Tonight

I kept my friend company and helped out with onion chopping as he made the tomato sauce for tomorrow's lasagna and some apples and cabbage.  He wasn't feeling well and was in some pain, so he forgot to order the challah from the bakery, so I went to Kroger and found some brioche loaves that will work.  I also finally got around to getting various toiletries I needed, such as shampoo, toothpaste, and razors.

We talked about 'The Vicar of Dibley', along with ancient Carthage as a Phoenician colony, Latin, Hebrew, etc.  In other words, it was a fairly normal night.

I started out my day getting up early to go get gas, as the light was on, and it was payday. I'm still going to be behind on a couple of bills, but unfortunately, the next paycheque is probably going to go to car tyres.  The flat the other day is no doubt foreshadowing the doom that will happen if I don't. I'm very lucky the tyre went flat while sitting in a parking lot and not while I was driving.  I have to weigh being fiscally responsible and living to become more fiscally responsible another day.  I'm probably going to go to the same place I got the last ones six years ago as they offer a free alignment and I need that too, along with a cheaper synthetic oil change than Valvoline.  I'm hoping I can find a good deal on everything, but I'm figuring it to be about $600.  I'm just hoping the doughnut tyre and the others last till I can do it.  The doughnut is original to the car, which is 19 years old.  Granted, the car still only has 83,700 miles on it.  My grandmother and then mother didn't drive it much.  Six years ago when I bought it there were only 34,000 miles on it. :)  I'd like to keep it in good working order, as several people depend on it.

I'm finally becoming a bit sleepy.  I've been a bit tired (it was a very productive day at work) but I hadn't really been sleepy.  I took the trash to the kerb and did the litter boxes earlier, but YKWIA had already gone to bed when  I treated the animals to their nightly fare, cleaned up the dishes and counters, packed things for tomorrow's lunch and caffeine, straightened up a bit and played with the kitten till he sleepily went in to be with YKWIA.

Speaking of the kitten, the only succulents left in the house are the big aloe and a bit of red velvet Echevarria that is struggling to come back out after he gnawed on it.  But at least he's been leaving the orchids alone.

Okay, time for bed. It's after midnight, and I get up about 6:30 am.  Hope you have a good day tomorrow.

Yesterday was the game

So it was a matter of getting the house ready, doing laundry, and rolling dice. Brenda and I are both playing characters we hadn't played in years, which was fun, although I have no clear idea of how to play mine since it's been so long.

Today, meanwhile, has been fairly relaxing, although it started out not so great. I'd forgotten to change my alarm, with it being a holiday, but more to the point, YKWIA came in shortly after 6 am to check on me.  Turns out that he'd dreamed I was dead and wanted to make sure I was alright and alive.  I think it was his mind's response to all the stuff that happened last Monday when I went to the emergency room.  So we talked for a while and both of us went to bed till about 9 am.

It was nice to have a day off from work. My physical therapist is out at the end of the week, so she worked on Labour Day, and they called and had a cancellation, so I moved my appointment from 6:30 to 2:00. I was there till about 3:30 pm [my piriformis and other muscles were really tight, probably from sitting at the game, so Grace took awhile working on it]. Then I went and got my hair cut, and he didn't take much off but at least it looks a little neater.

Before

After

After and smiling :)

I'd taken YKWIA over to a friend's so he could help him with some things, so I went and got him and we went to drop off a bill and got a few things from the store (he's been cooking dinner; I've been keeping him company.) We're having sautéed zucchini with parsley and shallots, along with bell peppers stuffed with a tuna-onion mixture. [Note: I'm continuing this post-dinner and cleanup; it was very simple yet very yummy.]

Okay, it's after 10 pm now.  YKWIA is on the phone with a friend from Cicero.  I'm in my sleep clothes, and I have washed dishes, cleaned up, changed my purse, and packed my lunch.  I even laid my clothes out.  I don't usually do that.  It's time to go to bed now.  6 am comes early.  Have a good night!

Well, it's a start

I got three chapters read before YKWIA woke up and started dinner, and he needed my help with the onions (he's very sensitive to them and his eyes water terribly when he cuts up onions or shallots).  Then I fed the animals.  Now the fish will take about 30 minutes and the bread should be done just ahead of that.  We have some salad in the refrigerator (bleu cheese, shallots, Belgian endive, walnuts, with walnut oil, red wine vinegar, and mustard for the dressing).

I love that I can finally get onto the Internet without using my phone.  That means I can actually stream something if I want, like music or video.  Also, YKWIA doesn't know it yet, but I've had my TV in the trunk of the car for a few days, awaiting the return of WiFi.  I'll have to unload it tomorrow, but I'm hoping he doesn't mind it being in there.  The question is where to put it out of the way of my stuff and his books, but I think I have a place.  I have a little cherry end table I can put it on temporarily.  I also found my DVD player the other day while digging for the AC adapter for the router.  And the TV antenna's in the trunk as well, along with the remotes for both TV and DVD player.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We scaled Thanksgiving back this year since it was just the two of us, but it was absolutely tasty and wonderful. I did prep work, he cooked, I cleaned up. Now he's napping and I am soon to follow. We had Quorn roasts (vegetarian turkey made from mycoprotein); pumpkin soup; Gruyere gougères; green beans with lemon, roasted hazelnuts, and shallots; mashed potatoes; roasted butternut squash with Asiago and Gruyere cheese; apple clafoutis; and pumpkin pie. Yum! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and special thanks to Brenda for helping him get the groceries since my car is down (again) so that we could have one. Tomorrow's goal is to get the car fixed. Wish me luck!

After a fairly stressful day

(and holding my bladder for something like three hours, as I was in check-out at work most of the day by myself), I relaxed and visited, first with my stepfather, and then with my best friend. So I feel recharged to some degree. But I really need to learn to just walk away from my desk at times and not take everything so seriously. I feel a little like I'm on an assembly line, with a lot more juggling and concentration. I know part of my occasional frustration is my OCD--I have trouble leaving something unfinished. On the other hand, at 5:15, when I was 15 minutes over and had to leave to meet my stepfather, I just had to close my door and tell the next person bringing a family up that we would call them with an appointment. I can't stay until the last patient is gone every time, and today was a very busy day, so there were still patients in clinic, of course. Anyway, the good thing is that despite that, I kept up pretty well in terms of the queue running smoothly. Now let's hope I can do so tomorrow without being so tense.

After work, my stepfather John came up and we visited for about an hour. He's having a hard time with my mom's death, and Sassy, their dog, died not long after. Then YKWIA and I visited while he cooked. He gave me a taste of the avocado soup and the salad, which had rice, curry, olives, and a bunch of other good things in it, although he was going to chill it to enhance the flavour.

Okay, one of my tasks for today was to get to bed by midnight. Morning comes early. I don't want a repeat of today, where I overslept and it put me off all day. Good night.

Home again after 1 am

We cooked from 5 pm to 12:15 am with one break during which we watched 'Ugly Betty'.  I am pooped.  I am going to bed,  as I have to get A and ice and get them over to YKWIA's by 9 am. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate it.  Good night.

Tonight

We went to Good Foods Co-op and three Kroger stores,  hunting for ingredients for Thanksgiving.  Then we made pumpkin soup,  a vegetable dip (not for dipping veggies,  but rather made from veggies to put on crackers). YKWIA also made fish cakes for us to eat tonight.  I just got home.  At least it's a little earlier than last time.

Tomorrow is a run to Costco and Fresh Market,  and then we'll toast hazelnuts,  make cranberry sauce with port,  a pie, and put together an apple salad.  That leaves nine of the fourteen dishes to make on Thanksgiving.

Okay,  I'm going to go to bed.  Good night.

A good day

Today was pretty decent. Unlike Friday, when I overslept and ran out of the door without bothering to even comb my hair (I noticed in the rearview mirror on the way, at least), I was up a little early, got to work right on time, and had a busy and fairly productive day, which was pretty decent considering I spent most of the weekend over at a friend's helping him cook and cleaning his house. I got to eat some of what we cooked last night, and it was great. The butternut squash which I'd groused about because I hate peeling winter squash, and there were five of them, was wonderful, with sauteed garlic and onions mixed in. There was escarole surprise soup--the surprise being that it was actually spinach, as the store didn't have escarole. :) I went over after work today to finish the floors (I'd put off mopping since I figured I'd get potato skins on the floor anyway, as yesterday was a potato broccoli cheddar casserole.) But he was expecting company, and I'd forgotten, so I took my groceries (I'd stopped by to get a decent container for soup, and got a few things for dinner), and came home--which works out perfectly, because I have to 1) finish a book review for The Journal of Hospital Librarianship that's due today and 2) I need to at least do the dishes (yes, I didn't manage that Sunday), and I plan to work on the kitchen and the bathroom. Because I was bringing in groceries, the first thing I did upon getting home was clean out the refrigerator and put it in order. I found some Greek Gods yoghurt at Kroger that I'd tried, it was a new flavour--chocolate cherry--and there was some marked down. I also got salad makings and the spring mix with herbs was marked down. Oh, and sourdough bread, the Goldminer's brand I like, was in the bargain area, so I got it and I had some for dinner with havarti cheese and dressing.

I also want to sit down and do some reading about hoarding, and prepare for my next session (which isn't until the 11th, but hey, it's something that I need to do). I fixed the notebook yesterday, of course, with tabs for each chapter. But I haven't really read through any of it yet; I've just taken the assessment.

One of my co-workers showed me the 'Saturday Night Live' sketch with Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump. He did such a good job. I really enjoyed it. You should watch it.

Okay, I've got Pandora on, the Bastille channel, and I'm going to work on the kitchen. I think I'll switch from the TV to my headphones and phone, so I can move about. I'll probably write later.

Wow, what a crazy, busy day

I worked steadily throughout the day, especially on my referral duties. After work I had my first appointment with the new therapist, who seems very competent and knowledgeable. I showed him pictures of my apartment, and he immediately isolated things like videotapes without a VCR, etc. He is an expert in cognitive behaviour therapy, which is somewhat helpful for hoarding, more than most things. He did say the prognosis was guarded; hoarding is very difficult to treat, mainly because clients drop out of therapy when things get difficult. I really do want to change my coping strategies and try to get a handle on my hoarding. We also discussed my anxiety issues and driving anxiety, and we'll work on that, too.

You know one way to tell when someone has an anxiety disorder? When they take their medicine to work, realise that the one type of pill that's missing is their anti-anxiety medicine, and then get all anxious because they don't have it. That was me this morning, filling up my pill reminder box. So, driving over to the therapist's, while uneventful, really, left me shaking by the time I got there. I know, it's odd. He's the first counselor who's ever really asked me why I have trouble. The truth is, yes, I'm afraid of getting hurt, but when it comes down to it, the problem is that I can play by the rules, such as when I was struck by the car in a crosswalk while walking with the light, and bad things happen, but other people essentially don't follow the rules of the road fully and this makes me incredibly upset and agitated, especially if I feel threatened by them, like if they merge into my lane across three lanes and then slow down to a crawl right in front of me. Or people who intentionally get into lanes that will go away so that they can then bully their way in amongst the people who had the good sense to just get in the right freaking lane in the first place really get under my skin--that sort of thing. Essentially I get anxious and annoyed at people for not following the (my) rules. YKWIA calms me down when he's in the car; A actually makes it worse, because he has some visual issues, and if a car turns suddenly into the lane next to me, he's practically in my lap. Anyway, the counselor, Larry Coy, agreed that I should work on these issues (and hopefully I explained things without sounding like a total lunatic). He definitely thought I could benefit from CBT. We're going to try to get back together in two weeks, after I get out of work. CBT involves homework, often. My homework this time is to get a book, a workbook, actually, aimed at hoarding. He had an older version. It's called Treatment for Hoarding Disorder: Workbook , 2nd ed., by Gail Steketee. it is almost $35, and not particularly thick--both the Anxiety and Phobia Workbook and the dialectical behaviour manual for borderline personality disorder (I have both of those.) He has the first edition; hopefully the new one is somewhat expanded. He's going to get the therapist manual that goes to my edition, which is almost $50. I gather that he doesn't have any other hoards at the moment because he hasn't updated to the new definition or anything.

Wow. I know it's almost 2 am, but I am falling asleep with my computer up on my legs, lying in bed. I had better go on to bed. I spent three hours after the therapist's appointment cooking soup (curried soybean), a main dish (a Basque dish with peppers, onions, and tomatoes in egg), nd a salad with smoked salmon, berries, oranges, and honey mustard dressing--all from scratch. He couldn't really help because he was still having some issues, so he just directed me and I actually cooked almost everything. But I'm very tired as a result. Good nigth.

Five hours later, and I'm just getting back home

The house, and all the anxiety it produces, will have to wait. I just got in. I have cleaned the litter there, taken out the trash and receptacles, helped cook, and cleaned up. Oh, and I went to the store because an ingredient was missing. I am now pooped. But we had a good time, and I lingered as a result, so I was avoiding the house, too. We sang 'Cows with Guns' and such. I don't think everyone would get the humour in that song at all.

Okay, I'm going to eat a little ice cream, cool off, and get ready for bed. Tomorrow, as they say, is another day (which is already planned out, as is Saturday.) Sigh.

Wow, it's 6 pm and I'm home!

I don't remember when I was last home with the sun shining so brightly through the windows. YKWIA had an appointment tonight, but had to cancel it, so I dropped off something for him I'd gotten at the store (I was a block away from his house when he called), did a couple of things for him, and was home by about 5:45 or so. So far, I have changed into comfy clothes, unpacked the computer, started some music going from the phone through the speaker tower, changed a battery in my clock, and taken my blood sugar/medicine. Now I'm eating and listening to the music (Hozier). Some things I'd like to do tonight:

1. Water the plants inside and out.
2. Straighten up the living room.
3. Clean up the kitchen and make some zucchini, peppers, and onion before they go bad, so I can have it for lunch tomorrow.
4. Update my ledger.
5. Clean the bathroom.
6. Read.

I think that's doable, and would go a long way to making my life at home pleasant. So I'm going to go check the news and finish eating so I can tackle them.

UPDATE: Of course, did I do any of those things? No, I fell asleep for 12 hours, because apparently I'd been going, going, and going, and finally went plop. Oh, well, I got some much-needed rest, at least.

This is really, really good

It's eggplant pasta salad to die for.  I used farfalle rather than the penne it called for,  because I had some already.  It's sweet and tangy together. I'm also baking bread,  but that'll take awhile.  But this is very filling and I have plenty for leftovers.

Here's the recipe:
Eggplant Pasta Salad, from Real Simple.

PS If they weren't $19 per pound, I could eat pine nuts every day, especially toasted like in this recipe. :) To toast them, you just put them in a pie pan or on a baking sheet, put them in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.

So yesterday was a busy day

although I did put off a doctor's appointment, which would have made it busier, to assure that I would be at my library committee meeting on time and be prepared. Then at 1 pm I went out to donate blood, but the bloodmobile was not there. Apparently, they had a radiator leak and were delayed. I went back and worked on my data entry, finishing those for the day, and the OR reconciliation, and the referrals. At 2:45 or so, they announced that the bloodmobile had arrived, so I went out there, along with several other people. But unfortunately the stickers that they put on all the paperwork and the blood didn't make it onto the new bloodmobile, so someone was having to run it out from headquarters. So we waited, and waited. A few people went back inside, figuring they could go to the blood centre and make their donation instead. Those of us who waited were rewarded with T-shirts for our patience. Eventually someone arrived with the stickers, and they were up and running. Although I'd had the first appointment (I'd been the first to sign up), I let several people go ahead of me because they were getting off work earlier than I. But eventually I made it in there, filled out the paperwork. (They ask women if they've ever been pregnant now. I'm not sure why.) And yes, they've included questions referring to Zika. Fortunately my iron was up high enough and everything else looked good, and I was able to donate. About 3 out of the 11 who came out had low iron and couldn't. My iron was low at the doctor's office six months ago, so they put me on iron supplements, yay. It was my 43rd pint, and five more will make 6 gallons, which seems like a lot, but I've been donating since I was 17, and usually donate twice a year, and I could do it more often, and probably should. While I don't donate for the incentives, in addition to the T-shirt, they gave everyone who donated a $10 gift card to Wal-Mart. Yes, I know, it is the Evil Empire, but I also have $0.33 in my bank account, and the one in Hamburg has a gas station, so I earmarked it for that. We also got a voucher for a free meal in the cafeteria. The woman running it from our end had a list of our names with numbers in front of them, and asked an employee to choose a number, and mine was chosen, so I won an additional $25 gift card to Wal-Mart. It's not the first time I've won; we don't usually have a huge turnout, so the odds are high. But it was very timely, and even though I do not normally shop at Wal-Mart, that $25 meant some food and more gas.

Today after work (yay, I'm off for four days!) I went and got my allergy shots and then dropped something off at YKWIA's and wound up keeping him company while he cooked, helped him clean up, fed the animals (one of whom bounced on my foot as I arrived, cutting my toe with her nail), cut his hair, and then helped get the kinks out of his back. We also watched an episode each of 'Grace Under Fire' and 'Hot in Cleveland'. He rewarded me with food. Then I stopped by Wal-Mart and got $17.10 worth of food. Considering how much they go on about low prices, I think Kroger has much better ones. I mean, really, 25 cents per banana?

This weekend's agenda:

1. Saturday: Take a friend to the pharmacy, to an appointment, pick him and another friend up, take them to the store. Do some cooking and housecleaning at my house.
2. Sunday: No plans as of right now, beyond normal housecleaning at my friend's house.
3. Monday: Clean house, see if a friend will help me with the mattress and box springs so I can re-attach that strut, and then watch the fireworks that night.
4. Tuesday: Not exactly the weekend, but I'm off for two doctors' appointments, and I'll go get my allergy shots, too.

Okay, I got some Breyer's Girl Scouts Samoas ice cream, and ate far too much of it. I've made myself a little ill. I'm going to go work some of it off. Good night! Oh, and PS, Happy Canada day to those of you north of the our border! YKWIA and I listened to a lovely version of 'O, Canada' in French earlier. It was quite lovely:



and en Anglais:

It amazes me

how good that bread turned out, considering I was two teaspoons shy in the yeast department, having mistaken teaspoons for tablespoons, even though I spelled it out because I thought the abbreviations might be confusing. Sigh. Oh, well, it has been very tasty. I had my salmon, salad, and bread for lunch at work today, and they all said it looked really good. The salmon's funny, as it's bright purple, because of the blackberries. But it was a fun experience, and I still have one more meal of it all to go. I should boil some eggs and make a new loaf tonight, so I have breakfast, lunch, and dinner covered tomorrow. Wednesday I may make the eggplant pasta, and then I'll have some for both it and Thursday, at least.

Right now, though, I'm going to take it easy and listen to some music (softly, as I have a headache). I probably won't write again tonight, so I hope you have a good night.

And it's finally all done!

The salmon is very blackberry-purple:



And here's everything together:



The salad is very hearty, and where it's been sitting in the refrigerator, it has quite a bite to it (there is hot sauce and chili powder in the dressing, and chili powder and cumin seasoned the black beans that are in it, too). The dressing also has half an avocado in it, and so it's heavier than a standard dressing.

The only thing I was a bit disappointed in was the size of the bread, which was set on XL and did not at all look like the pictures on the website. I was somewhat dubious about 1 teaspoon of yeast--even my white bread recipes for a large, not extra large loaf, call for two. And I suspect that it would have done better on the long cycle (4 hours) rather than the fast rise, even though that was what was called for in the recipe. I'll try it again, certainly, and even though it was rather small and a little dense, the taste was out of this world. The salmon came out well, although I actually have quite a bit of the glaze left, and I now have a purple wooden spoon. I also set off the smoke alarm while broiling it at the end, so I need to remember to screw it back into the wall before I go to bed (our smoke alarms are hard-wired into the building, so they don't have batteries).

Fortunately I've done dishes as I go, so all there is left to do is put my dishes in the dishwasher, take the salmon and put it into a plastic container, and put the pan in there, too, then run the dishwasher. That's it--everything else is taken care of. I'm happily sleepy now, which is not great, as I have to pick A up at 1 am. It was a good experiment. I can give YKWIA some tomorrow and see what his expert opinion is. I'll still have enough for lunch tomorrow for me as well and lunch Monday, I think. I do need to work on my timeframe--it took about 5 hours to make everything, partly because the glaze had to cool and partly because I'm just slow. But at least everything turned out fine.

Things I would do differently:

• Salad: I used a single cob of corn, but it was in its husk, and when I opened it up it was fairly small and frankly, immature. I may just get some canned or frozen corn next time, or at least a cob that's been husked. I also need to get plain quinoa, not a blend with brown rice, although it tasted fine.
• Bread: I may consider adding some yeast and see what that does, and then if that doesn't work, increase the time to the regular cycle versus the fast rise.
• Salmon: Not much different; it came out like it was supposed to, for which I'm grateful, as it was 2 lbs. of salmon, and that was something like $15. But it'll make four meals, so that's not too bad.

All in all it was a good learning experience, and tasty, too. :)

Update: I figured out what happened with the bread,  and it was user error,  not the recipe,  which calls for 1 TABLESPOON  of yeast,  not teaspoon,  which I misread even though I typed it into my recipe application correctly.  The fact that it did so well despite this is amazing.  I will have to make another loaf and sees how it goes. :) 

Well, I'm about 2/3 there...

So far, so good--the salad's done (I had to cook beans, corn, and quinoa for it, so it took awhile, and I'd rather be right than speedy, so I think it took about twice as long as the recipe said, but it's my first time, after all), and the bread's 40 minutes away from being done. I'm about to do the salmon. In some ways it might be easier--you just put the ingredients for the sauce together, cook it for five minutes until the blackberries break up, then put through a strainer and simmer for 20 minutes, brush the salmon with oil, add salt and pepper, then brush on the sauce, bake, then brush again, and broil. If you're interested in the recipe, it's here. The Mexican quinoa avocado salad with orange-lime dressing is from the Minimalist Baker site.

PS When I was at Kroger, I thought I picked up quinoa, but it was actually a quinoa blend with brown rice. Fortunately it cooked fine, and it tastes fine in the salad. Next time I'll get it from the bulk area, either there or at the co-op.

PPS The bread's baking, I can smell it. And the only problems I encountered so far tonight was I forgot I don't store the food processor with the thing that turns the blade, and had trouble getting it together with stuff in it, and I also sprayed myself with hot sauce (instead of buying a bottle, I'd used packets of hot sauce I had already...yes, the hot and fire ones from Taco Bell). :)

Taking a break

I didn't actually start till 5 pm, but I've gotten the dishwasher filled, did the hand-washable dishes, rearranged the refrigerator, stocked the cupboards, combined several jars of peanut butter into one, moved the plastic containers temporarily (I'm going to put them in the cabinet under the microwave, which is technically in the dining area (I have a very small kitchen), but I need to clean that out, too, as there are books in there right now. I also boxed up a collection of jars and moved them out of the kitchen. The counters are wiped down, everything's clean and sparkling. I put all the fruit in a bowl. I will make the salad now, as the cilantro may not last very long. So I'm tackling salmon, dough conditioner, bread, and salad tonight, which will make a nice meal and most likely a decent amount of leftovers. I even found a cruet in the cabinet for the dressing.

Okay, I'll start with the dough conditioner and start the bread baking, which will be the easiest part of the evening. Wish me luck--I've broiled white fish like cod before, but never salmon.

The pies turned out great

There was still some at the picnic when I went to pick A up, so I had a small piece. Very nutty and chocolately. Some Derby pies look like glorified pecan pies with chocolate, but this recipe is from a 'My Old Kentucky Home' pamphlet, and has walnuts instead. There's a batter of butter, eggs, flour, sugar, and then the walnuts and chocolate, so it comes out creamy rather than clear like chess or pecan pie. Since we did four pies at once, there were three cups of walnuts and three cups of chocolate chips in the whole thing.

But now he is safely delivered, so I can really work on things. I'm going to spend a few minutes cooling down with an iced drink and in front of the fan, then get going in the next half-hour. I'm trying to decide if I want to do the salad in addition to the salmon tonight or leave it for a separate day. The avocado and lettuce would be best if I did them now, I suspect, as the avocado is ripe without being soft, and I don't know how long they'll stay that way. We'll see how my time does, and I'll check the date on the mixed greens. I'm also going to mix up the dough conditioner and bake some whole wheat bread today. But first, cool off, and then get up and rearrange the refrigerator and do the dishes, then put the other groceries away. Hope you're having a good day.

It is very hot out there, and I am cranky

So I went and did my errands. My blood sugar is normal, and I've been running kind of high all week, so maybe my body thinks it's low. I ate a little snack to help if that's the case. Then there was sticker shock. I remember on my way to the co-op thinking, they've got this stuff in with supplements, protein powders, and whey (the lady I called the other day let me know where it was), so it's going to be expensive, maybe as high as $14. And lo, a 16 oz jar was $14.95 before tax. I so should be on the Price is Right--I had A's order at Kroger down to a few cents last night, too. That was the smallest one in granules, the smaller ones were in capsules, and I did check the baking and bulk goods, too. Alas, it was pretty pricey. Despite being an owner at the co-op, I don't go very often, mainly because of the prices. I just don't have the money to shop there much. I usually go when I need a specialty item, like this. The good news is the dough conditioner takes 3/4 cup of lecithin at a time, and then you mix it with small amounts of other things and put it in a jar, but then you only use 1/2 teaspoon of dough conditioner per loaf, so it should last for awhile. The person who created it said each batch she makes lasts about 84 loaves. Also, lecithin is made from soy, and this is non-GMO, at least.

I stopped by Sav-a-Lot, which I rarely have gone into, because it's near the co-op, to see if they had Diet Sunkist, but no. So I drove over to the Chinoe Kroger (where I've applied for a job) and got some, 3 for $5, which isn't as nice as the $1 a two-litre last week, but still, not bad. So now I have a little caffeine in me, and I've eaten a bit, and I feel better. I was kind of lagging there towards the end. That leaves me with about $26 after my bills, so it'll be a rough week or two, although not as bad as the last two, as I have some food, and I have some dishes that I'll have leftovers from to take to work. And maybe, just maybe, I'll have a second job by then, and that will help.

I have about an hour before I have to leave to pick up A, so while it took awhile, at least I got back with a little time to spare, although not enough that I feel comfortable baking the bread just yet. Besides, I have to work on the kitchen first. Not only are the non-refrigerated things still in bags, what is in the fridge, like fruit and dairy, needs to be rearranged, because I just stuffed it in there the other morning. Fortunately there isn't anything really to throw out, except a plastic lemon and lime (the ones with the juice in it), because I looked at the expiration date and it turned out to be from about the time I moved into this apartment, so about 12 years old. Yeah. I need to pay more attention to the condiments, I guess. Glad I bought a real lemon and lime the other day.

I think I'd better go set an alarm to know when to leave, so I don't get into things and forget him, or run late. :)

You know

wireless mice work ever so much better when you put the little USB transmitter into the computer first. :) Guess I'm still a bit sleepy, and I've been using the laptop back in the bedroom or outside the house, and so I haven't been using the mouse for the last couple of weeks. Anyway, it's plugged in now, as is the laptop, as are the speakers, back in the place where the desktop (which is currently over at YKWIA's) usually sits.

I nearly fell asleep in the middle of blogging last night, I was so tired. Actually, I may have for a moment or two, so I need to go back and proofread the post to make sure it makes some sense and was correct in terms of spelling, typographical and grammar errors, and I need to look up the spelling of a name I used. This was all impossible last night, as I was that sleepy. Thank goodness it didn't hit me till I about a half hour after I got home, since I was driving everyone around last night.

I've been getting up very early and going to bed very late, and not sleeping all that well for two or three days, so I decided it screw it, I don't have anywhere to be on a time schedule this morning, I'm going to sleep in past my original 8 am alarm, and I got up at 9:49 instead. The first thing I did once I went to the bathroom and washed my face was find my ledger book and update it with a debit from yesterday (where I found the salmon and blackberries on sale), and then calculated how much I have after the next two bills I have to pay before I get paid again. (It's not a lot, but it is enough for the soy lecithin, which is the only thing on my list left, plus some gas, and I'm going to get gas money from my friend, whom I'm taking and picking up from work today and will most likely pick up from work tomorrow (he gets off a 1 am, and he thought he had a place to stay that was closer, but the other tenant isn't moving out for another week, so he can't just walk to where he's staying temporarily, and the buses don't run that late)).

Beyond that, I have a free day, so I'm going to cook and work on the house. The second thing I did this morning was take all my medicine, including the one I need to wait for fifteen minutes before I eat, and so I'll get breakfast, take a shower, go to Good Foods Co-op and get the soy lecithin, get some soda from Kroger so I have some caffeine to work with (yes, the plan is to eventually wean myself off them, but not yet), and then come back here and work. The salmon I'll probably not cook until this afternoon, after I drop him off, but I'd like to put away dishes, do a few, take out the recyclables (the trash is minimal, which is good, as I'll probably produce a lot when I cook), and get the kitchen ready for working in. I also need to organise the things I bought that are not perishable and weren't put away yet, since I did my shopping right before work Thursday and really haven't been home much since. I may go ahead and bake some bread this morning, though, depending on how long those errands take.

So I have the ingredients for six main things:

1. Oatmeal bread
2. Honey wheat bread
3. Roasted potatoes with onion and garlic
4. Salmon with blackberry-ginger sauce
5. Mexican quinoa salad with orange-avocado dressing, and
6. Eggplant pasta

The pasta's pretty much an entree, as is the salmon. I'm going to share the latter with YKWIA, as I have enough fish for four servings, so I'll make it, have some for him and me, and then I'll have some for tonight and maybe lunch Monday. Since I have time today, I think I'll make the salad to go with the fish, as I think they'll work together. I'll bake some bread today, and alternate bread over the next couple of weeks. I can make the eggplant about mid-week, and the potatoes near the end of the week. I've gotten things that will work with the bread for lunch at work (mainly tuna, cheese, and peanut butter/spreadable fruit). Next week I won't have much in the way of fresh vegetables or fruit, but I'll try to eat my normal stuff, like tortillas and cheese, I have some burritos, that sort of thing. I also have plenty of yoghurt and berries, plus some eggs.

Okay, time to get some breakfast (I think it'll be Greek yoghurt and blueberries), then the shower, then the errands. But while I'm eating I can double-check the last post for errors. Sorry if there were; I couldn't have done worse if I'd been drunk, I was so sleepy.