Shaking my head

There were a couple of things that I caught in our local paper this week that...well...after I got done yelling at the computer screen (I read the

PJStar

online), I just sat there and shook my head.

The Rev. James McDonald of Providence Church in Morton got the congregation started with some inciteful words.

He cited the estimated 50 million abortions performed in the United States since the Roe vs. Wade decision.

"It's amazing to me that God has not executed righteous judgment against this nation," McDonald said. "If any nation deserves the hand of God, it is the United States.

"We look at the Holocaust. . . . The Jews who were slaughtered in Nazi Germany just pales in comparison."

First of all, to the writer of the above-mentioned story, a Mr. Gary Childs...sir, there is no such word as "inciteful". Insightful, yes. Inciting, yes. "Inciteful", no. No. No. No.

Good gawd. I are a journalist.

And...Mr. McDonald, I'm pretty sure the Jews might have a bit of a problem with the last sentence of your statement. In fact, I have a big problem with that statement.You should be ashamed.

However, thank you for further enforcing my own particular atheistic leanings. If you're a good representation of a Christian, then I'll pass, thankyewverymuch.

Then, there was this little

gem

A former Peoria School District 150 principal who suddenly resigned earlier this month did so after he was confronted about his Internet activity.

More than 50 pages of "deny logs" document how in a two-week span Philip Hise attempted to get around the district's Internet security to visit dozens of pornographic Web sites and view hundreds of photos from his office computer at Charles Lindbergh Middle School.

So, this guy...a principal at a middle school...cruised porn sites...during school hours...knowing full well that the district had security in place to keep people from viewing "unauthorized" sites.

This is a man with a friggin college education, fer chrissakes. He didn't know that everything he did online at work could be traced??

What. The. Fuck?

I'd ask the question "How dumb could he be?", but I suppose that's pretty obvious, huh?

I know it's a stretch...

...but hey..."my pickup gets me where I please...chuggin down the street"

Leslie

asked for my support... and she's got it.

She sez:
"Inspired by Mrs. Who, I think it's time for a little Truck Bomb to blow the doors right off the Coakley campaign (which of course blames Bush for the whole darned thing heading south). Got a pick up truck song that's a particular fave? Or a photo? Or a story? Post 'em at your blog and either drop a link in my comments or email me. I know you can do it!"

Here's my offering for the "truck bomb" for

Scott Brown

In case you live under a rock and have no idea what I'm talkin about, go see

Pam

She explains it perfectly.

Soup or sandwich?

I'll have both.


(Stock photo...mine wasn't nearly as purty.)

Squash Soup must be trendy...every time I turn on a Food Network program, somebody is fixing squash soup.

Gawd help me, but it sure looked good...trendy or not. So I went a'huntin for a good, simple recipe, and Alton Brown had one.

That was my "project" for yesterday. I'll give you his recipe...then tell ya what I did differently.

6 C (about 2 large) Butternut squash, seeded, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
Melted butter for brushing
1 T kosher salt
1 t white pepper
3 C chicken or vegetable stock
4 T honey
1 t minced ginger
4 oz. heavy cream
1/4 t nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush the flesh of the squash with a little butter and season with salt and pepper. Lay the squash on a sheet pan and roast for about 30-35 minutes or until flesh is soft.
When it's all nice and tender, put it in a pot and add the stock, honey and ginger. Bring to a simmer and puree using a stick blender. Stir in the heavy cream and return to a slow simmer. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
*******************

First off, good luck finding 2 "large" butternut squash. I used 3 small ones, cut 'em in half, scooped out the seeds, spritzed 'em with a little white truffle oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper...the black kind. Then I roasted 'em at 400 until tender. When they cooled, I scooped all the flesh out, threw it in a pot and added chicken stock, salt, pepper, probably 3 T honey, probably a teaspoon and a half...maybe two...of ground ginger and half a nutmeg nut, grated.

Then I pureed it all together with my handy-dandy little stick blender, turned the heat to simmer and let 'er rip for an hour or so. When it was time to serve, I stirred in a half cup...maybe 3/4, even...of fat-free Half & Half.

YUM!

It's a sweet/savory soup. I'm glad I didn't use the whole 4 T honey it called for. I think it would have been too sweet.

I served it with some open-faced sammies made with a slice of toasted french bread, a slice of deli roast beef and some nice gouda cheese all melty over the top.

It was an awesome supper for a cold, dreary winter evening.

Oh...and today is my 2-week mark of being a non-smoker! Two weeks! I can hardly believe it.

Hunting

I managed to grab a few shots of a couple of Bald Eagles yesterday. They hung out in the tree for the longest time, watching the river for signs of lunch, I suppose.

We haven't seen as many this winter as we usually do...and when we do, they don't hang around to pose for photos. heh

That's not a bit funny...

...dammit.

Rock songs for the elderly. heh



Thanks, Cat!

Maybe Al Gore's on to something

Nahhh

Though the temp is up to a whole 20 degrees today, there's not much global warming goin on around here.


Stewie took a minute out of his busy schedule to do a little wistful bird watching.


I'm half-way through my eighth day of being a non-smoker. So far, it hasn't been too bad. Oh, there are times I want one...like right now...but thankfully, the urge passes pretty fast. We don't have any in the house, so that helps, too. If we did, I'm not so sure I'd have been able to resist.

I know everything says to try to avoid your smoking "triggers". Unfortunately, it's kinda hard to go take a walk or even get outside right now, so I've found that I seem to do ok by just kinda...pushing through the triggers.

It's really funny...I find that the absolute worst times for me aren't after a meal or with my coffee in the morning or when driving. It's when I'm cleaning or cooking or just generally doing crap around the house. See, I'd take "breaks" every now and then...sit down with a coffee and a cigarette. It was my "treat" for...doing whatever it was I was doing that I felt I needed a treat for. heh I miss that. I really miss that.

Anywho, I never thought in a million years that I'd be able to do this cold turkey. Hell, I didn't think I'd do it at all. Or at least, without being in a freaking coma.

And, if I stumble...and I'm not kidding myself...I might...at least I know I can do it again. It can be done.

Yes, Virginia...

...you can freeze your ass off in Illinois.


Thanks,

Connie!

Unfortunately, my ass always seems to grow back.

It's damn cold here. Down to 0 tonight with winds up to 35 mph, making the wind chill some ridiculously, astronomically low number. Thankfully, I don't have to be out in it...unlike da Zigster, bless him heart.

Nevertheless, it's pretty damn chilly here in our normally-cozy riverside retreat.
********************************

In other news...get this...I've quit smoking. Well, both da Zigster and I have...neither of us could do it without the other. Yup. Cold turkey, baby. Haven't had a ciggie since last Sunday night...damn...that's five, whole days! If I do say so myself, it's going remarkably well.

Oh, I miss it...bad, sometimes...but I think it's more the "habit" part than the nicotine. I think I'm pretty much over the withdrawal part. (knocking wood)

Though I know I'll be healthier for it, that's not the reason I...eh...we...quit. It was just gettin too damn expensive. To be honest, if it wasn't so expensive, I'd keep smokin, if for no other reason than to piss the smoking nazis off.

So how's all that extra "sin tax" on cigarettes workin for ya, Illinois? Ya jacked the price up so high...in order to drum up revenue...that nobody can afford it. So there goes your revenue. Dumbasses.

I'm not holdin my breath, no pun intended...this is really my first "serious" attempt...but I'm feelin good about it. So far.
*********************************

I'll probably get my name slapped right on ole Janet's "watch list" for mentioning this, but I once had a Kurdish lover.

Sounds like the beginning of a bad limerick, huh?

Anyway, he was a very intelligent, tender, insightful, incredibly interesting young man. He was a good friend. He was an honest-ta-gawd morale booster when I needed it the most.

And he's gone.

And that's all I'll say about that. Except that I'm kinda sad right now.

Khoda hafaz...salam aleikam.