Wazzat?!?

Upon tumbling out of bed (again before 5am, grrrrr), I peered out the window into the darkness to confirm earlier pronouncements on here regarding the fundamental improbability of snow here in Norfolk.

Rooftops of white?

I blinked.

Wazzat?!?!, I said to myself.

Against all odds, we've finally received a wee bit of snow. At present it amounts to little more than a dusting on the grass and cars and rooftops; laughable amounts elsewhere, but technically a Significant Event here in Norfolk. And the best that I can tell in the light of the streetlamps, it's still falling, or perhaps it's just blowing off nearby roofs.

While the roads are at present perfectly clear, I'm altogether certain some staff will call out today due to the inclement weather. As of yet, I've received no call or text messages from my people, but it's still early yet. I would consider calling out as well, but such a request would be ridiculed for two reasons: 1.) I live five blocks from the office and 2.) I have a 4wd Jeep Wrangler, which pretty much negates any claim of impassable roads. But I don't have to be at work for a couple hours yet and if the snow continues and begins to stick to the roadways, perhaps, just perhaps, we'll receive word as to appropriate closings.

At any rate...off to ready myself for work and the journey there against dangerous snow drifts and menacing packs of Yetis.

Coming soon....

This movie will be coming to the little neighborhood theater across the street from me next month. Having read Anderson's wonderful Che biography last fall, I'm particularly excited about seeing Che on the big screen.

Sunday Morning Coffee

I ended up staying much longer at the office yesterday than originally planned. Was hoping to get out of there no later than noon and ended up staying until 2pm and only left then due to the 4pm meeting with the graduate advisor. Even after six hours of paperwork and filing, more -much more actually- remains. The biggest accomplishment was reorganizing the filing system in my office. Whereas before controlled chaos was the system of choice; now everything is neat and orderly, with one drawer devoted to personnel files and another set up (and divided further) to accomodate policy, prodecure, codes, and the more technical things we deal with on a daily basis. Begun also was the task of reordering the in- and outboxes on my desk, which is proving a little more difficult given the number of projects and such going on simultaneously. While the present system is workable, it, as with most things in life, can still be improved upon. So all things considered, yesterdays office time was a success. Under consideration is another few hours there today, though at present I'm altogether indifferent towards that. Perhaps with the completion of laundry in about an hour and a little more coffee, the sufficent motivation for another foray will arise and I'll go in for a few hours....

......before the Great Blizzard sets in.

Yes, once again, snow is in the forecast and once again I'm confident that we'll be gravely disappointed despites hopes to the contrary. It's interesting that the National Weather Service keeps shifting the Winter Storm Watch/Warning/Run for the Hills line eastward towards Norfolk as the storm system develops, though I refuse to get my hopes up about this. It's bitterly cold out and windy with dark and ominous clouds, but that means little more than cold rain around here.

So anyway.....am going to bring this post to a close and take care of some chores and make a grocery run for tonight's cooking endeavor.

Totally looks like.....

see famous look-a-like faces

Saturday Morning

I tumbled out of bed just before 5am this morning (this is early even by my normally early standards) and already am well into my thid cup of coffee. The sun has yet to rise on this wet and windy morning. There is much rain in the forecast with a possibility of it changing over to snow (yeah right!) by the time the storm system leaves us late Sunday or Monday.

Today's agenda is at present relatively low key. The plan is to foray to the office to catch up on some things before heading off to a meeting with my graduate advisor at 4pm. While I'm not exactly super excited about sallying forth to the office today, it's somewhat of a necessity as two entire days of sitting on an interview panel have put me behind on a number of things due forthwith that were already behind schedule, or very nearly so. Moreover, going in on weekends isn't bad as there are no distractions from staff and phones and emails marked urgent; so much can be accomplished in a short period of time than occurrs during the typical weekday. And, If I'm feeling thusly inspired, I'll continue the office reorganization began last fall. The project was about halfway complete before distractions (ok...a loss of interest) set in. It will be a rewarding thing to bring the project to a happy conclusion. The only thing I'm waiting on now is for stores to open so I can pick up a few things (office supplies, a plant or two, and possibly a floor lamp) before heading in.

Lessons for a Leo

Tensions are running high right now, and you're going to have to put extra effort into not flying off the handle when someone says something that sounds rude to you. Give people the benefit of the doubt, especially the newer people in your world. They might not know the rules, and it's really not up to you to teach them to them. This person will learn the lessons they need to learn eventually, and it's best for you to walk away from any dramas that they create. You don't need it.

I've never really paid much attention to horoscopes but today's stopped me dead in my tracks. It could not be more perfect in terms of a few issues around the office. Perhaps there's something to these things after all.....

Uncanny Resemblance

see famous look-a-like faces

Dinnah

As predicted earlier, the menu for tonight did undergo a change, though not all that dramatic of one. Instead of southwest, the menu headed south with the result being fried chicken pasta. I cheated a bit since I bought pre-made fried chicken from the grocery which is just as well since theirs is far better than what I could do. Come to think of it, I've never actually made fried chicken here at home. But at any rate, regardless of the origin of the friend chicken, the pasta dish turned out exceptionally well. It's a little involed in terms of steps (though they are easy), but it's well worth the effort. I didn't use a recipe, so I will try to recreate it here for future use.

Ingredients
1 link of smoked sausage, diced
1/2 onion diced
1 clove of garlic minced
1 can of chicken broth (or just make your own if you tend to be Martha Stewarty)
1/2 can of diced tomatoes
lima beans
corn
1 diced red bell pepper
2 Thai chilis
Thyme (to taste)
Majoram (to taste)
Salt y pepper (to taste)
Parsley (diced, to taste)
Kale, chopped
Several pieces of fried chicken diced
Pasta (style of your choice. I used Ziti since it's what was on hand)

Steps
1. Dice the sausage and fry until brown. Remove from oil.
2. Make a brown roux with oil (equal parts flour and oil). Set aside
3. In a different pan saute onions and garlic in a little vegetable oil until tender. Add the sausage and Thai chilis.
4. Add tomatoes, corn, lima beans, and chicken broth.
5. Add the roux, parsley, thyme, and majoram.
6.Simmer until vegetables are nearly tender then add the red bell pepper.
7. Boil pasta in seperate pot. Drain.
8. When much of the water has been absorbed and vegetables are tender, add the kale. Cover and steam a few minutes until tender. Do not overcook the kale.
9. Once kale is tender, add a bit of corn starch as a thickener. Mix well.
10. In a mixing bowl, combine pasta, diced fried chicken, and veggie mixture. Mix well and serve.
11. Enjoy!

Sunday Afternoon Randomness

After a delightful rainy morning and early afternoon, the sun is now beginning to come out.

*shakes fist at the heavens*

This is altogether disappointing as I was in the mood for one of those dark and dreary days wonderful for curling up with a book and very little else.

But anyway...I've just now put on a pot of coffee to get me through the remainder of the afternoon. Two cups now and another one right before I begin cooking. After that, I'll switch over to a glass of wine which is one of the key ingredients for the cooking process. Not necessarily to add to the food (though sometimes that is the case); in very modest amounts wine seems to aid in culinary creativity particularly if you are proceeding without a recipe as is usually my case.

Tonight's culinary creation (as least as it stands now) will be some sort of chicken and vegetable pasta. Knowing me, the menu will change five or six times between now and when cooking starts about five-thirtyish. Most likely the dish will be southwestern in nature as I have on hand the necessary ingredients to carry it off in that direction (tomatoes, corn, jalepeno peppers, cilantro, onions, and garlic). But again: it's still early yet. By the time I turn off the stove, I might end up making adobo.

I am wondering if I might be coming down with the cold that has been circulating around the office for the last couple of weeks. I'm feeling only about 70% of my usual self. I'm lethargic and sneezing and congestion are a bit bothersome today. The biggest indicator suggesting the onset of a cold? When a sneeze is immediately followed by a chill. For me at least this always indicates a cold is in the works. The lack of energy today is the most bothersome element. I didn't feel up to sallying forth to the gym this morning and even the trip down to the laundry facility in the basement was rather the ordeal. Ah well. At any rate, I'm uppping the intake of vitamin C just in case.

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