Well it’s that time of the year, Christmas. When everyone is supposed to be Merry….Ha ha ha, Ho ho ho.!!! And all that shit.
I guess you can say I’m getting in the spirit. I wrapped my one and only gift. That’s all I can afford. But what the hey, everyone who doesn’t get one from me, sorry, but times are tuff…….. Well that’s better than the other day, when I went down town.(It’s only a few blocks). I said Hello to someone as I passed and he mumbled something back like “go fuck yourself” and smiled at me. Well I hope he felt better, I thought I was the only Scrooge in town. It made my day. Of course it didn’t last long because I had to walk down to the Village offices and pay my light bill. (At least it’s not my NiMO bill.) You know it was FUCKING COLD out. I also had to go to Right Aid to pick up a prescription. It was FUCKING COLD out. Then walk all the way home. It was FUCKING COLD out. Know wonder the guy told me to go Fuck myself. It wasn’t the Holidays, it was the COLD, FUCKING COLD.
Well I’m going away for a week or so. Down to my sister, the other side of Albany. I get to visit with Tucker. Yes the pooch with attitude. A real Kewl Dude… So I will be out of touch for a while. Well slightly out of touch.Those that need me will know how to get in touch with me.
So Happy Holidays. Merry Christmas and all that good cheer. Make sure you have the good cheer… And lots of it… And if you must drink, don’t drive. Unless it’s a video game…
Keep Your Stick on the Ice.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Sunday, December 11, 2005
A very good Saturday.
Yesterday was one of those good days. You know, the days that make you feel good and have a great time doing what you do. Our Kiwanis club has its meetings every Saturday morning at 8:00 in the morning. Like every Saturday we had our meeting at the Knight Spot. After the meeting some of us Kiwanians went to Walmart, (yes we braved the Shopping Mad crowds) to buy gifts and presents for The Gram Loraine Project.
Every Christmas our club along with other civic and charitable organizations buy presents for needy kids and families in the area. We’ve been doing this for three or four years now. Each Kiwanian had two or three individual kids to shop for. We get a coat, some clothing that is needed and a toy for each kid. The schools identify the kids who would be the recipient of a Christmas present package. This year we had to shop and wrap presents for sixteen kids.
After shopping, we went back to The Knight Spot to wrap presents. We had one or our junior clubs; The Builders Club join us to wrap presents. We had about twenty-two sixth, seventh and eighth grade boys and girls to help wrap the presents. Actually we had them wrap all the presents as one of their service projects for the year. We just supervised and we bought the pizza, chicken wings and the sodas for every one. We had a great time. The kids did also. After things were pretty well wrapped up, we had a few beers with Alex before calling it a day well spent.
With that in mind, I figured I still had plenty of time to go home and make my chili. Hooray for chili! I had started soaking my beans last night and by the time I got home, I figured I’d better at least cook them up before they get yucky, so I started the whole thing. Put the beans on, then chopped up my onions and a few stalks of celery. Yes celery, just a few, it makes the base for the chili kind of more well rounded. I used olive oil; extra virgin of coarse, then started to sweat the onions and celery.
I chopped up what was left of my chipoltle peppers in adobo sauce, then added that to the pot. Of coarse salt, and pepper. Not too much on the salt, it’s not good for my blood pressure, but that is the only salt I add. Just a pinch. Some garlic, or in my case yesterday, garlic powder. Some chili powder, lots of chili powder, about three tablespoons. I then added my ground turkey. It makes a good chili.
I let that all cook together and brown up nicey nice. Then added my can of crushed tomatoes and the juice from a can of plum tomatoes. I add the plum tomatoes later so I have pieces of tomato in my chili when it’s done. After my beans are done I add them and let every thing simmer for about twenty minutes to meld together. Just to sweeten or mellow out the chili, I add two or three spoonfuls of honey. Then it’s suppertime… YUM YUM!!
Okay, I know, I’ve done the chili thing before, but you know it’s more art than science to making a good pot of chili. But you might say that chili is not chili unless you add beans. Some may say you shouldn’t add beans. Well no matter what you like, chili is chili. When you finish your bowl of chili, you have that endorphin rush from the capsaasin from the chipoltle peppers. Yes the hot peppers, (smoked halipino peppers), have the chemicals in them to release the endorphins that make you feel really good. Natures little had rush…
Well I guess I’ve spent enough time reveling about chili. How about the fact, that I didn’t rant about all the idiots at Walmart? Well I guess my mind was on the task at hand and nothing was going to stop me from my intended rounds……. Jeeze, maybe there is a Santa Claus after all….
I know that there is a Bubba Claus. He delivers in the “Southern” State, (just a little humor).
Okay, okay, I’ve said enough for today, nothing left to bitch about.
(The day isn’t over yet)… So, Keep your stick on the Ice.
Every Christmas our club along with other civic and charitable organizations buy presents for needy kids and families in the area. We’ve been doing this for three or four years now. Each Kiwanian had two or three individual kids to shop for. We get a coat, some clothing that is needed and a toy for each kid. The schools identify the kids who would be the recipient of a Christmas present package. This year we had to shop and wrap presents for sixteen kids.
After shopping, we went back to The Knight Spot to wrap presents. We had one or our junior clubs; The Builders Club join us to wrap presents. We had about twenty-two sixth, seventh and eighth grade boys and girls to help wrap the presents. Actually we had them wrap all the presents as one of their service projects for the year. We just supervised and we bought the pizza, chicken wings and the sodas for every one. We had a great time. The kids did also. After things were pretty well wrapped up, we had a few beers with Alex before calling it a day well spent.
With that in mind, I figured I still had plenty of time to go home and make my chili. Hooray for chili! I had started soaking my beans last night and by the time I got home, I figured I’d better at least cook them up before they get yucky, so I started the whole thing. Put the beans on, then chopped up my onions and a few stalks of celery. Yes celery, just a few, it makes the base for the chili kind of more well rounded. I used olive oil; extra virgin of coarse, then started to sweat the onions and celery.
I chopped up what was left of my chipoltle peppers in adobo sauce, then added that to the pot. Of coarse salt, and pepper. Not too much on the salt, it’s not good for my blood pressure, but that is the only salt I add. Just a pinch. Some garlic, or in my case yesterday, garlic powder. Some chili powder, lots of chili powder, about three tablespoons. I then added my ground turkey. It makes a good chili.
I let that all cook together and brown up nicey nice. Then added my can of crushed tomatoes and the juice from a can of plum tomatoes. I add the plum tomatoes later so I have pieces of tomato in my chili when it’s done. After my beans are done I add them and let every thing simmer for about twenty minutes to meld together. Just to sweeten or mellow out the chili, I add two or three spoonfuls of honey. Then it’s suppertime… YUM YUM!!
Okay, I know, I’ve done the chili thing before, but you know it’s more art than science to making a good pot of chili. But you might say that chili is not chili unless you add beans. Some may say you shouldn’t add beans. Well no matter what you like, chili is chili. When you finish your bowl of chili, you have that endorphin rush from the capsaasin from the chipoltle peppers. Yes the hot peppers, (smoked halipino peppers), have the chemicals in them to release the endorphins that make you feel really good. Natures little had rush…
Well I guess I’ve spent enough time reveling about chili. How about the fact, that I didn’t rant about all the idiots at Walmart? Well I guess my mind was on the task at hand and nothing was going to stop me from my intended rounds……. Jeeze, maybe there is a Santa Claus after all….
I know that there is a Bubba Claus. He delivers in the “Southern” State, (just a little humor).
Okay, okay, I’ve said enough for today, nothing left to bitch about.
(The day isn’t over yet)… So, Keep your stick on the Ice.
Friday, December 09, 2005
Been sort of under the weather the past few days. Actually I have been moving very slowly for about three days. My right hip has been killing me. I guess I pulled a muscle or two. I was stiff and in quite a lot of pain. But thankfully I had some muscle relaxers and Tylenol. I even resorted to using the heating pad. That worked pretty well. Yesterday was the first day I could move fairly well. Today, I’m a little sore yet and will take my time and be careful, I don’t hurt myself.
Well it’s snowing. Yes, they even closed all the schools around the Mohawk Valley. Why when we were kids, they made us go to school, even walk to school in a foot of snow. These kids get the royal treatment. They can’t cross any major street or highway, they have to be bussed. Well I guess when we were kids, nobody really thought about safety as much as they do today. Not that I think it’s a bad idea, but if you have the right people as crossing guards and strictly enforce speed limits in and around school zones, the kids should be made to walk to and from school. Maybe they would get some more exercise. But their safety is more important.
I haven’t been sleeping to well lately. Must be I’m not used to all the snow traffic. You know plows, sanders and other snow removal vehicles. What is it with me, I always live near the village or town highway garage? Just my luck. They have someone on the road doing something twenty-four hours a day in the winter. Plus, I’m lucky enough to be just down the street from the fire department. When the fire whistle blows when I’m sleeping, I feel I lift off the bed about three feet. But usually, after the whistle goes off I can get back to sleep pretty easy.
Now for the real BITCH section…….
I got my gas bill yesterday. You know I’ve been really trying to save energy, but what the fuck do they want from us. My thermostat is set no higher then sixty at any time, and most of the time it’s below sixty. I wear sweaters and sweatshirts and sweatpants. My bill went up another hundred bucks. I have just enough money this month to pay everything except my phone bill, which I haven’t received yet. I hope the give me some of the HEAP money for next month. I’ll have to be cold the next few month’s. Oh well!!!
Well it’s snowing. Yes, they even closed all the schools around the Mohawk Valley. Why when we were kids, they made us go to school, even walk to school in a foot of snow. These kids get the royal treatment. They can’t cross any major street or highway, they have to be bussed. Well I guess when we were kids, nobody really thought about safety as much as they do today. Not that I think it’s a bad idea, but if you have the right people as crossing guards and strictly enforce speed limits in and around school zones, the kids should be made to walk to and from school. Maybe they would get some more exercise. But their safety is more important.
I haven’t been sleeping to well lately. Must be I’m not used to all the snow traffic. You know plows, sanders and other snow removal vehicles. What is it with me, I always live near the village or town highway garage? Just my luck. They have someone on the road doing something twenty-four hours a day in the winter. Plus, I’m lucky enough to be just down the street from the fire department. When the fire whistle blows when I’m sleeping, I feel I lift off the bed about three feet. But usually, after the whistle goes off I can get back to sleep pretty easy.
Now for the real BITCH section…….
I got my gas bill yesterday. You know I’ve been really trying to save energy, but what the fuck do they want from us. My thermostat is set no higher then sixty at any time, and most of the time it’s below sixty. I wear sweaters and sweatshirts and sweatpants. My bill went up another hundred bucks. I have just enough money this month to pay everything except my phone bill, which I haven’t received yet. I hope the give me some of the HEAP money for next month. I’ll have to be cold the next few month’s. Oh well!!!
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Ahhh, coffee. I’m not quite awake yet. Even after my shower, I’m still a little bit groggy this morning. Yes, it’s a slow starting morning. I have this pulled muscle or something in my right hip. It’s been very sore and last night I took a couple of Tylenol and a muscle relaxant that my Dr. had prescribed for another muscle pull. And I slept a little bit better after I found a comfortable spot to lay in. That muscle relaxant really makes me groggy, and I don’t usually take anything other than Tylenol for aches and pains, but I could not find a position that I wasn’t in pain in, last night. So I resorted to the other. That’s why I’m still kind of behind in the waking up department.
It’s been a few days since my last post. Had to go to Doctors the other day. They scheduled me for a CAT Scan after the first of the year. They also had me take some extra blood tests to see what’s wrong, if anything. Then they will start a treatment program if they know what’s wrong. Who knows, they might just take out some blood from time to time, or do some kind of chemo or something. Maybe nothing at all.
Getting around this winter is going to be an inconvenience for me this year, without my truck, but that’s life. Luckily, I have a few friends to drive me to the Dr.’s visits and to get groceries. So far, I’ve been lucky I haven’t had to use the bus or taxis. That will save money for the heat bill. I’m just waiting for the shock of my heat bill. When you hear the big crash, and a mortal scream, it’s me. Yes I will most likely go ballistic when I see it.
We all survived Black Friday, and I didn’t go anywhere near any shopping centers or stores. Last Friday, a week later I went to Walmart for groceries and the place was packed with everybody and their r34latives, wall to wall assholes… Just what I don’t like. But, I hunkered down and got the job done, then sat down in Dunkin Donuts and had some coffee watching all the idiots like me, shopping on Friday. Boy was I glad I was done with mine.
It’s been a few days since my last post. Had to go to Doctors the other day. They scheduled me for a CAT Scan after the first of the year. They also had me take some extra blood tests to see what’s wrong, if anything. Then they will start a treatment program if they know what’s wrong. Who knows, they might just take out some blood from time to time, or do some kind of chemo or something. Maybe nothing at all.
Getting around this winter is going to be an inconvenience for me this year, without my truck, but that’s life. Luckily, I have a few friends to drive me to the Dr.’s visits and to get groceries. So far, I’ve been lucky I haven’t had to use the bus or taxis. That will save money for the heat bill. I’m just waiting for the shock of my heat bill. When you hear the big crash, and a mortal scream, it’s me. Yes I will most likely go ballistic when I see it.
We all survived Black Friday, and I didn’t go anywhere near any shopping centers or stores. Last Friday, a week later I went to Walmart for groceries and the place was packed with everybody and their r34latives, wall to wall assholes… Just what I don’t like. But, I hunkered down and got the job done, then sat down in Dunkin Donuts and had some coffee watching all the idiots like me, shopping on Friday. Boy was I glad I was done with mine.
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