Another Productive Weekend That Ends With Good Food...

There's nothing better than ending a nice busy weekend with a good meal. I'm currently cooking roast beef with a red wine reduction, parsnip puree and roast potatoes. After the productive and physically active day that I've had, I think I deserve to eat something good.

I spent the day out in the garden. Even though the day began wet and rainy, it cleared up nicely and even though it was wet, it made it easier to pull up the weeds. And I had a LOT of weeds. In the end, I pulled up as many as I could but decided a thick layer of mulch was the best way to cover up the remainders. The easy way out, I know but it looks much better. Also, carrying ten bags of mulch that easily weighed forty pounds each because they were wet was a nice physical workout.

Yesterday was busy too. Mother Monkeypants is coming down to stay next weekend. I'm quite excited by this. It's been a long time since I had a house-guest and it's doubly nice that it's my mum. She's an easy guest to have around and even when we don't actually do anything of significance, we still have a good time in each other's company.

The problem was that since I haven't had a houseguest in a while and I redid my family room, I've been using the guest room as a storage facility. As you can imagine, now that someone's actually going to sleep in there, I had to do something about it. My solution is to move it to my office for now. I've decided to actually have my own yard sale when our neighbourhood has its annual sale in August. I have a lot of junk. Much of it is stuff I've bought at garage sales over the past few years. Someone else's junk became my treasure and now, sadly, it's my junk which means...it can be someone else's treasure. I like circles like that...

I did get the room cleaned out. I also scrubbed the house so it's clean for Mother Monkeypants. Of course, since then I mulched the garden and somehow, those wood chips get everywhere so I have a feeling I'll be cleaning again before she comes down on Friday.

All in all, it's been a busy weekend but I've decided I like that way. It's fun to get stuff done because then, after I've spent the day being extremely produtive, I get to relax outside with a glass of sparkling water or a glass of wine or even a beer, depending on my mood. It's firefly season now and it's a beautiful thing to sit outside, watch the sun go down and then see the fireflies come out.

Tonight, I probably won't catch many fireflies. For one thing, "True Blood" is on HBO and another...it's kind of cloudy out there. There's a chance of storms tonight. I hope we have one just because it'll be good for my mulch but since we had one last night and I spent the entire storm, lying in bed with a dachshund trying to cram herself as physically close to me as possible because she was afraid, I won't be too disappointed if we don't have another one.

Even though the weekend is winding down, I find that I feel a sense of accomplishment because I did get some things done this weekend. The thing with being a homeowner, I've learned, is that there's ALWAYS something to do. I do have plans to start a new novel but, for now, I've decided that it's nice to get outside and enjoy the weather while it's still nice enough to be enjoyed. Soon enough, it'll get hot and humid again so I figure that will be my writing time.

Tomorrow marks another Monday but it's the day before a holiday weekend so even if Monday presents itself in true fashion, I can live with it. The bright light of a three-day weekend is enough to make even Monday bearable.

Although, as always, I hope it's a good Monday that doesn't need to be 'beared'.

Happy Monday and I hope you had great weekends too!

The Lure of the Long Weekend....

It's going on Friday and it's the Friday before a long weekend. There's nothing better, in my opinion. Unless, of course, it's the Friday before a vacation, preferably one that lasts a couple of weeks. Since I don't get those very often- if at all- I'll take what I can get and a long weekend will do quite well, thank you.

My long weekend will be spent hosting my first overnight non-parental guest in my house. My parents both came down one night but it was the night before I was going to have minor surgery so it was really them just being good parents. My mum came down one other time but that was a very quick trip. No, Saz's visit this weekend marks my first real weekend visit I've had.

I have to admit, I'm not nervous per se because it's Saz and she's not going to walk around and judge my house but, in a way, it's my first foray into true adulthood that I actually have a spare bedroom and not a pull out, wire-framed futon that squeaks whenever someone moves, no matter how much you oil it. It'll be nice to be a grown-up host and make breakfast for my guest as well as dinner.

Oh, who am I kidding, I'm just thrilled that I'm going to have someone to feed. As much as I like cooking, it's a little anti-climactic to make something that I, at least, think tastes rather good and be the only one eating it.

But it's not just about the food although, when I'm involved, food usually plays rather a large role because, as you've probably learned by now...I love food. Though, lately, I've been a good Monkeypants and cut back on the junk in an attempt to lose some weight. I've been successful but I'll never be the size four I was in my youth. I'd sigh but, frankly, I think that I might have been too skinny and there's something to be said for some curves and a little more up-top than there used to be. Not that there's much up-top but, in my mind at least, it feels like there's more.

Anyhow, it's also about showing off my house which is slowly but surely starting to look the way I want it too. I still have the 1970's style family room that has the most hideous curtains in the world and is badly in need of paint but the rest of the house is coming along. Of course, this means I have to obsessively clean my house as I did last weekend and I did tonight.

Unfortunately, tonight, I discovered that while I was hoovering, nothing was being picked up. This lead me to discover a blockage in the hose of the vacuum cleaner. I thought it'd be easy to unblock. Silly Captain Monkeypants- when is anything every easy.

I had to find something to clear out the blockage. I tried a metal stake from the garden but that was not strong enough. I tried a broom handle. That was too short. Eventually, after much sweat and energy, I manage to dislodge a solid mass of everything that I've vacuumed up in the past few weeks. Vile, to say the least. Although, I have to admit, there was definitely a feeling of triumph as the blockage finally gave way to my furious attempts to dislodge it.

I only usually say it after incidents like that but sometimes, it'd be nice to have someone else to unblock the hoover. I love my puppies but they don't talk back. Also, their lack of opposable thumbs means they're useless when it comes to installing new TV's or unblocking the hoover. Also, they can't mow the lawn or take out the rubbish. In fact, aside from being hopelessly cute, they're biggest talents involve digging holes in my lawn, eating and bringing the outside...inside.

It doesn't mean I love them any less. It just means that they look at me like I'm mental while I'm doing things like unblocking vacuum cleaner hoses.

Still, they're good company, even when they attempt to run off with the screwdriver when I'm not looking. They also try to eat batteries and change the TV channel. Now that they're good at- all they have to do is sit on the remote control.

I think, however, we're now officially ready for our visitor. If not...well, she's coming anyway. I think she'll excuse a few pieces of grass and a lot of puppy toys everywhere. I'll just make her dinner in return. Hopefully that'll make up for it.

Unless I cook her something revolting.

I better not think of that. I'll just think forward to three lovely days off work with good company and some quality puppy time. I think that's the best approach. I hope you all have great weekends.

Happy Memorial Day!

Dear Crystal Meth Makers...Thanks for Making Things Difficult...

It's Sunday evening already. I'm blogging earlier than I normally would because, after 7 p.m., tonight belongs to Lost.

Yes, I'm that much of a television nerd that I planned my Sunday around this evenings TV. In my defense, it's a big night for Lost- the last episode ever. I think given how much entertainment and puzzles it's given me since it aired, it deserves a proper send-off.

I shall sit down tonight and watch it with the puppies who I am hoping will sleep through the actual episode which is 2.5 hours and doesn't start until 9 p.m. Before that is a 2 hour special that basically honours the show and recaps everything that's happened. Or something like that anyway.

I haven't spent the whole weekend planning for it though. I spent most of yesterday cleaning my house since Saz is coming to stay next weekend. I also did some grocery shopping and bought a new TV as well as a stand for it. No, Captain Monkeypants has not come into the money- she just promised herself that when she got her tax refund, she was going to move into the digital age and actually buy a LCD television.

I bought it from Amazon.com and it should arrive Wednesday. I'm quite excited although I'm sure hooking it up might be a wee bit daunting. We'll see.

So, yesterday was a busy day. Today has been too. I spent much of it outside, sweltering in the sunshine. I mowed the garden, pulled some weeds, planted the last of my vegetable plants that I grew from seed, baked sausage rolls and bathed the puppies.

The latter did not go quite as well as I'd have liked since the puppies hate baths. They're small enough that the kitchen sink works quite nicely. Today, Rory decided that when I was bathing Sookie and she couldn't see her sister that I clearly was inflicting some awful punishment upon her. She proceeded to whine and cry and act like she was terribly wounded. Then, when it was her turn to be bathed, Sookie decided to whimper and cry and act like she was terribly wounded. Then when they were both done...they ran out into the garden, rolled in the grass and chased each other without another whimper. Strange puppies....

I also went to Walmart today. I think I've mentioned that I'm not a big fan of Walmart. When they first opened, like so many other people, I was enamoured with its cheap prices and easy-to-find..stuff. Then as time passed by, Walmart became far less friendly and cheap and eventually became the Evil Walmart that Destroyed Small Town Businesses and Then Became More Expensive than Kroger and Target- at least in my mind. These days, while Walmart does have some good deals, most of the time you can find the same grocery items on sale at Meijer or Kroger for the same price or cheaper. As for the non-grocery items, I find more and more that Target is better value and it's a lot more convenient.

Not to mention, Walmart have recently taken to remodeling the inside of their stores. Have you been in one like this lately? There's absolutely no rhyme or reason to the organization. You're in the kitchen stuff one minute then in crafts and then back in Kitchen. Also, there is tons of empty space between the aisles and it looks like a ginormous warehouse. That might be the idea but, let me tell you, when you're in a hurry and you need to dash in for two items, a ginormous warehouse is not where you want to go. You want to go somewhere where you can a) find the items because they're logically organized and 2) will not cause an asthma attack because it's so damn huge, you have to sprint from one side of the store to the other if you're unlucky enough that the two items you want are far apart which, I find, is most of the time.

My second complaint is actually not just towards Walmart. Today, I needed to buy some Claritin-D for my allergies. Over time, I've gone from being a casual seasonal sneezer to someone who wakes up with red, itchy eyes, a stuffy nose and a need to sneeze every two minutes and they're not the nice, dainty little sneezes... they're the ones that make puppies want to hide.

Here's where I say: Thank you, Crystal Meth Makers for making us allergy-prone people's lives so much more complicated.

I hate Crystal Meth Makers as a group. I don't think I know any personally. I hate them not only because they tend to be the less-intelligent members of society or the ones who have no grasp of reality but, also, because they need allergy medicine to make their stupid drug.

This means that because they were going and buying all the pseudoephedrine-containing products to make their drug, the government had to find a way to stop them. Now, everyone, not just Crystal Meth Makers has to jump through hoops just to buy a box of Claritin or Sudaphed that actually works.

Oh, I know- you can still buy the basic Claritin and other allergy medicines from the shelf because they don't contain pseudoephedrine but the thing is...they really don't work that well. They might curtail the sniffles or the sneezes a little but they don't stop it. It's like putting a band-aid on a badly bleeding cut- sure, it stops the bleeding for a bit but eventually, it's going to be useless.

So now, we all get to show our ID's and have them scanned whenever we buy allergy medicine from behind-the-counter. If we exceed our limit, we can be arrested. You might think, oh, this is just a 'soft' law but, let me tell you, they do arrest people. Take little old Sally Harpold- a grandmother of triplets from Indiana who was locked away in Clinton, Indiana where she was caught buying two cold medicines within seven days. Sadly, she wasn't even buying them for herself- one was for her husband and one was for her daughter. She was charged with a class-C misdemeanor, which carries a sentence of up to 60 days in jail and up to a $500 fine. Her record is potentially able to be expunged of the crime if Harpold pays the court costs, stays clean for 30 days, and presumably comes to terms with “her problem.”

This isn't a joke. It's a news story that I first heard on the radio and then researched because I didn't believe it.

This is one of the reasons I hate Crystal Meth Makers. Poor old Sally Harpold didn't know the law and now she's being treated like she's a Crystal Meth Maker even though all she did was run two errands for her family.

I know it's not the pharmacies' fault that they have to get our ID and report us if we exceed the limits of our pseudoephedrine allotment. It just seems to be that the law isn't always working the way it's supposed to an now it's not possible to have a super quick trip to a pharmacy- it involves digging out your ID, having it run through the computer and waiting to see if you're allowed to buy the medicine.

I suppose it's not that big of a deal, it's more of an inconvenience that the stupid members of our society are the reason we all have to comply to laws like this. I respect the law and all that but every now and again, you have to wonder if it's really doing anything. I mean, I'm not a crystal meth dealer but surely all it would take is asking some of your clients/friends/family to go and buy their allotment of pseudoephedrine for the month and then having them hand it all to you. It doesn't take a genius to figure out ways round a law like this which is probably why there's still a huge problem with crystal meth labs and the consequences that go along with them.

Ah, well...such is life. As I said, it's not Walmart's fault but I'll blame them anyway because I always leave there in a bad mood. Half the time I go in one now and then leave because I can't find what i'm looking for and its easier to go elsewhere.

Still, today, I did get most of what I needed. It turned out to be a nice productive Sunday after a nice productive Saturday. Those are sometimes the best kind of weekends even though they're not what some people call relaxing. For me, that's a different form of relaxation- at least it doesn't involve sitting at a desk, staring at a computer screen and dealing with office politics.

I hope you had a good weekend too. I'm off to start my Lost evening and find my puppies.

Happy Monday!

Moving Preparations and Harry Potter (of course)

This week is going by rather quickly. I'd say that was a good thing but since this weekend leads to moving, a wedding and a lot of work to get ready for my trip next week, I think it's going to be a while before I get to relax.

I did get to work on the house yesterday though. I did such domestic things such clean out the fridge, scrub the path and plant some...plants.

There's nothing more disgusing that cleaning out someone else's fridge. I know it's my fridge now but until it's clean, I don't lay claim to it. It's clean now, thus it's my fridge. However, that was after an awful lot of scrubbing and cleaning. There were things spilled in there that I don't think I want to know from whence they came. They were sticky, smelly and just plain disgusting. I, fortunately, didn't find any furry vegetables though there was a bag of ancient potatoes buried in there as well as some milk that expired rather a long time ago. It was not a pleasant experience but it's about as clean as it will ever get now so I think it's time I started calling it my fridge.

I won't even talk about the bath. Let's just say that cleaning that took a while. It was literally grey in spots from dirt stains. I took down the ancient shower curtain, a tropical fish print and prepared to put my own more demure fabric butterfly one up when I move in.

I think the house is finally ready for me. I even started unpacking the kitchen boxes. I'm having a problem there. I mean how do you know which cupboard should hold what? Whenever I go in someone else's kitchen, everything has a place and it seems to fit. My cupboards are gaping and empty. I don't know which one should be my plate/dish cupboard. which one should hold my spices or wine glasses. There's so many choices to make!

I did start putting things in cupboards but I'm afraid that I did it wrong and I won't like it. I know I can change it later but it's my first official home and I want to get it right. It's one of those things that is so insignificant that later on, I'll wonder what I was worrying about but it still seems important right now.

I did reward myself yesterday with a screening of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Seriously, did you think I wouldn't? I won't spoil the film for anyone but I will say that now I've seen it, it's definitely not something I think a five-year-old should see and, if they do, I certainly hope they don't 'get' it; it's just too...dark.

However, for those of us who love the Potter books and the Potter universe, it's well worth a watch. I like it more than the last movie- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - which I felt was ridiculously rushed in an effort to make the shortest film of the series. It's one of the most intense and detailed of the books and to cram it into a short film was a bit ridiculous. This one is much better. There are moments of hilarity, moments of sadness and moments of just plain creepiness. That's just the way I like my Harry Potter.

I like to reward myself once in a while like that. It makes it worthwhile to be productive. It's like being on a diet: Sometimes you just have to cheat otherwise it just becomes miserable.

So, I rewarded myself last night. It will get me through the rest of the week which will consist largely of loading up my car, disassembling furniture and unpacking boxes. It's moving time, no doubt about it.

And, speaking of moving, I would like to take this opportunity to wish one of my good friends luck on her last day in the office before she leaves L.A. for the unchartered territory of Texas. I try not to mention specific names but she's one of my loyal readers and a great friend to boot. I met her in L.A. and since then we've both had the need to escape the city life for one of a less harried existence. As you drive out of the city, Ms. P- look back once, see the smog-encased landscape and think of the green lands that lie ahead.

Ironically, we're both having the movers come on the same day. It's strange how life works in tandem with those you care about, even when they're miles away. I've already done my cross-country move and I know how hard it is. I shouldn't be complaining about moving to a house, 20 miles from where I live now. Especially as it's my house.

I'm still getting used to saying that. Good luck, Ms. P-

And Happy Thursday.

It's Bloody Freezing!

It's bloody freezing outside. That is significantally different from it just being merely freezing out- "bloody" freezing means it's cold enough to freeze your wiper fluid as you try to use it to get rid of some of the ice on your window which, of course, means you then have a new layer of ice to scrape.

Bloody freezing also means that if you leave a twelve pack of Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi in the boot of your car, it freezes and then explodes. Naturally, being a somewhat-intelligent Captain Monkeypants, you'd think I would have realized this. I did- after I went to get out a can to take to the office and found my twelve-pack covered in (frozen) Diet Wild Cherry. I suppose the good part about it being bloody freezing is that cleanup will be easy- I can remove the frozen explosion before it gets too sticky.

The freezing temperatures can be deceptive. Last night, I went "downtown" for a belated birthday celebration with some coworkers. We went to this cool German restaurant with good beer and food. Then we walked down the street to another more upscale place for a final drink. Stepping outside of the first building, it was cold. It had snowed but it didn't feel too bad. Then, as we proceeded further down the street, the wind blew. Have you felt a wind chill of -15 degrees? Say it with me now- it's bloody freezing.

The cold blast took our breath away. The snow was thrown at us, ice-cold pellets attacking our faces, no matter how we tried to shield ourselves. The cold got through my coat, my boots. I forgot my gloves so my hands were freezing. For a three minute walk, it was pretty intense. Needless to say, i ordered a nice hot Irish-type coffee when we got inside. Nothing like a spiked cup of coffee to warm the chill off your bones.

This morning, it's not snowing yet but the snow is the dry kind that is easily scooped up by the wind and tossed around, mini snow-tornadoes flying across the road and unexpectedly leaving drifts.

It's supposed to stay this cold all week. I think it's going to be one of those deliciously lazy weekends in which I start a new jigsaw puzzle, put on my little (fake) electric fireplace, make a cup of tea and settle in. After I've cleaned, of course. I haven't had much of a chance to clean other than pick up and it's high time I did more than wipe the counters and run the vacuum round. I figure if I put on some happy cleaning music- often the soundtrack to Rent, Green Day's American Idiot or even some Madonna (older stuff), the cleaning might be fun. It's quite fun to boogie while cleaning the toilet. It makes you almost forget that what you're doing is quite vile.

It's actually a long weekend for many people this weekend, being Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That thought alone makes me cheerful. It's a rather nice feeling to know that come Monday morning, I don't have to set my alarm, I can lie in bed and listen to the howling wind and know that I don't have to get up at all, if I don't want. Then again, sometimes, the howling wind is drowned out by the howling students. Seriously, there are a group of students living below me that have taken to howling and making rather odd noises at night. I'm not going to think too much on that being that they're students. It's probably better that I imagine them being a pack of werewolves rather than what they're actually doing.

Anyway, once more, i seem to have just ambled the blogging time away with no real point other than to just let my thoughts flow. I hope that's ok- since I got my fan fiction rant off my chest, I'm feeling much lighter. However, there's never a rant far away, especially as long as Stephanie Meyer gets to publish new fiction.

Just kidding. Mostly. Happy Thursday. Stay warm (unless you're in L.A. where, apparently, it's been nice and warm all week.)