Once again, in the United States, Thanksgiving is almost upon us. It's a time to reflect on what we have to be thankful for and reflect on the blessings of the time that has passed since last Thanksgiving. I guess the biggest thing I have to be thankful for is the fact that I'm not spending it at a truck stop in Stockton, California, like I did last year.
I haven't blogged a lot here, because I have had nothing of interest to say, and I really don't think anyone really wants to hear my whining and complaining about every little thing in my life.
This Thanksgiving, I'll be making a maple and mustard glazed pork roast with bread stuffing, glazed apples, and a berry pie for dessert. We're not big turkey eaters here. I guess I've never really thought of a turkey as anything more than an over-inflated chicken, and we can have chicken any old time, so I never understood what all the fuss was about.
So, for those of you that read this, whether you celebrate the holiday or not, I wish you the best and thanks for sticking around.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Anniversary wrap-up
Music playing, coffee nearby, having finished breakfast, I sit here and reflect on last night. Last night was the anniversary celebration that we had put off, because we've both learned that making plans in the middle of the week is damn near impossible, and at times a complete waste of time because something always arises to disrupt the plans. Weekends are more laid back, more open for getting things completed, and thus we set Saturday as our celebration day.
My day started earlier than I would have liked, having gone to bed way too late the day before, and begrudgingly I answered the shrill call of the alarm clock and set off to the laundromat. My weekly chore, getting the laundry done. goes a lot quicker if I get there just as the place opens at 7 am. This way, I don't have to struggle to find an unoccupied washer and dryer. It's times like this I miss not having a washer and dryer of my own, but I've had to make do with this in the past, and hey, it's only once a week anyway. I put my headphones on and listen to my music while I sit and read a book on my Kindle app for my phone. The television doesn't interest me all that much, showing either music videos from groups I've never heard of, playing music I really don't care for these days. Or, the channel will be set to a local Spanish-language station, and since I can't follow along I don't give it another serious look, raising my head only to let my neck relax for a moment. About an hour later, I have the clean laundry bagged and I'm heading home. One hour out of my day, and one more chore complete.
Saturday is also our shopping day, so we had to go out earlier than we normally do. We got what we needed for the week, and after it all got put away, we had a little bit to relax before we had to get ready. Our dinner reservations were at a fondue restaurant that we'd heard about, and we finally had the money to give it a try. Our strategy is to save our pocket change fro the year, and when anniversary time rolls around, we cash it in and use the proceeds from that to pay for a luxurious dinner. Last night was not a disappointment. I never knew fondue could be so good, and so filling. The amount of food that was served didn't look like a lot, but it sure filled me up. From the cheese course right through the dessert, it was small bites of fresh vegetables, wonderfully seasoned meats, and rich, decadent chocolate with luscious sweet treats.
Our only problem was the meal didn't take as long as we were figuring, so we had close to two hours to kill before we were to go see a comedy show at the Improv club. There was a coffee shop in the same general complex, so we nipped in for a frozen hot chocolate, which I can only describe as pure, concentrated evil in a glass topped with whipped cream. So good.
About an hour before we needed to check in at the box office, we went to the car and watch the sudden rainstorm roll through. Made me kind of glad we didn't wander far, as sudden as it came on. We saw the ominous-looking clouds heading our way, and since we had time to waste, it was kind of neat watching the rain and the other people coming in trying to fond a place to park. That was the one benefit to getting there early. The show started a bit late, but that didn't matter. I don't think I'd laughed so hard in quite a long time. This was the first comedy club we'd been to since we left the Frozen Tundra, and the first big-name, national comedy club we'd ever been to.
We went back to the coffee shop to let the traffic thin out and grab a snack before we finally headed home around midnight. I hadn't had a night out like that in a long time, too long by my estimates. I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old. Clubbing has lost its allure, I'm not a big drinker in public being as risky as it is these days, and I usually don't have the money. Last night, however, was worth every penny I paid for it. And, it's nice after eight years to have someone that shares the same interests I do and that I can have a great time with. Here's to lots more nights like that, and even more days together.
My day started earlier than I would have liked, having gone to bed way too late the day before, and begrudgingly I answered the shrill call of the alarm clock and set off to the laundromat. My weekly chore, getting the laundry done. goes a lot quicker if I get there just as the place opens at 7 am. This way, I don't have to struggle to find an unoccupied washer and dryer. It's times like this I miss not having a washer and dryer of my own, but I've had to make do with this in the past, and hey, it's only once a week anyway. I put my headphones on and listen to my music while I sit and read a book on my Kindle app for my phone. The television doesn't interest me all that much, showing either music videos from groups I've never heard of, playing music I really don't care for these days. Or, the channel will be set to a local Spanish-language station, and since I can't follow along I don't give it another serious look, raising my head only to let my neck relax for a moment. About an hour later, I have the clean laundry bagged and I'm heading home. One hour out of my day, and one more chore complete.
Saturday is also our shopping day, so we had to go out earlier than we normally do. We got what we needed for the week, and after it all got put away, we had a little bit to relax before we had to get ready. Our dinner reservations were at a fondue restaurant that we'd heard about, and we finally had the money to give it a try. Our strategy is to save our pocket change fro the year, and when anniversary time rolls around, we cash it in and use the proceeds from that to pay for a luxurious dinner. Last night was not a disappointment. I never knew fondue could be so good, and so filling. The amount of food that was served didn't look like a lot, but it sure filled me up. From the cheese course right through the dessert, it was small bites of fresh vegetables, wonderfully seasoned meats, and rich, decadent chocolate with luscious sweet treats.
Our only problem was the meal didn't take as long as we were figuring, so we had close to two hours to kill before we were to go see a comedy show at the Improv club. There was a coffee shop in the same general complex, so we nipped in for a frozen hot chocolate, which I can only describe as pure, concentrated evil in a glass topped with whipped cream. So good.
About an hour before we needed to check in at the box office, we went to the car and watch the sudden rainstorm roll through. Made me kind of glad we didn't wander far, as sudden as it came on. We saw the ominous-looking clouds heading our way, and since we had time to waste, it was kind of neat watching the rain and the other people coming in trying to fond a place to park. That was the one benefit to getting there early. The show started a bit late, but that didn't matter. I don't think I'd laughed so hard in quite a long time. This was the first comedy club we'd been to since we left the Frozen Tundra, and the first big-name, national comedy club we'd ever been to.
We went back to the coffee shop to let the traffic thin out and grab a snack before we finally headed home around midnight. I hadn't had a night out like that in a long time, too long by my estimates. I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old. Clubbing has lost its allure, I'm not a big drinker in public being as risky as it is these days, and I usually don't have the money. Last night, however, was worth every penny I paid for it. And, it's nice after eight years to have someone that shares the same interests I do and that I can have a great time with. Here's to lots more nights like that, and even more days together.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Running in circles and dodging hailstones
The last time I posted here I mentioned something about "whatever crazy weather we happen to get." Last Wednesday didn't disappoint.
It began about 5:20 or so when I got a text from Ms. Darkstar, who was leaving work in Plano (northwest of where we live) reporting a downpour. She told me later that the whole time it was pouring with rain, the sun was shining brightly. Since I was home, having left work early, I checked the radar and saw a few storms working their way towards Dallas. I didn't think any more of it until it was time to head to the train station.
There were a few rumbles of thunder, and it was just starting to rain when I left. It got heavier as I headed west, turning the streets to rivers in places. By the time I got to the train station, the hail started. It was small at first, maybe dime-sized. I parked at the (unsheltered) pickup location and waited.
I had the radio tuned to the local news station, and just west of where I was, a couple of field reporters were talking about hail the size of golf balls. You could hear them hitting their car even as they were talking. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the barrage started. It lasted for a good ten to fifteen minutes, and I don't mind telling you that was the most scared I had ever been, in an unsheltered area, with no refuge available, just waiting for it to end and hoping the car windows would remain intact.
By the time the train arrived, the hail had just about ended, tapering off in size and intensity. We drove home slowly, navigating around the flooded sections of the roads. There was no rain by the time we got home, and when I looked at the car, I could see lots of little dimples from where the hail had struck. I was very glad the damage was only cosmetic, and nothing was broken or needed to be fixed. I think an errant hailstone knocked the fuel door out of whack because Ms. Darkstar said the door didn't open when she first used the lever, but after using it to pop the trunk and then pressing it again, it worked okay. I'll keep an eye on it.
Apparently, we got off light. There was lots more damage in an area nearby. Here's the details.
Work's been a little crazy. There's lots of jobs coming due over the next few weeks, none of which had a direct impact on me, but it still made things interesting. The move is complete, so that's one less thing to worry about. I have no idea how busy I will be this coming week, as usual.
I'm off in a little bit to obtain tonight's dinner. Last night I made the chocolate mousse for dessert, and now I must go to the Asian market to get a couple of live lobsters.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
It began about 5:20 or so when I got a text from Ms. Darkstar, who was leaving work in Plano (northwest of where we live) reporting a downpour. She told me later that the whole time it was pouring with rain, the sun was shining brightly. Since I was home, having left work early, I checked the radar and saw a few storms working their way towards Dallas. I didn't think any more of it until it was time to head to the train station.
There were a few rumbles of thunder, and it was just starting to rain when I left. It got heavier as I headed west, turning the streets to rivers in places. By the time I got to the train station, the hail started. It was small at first, maybe dime-sized. I parked at the (unsheltered) pickup location and waited.
I had the radio tuned to the local news station, and just west of where I was, a couple of field reporters were talking about hail the size of golf balls. You could hear them hitting their car even as they were talking. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the barrage started. It lasted for a good ten to fifteen minutes, and I don't mind telling you that was the most scared I had ever been, in an unsheltered area, with no refuge available, just waiting for it to end and hoping the car windows would remain intact.
By the time the train arrived, the hail had just about ended, tapering off in size and intensity. We drove home slowly, navigating around the flooded sections of the roads. There was no rain by the time we got home, and when I looked at the car, I could see lots of little dimples from where the hail had struck. I was very glad the damage was only cosmetic, and nothing was broken or needed to be fixed. I think an errant hailstone knocked the fuel door out of whack because Ms. Darkstar said the door didn't open when she first used the lever, but after using it to pop the trunk and then pressing it again, it worked okay. I'll keep an eye on it.
Apparently, we got off light. There was lots more damage in an area nearby. Here's the details.
Work's been a little crazy. There's lots of jobs coming due over the next few weeks, none of which had a direct impact on me, but it still made things interesting. The move is complete, so that's one less thing to worry about. I have no idea how busy I will be this coming week, as usual.
I'm off in a little bit to obtain tonight's dinner. Last night I made the chocolate mousse for dessert, and now I must go to the Asian market to get a couple of live lobsters.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Getting caught up on catching up
Whenever I get tired, cranky, stressed, busy, or overwhelmed, things like this blog tend to fall by the wayside. I make no apologies for this; it's just the way I am, and eventually I do return, as I did now, to try to get caught up on what's been going on since my last blog entry.
One of our Tuesday night friends asked me if I was still happy with my job, because I hardly ever talk about it. The answer is yes, I am quite happy working where I am now, knowing I will draw a dependable and consistent salary and be able to go home every night. I don't talk about it much because there's not much to talk about. I don't do anything glamorous or exciting; I drive a tractor-trailer and make local deliveries. Before that, I drove a tractor-trailer and made deliveries across the United States. I talked about that more because there was usually something interesting that I saw during the day, and sharing it here eased the loneliness of being far from home.
I think I said earlier that the nature of my job was of a "feast or famine" approach as to how busy I could be at any given moment. Last week was toward the "famine" end, especially during the latter part of the week when there was truly nothing that needed my services. Instead, I did some minor repairs on the truck (I save those for periods like this because it keeps me occupied legitimately) and puttered around the shop looking for some busywork.
This week, however, has been the polar opposite. Not only do I have to shuffle a trailer back and forth between two of our buildings (moving and consolidating a department), but I've had a slew of deliveries scheduled for the early part of this week, along with a few pickups, enough that some of the work was given to the other drivers and sent to outside trucking companies.
The downside to this, as hot as it's been, is I don't have time to stop and rest for very long. If I can get a few minutes at a receiver's dock to just get a quick breather, I consider myself lucky. We won't discuss keeping myself properly hydrated. We just won't.
Anyway, it's back at it tomorrow, rain or shine or whatever crazy weather we happen to get. This is just a quick update, which is about all I have time for right now.
One of our Tuesday night friends asked me if I was still happy with my job, because I hardly ever talk about it. The answer is yes, I am quite happy working where I am now, knowing I will draw a dependable and consistent salary and be able to go home every night. I don't talk about it much because there's not much to talk about. I don't do anything glamorous or exciting; I drive a tractor-trailer and make local deliveries. Before that, I drove a tractor-trailer and made deliveries across the United States. I talked about that more because there was usually something interesting that I saw during the day, and sharing it here eased the loneliness of being far from home.
I think I said earlier that the nature of my job was of a "feast or famine" approach as to how busy I could be at any given moment. Last week was toward the "famine" end, especially during the latter part of the week when there was truly nothing that needed my services. Instead, I did some minor repairs on the truck (I save those for periods like this because it keeps me occupied legitimately) and puttered around the shop looking for some busywork.
This week, however, has been the polar opposite. Not only do I have to shuffle a trailer back and forth between two of our buildings (moving and consolidating a department), but I've had a slew of deliveries scheduled for the early part of this week, along with a few pickups, enough that some of the work was given to the other drivers and sent to outside trucking companies.
The downside to this, as hot as it's been, is I don't have time to stop and rest for very long. If I can get a few minutes at a receiver's dock to just get a quick breather, I consider myself lucky. We won't discuss keeping myself properly hydrated. We just won't.
Anyway, it's back at it tomorrow, rain or shine or whatever crazy weather we happen to get. This is just a quick update, which is about all I have time for right now.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
A case of the Mondays on Tuesday
I don't know what's been going on for the past couple of days, but I've really been fighting the urge to stab people in the eyeballs with a fork. Little annoyances have been escalating in my head and becoming full-blown near-biblical-rage-inducing episodes. I've been keeping it in check as best as I can, but thank goodness for my night out. We're going to have another one tomorrow night, which will be an extra help.
Yesterday, while not busy from a driving standpoint, had a lot of warehouse work. I spent the better porting of the day wrapping pallets for shipment. It might have gone smoother had I not been micromanaged by Mr. Know-it-all. I think I'm capable of stretch-wrapping a pallet on my own, thank you very much, now go away because I know where the forks are.
Today had me going out more, so I felt a little less stabby, but idiot me forgot to clock in when he got to work this morning and ended up doing so about two hours later. I got that fixed before I left for the day, so I am not going to worry about it for the moment.
Here's hoping the rest of the week improves. Maybe the vodka tasting tomorrow night will help.
Yesterday, while not busy from a driving standpoint, had a lot of warehouse work. I spent the better porting of the day wrapping pallets for shipment. It might have gone smoother had I not been micromanaged by Mr. Know-it-all. I think I'm capable of stretch-wrapping a pallet on my own, thank you very much, now go away because I know where the forks are.
Today had me going out more, so I felt a little less stabby, but idiot me forgot to clock in when he got to work this morning and ended up doing so about two hours later. I got that fixed before I left for the day, so I am not going to worry about it for the moment.
Here's hoping the rest of the week improves. Maybe the vodka tasting tomorrow night will help.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Mutual of POSSLQ's Wild Kingdom
It's not often that something happens at work that makes me feel good for the rest of the day, but when it does happen, it's a doozy. This is something that could have taken a completely different twist, maybe even had a different ending. I am glad it turned out the way it did.
This being Ms. Darkstar's day to do her volunteer work with rescued kitties, I took the bus in to work. I grab the first bus because there's no issue with making all of my connections, and the buses that I ride are usually fairly empty. So, I got to work early, and since there was nothing for me to do that early in the morning, I just went to the truck and sat for a little while.
Around 7, I fired up the truck and rolled slowly through the parking area. As I made the turn from where I was parked, I saw a couple of dark shapes sitting about where my truck tires had been. I stopped the truck, set the brake, and went to investigate. At first, in the early morning light, I thought they were a couple of big toads. Nope.
It was these.
This being Ms. Darkstar's day to do her volunteer work with rescued kitties, I took the bus in to work. I grab the first bus because there's no issue with making all of my connections, and the buses that I ride are usually fairly empty. So, I got to work early, and since there was nothing for me to do that early in the morning, I just went to the truck and sat for a little while.
Around 7, I fired up the truck and rolled slowly through the parking area. As I made the turn from where I was parked, I saw a couple of dark shapes sitting about where my truck tires had been. I stopped the truck, set the brake, and went to investigate. At first, in the early morning light, I thought they were a couple of big toads. Nope.
It was these.
Three little baby rabbits, the two were closest to the driver's side of the truck, and the single was over by the passenger's side. I was very glad I let the truck roll straight for a few feet before turning the wheel.
I approached slowly, the rabbits remaining immobile, eyeing me warily. I looked them over quickly, talking to them in what I hoped was a reassuring voice. I snapped a few pictures, and then ...
I petted each one lightly on the head. Only the lone rabbit started to hop away, but stopped to watch me a little more. Other than that, they didn't move or flinch. It was more to see what kind of reaction I would get or if they would hop to safety in the grass, under the trees. No one moved. I took a couple more photos.
I got back in the truck and went to see what work I had waiting for me. As it turned out I had to come back up to get the other trailer, and when I returned, the rabbits were gone.
And then I saw this:
I would like to think that all of the rabbits made it to safety, although evidence I found leads me to believe at least one of the cute little critters became a hawk snack. Circle of life, baby.
Sidenote: All the time the hawk was there, and the hawk had moved from its original position when I approached, it was being divebombed by a smaller bird. I got the above picture in between attacks. The hawk didn't even appear fazed by what was going on, and when I attempted to get closer to get a better picture, it flew up to a nearby utility pole.
Such ends my little drama for the day. Work went as usual from that point, but for the whole day, no matter what I was doing, or how dull things seemed, I could tell myself that at least this morning, I got to pet baby bunnies.
And that's something.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Back in the swing of things
It's Tuesday night, and once again, I'm out at our usual place, after a couple of weeks off due to general ennui and last week's bout of Ganesha's Revenge. I'm glad we could make it as we're celebrating the birthday of one of our friends. We gave presents and brought cupcakes, we received a glass of a lovely prosecco, and now I get to sit and relax for a little bit.
Work progresses as usual, although a little slow this week. I have a run scheduled for tomorrow morning and I think I'll have at least one more guaranteed run by the end of the week, but other than that there's a lot of scrounging for something to do. I'm not overly concerned because at least I can get my basic forty hours, and while overtime is nice, I'm sure it will come later on.
You may have gathered form reading this blog, but in case you weren't aware, I am a bit of a bonehead. At work, we have special keycards that we use to get in and out of the building and parking areas. Because I'm jumping in and out of a truck fairly frequently, the safest place for me to keep my keycard is in my wallet (also because I am so much of a bonehead that I will forget the card at home). So, today I used the card to get the tractor parked inside the fenced-in area, which meant I had to take my wallet out of my pocket and place it in front of the reader. I parked the truck, grabbed my stuff, went to the main building to turn in my paperwork, and realized when I went to get in to the building that I left my wallet in the truck. Great. Luckily, I was able to get in to the building through the loading dock, and once that was finished I went back in the vain hope I might be able to get back in to the parking area through the pedestrian gate. No such luck. I did find, however, that there was a damaged section of fence that had a hole just big enough for me to fit my big, fat posterior through so I could get to the truck and retrieve my wallet.
Anyway, all is well and I have my wallet and once again there is cake and ice cream and unicorns pooping rainbows across the sky ...
So, for now I will close and hope everyone else's week goes well.
Work progresses as usual, although a little slow this week. I have a run scheduled for tomorrow morning and I think I'll have at least one more guaranteed run by the end of the week, but other than that there's a lot of scrounging for something to do. I'm not overly concerned because at least I can get my basic forty hours, and while overtime is nice, I'm sure it will come later on.
You may have gathered form reading this blog, but in case you weren't aware, I am a bit of a bonehead. At work, we have special keycards that we use to get in and out of the building and parking areas. Because I'm jumping in and out of a truck fairly frequently, the safest place for me to keep my keycard is in my wallet (also because I am so much of a bonehead that I will forget the card at home). So, today I used the card to get the tractor parked inside the fenced-in area, which meant I had to take my wallet out of my pocket and place it in front of the reader. I parked the truck, grabbed my stuff, went to the main building to turn in my paperwork, and realized when I went to get in to the building that I left my wallet in the truck. Great. Luckily, I was able to get in to the building through the loading dock, and once that was finished I went back in the vain hope I might be able to get back in to the parking area through the pedestrian gate. No such luck. I did find, however, that there was a damaged section of fence that had a hole just big enough for me to fit my big, fat posterior through so I could get to the truck and retrieve my wallet.
Anyway, all is well and I have my wallet and once again there is cake and ice cream and unicorns pooping rainbows across the sky ...
So, for now I will close and hope everyone else's week goes well.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Time to get caught up
A week and a half, and nothing from me. What kind of blogger am I, leaving you all hanging on what's been going on in my life? Well, what's been going on hasn't been very pretty; in fact, a lot of it was downright disgusting. And we'll get to the nasty details after the break, so if you're not of a strong constitution or just hate hearing about general unpleasantness, do not read further. There will be more come Tuesday.
Before the jump, I offer my condolences to Sonya's family on the loss of her husband's father this week. May he find eternal rest and freedom from his pains.
Before the jump, I offer my condolences to Sonya's family on the loss of her husband's father this week. May he find eternal rest and freedom from his pains.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Feast or famine
One of the drawbacks about my job is there's no regularity to how busy we are. Sometimes there's lots going on and I'm constantly on the move, and other times I'm scrounging for something to occupy my time because, let's face it, there's only so many times I can get away with doing "maintenance" on the trucks.
Last week, I was kept pretty busy, so much so that I missed my usual Tuesday outing because I had to work late. This week looks to be the opposite, despite the promising start on Monday. After tomorrow's early delivery, I have absolutely no idea what else I will have to do.
This past weekend was a busy one as well. On Saturday, I took the car in for it's annual inspection (it passed, hooray), and we went to Sam's Club to renew our memberships. We did a little bit of shopping, picking up some nice looking baby-back ribs and the sliced mozzarella that I love, which factored in to our dinner plans.
Dinner on Saturday was at one of our favorite Vietnamese places. The food was good as usual, but the broth we get along with our meal was excessively oily. Oily as in, it seemed someone dumped a ladleful of oil on top of the broth in an effort to provide more flavor, but only succeeded in making it just ... greasy.
Sunday dinner consisted of the ribs cooked in the slow cooker (recipe courtesy of Robyn and Nance). I decided to throw caution to the wind and make actual baked potatoes to go with dinner. All told, I should have started the potatoes earlier, but it all still turned out wonderful. There's still some ribs left, and I'm contemplating them for afters tonight.
Ms. Darkstar made biscuits for strawberry shortcake to round out the meal, and our weekend was complete.
I usually opt for a simple dinner on Mondays, mainly because I'm all cooked out and I have no idea how tired I'll be by the end of the day. I opted for vegetarian sliders. I had these at a little pub in Plano and they were fabulous. And the simplicity -- a slice of mozzarella, a slice of tomato, on small toasted buns smeared with pesto sauce (I used Classico's) -- nice, quick, and easy, as it should be on a Monday.
I really should update more often, but the well's been pretty dry lately. More will come when the level rises.
Last week, I was kept pretty busy, so much so that I missed my usual Tuesday outing because I had to work late. This week looks to be the opposite, despite the promising start on Monday. After tomorrow's early delivery, I have absolutely no idea what else I will have to do.
This past weekend was a busy one as well. On Saturday, I took the car in for it's annual inspection (it passed, hooray), and we went to Sam's Club to renew our memberships. We did a little bit of shopping, picking up some nice looking baby-back ribs and the sliced mozzarella that I love, which factored in to our dinner plans.
Dinner on Saturday was at one of our favorite Vietnamese places. The food was good as usual, but the broth we get along with our meal was excessively oily. Oily as in, it seemed someone dumped a ladleful of oil on top of the broth in an effort to provide more flavor, but only succeeded in making it just ... greasy.
Sunday dinner consisted of the ribs cooked in the slow cooker (recipe courtesy of Robyn and Nance). I decided to throw caution to the wind and make actual baked potatoes to go with dinner. All told, I should have started the potatoes earlier, but it all still turned out wonderful. There's still some ribs left, and I'm contemplating them for afters tonight.
Ms. Darkstar made biscuits for strawberry shortcake to round out the meal, and our weekend was complete.
I usually opt for a simple dinner on Mondays, mainly because I'm all cooked out and I have no idea how tired I'll be by the end of the day. I opted for vegetarian sliders. I had these at a little pub in Plano and they were fabulous. And the simplicity -- a slice of mozzarella, a slice of tomato, on small toasted buns smeared with pesto sauce (I used Classico's) -- nice, quick, and easy, as it should be on a Monday.
I really should update more often, but the well's been pretty dry lately. More will come when the level rises.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Another attempt to duplicate a recipe
About eight years ago, when my marriage fell apart, I packed up and moved to The Frozen Tundra, mainly because this was the only area where I had friends that were willing to take me in while I got back on my feet. One place that was on the list of preferred dining spots was a local pizza chain called Davanni's. This was the one place that served a pizza that was close to what I had in Connecticut, and whenever we went there for dinner this was what we would get.
Besides being a deep-dish style, loaded with toppings and cheese, it also featured what they called "pink sauce." Essentially, this was a mix of their red sauce and their "white" sauce (which was a garlic-and-herbed olive oil), and the mingling of these flavors was truly spectacular.
Ms. Darkstar expressed a craving for this particular style of pizza, along with the fact that there seem to be no pizzerias in the area that serve anything close. So, it fell upon me to try to duplicate it. I knew I wouldn't even come close to an exact match, but just getting in the ballpark on this one would be worth the effort.
I started with the white sauce. I took some fresh garlic and Italian seasoning, and heated this in a pot with some local extra-virgin olive oil that I picked up at the farmers' market in Frisco last year. It's a local olive grower that produces some fantastic oils. Once this was cooled, I poured it into a jar with some re-hydrated Penzey's minced garlic and let it sit.
Our red sauce came courtesy of another Frozen Tundra place we went to: The Green Mill. Target sells their pizza sauce by the jar in their stores, so we picked up some of that, and I was able to doctor it up a bit with some Tuscan Sunset to get the flavor just right.
The toppings were simple enough. I cooked up some Italian sausage and hamburger, cut some red onion, got sliced mushrooms, and for an added kick, cooked up some bacon left over from breakfast. Pepperoni and a nice four-cheese blend were the crowning touches.
All that was left was to make the pizza dough. We tried the one that Robyn and Nance made. The dough was simple enough to make, and I was able to split it into two and freeze the other half for another time.
We placed the dough into an oiled deep-dish pizza pan, put on the sauces, a base layer of cheese, the meats and veggies, and topped it off with the rest of the cheese. Now, what temperature to use to bake the pizza...
I dropped the rack to one space below center, and baked it at 400 degrees for about fifteen minutes (to start). The crust seemed cooked after that time, and the mushrooms had cooked up perfectly. I sliced and served, and damn if it wasn't pretty close to good ol' Davanni's.
All in all, the recipe was a success. Some minor tweaks for next time:
Besides being a deep-dish style, loaded with toppings and cheese, it also featured what they called "pink sauce." Essentially, this was a mix of their red sauce and their "white" sauce (which was a garlic-and-herbed olive oil), and the mingling of these flavors was truly spectacular.
Ms. Darkstar expressed a craving for this particular style of pizza, along with the fact that there seem to be no pizzerias in the area that serve anything close. So, it fell upon me to try to duplicate it. I knew I wouldn't even come close to an exact match, but just getting in the ballpark on this one would be worth the effort.
I started with the white sauce. I took some fresh garlic and Italian seasoning, and heated this in a pot with some local extra-virgin olive oil that I picked up at the farmers' market in Frisco last year. It's a local olive grower that produces some fantastic oils. Once this was cooled, I poured it into a jar with some re-hydrated Penzey's minced garlic and let it sit.
Our red sauce came courtesy of another Frozen Tundra place we went to: The Green Mill. Target sells their pizza sauce by the jar in their stores, so we picked up some of that, and I was able to doctor it up a bit with some Tuscan Sunset to get the flavor just right.
The toppings were simple enough. I cooked up some Italian sausage and hamburger, cut some red onion, got sliced mushrooms, and for an added kick, cooked up some bacon left over from breakfast. Pepperoni and a nice four-cheese blend were the crowning touches.
All that was left was to make the pizza dough. We tried the one that Robyn and Nance made. The dough was simple enough to make, and I was able to split it into two and freeze the other half for another time.
We placed the dough into an oiled deep-dish pizza pan, put on the sauces, a base layer of cheese, the meats and veggies, and topped it off with the rest of the cheese. Now, what temperature to use to bake the pizza...
I dropped the rack to one space below center, and baked it at 400 degrees for about fifteen minutes (to start). The crust seemed cooked after that time, and the mushrooms had cooked up perfectly. I sliced and served, and damn if it wasn't pretty close to good ol' Davanni's.
All in all, the recipe was a success. Some minor tweaks for next time:
- I may season the dough next time. Mixing in some dried garlic and Tuscan Sunset with the wet ingredients right before adding the flour might enhance the flavor a bit.
- Prebake the crust a bit. I did find one small raw spot on the bottom, so next time I may top the pizza with everything but the final layer of cheese, bake it for five minutes, take it out, add the cheese, and bake it for fifteen more minutes.
- Oil the pan better. There were a couple of places where the dough stuck to the sides of the pan. Ms. Darkstar also noted that Davanni's crust had a buttery flavor, so I'm thinking maybe some butter-flavor Crisco would solve both of those issues.
Other than that, I think dinner was a huge success, and I will definitely have to make it again. Soon.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Lazy Sunday Posting
This week has been interesting. It's been a series of twists and turns, ups and downs, spills, chills, and thrills. I've gone from mind-crushing boredom to a serious case of the nerves, and today I get to rest as much as I can before we start all over again on Monday.
Work's been somewhat slow, but usually in the late mornings or afternoons there's a few runs that come in that I do. I already know that Monday promises to be a busy day, and we'll see if that trend continues through the week.
Yesterday was the day I did something I never thought I would do after leaving the cooking trades: I cooked a meal for people that weren't family. The whole deal came about on Wednesday, during a discussion about how Central Market was doing a promotion centered around grilling. Ms. Darkstar remarked how we hadn't grilled anything since moving to Dallas (living in a second-floor apartment with no storage space for a grill), and one of our other group members said she had a patio area at her condo complex, and would be quite amenable to having us over this Saturday so I could cook up a fabulous meal on the grill.'
Having very little danger in my life, and a couple of Strongbow ciders in me, I agreed.
Our menu would be a simple one: steaks, grilled veggies, and then it got complicated: grilled pineapple. We had a version of this at our favorite Brazilian restaurant, and I was game for the opportunity to recreate it. Since there was no rotisserie available, we just used a regular roasting rack on top of the grill, to keep the pineapple away from the direct heat and avoid scorching it. There was just the matter of coating the pineapple with the seasonings.
First, there was the matter of finding the right cinnamon. I know, I could have used plain-old store-bought cinnamon (like McCormick's or whatever), but since I am a Penzey's fanboy after all, I went through my collection and settled on the Indonesian cinnamon. It's similar in aroma to the store-bought, but has a more subtly sweet flavor and is not as sharp. The online recipe sites we consulted were unanimous in using a syrup glaze on the pineapple, and that's what I decided to do as well -- I would cook up the glaze and bring it with me the day of cooking.
Saturday was spent, after the usual laundry trip and a visit to the barber for me, in a flurry of shopping. First stop was the restaurant supply store. I picked up a new 12-inch skillet, we found a pan deep enough for our pizza experiment (more on that when it happens), and a few other odds and ends. We then went to lunch at the India Palace, which has one of the best lunch buffets we've ever had, followed by a trip across the parking lot to the Penzey's. I picked up a small bottle of vanilla sugar for the pineapple glaze (yes, I could have just put vanilla flavoring into the syrup, but I'm trying to impress people here), and a bottle of a new spicing blend that we thought would be good with the veggies. After that, we did our own grocery shopping, and had a couple of hours to relax at home. If by "relax" you mean I cooked up the glaze, packed the things we would need, obsessed over every little detail, and pretty much became a basket case by the time we had to leave, then I was one relaxed dude, all right.
So, our steaks were little ball-tip cuts, not much like the ones we used to get back in Minnesota in terms of size or thickness, but they were fine. I just did a salt-and-pepper seasoning on those, and prepped the veggies. We had summer squash, zucchini, onion, and portobello mushroom all sliced, coated with the herbs and tossed with butter. These went into a grill pan and cooked over medium-high heat, and once those were done, I did the steaks.
Everyone was unanimous in their opinion of dinner -- and it was pretty damn tasty, if I say so myself. Now, it was time for the pineapple. I had a whole pineapple, which I peeled and removed the ends, placed it into the roasting rack, basted it with the glaze, and slowly let it heat over medium- to medium-high heat until it just started to warm on the outside, turning and basting frequently. Once it was heated, I sliced off the roasted part into a serving platter, put the pineapple back in the rack, and started the process anew. It came out wonderful, and was damn near close to what we had at the Brazilian restaurant. I managed to get three roastings out of the pineapple, which we served with a cinnamon gelato.
So, the upshot is I survived, and apparently I did quite well. Maybe I'll attempt it again someday.
Today, I'm just taking it easy. I've already made muffins, and after I finish up here I'll cook up some home fries, make a potato salad for dinner, bake a key lime pie for dessert, and if there's time, I'll make a batch of snack mix.
Enjoy your day.
Work's been somewhat slow, but usually in the late mornings or afternoons there's a few runs that come in that I do. I already know that Monday promises to be a busy day, and we'll see if that trend continues through the week.
Yesterday was the day I did something I never thought I would do after leaving the cooking trades: I cooked a meal for people that weren't family. The whole deal came about on Wednesday, during a discussion about how Central Market was doing a promotion centered around grilling. Ms. Darkstar remarked how we hadn't grilled anything since moving to Dallas (living in a second-floor apartment with no storage space for a grill), and one of our other group members said she had a patio area at her condo complex, and would be quite amenable to having us over this Saturday so I could cook up a fabulous meal on the grill.'
Having very little danger in my life, and a couple of Strongbow ciders in me, I agreed.
Our menu would be a simple one: steaks, grilled veggies, and then it got complicated: grilled pineapple. We had a version of this at our favorite Brazilian restaurant, and I was game for the opportunity to recreate it. Since there was no rotisserie available, we just used a regular roasting rack on top of the grill, to keep the pineapple away from the direct heat and avoid scorching it. There was just the matter of coating the pineapple with the seasonings.
First, there was the matter of finding the right cinnamon. I know, I could have used plain-old store-bought cinnamon (like McCormick's or whatever), but since I am a Penzey's fanboy after all, I went through my collection and settled on the Indonesian cinnamon. It's similar in aroma to the store-bought, but has a more subtly sweet flavor and is not as sharp. The online recipe sites we consulted were unanimous in using a syrup glaze on the pineapple, and that's what I decided to do as well -- I would cook up the glaze and bring it with me the day of cooking.
Saturday was spent, after the usual laundry trip and a visit to the barber for me, in a flurry of shopping. First stop was the restaurant supply store. I picked up a new 12-inch skillet, we found a pan deep enough for our pizza experiment (more on that when it happens), and a few other odds and ends. We then went to lunch at the India Palace, which has one of the best lunch buffets we've ever had, followed by a trip across the parking lot to the Penzey's. I picked up a small bottle of vanilla sugar for the pineapple glaze (yes, I could have just put vanilla flavoring into the syrup, but I'm trying to impress people here), and a bottle of a new spicing blend that we thought would be good with the veggies. After that, we did our own grocery shopping, and had a couple of hours to relax at home. If by "relax" you mean I cooked up the glaze, packed the things we would need, obsessed over every little detail, and pretty much became a basket case by the time we had to leave, then I was one relaxed dude, all right.
So, our steaks were little ball-tip cuts, not much like the ones we used to get back in Minnesota in terms of size or thickness, but they were fine. I just did a salt-and-pepper seasoning on those, and prepped the veggies. We had summer squash, zucchini, onion, and portobello mushroom all sliced, coated with the herbs and tossed with butter. These went into a grill pan and cooked over medium-high heat, and once those were done, I did the steaks.
Everyone was unanimous in their opinion of dinner -- and it was pretty damn tasty, if I say so myself. Now, it was time for the pineapple. I had a whole pineapple, which I peeled and removed the ends, placed it into the roasting rack, basted it with the glaze, and slowly let it heat over medium- to medium-high heat until it just started to warm on the outside, turning and basting frequently. Once it was heated, I sliced off the roasted part into a serving platter, put the pineapple back in the rack, and started the process anew. It came out wonderful, and was damn near close to what we had at the Brazilian restaurant. I managed to get three roastings out of the pineapple, which we served with a cinnamon gelato.
So, the upshot is I survived, and apparently I did quite well. Maybe I'll attempt it again someday.
Today, I'm just taking it easy. I've already made muffins, and after I finish up here I'll cook up some home fries, make a potato salad for dinner, bake a key lime pie for dessert, and if there's time, I'll make a batch of snack mix.
Enjoy your day.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
And that's something!
Day Two of our outing has commenced after what was a very trying day, both on the personal and professional fronts. Little Miss And That's Something! is flapping her overworked gums at a volume that should only be used at sporting events and for crying out loud would you just PLEASE SHUT YOUR FREAKIN' PIE HOLE ALREADY???
(Note: If you were expecting sunshine and lollipops, you came on the wrong day. Snark will flow tonight along with the hard cider.)
Hallelujah, the volume has decreased. I suspect more fluctuations are in the works in direct proportion to the amount of wine she consumes.
So, yeah. About my day...
Today started out as another typical slow day, no runs scheduled, and only busywork in the warehouse to occupy my time. My job was to use the forklift to place the pallets of finished goods on the stretch-wrapping machine, remove the wrapped pallet, place it in the shipping area, repeat until done.
At least I got to drive something.
This took about an hour and a half out of my day. My next assignment was to take our trailers out for their annual inspections, which all seem to be at least a year or so over due. Oopsies. We're doing one at a time, and when the one is done, we'll bring down the next one. So, I got to get away for a little while, picked up some hardware I needed to fix one of the trailers (minor fix, had to reattach the handle for the landing gear), and grabbed lunch. Should have been a lark, yes?
Oh no, dear reader. The plot thickens.
Let's backtrack a little bit, back to when I went to "school" to get my Class A CDL. There was a substantial amount of money that needed to be repaid, and part of the deal was that once hired on, the debt would be repaid through your settlements. Well, they really can't deduct from my pay anymore, and all I was waiting for was a simple phone call from these people to make an equitable and reasonable payment schedule and all would be good and there would be wine and cake and we would all dance the night away...
Yeah, right.
Apparently, their way of reaching an equitable and reasonable payment schedule is to turn everything over to a freakin' lawyer and have this poor schmuck make the calls these people are too lazy to make themselves. Such was the call I received this morning. I am pleased to report that this guy wasn't a total asshat, and an agreement was reached. They wanted full payment to settle the claim, but there's about as much a chance of that happening as me being able to self-pleasure myself orally. Sorry for the visual.
With all of this rattling around in my head, I was given another delivery. Simple enough -- six pallets, place is about ten minutes down the road, and after that a pickup a little further away. Yeah, simple...
... until right before I was to load up, when they noticed that each and every case was overpacked. By one item. Which meant that each and every case had to be unpacked, the errant item removed, the cases sealed and re-packed, and the extras packed into new cases and stacked. Which meant that all of the paperwork now needed to be re-done, and now everything was running behind.
Joy and rapture.
So, once again, from a totally slow day I managed to get another hour and a half of overtime, which will be a big help in getting the stupid student loan settled. And now I try to relax, now that Miss Flappy Gums (among other appendages YEAH I WENT THERE) has left the building and a calm has descended over all, as I sip my cider and let today melt into memory, leaving tomorrow as a blank slate.
(Note: If you were expecting sunshine and lollipops, you came on the wrong day. Snark will flow tonight along with the hard cider.)
Hallelujah, the volume has decreased. I suspect more fluctuations are in the works in direct proportion to the amount of wine she consumes.
So, yeah. About my day...
Today started out as another typical slow day, no runs scheduled, and only busywork in the warehouse to occupy my time. My job was to use the forklift to place the pallets of finished goods on the stretch-wrapping machine, remove the wrapped pallet, place it in the shipping area, repeat until done.
At least I got to drive something.
This took about an hour and a half out of my day. My next assignment was to take our trailers out for their annual inspections, which all seem to be at least a year or so over due. Oopsies. We're doing one at a time, and when the one is done, we'll bring down the next one. So, I got to get away for a little while, picked up some hardware I needed to fix one of the trailers (minor fix, had to reattach the handle for the landing gear), and grabbed lunch. Should have been a lark, yes?
Oh no, dear reader. The plot thickens.
Let's backtrack a little bit, back to when I went to "school" to get my Class A CDL. There was a substantial amount of money that needed to be repaid, and part of the deal was that once hired on, the debt would be repaid through your settlements. Well, they really can't deduct from my pay anymore, and all I was waiting for was a simple phone call from these people to make an equitable and reasonable payment schedule and all would be good and there would be wine and cake and we would all dance the night away...
Yeah, right.
Apparently, their way of reaching an equitable and reasonable payment schedule is to turn everything over to a freakin' lawyer and have this poor schmuck make the calls these people are too lazy to make themselves. Such was the call I received this morning. I am pleased to report that this guy wasn't a total asshat, and an agreement was reached. They wanted full payment to settle the claim, but there's about as much a chance of that happening as me being able to self-pleasure myself orally. Sorry for the visual.
With all of this rattling around in my head, I was given another delivery. Simple enough -- six pallets, place is about ten minutes down the road, and after that a pickup a little further away. Yeah, simple...
... until right before I was to load up, when they noticed that each and every case was overpacked. By one item. Which meant that each and every case had to be unpacked, the errant item removed, the cases sealed and re-packed, and the extras packed into new cases and stacked. Which meant that all of the paperwork now needed to be re-done, and now everything was running behind.
Joy and rapture.
So, once again, from a totally slow day I managed to get another hour and a half of overtime, which will be a big help in getting the stupid student loan settled. And now I try to relax, now that Miss Flappy Gums (among other appendages YEAH I WENT THERE) has left the building and a calm has descended over all, as I sip my cider and let today melt into memory, leaving tomorrow as a blank slate.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Highs and lows
It's funny how much difference a few days can make at my new job. Last week, I had something scheduled for each day, and a few other things cropped up as well. This week has be excruciatingly slow, to the point that I spent the better part of today in the warehouse helping out with odd jobs.
It's still better than being out on the road, because I still get to go home every night, and even though it was slow, with last minute things I managed to get an hour and a half of overtime.
We're out at our usual hangout on Tuesdays, and the place is jammed full of people. One of the candidates for county commissioner is holding a rally, or perhaps a thank-you to his volunteer staff, or maybe even conceding, I really don't know because I wasn't paying attention.
It's hard to think of things to write within a crowded, noisy space, so I'll put this aside for now. I'm hoping I can think of something more substantial for my next entry.
It's still better than being out on the road, because I still get to go home every night, and even though it was slow, with last minute things I managed to get an hour and a half of overtime.
We're out at our usual hangout on Tuesdays, and the place is jammed full of people. One of the candidates for county commissioner is holding a rally, or perhaps a thank-you to his volunteer staff, or maybe even conceding, I really don't know because I wasn't paying attention.
It's hard to think of things to write within a crowded, noisy space, so I'll put this aside for now. I'm hoping I can think of something more substantial for my next entry.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
More of a "Holy..." week, really
After Tuesday's activities, the rest of the week kept me fairly busy. I made the delivery that was postponed by the weather on Wednesday, along with the scheduled pickups that were an ongoing thing. Friday was the busiest by far, with one pickup and two deliveries out toward the Fort Worth area, fighting traffic each way. Then, I had to come back and load the trailer for a delivery on Monday. All told, I got about eight hours of overtime this week. It's still better than what I was doing, because at least I get paid for EVERYTHING I do, and get overtime after my forty hours.
We celebrated my first paycheck by going to our favorite Brazilian restaurant and enjoying the rodizio dinner. Perfectly cooked meat on skewers, brought to the table and carved ... what's not to love? And the roasted pineapple? To DIE for. Items like that make me wish I had a little rotisserie, so I could attempt to duplicate it.
I remember what Easter week was like when I was growing up. Basically, from Wednesday night onward, there was lots to do. After Wednesday's service, we (the altar boys) would rehearse for Holy Thursday, jsut refreshing on the order of the service that night and getting things ready. After that, we went over the Good Friday morning service, with lamentations that evening. After that night, we would get things ready for Holy Saturday, which involved the blessing of the fire and water. In retrospect, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to give a bunch of hyperactive youth the job of getting the water ready for the mass the next day. We were surprised things dried out as quick as they did, given the volumes of water that went seemingly everywhere.
After mass on Saturday, we would go over the order of the Easter service, after which two of the altar boys would accompany the priest as he went around and blessed the Easter food at the home of those that requested it. It was always a treat to walk into someone's house and smell all of the wonderful food. The day would end at the rectory, and a small dinner of the blessed food before we went home to get some sleep for the sunrise service the next day.
Easter breakfast was a big deal, and my grandparents would have a wide variety of things ready: ham, kielbasa (store-bought and the one made at the church), eggs, homemade horseradish, farmer's cheese (which I can never find any that tastes the same as the kind my grandparents would get -- think cottage cheese pressed into a small wheel, with very little moisture), Easter bread from a nearby bakery,and the usual coffee, tea, or whatever you preferred to drink. Grandma, Mom, and I would go back for the more sparsely attended service at the normal time -- Mom and Grandma in the choir, me at the altar.
I don't get to church much, mainly because there are no churches of my faith here in Texas, but I do my best to uphold the Easter breakfast. It's one of the few traditions I observe, and it takes me back to those earlier days.
Dinner tonight is a crock-pot lasagna from a recipe I got here, and because I'm a tinkerer, I made a few small alterations to the original recipe. It smells wonderful, and in a few hours we'll see how it tastes.
If you celebrate it, I hope your Easter was a good one. For the rest, I hope you had a great Sunday.
We celebrated my first paycheck by going to our favorite Brazilian restaurant and enjoying the rodizio dinner. Perfectly cooked meat on skewers, brought to the table and carved ... what's not to love? And the roasted pineapple? To DIE for. Items like that make me wish I had a little rotisserie, so I could attempt to duplicate it.
I remember what Easter week was like when I was growing up. Basically, from Wednesday night onward, there was lots to do. After Wednesday's service, we (the altar boys) would rehearse for Holy Thursday, jsut refreshing on the order of the service that night and getting things ready. After that, we went over the Good Friday morning service, with lamentations that evening. After that night, we would get things ready for Holy Saturday, which involved the blessing of the fire and water. In retrospect, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to give a bunch of hyperactive youth the job of getting the water ready for the mass the next day. We were surprised things dried out as quick as they did, given the volumes of water that went seemingly everywhere.
After mass on Saturday, we would go over the order of the Easter service, after which two of the altar boys would accompany the priest as he went around and blessed the Easter food at the home of those that requested it. It was always a treat to walk into someone's house and smell all of the wonderful food. The day would end at the rectory, and a small dinner of the blessed food before we went home to get some sleep for the sunrise service the next day.
Easter breakfast was a big deal, and my grandparents would have a wide variety of things ready: ham, kielbasa (store-bought and the one made at the church), eggs, homemade horseradish, farmer's cheese (which I can never find any that tastes the same as the kind my grandparents would get -- think cottage cheese pressed into a small wheel, with very little moisture), Easter bread from a nearby bakery,and the usual coffee, tea, or whatever you preferred to drink. Grandma, Mom, and I would go back for the more sparsely attended service at the normal time -- Mom and Grandma in the choir, me at the altar.
I don't get to church much, mainly because there are no churches of my faith here in Texas, but I do my best to uphold the Easter breakfast. It's one of the few traditions I observe, and it takes me back to those earlier days.
Dinner tonight is a crock-pot lasagna from a recipe I got here, and because I'm a tinkerer, I made a few small alterations to the original recipe. It smells wonderful, and in a few hours we'll see how it tastes.
If you celebrate it, I hope your Easter was a good one. For the rest, I hope you had a great Sunday.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Wild Weather and Wine
Today has become a very complex day. I'm amazed that I am able to find the time to talk about what happened, never mind attempt to process it all.
The day started normally enough. I got to work early, had a couple of trailers to move around, and then headed out to pick up some rolls of paper. I had heard people talking about some storms due to pass through the area, but I didn't really give it much thought beyond that. Big deal, it's springtime in Texas, of course there will be storms. I was more concerned with having to work out in the rain, and for poor Ms. Darkstar, who would have had to walk to the bus stop in the rain once she left work.
I was in the middle of loading up for my afternoon delivery when one of the other drivers announced that we were under a tornado warning. I took a quick look at the sky, said something along the lines of, "Oh. That's nice," and went back to the task at hand.
A few minutes later we were all being herded into the storm shelter, although a few of the more adventurous of us (myself included) decided to venture outside to see what all of the fuss was about. And there it was, larger than life, and seeming to have a direct bearing on our warehouse. I snapped this picture as the storm passed to the west of us, being very closely watched (both the tornado and us) by the Mesquite police.
It appears the tornado was in mid-hop when I took this picture, because it once again extended itself down to ground level as it moved out of view.
The storm passed, and we went back to work. I had heard, both from the National Weather Service and local broadcast stations, that the area where my apartment is could be affected by this storm. I spent the rest of the day wondering if everything was all right at home; moreso, would there be a home to return to?
I am happy to report that all was well at home. Other parts of the metroplex weren't as lucky. I saw the video of one of the local trucking companies taking a direct hit, trailers being lifted into the air like toys. The local news has shots of neighborhoods devastated by what one station was calling the worst tornado outbreak in this area since the early- to mid-1970s.
Today's delivery was postponed, thankfully, and now I relax with a glass of wine and hope things are a little quieter than they were today.
... so, how was your day?
The day started normally enough. I got to work early, had a couple of trailers to move around, and then headed out to pick up some rolls of paper. I had heard people talking about some storms due to pass through the area, but I didn't really give it much thought beyond that. Big deal, it's springtime in Texas, of course there will be storms. I was more concerned with having to work out in the rain, and for poor Ms. Darkstar, who would have had to walk to the bus stop in the rain once she left work.
I was in the middle of loading up for my afternoon delivery when one of the other drivers announced that we were under a tornado warning. I took a quick look at the sky, said something along the lines of, "Oh. That's nice," and went back to the task at hand.
It appears the tornado was in mid-hop when I took this picture, because it once again extended itself down to ground level as it moved out of view.
The storm passed, and we went back to work. I had heard, both from the National Weather Service and local broadcast stations, that the area where my apartment is could be affected by this storm. I spent the rest of the day wondering if everything was all right at home; moreso, would there be a home to return to?
I am happy to report that all was well at home. Other parts of the metroplex weren't as lucky. I saw the video of one of the local trucking companies taking a direct hit, trailers being lifted into the air like toys. The local news has shots of neighborhoods devastated by what one station was calling the worst tornado outbreak in this area since the early- to mid-1970s.
Today's delivery was postponed, thankfully, and now I relax with a glass of wine and hope things are a little quieter than they were today.
... so, how was your day?
Sunday, April 1, 2012
This whole "free time" thing ...
The rest of the week went pretty well. I am gradually getting the hang of things, and I proved to them that I am, indeed, certifiable when I successfully completed my forklift training. There's already a few trailer loads booked for next week (one delivery and a week of pickups) along with whatever else comes up.
Wednesday was a pretty busy day and I was glad we picked a quick and easy dinner for that night. On our shopping trip to the Target, we found a bag of Tyson's cheddar and bacon flavored chicken strips on clearance, and we made a plan for dinner based on that. We had already planned on salad, which would be topped with the cooked chicken, and a mix of buffalo ranch dressing, and a cucumber ranch dressing to cut the heat of the buffalo ranch. Top with some shredded cheese and there's our dinner -- The dressings blended well with each other and gave a nice buffalo-wing flavor to the chicken
The chicken on it's own isn't bad either, as I found out on Thursday. Since Ms. Darkstar was doing her volunteer work that night, I had a dinner of clam chowder and the leftover chicken strips, with some cucumber ranch for dipping.
And, now it's the weekend. Friday night was a trip to our favorite Indian restaurant, and then a trip to Central Market. We wandered and looked at all of the wonderful things they had, and I wept silently as I realized I would have needed that half a billion Mega Millions jackpot to get everything I may have wanted at that store. We went to the bakery and got a couple of cupcakes for our dessert (tiramisu cupcake for me, Nutella cupcake for Ms. Darkstar), and a jar of organic blood orange spread for breakfast this morning.
Saturday was our usual shopping and whatever day, dinner being a trip to get some barbecue that we hadn't had since before I left on my cross-country tour. Tonight, a simple crock-pot pot roast dinner and pie for dessert.
I still have this feeling that I shouldn't be just sitting around, that I have work to do and I shouldn't be such a slacking slacker. I'm sure that feeling will pass. Right after I get the crock pot going. Relaxation is a wonderful thing, and I intend to make the most of it.
I have six months of catching up to do, you know.
The chicken on it's own isn't bad either, as I found out on Thursday. Since Ms. Darkstar was doing her volunteer work that night, I had a dinner of clam chowder and the leftover chicken strips, with some cucumber ranch for dipping.
And, now it's the weekend. Friday night was a trip to our favorite Indian restaurant, and then a trip to Central Market. We wandered and looked at all of the wonderful things they had, and I wept silently as I realized I would have needed that half a billion Mega Millions jackpot to get everything I may have wanted at that store. We went to the bakery and got a couple of cupcakes for our dessert (tiramisu cupcake for me, Nutella cupcake for Ms. Darkstar), and a jar of organic blood orange spread for breakfast this morning.
Saturday was our usual shopping and whatever day, dinner being a trip to get some barbecue that we hadn't had since before I left on my cross-country tour. Tonight, a simple crock-pot pot roast dinner and pie for dessert.
I still have this feeling that I shouldn't be just sitting around, that I have work to do and I shouldn't be such a slacking slacker. I'm sure that feeling will pass. Right after I get the crock pot going. Relaxation is a wonderful thing, and I intend to make the most of it.
I have six months of catching up to do, you know.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Report from two days in
I started the new job on Monday morning. I was lucky enough to get the old job taken care of on Friday, because it didn't seem like I was going to be able to get everything cleared without a trip back on Saturday, which would have been another example of the utter nonsense I've been dealing with and one of the reasons I was looking for an out. Being home and not having to spend months on the road was the main concern, but the nonsense was also a contributing factor.
I was fully prepared to spend the better part of the morning filling out the various forms and going through the myriad piles of paperwork that every new hire must wade through. Instead, I think everything was completed in about thirty minutes, at which time I was introduced to my co-workers and sent out on an assignment.
Yesterday was a very busy and hectic day, owing in the most part to some key personnel being absent, so I managed to rack up a little overtime. I forgot how sore I get standing up for so long a time, but my legs let me remember vividly with the early-morning leg cramps around two this morning.
Today was a little more relaxed, and the better part of the day was spent going through the company's truck fleet, noting defects and other issues, and if I was able, correcting minor deficiencies as I found them. Unfortunately, a great majority of the vehicles require some form of maintenance that I cannot provide, along with getting paperwork and inspections up-to-date and accurate. One truck was sent out today for major repairs to the transmission (I don't care what anyone else tells you, fifth gear is extremely important, especially under a heavy load) and general preventative maintenance.
I don't know how busy tomorrow is shaping up to be for us, but if it's like today, I will be doing more of the same, going through the trucks and trailers with a fine-toothed comb and noting defects that could be costly, both to myself and the company, in the long term and getting them corrected.
I'm really grateful to be able to engage in a little bit of wine therapy tonight, and don't have to cook since we'll order food here. Tomorrow, I'll be trying something that came about on the spur of the moment and reporting the results to you, good or bad. The review, that is, not my blog, I already know that's horrid. (joke)
In short, the company is decent, the co-workers are nice, and I am really happy to be a part of their team, along with being able to work locally and be home at night.
Could I have found The One? We shall see.
I was fully prepared to spend the better part of the morning filling out the various forms and going through the myriad piles of paperwork that every new hire must wade through. Instead, I think everything was completed in about thirty minutes, at which time I was introduced to my co-workers and sent out on an assignment.
Yesterday was a very busy and hectic day, owing in the most part to some key personnel being absent, so I managed to rack up a little overtime. I forgot how sore I get standing up for so long a time, but my legs let me remember vividly with the early-morning leg cramps around two this morning.
Today was a little more relaxed, and the better part of the day was spent going through the company's truck fleet, noting defects and other issues, and if I was able, correcting minor deficiencies as I found them. Unfortunately, a great majority of the vehicles require some form of maintenance that I cannot provide, along with getting paperwork and inspections up-to-date and accurate. One truck was sent out today for major repairs to the transmission (I don't care what anyone else tells you, fifth gear is extremely important, especially under a heavy load) and general preventative maintenance.
I don't know how busy tomorrow is shaping up to be for us, but if it's like today, I will be doing more of the same, going through the trucks and trailers with a fine-toothed comb and noting defects that could be costly, both to myself and the company, in the long term and getting them corrected.
I'm really grateful to be able to engage in a little bit of wine therapy tonight, and don't have to cook since we'll order food here. Tomorrow, I'll be trying something that came about on the spur of the moment and reporting the results to you, good or bad. The review, that is, not my blog, I already know that's horrid. (joke)
In short, the company is decent, the co-workers are nice, and I am really happy to be a part of their team, along with being able to work locally and be home at night.
Could I have found The One? We shall see.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Getting (country) fried on the weekend
You will notice, dear reader, as you peruse my cooking entries, that I do like to improvise and experiment, mostly because I like to try to create something that is just as tasty and is as close to my own as I can possibly come. I tend not to fool around with the instructions for desserts and baked goods, since improvisation will invariably produce detrimental results. And, it flat won't taste good, either.
Much as with yesterday's entry, today's dinner is a modification of a recipe that I felt could use a little bit more liveliness. We hadn't had it for a while, so I prepared country-fried steaks with cream gravy and mashed potatoes. It's a bit rich, so we limit to maybe once a month or once every two months.
After we got home from our weekly shopping trip, I whipped up a quick snack with the leftover French bread from last night, some melted butter, garlic powder, and some Italian seasoning. I topped this with some leftover Mexican 4-cheese blend, and popped it in the oven at 400º until the cheese was melted and the edges of the bread had browned slightly. There it is -- my variation of garlic toast. I have another recipe I do, usually around the holidays, and I'll share that with you when the time comes.
It was getting time to start the prep for dinner, and the first thing I needed to do was saute some diced onion until it was translucent. This would be going in to the gravy later on, so it was okay to cook ahead and let sit until it was needed.
The onion I had was one of those large Spanish yellow onions, which worked out well because I could use half today, and save the rest for salads during the week.
The onion was cooked in about 2 tablespoons of butter and seasoned with salt and black pepper. Once it started to turn translucent, and some of the pieces were browning on the edges, the pan was pulled from the heat and left to cool.
Note my fancy kosher salt holder. That's quality plastic right there, boy. Nothing but the best for my kitchen, let me tell you.
Next up was seasoning the steaks. I put a tiny dot of olive oil on each, then used one of my Penzey's blends, and although it's advertised for chicken or fish, it worked great on the steaks. You can substitute by using a blend of seasoned salt, garlic powder, pepper, and if you wish, some thyme and rosemary. Or, you can just season with seasoned salty like the original recipe suggests. Not gonna break my heart any; make it the way you like it.
With the steaks seasoned and set aside, I prepared the breading mix. The container you see here is my Batter Pro. Years ago, when I lived on the Frozen Tundra, we went to this store in the Sprawl of America that had the merchandise you only saw advertised on TV. I tell you, this thing is a big work-saver, in that I only need this for my dry coating, and another bowl for the wet dip -- lots less to clean, it coats beautifully and evenly, and I really can't ask for any more than that. I generally don't measure for this phase, but I'd guesstimate maybe a cup of all-purpose flour, about a half cup of yellow corn meal, and season with seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix it in good, and set aside until you're ready to cook the steaks. Of course, if you don't have a Batter Pro, just use a nice big bowl filled as above.
When it's time to cook the steaks, melt about 4 tablespoons of shortening in a frying pan. Place a broiler pan in the oven, or a sheet pan with a wire rack, and heat the oven to 275º. You'll use the oven to hold the steaks while you prepare the gravy.
Beat two eggs in a medium-size bowl, and season with either the seasoned salt or the spice blend. Dip the steaks in the egg, then coat with the dry coating mix. Here's the before and after of the breading process. You want a nice, even coating of the flour/corn meal mix on each side, shaking off any excess before frying. Set them on a clean, dry plate while you wait for the oil to get hot.
The excess coating really can't be saved, which is why I keep the batch small. Let's turn our attention briefly to the potatoes, which are more whipped than mashed, but I don't care because they're still tasty.
Okay, so, we boil the potatoes in salted water, drain them, and place them back into the still-hot pot. To this, I add a tablespoon and a half of butter, some minced garlic, black pepper, onion powder, and a dollop of horseradish. Slam the lid back on and set it aside until the butter melts. If possible, leaving it near (but not on) the burner you used to cook the potatoes will help speed the process along. Once the butter's melted, break the potatoes into smaller pieces with your masher (or electric beaters on lowest setting, if you're like me and love modern convenience and have very vivid memories of hand-mashing forty pounds of boiled potatoes like I had to do in cooking school). Add some half-and-half, or plain milk if you prefer, and mash/whip until there's very few chunks of potato left.
Time for the payoff -- frying the steaks. Place the steaks in your frying pan without crowding them, and cook for about three minutes or until the crust turns a nice golden color. Turn and repeat for the other side. The thickness of your steaks and the heat of the oil will determine how long you cook them. I went with medium-high heat, and my steaks were about a half-inch thick, maybe less because I forgot my ruler today and I'm just guessing at this point. once they're fried on both sides, place them in the oven on that pan I had you heat earlier and hold for service. Reduce the heat on the burner to about medium.
Drain off the oil, and add the onions to the pan you fried the steaks in. Add another tablespoon of butter, let this melt along with the butter that's already coating the onions, and sprinkle with flour. Yes, we're making a roux. Again, I don't use exact measurements, but what I look for is the roux to be solid when I'm whisking it, only to slowly melt when I leave it alone in the pan. Cook this for a bit to get rid of the flour taste, then add about a cup and a half to two cups of milk or half-and-half. Sprinkle in some beef bouillon granules (about a half teaspoon) and season with black pepper. Cook until the gravy thickens up, stirring it constantly so it doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan.
And there it is -- fairly unadorned, but if you want to add some flair you can sprinkle this with some chopped parsley.
I served this with a 2009 Pinot Noir from California, although it would be just as good with a nice glass of sweet tea.
As you can see, I've been a bit busy this weekend, and it's off to the new job on Monday. I'll be sure to update with how it went.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
Much as with yesterday's entry, today's dinner is a modification of a recipe that I felt could use a little bit more liveliness. We hadn't had it for a while, so I prepared country-fried steaks with cream gravy and mashed potatoes. It's a bit rich, so we limit to maybe once a month or once every two months.
It was getting time to start the prep for dinner, and the first thing I needed to do was saute some diced onion until it was translucent. This would be going in to the gravy later on, so it was okay to cook ahead and let sit until it was needed.
The onion I had was one of those large Spanish yellow onions, which worked out well because I could use half today, and save the rest for salads during the week.The onion was cooked in about 2 tablespoons of butter and seasoned with salt and black pepper. Once it started to turn translucent, and some of the pieces were browning on the edges, the pan was pulled from the heat and left to cool.
Note my fancy kosher salt holder. That's quality plastic right there, boy. Nothing but the best for my kitchen, let me tell you.
When it's time to cook the steaks, melt about 4 tablespoons of shortening in a frying pan. Place a broiler pan in the oven, or a sheet pan with a wire rack, and heat the oven to 275º. You'll use the oven to hold the steaks while you prepare the gravy.
Beat two eggs in a medium-size bowl, and season with either the seasoned salt or the spice blend. Dip the steaks in the egg, then coat with the dry coating mix. Here's the before and after of the breading process. You want a nice, even coating of the flour/corn meal mix on each side, shaking off any excess before frying. Set them on a clean, dry plate while you wait for the oil to get hot.
The excess coating really can't be saved, which is why I keep the batch small. Let's turn our attention briefly to the potatoes, which are more whipped than mashed, but I don't care because they're still tasty.
Drain off the oil, and add the onions to the pan you fried the steaks in. Add another tablespoon of butter, let this melt along with the butter that's already coating the onions, and sprinkle with flour. Yes, we're making a roux. Again, I don't use exact measurements, but what I look for is the roux to be solid when I'm whisking it, only to slowly melt when I leave it alone in the pan. Cook this for a bit to get rid of the flour taste, then add about a cup and a half to two cups of milk or half-and-half. Sprinkle in some beef bouillon granules (about a half teaspoon) and season with black pepper. Cook until the gravy thickens up, stirring it constantly so it doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan.
I served this with a 2009 Pinot Noir from California, although it would be just as good with a nice glass of sweet tea.
As you can see, I've been a bit busy this weekend, and it's off to the new job on Monday. I'll be sure to update with how it went.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Because the internet can never have too many cooking blogs...
So yeah, it's official, I start the new job Monday morning and I've already processed out of the old job. It's nice not to be under the gun and having to pack up all my stuff yet again for another odyssey into the great unknown. Anyway, that's all of the job stuff for now. Let's get down to the real reason for this entry.
I may have said it once before, but I do love to cook. I'm also fortunate to live with someone that loves to eat what I cook. In that regard, things work out rather well. Until now, however, I've never gone into great detail about just how I make the dinners that have Ms. Darkstar raving on her blog about how tasty it is.
Naturally, once it was known I would be home (although we didn't know at the time it would be permanent), I received a list of things that I would be required to cook. Tonight's meal would consist of French onion soup, and key lime pie for dessert.
A couple of the things I truly love, food-wise, are French onion soup and clam chowder. I've had many different preparations of each, in different places, and I've tried several recipe variations at home. Another thing about me is I love to tweak a recipe, adding here and subtracting or omitting there and seeing how things turn out. This recipe started out from Top Secret Recipes, specifically Top Secret Restaurant Recipes Volume 2, with a few modifications by yours truly.
A quick note, and full disclosure: I absolutely LOVE Penzey's Spices. I first discovered them when I was living in Saint Paul, MN about eight years ago, and was in hog heaven when I found out they had a store here in Dallas.
I'll try to keep the more exotic blends (ones that can't be replicated by a trip to the local grocery store) to a minimum, but for heaven's sake, do yourself a favor and get their catalog, try a few things, and see if they don't have what I consider to be the best spices and dried herbs I've ever tried.
I mean, c'mon, spicey goodness in your mail box? What's not to love about that, for crying out loud?
Of course, one should pace oneself, so don't be like me and point to the catalog and announce you'd like one of everything, please, even if in your little heart of hearts you truly mean it.
So ... on to the soup.
Most of the traditional recipes for this soup call for chicken stock, while the recipe I "followed" calls for beef broth. I compromised by adding some beef bouillon granules to the chicken stock (use unsalted or low sodium, whether it's stock or broth. It makes it easier to control the flavoring). The recipe calls for three different cheeses, but I prefer to use the traditional Gruyere, because the nutty flavor of the cheese compliments the sweetness of the finished soup. The Parmesan cheese serves double duty, as you will see in a moment.
That may look like way too much onion (that's three white onions in that bowl), but they will cook down. Don't let the amount spook you. This recipe will cook down to about four servings (or two servings with seconds).
First thing you do is melt down the butter (one-half of a stick, or 1/4 cup) in your soup pot. Do this over medium-high heat, and wait for the butter to stop foaming. If you're the adventurous sort, like I am, let the butter brown a little bit before dumping in the onions. Stir well to coat them with the butter, than cook them until they start turning brown. Be VERY careful not to burn them. It's a good idea not to stray too far at this stage and stir often. When the onions have a little bit of brownish color to them and have reduced in volume in the pan, add the stock and a small sprinkling of the bouillon granules, along with 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. (I had a picture of this but my stupid phone decided not to save it after I took it. Bah.)
The crouton toppers are fairly simple. I used a loaf of demi-French bread I got at Target (seems to be the best size without a lot left over), made four slices about 1 inch thick, and topped each with a mixture of Parmesan cheese and dried parsley. These went into a 350-degree oven until they were browned and crispy (recipe says 10 minutes, your time will vary, just keep an eye on them and pull them when they're browned).
Let the soup simmer uncovered for about an hour, adding three tablespoons of the Parmesan during the last ten minutes of cooking. And now, it's time to finish and serve.
I bought these crocks at my local restaurant supply store. They're not all that expensive and, because they're oven-safe, they can go under the broiler for the finjal step. Unless your serving dishes are safe in this way, DO NOT place them in the oven.
To finish the soup, ladle it into your crock or bowl, place a crouton on top, and top it with the Gruyere you've grated beforehand. Place it under the broiler until the cheese melts and browns slightly on the top.
If you don't have a broiler or don't have oven-safe serving dishes, an alternative is to use a cook's torch (I've seen these at Target and places like Bed, Bath and Beyond in addition to restaurant supply stores) to melt the cheese. Just keep an eye on it so you don't burn the cheese or start a fire. Always practice safe cooking.
I served our soup with a 2010 Hogue late-harvest Riesling (don't you just love my fancy plates?) and Ms. Darkstar was simply overjoyed that she didn't have to cook anymore -- oh, and the soup was great, too.
Dessert is a simple key lime pie, from a recipe off a bottle of Nellie and Joe's Key Lime Juice and available on their website.
Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom of this page. Tune in tomorrow as I torment you further with my culinary adventures and prepare a simple country-fried steak and mashed potato dinner.
I need to let dinner digest a bit.
I may have said it once before, but I do love to cook. I'm also fortunate to live with someone that loves to eat what I cook. In that regard, things work out rather well. Until now, however, I've never gone into great detail about just how I make the dinners that have Ms. Darkstar raving on her blog about how tasty it is.
Naturally, once it was known I would be home (although we didn't know at the time it would be permanent), I received a list of things that I would be required to cook. Tonight's meal would consist of French onion soup, and key lime pie for dessert.
A couple of the things I truly love, food-wise, are French onion soup and clam chowder. I've had many different preparations of each, in different places, and I've tried several recipe variations at home. Another thing about me is I love to tweak a recipe, adding here and subtracting or omitting there and seeing how things turn out. This recipe started out from Top Secret Recipes, specifically Top Secret Restaurant Recipes Volume 2, with a few modifications by yours truly.
I'll try to keep the more exotic blends (ones that can't be replicated by a trip to the local grocery store) to a minimum, but for heaven's sake, do yourself a favor and get their catalog, try a few things, and see if they don't have what I consider to be the best spices and dried herbs I've ever tried.
I mean, c'mon, spicey goodness in your mail box? What's not to love about that, for crying out loud?
Of course, one should pace oneself, so don't be like me and point to the catalog and announce you'd like one of everything, please, even if in your little heart of hearts you truly mean it.
So ... on to the soup.
That may look like way too much onion (that's three white onions in that bowl), but they will cook down. Don't let the amount spook you. This recipe will cook down to about four servings (or two servings with seconds).
First thing you do is melt down the butter (one-half of a stick, or 1/4 cup) in your soup pot. Do this over medium-high heat, and wait for the butter to stop foaming. If you're the adventurous sort, like I am, let the butter brown a little bit before dumping in the onions. Stir well to coat them with the butter, than cook them until they start turning brown. Be VERY careful not to burn them. It's a good idea not to stray too far at this stage and stir often. When the onions have a little bit of brownish color to them and have reduced in volume in the pan, add the stock and a small sprinkling of the bouillon granules, along with 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. (I had a picture of this but my stupid phone decided not to save it after I took it. Bah.)
The crouton toppers are fairly simple. I used a loaf of demi-French bread I got at Target (seems to be the best size without a lot left over), made four slices about 1 inch thick, and topped each with a mixture of Parmesan cheese and dried parsley. These went into a 350-degree oven until they were browned and crispy (recipe says 10 minutes, your time will vary, just keep an eye on them and pull them when they're browned).
Let the soup simmer uncovered for about an hour, adding three tablespoons of the Parmesan during the last ten minutes of cooking. And now, it's time to finish and serve.
To finish the soup, ladle it into your crock or bowl, place a crouton on top, and top it with the Gruyere you've grated beforehand. Place it under the broiler until the cheese melts and browns slightly on the top.
If you don't have a broiler or don't have oven-safe serving dishes, an alternative is to use a cook's torch (I've seen these at Target and places like Bed, Bath and Beyond in addition to restaurant supply stores) to melt the cheese. Just keep an eye on it so you don't burn the cheese or start a fire. Always practice safe cooking.
Dessert is a simple key lime pie, from a recipe off a bottle of Nellie and Joe's Key Lime Juice and available on their website.
Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom of this page. Tune in tomorrow as I torment you further with my culinary adventures and prepare a simple country-fried steak and mashed potato dinner.
I need to let dinner digest a bit.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
I made it ... and just in time
It's been a while since I've been able to do a proper update here, and I confess, I forgot where it was that I last updated from. My update tonight is because I am home once again, out enjoying a glass of wine and some wonderful wood-oven baked pizza. Tonight is a celebration, for a couple of reasons. Allow me to elaborate:
For the past six months, I have been in the "training" phase of my job. I spent five weeks with a regular trainer, who showed me a little more of what the job was about, and allowed me to develop my skills of driving, backing, and dealing with various shippers and receivers under different types of loads. Following that, there was a week of classroom work, more practice on the truck yard, and then it was off for three weeks with a fellow student. In this phase, we would be reinforcing what we had learned previously while relying on each other to make it through the more difficult situations.
The final phase is three months of solo driving, essentially doing the job on your own. You were responsible for getting things done in the proper order, getting them done on time, and keeping everything compliant with company rules and federal regulations.
So, now let's backtrack a bit to the New Jersey load. I had made it as far as Ohio when they gave me another load to deliver in Pennsylvania, reason being I had more time to make the delivery than the person the load was assigned to. This happens for a lot of reasons, and I made the delivery as scheduled. I was low on hours, both for the day and overall, and I wondered about thins as I received my next assignment: picking up in Ohio and heading to Houston. I would pick up Saturday afternoon for a Monday delivery.
Had I sufficient hours, I may have been able to make it. Unfortunately, I ran short on delivery day, and as I was doing my trip plan, I made this fact known and asked for someone else to take the load so it wouldn't be late. I repeated this request on Sunday. It wasn't until Monday that I was finally able to swap loads, with my load going to Terrell, Texas on Tuesday, giving me time to sit and gain a few hours so I could make delivery.
I opted (with some minor prodding from Ms. Darkstar) to see if I could take my home time after I dropped off in Terrell. My truck had some mechanical problems that needed attention, the trailer I was hauling was due for it's annual state/DOT inspection, and Dallas was only about 25 miles away. I was glad to see that my request was approved, and I began packing. Not to mention the fact that I still had a shot at that local job that I was called about the week previous.
I got a message later on Tuesday telling me that I had successfully completed my training and would now be made part of the regular fleet. That made me happy, in that at least I knew all the hard work paid off. I was also about to mark six months with the company, and could pick up my award the next time I was at the yard.
I made the delivery, headed back to Dallas, and today I had the second interview. After about fifteen minutes, I was conditionally offered the job, pending the results of a background check and urine screening.
I know, since I hold a hazardous materials endorsement, that there is nothing in my background that is cause for alarm, and I know the urine test will be clear, so it appears I have a new job. All I need to know is my starting date. Once I know that, I can go back and process out from the company I now work for.
I wonder if I should wait and get my service award before I tell them?
For the past six months, I have been in the "training" phase of my job. I spent five weeks with a regular trainer, who showed me a little more of what the job was about, and allowed me to develop my skills of driving, backing, and dealing with various shippers and receivers under different types of loads. Following that, there was a week of classroom work, more practice on the truck yard, and then it was off for three weeks with a fellow student. In this phase, we would be reinforcing what we had learned previously while relying on each other to make it through the more difficult situations.
The final phase is three months of solo driving, essentially doing the job on your own. You were responsible for getting things done in the proper order, getting them done on time, and keeping everything compliant with company rules and federal regulations.
So, now let's backtrack a bit to the New Jersey load. I had made it as far as Ohio when they gave me another load to deliver in Pennsylvania, reason being I had more time to make the delivery than the person the load was assigned to. This happens for a lot of reasons, and I made the delivery as scheduled. I was low on hours, both for the day and overall, and I wondered about thins as I received my next assignment: picking up in Ohio and heading to Houston. I would pick up Saturday afternoon for a Monday delivery.
Had I sufficient hours, I may have been able to make it. Unfortunately, I ran short on delivery day, and as I was doing my trip plan, I made this fact known and asked for someone else to take the load so it wouldn't be late. I repeated this request on Sunday. It wasn't until Monday that I was finally able to swap loads, with my load going to Terrell, Texas on Tuesday, giving me time to sit and gain a few hours so I could make delivery.
I opted (with some minor prodding from Ms. Darkstar) to see if I could take my home time after I dropped off in Terrell. My truck had some mechanical problems that needed attention, the trailer I was hauling was due for it's annual state/DOT inspection, and Dallas was only about 25 miles away. I was glad to see that my request was approved, and I began packing. Not to mention the fact that I still had a shot at that local job that I was called about the week previous.
I got a message later on Tuesday telling me that I had successfully completed my training and would now be made part of the regular fleet. That made me happy, in that at least I knew all the hard work paid off. I was also about to mark six months with the company, and could pick up my award the next time I was at the yard.
I made the delivery, headed back to Dallas, and today I had the second interview. After about fifteen minutes, I was conditionally offered the job, pending the results of a background check and urine screening.
I know, since I hold a hazardous materials endorsement, that there is nothing in my background that is cause for alarm, and I know the urine test will be clear, so it appears I have a new job. All I need to know is my starting date. Once I know that, I can go back and process out from the company I now work for.
I wonder if I should wait and get my service award before I tell them?
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Back and forth, and from out of the blue
I am now in south central Kansas, and tomorrow I should be in southeastern Illinois by the time I have to shut down for the day. Although the load isn't due until Saturday, I should be at the receiver by sometime Friday afternoon. I have to remember to call them and see if they'll let me park overnight so I can be there for delivery early Saturday morning. If not, I'll have to adjust my stopping point and find another safe haven to stay the night.
Last month, right around the time I was getting ready to roll out on this current adventure, I had interviewed at a company close to home about a local driving job. By the time I was ready to leave they still hadn't made any decisions, so with a heavy heart I set off on my journey. I kinda figured that because I'd be gone for so long they'd choose another candidate and that would be the end of that. I still sent a very nice thank-you letter (courtesy of my administrative assistant, Ms. Darkstar) and tried to forget about how disappointed I was.
As I was getting close to stopping today, I get a phone call from the company I interviewed at last month. They wanted me to come in for a second interview. I told them, quite honestly, that I was very interested in the job but at the moment I was in Kansas heading to New Jersey, and quite possibly would not be able to return to Dallas for at least another couple of weeks. The gentleman said to keep him advised of my status and to notify them when I was back in the area and could come in for a second interview.
I hung up, and a few minutes later I laughed. It was about all I could do at that point. A close-to-home job with a regular, reliable paycheck, and I can't get the process in motion to secure it right now.
On the plus side, this trip will give me the miles I need to be able to complete this phase of my training, and I should be able to finagle my way back home fairly soon. They've waited this long to make a hiring decision, so I guess it's quite possible that they may be willing to wait a couple more weeks.
Today's picture is part of the birthday present I am getting for Ms. Darkstar, and hopefully I can give it to her fairly soon.
Have a great rest of the week, and I'll write more when I'm able.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Cashing in my Daylight Savings
Better tonight than last night. A persistent storm system kept dumping snow in the areas I would have had to travel through. As you can see from the picture, we got a little bit overnight here as well. By afternoon it should all be gone as the temperatures rise into the 60s.
I'm hoping for a journey into warmer temperatures. My auxiliary power unit is not working right, meaning I can't run anything electrical or use the heater with the truck shut down. The sooner this gets fixed, the better, but I'm preparing for lots of cold nights and lots of lost sleep as I get up periodically to run the truck to get some heat.
I have some other things to get caught up on before I try to nap, but I just wanted to throw a quick update here and hope everyone enjoys what's left of the weekend. And, I want to give a special acknowledgement to Ms. Darkstar, for successfully evading the Grim Reaper for another year.
Enjoy your Sunday.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Back at it
Amazingly enough, I got off the yard without much trouble, as opposed to the last time I went through this. The class was interesting, and is something they do on a fairly regular basis for all of the drivers, so at least I'm not in any kind of trouble. I took a load out of Fort Worth yesterday and now I'm in New Mexico, where I will deliver tomorrow afternoon.
These are the types of loads I like -- no rush to deliver, no need to hustle and hustle, burning up all of my hours -- and while I wish every load is like this, I am grateful for them when I can get them. I have no idea where I will be heading after delivery tomorrow (gee, where have we heard that before?), and I still need to find a place to spend the night as well.
I'm keeping this short because I need to get other things done, and while I have the time, I better get moving on them. I'll update more when I get the next opportunity.
If I don't get online before then, have a great weekend.
These are the types of loads I like -- no rush to deliver, no need to hustle and hustle, burning up all of my hours -- and while I wish every load is like this, I am grateful for them when I can get them. I have no idea where I will be heading after delivery tomorrow (gee, where have we heard that before?), and I still need to find a place to spend the night as well.
I'm keeping this short because I need to get other things done, and while I have the time, I better get moving on them. I'll update more when I get the next opportunity.
If I don't get online before then, have a great weekend.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
A nice surprise
As I suspected, I didn't take the load that I picked up in Laredo any further than Lewisville. When I arrived at that stop, I received a message informing me that yes, there was a mistake in the dates for the rest of the deliveries. It seems the Tennessee delivery was supposed to be a day earlier, and since there was absolutely no way I was going to make it there, they had another truck ready to take the load the rest of the way. So, it was back to Dallas to make the trade, and hopefully for me, get time to rest and let my hours of service regenerate a bit.
I met the truck, unhooked from the trailer, and got out of the way. Not surprisingly, the way the load was set after unloading, and even with my load locks bracing it, the load still tipped. It was fixed, and I am hoping it was accepted as there was no real damage to the load that I could see, and was somewhat easily restacked. And, just to make my day complete, I got hit on the head with two cases of broccoli. Lovely.
Around the time all of this was happening, I received a call from my office. Since I was close to the yard, and I had a class coming due that I needed to take, and since I lived in town ... would I be willing to return to the yard and take my downtime in the comfort of my home? This caught me completely off guard, but of course I wasn't going to pass up this opportunity to see home for even a day or two at most.
I got some laundry done, organized some more music to take with me on the road (it's easier to load up an MP3 player than it is trying to find a decent radio station that doesn't annoy me after about fifteen minutes these days), and tonight I'm at a place called The Wine Therapist with Ms. Darkstar. This is her usual night to hang out with her writer friends, and because I had the car, I was given the choice to tag along. I agreed, because I had wanted to see this place ever since Ms. Darkstar first talked about it.
No, sadly, I cannot partake of any of the alcoholic offerings, and what a lovely list they have, too. Instead, I am sipping on a non-alcoholic Pinot Noir soda. It contains the pinot noir juice concentrate, mixed with sparkling water, and is quite tasty.
Tomorrow, it's back to the truck yard to take that class, see if my truck has been repaired, and find out where in the country I will be enroute to once I get final clearance to leave. My truck was placed out of service for mechanical repairs, and I'm hoping they actually get fixed this time around, as most of the problems are the same ones that existed the last time I was back in Dallas.
So, that's where things stand in my exciting life. I will update more when I find out where I'm going, and when I'm able to actually type out an update. Have a great rest of the week.
I met the truck, unhooked from the trailer, and got out of the way. Not surprisingly, the way the load was set after unloading, and even with my load locks bracing it, the load still tipped. It was fixed, and I am hoping it was accepted as there was no real damage to the load that I could see, and was somewhat easily restacked. And, just to make my day complete, I got hit on the head with two cases of broccoli. Lovely.
Around the time all of this was happening, I received a call from my office. Since I was close to the yard, and I had a class coming due that I needed to take, and since I lived in town ... would I be willing to return to the yard and take my downtime in the comfort of my home? This caught me completely off guard, but of course I wasn't going to pass up this opportunity to see home for even a day or two at most.
I got some laundry done, organized some more music to take with me on the road (it's easier to load up an MP3 player than it is trying to find a decent radio station that doesn't annoy me after about fifteen minutes these days), and tonight I'm at a place called The Wine Therapist with Ms. Darkstar. This is her usual night to hang out with her writer friends, and because I had the car, I was given the choice to tag along. I agreed, because I had wanted to see this place ever since Ms. Darkstar first talked about it.
No, sadly, I cannot partake of any of the alcoholic offerings, and what a lovely list they have, too. Instead, I am sipping on a non-alcoholic Pinot Noir soda. It contains the pinot noir juice concentrate, mixed with sparkling water, and is quite tasty.
Tomorrow, it's back to the truck yard to take that class, see if my truck has been repaired, and find out where in the country I will be enroute to once I get final clearance to leave. My truck was placed out of service for mechanical repairs, and I'm hoping they actually get fixed this time around, as most of the problems are the same ones that existed the last time I was back in Dallas.
So, that's where things stand in my exciting life. I will update more when I find out where I'm going, and when I'm able to actually type out an update. Have a great rest of the week.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Where was I ... and where am I?
The big problem with playing catch-up with the blog is I get so busy I lose track of time, and can't remember the last time I was able to post something. Add in the fact that I also lose track of what day of the week it is (all day yesterday I kept thinking it was Sunday), and it makes for an interesting time trying to remember what I last talked about.
The break I was hoping to take was a short one, and after finishing the multi-drop load on the 28th, I got to rest until the morning of the 29th, when I was sent to South Carolina to pick up a load going to Laredo, Texas. The only problem was the load was already a day behind schedule, and there was no way I was going to make it for the delivery date. So, I ran the load as far as Atlanta, and swapped out with another driver. I was then given a load out of Columbus, GA, going to Laredo. And, since this load contained hazardous materials, I had to be extra vigilant in my inspection of the trailer I was given.
It's a good thing I was, because it had one tire that had not only gone bald, but had the steel cords showing. The registration was gone, meaning I had to call in to the office to get a copy of it faxed to me at the truck stop, and then take the trailer over to a tire shop to get fixed before I could pick up my load. Which meant I was later than I wanted to be in getting to Columbus, but still on time.
I made it to Laredo without running into any of the nasty weather that was moving through the area I was driving through. I hit a couple of downpours in Louisiana and some fog through Alabama, but other than that I didn't get hit with anything.
The nice thing about being in Laredo is there's a Wal-Mart that has truck parking. After dropping my trailer, I headed over there and stocked up on things that I needed, like more food (canned soups, canned pineapple, some meats that don't need refrigeration) and other items like sodas and personal hygiene products.
I got my load early this morning. I have a stop in Lewisville, Texas before heading to Lebanon, Tennessee, and the final stop is in Elkton, Maryland. The only major problem I can see is that Maryland and Tennessee are due on the same day, about six hours apart. Forgetting the time zone change, there's no way I can cover over seven hundred miles in what will amount to three and a half hours by the time I'm done unloading in Tennessee. I've let the office know about it, and I'll continue to send the running late reports if need be, but as far as I'm concerned, it is officially Not My Problem anymore.
I didn't have a lot of time or opportunity to take pictures this past week or so, but the picture to the left is of the retreating storm clouds in Piedmont, South Carolina. The picture to the right is sunset in Dallas, Texas, where I'm staying for the night. It's sad that I'm home, but I can't go home.
Here's hoping for a decent week.
The break I was hoping to take was a short one, and after finishing the multi-drop load on the 28th, I got to rest until the morning of the 29th, when I was sent to South Carolina to pick up a load going to Laredo, Texas. The only problem was the load was already a day behind schedule, and there was no way I was going to make it for the delivery date. So, I ran the load as far as Atlanta, and swapped out with another driver. I was then given a load out of Columbus, GA, going to Laredo. And, since this load contained hazardous materials, I had to be extra vigilant in my inspection of the trailer I was given.
It's a good thing I was, because it had one tire that had not only gone bald, but had the steel cords showing. The registration was gone, meaning I had to call in to the office to get a copy of it faxed to me at the truck stop, and then take the trailer over to a tire shop to get fixed before I could pick up my load. Which meant I was later than I wanted to be in getting to Columbus, but still on time.
I made it to Laredo without running into any of the nasty weather that was moving through the area I was driving through. I hit a couple of downpours in Louisiana and some fog through Alabama, but other than that I didn't get hit with anything.
The nice thing about being in Laredo is there's a Wal-Mart that has truck parking. After dropping my trailer, I headed over there and stocked up on things that I needed, like more food (canned soups, canned pineapple, some meats that don't need refrigeration) and other items like sodas and personal hygiene products.
I got my load early this morning. I have a stop in Lewisville, Texas before heading to Lebanon, Tennessee, and the final stop is in Elkton, Maryland. The only major problem I can see is that Maryland and Tennessee are due on the same day, about six hours apart. Forgetting the time zone change, there's no way I can cover over seven hundred miles in what will amount to three and a half hours by the time I'm done unloading in Tennessee. I've let the office know about it, and I'll continue to send the running late reports if need be, but as far as I'm concerned, it is officially Not My Problem anymore.
I didn't have a lot of time or opportunity to take pictures this past week or so, but the picture to the left is of the retreating storm clouds in Piedmont, South Carolina. The picture to the right is sunset in Dallas, Texas, where I'm staying for the night. It's sad that I'm home, but I can't go home.
Here's hoping for a decent week.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Calling a time out
Wow. That was a heck of a trip. Finally, it's over and I can get a quick respite before getting my next assignment, or so I hope. I got the multiple pounds of paperwork sent in to the office so hopefully I can get paid on it by the end of the week. That, and I still have a trip that I'm waiting to get paid for, so at least there's some money coming my way soonish.Since I'm still in the training phase, I consider this part of my final exams. The challenge was to keep everything in order, plan out a good working route, make all of your deliveries on time, and keep it within the hours-of-service regulations. The variance on my miles (actual miles vs. what they will actually pay me for) was just a tad over , but it wasn't any major number and I explained it on the trip sheet I submitted, so hopefully there shouldn't be any problems. Everything else -- spot on. Yay me.
Another reason I'm hoping for a break, at least for today, is that I seem to have developed a little case of the sniffles, and I'm hoping it's just because I'm venturing into areas where more pollens are being released. The last thing I need is to come down with a full-blown cold, or heaven forbid, the dreaded flu.
The rain held off until I finished today (yay) and it's sort of a spotty showery ... thingy out there. I'll get some more work caught up, try to relax a bit because I've been up since about 3 this morning, and see where my travels take me next. Oh, and the picture above is from the current trip, when I stopped in between deliveries in Shorter, Alabama, just east of Montgomery.
So, until the next update, take care.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Do The Hustle
I have a big load. It's being spread out over seven stops, of which my first is in Mississippi tomorrow afternoon. I left my shipper early this morning and made it to Arkansas by noon, which is where I'm writing this post. I guess the naps I had over the course of the day yesterday right up until it was time to leave weren't enough, because as soon as I got back to the truck after lunch, I crashed for a couple of hours.
My income tax refund came through earlier this week, and I got paid for the partial Arizona run I did, so after I got bills paid (couple of credit cards needed tending to) I splurged for a small vacuum for the truck and over the past couple of days I've been restocking my pantry with ramen soups, snacky-type foods, drinks, water (for the soups, of course), and whatever else I have the chance to get. I must remember the next time I go back to the truck from home time, I need to pack some other spices. Salt and pepper are fine, but the ramen needs more of a kick to it. Oh darn, I guess I'll have to go to Penzey's and get some small jars of stuff.
Restocking is usually done when I have the money to do so, and lately that's been tough to manage. In addition to personal things, I also have to buy things for the truck, like oil, coolant, antigel for the fuel in the colder parts of the country, and scale tickets (when I weigh on a certified scale away from the shipper to insure the load is of legal weight and distributed properly). I get reimbursed for these things, but not until I am able to submit the paperwork and receipts, and after that there's usually a three-day lag until I get paid. It makes managing things a bit tricky, and at times it's downright frustrating.
In contrast to the last time I was in these parts, today was a beautiful day. The winds were a little fierce but it wasn't too cold and the sun was out. I took this picture right around sunset. I'm in the same truck stop I was in the last time I was here, because it has two things I look for in a stopping place:
My income tax refund came through earlier this week, and I got paid for the partial Arizona run I did, so after I got bills paid (couple of credit cards needed tending to) I splurged for a small vacuum for the truck and over the past couple of days I've been restocking my pantry with ramen soups, snacky-type foods, drinks, water (for the soups, of course), and whatever else I have the chance to get. I must remember the next time I go back to the truck from home time, I need to pack some other spices. Salt and pepper are fine, but the ramen needs more of a kick to it. Oh darn, I guess I'll have to go to Penzey's and get some small jars of stuff.Restocking is usually done when I have the money to do so, and lately that's been tough to manage. In addition to personal things, I also have to buy things for the truck, like oil, coolant, antigel for the fuel in the colder parts of the country, and scale tickets (when I weigh on a certified scale away from the shipper to insure the load is of legal weight and distributed properly). I get reimbursed for these things, but not until I am able to submit the paperwork and receipts, and after that there's usually a three-day lag until I get paid. It makes managing things a bit tricky, and at times it's downright frustrating.
In contrast to the last time I was in these parts, today was a beautiful day. The winds were a little fierce but it wasn't too cold and the sun was out. I took this picture right around sunset. I'm in the same truck stop I was in the last time I was here, because it has two things I look for in a stopping place:
- Plenty of parking, so even a tired, strung-out idiot like me can park the truck without hitting anything; and
- A restaurant that serves things other than disc-shaped patties of ground beef between buns with fries and sodas.
I'm feeling a little bit of a headache tonight, and I'm guessing it's because I had no coffee today and my caffeine level is getting low. I've had food, so I'm sure that's not the cause. I'll take some pain relievers before I go to bed and I should be okay in the morning after I have some coffee. It's about four hours to my first stop on this load, so I don;t have to rush off right away and can actually get a decent breakfast in the morning. If I'm lucky, I might be able to get a shower. I only say that because they're remodeling the showers and don't have a lot available like they usually do, so even though I'll be up early, I won;t be rushing right out to the highway.
Have a great weekend, in case I can't get back online then, and be well until next time.
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