Heard from an old friend who lost her husband the 9th of this month. She has 3 kids to care for and an unsteady job. We have been worried that she wouldn't be able to handle all the responsibilities. She has seemed to be not-quite-with-the-program.
But you know what? She is doing absolutely marvelously. I always suspected she was a lot smarter and more capable than she let on and I may be proven right. YAY!
The bad news is? Another old friend, well... She and her long-time SO parted ways over a year ago. The main cause was her out of control drinking. Not just sitting at home at night and having too many beers, but totally out of control. Driving with your 6 year old son in the car and ending up in the ditch. Going ballistic and throwing things, kicking kids and dogs, hitting your SO. Being picked up for DUI several times but somehow charming the officer into letting you follow him back to your house. Bad stuff. In a previous blog I mentioned the party we have never missed since it started, years ago? That is the one she and her now-ex created. It was to be tonight and we simply can't go. I spoke with another old friend of hers earlier and Ang tells me she has been calling her and screaming at her because she and her husband are still friends with SO. She told Ang that she was going to come over and "kick her ass" which would be like me kicking The Rock's ass. Not gonna happen.
She just called me, too. There was no screaming but I did tell her we weren't planning on going to the party this year because we are just too tired. She began crying and told me she misses us. I am sure she does.
I do know that her ex-SO has a new girlfriend but don't really know her. Our old friend asked if I knew her and then started in with obscenities and so forth. I truly believe we need to distance ourselves from this before we get sucked in, somehow.
I know people part ways but this is getting out of control. We do miss her and we miss her ex-SO but, damn! I am hoping something doesn't go badly wrong and someone gets hurt, or worse, killed.
Maybe I should just put on my jammies and concole myself with the fact that Barbie is doing great. And supper was yummy.
*sigh*
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Would knowing this have helped?
This from Greg Laden's blog:
Morning sickness is an adaptation, not a ... sickness
I gotta say, really, that knowing this wouldn't have helped one bit. I'm not a scientist but I have had extensive experience with morning sickness.
Too extensive.
I wasn't that sick when I had stomach flu.
I wasn't that sick when I had food poisoning.
I wasn't that sick reacting to codeine.
I don't think I've been that sick at any other time in my life.
Nothing helped, not crackers in the morning. Not getting up. Not staying in bed. Barfing didn't help. Nothing at all helped.
It is interesting that the "prophylaxis" hypothesis wouldn't have applied in my case. I was morning sick in the morning. Empty stomach, no dangerous or toxic food. Toothpaste made me barf so perhaps an argument could be made that my system believed toothpaste to be a toxin. Except for the fact that I was already nauseous and ill by the time I would attempt to brush my teeth. Soda crackers had pretty much the same effect, but not all the time. The chances of several different packages of crackers conxumed over a period of weeks and all having toxins in them is pretty small odds.
So, DD and DS2...
It was YOUR fault.
bwahahahahahaaaaaaaaa
Morning sickness is an adaptation, not a ... sickness
I gotta say, really, that knowing this wouldn't have helped one bit. I'm not a scientist but I have had extensive experience with morning sickness.
Too extensive.
I wasn't that sick when I had stomach flu.
I wasn't that sick when I had food poisoning.
I wasn't that sick reacting to codeine.
I don't think I've been that sick at any other time in my life.
Nothing helped, not crackers in the morning. Not getting up. Not staying in bed. Barfing didn't help. Nothing at all helped.
It is interesting that the "prophylaxis" hypothesis wouldn't have applied in my case. I was morning sick in the morning. Empty stomach, no dangerous or toxic food. Toothpaste made me barf so perhaps an argument could be made that my system believed toothpaste to be a toxin. Except for the fact that I was already nauseous and ill by the time I would attempt to brush my teeth. Soda crackers had pretty much the same effect, but not all the time. The chances of several different packages of crackers conxumed over a period of weeks and all having toxins in them is pretty small odds.
So, DD and DS2...
It was YOUR fault.
bwahahahahahaaaaaaaaa
In re: Political Idiocy (not finished but here)
This is the kind of thing I am thinking about:
Mike, what are you thinking? Or is this crap just knee-jerk b.s.?
The image presented would appear to be a blatant attempt to paint McCain as an American hero while portraying Obama as a foreign villain. Where is the legitimacy in that?
McCain was considerably older when that photo was taken than Obama was in the one of him.* Besides that, Obama is wearing, not militant Arab dress, but the costume of his father's home in Africa.
This is as stupid as the dummies who think that Barak Obama is an Arab name. Even if it were, that would be no means indicate any links to terrorism, Islam or anything else. As if people can't think clearly enough to step back from their willful ignorance and actually learn something.
What happened to public discourse over the years? The general population at this point in time is ignorant to the point of moronic. Over 100 years ago, those common, uneducated peasants without tv, public schools and technology, were intellectually engaged in the Lincoln-Douglas debates to an extent that would be totally impossible now.**
(did anyone other than me notice that the originator of this foolishness obviously doesn't know what to do with a contraction? Uh Huh. So much for intelligence.)
I have some more examples of this specious kind of thing and will get them up as time permits.
* I am not sure of the provenance of the Obama photo but I believe it was taken while he was either in college or high school
** Gee, maybe that is because they weren't spending their time anesthetizing themselves with tv and pop "culture." They READ!
Mike, what are you thinking? Or is this crap just knee-jerk b.s.?
The image presented would appear to be a blatant attempt to paint McCain as an American hero while portraying Obama as a foreign villain. Where is the legitimacy in that?
McCain was considerably older when that photo was taken than Obama was in the one of him.* Besides that, Obama is wearing, not militant Arab dress, but the costume of his father's home in Africa.
This is as stupid as the dummies who think that Barak Obama is an Arab name. Even if it were, that would be no means indicate any links to terrorism, Islam or anything else. As if people can't think clearly enough to step back from their willful ignorance and actually learn something.
What happened to public discourse over the years? The general population at this point in time is ignorant to the point of moronic. Over 100 years ago, those common, uneducated peasants without tv, public schools and technology, were intellectually engaged in the Lincoln-Douglas debates to an extent that would be totally impossible now.**
(did anyone other than me notice that the originator of this foolishness obviously doesn't know what to do with a contraction? Uh Huh. So much for intelligence.)
I have some more examples of this specious kind of thing and will get them up as time permits.
* I am not sure of the provenance of the Obama photo but I believe it was taken while he was either in college or high school
** Gee, maybe that is because they weren't spending their time anesthetizing themselves with tv and pop "culture." They READ!
The Other Sock
Everyone knows what I'm talking about: that sock that vanishes somewhere. It was in the load that went into the washer but where did it go after that? On vacation? Did it dissolve? Went down the drain? What is going on with this business, anyway.
Another unanswerable question is: how is it possible to have three pairs of jeans, all by the same maker, same size and purchased at the same time and yet 2 pairs are too small and the other is too big? I don't get that at all.
For the record: how do some people manage to keep tags in their clothing? Doesn't it drive them nuts, itching? Every last one of my shirts has no tag of any kind. First thing I do, even before laundering them, is take those blasted things out. They itch.
Animal issues: why are miniature Schnauzers such annoying, little yappy beasts? Don't they know the difference between a threat and just someone walking past the house? Even after that fearsome intruder is long gone, they still keep yapping. Yip Yip Yip Yip Yap Yip Drives me crazy.
More animal issues: between 2 cats and 1 dog, we sweep up enough hair to make another complete cat. We do this every day. How can they lose that much fur and still have any left? You'd think, from the sheer quantity left on the floors, that they would be totally bald.
Political idiocy: why in the world does that old friend keep sending me those annoying and foolish pro-republicrat "funnies?"* Mike, old boy, they make you look like an idiot and that's too bad. You aren't an idiot. You're a CPA, for heaven's sake. Aren't CPSs supposed to be logic and able to think their way through something? It's gotten to the point that I'm amazed when I receive anything from you that isn't blatantly jingoistic. You're worse than Pat and that's pretty bad. At least she quit when I asked her to.
* I think this deserves a separate blog, just so everyone will know exactly what kind of stuff I'm talking about.
Another unanswerable question is: how is it possible to have three pairs of jeans, all by the same maker, same size and purchased at the same time and yet 2 pairs are too small and the other is too big? I don't get that at all.
For the record: how do some people manage to keep tags in their clothing? Doesn't it drive them nuts, itching? Every last one of my shirts has no tag of any kind. First thing I do, even before laundering them, is take those blasted things out. They itch.
Animal issues: why are miniature Schnauzers such annoying, little yappy beasts? Don't they know the difference between a threat and just someone walking past the house? Even after that fearsome intruder is long gone, they still keep yapping. Yip Yip Yip Yip Yap Yip Drives me crazy.
More animal issues: between 2 cats and 1 dog, we sweep up enough hair to make another complete cat. We do this every day. How can they lose that much fur and still have any left? You'd think, from the sheer quantity left on the floors, that they would be totally bald.
Political idiocy: why in the world does that old friend keep sending me those annoying and foolish pro-republicrat "funnies?"* Mike, old boy, they make you look like an idiot and that's too bad. You aren't an idiot. You're a CPA, for heaven's sake. Aren't CPSs supposed to be logic and able to think their way through something? It's gotten to the point that I'm amazed when I receive anything from you that isn't blatantly jingoistic. You're worse than Pat and that's pretty bad. At least she quit when I asked her to.
* I think this deserves a separate blog, just so everyone will know exactly what kind of stuff I'm talking about.
Just nattering
I spent the afternoon yesterday running in and out of the house while smoking a monster pork roast. The thing weighed about 10 pounds and if I hadn't known it was pork would have sworn it was prime rib. Turned out beautifully, even though Himself kept predicting disaster. (men!) Found some really tasty sweet corn and made a simple cole slaw. Was in my jammies by 7:30 and in bed, watching Dr. Who at 8, totally knackered. I love sweet corn and cole slaw but, as usual, was up in the middle of the night eating yogurt. (they do weird things to the GI tract and I always regret chowing down.) Think I got dehydrated and am feeling a bit bilious and achy today. Mayhap will just fritter around until I feel better.
It's been "sort-of" raining all morning. Sun comes out for a while, then it starts to rain. It's just showers, though, so not worried about too much rain. The 2/3 ofthe state south of highway 20 are still having problems with too much rain. Sections of Des Moines flooded again this week although the family is fine, high and dry.
Haven't managed to finish brushing my teeth yet. Got the bottom ones done, at least. Have a nasty case of heartburn and really feeling quite ill. I hate that but not much to be done about it but took some Tums and it eased a bit.
Goofy weather! Now it IS raining hard. Sheesh.
There was a black bear shot outside a town 30 miles SW of us this week. It's getting a lot of negative attention. People are saying the guy that shot it is claiming it charged to cover his arse for killing it. (He plans on making the pelt into a rug. hmmmm) Bears aren't a protected species here so there is nothing to be done about the situation. It isn't clear if the farmer on whose land the incident occurred knew that the other guy was there with a .300 Winchester. Supposedly, besides the charging story, the shooter was worried about the "bear attacking cattle." Now that would be unusual with so much grain and vegetation around. I have mixed feeling on this but do wish the guy had waited for the DNR to get there before taking drastic measures. Very odd, to say the least.
Hour later and feeling somewhat better. That corn is just kicking my GI tract up one side and down the other. It's as bad as some antibiotics, honestly. Once the tummy settles down I will move on to the mineral supplements. Potassium and magnesium don't bother me but that zinc? Oh, yuck. Stomach's reaction to that is similar to what a case of food poisoning must be like. Nausea... Ick.
Am wandering around, waiting for the Herd to get out of bed. SS will likely try to sneak off before I can catch him but he has to clean the engine compartment of "his" car, jack up the front, put jackstands under it and take off the front tires. He has to work at 1 and, if this goes according to pattern, he will be up here soon and will be as quiet as possible, hoping not to be heard. *sigh* Kids....
Himself says that SS really has absolutely no idea how expensive it will be for him to maintain that car. He hasn't figured in gas, insurance, maintenance, licensing, etc etc etc. As has been said before, there are lessons to be learned and it ain't gonna be pretty. He insists that he makes enough at his part-time job to cover everything but his Dad doesn't think he does. We'll see whether he values that car over the damnable cell phone or not.
Speaking of that phone, his Dad absolutely reamed him a new one this week. They were out splitting wood and SS wandered off to text Little Miss Ubiquitous. When he finally auntered back, talking on the phone instead of texting, his father went off on him. Made him bring it in the house and leave it here. Told him that he doesn't ever want to see that phone on the kid's person while he is supposed to be working. Wonder how they handle that addiction of his at his job? I still think the whole idea of his "needing" a phone is just stupid.
The other kid has been doing better at attending to chores. He has actually been doing things without being told and doing them right. It's about time! He has an unfortunate tendency to woolgather when he is supposed to be doing something and it makes us just nuts. I will be so glad to not be a full-time Mom in a year or two.
It's hard to say which one of the Herd catches more flak... The last few days it's been pretty evenly spread around. I surmise, though, that if SS doesn't get that car jacked up and do the other stuff his Dad told him to and get it done before the man gets home... the shit's gonna hit the fan. SS also has to be to work at 1 pm. It's now 11:45 am and he is frittering around cleaning the outside of the car. It isn't clear to me what he thinks he's doing but I'm just keeping my mouth shut. He is fully confident that he makes perfectly rational, adult decisions. Ok. Whateeeeeever.
We're supposed to go to a cookout today but I don't feel much like it. Tummy still not right. If we don't go, it will be the first time in a coon's age that we have missed Rod's Giganto Food and Booze-fest. Honest, don't think my stomach can handle jerk chicken and brats. Ugh.
It's been "sort-of" raining all morning. Sun comes out for a while, then it starts to rain. It's just showers, though, so not worried about too much rain. The 2/3 ofthe state south of highway 20 are still having problems with too much rain. Sections of Des Moines flooded again this week although the family is fine, high and dry.
Haven't managed to finish brushing my teeth yet. Got the bottom ones done, at least. Have a nasty case of heartburn and really feeling quite ill. I hate that but not much to be done about it but took some Tums and it eased a bit.
Goofy weather! Now it IS raining hard. Sheesh.
There was a black bear shot outside a town 30 miles SW of us this week. It's getting a lot of negative attention. People are saying the guy that shot it is claiming it charged to cover his arse for killing it. (He plans on making the pelt into a rug. hmmmm) Bears aren't a protected species here so there is nothing to be done about the situation. It isn't clear if the farmer on whose land the incident occurred knew that the other guy was there with a .300 Winchester. Supposedly, besides the charging story, the shooter was worried about the "bear attacking cattle." Now that would be unusual with so much grain and vegetation around. I have mixed feeling on this but do wish the guy had waited for the DNR to get there before taking drastic measures. Very odd, to say the least.
Hour later and feeling somewhat better. That corn is just kicking my GI tract up one side and down the other. It's as bad as some antibiotics, honestly. Once the tummy settles down I will move on to the mineral supplements. Potassium and magnesium don't bother me but that zinc? Oh, yuck. Stomach's reaction to that is similar to what a case of food poisoning must be like. Nausea... Ick.
Am wandering around, waiting for the Herd to get out of bed. SS will likely try to sneak off before I can catch him but he has to clean the engine compartment of "his" car, jack up the front, put jackstands under it and take off the front tires. He has to work at 1 and, if this goes according to pattern, he will be up here soon and will be as quiet as possible, hoping not to be heard. *sigh* Kids....
Himself says that SS really has absolutely no idea how expensive it will be for him to maintain that car. He hasn't figured in gas, insurance, maintenance, licensing, etc etc etc. As has been said before, there are lessons to be learned and it ain't gonna be pretty. He insists that he makes enough at his part-time job to cover everything but his Dad doesn't think he does. We'll see whether he values that car over the damnable cell phone or not.
Speaking of that phone, his Dad absolutely reamed him a new one this week. They were out splitting wood and SS wandered off to text Little Miss Ubiquitous. When he finally auntered back, talking on the phone instead of texting, his father went off on him. Made him bring it in the house and leave it here. Told him that he doesn't ever want to see that phone on the kid's person while he is supposed to be working. Wonder how they handle that addiction of his at his job? I still think the whole idea of his "needing" a phone is just stupid.
The other kid has been doing better at attending to chores. He has actually been doing things without being told and doing them right. It's about time! He has an unfortunate tendency to woolgather when he is supposed to be doing something and it makes us just nuts. I will be so glad to not be a full-time Mom in a year or two.
It's hard to say which one of the Herd catches more flak... The last few days it's been pretty evenly spread around. I surmise, though, that if SS doesn't get that car jacked up and do the other stuff his Dad told him to and get it done before the man gets home... the shit's gonna hit the fan. SS also has to be to work at 1 pm. It's now 11:45 am and he is frittering around cleaning the outside of the car. It isn't clear to me what he thinks he's doing but I'm just keeping my mouth shut. He is fully confident that he makes perfectly rational, adult decisions. Ok. Whateeeeeever.
We're supposed to go to a cookout today but I don't feel much like it. Tummy still not right. If we don't go, it will be the first time in a coon's age that we have missed Rod's Giganto Food and Booze-fest. Honest, don't think my stomach can handle jerk chicken and brats. Ugh.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Gag order
I love water piks. They do such a great job and my mouth always feel so nice and clean after using one.
The only problem is that they kick my gag reflex into overdrive. It's worse than using mouthwash, which is bad enough. I don't know why the gag reflex has become so strong over the last couple of years but it's almost a problem. Some days I don't manage to brush my teeth in one session. It takes two or three tries before I can finish.
I have a problem with noxious odors, too. Currently I am making a small batch of compost in a container out on the deck. I swear I can smell it in the house... really. There aren't a lot of things that smell worse than composting kitchen wastes. I have to back off to arm's length, pick up only an edge of the lid and stick stuff in fast, before I start to gag.
Heaven help me if one of the cats harfs something up or the dog has the trots. One of the cats has the unfortunate tendency to eat small animals of various descriptions then upchuck whatever isn't digested. This usually involves fur and claws and suchlike. I try to keep an eye on him so I can toss him outside if he starts acting like something is making a return appearance. The dog is a poop-machine in the first place but when she eats something that doesn't agree with her the results are somewhere on the far side of gross. This happens more often than I'd like because she sneaks stuff out of the garbage can, including but not limited to, paper towels and fat.* Cleaning up this kind of thing is an iron-clad guarantee of gagging.
Changing diapers never bothered me when I had little kids but it sure does now. Some days I will be fine but some days I can't stand to even be in the room when a change is ongoing.** I babysat Dudifers when he was an infant and the diaper-thing didn't seem to bother me even though that kid should have had a biohazard warning on his butt. Man! peeeeeeeee-ew!
Chili or ice cream night can be a bad thing, too. Between beans and a lactose-intolerant male? I wonder why male efflatus always stinks SO much worse than female? Related to this is the bathroom. I have cleaned the floor, the w.c., the walls around the w.c., the sinks, floor mats, everything I can but I still think I smell bad things. Short of bringing in the power washer and a few gallons of bleach, I'm at a loss.***
*She did grab tater peelings and onion skins but now they are going into the smelly compost tub so she hasn't a chance at those.
**Once, I love the babies dearly but those diapers.... mercy.
***The guys were trained to sit to pee but they've decided that takes too much time. Darn it. Still think if they had to clean the biff they would choose to sit down.
The only problem is that they kick my gag reflex into overdrive. It's worse than using mouthwash, which is bad enough. I don't know why the gag reflex has become so strong over the last couple of years but it's almost a problem. Some days I don't manage to brush my teeth in one session. It takes two or three tries before I can finish.
I have a problem with noxious odors, too. Currently I am making a small batch of compost in a container out on the deck. I swear I can smell it in the house... really. There aren't a lot of things that smell worse than composting kitchen wastes. I have to back off to arm's length, pick up only an edge of the lid and stick stuff in fast, before I start to gag.
Heaven help me if one of the cats harfs something up or the dog has the trots. One of the cats has the unfortunate tendency to eat small animals of various descriptions then upchuck whatever isn't digested. This usually involves fur and claws and suchlike. I try to keep an eye on him so I can toss him outside if he starts acting like something is making a return appearance. The dog is a poop-machine in the first place but when she eats something that doesn't agree with her the results are somewhere on the far side of gross. This happens more often than I'd like because she sneaks stuff out of the garbage can, including but not limited to, paper towels and fat.* Cleaning up this kind of thing is an iron-clad guarantee of gagging.
Changing diapers never bothered me when I had little kids but it sure does now. Some days I will be fine but some days I can't stand to even be in the room when a change is ongoing.** I babysat Dudifers when he was an infant and the diaper-thing didn't seem to bother me even though that kid should have had a biohazard warning on his butt. Man! peeeeeeeee-ew!
Chili or ice cream night can be a bad thing, too. Between beans and a lactose-intolerant male? I wonder why male efflatus always stinks SO much worse than female? Related to this is the bathroom. I have cleaned the floor, the w.c., the walls around the w.c., the sinks, floor mats, everything I can but I still think I smell bad things. Short of bringing in the power washer and a few gallons of bleach, I'm at a loss.***
*She did grab tater peelings and onion skins but now they are going into the smelly compost tub so she hasn't a chance at those.
**Once, I love the babies dearly but those diapers.... mercy.
***The guys were trained to sit to pee but they've decided that takes too much time. Darn it. Still think if they had to clean the biff they would choose to sit down.
Yours Free!
Elvis Presley® 25th Anniversary Tennessee State Quarter Tribute (just $2.95 shipping and guaranteed delivery for this Elvis collectible!
Act now to get this desirable colorized Elvis Tennessee State Quarter.
This uncirculated U.S. State Quarter is colorized using a revolutionary technique. Elvis' color portrait will not chip, fade or peel...
Just what any redneck hillbilly would love to have mounted next to the deer heads and talking bass.
What surprises me is that people are likely to get these idiot things and actually believe they are worth something.
So, slap me. I warned everyone that I'm not politically correct.
Act now to get this desirable colorized Elvis Tennessee State Quarter.
This uncirculated U.S. State Quarter is colorized using a revolutionary technique. Elvis' color portrait will not chip, fade or peel...
Just what any redneck hillbilly would love to have mounted next to the deer heads and talking bass.
What surprises me is that people are likely to get these idiot things and actually believe they are worth something.
So, slap me. I warned everyone that I'm not politically correct.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
A very bad idea
The Bierstick.*
Yes, you are now able, through the advanced design talents of a bunch of frat-boys on crack, to "drink up to 24 ounces in less than two seconds."**
Not only that wonder, but the Bierstick is discrete enough to carry in a backpack.
The user-submitted video illustrates why young males should be kept confined in institutions until they are approximately 45 years old.
I foresee a lawsuit...
* I kid you not: Bierstick
**italics not mine.
Yes, you are now able, through the advanced design talents of a bunch of frat-boys on crack, to "drink up to 24 ounces in less than two seconds."**
Not only that wonder, but the Bierstick is discrete enough to carry in a backpack.
The user-submitted video illustrates why young males should be kept confined in institutions until they are approximately 45 years old.
I foresee a lawsuit...
* I kid you not: Bierstick
**italics not mine.
Haunted printer
I have a possessed deskjet printer.
It quit working about 4 days ago for no reason whatsoever.
It just turned on.
Ran for about 30 seconds.
And turned off again.
I hate it when things like that happen.
It quit working about 4 days ago for no reason whatsoever.
It just turned on.
Ran for about 30 seconds.
And turned off again.
I hate it when things like that happen.
Yuck.
This morning the Homestead was treated to a lovely brunch of vegetable omelettes, hash browns and locker bacon. Yum!
The "yuck" part of this? Himself routinely uses condensed cheddar cheese soup as a sauce for the omelettes and hash browns. In the past, this worked very nicely as the stuff was actually cheese.
Guess what? It isn't cheese, anymore. Far as I could tell from the ingredient list, there isn't much actual cheddar cheese in it. Please follow along as I enumerate some, but not all, of the ingredients:
water
cheddar flavor base
enzyme modified cheese
modified food starch
canola oil
sodium phosphate
salt
xanthan gum
apocarotenal
wheat flour
modified food starch
margarine
vegetable oil
dehydrated dairy blend
cheddar cheese*
butter
cheese culture enzymes
"cheddar flavor base?"** "enzyme modified cheese?" Ah, yes, the old "labelled as cheese but it isn't cheese" ploy. Both of those ingredients are not related in any meaningful way to cheese. They are chemically produced ingredients that masquerade as the flavor of cheddar. They aren't cheddar. They aren't cheese. Personally, I think that's pretty obvious because they sure don't taste like cheese.
I do know what "modified food starch" is. It's a sneaky way of slipping free glutamic acids into the food. Translate that as the same damned thing as monosodium glutamate. The only reason the stuff is necessary is because the contents of the can have been over-processed and over-chemicalled to the point that it would taste worse than school paste without it. Edible nonfood.***
There are some days when just reading the labels of foodstuffs turns my stomach.
Next round of grocery shopping it's Real Cheddar Cheese in my cart. Cheese sauce is quick, easy and has about 3 main ingredients: shredded real cheese, butter, milk. Plus salt and pepper or whatall spices.
I have no idea how to get a handle on this whole situation but it's pissing me off. We can't buy raw milk but it's ok to eat unnatural chemicals? Organic almonds are illegal to grow but irradiated and GM ones are fine? Politicians and special interests need to get their heads out of their butts. I doubt that will happen so we're all on our own.
Eileen: I can't find a sure definition for "dairy blend." It would seem to be some type of enzyme- or chemically-modified whey product. Did come up with this little bit of slightly unsettling information...
(a) Can you sanitize with cow water?
Yes. Cow water that meets all the requirements of Appendix D., Part V., Level I
of the DMO, may be used for all potable water uses in the plant.
(b) Can you flush pasteurized milk lines or push pasteurized product with cow
water?
Yes. However, cow water, if used to push pasteurized milk or milk products,
must initially comply with Appendix D., Part V., Level I of the DMO and then
must comply with the requirements of Item 15p(B)2.
I'm not sure I want to look up the definition of "cow water." Really.
* oooooooh! Wallace and Gromit, rejoice! I surmise the company had to stick in a miniscule amount of actual cheese or they would have to label their can "cheddar flavored soup." Or more descriptive, "canned chemicals that don't taste like any actual earthy food." Or "a yellow, gelatinous mass of fake flavors and stuff that will kill you." Or something like that.
** This stuff is........ cheese flavoring and butter! Gawd save the Queen.
*** There are lots of things that are edible that aren't food. Dirt, for instance. Kids eat bugs, but I don't consider them to be food. I suppose dog shit would be considered edible, too, but that doesn't mean I want to eat it any more than I want to eat edible nonfood. blargh....
The "yuck" part of this? Himself routinely uses condensed cheddar cheese soup as a sauce for the omelettes and hash browns. In the past, this worked very nicely as the stuff was actually cheese.
Guess what? It isn't cheese, anymore. Far as I could tell from the ingredient list, there isn't much actual cheddar cheese in it. Please follow along as I enumerate some, but not all, of the ingredients:
water
cheddar flavor base
enzyme modified cheese
modified food starch
canola oil
sodium phosphate
salt
xanthan gum
apocarotenal
wheat flour
modified food starch
margarine
vegetable oil
dehydrated dairy blend
cheddar cheese*
butter
cheese culture enzymes
"cheddar flavor base?"** "enzyme modified cheese?" Ah, yes, the old "labelled as cheese but it isn't cheese" ploy. Both of those ingredients are not related in any meaningful way to cheese. They are chemically produced ingredients that masquerade as the flavor of cheddar. They aren't cheddar. They aren't cheese. Personally, I think that's pretty obvious because they sure don't taste like cheese.
I do know what "modified food starch" is. It's a sneaky way of slipping free glutamic acids into the food. Translate that as the same damned thing as monosodium glutamate. The only reason the stuff is necessary is because the contents of the can have been over-processed and over-chemicalled to the point that it would taste worse than school paste without it. Edible nonfood.***
There are some days when just reading the labels of foodstuffs turns my stomach.
Next round of grocery shopping it's Real Cheddar Cheese in my cart. Cheese sauce is quick, easy and has about 3 main ingredients: shredded real cheese, butter, milk. Plus salt and pepper or whatall spices.
I have no idea how to get a handle on this whole situation but it's pissing me off. We can't buy raw milk but it's ok to eat unnatural chemicals? Organic almonds are illegal to grow but irradiated and GM ones are fine? Politicians and special interests need to get their heads out of their butts. I doubt that will happen so we're all on our own.
Eileen: I can't find a sure definition for "dairy blend." It would seem to be some type of enzyme- or chemically-modified whey product. Did come up with this little bit of slightly unsettling information...
(a) Can you sanitize with cow water?
Yes. Cow water that meets all the requirements of Appendix D., Part V., Level I
of the DMO, may be used for all potable water uses in the plant.
(b) Can you flush pasteurized milk lines or push pasteurized product with cow
water?
Yes. However, cow water, if used to push pasteurized milk or milk products,
must initially comply with Appendix D., Part V., Level I of the DMO and then
must comply with the requirements of Item 15p(B)2.
I'm not sure I want to look up the definition of "cow water." Really.
* oooooooh! Wallace and Gromit, rejoice! I surmise the company had to stick in a miniscule amount of actual cheese or they would have to label their can "cheddar flavored soup." Or more descriptive, "canned chemicals that don't taste like any actual earthy food." Or "a yellow, gelatinous mass of fake flavors and stuff that will kill you." Or something like that.
** This stuff is........ cheese flavoring and butter! Gawd save the Queen.
*** There are lots of things that are edible that aren't food. Dirt, for instance. Kids eat bugs, but I don't consider them to be food. I suppose dog shit would be considered edible, too, but that doesn't mean I want to eat it any more than I want to eat edible nonfood. blargh....
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Big Pharma tips its hand....
Well, well, well.. we have a great opportunity to do something about this situation.
Can we all say, "BUSTED!"
Big Pharma tips it's hand
I filled out a comment form for each petition pointing out the fact the neither petition is in the public interest, rather they will only protect the financial interests of the petitioners.
It is interesting that a European group had to bring this to our attention.
Here are links to two other sites that have loads of good information:
Herb Allure it sounds weird but it's an interesting site.
ANH excellent reference site for various things.
Can we all say, "BUSTED!"
Big Pharma tips it's hand
I filled out a comment form for each petition pointing out the fact the neither petition is in the public interest, rather they will only protect the financial interests of the petitioners.
It is interesting that a European group had to bring this to our attention.
Here are links to two other sites that have loads of good information:
Herb Allure it sounds weird but it's an interesting site.
ANH excellent reference site for various things.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
oops
Himself decreed that all the branches and small limbs that have piled up down by the river needed to be burned today. Considering that they came from a maple tree that was 30 - 40 feet high, there were a LOT of branches and leaves.
On a still day this project would have worked out very nicely. Today, though, we have gusty northwest winds blowing down the river and up over the bank at the pile of stuff. That, combined with the total inexpierenc3e of the two adolescents, caused a few minutes of near-panic.
Himself had been down at the pile, supervising them, but a family friend stopped over so he came back up to sit on the deck and visit. Evidently, with no supervision, the guys decided to start throwing larger stuff on the little pile that was burning. The inevitable happened....
the whole thing turned into a huge conflagration. The dry leaves ignited, black smoke began blocking out the sky and flames shot 20 feet into the air.
Our visitor jumped up, yelled, "HOLY SHIT!!!" impelling Himself to also jump up and look. (in the interests of delicacy, i won't repeat the next thing out of his mouth.) The kids realized this was not a good thing and had panicked, running up the yard towards the house.
Himself took the deck stairs 3 at a time, grabbed the hose and ran down to start spraying the fire. By this time, ash was falling around the house in a manner reminiscent of the last days of Pompeii. Flames continue to roar, mounting higher and higher into an overhanging oak tree. Heavy black smoke overspread the neighborhood, mounting into the sky, carrying ash with it. Himself continued moving around the flames, spraying at their base with the hose while the visitor and I wondered if we shouldn't be calling the fire department.
After a tense period of time, Himself got the base of the fire under control and started pulling branches from the top of it.
It's still burning, but it's a small flame and under control. The actual wood is burning now, not flaring as the tinder-dry leaves did. I surmise that Himself isn't leaving that area until the whole thing is out.
We are very fortunate that nothing worse happened. The oak didn't start on fire, the decks and house are fine since by the time the ash got here it was dead. There is a mess of ash all over everything but, all in all, I suppose this was a lesson for the adolescents.
Just another day at the Homestead....
On a still day this project would have worked out very nicely. Today, though, we have gusty northwest winds blowing down the river and up over the bank at the pile of stuff. That, combined with the total inexpierenc3e of the two adolescents, caused a few minutes of near-panic.
Himself had been down at the pile, supervising them, but a family friend stopped over so he came back up to sit on the deck and visit. Evidently, with no supervision, the guys decided to start throwing larger stuff on the little pile that was burning. The inevitable happened....
the whole thing turned into a huge conflagration. The dry leaves ignited, black smoke began blocking out the sky and flames shot 20 feet into the air.
Our visitor jumped up, yelled, "HOLY SHIT!!!" impelling Himself to also jump up and look. (in the interests of delicacy, i won't repeat the next thing out of his mouth.) The kids realized this was not a good thing and had panicked, running up the yard towards the house.
Himself took the deck stairs 3 at a time, grabbed the hose and ran down to start spraying the fire. By this time, ash was falling around the house in a manner reminiscent of the last days of Pompeii. Flames continue to roar, mounting higher and higher into an overhanging oak tree. Heavy black smoke overspread the neighborhood, mounting into the sky, carrying ash with it. Himself continued moving around the flames, spraying at their base with the hose while the visitor and I wondered if we shouldn't be calling the fire department.
After a tense period of time, Himself got the base of the fire under control and started pulling branches from the top of it.
It's still burning, but it's a small flame and under control. The actual wood is burning now, not flaring as the tinder-dry leaves did. I surmise that Himself isn't leaving that area until the whole thing is out.
We are very fortunate that nothing worse happened. The oak didn't start on fire, the decks and house are fine since by the time the ash got here it was dead. There is a mess of ash all over everything but, all in all, I suppose this was a lesson for the adolescents.
Just another day at the Homestead....
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