A historic moment in the life…

The cost of gas is so high at this point that I’ve been forced to make a decsion.  I can either sell my body on the street corner on my way home every day to pay for the $14 a day I spend in gas, or I can work from home a day or two a week in an effort to put some of that money in my pocket.  I really wanted to go for the selling of my body, but Spence and my boss both thought it would be better to work at home.

So here I am… and what am I doing with my 15 minute afternoon break?  Figureing out that I really do drive more then your average bird.  Here’s what I have:

• I spend $14 a day to get to work
• That’s $3,360 JUST to get to work, no errands
• My car gets between 35 and 37 mpg
• Your average family spends $4K a year on gas
• I’m just me and I’m spending a little more then $600 less then them
• In 2006 the average person was spending 5% of their income on fuel
• I spend 17.5%

So my response at this point is nothing short of HOLY SHIT.

I need to get back to work now.

I’m absolutly amazed by how much can change in a vegetable garden in 7 short days.  This time last week it was newly tilled earth, a few mounds, some seeds underground and 4 tomato plants.  Now?… (in order, summer squash, pole beans, onions and watermelon)

The garden is just brimming with new life.

Speaking of new life, my cousin Clay and his wife Melissa had their first child, a son, in the wee hours of the morning.  Welcome to the world Cole! Congrats Melissa and Clay!

“Walmart soars as the economy struggles”

When Americans have extra money in their pocket, they avoid Walmart and tend to shop at Target and other finer retail establishments because Walmart is… well… frightening. Unfortunately, when the economy slips into the crapper, Americans realize that they have to stretch the all-might dollar… and there’s no better place to do that then Walmart. Well, with the possible exception of China. Adding to the grim disposition of everyone currently shelling out almost $4 a gallon for gas, $3 for a dozen eggs and $5 for a gallon of milk, is the fact that we have to shop at the cesspool called Walmart.

If Eli Lilly (the makers of fake happiness ala Prozac) were smart, they would find a way for Prozac to go OTC, and start stocking it on Walmart shelves - they would then have the only other stock that is rising other then Walmart, Shell, Exxon and BP.

Basically? If you find us a place to buy our basic supplies at less then armed-robbery prices? We’ll stop shopping at the evil Walmart Empire.

Dur.

I’ve never had a sweet tooth, instead I’m instead a salt person - particularily chips and dip.  When I *ahem* started to realize that my metabolism was no longer keeping up with my sedentary lifestyle I started looking for an alternative to my addiction to kettle-cooked chips and Helluvagood French Onion Dip.  Now?  I’m a total hummus addict.

After months of this uber-expensive hummus habit, my best friend Sharon shared her recipe - which is my new love…

Hummus

Ingredients

• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1/4 cup liquid from can
• Juice from one juicy lime
• 1 1/2 Tb tahini
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 ts salt
• 2 Tb EVOO (extra virgin olive oil

(To this basic recipe I add just about anything that I’m in the mood for, usually paprika, garlic salt and 1/4 packet Knorr veg. soup mix)

Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

So yummy, full of fiber and protein and combined with a whole-wheat pita (or even better then that, some carrot and celery sticks) not bad for you… play around.  SO good.

It’s almost amusing to me that 3 years ago I was living in South Florida and I had forgotten that food could be grown and raised and didn’t always come from Publix.  Okay, that may sound stupid to some, but you grow up outside of Washington DC and then make your way to Miami and Ft. Lauderdale - see how you think.

Anyway.

The first few months two years-ish I lived out here in the country, I simply hated it, now I (ate least hope that I) am embracing it - and I know that I’m loving it.

The Veggie Garden is just starting, and already I’m ‘fixin ta’ get chickens.  Right after I go camping for the very first time.  Yes, I’ve apparently either lost my mind or Becca has totally inspired me to get in touch with my “old world” self.  Or perhaps a combination of both, along with my own natural drive/fear of the economy and urge to be a little more self reliant.

Anywhoo.  We’re getting chickens.

(I opt to bring up the chicken thing instead of the camping thing because I know I can handle something live that needs to be cared for, but as for camping, I am so not-graceful that I am always running into walls and am quite convinced that I’m going to pee on myself despite the fact that that there’s modern plumbing, and the whole thing just kind of freaks me the hell out.)

Although we’re getting chickens for eggs, and really have no interest in eating them, we both want chickens that we have the option of eating if worse-comes-to-worse (everything keeps getting more and more expensive, the economy fails, raiding occurs, grocery stores are empty and every one is in “fend for yourself” mode - you know, end of the world paranoid stuff), and so I’ve decided on Rhode Island Reds.

So yeah.  In an effort to become self-sufficient, and to consume less chemicals, antibiotics and growth hormones - we’re going to have veggies and chickens. We may have lost our minds.  Or perhaps we’re more sane then we give ourselves credit for.  You decide.

I’m starting to feel like I don’t have time for a blog anymore, and it somewhat bothers me. It bothers me that I can’t make the time, but on the other hand… does that mean that I finally have some kind of a life?

Work last week was crazy busy. Then on Saturday I spent the weekend spring cleaning the house - and hell what a job that is. And I’m only about 1/4 of the way through it. Then on Sunday I woke up hours before I normally do and I started to till the earth. Heavens that sounds crazy. Anyway, we started our very own veggie garden. Tomatoes, watermelon, squash, cucumbers, carrots, onions and pole beans. We’ll be adding more in the fall, but for now, it’s a pretty darned good start.

Because I’ve been feeling like crap Because my tooth has given my some kind of throat infection which has turned me into an uber-bitch, I worked from home this afternoon. Do you know what the amazing thing is? I got about 200% more done sitting on my couch watching last Thursday’s episode of Survivor then I ever manage to get done sitting at my desk at work.

In other news, yesterday the dentist messed with “fixed” my tooth, but didn’t do anything about my swollen glands and super swollen/sore throat, instead telling me to take advil. Now, I tried to point out that I had been popping advil like they were going out of business since getting my tooth worked on, but he didn’t pay much attention to that, so I’m going to see the doctor tomorrow at 9.

Sorry. Super grouchy. I’m going to finish this episode of Bones, drug myself and go to sleep.

Friday afternoon I (very nervously, seeing as I was the kid ripped out of their parents vehicle as she clung onto the door handles) went into my dentist for my first crown… or cap… hell, I still don’t know.  My tooth (#14 if that means anything to anyone) had started to feel completely like mush and every time I bit down on anything the tooth felt like it was going to fall apart.  After ex-rays low-and-behold, the filled-in-many-times-over-due-to-a-shitty-dentist-as-a-child*-tooth had broken into a few different pieces and every time something solid hit it… mooshified.  (look it up, I swear it’s a word).

So, boss on vacation (stress inducing), I went into the dentist on Friday and yet again for the 900th time, told them that I have Lymes Disease so the local probably won’t work.  And they, like every other dentist in the free world, didn’t believe me.  They started with a gross tasting gel that was supposed to numb but instead tasted like ass, and then shoved a needle that made the ones in Little Shop of Horrors look small into my gums and waited 5 minutes.

Nothing

Then the shoved a second needle filled with another supposed-to-numb liquid into my gum and sat back waiting while I told them I was getting anxious and to please get started.

Nothing

The third shot of the same thing as #2 went a little awry when the dentist hit my nerve… now, I can handle the shot (which for the record hurts more then most dental work in my experience, but whatever) but I can’t handle the needle-in-the-nerve thing very well.  That hurt like hell.

Nothing.

The 4th shot was his ace in the hole.  A deep hole with nothing in it but my irritation, anger and checkbook, but whatever.

Nothing.

So after the 4th shot I finally convinced the dentist to go for it, I couldn’t take the shots and wanted the whole thing over with.  The drilling, honestly?  Not that bad. Now?  Sucks dirty ass.

Seriously? Since Friday I’ve not only felt like I was thrown in the ring in Fight Club, and lost, my cheek is swollen, my jaw hurts like hell and the best part?

I can’t eat.

Do you know what happens when someone who loves their food can’t eat?

I’ll give you a clue.  G. R. U. M. P. Y.

I’m Grumpy.  I hurt like hell.  I’m miserable.  My jaw should just be removed.  And the best part?

I have to go back to the dentist because they must have exposed a nerve.  Lucky me.

Next time I want a pair of teeth made out of an apple tree ala George Washington.

ife around here has been so completely crazy since starting the oustide home renovations, that I haven’t had any time to do anything… like, read or write.  I’ve got time to drink though, there’s always time for that.

The roof is up…

And about 90% of the paint is on

The upstairs bedroom, which used to look like this…

Now looks like this (with or without cat, your choice)

Yeah, so… busy.  But I’ll make some kind of attempt to post more often.  I’ll try.

My Google Feed Reader is chock full of posts about what we can all do to help the environment.  My personal contributions?

• Reusable grocery bags
• Car that gets 37 mpg
• I live in FL and don’t use the AC

So, I really don’t feel like giving some crappy speach chock-full of info that everyone already has.

Instead I have a letter to the driver of the mini-van I was driving behind today.

Dear Mini-Van Driver,

In case you didn’t know, today is Earth Day - the purpose of which is to bring knowledge of how to help the earth.  You, fucktard, spent the better part of the 53 mile commute home cleaning out your car by throwing your garbage out of your window.  Now, I could give a speach on the nutritional value of existing on McDonalds, Burgar King and Taco Hell, but I think your fat-ass can figure that out for itself.  What I’d really like to know is your logic behind throwing out 24 metric tons of fast food garbage from your car window on your way home on EARTH DAY.  Seriously.  There are 364 other days of the year, could you not clean your car out on another day?  Of course, you’re not that smart.

May you not breed and the van be soley to cart around your yorkie’s as your stickers promote.

Dumbass.

Sincerely,

The driver of the earth friendly car driving behind you