00

While The Crazies is by no means cinematic genius, it wasn't terrible. In fact, the 15% that I actually watched was pretty good. The 85% that I didn't was filled with blood and gore.

Imagine that you live in a small, idyllic town where everyone knows everyone and high school baseball games draw the whole populous. Then imagine all your neighbors suddenly started killing each other in the most gruesome way possible.

Then, imagine the military came a-marchin' into town. First you think, "Yay, the government is going to help us." Then you realize that the government is always up to no good in movies and often in real life too.

Cue a poorly planned containment strategy. Because corralling a bunch of scared people together is such a good idea. As is relying on untested measures to weed out the infected.

Cue the trigger happy, yet unprepared soldiers.

Its a recipe for disaster and an entertaining 101 minutes.

About 2/3rds in I started thinking that there are typically two ending for most horror films such as this.

One: a group of characters start out and throughout the movie get killed off until the "main" character or characters make it out alive.

Two: a group of characters start out and throughout the movie get killed off until you think the "main" character or characters will make it out alive, but instead they die too.

And the answer is? Find out for yourself!

But maybe not in the theater. It was entertaining, but I think it would make a good rental. Unless you really are into horror flicks like Swain is. Then take an afternoon and see it at the matinee price. As I said before, its no cinematic genius and it won't win any awards and its not a new concept by any means, in fact its a remake. But, its good bloody fun.

Of course, that opinion is based on only seeing about 15%. But I heard the whole thing!

~M.Grace

A Good Bad Day

2010-02-24T09:56:00.002-08:00

So far, today has sucked less than I thought it would.

I got a nonfat vanilla latte. The foam was perfect. I ordered a grande and they gave me a vente. Nice.

I’m not at work on a Wednesday. Yay!

I’m cuddled on the couch with my latte and my kitties.

Not too shabby for a crappy day!

What makes it crappy? The fact that this morning, instead of going to work, I went to the hospital.

I went to the hospital to see that same nice old doctor so he could scrape out parts of my insides with an electric wire.

Yes. An electrified wire. Smoke was involved.

I wasn’t sure what to expect pain-wise. Compared to the biopsy (in which they pinch off parts of sensitive areas that never see the light of day), it wasn’t as bad. Still, it was no walk in the park.

Actually, it sucked royally.

At least they numb the area.

Its very difficult to explain that pain. There were two spot he wants to get out. The first one I barely felt. I could tell he was doing something, but it really just felt warm and weird.

The second spot. That I felt. I’m not sure if the numbing agent was wearing off or if it was just a larger spot or what. What did it feel like? I couldn’t really feel anything specific. It just hurt. Maybe a little like being burned. In a sensitive area that never sees the light of day. I guess that’s pretty much what was happening.

Then, he had to cauterize any spots that were bleeding. That burned and hurt like a bitch. Worse each time. And for some reason there were a lot of spots bleeding.

So it sucked. But, God willing, I’ll never have to do it again. But I might. But let’s not think about that now.

Now I’m home, cuddling with my kitties. Enduring cramps and radiating pain. I should expect that for a few days. I’d compare these to bad menstrual cramps. Not so bad I’m crying on the floor, but bad enough that I don’t want to do anything. Thankfully, I took the whole day off so I don’t have to do anything.

So, bad day. But a pretty good bad day for what its worth.

~M.Grace

I Blame Our Enjoyment of Authentic Mexican Food.

2010-02-21T11:15:00.002-08:00

Not really. I blame Florida.

I am having a “hate Florida” day.

Brief history, when we first moved here I hated it. Hate Hate Hated Florida.

For those Floridians who may read this (ha, like I have readers), please don’t get offended. Its was just really quite the culture shock.

I adjusted. I adapted. I wouldn’t say I’d ever want to live here, but its not so terrible once you get used to it…or just resign yourself to your fate. Whichever.

Today I had a “hate Florida” relapse.

The day started innocent enough. I made coffee. Started laundry. Went the grocery store.

That is where I met my demise.

Where seven months of hard work came to a screeching stop.

Where my hatred of Florida returned.

Are there no effing dried chili peppers in this state?!?!

Seriously? All I want are some dried chili peppers so I can make enchiladas. They don’t have any at the commissary so I took myself the the local grocer.

Also, no dried chili peppers.

As if that wasn’t annoying enough. I bought less than I usually do on a weekly basis but paid about the same (i.e. items at the local grocer costs more than the exact same items at the commissary).

So because I wanted some enchiladas I needed dried chili peppers. But since they don’t have any at the commissary I went to the local store. But they didn’t have any either and I ended up spending more money than I would have had I just went to the commissary.

Argh! Stupid Florida!

Stupid high food prices!

Stupid tiny town in the middle of no where!

Stupid no access to real ethnic food!

Then on the way home I stewed and steamed in my anger. Oh how I hate this place!

I hate the way it smells. I hate the weather. I hate the fact the closest freeway is 45 minutes away. I hate the drivers. I hate that I see 15 cops cars on my 20 mile drive to work each day. I hate the sorry excuse for a beach. I hate the that everything costs more but our housing allowance is half what it was in Cali. I hate the lack of good fresh food. I hate the when I buy fruits and veggies they are halfway to spoiled because they had to be shipped from so far away. I hate that the closest Macys is 2.5 hours away. I hate that none of the three airports in a 60 mile radius are have Southwest or United Airlines. I hate the my cat is allergic to Florida and I have to pay a ton of money to keep his skin healthy. I hate that the grocery stores don’t carry items like dried chili peppers or chorizo. I hate that I get paid less than my very first job out of college. I hate that in this extremely low paying position, I have more responsibility than pretty much any other job I’ve ever had. I hate that my employer expects me to also vacuum and dust for that minimal pay. I hate that I have to do it because good luck finding another job in this po-dunk little town in this crappy economy!

I hate that I had come to grips will all of the above until one fruitless trip to a grocery store punt me in a funk.

I really hate Florida today.

I can’t wait to leave this place.

I’m done bitching now.

~M.Grace.

Ramblings on Lent

2010-02-18T11:47:00.003-08:00

I could blog about Lent and how I gave up Facebook because I'm a Facebook addict and how giving something up for Lent is about a. getting closer to God by reflecting on our tiny sacrifice compared to Jesus ultimate sacrifice or, to make it more applicable to all, its about b. giving something up that you enjoy to help you grow as a person. To remind us that in this instant gratification world where there is no reason not to have what we want right now sometimes things are sweeter when they are waited for.

Growing up, Mom and I would often give up ice cream, chocolate, candy. I gave soda a few years back. That was the first hard one I'd done since I was a child and the prospect of no chocolate for 40 days gave me the chills. As an adult, its much easier to control those cravings, especially when its not like I eat chocolate that often anyway. But I gave up soda at a time when I was drinking 2-3 diet pepsis each day. That was hard. And look at me now, I barely drink soda....she says as she sips on her "medium" (read: bucket-sized) soda from lunch. But seriously, I don't keep it in the house anymore.

Last year I thought I'd up the stakes. No TV. At a time when Swain was deployed and in my shut in depressed state I was watching nearly 5 hours of TV a day. Guess what, Easter Day, my first day to watch TV again, I left the TV off. And while I do turn the tube on each evening, its only for about an hour or so and I barely watch any during the weekends (mostly because Swain is playing video games).

This year, its Facebook. Because Facebook is silly. I knew that when I first signed up for it, but I let it take control of me. Of my free time. Instead of being productive, I'll feed my stupid little fishies and read people's updates yet rarely add anything of substance or interest to my page. Its only been a day and a half and its already been a challenge. In the morning I usually finish getting ready for work 20 minutes before I have to leave the house. What do I do? Check FB. No longer. Now what? My fingers automatically hover over the "f" as I stop and remind myself that I can't type in that web address. Its always the first few days that are the hardest.

My good friend of Daisy Girl Creations is giving up soda this year. She isn't Catholic but wanted to try it out this thing we Roman Catholic's call Lent. Good for her! I think everyone should. Again, if improving your relationship with God isn't on your list of things to do, simply practicing a bit of self control is always a good exercise. What better time to do it than as we enter Spring? The season of renewal and rebirth. The rain subsides (hopefully) and the flower bloom.

Imagine the possibilities. What blogs might I compose that would have otherwise went unposted because I was haunting Facebook instead of writing? What can you go out and experience if you aren't sitting in a dark living room watching TV all day? How much healthier might you be if you drank water instead of soda? Ate snacks of nuts or fruit instead of chocolate?

I wasn't actually going to blog about this. I was afraid it would come off as preachy. So I was going to say "I could blog about this...but I'm not going to." But then I just kept typing. So bam! First blog when I might have otherwise have been on Facebook.

~M.Grace

Oh, It Was Work

2010-02-15T18:46:00.002-08:00

Three day weekends are a gift directly from God.

I think I figured out what the tooth-falling-out dream was about. Work.

Which is odd. I do not have a stressful job. They don’t pay me enough to get all worked up about it! And yet, I do. I can’t help it.

I didn’t even realize what was going on. Until I had the dream. And until I had today off and was happier than I have ever been to have a Monday off.

It was a lovely weekend.

Saturday, Swain work up at 8am. Poor guy. That’s sleeping in for him! I however woke up around 10am. I dyed my hair a beautiful shade of red. I didn’t do much else until it was time to get all dressed up and go out to a fancy dinner with the Hubbs.

Seagars. The best restaurant I have ever been to. Ever. Fanciest too. Where they put the napkin in your lap for you. We ordered the Caesar salad. They prepare it tableside. They make the dressing from scratch. With raw egg yolk, anchovy paste, and, um, everything else. I was skeptical, but it was delicious. Steaks that melt in your mouth. Gorgeous mushrooms. Happy Valentine’s Day to us!

Sunday, I wandered over to morning Mass. Swain and I went to the Mall to do a little shoe shopping. He bought a pair, I did not. A tragedy, yes. We didn’t do too much else, but that what was so wonderful about it. Usually Sundays are my grocery, cleaning and getting ready for reality day. But instead, it was like having two Saturdays. Heaven.

Today, I made krofe! That’s basically beignets. But my Slovene Grandmother always made krofe on the weekend before Lent growing up. So I don’t care what other people call them. Beignets. Doughnuts. Whatever. They will always be krofe to me. I can’t believe they worked out. They involve yeast. Yeast and I haven’t been getting along lately. So I was very surprised, and pleasantly so, to find that they are exactly what I remember them to be!

I also did all the things I normally do on Sundays. Groceries. Cleaning. But since it was Monday and not Sunday, it was a million times better.

So, it was work. That’s the only explanation. For the dream. For why this three day weekend was more enjoyable than any three day weekend in recent memory. For why I feel so relaxed today.

Work is always to blame. I should have known that.

~M.Grace

My Thoughts

2010-02-14T16:54:00.002-08:00

I feel like I haven’t really posted blogs about my own thoughts and musings lately. So here we go.

Last night, I dreamt that my right top incisor fell out. It was wiggly. I tried to leave it alone, but I couldn’t. I kept poking at it with my tongue and it fell out. I tried to convince myself that it was ok. That they could put it back, or another would grow back.

This wasn’t the main part of the dream. It was just happening in a normal dream. I don’t even remember the actual dream, just the part about the tooth.

I have had similar dreams before, many times. “They” say it means I feel like I don’t have control in my life. It wouldn’t be a lie to say that I had control issues. Some may even call me a bit of a control-freak. But I’ve gotten much better! I haven’t had the tooth dream in a while.

So why now? I have no clue. I’m not overly stressed about anything at the moment. Sure, there is a big move in my future (more on that later) but that’s not for months! Maybe it taxes. But that’s silly. I just need to organize some paperwork and send it to a lady back in Cali.

Well, how about we just call this dream a dream. A dream with no deeper meaning or significance. I like that plan.

Perhaps this is why I don’t blog about my thoughts and musings a lot: they ain’t that interesting!

Swain is playing Dante’s Inferno on Xbox. I find it very annoying. Mostly because I started to read the Inferno a month of so ago and find this a very very very very loose interpretation. I haven’t finished the book yet, it isn’t an easy read. I got side tracked by all my Christmas books. I have enough to last me a while…well, actually if I keep up with my current rate, they should last me about a month.

Anyway, the video game is much more violent that the book. But I guess it is a video game and in those you usually play a character that goes around fighting and killing things. In the book, Dante fainted a lot. Also, this Beatrice that keeps popping up (mostly nude, let’s hear it for gratuitous boob shots) isn’t even in the Inferno! She’s in the last part of the Divine Comedy, the part about Heaven. Because she’s in heaven. Whatever. Its just bugging me. There is artistic license and there is this crap. They could have used the whole setting (circles of hell, etc) and created a different character. Dante was not one to kick ass.

I’ll just have to get over it.

We’re cat sitting. I think I’ll take some pictures for a whole separate blog on Shadow, aka Gordo, aka Fatty, aka Gordo Negro, aka Chubbs. Its been a week and all three cats are finally tolerating each other.

I’m done thinking and musing for now. Its time to cook dinner.

Hope you enjoyed the randomness that is:
~m.grace

Movie Review: Edge of Darkness

2010-02-05T09:31:00.003-08:00

More accurate: Edge of Suck.

...Suck of Darkness?

Whichever you prefer.

It was terrible. How can you possibly have plot inconsistencies in a movie that is only 1.5 hours? They figured it out.

Why would you poison someone in attempts to make their death look like an accident, then kidnap him and take him to your evil companies main building?

Why would you have a super secret meeting where you make the point of saying, "I'm not here...are you here" "Oh, no, I'm not here." Just to meet again in your office in a huge building were you were seen by dozens of witnesses two scenes later? To discuss the SAME THING!?

Seriously. Bleh.

However, let it be noted: Mel Gibson depicted Craven, a distraught father with nothing left but a vendetta, very well.

Its just everything around that well-acted and intriguing character that ruined the film. Slow plot. Pointless scenes. Pointless characters. Pointless plot sidelines.

I think the problem is that they are converting a six part miniseries into a 1.5 hour film. They had to cut some thing. Well, they cut the interesting parts. And the parts that made it all make sense.

Final point. From the commercials I was expecting the British guy to have much more of a role than he did. But really, all he did was show up at odd moments to deliver useless lines that didn't help Craven in the least. Such as (paraphrased): Do you wan-ah know who killed your daht-er?

And of course, he offered no actual useful information because Craven was already well into figuring that out on his own.

Bleck. Save your $12.

~M.Grace

Chicken and Rice

2010-01-23T13:31:00.002-08:00

You have to like mushrooms for this one.

Well ok. Maybe you could make a few alterations and make it sans mushrooms, but I think that is sacrilegious.

But that’s just me.

Get these things:

- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (as many as you will need to feed your diners)
- Mushrooms, mushrooms galore!
- Two or Three or Four Garlic Cloves
- One Onion
- Two Cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup

(For you anti-fungites you can omit the mushrooms and change out cream of mushroom for some other “cream of” soup such as cream of chicken)

Prep!

Do what you do to get your chicken ready. I don’t wash. I do trim off any lingering fat and if they are abnormally large, I cut them in half.

Slice those beautiful mushrooms up. Chop that onion really thin. You want it to just melt into the sauce. Get that garlic into the smallest pieces possible. If you haven’t seen one of my favorite kitchen toys…I mean, tools, then here it is again:

Season up the chicken with salt and pepper. If you are anything like me, do your best to not actually touch it. .

Ick. But see the nice layer of salt and pepper. It is very important to season the raw chicken very well. It is your first and best chance to really get those flavors in there. We will season again later, but this step is very important.

Get a large pan and turn the heat on med-high. Toss some olive oil and butter in there. Get it nice and hot. Hot, hot, HOT! But not burning. No black butter!

Toss those chickens in there. Now let them sit there for a good 3 to 5 minutes. Don’t push them around. Don’t poke at them. Let them brown. After the allotted time has passed, flip ‘em. Again, let them sit there for another 3 to 5 minutes. I quote Rachel Ray, but it applies here. “The nose knows.”

Don’t worry about that brown stuff on the bottom of the pan.

That right there, is flavah! So don’t worry your pretty little head about that mess. We’ll handle it later.

Once the browning has completed turn the heat back to medium and add the garlic and onions.
Stir the pot a bit. Some of the stuck on goodness will come up here but don’t scrape at it too much yet.

Put the lid on to let the chicken cook and the onions sweat. Make sure you’ve turned the heat down to medium. I forgot to once. You end up with black stuff instead of brown stuff on the bottom. Less flavor and more burned. Bad. So check that temp before you walk away.

Depending on the thickness of your chicken, the time can very here. However, you don’t have to wait until its totally done to keep moving.

After about 10 minutes later, pop off the lid and take a look. I like to check the temp here. Yes, I have an instant read thermometer. I find it essential. If its nowhere near done, pop the lid back on. Remember 165F is the proper temp for chicken to be served!

At about 150F, I deglaze by adding just a bit of white wine or chicken broth (whichever you have/prefer). Just turn heat back up to medium-high and pour in the liquid. About 1-2 tablespoons will do the job.

See, it boils instantly and brings up the good stuff that was previously stuck to the bottom.

Then, I toss in the mushrooms.

Stir it around, add some salt and pepper (to your tastes, I add a lot…not that you should be surprised) and put the lid back on. Let it set until it looks a bit like this:

Now, leave the lid off so the liquid can evaporate while the chicken finishes up.

Since I am paranoid about chicken not cooking through, I wait until the thermometer reads at least 165F here.

The mushrooms have shrunk down and my chicken is cooked through. The only problem with my method is that we’re not done cooking here so there is a slight concern about over cooking the chicken and having it get tough. However, in the next step we will introduce a bunch of room temperature cream of mushroom soup into the pan which will bring the temperature down. My fear is that it will slow or even stop the process of cooking in the chicken. But that my fear. Mine. Is it yours? If it is, do as I do and wait. If it isn’t, let me know how it works!

Dump in the cream of mushroom soup. Notice, I used 98% fat free here. I also try to use the low salt kind. That way I can decide how much salt to add.

Yes, it looks kind of gross and globby here. But as it warms up and mixes with the liquid left in the pan it will look much better. See":

You might think that the sauce to chicken ratio is a little bit off. You are wrong. The very best part of chicken and rice, is that glorious sauce over the plain white rice.

Speaking of rice. Did I tell you to start some yet? Start some! I always burn rice, so I was very happy when Swain brought a rice cooker from his single life to our marriage!

I haven’t burned rice since! Thanks Swain!

Back to the chicken.

I used to make this dish sans onions. The sauce was much lighter. Then I learned. Those onions, the deglazing process, the caramelization not only add to the color, but also add a depth of flavor that really make this dish go from good to awesome.

Look at that beautiful mushroom. Coated in saucy goodness. I ate that bite. Yes, I stole a mushroom from dinner. I stole more than more. It is for a purpose! You need to taste and decide if you like the level of seasoning or maybe add a little salt and pepper. I added more. Big surprise.

At this point, the chicken is done, the mushrooms are perfect and you are just waiting for the sauce to get hot and bubbly. Often, my sides aren’t done so it gets to sit and bubble for a bit. That is fine!

Look, it made it to the plate! I didn’t eat it all from the pan! That’s good, because Swain loves this meal too and I’d get in trouble if I cooked it and ate it all before it made it to the table.

I serve it with broccoli and a salad! Here in his house we think its just a little slice of Heaven!

~M.Grace

Cells of Doooooom!

2010-01-22T14:56:00.003-08:00

****Disclaimer! This post involves the discussion of parts only a girl has. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.****

Just over a year ago, I went in for a routine lady’s yearly. I hate those things. I’m sure I don’t hate it much more than any other woman does, but sometimes I feel like I do.

The point is, I made it through without causing any pain to any of the staff or damage to the facility. I went home and began erasing it from my memory. Which usually works.

Until I got a call week later. Saying they needed me to come back in.

Thus began the saga. The short version is that I have cells that could later become cancer. The way you find out if these cells are there is through a horribly painful biopsy.

Fast forward to December 2009. The problem has not gone away. After another brutally tortuous biopsy, I get a call from the WORST nurse-practitioner in the history of medicine to tell me the bad news. Part of why she’s such a useless human being is that she can’t seem to answer any questions.

Her: At this point you can “wait and see” or “be aggressive.”

Me: Which do you recommend.

Her: Well, it depends on if you want to be aggressive or wait and see.

Me: Ok. Well, if I wait and see, could this will get worse in six months.

Her: Maybe.

Me: Ok. Could it become cancer in six months.

Her: Maybe.

Me: If I want to be aggressive, what do we do?

Her: I refer you to a doctor and he or she will decide if you are a candidate.

Me: So a doctor will tell me if I should wait and see or be aggressive? Ok, let’s do that.

Her: Ok! I’ll make the referral!

I don’t think she understood why I was frustrated and asking her questions like I was talking to a three year old. I think I will hate her until the day that I die.

So yesterday I had my referral appointment with a very kindly old doctor named Dr. King. The first OBGyn I have ever actually met! All appointments prior had been with nurse practitioners. So I was ready to take the advise of an actual doctor who specialized in this stuff. Even if he was male.

He started out skeptical. What the pathologist found on the biopsy was “moderate.” This is a gray area. “Low” you wait and see. “High” you be aggressive. But “moderate” is a judgment call. He was leaning toward wait and see.

I mentioned the possibility of being transferred to another base in the same time frame as the wait and see follow up. He was still ready to tell me to have another biopsy in four month.

Then he said he wanted to “take a look” himself. I was not prepared for that. I like to have a few days to mentally prepare myself for these things!

I hesitated. He noticed. He said, “Well, I guess we can just see in you three or four months…”

“No,” I said, “No, if you think its best, then ok.”

So he “takes a look.” While I like the old man, he was, as you might expect from an old man, slow in his movements. Ugh.

The result. “You should have the LEEP as soon as possible.”

What? What did he see that made him change his mind so suddenly and immediately?

Not the “moderate” spot from the month prior. No, that one is gone. But there is a new one in a different spot that made him change his mind.

I think its funny that the other spots had to be biopsied and sent to a pathologist to know if they were a danger or not, but this old guy could look at a spot for 5 minutes and say that it needs to go. ASAP.

Well, not funny like “ha-ha” more like funny….wait no, not funny at all. Just strange. Is he that good? Does he not want to waste time with another biopsy? Is it that bad?

For that matter, if the “moderate” spot went away in a month, who’s to say that by the time the LEEP gets scheduled the this spot might go away too?

So I am waiting for the call to schedule the LEEP. During this procedure they will skim out the offending section of cells and hope they don’t nick the parts that are necessary for baby making.

It should be “no more painful than the biopsy.” Which, by the way, was the most painful thing I have ever gone through.

I am in the market for a valium and a ride. Any takers?

Stupid immune system that can’t fight off a stupid virus.

I must note. I really really liked this doctor. I like that he was no nonsense. That he explained to me things about the progression of abnormal cells to cancer. That he actually made a direct recommendation and did not really give me the option of not going with it. I hope to meet more like him in this continuing saga. Because I know this is not the end of it.

~M.Grace

Bad Day

2010-01-21T12:59:00.002-08:00

So not only did I find out I have to have an invasive and painful procedure today, but I also made a huge gaff at work by hitting "reply" instead of 'forward" and sent something to the opposing counsel that was supposed to go to my boss. Said email included remarks about the opposing counsel that could be construed as negative.

Is it obvious that I work for a lawyer? "Could be construed" Ha.

In my defense, it was right after I had gotten back from the doc's office AND she has asked the same question 18 times and wouldn't let it go (which is kind of what my email that should have gone to the boss referred to).

Ugh.

Oh well! Move on, right?

After all, I am the master of "if I forget about it and never ever ever ever talk about it again, then it never really happened, right?" logic.

Even though I'm talking about it here.

But that doesn't count. Its not like anyone reads this!

Two more hours of work. Sigh.

The end.
~M.Grace

Movie Review: Daybreakers

2010-01-11T14:36:00.005-08:00

You can pretty much assume that any movie involving vampires, zombies, monsters, murderers, ghosts or aliens will be viewed at the theater by Swain and me.

Swain loves scary movies.

I don't. But I love Swain, so I go!
Sometimes they actually are good.
Sometimes they are really good.
Sometimes they are entertaining.
Sometimes I don't really watch any of it because I'm hiding in my sweater.

From previews and commercials, Daybreakers looked like it might be ok. Even good. I like when there is more plot than blood and there seemed to be a plot!

While it was not exactly what I was expecting in terms of how that plot unfolded, Daybreakers was a good flick. Nothing earth-shattering. Nothing exactly new. But good. A mix of vampirism and corporate greed. Questions of morality. Humanity. Ignoring the future to enjoy today.

Even with all these heavy sounding themes, it doesn't get too heavy. Which could be good or bad. Good because it doesn't get preachy. Its just good vampire fun. Bad because it makes it a toss away film instead of classic.

As per usual, I have a little trouble with the explanation of the vampire disease...or lack there of. They say it is a disease that began from "one bat." But they explain little else. Why do you suddenly grow fangs? Why do you catch fire in the sun? Why don't you have a reflection (I can think of no disease with that side effect!) Why do you explode (I'm talkin' big boom) when staked through the heart? But hey, why explain it. Everyone knows the vampire legend. Might as well just go with it, right?

Verdict? I like it. There wasn't too much blood and gore. I actually watched about 95% of it, and that says a lot since I'm not such a fan of blood and gore. It wasn't that scary. But it was entertaining.

Final note. For all those who have seen it or will see it, try to guess what scene caused uncontrollable giggling from this movie viewer. Hint: blood and gore and soldiers were involved.

~M.Grace

The Secret to Losing 10, 20…Even 30 Years!

2010-01-05T16:00:00.003-08:00

Feeling a little old? A little rough around the edges? Do you see the lines forming? Would you like to take 10, 20…even 30 years off your look?*

Here is it. The secret. Highly guarded, now yours for the bargain price of $free.99!

Go home! Not your house. Your apartment. Your current dwelling.

Go to the house you grew up in. Sleep in the room you lived in as a child.

It’s guaranteed to make you feel like a teenager once again.*

Here I am, a 27 year old woman, sleeping in the room I grew up in. Its still yellow. The white shelves still hold my most priced trophies and stuffed animals. Geometry projects and old books.

Of course, the herd has been thinned over the years. The top shelf around the two walls used to be crammed with stuffed animals.

Items have been added. My fathers collection of 4x4 floppy disks that he just can’t seem to part with even though none of his computers have a floppy drive….or the programs to read whatever is on those disks.

Some of my brother’s law school books that my mother keeps asking him if he needs. If he can take them. If she can donate them. If for goodness sakes she can get them out of her spare bedroom.

My other brother’s “antique” (ahem, old) camera cover. You know, the thing that looks accordion-like that the old photographers stuck their heads in to take the picture.

My dried wedding bouquet.

Mom’s collection of shot glasses provided by her traveling brother. Yes, my Uncle buys my Mother shot glasses where ever he goes.

Still, its my old room and its always so strange to sleep in it again.

At least they got rid of the single bed and now a queen takes up most of the room.

It makes me feel young and old at the same time.

~M.Grace

*Results may vary depending on individual and not guaranteed.

Out With The Old…

2009-12-31T18:56:00.002-08:00

…And in with the New.

Alas poor 2009, I new him well blog reader.

You know what I love doing? Making plans, then dumping them at the last minute. Oh yeah, that makes me so happy.

Swain and I were going to take a little trip to Panama City Beach and watch a ball drop and fireworks over the Gulf. He told me to find something to do. So I did! As I began the hotel search I started thinking about New Year Eve three years ago.

Goodness, was it really three years ago? Last year Swain was gone (2008). Year before we went to Old Town (2007). So yes, 2006. Three years ago. Wow.

Three years ago I decided I wanted to dress up and go to a pretty party. I’d never done that for New Years Eve. Swain told me to find one. So I did! Guess what. When you don’t know anyone at a party, and you don’t love to dance, it kind of sucks. A lot.

So I didn’t book.

Then I got sick.

So I guess its a good thing that I balked at the last minute. Although it did get Swain all mad. Since I had been so adamant about going then changed my mind at the last minute.

Its just too much pressure! What if the hotel is expensive? What if the party is lame? What if its cold and rainy? What if there is no parking? What if we spend all that time and money and not have any more fun than if we had stayed home, warm in our pjs?

So here we are. Home and in our pjs.

I think its a great way to usher in a new year.

Happy 2010!

~M.Grace

Bean

2009-12-28T15:48:00.003-08:00

While visiting the place of my origins, I met my little angel of a niece for the first time. Alena.

But they don’t call her that.

My sister in law has her own special way of coming up with nicknames. Their dog’s name is Max and she calls him Mookey. Its a process.

They call their first born Bean.

She’s huge! Not huge as in fat, just big all around. She’s wearing 9 month onsies… she’s only 5 months!

See, very bean-like. Right?

She is so freakin’ adorable.

And so is my big brother. With his tiny baby.

And my sister in law. Half those little cute genes are hers!

Then there is the Uncle.

Auntie Me!

Gasp…Grandma.
My mother is a grandma. If I’m having trouble with that concept, I wonder how she’s doing? Well, with such a cute Bean, I bet she’s loving every minute!

*Note* Grandpa picture to come…as soon as I get one!

Her first Christmas Baking Day. She was a big help!

I’m addicted to those huge cheeks. That button nose. Those intense eyes.

Maybe I am a little bias. She is the first of the new generation for us. But look at that little Bean. She is so darned perfect.

Except when she cried.

That must be from her mom’s side of the family.

I love the little Bean!

~The Proudest Auntie in the World,
M.Grace

Jet Plane

2009-12-19T20:59:00.002-08:00

I am sitting at SFO. That is the San Francisco Airport. I am not sure what the ‘O’ stands for.

I came back to good ole Nor Cal for Christmas….and left Swain in Florida. For a variety of reasons, he just couldn’t make this trip.

Currently and for the past few days, I’ve been wondering: What the heck was I thinking?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m excited to see my family, that I haven’t seen since May. Friends that I haven’t seen in longer. A certain little niece I have yet to meet. I am sure that when I see them all, I will be quite content.

But I did not want to leave Swain.

Oh it tears at me.

At my heart and at my soul.

I can’t complain about this to him, you see, because he’ll say “You’re the one that decided to go to Cali for Christmas!”

That is true.

But he said I should!

It seemed like a good idea at the time of booking. But when it came time to pack and leave my Hubbs, I just wanted to cry.

Odd, you may think. Swain and I have spent months and months in a row away from each other. Counting courtship and marriage, we’ve probably spent nearly 50% of the time apart. So why am I so morose over leaving him for a measly eight days?

My theory is that since we are forced to ensure so much time apart, that I don’t like willingly spending time away from him. Even a few days of self imposed separation breaks my heart!

To sleep alone instead of his arms, when his arms are stateside…and in OUR bed!

Nothing is as sweet. Nothing is as fun. Nothing is as enjoyable without Swain around.

It just plain breaks my heart not to be near the man that I love.

And when I call him and hear his voice so far away. There is a sadness in it and I know he feels the same about the separation. No matter how short.

This morning. So early. So long ago. 18.5 hours ago. In those moments after the alarm jarred me out of a deep sleep but before I actually dragged myself out of bed, Swain wrapped his arms around me tight and whispered, “I love you like no other and I am going to miss you so much.”

My heart melted.

My heart broke just a little.

And it won’t be whole again until I’m back in Florida in those arms once again.

~M.Grace

Movie Review: Julie and Julia

2009-12-13T19:34:00.002-08:00

I’m not a big on the (recent) “girly” movie. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good chick flick. But the latest round of “rom-coms” makes me ill. Now classic chick flicks, like While You Were Sleeping, When Harry Met Sally, Sabrina and The Princess Bride. Those were quality chick flicks.

But that’s not the point here.

The point is I was actually slightly excited about Julie and Julia. Not excited enough to drag Swain and pay through the nose to see it in the theaters.

I like food. I like blogging. I like Julia Child. This movie should be awesome, right?

Wrong.

Oh, and I wanted to like it so badly.

It was so flat. I didn’t get into Julie’s story. A good movie pulls you in. You care about the main character. I did not care about Julie. Is it the acting? I don’t think so; Amy Adams is a good actress. But I just couldn’t get into her story. I didn’t see any transformation. Nothing happened!

I was much more interested in Julia’s story and found the interruptions an annoyance.

I didn’t love it.

I barely liked it.

I have no desire to see it again.

There I said it. Its out there.

The fact that its based on someone out there in the real world doesn’t even matter…much. I mean, come on, movies that are “based on” real stories don’t really stay that true to reality. Reality would never make a good movie. So I feel pretty confident that the movie didn’t depict her exactly as she is. So I don’t feel bad saying that I found her boring.

Well, maybe a little bad.

A tiny bit.

So little a bit that I may have to recant and say I loved it. Its that good old Catholic guilt rearing its head.

…Ok, beat it back down. I did not care for Julie and Julia!

~M.Grace

Blog Envy

2009-12-03T12:51:00.003-08:00

I've got blog envy and I need to get over it.

A few months ago I fell in love with the web site wonder that is The Pioneer Woman. She's funny, she's personable, she is an awesome cook and an engaging writing. And has thousands of readers. If I were less self assured, I would strive to be like her; and sometimes I find myself thinking of ways I could be more like her. But that's just not a good idea.

First of all, I'm me! And I think I'm not too shabby the way I am. Plus I have no plans to move the a ranch in the middle of nowhere!

I loved writing and cooking well before I started following her site. I wanted to start food blogging before then, too. I have to constantly remind myself that I'm not a copy cat. Admiring her talent and wanting to emulate her notoriety is not being a copy cat.

Even still, I have blog envy. I wish I could be interesting enough to have her kind of following.

I have envy in general. I used to be such a good writer. In college, my eloquence even impressed myself (I'm kidding, I wasn't that self involved). I had such a great vocabulary. This is a perfect lesson about losing talents because you never use them. When I left school, I stopped writing. Now I'm a wealth of verbal mishaps. Beginning sentence after sentence with "and," "so" and "well." Synonyms don't pop in my head. I can't seem to use big words without it sound forced...or without double checking that it means what I think it means.

This makes me envious too. Its a snippet of an email home from my ex-pat cousin. He's teaching English in France for at least a year. His writing style embodies all that is my mother's family. She and her brothers actually talk like this on a daily basis. Apparently J2 got the effusive genes and I'm jealous as all get out.

"If the way we [write] the date is confusing, what are my chances at understanding the directions on a box of pop-tarts (yes, these directions exist) yet alone the 18-page explanation of how I am to be billed for water? At least paying for it is easy enough, all I have to do is hand over my RIB, a seemingly harmless sheet of paper, which stands for Relevé d’Identité Bancaire and contains all my financial info, but unlike Adam nothing pretty will come from this. Speaking of things less than pretty, why is my international bank account number 27 numbers long? I am assuming that this is just another test meant to examine my mental and physical health."

Really, who compares the results of paying a French water bill to the creation of Eve? Verbose Slovenians, that's who. I'm fifty percent too! Where did my verbal skills run off to?

I know the way to get back to my previous literary glory is to write more. So that's what I'm doing. And you will all (all three of you) suffer though the muck that is the journey. Is that how you build up a following? Write crap about how you can write for crap until you get less crappy little by little.

I wanted to see how many times I could put crap in a sentence.

See, I'm a verbal genius.

I need to focus less on others that are more skilled and/or more popular than I and more on my own skill set.

But really, you should check out the P-Dub. She is pretty awesome.

~M.Grace

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-28T10:37:00.002-08:00

When we got married and moved away from the home base of Nor Cal, Swain and I decided that we would host Thanksgiving wherever we happen to be, inviting all those stationed with us that can’t or aren’t going home either.

This being our first Thanksgiving together as a married couple, we went ahead full steam!

For those who don’t know, I’m kind of a control freak. But I tried my best not to stress but to enjoy the day and make some great food.

I thought I’d run through a few of the highlights and lessons learned because if I tried to give the play by play, it’d be a loooong post. As it is, it will probably be a long post.

Seven boys, two girls. Early on I was worrying about table situation since my table seats eight and the number of attendees kept vacillating between 3 and 12. However, I decided that was one detail I could let go. One of the attendees had a card table and that was good enough for me (even though my table is pub height which makes those at the card table about two feet lower than the rest of us). C’est la vie!

Because I am the lovely ocd lady I am, I ironed the napkins.

And yes, I folded them all pretty and tucked the silverware in.

Lesson: Don’t do that when you have a bunch of Marines over for dinner. One grabbed the corner of the napkin and pulled up quickly letting the fork and knife clang down onto my wedding china that has been used a whopping four times in the 15 months of my marriage. Lucky for him, nothing broke.

But I did set a pretty table. Here it is sans food:

And with the food:

Lesson: When cooking for seven boys (who have physical fitness tests and weight classes to make) and two girls, don’t cook as much as I did. Especially the green stuff. 1.75lbs of beans….1.25lbs too many!

And in case you missed it, here’s a little close up on one of my faves from the evening:

See, all I have is a pink plastic butter dish and that just wouldn’t do. So I let some butter sit at room temp and smooshed it down into these little cups. Yes. I am strange. I was abnormally happy about this. No one really noticed. It didn’t matter. It was really just for me!

Let’s meet the star of Thanksgiving…. the turkey. Look at that gorgeous bird. Succulent. Juicy. Cooked to perfection. How?

I’ll tell you how. With the power of oil.

There is Swain with the turkey fryer. That was all him. I did the dressing, the ham, the mashed potatoes, the mashed yams, the cranberry relish, the salad, the rolls and the green beans. But the turkey, oh that delicious fowl, was all Swain.

You have to lower it in slowly.

Notice how Swain is monitoring the process while everyone else is at least thee feet away from the 350 degree oil. Every 15 minutes they would step back another six inches.

I highly recommend fried turkey.

Everybody loved it.

Further lessons:

- Making the mashed potatoes earlier in the day and putting them in a crock pot to keep them warm is such an amazing time saver and works like a charm. However, next time I will put it on “keep warm” instead of “low” since on “low” the edges started to burn a little. I will also put a towel down over the top, then put the lid down to soak up the condensation before it drops down into the potatoes.

- Don’t make four desserts.

- Don’t make five appetizers.

- Put the appetizers out by the turkey fryer with the men-folk instead of on the bar in the kitchen area by the ladies.

- Have a couple of these to keep you sane.

Final Thought on Food: No Turkey Day is complete without a Pumpkin Pie:

I had a blast and I’m already making plans for next time!

~M.Grace

FYI

2009-11-28T08:02:00.001-08:00

I’ve decided that calling my Hubbs “The Hubbs” will only get confusing as time goes on and all my friends get married.

I hereby dub my Hubbs: Swain.

Get used to it.

~M.Grace

The Cats Rule

2009-11-22T08:38:00.004-08:00

This is Cuddles. Cuddles is a pure bred British Shorthair.

Cuddles likes to wake me up at 3am meowing in my face for no apparent reason.

Cuddles was born and bred in captivity and has nearly no his natural survival instincts.

Cuddles is adorable.

So adorable! And fluffy and cuddly and sweet.

….well, when he’s not waking me up at 3am for no apparent reason. Then, he’s less adorable and more a huge pain!

I’m not sure how many other people would put up with Cuddles. Cute as the little mush-face may be, I haven’t gotten a full nights sleep in quite some time.

He has figured out how to open my jewelry box and began emptying of its contents last night.

He is allergic to fleas.

Cuddles is a very very needy cat.

And if you aren’t showing him enough love, he will let you know.

I can’t help it. I love this cantankerous, needy, smooshed face kittie. It’s true, what they say. You bond more with indoor only cats. I’ve had cats my whole life. Growing up, the were all indoor/outdoor. I loved them all and I cried when they had to go to the big cat tree in the sky.

But I think I’ll be pretty close to devastated if anything ever happens to either one of these felines.

I know, eventually, all living things go. But at their young ages, I don’t really have to worry about that any time soon.

Unless, of course, some idiot comes over to our house and leaves the door open! Knowing full well, as this is by no means his first time over here, that this dumb cat will think, “ooh, what’s out there?” and wander out into the big bad world that he has seen all of THREE times in his six years of life!

Now, Grendel is from the skreet. She knows better. She’s been in the world. She was born out there and knows it sucks. She would never ever venture out an open door. She usually hides if its left open. She’s a smart kittie.

But Cuddles isn’t. So he bolted.

The door opening offender considered just leaving and not telling us. But he broke down and confessed. My Hubbs told the cat loser that maybe it would be better for him if he left immediately. Which he did.

Our other guests helped up search the neighborhood. We looked under cars, in bushes, up trees. No Cuddles.

The Hubbs went inside and began to change. I knew that could not be good. He was very angry. I guess sending the kittie hater home wasn’t a safe enough distance because the Hubbs was going to go pay the airheaded nincompoop a visit…..and most likely smash his face in.

Thankfully, just at that moment, our ex cop friend came walking down the sidewalk with Cuddles in his arms. It would have been more appropriate if he had been an ex fireman, but cop is good too.

Cuddles was down the street, around the corner and nearly to the state highway. Which here is really just a four lane street, but still. Big street, little kittie.

He’s home now, right where he belongs. No one’s face got smashed in. It all ended as best as it possible could have.

But it was quite the scare. What would I have done without this sweet face to wake me up at 3am by smacking me in the face with his mitt like paws?

Cried big tears on my wee pilla. That’s what I’d have done.

Note to all who come visit my abode: Cats stay IN!

~M.Grace

Irony.

2009-11-02T20:53:00.001-08:00

I love Washington DC. I lived there for a glorious three months in Fall 2003. My college had a program that involved one class, one gigantic paper and one internship. It was magical. DC in best in the fall. Just cool enough for a snazzy belted jacket and pretty scarf (many of which hung, and still hang, in my closet).

I could go for hours about the city. I love cities in general. The hustle and the bustle. The suits and the sidewalks. But DC is the best of all the cities I’ve seen.

But this isn’t about DC.

This is about the fact that while I was in DC, I was working on my applications to law school. I had picked four school: Catholic University of America (DC), Northeastern University (Boston), University of Washington (Seattle) and University of San Francisco (San Francisco). I was told by my advisor that these schools were all within the realm of possibilities.

I took the LSAT.

I filled out the applications.

I had the recommendations.

All I needed was the personal statement.

That’s all.

Side note. I used to be a much better writer. My skills have dulled with lack of use. But rest assured, six years ago I was at the top of my literary game.

So a personal statement should have been no big deal.

Whenever I had some free time (which wasn’t often), I’d go to a local coffee shop. A different one each time. Order something hot and loaded with caffeine. And write. Ah, simple pleasures.

Why did I want to be a lawyer.

Why should they let me into their school.

I hit a wall.

Why do I want to be a lawyer?

I was interning at the Department of Justice. I worked with lawyers each day. Lawyers who practiced the kind of law I had been interested in.

Notice the use of past tense.

I could not see this being my long term career. So I changed my mind and did not apply to law school. It was not a decision I make lightly and it was not a decision that did not meet with considerable argument from those who cared about what they thought was best for me.

I stuck to my guns. I had changed my mind and they could not change it back.

Too bad I didn’t know what to change my mind to. When you are on a course for over a certain amount of time, leaving it is not easy. Choosing a new course is even more difficult.

I guess I didn’t! Because here I am, six years later, working for attorneys!!

How did this happen?

Ugh.

Not that I don’t like my job. I just can’t help but find the irony a little stinging.

Over the years, I have worked for three attorneys. My favorite was tax law. The oddest turn of events of all. Taxes? Numbers and balance sheet and negotiating with the IRS? Loved it.

Currently, I work at a small firm that handles criminal and family matters. I am the family law clerk. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. I guess its like choosing between two evils.

Criminal law. Law breakers. Drunkards. Druggies. Whiners. Complainers.

Family law. Bickering. Haggling. Lying. Cheating. Whining. Complaining.

I guess they really aren’t that different.

Still, it is interesting. It is a position with responsibilities that I’ve never held before. It does put money in the bank.

Still, I hate family law.

I miss tax law.

Oh the irony.

I still don’t want to be a lawyer.

~M.Grace, anti-esquire

Lasagna – Part Two

2009-10-23T15:45:00.003-07:00

Alright now, here is the nail-biting conclusion to “Lasagna – Part One” that you have all been waiting for.

This is good for a night when you don’t want to do much. Or a night when people are coming over. Or when you want to have leftovers for lunch for a few days. Or when you are craving some truly superb lasagna.

Step One. Remove sauce from Part One from the fridge or freezer. If it was in the freezer and you froze it in one large Tupperware like I often do, you should take it out as early as possible. Perhaps before you go to work? Just stick in a bowl (to catch all the melting ice and keep your counter and fridge from getting all wet) and stick it in the fridge. But if you don’t think ahead, like I often don’t you’ll need to heat it up. Depending on the size and frozen-ness of your sauce, this can take a chunk of time. But you don’t want to turn the heat way up in attempts to get it done faster. You’d just melt the bottom and burn it up while the top was still frozen solid. Time and patience. And a closed lid. And you can take your spoon to it periodically to break it into smaller pieces as it starts to melt.

Take a look in that pot…does it look like enough to you? How much is enough? That is a good question. Enough is enough. And you don’t want to NOT have enough, so if you are in doubt, add another can of puree just to be safe. The original recipe should be enough, but if your Hoard was extra hungry and everyone had seconds, you may need to add another can.

As per the original recipe, any time you add anything to the sauce, what do you do?
If you guessed “season” you are right! A little bit of salt, a little bit of pepper and a dash of the Italian stuff.

Get this stuff. Ricotta cheese (look close. Yes, that says part skim. See, I try to be healthy), mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, parsley, lasagna pasta (I’m lazy, so I use no boil) and an egg.

If you’re going to cook this tonight, now would be a good time to turn the oven on. 375 degrees please!

Mix up the ricotta (15oz package), the egg, about 1/4 cup parmesan and 1 tablespoon of parsley in a bowl. Set aside.

Grate up the mozzarella. I’m a cheese fiend so I use nearly the whole block. Go by feel, how much cheese do you like? You should use at least half a 12oz block.

Grab your lasagna pan. Four no bake lasagna noodles happen to fit perfectly when set horizontally and slightly overlapped.

Smear on half of the ricotta cheese mix. This part can be tricky as the dry noodles like to slide around. Good luck. Your fingers will get cheesified. Its automatic for me to lick my fingers off and I have to try to remember to use a napkin. Raw egg. Lick at your own risk!

Plop on about half your sauce. Spread that yummy goodness around. Feel free to lick your fingers after this stage.

Dee-vine. Can I just stop here and get a spoon? I guess we should finish.

Sprinkle on a nice healthy layer of mozzarella. Of course, by healthy, I don’t really mean good for your health.

And repeat. Then end with a little more parmesan on top, just for ducks.

At this point you can stick this the fridge for up to 24 hours. I do this often when I have post work plans and won’t have time to make dinner when I finally get home. I suppose I could leave dinner cooking up to others….but that’s just crazy. I just tell them to pop this puppy in the oven about an hour before they might get hungry.

So, if this was in the fridge for any amount of time, you are going to want to cook it at 375F, covered (with foil) for 50 minutes then uncovered for another 10 minutes.

If you plan to cook this bad boy right after assembly, 35-45 minutes uncovered will do it. Just until the cheese on top is goo-ified and bubbly.

Just look at that gorgeous pan of heaven. ….Just look at how small my oven is! That is only an 11 inch pan!

Beautiful. See how the cheese is slightly browned. Yum….but what is with that section there on the right that is devoid of cheese?!? That is a casualty of aluminum foil. Lesson? If you cover it, make sure the foil stays puffed up away from the cheese as best as possible.

Please please please let it set there for at LEAST 10 minutes to solidify. Else it will all slide apart the moment you cut in.

Cheesy Footnote: If you’re in the mood and the budget allows, quality mozzarella (the kind that comes floating in murky water) and quality parmesan (the kind that’s super hard and costs an arm and a leg) do make a difference. Not a huge difference. Maybe if those cheese happen to be on sale….but notice, I did not use them here.

Enjoy!
~M.Grace

Oh Miracle of Miracles

2009-10-17T08:10:00.004-07:00

Ah the DMV. That magical place where lines are abundant and grumpy workers rain supreme.

Disclaimer: Any negative remarks made here about the DMV are based on the dominant rhetorical belief that dealing with the DMV is difficult. Insult to the hard working employees at the DMV is not intended. But come on, jokes about the DMV have been around for as long as the DMV has been around. Get over it.

The Hubbs’ vehicle registration came due and by the wonder that is the CA government, it went up by about $100 from last year. Its fairly new and its a sports car so it wasn’t cheap to begin with. Thanks a lot CA for thinking you could fund you broke government by making it too expensive for your citizens to own vehicles.

But I’m not here to talk about politics.

I waiting a bit; you get those registration forms pretty early and I just didn’t feel like writing a check that big. Still, since we aren’t actually in CA, I sent it in with what I thought was enough time to get the little sticker back before the one on the car expires.

We waited.

And waited.

And I started to worry.

The registration is up this month. Oh boy. Cops here love to pull people over for expired/out of state registration.

Come on DMV, don’t let me down!

….oh we’re screwed.

Then, we two, yes two!, letters in the mail from the DMV. One is the tell tale larger envelope that holds the proof of registration and the little sticker. YAY!

While that is exciting, the other envelope held something even more amazing. More mysterious. More breath-taking than proof of registration.

A letter?

A letter from the DMV?

A letter from the DMV with a check attached?!?!

(Note: Pictures have been blurred and altered to protect the identity and address of this household!)

Apparently, I overpaid the registration. In my defense, they list about 20 different amounts (if you pay after this date, after this date, after this date, if you aren’t going to use it, if its been totaled…and on and on). I guess I picked the wrong one.

But that’s not really the surprising part.

The CA DMV sent me back my money with no prompting? No requests? Nothing? I would have expected the broke State would have held on to it, sent it on something else, then sent me an IOU when I finally figured out I overpaid.

I guess I underestimated my home State.

I am shocked.

I am awed.

I apologize. To the DMV and CA.

But the DMV is still a terror to deal with and CA is still run by a bunch of financial dolts that probably can’t balance their own checkbooks.

The end.

~M.Grace

Birthday Dress

2009-10-10T13:58:00.003-07:00

I remember promising myself I’d blob more. I believe I mentioned it in my blob about how I hate the word “blog.” Which would be why I’m calling it a blob right now.

In just about one month “Shock Troopahs” everywhere will be celebrating the birth of their beloved Corps. No matter where you are, you celebrate. Knee deep in sand, trudging through the jungle, at a large base or with a small detachment of only about 60 Marines. Its a big deal.

Stateside, we get to celebrate with a Ball. The Birthday Ball. A black tie event. Except instead of tuxes, dress blues. And us spouses are expected to dress up to the nines. I was lectured before my first Ball as to what is acceptable and what is not. No prom dresses. No full skirts. No tulle. This is Formal. Yes, with a capital F. We’re looking for sleek and sophisticated. Of course, at my first Ball I saw ladies wearing short dresses and dresses that had more poof than my wedding dress, but the rules remain for me. I’m ok with that.

Knowing that I am a very picky, and having these strict guidelines, I start shopping early for the dress. Since I live about two hours away from a Macys, I started even earlier. I’m not a department store snob, its just that JCP, Dillards and Sears don’t exactly have large formal wear sections. I scoured the racks multiple times. When did short dresses become classified as formal? I don’t care if they are made out satin, silk, or tulle, they are NOT formal! I was getting very worried.

I found a dress online that I liked a lot but it violated a few of my own personal shopping rules.
A. Avoid online shopping because of shipping fees and because you can’t try it on.
B. Never pay full price.

I was close to compromising on both fronts. Very close.

Then my boss lady suggested I check out a local consignment store. I was a bit skeptical, but thought “what’s the harm?”

The answer is there is no harm at all. In fact, sometimes there is a diamond in the rough; like this dress.
BGBC. Strapless. Dark purple. Black sash (it doesn’t look black in the pictures, but I promise it is). And far from full price.

After three Balls (and being a bridesmaid three times, and a Bride once, and from watching a ton of “What not to Wear” while unemployed) I know what is likely to look good on me. Stacy and Clinton always say to emphasize the smallest part of your waist. Mine is at my natural waist (which isn’t quite defined as it was in the past, I need to start working out with greater regularity). Well, the sash does that. It is a bit higher than my natural waist, but it does the job good enough! And see the top part? How the fabric is all folded over itself? That looks good on me. It’d be better if it was a v-neck and the fabric looked like it had been wrapped around. Like my wedding dress.

But straight across will do.

I like the color too. I don’t own a lot of purple. Not because I don’t like it, it just doesn’t seem to be so ubiquitous. Except in dresses, apparently, because I wore purple to the 2007 Ball.

Wow, look at that super short hair. And see, v-neck wrap like effect. Sash defining my waist. A little too high here too. But since most ladies’ smallest part is just below the boobies, most dresses cater to that. I can’t believe I’m sharing this picture but it’s the only digital I have that shows the dress. I’m doing the electric slide. And I’m so pale the flash from the camera washes me out.

So I have a dress! Now to find black strappy heels no more than 2.5 inches high (any higher is too high for the dress), some jewelry (I’m thinking kind of heavy, short, yellowish? Suggestions anyone?) and figure out what to do with my hair. Options are limited because, while its longer than at the 2007 Ball, it is still pretty short.

An excuse to wear a pretty dress, get dolled up and party, I love the Birthday Ball. Thanks, USMC, for being born and thanks for celebrating that fact with an awesome Formal event!

~M.Grace

The Buoyancy of Salt

2009-09-23T19:32:00.002-07:00

I finally had my first Gulf of Mexico water experience! The Hubbs, brother in law and I went snorkeling this past weekend. The base here has a rental facility where you can get all kinds of stuff. Snorkel gear. Kayaks. Camping stuff. Sail boats. Dunk tanks. Whatever you could want!

And we wanted snorkeling gear.

So snorkeling gear we got.

I have snorkeled once before. …I have to take an aside here and just point out that the more I type the word snorkel, the funnier it gets.

About thirteen years ago my parents were actually cool for about a week and took the fam to Hawaii. There, we snorkeled. It was wicked cool. I burned the heck out of my back. That was not wicked cool.

Hawaii offers reefs full of a rainbow of wild life. Fish in colors I’ve never seen out of crayon box. Things attached to rocks that move and ebb like they are breathing…well, I guess they were. The water was alive and everywhere you turned there was more to see.

In comparison, the Gulf is like dirty dish water full of floating objects you hope aren’t alive.

But setting the comparison to Hawaii aside (or at least trying to), it was really fun.

First and foremost, I love water and it has been far too long since I’ve gotten to swim in a natural body of water.

There was some interesting life down there too. We saw a bunch of long and narrow fish. They look like really big minnows. By really big, I mean the length of your hand from fingertip to wrist, but for a minnow that’s pretty big. Then there were these fish that look like you had taken the giant minnow and smooshed it. So same length but thin and tall. So, hold up your hand again (oh I know you did it before for the minnow sizing). These guys were the size and shape of your hand. If you look at it straight on, you might not see it! Well, not that thin, but you get the idea.

The Hubbs and BIL would go down to the bottom and bring up hermit crabs for me to see. I don’t like going under with the snorkel mask. That’s not the point! I’ve got a tube so I can keep breathing!

As we swam out further, the rocks get higher and higher until they are just under your belly. There are random bits of coral growing on the rocks so you have to be careful where you grab on. The menfolk grabbed a few times to keep from being swept out with the tide and their fingertips are all cut up. As soon as they said “to keep from being swept out in the tide” I started to hang back a bit. Not that I’m not a strong swimmer, it’s just been a while since I’ve had to contend with tides.

After I’d had my fill of brown water wild life, I took off my mask and air tube and floated on my back. It is amazing how easy it is to float in salt water. My amazement at this highlights the fact that its been a while since I’ve been in salt water. With no effort at all, I was able to lie back and look at the sky. The water gently lapping around my ears. The water isn’t cold here like the Pacific. Its just below body temperature, which takes some getting used to.

Floating there in tepid bathwater staring at blue-grey skies with wispy clouds was the closest thing to peaceful I’ve felt in a while. Things get so hectic. I let things get so regimented. I like things to be regimented. Well, not super regimented, I’m no Marine! But I do like order. Or at least I like to pretend there is order. I often forget to stop and float for just a bit. It’s very calming. I enjoyed it.

Maybe we’ll go back this weekend!

Saltily Yours,
~M.Grace

Lasagna – Part One

2009-09-18T17:10:00.002-07:00

This is Part One of my Super Awesome Lasagna. Part One should be done anywhere from one day to two weeks prior to the evening you actually want the lasagna.

Part One is “Have Pasta For Dinner But Make WAY More Than You Need” which really means you are about to be privy to my Super Secret Super Awesome Red Sauce recipe. Serious folks, prepare to love and appreciate red sauce in a way you have never imagined. Not to toot my own horn, or anything. But I will say that I converted a red sauce hater. Well, not really. He will only eat the red sauce you are about to learn the recipe for.

First and Foremost: Get a huge pot. I love Le Creuset. Who doesn’t? Enamel covered cast iron. An institute in the culinary world. I really do love my Creuset. Le Creuset is not necessary for this dish, but I just had to expound on my love. This big boy is 9 quarts. I use all 9 quarts. But keep in mind, this red sauce will serve three boys and me, twice. I may even get to take a little to lunch the next day, twice.

The recipe is broken down into three basic Steps: Meat, Veggies, Tomatoes. You will be seasoning after each Step, so be prepared and keep the salt and pepper handy!

STEP ONE – The Meat: Get some sausage.

I am not trying to suggest a brand here, but I do always use Johnsonville. Back in Cali, I could find it ground, but not out here. Ground or linked, I use two packages. I like hot and the Hubbs likes sweet. But every time I go to the commissary, they only have mild and hot. So hot it is! You can buy whatever brand or variety you like, but for me guarantee the success of your attempts at my recipe, it MUST be sausage.

Unfortunately, when using link sausage, you must remove the casing. It is disgusting and I will save you from those pictures. I much prefer ground sausage for it ease of use. But we do with what we must!

Add a little bit of Olive Oil to the pot. Not a ton though, sausage is pretty fatty on its own. But a little never hurt. Then toss in the sausage!

Break it up a little with a wooden spoon. Yes, it must be wood for the sauce to turn out as superawesomedelious as possible.

We don’t want the meat to be too chunky and when using links it is sometimes hard to break apart properly. So grab your trusty potato masher.

And turn it into a sausage masher.

Now grab the Big Three: Salt, Pepper and Italian Seasonings.

I use Kosher Salt. Why? Because it is the best salt in the world. I use nothing but Kosher Salt…except in baking. For some reason I carry this belief that Kosher Salt will mess with the chemistry of baking and won’t try to prove that belief right or wrong. I also use fresh cracked pepper, because I’m a pepper snob. But I’m not a seasoning snob. I could use a million different herbs and spices, but really, they are all already in Italian Seasoning. So why bother?

Anyway, I use a “healthy” pinch of salt…I’d estimate about a teaspoon…..a heaping teaspoon. About 10-15 turns of the pepper grinder and a layer of Italian Seasoning. Yes, a layer. Cover the meat with it. Like this: Then stir it around.

STEP TWO – Veggies:
You will absolutely, no debating, need garlic and onion. It just isn’t right without garlic and onion.

I used two onions because they were pretty dinky. Can you tell we love garlic in this house? But I only used two cloves this time. Sometimes I use more, but two is good.

Its good to start this Step after you have already completed Step One so that all the while, the sausage is browning. You may have to look in on it every few minutes to make sure its not burning or sticking. I fidget with the heat a lot. Up, down, up, down. A good medium-high is fine. I just like to fool with dials.

Anyway, cut the onion in half, then peel off the outer layer. I left it attached at the end to use as a handle. Coarsely chop them all up.

If you love garlic like I do, you should buy one of these.

It take garlic from this:
To this:
with only a few turns of the wrist. It saves so much time and energy. Do you know how much chopping it takes to get two whole cloves chopped this small? Its nearly impossible.

Anyway, add the garlic and the onions to the pot and give it a good stir.

Then comes the second set of veggies. I always use a red bell pepper and at least a pound of mushrooms. You can, if you dare, use your discretion here. I have, in the past, put broccoli in my red sauce. I liked that. Zucchini is often good as well. But I fear that in the interim between pasta night and lasagna night that it will get mushy. Asparagus is a little odd. I gets woody. Not a fav in my mind.

So. A pound of white mushroom.This particular day, the commissary had gigantor mushroom. Look, they are the size of my palm!

So I cut them in half, then chopped them up. Look at that gorgeous pile of fungi. mmmm….
Now, put them aside.

Have you been checking on the meat? Make sure you do!

Look at the beautiful specimen of red bell pepper. I love red bell pepper.

Chop off the top, then the sides. Just discard the middle portion. You can use the top portion too, if you’re in the mood. Just cut around the stem part. Then just choppy choppy. I like them just smaller than “bite sized.” Big enough that you know they are there but not so big they don’t get cooked all the way.

Toss ‘em in with the mushrooms. Set the bowl aside until you are ready for them. Go check the meat!

If the meat is cooked thoroughly and the onions are browned, then toss in the bowl of veggies, like this:

Ooh, action shot. I like it.

Yes, it fills up the whole pot. You’re thinking I’m crazy. And you’re right. But trust me on this one, they cook down.

Trust me here, too. More salt, more pepper and more Italian seasoning. Salt. Same amounts as before. I’m sure you’ve moved beyond “she’s crazy” to “she obviously likes salt way more than me!” Salt is so very necessary. There is nothing you can cook that does not use salt. Salt makes everything better. Salt makes the world go round. When a dish tastes bad, the first thing to check is the salt contact. And adding salt at the table is not the same thing. Salt added during the cooking process pulls the flavor out of the food. It is as necessary as life blood. Now, if it seems like I’m using a lot (between 2 and three teaspoons each addition) its because this particular recipe serves about 10-12 (four people twice with lots of leftovers).

Now see? All those mushroom cooked down and the meat is visible once again. Oh wait! Its time to start the water a'-boilin’ for the pasta! You don’t want to be waiting on pasta or you might just start eating the sauce with a spoon!

This will sound a bit odd, too. But grab three baby carrots… and a handheld grater…
and grate them in the pot. Stop at around this point for each one, no need to grate any fingertips! As for the why are we putting carrots in our pasta? Its for the sugar. Tomatoes, for all their glory, are a bit acidic and the pasta needs a little bit of sugar to cut that. You could add a pinch of actual sugar, but I like to keep it veggie based.
Now it looks like this! See the little specs of yellow carrot goodness? Now stir it all up and its time for Step Number 3!

STEP THREE – Tomatoes:

No, I do not start with whole, fresh tomatoes. I used to say “its not from scratch unless you use fresh tomatoes” then I tried it. I discovered a few things:
1. It takes a truck load of tomatoes to make just one evening’s worth of sauce,
2. Its messy and gross business,
3. …well that’s pretty much it. And was enough to get me to recant.

So I typically use one can of diced, two cans of puree and one can of paste. The diced tomatoes are to add a little more chunk to the sauce. I use puree instead of sauce because it has less added to it in the way of salt and preservatives and paste for thickening. You have to go by feel at this point. If it looks too meaty, add more puree. If you feel like adding more diced, add another little can of paste too. Either that or drain the diced. You don’t want the sauce to get too runny. And guess what? More salt, pepper and Italian seasoning! Add them in and stir it up! Then grab a spoon and give a taste.
Oh no! I forgot something!

We like spice in this house. Crushed red peppers are an important ingredient but you can monitor the amounts to your taste. Its not as imperative as the salt that you follow my lead here.
I add almost a whole tablespoon…. about 5-7 good shakes of the big container. It makes it spicy. Maybe only a teaspoon to start with for those without the love of spice that we have.

Then grab your spoon and taste again! If you are worried about germs then grab a new spoon. Adjust the seasonings at this point to your taste. I added more salt…and a little more black pepper too. We like black pepper in this house more than red pepper and only a little less than salt.

This was a very good buy and I suggest it thoroughly. It keeps the sauce from splattering. Putting the lid on would do the same, but then the condensation would drip back into the sauce and that’s no bueno.

Now let it simmer a bit. Just long enough to cook our pasta. See that pot in the background? Thought I forgot about that didn’t you?
See, its boiling. Perfect timing. Now add some salt. Look at that, another action shot!
And another! Add that pasta! as much as you need for tonight. I use about a half a box for our house of four.

The length of time the pasta takes to cook is enough simmering time for the sauce. When the pasta is done, drain it out, go back to your sauce and give it a good stir.

Wow. That looks divine. My mouth is watering!
Yummy!

Now refrigerate or freeze the rest depending on how soon you will be using it for lasagna! I’ll be posting Part Two of My Awesome Lasagna soon!

Happy eating!
~M.Grace

Occasionally, I Get Mad

2009-09-08T16:22:00.002-07:00

Occasionally, I get mad at God.

I know. That's horrible. Right? I'm a good Catholic girl. I go to Church. I say my prayers.
Ok, I haven't been to confession in a while. But come on, I think I'm on pretty good terms with the All Mighty!

Well, I'm not sure what He thinks about me being angry with Him. That probably takes me down a few pegs in the grand scheme of things.

I don't ask for much. Health for my family and friends. Maybe some strength to deal with what is. Maybe some guidance and support.
I don't just pray when I need something. I make sure to list the things I am thankful for that I know were given to me by God.

Every once in a long while, I pray for a specific thing. Not money, not clothes, not popularity or prestige. Usually something specific like a situation I, or someone I know, needs help with. I am often purposefully vague, not wanted to seem as though I am testing my God.

I asked for something very specific this time. Something very important to my Hubbs, thus to me, and very very important to our future.

I did not get it. It did not happen. God did not answer this particular prayer.

Why not? Is it because I haven't been to confession in eight (wow, eight?!) years? Do I not pray enough? Do I not give enough when the plate is passed? Because I stopped wearing my scapular? Because I married a non-Catholic in a Christian ceremony? Because he's the one I wanted something for? Am I being punished? Am I being taught a lesson? Why must my Hubbs suffer with me while I am punished or while I learn?

There is always the "go to" when your prayers don't get answered: God's plan is beyond our comprehension and all will be reveled in due time!

Well. Excuse me....and I reserve the right to change my mind later because I'm angry right now...but that's bull. Bad things don't happen for a reason all the time. Sometimes they just happen. There is no bright side. This is all bad. Now...granted...not nearly as bad as it could be. But still. No bueno!

And thus must we suffer the consequences of unanswered prayers.

Its not the end of the world. Even if it had been the worse, we would have found a way to persevere. It would have sucked tons, but we would have made due. But as it is, it is causing and will cause stress not needed in this household.

I guess now I'll pray for strength. For calm. For clarity. The normal things I pray for, but with more fervor than before.

But for today, I am angry with God. Hopefully He forgives me for that.

~M.Grace

That's What I Get For Being Good

2009-09-01T12:32:00.002-07:00

I have a job. In one week at that job I work two eight hour days and three four hour days. While that means a lighter paycheck, it also means I have three (count 'em 1, two, 3) afternoons to myself. I can run errands. Go to the commissary when its not overrun. Clean up around the house. Craft. File. Shop. It's great. I love it. The only negative would be the whole smaller paycheck deal. I have not worked full time in about a year.

Until now.

Today, the boss lady asks if I want to go to lunch today. Sure. That be great. So we're eating and chatting. Then she brings up the fact that their family law clerk told them this morning that he's leaving. She was thrown into hysterics! Well, maybe not. But it caused her a bit of stress. Until she realized that they happen to have an overqualified office assistant licking envelopes all by her lonesome in the FWB office. So, would I like to work full time, have more responsibilities and be paid more? Without hesitation, yes! That is Y-E-S, yes!

.....with only a moments pause for the death of my afternoon free time. What, now I have to go to the store at 5pm like everyone else? Now I have to clean on the weekends? Now I only get to craft on Saturday? Now I can't waste the hours away on facebook? Sigh.

Quit complaining! More moolah! More responsibilities! More using my brain cells! This is a very very very good thing. And it is always nice to be recognized as useful and talented. And I am very grateful.

But I will miss my afternoons.

~M.Grace

Blogging

2009-08-21T15:26:00.002-07:00

You know what, I hate the word blog. It sounds like an onomatopoeia. Like buzz or clack or bang. Blog. Bleh. It should be wlog. For Web Log. iLog. For Internet Log. From now on I refuse to use that word. However, I don't really have a good substitute. I'll just use the long form. What, are we so busy we can't say Web Log? I'm bringin' back.

Welcome to my Web Log.

I'll be like Captain James T. Kirk. "Web Log, Internet date 082109...."

Yes, I know. A Star Trek reference makes me just a bit of a nerd.
(.......................the new Star Trek is the best movie ever......... yeah, I said it. Ok, how about the best Star Trek movie ever?)

My life is so boring as of late that I have nothing to Web Log about except my dislike of the shorter version of "Web Log."

And you are reading it. What does that say about your social life?

Random thought. Most of my friends are married or will be soon. That makes me feel old.

What else makes me feel old? I was talking to the business manager at work about these crazy kids and their texting addictions. How they can't go more than five minutes without checking their facebook or their phones or their emails. Like the world is going to end if they don't respond to Missy's email right now or let all their facebook friends know that they have gotten back from lunch and are now going to watch a movie or email their sweetiepie back within 15 minutes of getting that oh so important email about his dirty socks. Guess what. You are no so important that you need to be contactable 24/7. No. You're not.

Yeah. That discussion made me feel old. Crazy kids and their crazy texting.

But please, read my Web Log all day every day where ever you are! Yes! Read about my random lame days that are filled with me complaining about the overuse of and dependence on the very technology that I use to post this. When I was a kid, we had to go to the library to do our research!

This is very random, almost hypocritical and completely pointless.

Thanks for stopping by!
~M.Grace

The Great Debate

2009-08-08T17:09:00.005-07:00

I want a dog.

This is all my Hubbses fault. He saw a sign at the grocery store for American Bull Dog puppies.

This isn't one of them, but its a good representation of the four puppies we visited last Sunday.

I want one.

The Cons are:
1. Money. Even though these puppies are a steal, puppies in general require upkeep that costs money. Shots, vet visits, food, leashes, and all the other stuff you could buy for a dog. It adds up. And with our recent move and my being jobless for two months, there isn't really a lot of extra to go around at this moment.

2. Time. The Hubbs is at school about 14 hours a day. Which means all cleaning, feeding, walking, etc will be up to me and me alone. I'll be starting my new job shortly which means I'll need to get up at 6am again. With a dog to walk each morning, make that 5am!

3. Kitties. Everyone tells me that they would get along ok. These puppies actually live with a cat and it doesn't mind at all. But little Grendel is such a scardy-cat she'd probably hide under the bed for God knows how long. And, as a mother to my animals, would my kitties feel neglected compared to all the time and attention the puppy will get? I love my kitties!

4. The future. American Bull Dogs live for 10-12 years. Okinawa, Japan is most definitely in our future. Moving across the country with cats was a huge headache. Moving to another country with two cats and a dog? A headache AND pricey! Then there is the possibility that I might some day ask my parents if I can hang out at their place while Doug is deployed. They are not set up for a dog. They are skeptical about taking me in with the two cats. With a dog, I'd need to find some place else to crash for 6-7 months while Doug is out in the field.

5. Future Part Two: Vacations. If the Hubbs is deployed and I want to visit my family or friends, what do I do with the dog? Cats can go a few days with food and water in the bowl and a litter box. Dogs, not so much.

The Pros are:
1. I want one.

2. The kind (well, one of the kinds) that I have always liked is available, cute, affordable (Bull Dogs can get pricey and that's just for the dog, these are quite nicely priced; however, the total cost of dog ownership is still a con).

3. I already have a named picked out.

Logically, the Cons win and I don't get the dog.

But I want one....

Vote now! Should I get the dog?

At this point, I still don't know how this great debate will end.
~M.Grace

Florida Update

2009-08-06T07:21:00.002-07:00

I dislike Florida.

That's not fair. It really isn't so bad. I just don't like small towns were there is nothing to do. Food is way more expensive than in CA and the fresh products of much less quality. Even the citrus which I think is really strange since Florida is supposed to be the citrus mecca.

I hate humidity. And while I love rain, I hate when it rains like mad (like mad, nothing like in CA, you can't even see five feet ahead) and its still 90 degrees. Then after the rain stops, about 20 minutes later, the humidity comes back with vengeance. Then that night, guaranteed, there will be bugs in the house, trying to escape the very same humidity I am avoiding in my super air conditioned house (and by super a/c, I mean its on all day just to keep it 78 inside). I guess I should feel a kind of camaraderie with the bugs. We're both just trying to keep out of the drenching heat/humidity combo that makes us ill. But I don't. Bugs are gross. We bought bug traps but they are too small for the bugs that I've seen around here. I really really really hate bugs. And I hate that there is nothing I can do to keep them out. It isn't a matter of having a messy kitchen that attracts them, they just come. Clean or no.

I love thunder and lightening. I really do. But I hate that, on base, a blaring alarm will sound, letting you know that you really ought to go inside for a while or you will, WILL, get hit by lightening. When I first heard the alarm, I thought we were being attacked. Well, not really, since I had been warned about the lightening alarm. But it is really unsettling to be on a military base and suddenly hear a really loud siren go and go and go.

Oh and a funnel cloud was spotted. What, are we in Kansas?!? No we are not! Tornadoes AND hurricanes! I can only handle the threat of ONE natural disaster! I miss CA, were the only natural disaster you had to worry about was earthquakes. And earthquakes don't have a whole "season" that you have to watch out for them. They are few and far between.

Enough bitching.

Here's what I love about Florida. Every night my husband comes home. HOME! He kisses me hello, then hops in the shower to clean up. While he's in there, I finish up dinner and we eat together. Sure, there are two other mouths to feed, but they don't really get in the way too much. I have all evening with my hubbs. We watch a movie or some TV, or he plays video games with his brother and I read next to him on the couch. The simple pleasure of just being around each other. He tells me what he learned in school, I tell him what I accomplished that day. Then we go to bed and I get to fall asleep in the arms of the man I love. What could be better? That may sound odd to some, but since I spent seven months falling asleep next to kitties and a 10mm, I revel in this joy each and every chance I get. When married to a Marine, you never know how long this joy will last. There is a very good chance he'll deploy right after school. So I will enjoy our evenings no matter where we are.

See, Florida isn't so bad.

~M.Grace

Alena Theresa

2009-07-28T06:57:00.005-07:00

I'm an AUNT!!!!!!!!

Yes, that lovely little angel is Alena Theresa. My big brother and his wife welcomed her on July 22, 2009 at 8:46pm. She was 8lbs, 5oz and 21 inches long. My mom called me around 8am Pacific Time to let me know they had been checked in the hospital, so almost 13 hours of labor. Not bad...compared to my best friend's, what?, 36? And that's all I have to compare it too.

Dan said it seemed like forever, but once it really got going it went pretty fast.

Just look at her! She's so sweet! Although I hear she cried through her entire first night home. No pictures from that event. I'm guessing she'll looks sweet in all the pictures taken and/or distributed.

This next picture is my favorite.

First of all, look how awesome my sister in law looks after giving birth. I mean, wow. She looks great! This was the same night and it looks more to me like the next morning! She is such a trooper!

And look at my brother. It almost makes me teary. Both hands on his wife and his eyes on his daughter. I just can't believe my brother is a dad! But I know he is going to be the best dad ever. Just look at him!

She's nearly a week old now, and I haven't heard much other than she's home and they are adjusting. I know my sil is planning to stay home from work for almost six months. I'm not sure when my bro has to go back. I'm sure he doesn't want to!

So I'm here in FL, searching for deals on flights to Sac. I hate to say it, but I might not get to really meet her until Christmas! :( But I am the happiest new Auntie in the world!

~M.Grace

Budget Queen: Five Meal for $50

2009-07-27T15:16:00.002-07:00

Ok, so fine. Technically this week of dinners cost more than $50. I just say $50 because I went to the store with a list of all the ingredients I needed to make dinner for this week (Monday through Friday) and only spent $50.

So I already had a handful of ingredients. Plus the commissary didn't have wine or good oranges. So maybe total it was $70. Still, that's $14 per dinner. And that is damn good.

I feel the need to share my joyous money saving adventure.

First, I went about it the hard way. I looked in all my cookbooks and wrote down all the recipes that I had prepared before with success (success at completion and success at reception) and those recipes that sounded good. Then I wrote down all the ingredients for all those recipes. Then I decided that was way too big a project. I must remember to never bite off more than I can chew!

So, I went back to the first list and picked five for this week. I tried to maintain some variety. I didn't want three chicken recipes in a row! Here is the menu for the next five days:

Monday: Shake&bake chicken, asparagus (with a hollandaise sauce), mashed potatoes
and a salad.
Tuesday: Sloppy Joes, broccoli and a salad (now, this sloppy joe recipe not from a can
it is from scratch and I've never tried it, so this is a test and we'll see how it
is received by the hungry hoard, aka my Hubbs, his brother and our
roommie Marine).
Wednesday: Classy Chicken (found this gem on allrecipes.com), pasta (the main dish
makes a lovely, tangy sauce) and a salad.
Thursday: Pasta with a sausage meat sauce! Yum. A personal fav. I make a TON so
that next week we can have lasagna too. Plus a salad (no veggie side? you
ask, well I put mushrooms, bell pepper and any other veg in the fridge in
the sauce.)
Friday: Stew. mmmm...another fav. This recipe is from "Tyler's Ultimate," a cooking
show on the Food Network. It is damn good. Plus bread and a salad.

So, I DID have most of the stuff for tonight (the shake and bake mix, chicken, asparagus) and I had tomato puree, paste and diced tomatoes already. Plus I had most of the seasonings. All that might have cost me around $10.

I STILL need some red wine and an orange for the stew and maybe some nice crusty bread to serve with it. That might also run me about $10. Maybe more if I pick a nice wine. But I'll probably buy the cheapest burgundy I can find.

And bam. Five days of dinner for under $75.

The plan is to sit down every Sunday and pick five meals for the coming week, write down all needed ingredients, stand in front of the pantry and cross off what I already have then go to the store!

My only problem is the weekends. This Saturday we are going to a barbecue so I'll only need to bring something like dessert. Which means I need to think up a good dessert before Saturday. I take dessert pretty seriously too. So choosing may take a while. Then Sunday. I suppose left overs if we didn't devour each evening's dinner.

Even with this weekend setback, I am on my way to being a Budget Queen! Which is quite necessary because I don't have a job yet!

Wish me luck (with my menu planning AND with finding a job)!

~M.Grace

Florida

2009-07-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to start. A two month break from blogging? That's horrible. So much has happened since May 14th, but only one thing really stands above all the else. I guess all the other happenings and ideas have to just fall by the wayside in light of the one huge fact that I moved to Florida.

Niceville, FL.

Nor-Calians: think of...Dixon? Maybe. Except the closest large city is Pensacola and that is over an hour away. There are three grocery stores. Two are the "discount" places similar to Winco (but worse). There is a McDonald's, a Sonic and a Dairy Queen. Oh, and a Subway.

So-Calians: think of...um. Hemet.

Most people who live in Niceville, do not work in Niceville. There are almost no offices. We are about 20 minutes from both Fort Walton Beach and Destin. Destin is the beach town, touristy. Lots of little board shops. FWB is where all the locals that work in Destin live. Compared to Niceville, FWB is a big town! That is so sad.

Don't get me wrong. Its not horrible. At least I get to be with the Hubbs! He starts class Monday morning. He'll be at school from 6:30am to about 8:30pm. Its one of the hardest schools in the Marine Corps, really in all the military because they all go to this same school. While he was checking in (admin stuff), he said there were nine guys waiting for orders out because they had failed out of school. To fail out of school you have to fail the same test twice. You can beg, but you have little chance of staying. So the next seven months might be a little stressful for him. It is my job to keep things as calm and relaxing at home as possible.

But, come one, you all know me. That is no easy task! I am a stresser! Right now its moolah. I need to find a job asap but in this town, good luck! And in the towns next door...maaaybe. This could be bad. So wish me luck!

To focus on the plus sides...we are staying in a very nice house. My brother in law is here to keep me company in the job search and help me out when I need it (which I have come to realize is going to be a lot with my Hubbs gone 14 hours, 6 days a week). We have another Marine roommie that is starting class Monday with Doug, so he had a study buddy close by. That's good. I'm finally getting used to the humidity. I hate it. But it doesn't make me ill like it did at first. I got my medical stuff straight and I can make an appointment to see my doc in August (which is very important for a certain chronic condition that my previous doctor made some immediate recommendations about). I've emptied over half the boxes! The kitchen is totally unpacked, the bedroom mostly and the living room...well, just barely. But its moving along!

So. All I need to do is stay focused on the ever growing positives and I won't stress Doug into failing or me into cancer. "Cancer," you might think, "doesn't she mean an ulcer?" No, I mean cancer. Yes, I am in a situation where stress can be a contributing factor to me getting cancer. You think that reality might prevent me from worrying too much. But I can't help it. Its in my blood. Just go chat with my mom and grandma. I come from a long line of worrywarts. But that is NOT a positive thought so I will not dwell on it!

Oh. Another positive. I found an awesome Catholic Church where I think I'll be able to get involved and make friends! Yay!

Well. That's enough of an update for now. Hopefully it won't be another two months for the next one.

The Triumphant Return of the Hubbs!

2009-05-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

My Hubbs is home! After an agonizing seven months away, my Hubbs came home on April 28th! Yes, that was a few weeks ago...but I've been preoccupied!

So, when you go to pick up your Marine as he arrives home from deployment, they put you in this room with a bunch of chairs. There are snacks, but it is quite boring.

Then, they let you out onto the tarmac, but you have to stay behind these three foot high gates.

There is a band:

And then you watch a plane come in and you get all excited. Then you find out it is the wrong plane.

Then the right one comes in! The slowest moving plane in the world!

Do you see it? A little speck!

Then it lands...

And taxis....

And taxis...

Then stops...and sits for a while.

Then finally a stream of Marines deplane, all dressed exactly alike. I should have brought binoculars! Us family members must stay behind the gate at all times. The Marines have to check in their weapons before then can come see their families. So even if you spot your Marine, you can only wave until they are allowed to come over.

I had a hard time spotting Hubbs until he was much closer, but apparently he spotted me right away! I guess my freshly red hair shone like a beacon!

Look, there he is!

And here WE are!

Awe. Ain't we cute? Yes we are! And super happy!!!

So the Hubbs is home! Finally our little family is whole once again! And it looks like we'll actually get to spend a whole YEAR together! Yay!

~M.Grace

The Saturday Before the Return of the Hubbs

2009-04-25T17:43:00.001-07:00

Today is the Saturday before the my Hubbs returns from deployment. Where do I spend it? In the kitchen! Well...I'd rather be there all day today and then not at all next week!

I decided I wanted to see what it would be like to make pasta sauce from scratch. From big red fresh tomatoes. Just to see if it is worth it. (Guess what, it isn't).

So I started my day at the farmers' market, which I love. I don't get over there very often. Perhaps because I've been spending the past seven months of Saturdays chatting with my Hubbs online! Perhaps next week we shall go together! I got the most beautiful flowers. I forget what he called them. I was going to get sunflowers, but these just popped out at me. My only wish is that they were not white. So they would pop against the muted wall.

After the market, I went to the grocery store for those items not available at an open air market (i.e. canned goods and dairy). Then home!

I blanched the tomatoes. I peeled the tomatoes. I de-seeded the tomatoes. I swished out all the water I could, then put them all in my creuset (everyone who likes to cook should have a creuset!) and set them to simmer. ...and the FOUR POUNDS of tomatoes I bought turned into the equivalent of, oh...about two cans of stewed tomatoes. Are you kidding me! I ended up having to add some canned tomatoes because it just wasn't going to be enough! After that cooked up and I added my own blend of seasoning and spices, I browned up some of Doug's favorite ground sausage and made it a meat sauce. THEN I took some of it and made a lasagna!

While it was a long day of slaving over a kitchen stove, I'm glad I did it. It satisfied my curiosity about turning tomatoes into sauce (the conclusion is it is worth it ONLY if you have a tomato plant and need to use up some of them) and I ended up with about four days worth of dinners! See, I'd rather NOT have to do much cooking next week. And I'd rather NOT go out either. I can boil water for pasta and warm up sauce in the microwave without having to get dressed....I can't go out to dinner like that ;)

I still need to get portobello mushrooms, mozzarella cheese and sun dried tomatoes and I'll have three more meals! Oh, and some broccoli. Cause we love broccoli.

What a fun day! Oh shoot...I was supposed to mop today too. Dang. That might not happen. And you know what? It's really hard to make a whole lot of really good pasta sauce and then not eat any for dinner. LAME!

~M.Grace

Yay! ...and YAAAAY!

2009-04-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

Two lovely things happened today.

I made a friend! Well, I had already made the friend, but today I finally met her face to face. And she's going to read this. I bet its strange to read a blog posting about yourself. Anyway, it is very nice to find another Marine wife with whom I have more in common than just the fact that our husbands are both Marines. Refreshing actually! The only downside it that we didn't meet earlier! But that's ok. She's cool. Haha. Hear that Erin? I think you are cool. Hope you don't think I'm weird now for blogging about it!

So that is the Yay! And, no offense to Erin, but I think she will totally understand, that it is slightly overshadowed by the other YAAAAAY! of today.

My Hubbs is coming home! I got a date and a time today! It is all still subject to change, but that's ok! I have a date and a time and a place and I'm SUPER EXCITED!!!! I ought not to publish in this public forum the details of the arrival, but its sooooooooon! And I already typed up a to do list broken down by day to ensure that I get everything done that needs to get done!

Today I checked off "order soda that no one but Doug liked so it went off the market and you have to buy it from the original manufacturer via internet" aka "Diet Cherry Chocolate Fudge" Dr. Pepper. Since Dr. Pepper doesn't sell it anymore, its not really called that anymore. But that's what it is. Tomorrow, while I'm down at Miramar, I'll check off another to do: Stock up on meat! I would be stupid to buy meat anywhere but the Commissary. It is dirt cheap there. 92% lean ground beef for like $1.99/lb.

As long as I'm concentrating on the very detailed to do list (it includes work each day, just so I can have the pleasure of checking it off each day) I'm not going totally insane with anticipation! I might. I haven't seen my Hubbs in seven months! SEVEN MONTHS! I'm am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited! You can't see but I'm doing a happy dance! It would only be better if it were today!

~M.Grace

"My God, My God. Why have You forsaken Me?"

2009-04-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

Today is Palm Sunday. In the Catholic tradition the Sunday before Easter has this designation. It has a dual message. It is the only Sunday with two Gospel readings (for those who aren't used to Mass, there is usually a reading from the Old Testament, a Psalm turned into a song, a reading from the New Testament but not from one of the four Gospels, then a reading from the Gospel and they all are somehow tied together in message and meaning). On Palm Sunday they replace the beginning order of Mass with a reading from the Gospel. Its the passage where Jesus comes into Jerusalem riding on a donkey and everyone waives palms and lays them down at His feet and praises him as the Messiah. Then we go back to the normal order of Mass. Then there is the regular Gospel reading. But its slightly different too.

Normally, we stand and the Priest reads the Gospel and we can follow along in the book if we so choose or we can just listen. But on Palm Sunday, we get to participate. Its very long. Its the Passion of Christ. His "trial", His beating, His crucifixion and His death. It ends there and there we pick up next week on Easter Sunday. There is a narrator who does most of the reading, the Priest does Jesus' lines. A "voice" does the lines of people like Piolet, etc. And we, the congregation, are the "crowd." This is very interesting to me. We Mass attendees get to voice the part of those that crucified Jesus. Our lines include "Give us Barabbas" because the crowd would rather let a murder go than Jesus. And "Crucify Him!" which we get to say more than once. I suppose its a lesson. Did all the crowd really want it? Was it "mob mentality"? Were they too scared of the mob leaders to speak up? Was it fear?

The part that really gets me, I mean really gets me. So much that I nearly cry each time. Is when Jesus cries out on the Cross "My God, My God! Why have You forsaken Me?" This is the Son of God talking here. He knows the plan! He asked his Father in garden of Gethsemane if He could not go through it. He asked if He could "pass this cup...but by [God's} will, not His own." And His Father's obvious response was "No. You have to." So He did. Knowing that He would rise from the dead. Knowing that He would take His place at His Father's side. Yet still, up on the Cross, He called out, questioning God. Questioning His presence. So painful the Cross, so harsh the treatment by those who had just recently praised him as Messiah, that He believed His own Father, God Himself, had forsaken Him. That is horrible. That is the price of my Soul. My Savior thinking He had been abandoned by God.

If Jesus can doubt God's presence for even a moment, then I guess I don't feel so bad for the times I wondered where God was.

This is the main difference between Catholics and Christians. One of the many reasons I couldn't leave the Catholic Church. The focus on the misery and death of Christ. I know. Its depressing. The thought of our Savior suffering, totally alone. But its that image that is most easy to relate to. I have suffered. I have felt totally alone. And think of all the gods throughout history. Of course they all had power over death. But in those stories, what savior would endure the excruciating pain that Jesus did? What savior would humble himself to die the death of criminal, like Jesus did? It is through His Blood that we are saved. Through His suffering that we are redeemed. That is why every Catholic Church everywhere in the world displays a Cross WITH the Body of Christ on it. Large enough and placed high enough for everyone to see. So we never forget. That we are not alone in our suffering, even when it feels as if we have been abandoned.

So happy Palm Sunday everybody! So begins what is basically the Catholic week of mourning.

~M.Grace

Sacramento, CA and Redding, CA

2009-04-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

Last weekend's saga.

I discovered that even at rush hour, it only takes 55 minutes to drive to the Ontario airport. Had I known this, I would have booked a flight earlier than 7:35pm. Oh well. There is not much to do at the Ontario airport. It is very small and their free wifi sucks.

I arrived in Sacramento just before 9pm. I feared it would be chilly, all I had on was a t-shirt. Silly me. Down here in the low desert, once the sun sets it gets cold pretty fast. But not in good ole Sacramento. Mom and Dad picked me up and once we got home I stayed up for a while chatting with Dad. He's gone back to work (he had tried out retirement for three months and decided he liked it, but could not afford it quite yet), and he was pretty sure he'd get a call to go the next day while Mom and I were gone. So, while I knew I was going to wake up at 5am the next day, I stayed up a bit to catch up. Poor Daddy. I wish he didn't have to go back to work, at least not ON the trains. He hasn't been on a train in so long. It really is draining and he's not exactly a young man.

Anyway, 5am! Up! Groggy breakfast burritos cooked by Dad. Then off to Redding! Well, Palo Cedro. But same thing. We made really good time. And it is a pretty drive. Mom loves to point out the mountains....by name. She really knows her geography!

9am! Arrive at Amberly's house. Help set up. 10am, Leighan's wedding shower starts! It was nice. I don't know her Dad's side very well so I got to re-meet a lot of people. Even if I don't remember them all, and they didn't remember me, we MUST have met. I've known Leigha for 26 years! It's impossible that they don't know me! There was good food and yummy cake and presents for the bridal couple. I got to see my bestest friend in the whole world. I miss her. Its weird to think of how much time we spent together growing up (any time we weren't in school pretty much) and now we hardly get to see each other. Man. Growing up sucks sometimes. I got to see her little girl too, Emma. She's so cute! Very happy too. Perhaps because people kept playing with her and feeding her cake!

2ish pm, on the road home. Halfway there, my little sis calls. I thought I'd missed her spring break, that she was gone back to school. Wrong. One day left. Can I stop by? At this point Mom and I are so tired we're looking forward to getting home at 4pm and taking a nap....and waking up the next day. But I probably won't get to see Lauren again for a while, so we stop by. And it was fun. Good to see my little girl all grown up! 19! Damn. I remember when she was just a little baby! We dyed some eggs. Ate a very early dinner. And headed home around 7ish.

Mom and I went to bed to "read" at 9pm and I was out by 9:15pm.

Sunday! Church, then store, then home to await the arrival of the brothers, sister in law and brother's girlfriend. I hate saying it like that. Before I could say brothers and their girlfriends. Now I have to distinguish between the two. Don't get me wrong, I love my SIL! I am so very happy she agreed to marry my brother! But when I say the above phrase it makes it feel like Em is being left out. I mean, what am I supposed to do, tell my brother to marry her so she doesn't feel like she's not part of the family? Too bad. She IS part of the family. Just not officially. I would like to see my brother make a stronger commitment to her; they've been together a little longer than the Hubbs and I, and we're already married! But anyway, I just hate thinking she might feel less included. Because she's not.

So they come over and we have brunch. And my brothers go watch some basketball and I sit at the table and catch up with SIL and BGF. And they catch me up on my brothers' lives. Funny, yes? I don't talk to my brothers to get information, I talk to their ladies. I guess that's just because boys don't gab and that's what we were doing.

Then Mom took me to the airport just in time...to learn that my flight has been delayed a hour and half! Its aggravating that storms in the Midwest ruin MY travel plans. Darn Midwest... I was able to switch to the earlier flight...which was delayed as well but took off about 45 minutes before the one I was supposed to be on.

And home at last! That was the last of my travels until the Hubbs gets home. Well, I'll probably go to LA for Easter Sunday, but that's different. No nights away from the house. No packing! No flying. For at least a month! Yay! As much fun as it is to travel and to see friends and family, there is something so nice about coming home. It'll be even nicer when I have a Hubbs to come home to!

Heads up! I should be in Sac for a week or so in May. Time table is not set for sure yet, but I do know that it will include the 16th...since that's my bestest friends wedding day!!!!

~M.Grace

Seattle, WA

2009-03-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

I do love Seattle. I've only been twice but I know I could very happily live there. Really, I knew that before I went the first time. Some things you just know. I'd never been to DC, but I loved it as predicted. I've never been to Boston, but I'm fairly certain I'd adore that city as well.

Seattle is just the perfect mix of big city and small neighborhoods. Suits and briefcases and jeans and skateboards. Its big city hustle and bustle without pretentiousness. Its neighborhood charm without being in the middle of nowhere.

And the weather! Oh the weather! People tell me Seattle weather is Seattle's one drawback. I must disagree. I love the gray. I love clouds. Overcast. Rain. My favorite.

But why am I gushing over some city that I don't live in? And probably won't. And even if I do its a good 15-25 years from now?

Because I got to visit the aforementioned lovely city!

And more importantly (while I do love Seattle) I got to visit my good friend G!

Now, I would visit G anywhere she moved to. But its just my good luck that my good friend moved to a city that I have a love affair with!

We had a very nice weekend. We haven't really seen much of each other (really only Christmas time) since she moved away about a year and half ago. I can't believe its been that long. I remember going to Seattle with her when she was considering moving. That visit we did a lot of tourist stuff. This time it was more like visiting a friend than a city. Which is the best way to see a city really.

We went to dinner at this really cool place that used to be a fire station; still looks like one. They do seasonal menus and use locally grown items. That's very in right now but, still, I dig it. I ate salmon! I guess if you can choose the place to embark on adding fish to your diet, Seattle would be that place!

We walked a lot! I don't really have walking shoes anymore. I converted some of my flats (by adding socks). It worked well enough, but I am obviously not a native! She is looking like one. In her cute (but practical) tennies and her North Face jacket. Anyway. We took a driving tour too. Her favorite little quarters. Ballard is still my favorite area. Hers too (and she has had 1.5 years to compare and contrast, I've only had two weekends). So we hung out there a lot. Margaritas and wedding magazines at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

And we talked a lot! So much that I lost my voice! I honestly believe that I talked more this past weekend than I usually do in a whole week. I'm still recovering!

We went to Pike's Market too. The one touristy thing we did. But I can't not go! There is only ONE Pike's Market in this world and I will go to it every chance I get. I'm sure it loses it charm when you actually live in Seattle. But as a visitor, its a requirement.

It was really nice to see G. We talk on the phone. We text. We occasionally email. But I've missed just sitting on the floor and joking for hours about stupid stuff (ahem, its called "Unceasing Fury" and if it ever comes to fruition, you will die laughing). Sharing thoughts on marriage and wedded life. Getting giggly over pretty wedding dresses. Reminiscing. Looking forward. Catching up. Friends do rock something fierce.

Let's just hope neither of us has to wait another year and a half for another visit!

Cheers to G and cheers to Seattle!
~M.Grace

Pretty Good Day

2009-03-06T21:21:00.000-08:00

A good, but long day!

Work as usual. Then to Pen to watch the USMC Silent Drill Team. I've seen video, but I've never seen them in person. It is freaking awesome. Truly amazing. Check it out here:
http://www.marines.com/main/index/making_marines/culture/traditions/silent_drill_platoon
Keep in mind, these are not play rifles they use. They are fully operational 10.5lb bayoneted rifles. Yes, there is a sharpened blade on the end of those weapons.

I got some video myself but I have to figure out how to get it from the camcorder to a disk. And I'm sure it's shaky. I need a tripod!

My bosses wife came with me. Which sounds odd, but she's really nice and it was, as my Hubbs said it would be, better with someone else there to enjoy it with. Afterwards, we went out to Thai for dinner. Which is pretty much what Heaven might be like. I could red curry every day for a year.

Ooh. And I found out my brother is having a little baby girl! I just can't picture my brother with a little girl. He's done for. My big stoic sarcastic brother is going to be undone by a little girl. I can see her in a little dress and pigtails looking up at her daddy with big innocent eyes and getting exactly what she wanted. But that's a few years away yet. I know his life will change though, right away. I wonder if he's ready. A boy, he might be able to be a proud papa strutting around like a peacock showing off his feathers. But a little girl.. he's going to be a protective dad, I think. Still proud, of course, but its different. She'll have daddy wrapped around her tiny finger within hours of birth. My poor bro has no idea what he's in for!

And, to top of this lovely day I spend about an hour talking to a good friend about her wedding! I love weddings. I can't help it. I really love them. And I especially love them when they involve two people who are getting married for all the right reasons. A bride who is just happy to be be a bride because she just can't wait to be a wife, the wife for that one man, is the most fun person to be around. And nothing she could do is tedious or bridezilla-ish. Because she keeps in mind the most important part of the day, that it is just one day. The first day of the rest of your life. An important day. Important enough for it not to be only about her. I'd be a part of any wedding where the bride was such as this. And these beginning stages are the best. Colors and dresses and cake and locations...nothing but possibilities. I love possibilities.

Who are my closest friends in this world?
Leighan. She's getting married in May!
Cori. She's been married for ages!
G! Just about a year from now!
Lauren...don't even think about it for at least five years! Make that seven!

We're getting old ladies! Married off. But so happy. Who knew this was where we'd be just a year ago...two years ago. Five? But here we are. And I, for one, am pretty damn happy about it!

Ah. Marines in Blues performing perfect drill, Thai food, a baby girl and wedding talk. Yeah. Pretty good day.

~M.Grace

What is this thing you call TV?

2009-03-04T21:33:00.000-08:00

I've been TV free for one week!

Thus far, I haven't really missed it. I have found some new ways to waste time. My new lappy came with a memory game. But at least its a little more interactive than watching TV! I crafted! I need to add some new vases that I made to etsy. They are super cute spotted vases. Now my table is a mess from the crafting. I also found a used bookstore so I've been reading a lot more. I got Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I've never ready it. I saw the movie as a child, but I've always wanted to read the book. Its interesting so far.

In other news...

I got a coupon in the mail for a free session with a personal trainer at my gym. He kicked my ass. Or, more accurately, he kicked my ARMS! I could hardly lift them up to wash my hair! Its been about 30 hours and my shoulders are so sore! And the front of the shoulder. Does that make sense? The place right above the armpit. Ouch! And he wants me to do this three times a week? I feel like I need a week off after one session! We'll see how I feel tomorrow. I do want to get back in the habit of gyming it. I haven't been doing anything buy yoga lately. I'm realist, I know its unreasonable to want to lose weight. Even when I was working out on a regular basis, I still weighed what I do now. I just want to be toner. And maybe lose an inch or two at the waist. So as soon as the soreness starts to dull, back to the gym I go!

Its looking like the Hubbs and I will be moving to Florida later this year. Its an excited and stressful prospect. We'll have to rent out the house while we're gone. But we'll only be gone about nine months. So who will rent a house for such a short time? Will we have to sign a year lease and move into an apartment when we get back? IF we come back here that is! Which we won't know until the time comes. Ugh. I hate uncertainty! But thank GOD for the IRS. Hm, that sounds funny. How about, thank God for certified tax preparers who know all the little secrets. That sounds way better. Getting married and buying a house was a great thing to do tax-wise! So straight to savings with it to lessen the blow if we don't rent out the house right away, or I can't find a job right away in FL.

Two more months until the Hubbs is home! I'm so happy. I can't wait. I miss him so much. It's like if someone chopped off your arm. It's like there is a hole in my heart. Life is dulled. It sounds so cliche. But its true. Nothing is quite as good without him.

On that note, I'm going to go take an advil or two and go to bed!
~M.Grace

This is Why I Go to Church

2009-02-22T19:41:00.000-08:00

This deployment has definitely been harder than the last. The Hubbs has been gone for five months and what have I accomplished? I haven't finished my thesis. Ok fine, honesty here, I haven't really worked on it at all! The computer hasn't been sent away to be fixed (it got spyware before he left!). I haven't had the furniture people come fix the couch yet (it got dinged while moving). I haven't finished organizing the office. I haven't worked on the Hubbses scrapbook. I haven't done ANYTHING! And knowing that just makes me feel even crappier. Which makes it even harder for me to break the cycle.

So, I'm at Mass tonight. Feeling bad about my five month long moratorium on being productive and saying to myself for the millionth time: I have to stop this! For the millionth time I set imaginary deadlines for myself that I break every time! And I feel a sense of defeat before I even start.

Then, the Seminarian gets up to deliver the Homily. A Seminarian is a man training to be a Priest. One of the last thing you have to do is intern at a parish for a year, learning how things work day to day and give at least four Homilies. So he gets up and starts talking about the days Scripture reading...about Jesus healing the paraplegic. And he tells us, we are all paraplegic. Maybe not physically, but spiritually. Something is holding us back, keeping us from God. We have our flaws, our weaknesses and it becomes a cycle that we cannot seem to break. And I thought, how strange. I was just thinking that. He said, it doesn't matter what we have done, it only matters what we will do.

I started thinking, then, about Lent. It starts Wednesday. (and if I'd been paying attention to the date, I would have make crofe (doughnuts) this weekend as is Slovene tradition) For Lent, a Catholic is supposed to give something up. In giving whatever you choose up, you should suffer a little, it should be hard. You should use this to better your relationship with God and with those around you.

I'm modifying this a bit. My lack of motivation, my lack of anything for the past few months isn't really keeping me from God so much as from life in general. How much have I missed out on by burying my head in the sand? How much should I have accomplished by now? And how crappy have I let myself feel over and over again? And, hey, maybe all that does impede my relationship with God.

I won't blame anything or anyone else for my own failure to act. But I will say that there are things that don't help! Things that make it easy not to get off my ass and get things done! My weaknesses. The ones that are internal are hard to change. But the external ones are often easily controlled. So here is my plan...

I'm giving up TV for Lent.

I come home from work and turn it on. I wake up and turn it on. I say "it's only for background noise because its so quiet here alone." But I always end up wrapped up in some rerun of NCIS or House or Scrubs or the Food Network or Top Chef or whatever else happens to be on. And I can't tear myself away! What could I be doing instead? Working on my thesis! Working out at the gym! Working on the Marine scrapbook. Organizing the office. Mailing the computer, calling the furniture people! And so much more!

So! No more TV! I'll unplug it! Think of how much I'll save on my electricity bill. Wish me luck!

~M.Grace

Some Things are Sacred

2009-02-08T22:03:00.000-08:00

First, let me say that one of my all time favorite songs (I can't pick one, maybe I could pick five) is Superstition by Stevie Wonder. Which is a little random. I do have an eclectic taste in music, thanks to my dad. Blue Grass, rap, rock, alternative, classical, oldies, motown...what else is there? Funk. I don't have any funk cds (or mp3s for that matter) nor do I have any Stevie Wonder cds...but I do have an mp3 of Superstition. I remember getting my dad that cd for some gift giving event (birthday or Christmas) and he was very happy (he'd asked for it) and he played that song. Ever since then, I've loved it. I had it played at my wedding. I just can't sit still when it plays. It makes me happy no matter what I was doing or thinking or feeling before the song starts. I love that song.

So seeing (and oh my God, HEARING) Stevie Wonder sing it on the Grammies with THE JONAS BROTHERS is just plain sacrilegious! How dare they! How do you convince a legend like Wonder sing with the Jonas Brothers? Ugh. Its just disgusting! Poor Superstition!

What is up Grammies? You are so hard up for viewership you need to bastardize classics with tween starlets? Bleh.

And in the same vain...I was looking forward to hearing MIA sing Paper Plains. Also a favorite and also played at my wedding! She sang like two lines before a bunch of other rappers came out and sang over her. She just sang the same phrase over and over after they came on. Dang it! I really wanted to hear her sing it live! Thanks a lot, Grammies.

Now the show isn't over, so I'm sure they will piss me off a few more times before the end. Damn you Grammies for trying to ruin two of my favorite songs ever!

~M.Grace

Where does the time go?

2009-02-06T16:57:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure I remember most of January. It flew by at lightening speed. Which is both good and bad. Good because it means I'm that much closer to welcoming my Hubbs home!! And bad because I have things to do and I feel like I'm running out of time!

I had a bad few days there at the end of January. So maybe it's good I don't remember most of it. Its not like things happened that were not fixable, not controllable, not handle...-able. But all at once it just became too much. The straw was when my mortgage bill showed up and was two hundred dollars higher than it was the month before. Which is incorrect to put in mildly. That just pushed me over the edge and I did something I haven't done in years (and years and years actually). I sobbed uncontrollably on the couch for about an hour. It has been so long since I've felt that kind of desperation. Then, of course, I spend days agonizing over it and calling my brother to help me (he has property tax experience and that was the issue at debate). I got my boss to give me advice. I printed out forms and was getting ready to call the county and raise holy hell...when I got a letter from said county saying they had recently reassessed the value of my house and would send out a corrected bill within the month. Once I have this new bill, I can share it with my lender and they can reduce my monthly bill accordingly. So I got myself all stressed out over something that was already being fixed. Yay.

The other big issue that actually got me all ready to be broken by a small, very fixable, thing like an incorrect property tax bill, is health related. I got some news (the day before I got the bill...it's like someone plans these things). I have a certain virus that causes a certain kind of cancer. Now, prospects look good, but it sufficiently freaked the hell out of me! First of all, I was absolutely convinced that there was no way in hell I had this particular virus. So finding out that I do indeed have it was devastating enough. Then to find out that its the kind that causes cancer was a whole nother bag of potatoes. The biopsy was a very very very very very uncomfortable experience. I mean like VERY uncomfortable. Just this side of painful. But I guess I can be thankful that it wasn't really painful.

Anyway, I've come to terms with it, though. It is a horribly common virus. 9 out of 10 women have it. And as long as I stay a relatively healthy person, I should remain cancer free. And if the worst happens...well we'll deal with it then. I'm fine now (I really am, I'm not just saying that). It just took a week or so for it all to sink in and for me to deal with the biopsy.

I wish I'd had my Hubbs around for it. That was part of it, I think. In my meltdown I was also melting down about the fact that he wasn't here to help me. And that honestly, he won't be around (at least physically) to help me with difficult things like surprising bills and surprising doctor's visits. I knew what I was getting into with this marriage. I accepted that I was marrying a Marine; that along with the honor and pride I feel about that comes a lot of alone time and a whole host of issues a civilian marriage doesn't have to face. I still said I do. And I would still say I do. Marrying my Hubbs was the best thing that ever happened to me. I love him madly and no one has ever made me feel so loved and adored as he does. No one ever could. But this was my first big life problem with him out of town (really, it was the first big life problem in while in general) and its given me a hint of things to come. I'm sure next time I'll handle it better. Not that I expect any more problems with the mortgage bill or to be diagnosed with any other cancer causing viruses. But whatever the next issue is, I'm sure I am more equipped to handle it.

It's odd. Being married to someone who is gone a lot. What makes a marriage? Being together all the time? Handling issues together? Being in love? I am a married women, even if my husband is gone for seven months at a time. But I don't have dinner to make for anyone. I don't have someone to help me with the dishes. If something breaks, I have to fix it...or pay someone to fix it. I feel like if anything goes wrong at all on the home front, it's because I failed. Even if its not something I have control over. We know so many people who's marriages are not going so swimmingly. They are together all the time! How can they not be thrilled! Maybe that's the secret to marriage, missing each other a ton for a bit. When you are together all the time, you have more time to get annoyed, to fight about day to day junk. More people should just stop and remember how they felt on their wedding day. Because when I do, I smile like a big old goof! It was the happiest day of my life! The day I became a Mrs.

Enough rambling!
~M.Grace

Lappy 2.0

2009-01-12T20:58:00.001-08:00

I have a new laptop! I affectionately call him Lappy 2.0. It's a little HP. I was looking at the Pink Sony Vaio, but I have a family friend that works at HP and HP has a family and friends deal. It was $400 cheaper. And I got more RAM. While the Vaio was really cute, pinkness is not worth $400. So HP it is! And it's super shiny!

So I'm stumbling through the Vista-ness of the Lappy 2.0 and organizing things as I like them. I need to move all my stuff from Lappy 1.0 to the new one. Only problem is I don't have Office yet. My HP friend told me not to get it through HP (or any other laptop company) because you can find it cheaper elsewhere. So now I'm on the hunt for Office on sale! I'd rather Professional, but I'll soon be at the point where I will take what I can get! Until then I will keep 1.0 around for word processing and budgeting and use 2.0 for Internet!

Its SO FAST! Which is awesome. It turns on in like 2 minutes and shuts down in less than one! (Compare to 1.0's start up time of 20 minutes!) I love Lappy 2.0!

And I love my Hubbs for giving it to me for Christmas!

~M.Grace 2.0!

A Quake!

2009-01-09T21:09:00.000-08:00

So my kitties like to drink from the tap...another story about spoiled kitties for another time. I've weened them off of 24/7 dripping, but whenever I go near the bathrooms they follow me and start whining. So yesterday evening they whined enough for me to turn on the tub tap and little Grendel did the little kittie butt wiggle indicating she was about to jump up. As I turned to walk away the shower door shook like crazy! I nearly jumped out of my skin! Now, often times, they hit the door on their way up. But this was different. I didn't even think, I ran into the living room. But nothing was out of place. There was no movement out there. There was no other crashes or bangs. I could not explain why nothing in the house moved except for the shower door. My first thought was that someone had crashed into the garage door. I finally decided that Grendel had jumped up and hit the shower door, even though I knew that she could never hit it with enough force to make it shake like it did. And IF she could and did, she would have scared the bejesus out of herself and ran away like the wind to hide under the bed. But I wrote it off and went on with my night.

This morning I heard on the radio that there had been a 4.0 earthquake. VINDICATION! I knew I didn't see her jump up! I knew she couldn't hit it that hard! I knew it was more. I knew I wasn't crazy! They have hit the door before and I didn't freak out like last night. I knew something was different, I just couldn't figure it out! Ha. It was an earthquake!

....an earthquake?!? I never had to deal with this up north! How could I not have known? I didn't get under anything or in a doorway! I ran into the living room! Where all kinds of things could have fallen on me! Hrm! One more point for Nor Cal. That's like 3,548 for Nor Cal and 2 for So Cal. I think the North part of the State is winning, at least according to my scoring system.

~M.Grace

YOGA!

2009-01-06T18:45:00.000-08:00

I went to Yoga!

I hurt!

I did not know that yoga could make me so sore! But I was stretching muscles that haven't actually stretched in a while. I felt so awkward! So gawky. The instructors movements were so fluid and graceful. Ugh, I was embarrassed! It's hard! My legs were shaking when we were holding some of the positions. Downward Dog and Warrior. I was a little worried about my knee, but only once did I have to step up out of a position. It a lunge like one, the bad knee forward and bend. Not a good place for that knee to be.

But for one hour I didn't think about anything other than what I was doing. That doesn't happen very often, my mind never stops! Ok well...its takes a lot to get my mind to stop. Maybe because I was so focused on what the hell I was supposed to be try to make my body do that I didn't have time to think anything else!

Even though I'm sore. Even though I felt so weird. I think I'll go back next week!

Yoga GO!

~M.Grace

Welcome to My Guest Bedroom!

2009-01-03T18:02:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my guest bedroom! It's not done yet, so don't judge! But I made some progress today!

I still need a bed, but that will be delivered Tuesday!

I hung up the pictures I was agonizing over the other day! I finally made a decision (um, thanks to Mom and Dad) and hung them up! That part took a while too. I tried to make them all perfect, which isn't easy. I used painters tape to make two inches. I wanted all the lines to be two inches! See the gap between the big on and the square one...should be two inches. And the same for all the gaps. But that didn't work out perfectly. But its close enough! I think it looks pretty! You should just be nice and agree! Also, all the pics were taken by my very talented bro!

I bought brand new green sheets and a pretty brown duvet cover to go with the pillow and duvet I already had!

If you visit, there is even a TV and DVD player in your room! Too bad its not hooked up yet...but hey, it's there!

So now all I have to do is hang curtains! (Yes the bed is NOT centered on the window. Its because of the nightstand. So I'll put the curtains up to make it look like it is centered!).........

...and find a place to hide this junk! I'm working on that one too...

So Project Guest Bedroom is making headway! All that's left is a bed to be delivered, curtains to be hung (oh and um, purchased), crap to be hid and a TV/DVD player to be set up! Yay!

~M.Grace

PS. If there are crazy gaps in this post don't blame me, it looks fine in the preview. It's from cutting and pasting all the photos I think. Oh well, deal with it!

Decor Help!

2009-01-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

The hardest part about the Hubbs being away, not being near family and having no friends? ...No second opinions for decor!!!

I have been agonizing over frame placement for hours! Someone, please give me an opinion! These pictures will go on a large blank wall in the guest bedroom. When you walk in the bedroom the pics will be on the right wall. The ceiling is valted on the right side (as you look at the wall that will have the pics). And there is nothing else on that wall. No dressers, nothing. The bed will be only a few feet away. So this is all that will be on the wall. And everything can be mirrored around the large pictures. Ok....enough lead in. See the four front runner (out of like 20 options):

Thanks for the help!

Welcome Home!

2008-12-30T21:20:00.000-08:00

It's good to be back home. I had a lovely Christmas in Sactown. Saw the fam, a bunch of friends, and the Hubbs's fam. Everyone seems to be doing well, the kids are growing like weeds! Grandma's still kickin it really old school, my Dad is trying out retirement and G is getting serious about changing her last name!

I came home to a cold, but clean house and now its a huge mess...and still cold! But with the holidays over, I can get into a rhythm. The Hubbs has been gone for three months. But those three months have been so busy that I haven't really had a chance to set a pattern. And I love my habits! So, starting next week of course, I'm going to start my new plan! Go to the gym in the morning. Then work. Then library! Then home! Library might be three times a week, then the other two can be for home organizing! I still have paperwork to organize and random crap to find places for!

The jobbie job is going well. I type a lot, file some, fill out IRS forms. While that doesn't sound too interesting, I am careful to pay attention to what I am typing, filing and filling out. Thus far I've learned quite a bit! They also have a booklet on marketing that the office manager (aka, the Attorney wife) suggested I read when I have some free time. I started it today. I could learn a lot there too. So far, I like it! I especially like having something to do and getting paid for it!

What is a post without at least a paragraph about the kitties? Not complete, that's what! They were happy to see me...they even let me sleep! They slept with me the first few night home, and the little one still does. They don't do that so much anymore. They both used to sleep on the Hubbs all the time, but not so often on me. Anyway, the letting me sleep think didn't last long, but oh well. It's not like its a new phenomenon for them to keep me up! They make up for it by being adorable. The little one was just attacking my brand new slippers. She's not much bigger than my size nines!

Not much else going on down here in the low desert. I made caramels. I highly suggest home made caramels. I'm not even a huge caramel fan, but they taste like what I assume Heaven would taste like....

~M.Grace

The Economy Sucks for the Children Too...

2008-12-15T18:20:00.000-08:00

...so do something about it!

My friend Alison has already posted a very similar blog entry, but after seeing an article on CNN, I felt the need to spread the word to those who don't read her blog!

For nearly 60 years the Marine Corps has been operating Toys For Tots. Last year they collected 16.6 million toys and books, but this year they are falling short! How can you walk by handsome Marines in their dress blues asking for toys and NOT stop? I don't know! But I guess people do because this year they are tens of thousands of toys behind.

They say its a combination of the fact that there are more kids in need of toys AND the economy sucks so hard that less people are willing and/or able to donate.

I know times are tough. I know money is tight. But I saw a Toys For Tots bin at Big Lots (unfortunately, there were no Marines there). Come on, Big Lots? You can get toys there for like $5! Five bucks and a kid who's parents can't get him or her presents, gets to open something on Christmas Day! Come on!

Can you image not having anything to open on Christmas Day? Think about how exciting that day was when you were a child; heck its pretty exciting now and I'm all grown up! Now imagine running into the living room as soon as you woke up with your still naive belief in Santa, to find nothing but your old couch. No tree. No stockings. No decorations. No gifts. So go to your local Big Lots or Walmart or Target and get some toys on the clearance aisle and drop them off at a Toys For Tots bin! Find a location at http://www.toysfortots.org/donate/toys.asp.

And if you're lucky, you'll get to take a peek at some damn handsome Marines in their damn fine dress blues!

Alison, thanks for igniting in me the true holiday spirit!

~M.Grace

I have friends!

2008-12-12T18:16:00.000-08:00

I have friends...and a job!

I recently joined the Tem Valley Women's Club (aka TVWC) and I have jumped right in! I went to my first meeting the week before Thanksgiving and that weekend I helped out with the home tour. Apparently, I am well received as well. I'm sure it's the nature of a club like that and its members to be open and welcoming and friendly. Especially to new members! But they keep commenting on how I joined one day and started helping the next. I guess it takes most people a few months or even years to get really involved. I've already offered my services for next years Home Tour and Gala. And I guess I accidentally suggested that I know how to use Front Page to design websites. Ok fine, I said I did. I tried to convey that I didn't have a recent and full knowledge of the program, but they ran with it! So now in January I get to help redo the website. Which I actually brought up that it needed revamping and that I could help. So it's really all my own doing. I want to help! I just hope I can use Front Page!

Anyway. The group is a charity organization. They have various subcommittees that help fund raise for local orgs like the animal shelter, a shelter for battered women, a children's home, the libraries and the museum. Things like that. They have a book club and a knitting club (I think I'll join the first and not the second!) While I am by far the youngest member, it's really nice to have a network of ladies that want to be my friends! So the idea is to get some experience planning events and fundraising and make some friends in the area! Who knows how long until the Corps tells us to move, I don't have a few months to get acquainted and then get active; I need to jump in! And I have!

Job! I have a job! It is part time which is supposed to allow me time to work on my thesis and volunteer with the club. It is at a law office which is supposed to help me keep the ole noggin working. I am slightly worried that it'll be a little slow. It's just one attorney and his wife has been his assistant but she has a business of her own to run. Its a double edged sword, I think. While its a small office and there is a lack of coworkers to keep me stimulated, it is tax and business law which I do find interesting. They even said that I might send me to get certified in tax preparation, which would greatly benefit me if ever I get to own my own business. Plus it would just make me more marketable in general. So it seems I can be as involved as I want. If I just want to write letters, answer phones and file pieces of paper, that's fine. But if I want to be more involved in the legality of it all and the tax prep side, then I can (and I'd get paid more). So I start Monday and we'll see how it goes! It's nice to be home. To be able to shop when there are no lines. To be able to watch West Wing (I'll have to buy it on DVD now!). To have all the time in the world to work on the thesis (which I hardly ever do), go to the gym (which I rarely do), to clean and organize the house (which I only do when necessary). So the idea is that if I have less time, I'll do more. Call me crazy, but that's actually how it works for me! Its a sliding scale. There is a point where I'm too busy. But there is the sweet spot where I'm just busy enough to really make use of the free time I've got.

Well anyway, new job means I need some new clothes! So this weekend is ALL about Christmas shopping (I've only bought two gifts, eek!) and secondarily about new work clothes shopping! Too bad I'll be out there with every other person in the world who waited this long to shop!

Tata for now!
~M.Grace

Visitors

2008-12-09T18:35:00.000-08:00

I had visitors! My mom and dad came on down to the low desert on Friday! They got here in the evening, shortly after 7pm, so all we could do was eat a little dinner and talk about the plans for the weekend. Which I can't even begin to describe! My parents don't stop! I'm not sure I can even remember everything we did! I know that dad fixed the toilets...and THAT was quite an experience. The master one was filling reeeeally slow (like days) and even after the tank filled, it would run and run and run. Which, in a dead quiet house, is really annoying! All the parts inside the tank are new, so there is no reason they shouldn't work! He took it apart, replaced one thing, put it back together, didn't work. Went back to the store, bought the other part, replaced it, blah blah blah. You get the idea. It took a few tries. We still don't know why the other parts weren't working correctly, but it works now! Then my mom said that the guest toilet was running too long too and made us go back to the store, buy another part and replace that one! Oi with the toilets already!

He also patched some holes in the garage drywall, fixed the ranges on my sprinklers, planted my lemon tree and moved my couch! Mom and I did some shopping! I got two new shirts at Ross for dirt cheap! We went to Costco and the mall. We went to Lowes and Home Depot like seven times! We went to Old Town and drove around wine country. We made dinner two night (I cooked for my parents! not a common occasion) and we went to Thai last night. Mmmmm curry. I could eat red curry every day.

It was fun showing off my little house and my little town. My mom has seen it, but it was a first for dad! And mom's last visit was really fast, so she didn't get to see much. Dad kept commenting on our house. He likes it! Which, from my dad, is high praise! It was also fun to have visitors! I get lonely here all by my lonesome! And I happen to like my parents and actually be very close to my mum. Dad said they might come again in the new year (since he's retired now, he can do stuff like that. Poor mom will have to use vacation time!).

While I liked having guests, it is also nice to have my house back! I've been sleeping on the couch for the past few nights, so it'll be really nice to have the bed back! And my poor kitties were getting a little stressed out. Cuddles was handling it ok. He likes people, but he likes order as well. Little Grendel, well she doesn't like people hardly at all. She's a little scardy cat. She hid most of the weekend. And that's not healthy! She would come out in the evenings, after dinner. When we were reclining on the couch, watching TV or doing sudoku. Less movement. After they left, it was like she could tell they weren't coming back. She was all over the living room, running back and forth, over me each time, rubbing on stuff. She was reclaiming the house!

So now I'm all alone again! Alone with my kitties! :( Anyone else want to visit?

~M.Grace

New Items at alamain.etsy.com

2008-12-02T17:15:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone! Check out alamain.etsy.com for new items. I just posted some Christmas cards! It just about time to get those out in the mail. If you haven't got yours yet, these are lovely handmade cards that are sure to bring holiday cheer to whomever you send them to!

~M.Grace

Home Again

2008-12-01T21:57:00.000-08:00

After a lovely trip up north, I am once again home with my kitties! Whilst up in the homeland I got to see my bestest friend and her beautiful little daughter, hang out with my ever exciting partner in crafting and crime and shop at the French Hen (if you are ever in Sac, you should go there!). I saw a lot of my mom and dad and brothers and sister in law (still getting used to using that term) and my sister in common law (I made that up, she's my other brother's girlfriend, but she so much more than that!). And I got to see my super little sister, home from college, who is growing up way too fast!

Thanksgiving was very nice (except for the part where I ruined the rolls that I tried to make from scratch by letting them get to hot while rising and instead of rising, start cooking. Oops). Many years ago Thanksgiving was at my Grandmother's house. But she tends to get stressed out when a lot of people come to her house (so you see where I get the stressing! except when a 93 year old does it, its much worse than for a 26 year old), so we started doing it at my mom's (since she is the only daughter). But then, a few years ago, my uncle (the youngest) stole Thanksgiving away! But finally, Thanksgiving has returned to its rightful place! Grandma was there and two of four uncles! No cousins though. They are all grown up and too busy to come home for Thanksgiving! And the best part of all? My brother's wife is pregnant! Yay! My bestest friend's baby is my first niece. But this will be my first blood related niece or nephew! It's really hard for me too see my brother as a dad. He gave my mom more than a few sleepless nights...its payback time! And with Gran and Pop across the street, this kid is up for some spoilin'!

After my whirlwind five days with the fam, my house is very quiet! I packed in more action in those five days than all month here. I'm happy to be home. I missed our little house. My comfy couch. My sweet kitties (well, except for Cuddle's meow, I really think he's trying to drive me insane). But other than the meowing, they are really sweet! Being here makes me feel closer to the Hubbs. All our stuff is here. A lot of it was his stuff that became ours when we got married :) His coffee table, his tv, his kitties, his carved demon, his bed. Everywhere I turn there is something that reminds me of him. Its comforting. Ha. I did laundry today! He was the one who turned me onto this certain scent and brand detergent. I associate the smell of it with him!

Well, Christmas season is here! I have shopping to do! Presents to buy (I suck at present buying!). Travel plans to make! My parents are coming down Friday, I already of a list of things for my dad to help me fix! Things to do! Lists to make! I better get to work!

~M.Grace

Just Because I'm Paranoid, Doesn't Mean My House Is Not On Fire

2008-11-14T15:00:00.001-08:00

The brain is a tricky organ. And it's relationship with the senses is most interesting. Imagine all the things that can go wrong? How many times have you thought you saw something out of the corner of your eye and when you look, there is nothing there? Do you ever smell things that aren't really there? Do you feel something crawling on you, but there is nothing? So, what exactly is happening here? Is it the brain misfiring? Or is the sensory nerves sending the wrong message?

Even more interesting about the brain is the amazing power of paranoia. Once an idea has rooted itself in the brain, there is no shaking it. To steal an idea from political science, once you believe something, nothing can make you change your mind. Not even when the belief has been proved wrong.

Let me share a little bit of history that will make this recent occurrence even more understandable. About two years ago, I was living in a house with a roommate. I was up late, in my room with the door closed on my computer. There was this loud bang. It sounded like someone hit metal with a baseball bat. At that exact moment, the power went out in my house. I immediately imagined that someone hit my breaker to cut the power and was now planning on breaking into my house. I sat upright and listened close. I heard the door to the garage open slowly. My heart started to pound, blood rushed to my head. I quietly hopped off the bed and proceeded to barricade my door with boxes (I had been packing to move). I heard shuffling on the first floor. He's in the house! I call my roommate's cell. He is skeptical, but I describe the noises and he starts to hear them too. I call 911. They inform me that there is a neighborhood black out. But I insist, someone is in my house. She said she'll send a patrol car to check it out. My roomie and I meet in the bathroom (it had a door to my room and a door to the landing of the second floor). By now, I have fully convinced him that there is indeed someone in the house. I'm not pointing out noises anymore, he is! We heard him coming up the stairs and pushing at my door....I swear I heard the boxes sliding on the floor. The cops show up. No door or window has been breached. I send the roomie down to let them in. I still didn't believe there wasn't anyone in the house. He lets the cops in, I finally come out of the bathroom and we wait outside as the cops clear the house. There is no one in there. I felt like an idiot. I heard those noises! So was it my brain manufacturing them? My ears failing me? The nerves connecting the two misfiring? Did I hear one random noise and then all the rest was fabricated? Who knows. But my paranoia was strong enough to convince another person.

Last night I woke up at 1:30am smelling something burning. I run to the living room. I see smoke. No fire. It smells like burning toast. I check the oven. Did it magically turn on? No. There is this little incense burner type thing. You plug it in and a light bulb heats up these smelly rocks. I leave it on for a night light. But sometimes the dimmer does its own thing and gets really bright or goes out. It was on really bright. At this point, I consider that maybe I smelled the scent of the rocks heating up. Why I would suddenly, on the other side of the house, smell these rocks, who know. But I unplugged it and put the rocks in the freezer (to stop them from smelling, it's where you are supposed to store your extras to keep them from losing the scent). The smoke I had thought I saw was moonlight coming in. I either need new glasses or I need to clean the windows. I sat on the couch, just in case. But I still smelled it. I though, oh no, what if its an electrical thing? So I start feeling the walls. Yes, leaning up against the walls and smelling them. There is no heat coming from anywhere. I turn the fan on, maybe it's just residual smell from the rocks. I put the glass that held the rocks and the bulb in the fridge along with anything else the emits scent. Plus, I put out baking powder to absorb the smell. I lie down on the couch and start to relax...but then its back! I sniff the house again. All over. Feel the walls. Nothing. This pattern continued on until 5am. If my house was on fire, you think it would have burned by then! I even went outside to see if the roof was on fire! So what was going on? Did I really smell something? Was it just the rocks? Was it the rocks the first time and then my brain playing tricks on me? Is there an electrical problem I don't know about? Do you know what happens when you inhale deeply repeatedly through your nose? You start to get light headed. So was I hallucinating from lack of oxygen? When I finally fell asleep I had vivid dreams of wires coming out of my walls in flames. In the dream I tried to get the kitties in their carriers and get out of the house. Then to fix it all, it was going to cost $19,000 and Doug agreed to pay it in monthly payments of $1900/month. Which we in no way can afford. Which I tried to tell him. Strange.

So. My house is still standing, yet still, I keep sniffing. I keep seeing smoke (then I wipe off my glasses and look again). I am paranoid! But that doesn't mean that one day my house might catch fire....so I bought not just one, but two fire extinguishers. One for the kitchen and one for the rest of the house. Not that this will relieve the paranoia. Its just like I said with fear of home invasion and having a gun. Having a gun won't stop me from lying away wondering what that noise just was. I'll just lie awake clutching a loaded gun wondering what that noise was. So now, I won't stop thinking I smell smoke, I'll just look for the fire clutching a fire extinguisher instead a bottle of water.

Yes, your good friend, M.Grace, is a paranoid freak. Better safe than sorry...right? What does being a little paranoid hurt? Well, you know, other than losing needed sleep and causing an ulcer? I blame my brain. It is the organ that is supposed to tell me what is real and what is not. And it fails miserably way too often.

alamain.etsy.com

2008-11-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

I did it! I finally did it! I started an online store at the lovely website, esty.com! To the left there is a sample of one of my candle holder/vases. It is a frosted vase with snowflakes! The templates are hand made my me. Each snowflake is strategically placed for maximum cuteness!

Currently, I have four square vases like this one, two larger vases and two sets of stationery! The stationery up right now is hand edged to make a lace effect. It's delicate and classy and who wouldn't love to get something in the mail other than junk mail and bills?

There will be more soon!

Check it out! Shop around! Let me know what you think!

My One and Only Political Rant

2008-11-04T16:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, let me say in advance, that this blog is going to offend most of my readers at least one. People won't agree. People might even feel insulted. Well, too bad. The point of a democracy is that we are all allowed to have our own opinions.

Having studied the science of politics for 6.5 years, I feel I have a bit on knowledge on the subject. I must say, I loved it. The theories, the patterns. It was all so intriguing! Yet there is the wild card. The one inescapable x factor when dealing with politics. People. And I can say, based on my numerous courses on the subject, that people are stupid (and I'm talking in the aggregate here, not individually). Why are political races run on smear campaigns? Why are one liners tossed at voters? Why do campaigners on all sides tout half truths and shaky connects? Because that is what the voters want. The average voter knows next to nothing about actual policy. The average voter (heck, the average person) believes a lie after it has been told to them over and over. After that lie has been proved incorrect by an independent source, it has been statistically shown to believe it even more! So Obama = Socialist. Yeah, say it more, it might become true. Or, if enough people believe it, it might as well be true! But I'm not picking sides here. There is the whole McCain=Bush issue. Now....(this part is personal preference) when a Congressman votes overwhelming in line with a certain unpopular president it is somewhat logical to worry that if said Congressman becomes president, he would carry on in the steps of the unpopular president. Regardless, voters thrive on smut. Voters don't usually vote FOR a candidate. They vote AGAINST the other. The voter knows little of what his or her candidate actually stands for or will do, they are simply voting against the opponent because they have been told if you vote for him terrorist win. Or, just to be fair, if you vote for him, the rich will get more tax cuts (and yet again...that second one is somewhat accurate).

Oh and don't get me started on the whole "Joe the plumber" and "Tito the builder" thing. Because that's what workers want, to be totally and completely defined by their job! Well let me tell you who "John the operating engineer" supports along with the largest operating engineers union in the country, Local 3....Obama!

So by now I'm sure it's obvious who I voted for. Now let me be clear. I am not a Democrat. Nor am I a Republican. I am a decline to state. But I suppose I'm somewhat of a Libertarian. I believe that the federal government is way to large and way to powerful. The power belongs to the people (no matter how stupid they may be) and the only way to be a TRUE democracy is to return power to the people. Had Ronald Paul been on the ballot, he would have got my vote. Limit the size of the federal government, return power to the state level and emphasize personal responsibility. You may think that these tenets are also endorsed by the Republican Party, not so. At least, not today's Republican Party. Today's Republican Party wants to read my mail and put me on the no fly list (yes, I was briefly on the list). Alas, Ron Paul was NOT on the ballot and the thought of a new administration that bears ANY resemblance to the current makes me sick. Back to party preference. I should make my own party. I'll call it "eff the two party system" party. Or "anyone but those fools" party. Or "for God's sake you call this a democracy" party. But I'm not entirely sure I can get one of those nationally recognized.

And may I address the socialist issue. One of the BASIC tenets of socialism is government ownership of what ought to be private entities.....you know, like what our brilliant President just did! The federal government just bailed out wall street by buying all kinds of private entities. Hm...so does that make Bush a socialist? And every single Congressperson a socialist? Yes, it does. Damn it. If left alone, the market WILL balance itself out....it's called Capitalism and its worked so far.

I strongly believe this country left the realm of democracy a while ago. Look what Bush has done to this nation: made the federal government even larger, authorized illegal wire taps, and basically bankrupted this nation...in only eight years! When Clinton was in office the budget was BALANCED! For the first time in yeeeears we had a SURPLUS! Do you know what the deficit is now? It's $10,560,478,758,805.41. That is $34,620.52 per person. So get out those checkbooks everyone. That is OUR debt, because this is OUR country! Oh no, how about instead we give more tax breaks to business and the wealthy. That's a super idea!

Aaaaah!

Now I don't agree with a lot of what Democrats do and argue for. Technically, I am (or at least was) a Democrat because historically the Democratic Party was "for the working man." The middle class. The union member. Now since that's what my family is on all accounts, my parents, their parents, my brothers are all Democrats. But you know what, the Democrats aren't for the "worker." But neither are the Republicans! All any elected official cares about is his or her job. Nothing will ever change because the people in power will only do what is necessary to keep the wool over the people's eyes and keep themselves in power. Nothing changes. Real change would involve too much effort and too many politicians taking a pay cut. People are afraid of change. Just keep the gas flowing (at whatever price) and the our TVs on and we're happy to have our civil rights and civil liberties stripped until we're no more a Democracy than the Chinese! Tell us it'll keep us safe and you can do whatever the hell you want the Bill of Rights. What is wrong with us? We ought to be rioting in the street! We should be burning buildings and having sit ins! We are a defeated people! And fighting back would take too much time and effort. We are pathetic. Big Brother is HERE! And we are doing nothing about it!

CRUSADE NOW! ITS TIME FOR A REVOLUTION! Thomas Jefferson himself said (and I'm paraphrasing here) that any democracy needs a rebellion every twenty years or so! We are WAY overdue!

Argh, politics are depressing. This is why I left the study, that's why my thesis is taking forever and my blood pressure rises exponentially whenever discussing or even thinking about it. My original points stands true. People are stupid (again, in the aggregate!). Stupid Stupid Stupid Stupid. And this democracy is failing! I'm moving to a country where the politicians are held accountable to the people. Where the people can actually effect policy. Where the federal government isn't a monstrosity of an eff up! ....Anyone know where that may be?

Now I'm dropping the subject. I will not discuss this again.

~M.Grace

Well That Didn't Go As Planned

2008-11-02T15:31:00.000-08:00

I had such plans for today! I was going to craft away and get my Etsy site up! I was going to make candle holder and vases and cards and decoupaged tray! But no! No crafting for me :(

I'm SICK!

I think I can safely say that this is all CORI's fault! Now, if I remembering wrong, Cori, please let me know and I will apologise for publicly blaming you for this. But I believe she was sick the week prior to visiting! She the only person I'd really come into contact with for about a week, so it has to be her! Thursday, I felt a little run down. Friday, I was sniffly. Saturday I was even more sniffly and my throat and head hurt. And today! Today I'm SICK! Full blown head cold mode! I'm hot and cold at the same time! I'm tired and achy! Good thing I got the quils (Day and Night) and some soup when I was out Friday! Because I don't feel like doing anything today! And to be sick on a Sunday......there is NO good TV Sundays! Phoo.

Well, crafting plans will have to be pushed off to tomorrow. Of course, that assumes the worst of this thing will be over by then. I hope so! Well, I'll give myself one couch day and then tomorrow, cold or no, I've got stuff to do! I want to get my etsy up asap! But I suppose I could sit on the couch with a box of tissue and fix snowflake shaped stickers onto glass vases...that doesn't require a lot creativity or thought (well, it does take a little, I do tend to stress over the placement!).

Well, again, thank you CORI! And if I'm wrong, I'm sorry!

Sniffling off,
~M.Grace

Busy Bee!

2008-10-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

My goodness! It's only Thursday and I've already had a full week! Well, a full few days within that week, anyway.

Monday I prepared for Tuesday.

Tuesday the lovely Cori came to visit me in my new home! I got to show off my little house and my little town for the first time since my mom came! We went to Old Town and wandered into little shops and antique stores. Then we went to the mall and I spent way more money than I should have! But I have new jeans and really cute new jacket! The weather needs to hurry up and change so I can wear them both! It was nice to have a visitor and I can't wait until she comes on down again! While we did most of what there was to do in Temecula and saw most of it as well, I can still take her to wine country and to the outlets! Mmmm...outlets...... I love outlets!

Wednesday I really just spent the day recovering from Tuesday. We did the most in one day that I've done since my mom left! ...that's a little sad...

Today was interesting. I woke up and went out for a run! But I mostly walked. But still! I went out and exercised! Go me! I really haven't worked out since the wedding so I've been feeling a little pudgy. I've been talking for a few weeks about going out in the morning for a run around the neighborhood. But today it finally moved past talk! I even mapped out a route so I know that I walked 1.1 miles!

So, I got home. I got to chat with Doug online. And after he finally had to crash into bed, I had some errands to run! It was one of those annoying things where I needed one or two things from four or five different places. For no particular reason I was rushing myself. I have all the time in the damn world, why did I feel I needed to rush? No clue. As the garage door (to the house) was swinging closed I thought to myself "I ought to check my purse for the house keys." And just as that thought was going through my head, the door shut. Locked. And, for the first time ever, I did NOT have my house keys in my purse. I locked myself out of my house! Oy vey. Lucky me I had my phone and my car keys. I briefly considered trying to break into my own house. Instead I called 411 and got the number of a locksmith. Apparently I wasn't the only shmuck in town today because they were a little busy! So I ran half my errands and met the locksmith back here about 2 hours later. At which time he charged me $60 for picking my garage door (just a knob lock) in, oh, about 2 minutes. Which is scary.

So I still have errands to finish tomorrow and I'm going to be even MORE paranoid (if that is at all possible) tonight. Sigh.

And finally, the cooking saga continues. I tried my hand at a red sauce tonight. I think I'll call it red florentine. Or tomato primavera. Doug argues that unless you cook down the fresh tomatoes into sauce yourself, it's not truly made from scratch. I tend to agree. So I sauteed my veggies. I started with mushrooms, added some onion and garlic. Then some broccoli and zucchini and all the fresh herbs in my fridge. Then I added a can of diced tomatoes. I think that was my mistake. Its was too runny. I think next time I'll cut up fresh tomatoes for this step. Then I added canned tomato sauce and a small can of paste to thicken it up. It was decent. Tasted a lot like store bought sauce, but with a whole lot more veggies. I'd make it again (with fresh tomatoes, but still canned sauce and paste). It wasn't that hard. It's just as much work as browning meat then adding a jar of sauce. Except you have to cut up the veggies. I recommend it! (But not as much as my bechenay sauce).

And with that, I'm ending this blog!
~M.Grace

I win!

2008-10-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

Haha! After three battles with the white sauce, I have prevailed! The sauce may have won two battles, but I won the war!

The first hurdle was the confusion! The original idea comes from Rachael Ray's 30-minute meals. Let me state for the record that Rachael Ray bothers the heck out of me. Her constant gibbering. Her inane measurements (how much is a freakin' half a palmful?) and her pronunciation of "parmie-jano regie-ano." But, 30-minute meals does occasionally produce some good ideas. She was making mac and cheese Florentine and chicken meat balls. I mostly followed the cheese sauce. It goes: roux, milk and stock, and parm. I tried it...and it sucked. Too floury and the cheese didn't really melt all the way.

I blame her "a little butter... some flour...heat it up for a bit" style.

So I hit the cookbooks. For goodness sakes, I've got Better Homes, Betty and Martha! One of the three ought to know something about this sauce! I found numerous variations. The best were in Betty. There is a white sauce (Bechamel) which consists of the roux and 1 cup of milk. But no cheese!?! So on the next page was Mornay. Roux, 1/2 and 1/2, broth, parm and cayenne pepper! Closer. But I don't have 1/2 and 1/2 on hand. Plus I'm trying to be just a little healthy! If I wanted to use 1/2 and 1/2 I'd just make alfredo sauce! So I replaced the 1/2 and 1/2 with nonfat milk. Similar problem to the first night...less floury tasting but still the cheese didn't melt. Is the parm too aged? Is it too hard? Why won't it melt!?! Plus it was too thin, but that's easily remedied...right? Just more roux or less liquid, right? I know cooking is an art and baking is the science, but this is just crazy!

So I tried again. One last time. Here it goes, from the top. I sauteed broccoli, onion and red pepper (yes, I've started sauteing my broccoli instead of steaming, I like it!). Remove the veggies. Then add 2 tblspns of butter, 2 of flour. Heat it up...until its bubbly. Add some salt (mmm.....kosher salt. Look what Doug has done to me!). Then add 1/2 cup of nonfat milk and 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Cook until bubbly (not a rolling boil, but close to it), stirring a lot. Then add 1/2 cup of parm (Martha wants me to use Gruyere...I can't even spell it. And I had parm in the fridge so Betty wins on the ingredient issue). So anyway, stir in the cheese...stir stir stir....and it MELTED! Yaaaaay! It was beautiful and smooth and so very yummy! So what is it? A bechamel sauce? A marnay sauce. Who knows. I'll call it marnamel or bechanay sauce!

Oh, right, the rest of the recipe. After the cheese was fully incorporated I added back the veggies and stirred it all together then added some fresh herbs. A little parsley, a little oregano, a lot of basil. Then served it over penne. Yums! It rocked! And I had it for lunch today! I want to make it again! But I need more parm. I used it all in the three attempts. Yay white sauce without 1/2 and 1/2!

So come on over...I'll make make some penne and veggies served with a nice bechanay sauce!
M.Grace