Author: Allegra

Born when atmospheric carbon was 316 PPM. Settled on MST country since 1997. Parent, grandparent.

recovery mode

Watching Sarah Palin struggle to assemble an English sentence while Joe Biden marshalled his talking points and droned through them was just about the most painful thing I ever subjected my eyes to.  Nor have my ears quit sulking.  Honestly I’m going to take a fresh look at Adam Sandler, I may have misjudged his talent.  The low point was “Her reward is in heaven” which just about had me barfing up my guts.  Biden wasn’t nearly as embarrassing but the idea of him being president after an assassination is just wretched.  The comments about marriage had Patricia muttering “Coward” to Biden.  I writhed in uncontrollable embarrassment and dismay (I do that, causing Patricia to ask me repeatedly if I was okay) but got through it in time to realize that two measly beers and the BEST DAMNED SMOKED GRUYÈRE evah were enough to put me in a sort of tryptophan coma and I slept for a couple of hours until I realized, on groggily awakening, that I wasn’t at home (strange cats closely inspecting my feet helped).  Then P called me a cab and I went home and – amazing! – changed into my jammies and then fell into bed like a downed Douglas fir.

Let me describe the Gruyère.  It was cave aged and smoked.  Little crystals of intense cheesiness blended into a smooth authoritative but restrained crumbly heavenly aroma and mouth feel.   The whisky cheddar was good; the incredible Port Salut almost liquefied.  And those crackers!  God, those are the best cheese crackers, I have to get some and then figure out where I store them so I don’t eat every single one as soon as the box comes home.  The cavalcade of cheese â„¢ abides in the West End – all is right with the world.  There is no political problem that cheese can’t solve, I tell you.

Tonight, The Con.

Zombies….

I think this is a brilliant cartoon.

Tonight I’m over at Patricia’s for the cavalcade of cheeseâ„¢ and of course to watch the Biden Palin thing.  Honestly, if we get into a drinking game I’ll be lucky to make VCon.  Fortunately she is my boss, and I guess we’re both adults, so what could possibly go wrong…

Tom is resting uncomfortably but at least there’s no breathing tube happening.

I went to bed at 8:30 pm last night, partly because I knew I was going to be up late two nights running, and also because I couldn’t stay conscious.  Then I woke up at 10, 2 and 4:30.  Maybe if I stayed up later I would sleep more soundly, but virtually everybody I know is complaining about restless sleep these days.

Katie cut my hair last night.  I pronounce myself improved in appearance, although I suppose I should let others decide…

Dreadful news

Tom was burned badly in an industrial accident yesterday.  He’s in VGH and I will learn more about his condition soon.  Unca Dave knows ALL ABOUT electrical burns, and his description led me to believe they are painful and nasty.  (Watching himself get the dressings changed from high above the bath, blown right out on morphine, asking himself, “Who is that poor bastard and why is he screaming!?”)  I will call Peggy soon and get an update, but Tom’s alive and sedated in the hospital and for this we should all be very, very thankful.

Unca Dave here

He seemed to be his normal jolly self.  It was good to see Paul and Keith for supper as well.

How Peggy got an apple crisp (made with Gravensteins, yummazy!) over here, I have no idea, but Paul asked me to get the container back to her.  I will. Anyway, that was dessert… also home made tapioca.

Supper was two kinds salad (potato and green with freshly made bacon bits and sliced egg and tomato and mushroom), roast beef with roast garlic, potatoes and squash.  Everybody seemed to go back for seconds, so I guess there was enough (no gravy, though, sigh) and I didn’t work too hard at the cooking, so that was okay.  It’s funny, the kitchen looked great at 10 am yesterday morning. It looks like a disaster now.

I didn’t touch my mandolin, but my laundry is all done and put away, so along with all the the other chores and errands of this weekend, I feel quite accomplished.

Trip planning

Well, I found my Air Canada tix, and I found out how to get from Roissy (which is what the locals call Charles Degaulle airport, who knew) to the hotel on rue St Lazare.  It’s only an hour, including walking, but it’s 5 fare zones, so we’ll have to get money in the airport to get there or maybe get walking around change in Euros before we leave.

The day approacheth, I am excited.

In passing

Unca Dave is expected here this afternoon.

Scarlett Johannson got married – in Canada no less – & Paul Newman died.

I light a candle for Cindy, who said, “You amuse me,” on the phone last night in a tone of voice completely free of sarcasm, when I explained something to her about the way my mind works. (I was also being the world’s largest wuss, but she was okay with that too.)  We discussed how she and a bunch of other fans got into Bridge Studios the day Atlantis died and she has pics of herself standing in the gate.  Happy swoon.  I’ve been in Bridge Studios, back in ’05. Given what’s happened since, some of the comments I made in October 05 are pretty funny.   (Like, the comment about how Katie loves to fix hair???)

I also get to think about what I’m going to say at the panel on Friday night.  Yes, I’m going to a con, Vcon to be precise, and I’m going to be on a media filk panel.  Should I tell them that my secret to writing media filk is to go to the internet, download every scripted reference to the character and then find likely rhymes?  Seems kinda mechanical, but that’s how I wrote Clem, full title Just Call me Clem.  (Clem being a demon from Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

For breakfast – BLTs.  I don’t know why, except we had all the ingredaments in the house at one time.  For dinner – roast beast with veg.  Why?  It’s Sunday, and a family elder is coming by.  There’s chicken soup on the stove and I’m thinking of making refrigerator cookies.

Watched Starter for 10.  It’s a very good hearted movie, and if you love 80’s Britpop/late new wave you’ll drool on the soundtrack.  The movie is well shot, well-scripted and laugh out loud funny in spots.  Also, Dominic Cooper is bloody gorgeous.. and he’s in Keira Knightley’s new movie the Duchess, which makes me want to see it more.

My watch working again is making me happy.  Being registered to vote makes me happy (I had completely dropped off the rolls, which is perplexing).  And now, I’m going to practice my mandolin, do some paperwork, pay some bills, laundrify, and get another song written down…. and see if we can get to the end of season five of NCIS.  Yes, we’ve been watching rather a lot of it, and I’m really liking Michael Weatherly’s take on DiNozzo more and more.  He kinda grows on you.

It’s a beautiful day…. Mike was going to take me to the Wreck, as it’s supposed to be beachy today, but Unca Dave is coming. I am in a really good mood.  I assume it’s the weather, nothing else has changed.

Jeff RULES

Jeff, as all who know him know, entirely rocks, but this morning he got major “brother is awesome” points by playing chauffeur.  I got ALL my errands done and as a reward he got homemade calorie reduced potato salad.  For supper it will be ginger sesame tofu with veg stir fry with a side of rice noodles, unless I change my mind and make buffalo Sloppy Joes.  I’m thinking about it, I’m seriously thinking about it.

My errands:  Closing out my TD term deposit; getting a new battery into my watch, mailing a donation to Doctors without Borders, getting more stamps, shopping (Famous Foods and Kin’s Farm Market) and getting myself registered to vote.  Total elapsed time just over two hours.  Jeff stayed in the car and read while I did my running around.

Now I’m making chicken soup and contemplating the world – and my laundry – from my little kitchen nook.  Chicken soup is so yummy…. I’m looking forward to it.