So, I drove to my favorite car wash. And sweated my ass off cleaning the interior, the windows, and vacuuming the upholstery. It's friggin' hot outside. After cleaning my car, I decided to get an easy-to-maintain hair cut which, again, is something you should not do when hot and sweaty. The little hairs just stick everywhere.

It's good to be back home and have my errands done. I can get some cleaning done. Some reading done. And relax. And tonight I'm meeting a friend for a glass of wine and chat (I do that a lot lately, have you noticed?). I'm looking forward to just relaxing and talking about intelligent stuff with another person.

Hey. You know I don't smile! (And, yes, I'm wearing shorts. I had just gotten out of the shower and washed the little sticky hairs off. And, yes, again, I know I still have some weight to lose and muscle to gain. It's happening. Slowly but surely.)

hair, Texas, vacation, work, car

I grabbed a CD that looked good and trip-worthy, paid for it (and my drink), opened the CD, got to my car, placed it in the CD player, and discovered I had grabbed the wrong CD by mistake. Nothing sounded familiar.

What did I end up with? Mark Ronson's Version. Believe it or not, it's a rather good CD. Odder yet? I'm ripping music to my hard drive to get ready for my long drive to Texas and found that Ronson is an artist my friend Baker included on the last mix-CD he made for me. I've listened to the CD sporadically (meaning little bits and pieces, often not getting past track 2 of 15) but did not look at the track listing closely until today.

How odd is that, eh? Evidently, the thought of my iced beverage being prepared distracted me from grabbing the CD I truly wanted. (Which I ended up downloading from Amazon.com anyway).

Mark Ronson, Baker, music, vacation, MP3

And tomorrow I have dinner plans.

It's going to be a good weekend full of conversation. I'm looking forward to it. (Though I do have a lot of "pre-trip" work to do, too. And a paper to write. But I can whip that out — the paper — in under an hour).

Life is good. Hanging out with friends is always a keen thing.

friends, beer,

It's a good thing, too. This will be an excellent season.

Most of the boys are quite attractive. Jessie, the not-gay bodybuilder (sure he's not...) from Iowa has an amazing body, but an ego bigger than his pectoral muscles. He most likely will not last long, as I think people automatically view him as a threat — at least competitively — due to his body size. 

Steven, the gay rodeo star, is actually rather cute. He's not out on the show, yet, but it's only week one. 

As usual, the other boys have formed some sort of alliance, and we all know week one alliances never, ever last.  The cast includes a N'awlins woman (who, honestly, is annoying and needs to go this first week), a Hooters waitress, a blond girl with huge boobies (always a cast necessity), a 76-year-old great-grandfater (he's head of household!), a spunky Portuguese woman, and a preacher's son (who does not drink, smoke, or cuss). Quite the variety. Quite the mix.

This season takes BB back to its roots — nobody in the house is related to another person, nobody is dating another person, and no secret relationships of any sort exist. Just your typical random strangers fighting for half-a-million dollars. It's excellent television viewing that requires zero mental energy. And it's one of the few reality shows I have ever watched on a semi-regular basis.

Big Brother 10, television, gay, selfish

Now I just have to discuss the study with my boss at work, as the initial hospital stay is 5-6 days with a 1-2 day visit monthly (Minneapolis) for an entire year. I also have to make sure that my insurance will cover the immunosupressant drugs after that first year, as they're quite pricey. 

No guarantee I will be accepted into the study, though my endocrinologist says I'm a good candidate. Imagine not being diabetic anymore. I'm excited. Kind of. And I hope it all works out. If not? Not a huge deal. I've been taking insulin and poking myself for over ten years and will continue to do so. Whatever is necessary to stay alive, folks!

As an aside, I've lost 2 pounds in the past 3 months. However, remember that muscle weighs 2.2 times as much as fat. The fact I've lost an inch in my waist tells you I've lost fat, and by looking at me you can tell I've gained some muscle. So, honestly, I don't care shit about the minimal weight loss, as I know the weight I do have is due more to muscle than fat. And I'm completely okay with that.  Because I look kind of HOT. And I want a new boyfriend.

diabetes, exercise, weight

I even graced the team with my presence for the opening ceremonies tonight. I worked out of town all day, drove back, changed, and spent close to three hours at the relay. It was fun (though very hot and humid!), though I highly doubt I will ever be one of the few that stays the entire time. 

There is proof, too, that I attended. I'm front row center of our team picture. Heh. 

(Amazingly, I've been quite social with my coworkers. I've attended the company picnic, the company golf outing — though I did miniature golf, and now the relay. A few of the people I work with are thrilled I am making the time and, honestly, are a tad shocked. I told them to get used to it.)

cancer, Relay for Life, work, money

I only own two pairs of shorts. Honest. And one of the two now has paint spatters all over them from painting the office at work. (Brown paint, brown shorts; still...). It's the perfect time of year to buy shorts, too. The spring/summer fashion season is drawing to an end, so I was able to get four rather keen pair of shorts at Kohl's online. For cheap. The good thing? I can return them in a store if they don't fit. The odd thing? Two of the four pair are plaid designs, which used to not be my thing; I'm typically all about solid-color cargo shorts. (Additionally, the two pair I have don't fit that well, as I've lost some inches off my waist and a few pounds. I know you're tired of hearing that, too. But, hey. I'm lookin' pretty good. Maybe I'll draw the attention of some hot cowboys.)

I also erased all tunes off of my MP3 player so I can load new ones. I've also started creating some rather good playlists for the drive down, as I have recently amassed quite a few great CDs.  (Kathy Griffin's CD For Your Consideration? Hilarious. But it won't go on the MP3 player.)

I've purchased storage for all in-vehicle cords and electrical items (MP3 player, two phones, chargers for all of them, GPS system, mounting devices). I also purchased additional "outlets" for my car, as I only have two and need at least four. (Hell, even when driving for work, the two I have are constantly in use).

What's left? I need to buy a good pair of sandals (again: great time of year for that), which I will do tomorrow in between stores for work, load the MP3 player, print out maps and download them to the GPS, and transfer money between bank accounts (savings to checking). 

All in all, I'm rather "on schedule."

trip, work, clothes, shopping, Internet, Kathy Griffin, music

Total time to prepare and cook: About 30 minutes

1 C long-grain white basmati rice
1 lb. salmon fillet, skin removed
Kosher salt and freshly ground (coarsely ground) black pepper
6-7 oz. sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/2 C baby carrots, thinly sliced
4 scallions, trimmed & thinly sliced
2 T rice vinegar
1 T grated ginger (or a tad less powdered)
1 T brown sugar (I forgot to buy this and had no molasses on hand, so I used 1 1/2 tsp of regular sugar for the sweetness factor)
1 T dry red wine

Mix rice and 2 1/2 C water in medium skillet. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Slice salmon on diagonal into four 3/4 inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper; place on top of partially cooked rice. Cover and increase heat to medium-low. Cook 7 minutes.

Scatter peas/carrots over salmon and rice. Cover and cook until rice and peas are tender and salmon is opaque and begins to flake with a fork. About 5-7 minutes.

Mix soy sauce, scallions, vinegar, ginger, sugar, and wine in a small bowl. Spoon sauce over cooked rice, salmon, and vegatables. 

Serve. (It's quite yummy and will provide me at least 3 good-sized meals. In the future, I will steam or boil the vegetables a tad before adding them to the rice/salmon. I don't mind crunchier veggies, but some prefer them a little more tender than the cooking time above allows.)

I did not create the recipe above. I found the original version in a Real Simple magazine located in the waiting room of Good Year (was having my oil changed). (Yes, I tore that a page out of the magazine). I modified a few things from the original recipe.

recipe, salmon, food, cooking

I received a coupon from Bed, Bath, & Beyond when I moved into my new (and wonderfully decorated!) apartment that was good for 20% off my entire purchase — not just one item. (I've mentioned this before). As it expires on August 1, I figured I'd better use it soon, especially as I'll be out of town for almost nine days sometime between now and then.

So, on my way to work this morning (I painted part of our office last Thursday and had to take down painter's tape and do some minor cleaning and touching up), I stopped at B3 and purchased over $100 worth of merchandise. 

I did not NEED new towels, mind you, but I did want some. I opted to get some pricey 100% Turkish Aegean 2-Ply cotton bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths. (Just 2 of each — I do live by myself!). The label says: "Indulge yourself with these super plush and ultra absorbent Turkish towels, hand sewn and meticulously crafted for long lasting pleasure with the world's finest cotton grown in the most fertile region by the Aegean Sea." We shall find out how indulgent these towels are, soon. Right now, they're in the washer. 

I also purchased a new corner shower caddy to hold my shampoos and soaps. The cheapy one I had was looking icky; the new one is metal as opposed to white plastic and has four shelves instead of three.

I also purchase some cheaper items. (1) A plastic bin to keep my cords and what-nots orgnaized in my car. I have multiple items that require charging, mounting devices, etc. (2) Hanging cedar blocks for my closet. Cedar keeps the moths away — not that I have a moth problem — and it smells good. (3) A two-wick Yankee Candle — Dune Grass scent. This scent is being discontinued, and I love grassy smells. I'd have purchased more, but one should last me quite a while. I have an ample supply of candles, anyway.

shopping, apartment

Can we trace the chain of events that leads to our own birth? Is our existence just coincidence? Do little things matter?

The narrator of The Danish Poet considers these questions as we follow Kasper, a poet whose creative well has run dry, on a holiday to Norway to meet the famous writer, Sigrid Undset. As Kasper's quest for inspiration unfolds, it appears that a spell of bad weather, an angry dog, slippery barn planks, a careless postman, hungry goats and other seemingly unrelated factors might play important roles in the big scheme of things after all.

 

coincidence, short film