Just moving across town...

To all my friends and any other readers who stop here once in a while, there is an address change.

I finally got a new website up and running that includes a blog. To follow, just click on this link for the site, then go to the blog tab.

Thanks, Skip

Surviving One's Past

Surviving one's past? Hell, surviving one's present is challenging enough. How do you deal with the past?

Coming soon...

Cynical is as cynical does.

Could it actually be possible that I am becoming even more cynical in my old age? I had this conversation with myself the other day.

Of course it is possible. It's not only possible, it's very probable. So before I answered this self imposed question, I needed to re-examine the definition of the word cynical. And before I did that, I looked up "the opposite of cynical"...and found naive. According to most posts, naive is indeed the opposite of cynical. This rediscovery pleased me because I assumed the opposite of cynical was hopeful...and naive is an accepted synonym for hopeful.

So what is cynical? Besides being the opposite of naive...how about like or characteristic of a cynic; distrusting or disparaging the motives of others; pessimistic; skeptical; negative; suspicious; misanthropic, and so on. Is this me? Hold on.

The original question posed to myself was "Could it actually be possible that I am becoming even more cynical in my old age?" Is the key word here more...assuming I have always been that "C"-word kind of person? Is being cynical a black and white proposition, or can one be kind of or a little or somewhat or part time cynical? If someone engages in random acts of cynicism, are they really a cynic? I'll tell you this...I don't want to be a cynic! Because, you see, I have always thought of myself as somewhat naive, ie, hopeful, simple, trusting, innocent, childlike...at times, stupid. I just threw in that last synonym for grins, writer's prerogative. (And, yes, that is the proper spelling of prerogative).

I've decided that, me, myself, I can have a cynical moment or a cynical day, "Yeah...I'm kind of cynical today. A bit distrustful, misanthropic, gloomy, peevish. Not feeling up to par" (to borrow a line from Almost Cut My Hair). So yes, me, myself, I are actually cynical that moment or day. It is not a life sentence, at least with me it isn't. With some other people I have known, some I still know today? Yes, indeed...full time cynics are out there, professional scoffers, nay-sayers, purveyors of poo-poo and bitterness and self righteous indignation. They revel in it, are proud of it, and are unaware they wallow in cynicism. This brings a conundrumic thought to mind. If cynics are unaware they are cynical, are they not also naive? "She is such a cynic, but is so naive about it! She has no idea!" Can one be both cynical and naive at the same time? Now we're talking. Thanks Joseph Heller.

And there you have it...I am being cynical right now! But only right now. Later on this day off, away from work, I plan to be a bit naive, credulous, inborn, natural, maybe even a little primitive (all synonyms for naive by the way). Picture me prancing nymph-like around the (back) yard in a Speedo (sprinklers on) to the sounds of Karma Chameleon or Maniac. Is that naivete...to just plain, f***ing goofy? You be the judge.

Porsche finally woke up!

A damn four door Porsche sedan...the Panamera! Starts at $74,500 to $132,600. Choose the entry level Panamera with a 300hp/6 cylinder or a 400 hp v8 or 500 hp Turbo v8. At my age (60) I don't usually drop comments like "this is jammin'"...but it seems appropriate. Boomers with a fat pocketbook can now put their aging mother in the backseat with ease...or, a baby car seat for the grandchild!




C'mon Super Lotto!

Have you seen this man? If so, who is he?

Gotta spend more than a dollar someday on decent reading glasses! Or, just wear the ones I have correctly, ie, straight.


Monday, I get to visit the Oncology/Infusion Lab again. Joy! I shouldn't complain, it's only for an injection. When I was there for eight hours a couple weeks ago, people came and went all day for anywhere from a few minutes to a couple hours for chemotherapy treatments. Heck, all I have is severe anemia...a relatively easy fix. It's just that this Procrit injection (used to treat low hemoglobin counts) has a side effects list a mile long. The most disturbing of them is diarrhea and constipation. I'm attempting to picture that scenario. Oh well, trying to more like Del Griffith lately...simply rolling with the flow!

How did I get here?

How did I get here? Or better yet, what am I still doing here after 12+ years, almost 14 if you count our stint in Fresno? I don't need to expound on this pondering, only mention it because it was something I asked myself a few weeks ago. The answer: doesn't matter. The outcome: we're moving back "home" (finally).

Quite honestly, to put it very simply, we (Loretta and I) just don't like here. Here being the San Joaquin Valley, specifically Modesto. I'll save another Modest-blasting blog for later. There just ain't nuttin' here for us any longer! So, sometime between next week and the first of the year, we will pack it all up and pack it all out of here to somewhere on the Central Coast, most likely Arroyo Grande/Pismo Beach/Grover Beach/Shell Beach/Avila Beach, aka, The Five Cities. There is some thought being put toward Santa Maria/Orcutt or Solvang or San Luis Obispo or Los Osos. We just don't know for sure yet.

I did have the opportunity (actually, it was kind of a necessity) to solo it to the CC last week for three days. My mom, Betty, had to undergo a cardio procedure and I felt it my duty to be there for it and a couple days after. She came out of it with flying colors and is doing well.

My two sisters and my son also live in that area, and I was able to hook up with them, albeit very briefly.

I did spend a few hours each day on my own just wandering around some old familiar places... downtown Arroyo Grande, Oceano Beach, Pismo Beach, and so on. My mission was to simply relax and bit and take some pictures. You see, as it turned out, I am still recuperating from my own medical condition. Only recent diagnosed, I have severe anemia. I spent eight hours in the Oncology/Infusion lab at Kaiser in Modesto only Monday, then drove to the CC on Wednesday. I was feeling well enough, ie, better than before the infusion, to go...so I did. By the way, the infusion was two units of whole blood. Hopefully, that will kick start my own system to get my blood back to normal which could take 3 months or so. The cause: they don't really know for sure yet. Most likely it was a low grade, slow bleeding in my GI system possibly caused by Ibuprofen. At any rate, I was not only a couple of quarts low (literally), my hemoglobin level was so low they were amazed I was functioning at all, let alone working. So I took another 10 days or so off work. Now I'm back to work and back in Modesto slowly getting things ready for liftoff...or is it liftout?

Now, I can only hope that the whole blood I had pumped into me was "good" blood, ie, not containing any pathogens, HIV, or nasty DNA. A co-worker told me yesterday that if the blood donor was smoker, I will acquire his or her desire for nicotine and will have to ween myself off of it again. I'm not buying that dribble. Besides, it's been over a week and I still don't feel like starting smoking again. I just hope he or she wasn't some sort of serial killer or something! I have enough of my own issues to deal with!

A few shots from the beach...it was Thursday, I think...










The summer crowds subside to near zero, and us "locals" have this all to ourselves during the week.

Taking stock...er, Making Stock

Whenever I get the least bit ambitious in the kitchen, I get an urge to make my own stock. Store-bought, canned stock (Swanson) is OK stuff. There is a brand in a 32 ounce box (can't remember the name, but relatively expensive) made from Free-range chickens that is better as long as you buy the Low Sodium kind. All store-bought stocks are loaded with sodium. However, nothing beats the flavor of home made! In fact, it really does have a completely different flavor profile than canned stuff.

Just a side note. The difference between stock and broth? Basically, broth is made from boiling raw meat. Stock is made from roasting off the bones (veal, beef, or chicken), then boiling. Both are typically boiled with a basic mirepoix (onions, carrots, and celery) and a bouquet garni of herbs (thyme, parsley and celery leaves for these purposes.

It's not difficult. Roast about 5 pounds of bones (chicken parts like wings, backs, thigh bones, breast bones, etc). Put them on a sheet pan or roasting pan after tossing with canola oil, give them about an hour at 350. Rough chop the veggies. Put roasted bones, veggies, and 3 1/2 quarts of water in large stock pot, add some peppercorns, simmer for 3 hours uncovered. Strain solids, reduce remaining liquid to about 6 cups. Cool. Skim remaining fat. Then freeze or use within 2 days. By the way...never, ever, ever use any salt or pepper on the meat or in the stock while its cooking. Save that for your soup, or sauce, or gravy you make from the stock! Yes, the stock will taste noticeably bland (lacking in salt) if you're used to canned broth or those gawd-awful boullion cubes that are almost all salt.

Stock recipes (or any other recipes for that matter) are not copyrighted. But, I stole this one from Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill cookbook. It's simply a poultry variation on how good, fine-dining, brown stock is made.