Musable

Serious business. Obviously.

I know, I know: what have you been up to lately, that you have neglected your poor handful of readers?

Beyond listening to the whining of some asshat who is going to “recommend to his client” that she change to another host - after that client has been with us for seven years, I might add - because we don’t provide the phone support he has decided is necessary, when we can read the ticket, find the account, determine the issue, report it to the actual client for their directions on proceeding, and resolve the immediate issue in the meantime in under 20 minutes while this douche would rather be on hold for that same length of time before getting to a live person….well, I’ve been working, inside and outside. And there was this 30-year birthday bash for my sister, who insists that it was actually her second anniversary of her 29th birthday.

There was food, of course. Like a spinach dip to start people off.

Crabcakes that I threw together, shaped, and put in the freezer that morning to store for the party.

These plus the other two trays were fried off in some olive oil.

By far the best batch I’ve ever made. There were none left, unfortunately, to leave uncooked in the freezer for meals or snacks later. Four pounds of crabmeat in these.

We also had some croissants with crab and artichoke spread. These were set under the broiler with a crumb topping on them and were mighty tasty.

I had smoked a couple of pork butts and roasted a chicken as well. My sister also requested tofu. I marinated it in a ginger-lime sauce.

Then seared that off in some olive oil, too.

What gathering would be complete without rolls?

Nothing like a fresh roll out of the oven.

None of these survived the day, either.

For dessert, mini angel food cakes with a warm berry sauce.

Oh, and let’s not forget the homemade whipped cream.

Not a bad way to spend a day, surrounded by friends and family, even if all the family could not be there.

Please let this be the last round of freezing temps. I have tomatoes and peppers and eggplants and flowers and all sorts of other things to get growing outside. Mother Nature: you are not helping.

On a side note, what is it with the long, long movie trailers that pretty much give you the entire movie in the extended trailer, making it unnecessary to see the movie? Number one, it hardly qualifies as a teaser, number two, it’s annoying considering how many times they play, and number three, people are going to go see the type of movies they like (Fast and Furious) or the actors they love (Clive Owen, Julia Roberts) regardless. I was so happy when those Valkyrie trailers finally stopped running, but it’s a bit like tribbles or gremlins: more have multiplied to take its place.

I’ve always been a news and information junkie. Like many other people, I would surf around news and aggregate sites, political blogs, and everything in between. After yet another round of yet another unbelievable goings on in the world, I decided to try ignoring the news for a day. I don’t watch news on the tv anyway, so that was simple, and the paper doesn’t deliver out here to us, which made that simple as well. The toughest part was breaking my typical routine of web surfing, to avoid the habits I’d gotten into.

That was a week and a half ago.

I’m not as aggravated by things and I have a lot more time to Get Things Done as I’ve discussed before.

This way is so much better.

I’ll probably continue it indefinitely.

I spent the day today Getting Things Done. This is an important and necessary kind of day, especially after being reduced to virtually nothing productive for three days in a row.

First up, the ENT who did my surgery. It’s amazing to think about it now, but this July will be the fourth year out from my surgery. I still do not have full mobility in my left arm and neck (and probably never will), the scars and lack of muscle on that side are quite clear even from a cursory glance (and always will be), and my mouth and tongue are still very sensistive to things like spicy food (whether that will change seems to depend on who I ask).  At first, I was seeing him once a month. That went to every other month, then to every four months, and after today’s visit is now at a six month spread. That’s progress! Everything looks fine, no lumps or anything else that can be seen or felt either in my mouth or in my neck.  It’s probably about time for another PET scan over with the oncology folks, since it’s been a bit since the last one.

Next stop: the accountant, to drop off the various papers and the backup file from our accounting software so they can get my taxes going. The past four years have all been extension years because of the various things that have been going on, from buying out the business partner to dealing with the medical issues. This year, though, we’re aiming for no extension. Corporate taxes are due on March 15, and I’d like to be signing off at that time to take this off the to-do list.

From there, it was off to the NOC. Here’s a tip: if you do not know how to check the amount of memory that is in your server, it’s probably not a wise idea to request that the memory be “increased to 2 gigs” unless you are absolutely sure that it doesn’t already have two gigs of memory - or, in this case, already have three gigs of memory. Because when I scrape the back of my hand and tear off a dime sized piece of skin when removing the cover from the server to have a look - as I was silly and violated the first rule of the tech world (”Never trust what the user says.”) - I’ll be cursing you up and down as I head for the first aid kit.

Finally, off to the grocery store to pick up a couple of things and my antibiotic prescription (from the dentist for the root canals, since the mouth is a festering pit of bacteria). And home once more, to finally have something to eat and get back to work. I was feeling better Thursday, but today I really did feel back to myself.

And this final item will come as a surprise to some people: I had no coffee at all from Monday afternoon to Friday morning, due to the gastro problems. My own personal detox, I suppose, although I imagine there are better ways to go about it. I’ve found that the antibiotics are not making coffee drinking a pleasant experience anyway, as they are reacting badly with one another and giving me heartburn.

For the past couple of days, I’ve been laid low by some kind of viral thingy - gastro, from how it feels/felt. Tuesday morning, I finally went to bed around 1 AM or so. It took about 30 minutes to get to sleep, and then once again, I was awake, somewhere around 4 AM, feeling like I’d been run over by a truck. Since I couldn’t decide if I wanted to throw up, spend some quality time on the john, try to down some Tums for the heartburn, or just crawl out into the yard and lie there in the moonlight, I just laid there in bed for a couple of hours until I finally got back to sleep. After letting the dogs out (and in) around 7-ish, I crawled back in the bed. Up again a bit later, tried the couch. Back to bed. And so on. Nasty, vicious cycle. I don’t recommend it, or the pain in the hips and joints for those of us not accustomed to spending more than a few hours at a time sleeping (or attempting to sleep).

Still, today is much, much better, and I’m actually hungry as I type this. Might be time for the kid to go scrounge some food.

This is what happens to my hands in very cold weather.

Those are cracks. Yes, they hurt. Yes, they bleed. Luckily for me, extreme cold doesn’t last very long here, and this will clear up in no time.

On tap today: more bread.

Enough for another three loaves of bread. One of those loaves is now down to a quarter of its size, only 30 minutes out of the oven. Tomorrow will be another bread day, I can feel it.

The seedlings went back outside to bask in the full, warm sunshine.

We brought them back in for tonight, as there’s frost (but no freeze) forecast for the area. Better safe than sorry, at least while they’re portable.

We are definitely having broccoli with dinner tomorrow night.

(Sidebar: you know, if you don’t want to renew a domain, perhaps notifying us of that fact when the invoice is generated would be better than telling us this when the invoice is processed - and the domain subsequently renewed. The renewal invoice generates in advance, after all.)

The cheddar cauliflower, alas, did not make it through the hard freeze Thursday night. There are apparently limits for it, and the upper teens plus a windchill in the single digits was not an environment it likes. No problem: I have more cauliflower seeds started in the flats.

The garlic is doing quite well, judging from the tops.

I can’t wait to start pulling some, to get a good look at it.

The brussels survived the freezes and are starting to take shape.

Shouldn’t be too much longer for these, which is good news for the people who actually eat these things.

The new round of peas (mostly) made it through the freezes this week.

There are a few here and there that look iffy at best. If they don’t perk up, I’ll pull them and reseed those. The snap beans that had come up all withered in the freeze and must be replanted.

While I was watering and weeding, and checking for damage, it felt like I was being watched.

And so I was, in a way.

Ads, that is. Specifically, Super Bowl ads. This year’s crop was mostly lackluster and seemed to involve much more violence than years past - although one of my favorites from previous years is the FedEx ad where the caveman kicks some poor prehistoric creature and then gets stomped on by something much, much larger.

This year, though, a year of difficult economics and ongoing wars in faraway places, seemed to bring out the brute in the advertisers. I watched most of them though, because they were about as interesting as the first three quarters of the game. A couple, in fact, were more interesting than the game through those first three quarters.

Bud Light wants us to know that suggesting not buying the beer for a company meeting in order to cut costs will get you shoved out a second or third story window by your peers. I wish someone had brought the beer to meetings when I was in the corporate world. As it stands, we (geeks) only got pizza and caffeine. C+

Angels and Demons (movie trailer): Snooze. I’m not a fan of Dan Brown’s writing at all. At least Tom Hanks has a decent haircut for this one, unlike that mop he had for The DaVinci Code. D.

Audi: The Transporter makes his getaway through the years, in various models from Audi. Who among us of my age or older doesn’t remember the preppy dorks with the sweaters tied at the sleeves around their necks, holding that monster of a cellphone? Just a fun ad.  A.

Cheetos: Get rid of annoying, self-important bitches by throwing Cheetos on the ground under her and causing pigeons to swarm en masse, a la The Birds. I’d rather eat Cheetos myself, but hey, whatever works. B+.

Pepsi: Bob Dylan and will.i.am team up for “Forever Young”, to remind people even older than me that they can still be hip and drink Pepsi. When I drank sodas, I preferred Coke over Pepsi. B-.

Doritos: A snowglobe subs as a Magic 8 Ball, telling us there will be free Doritos (when someone flings the globe at a vending machine) but alas, no raise (courtesy of someone flinging the globe into the nads of the boss). Workplaces are a bit macabre this year. B.

Budweiser: Conan O’Brien is assured that the ad he finally agrees to do will only be shown in Sweden. Not counting the splash it makes across Times Square. Meh, although the 80s retro-Swedish thing they had going for “drinkability” was mildly amusing. B.

Year One (movie trailer): At first, I thought someone was remaking History of the World, Part One. Instead, it’s Jack Black and Michael Cera at the dawn of mankind. The trailer shows exactly the sort of humor one would expect, and I doubt anyone will be going looking for the answers to the meaning of life or even the sort of sly comedy that can be found in this movie’s doppelganger (then again, it’s hard to do snarky comedy as well as Mel Brooks does). B-.

Toyota: Venza? No. D.

Bridgestone: Mrs. Potatohead yammering at Mr. Potatohead, cutesy comedic moment (”Sheeeeeeeeep!”), she loses her lips, they bounce away, still talking, she puts on her angry eyes, he smiles, they drive away. With all the violence in the ads, I halfway expected them to slam into the back of a wire mesh something or other and have one of them made into french fries. I suppose that wouldn’t have been a good ad for a tire company. C-.

Fast and Furious (movie trailer): I love how they leave the number off the end of this. It’s number four, as it happens, but who’s counting? Fast cars, explosions, hot women. I saw a previous trailer of this movie that basically tells the entire movie - something I’ve always wondered about, since what’s the point of going to the show if you can tell what happens from the trailer? Anyway, we know this will make a lot of money, but why buy ad time on one of the most expensive nights to run ads for something that’s a lock? B-.

Castrol: Buying this motor oil will make monkeys suddenly fly out of your butt. No, not really. They’ll just show up at your house to work on your car - get it? grease monkeys! - and then you’ll kiss one. B.

Land of the Lost (movie trailer): Will Ferrell ruins one of my favorite childhood shows, campy as it was. Thanks a lot, Hollywood. B-.

Doritos: It’s magic, but apparently (and obviously) targeted for the manly, heterosexual men who watch football. Women drop their clothes, you get rich, cops dissolve like the Wicked Witch of the West, all due to the magic chips in a Doritos bag. Until you run out. Then you get hit by a bus and stick there like a fly that went splat. D.

Sprint: It’s been a long time since I’ve flown anywhere, and it will be a long time before I fly again, because of the nightmare that is air travel these days. If roadies ran the show, though, I might be inclined to change my mind. This and the Callahan ad from Sprint are both good. B+.

Monsters versus Aliens (movie trailer): One of the 3D ads, for which none of us had glasses. Bummer. No one in this house had goggles courtesy of any alcohol haze, either. C.

GoDaddy: GoDaddy ads suck, in my opinion, and always have. Don’t like the founder, don’t like their sleazy ads, including this one where geeks put naked women in the shower, via their computer. They must be paying Danica Patrick a racecar full of money. F.

Frosted Flakes: After your kid eats a bowl of sugar, send them out to the fields we’re building to run off their temporary energy. Or something to that effect. D-.

Heineken: John  Turturro waxing philosophical does not make me want to drink your beer, especially when he sounds like some people I know when they’ve had a few over their limit. C-.

Pepsi: One of the better ads during the evening. Bowling ball dropped on the noggin? “I’m good.” Socked in the face with a golf club? “I’m good.” And so on. Amusing physical comedy, with a reminder that you can be a man, take whatever knocks life doles out, and still drink a Pepsi (or a diet Pepsi). A-.

Pedigree: Another good ad, showing the dangers of having pets other than dogs - like a rhino, an ostrich, or a warthog. Picking up warthog poo would definitely be a job for Mike Rowe. A.

Budwesier: The first of three ads featuring the Clydesdale horses. The dalmation (we saw him previously in the Rocky-esque ads) fetches a stick, gets an atta-boy. The Clydesdale fetches a huge branch from a tree. I think I’d have preferred something else. A canoe, a beer wagon, or a small car. Harmless ad, but dull. C.

Budwesier: Third generation Clydesdale, speaking with a Scottish brogue. C+.

NBC: Heroes. Never got into it, don’t watch it. Probably never will. B-.

Budweiser: The other Clydesdale ad, featuring the love of the Clydesdale’s life, who is regrettably in the circus and taken away. He breaks away, tracks her down, she flips the circus performer off her back, and they run away together. Better than the other ad. B.

Star Trek (movie trailer): After the Star Wars films, one of the the most anticipated movies, and this trailer was the best you could do? C-.

Gatorade: The finale to those “G” commercials that have been on.  G stands for Gatorade. Who would have guessed that, what with all the athletes talking about performance? B-.

Race to Witch Mountain (movie trailer): The Rock protects two kids. Or are they? C-.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (movie trailer): There are robots and explosions. And stuff. B-.

Toyota: If you ever have to drive through the fifth circle of hell - also known as August here - apparently the Tundra can take it. I did mention to my family, though, that the use of the word “tranny” was probably going to cause some folks to think of something other than what they intended. C.

Priceline: Shatner does his schtick. B-.

Overstock.com: Carlos Boozer, bling, and a bunch of kids. Boring. C-.

Universal Orlando: Be a hero, take your family to an amusement park. B.

Coke: Everyone’s an avatar in this day and age. Until they have a Coke, allowing them to just be regular people again. B-.

Pepsi: Pepsuber. Pepstupid is more like it. D.

Bud Light: The lime in the beer will cocoon you in a bubble of spring. Most people I know who drink a lot already have a cocoon about them that really doesn’t need any enhancement. C-.

CareerBuilder: Repetition. Then add an element. Repetition. Then add an element. Then add another element. Repetition. And so on. I know some people hate that sort of ad, but it’s effective here because it does really give the flavor of some of the dullest jobs I’ve ever held. A-.

Bridgestone: People will steal your tires when you buy them from us, even on the moon. Odd. C.

Cars.com: You may be the most confident person in the world, able to perform open heart surgery with a ballpoint pen from a bystander and tell the dean of a prestigious school that his job is yours, but you still can’t buy a car without the butterflies acting up in your stomach. B.

Hyundai: Bunch of bosses angry at their people because Hyundai won an award. B.

E*Trade: The talking baby creeps me out in these ads, just like it did in the Quiznos ads. B-.

Pixar (movie trailer): A flight of fancy, literally, for the movie Up. B+.

Denny’s: Because even hit men need to eat. D-.

Monster.com: Sometimes you get the moose head mounted on your office wall, and sometimes you get the ass end standing on your desk. B-.

GoDaddy: Another sucktastic ad. F.

Bud Light: Drinkability, this time in English, with obstacles drawn in to trip up unsuspecting people skiing down a very large mountain. C.

H&R Block: They do your taxes, then send Death after the bum who missed those extra deductions for you. C.

Teleflora: Talking flowers that rank right up there with the Tide talking stain. C-.

Monster.com: Not really an ad, but an invitation to a contest involving the NFL. C-.

SoBe Lifewater: Another 3D ad, with Ray Lewis, and two other guys it took me a few minutes to place (Matt Light and Justin Tuck) in a ballet with lizards, performing Swan - excuse me, Lizard Lake. Amusing. B.

Coke Zero: Troy Polamalu does a takeoff on the original Mean Joe Greene Coke ad from 30 years ago. Even though I doubt many of the younger folks have seen the original or know what it’s about, the spot is amusing on its own. B+.

Cash4Gold.com: Ed McMahon and MC Hammer sell off their bling to pay the bills. B+.

Vizio: “You’re an idiot becuse you didn’t buy our television”. D.

Taco Bell: Creepy stalker guy wants to fast track a relationship with a woman he just met. D.

Hulu.com: Alec Baldwin at his snarkiest. Yes, it is an evil plot to destroy the world. At least they’re up front about it. A.

Coke: The bugs are after the sugary essence that is Coke, and band together to heist a bottle from a sleepy guy on a picnic. Beautiful effect of butterflies breaking apart and flying away after impersonating the bottle at his hand. A.

I made more notes than I thought. While we’re on the subject of ads, though, a couple of items also come to mind. Those new Geico ads with the eyeballs on top of the stack of money? Don’t like them. And speaking of Geico, there’s one thing that’s bugged me for a long time about the Caveman versus Billie Jean King spot (BJK looks good for her age, too): why does he believe he’s winning the match? Was there something left on the cutting room floor from the beginning that we missed? Or are we supposed to just assume he is either an idiot living in his own fantasty world or that Geico has rigged everything against him because they’re the sponsor?

Another day turning into another month. The Big Game is on today, and I seem to recall something else scheduled as well. What could it be?

Ah, right.

The Boy’s birthday. Said Boy would like everyone to know that the sunset photo from that cold, cold night in January was taken by him. He was out in the front of the property, with me, taking photos while I was hustling to get things covered before the light disappeared completely. Slacker. I kid, I kid. He did assist and we got everything bundled up that night.

His birthday dinner: steak, baked potatoes, broccoli au gratin. As bonuses, guacamole…

and a couple of batches of homemade ice cream, at Gabrielle’s request. Strawberry and an experiment on my part:

That is chocolate espresso. Judged by mom and Gabs to be fine indeed. Me, I drink quite a bit of coffee, but the only coffee-flavored thing I like is…coffee.

We had our official taster standing by.

He had quite a bit of guacamole earlier - who knew he would like it so much? - but there was something else that had to be tested.

Hmm. Ever so piquant, and thoroughly enjoyable buttercream, with dazzling colors.

The full effect on the palate canot be overstated.

Highly recommended. Cake for all!

I’ve been reading about the woman who gave birth to octuplets when she had six kids at home - or, rather, at her mother’s home - already.

I’ve of a single mind about this woman: there is no way anyone should have allowed her to go through with this. Based on her mother’s comments, she obviously needs mental health care. A little bit of obsession goes a long way. Whatever doctor was involved should also lose his or her license. I view it as inexcusable that they agreed to perform the implant, knowing what they should have known about her.