Happy Halloween Bah Humbug

I am allowing myself 5 mins of complete negativity and wallowing and then I will go back to forgetting about anything bothering me.

I am not going trick-or-treating, giving out candy or wearing a costume. I am not going to carve any of my pumpkins.

My house looks dirty despite lots of cleaning.

I feel lonely. I hate Sunday mornings.

I have nothing interesting to say.

Stupidest Use of ISight Camera Ever

Too lazy to go to the ladies room... used GCam and my iSight to put in eyedrops at my desk. GCam is this cool freeware that makes your web cam act like a camcorder.

My eyedrops are so thick I can hardly see and I feel like Mr. Magoo.

If I start taking pictures into PhotoShop to see what's in my eye... then I will be officially too geeky.

Fish Sperm Crepes

I bought an interesting cookbook at a recent library cookbook sale, Unmentionable Cuisine. I like to read while I'm eating, but this is *not* a book you can do that with. Every time I think I've found the most disgusting recipe, I find one worse. This is the current gross out of all time: Fish Sperm Crepes from France (Pannequets aux laitances):

Spread unsweetened crepes with a mixture of chopped fish sperm (OMG!) and mushrooms (ya, I've seen this trick with escargot before) bound with a fish-based bechamel sauce. Roll them, place in a buttered dish, spinkle with grated Parmesan and melted butter, and heat in a 350 degree oven until the top is brown.

Just for fun, I tried opening the book at random to see if there were any off pages - not so gross. Nope. Pages 232-233 start with the basic prep for intestines with their Chicken Organs in Blood Sauce, roll through a few testicle recipes and finish with some more blood recipes.

I have had the misfortune of eating a fried turkey testicle, but that is a story for another post.

Avila Beach, California

Avila Beach, California, originally uploaded by baglady.

This is the view from the north side of Avila. The fisherman's pier is in the distance. Avila Beach is the beach just north of Pismo Beach in central California

Lonely Tree

Lonely Tree, originally uploaded by baglady.

From our trip to Central California this summer.

This is the hill behind Avila Beach. Something about the tree against the sky that day looked really lonely.

Man of Mystery

Man of Mystery, originally uploaded by baglady.

The owner of the coffee and cigarettes from the last post. He's not in the witness protection program; he's just shy. And cute :).

Coffee & Cigarettes

Coffee & Cigarettes, originally uploaded by baglady.

On my balcony. Actually taken at sunset, but I was going for a sunrise look.

Inspiring

This is my favorite picture from the BBC's This Week in Pictures:

Blind Korean men pass riot police after a demonstration in Seoul.

Street Cred

Again I am feeling like the last person in my age group to know this slang term. The Urban Dictionary seems divided on if it's a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, it sounds like what my parents or grandparents would have called an Horatio Alger (story). But on the other hand, it sounds like a short version of "street credibility" wouldn't mean you'd made it, just that you were tough and had some credentials like illegitimate children, maybe even jail time. Hmmm....

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made chocolate chip cookies the other night. They came out great. Apparently the compulsive baking wasn't enough, so I went through all of the photos I'd taken in the past year. If I found a double print, I sorted it to send to various relatives. The only problem is I made something like 20 piles. It's going to take a long time to write that many letters!

Baking Frisbies

Well I guess I forgot to mention the cake I tried to bake for Victor's birthday. It was supposed to be just an easy yellow cake, but the cake mix was old. The batter tasted bad, so I should have started over then. I was tired though and I had hope. I've never seen anything quite like it. They were shrunken in the pan and were very hard. I swear if I'd thrown one out the window, I could have made it to my neighbor's house. I didn't try. We went out for dessert instead. We had Japanese Tapanyaki (sp?) and their dessert option is fried bananas (tempura style) with ice cream.

Tired Out

Now I have time to waste on blogging and I have no mental energy left.

The well is dry!

I'd Rather Be Blogging

Just sneaking over to my blog for a few moments. I'm reviewing resumes. I hate going through recruitments. I would hate to be looking for a job. I will be so glad to have this settled.

Back soon to talk about my last two weeks of baking and OCD activities. I know everyone can't wait :P.

Charles I's Miracle

The pope beatified 5 people this weekend. Not sure if they will all make it to sainthood. This one was particularly funny to me:

The "last Austro-Hungarian emperor... Charles I sat on the throne of the now defunct empire between 1916 and 1918."

"According to the Vatican, he cured a Brazilian nun of varicose veins."

Suicide and Country Music

Winner of an Ig Noble this year: The Effect of Country Music on Suicide.