...more days than expected this week. Your week has not even started yet- since you probably don't go in to work until Monday morning. But I have already put in two days. And looking at several more, totaling close to what the rest of the world normally expects: forty hours.
People 'calling out', though I always thought it was 'calling in' as in calling the workplace to report you are indisposed and will not be on the job. Sorry about illness, but their misfortune is the reason I will be putting in more hours than usual. Lately my work schedule has been more than a little 'thin' on hours, making my little paycheck equally undernourished, almost to the point of transparency. So the opportunity to take full advantage of the poor health and misfortune of others will not be complained about. Rather - thankful for employment, fleeting though it might be....
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Saturday, February 6, 2016
pondering the universe..
...about how things that seem to be so remote are really connected in ways we never really consider. After hearing a geologist interviewed on public radio in the past month or so, I can't seem to get this out of my mind. And wonder how many other things that seem to be so random really have some of that 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon' attachment in ways no one has explained for our simple minds to grasp.
The backstory here is how the man, probably an author of a book or printed article, was describing the far reaching results of that tsunami that hit Japan a few years ago. Flooding caused widespread damage that included the shut down of a nuclear power plant that continues to leak toxic materials into the land and surrounding ocean. Because of the power plant disaster, several large governments in Europe decided to discontinue using nuclear fuel as a energy source. And shut down power plants in Germany, France, maybe another country. Seeking alternative energy sources like wind farms and solar panels. Causing the solar panel market to begin to produce at a high rate, making the panels much more affordable and commonplace. Thereby creating a reduction in demand for fossil fuels and energy sources that are more expensive as well as dirty and not renewable.
Then a side effect of increased use of solar panels and developing wind turbines for generating energy, is that the price of gas has gone down dramatically. So the value of crude oil is lower than it has been in years, and filling your tank at the pump is cheaper than in recent memory. I recall going on a road trip with my cousin less than ten years ago, and paying over four dollars a gallon for gas (and driving a guzzler as well.) But I am the person who can recall my dad handing me a quarter and telling me to walk up to the gas station less than a block from the house and get a gallon of gas to mow the entire yard on a Saturday.
I remember the geologist saying Everything is Connected, and it All starts with Geology. Hmmm...
Oh - and I am so opposed to fracking I think we are not only ruining our continent, we are dooming the planet.
The backstory here is how the man, probably an author of a book or printed article, was describing the far reaching results of that tsunami that hit Japan a few years ago. Flooding caused widespread damage that included the shut down of a nuclear power plant that continues to leak toxic materials into the land and surrounding ocean. Because of the power plant disaster, several large governments in Europe decided to discontinue using nuclear fuel as a energy source. And shut down power plants in Germany, France, maybe another country. Seeking alternative energy sources like wind farms and solar panels. Causing the solar panel market to begin to produce at a high rate, making the panels much more affordable and commonplace. Thereby creating a reduction in demand for fossil fuels and energy sources that are more expensive as well as dirty and not renewable.
Then a side effect of increased use of solar panels and developing wind turbines for generating energy, is that the price of gas has gone down dramatically. So the value of crude oil is lower than it has been in years, and filling your tank at the pump is cheaper than in recent memory. I recall going on a road trip with my cousin less than ten years ago, and paying over four dollars a gallon for gas (and driving a guzzler as well.) But I am the person who can recall my dad handing me a quarter and telling me to walk up to the gas station less than a block from the house and get a gallon of gas to mow the entire yard on a Saturday.
I remember the geologist saying Everything is Connected, and it All starts with Geology. Hmmm...
Oh - and I am so opposed to fracking I think we are not only ruining our continent, we are dooming the planet.
peanut butter dip...
... is what I was serving when I spent the day on Friday cooking at work. I made it on Wed. when I got called in to work half a day for a co-worker who had some health issues and left early. The dip was served with apple slices: how can you go wrong with peanut butter and apples? This version was made creamier by the addition of yogurt, to make it more spreadable, so it would be easy to apply to anything you choose to pair it with. According to the info. we were given to share with consumers, no fat in the yogurt and lots of protein. And so easy you don't need a 'recipe' to put together!
Peanut Butter Dip
1 cup unflavored, fat free Greek yogurt
2 Tbs. honey
1/2 cup peanut butter
Mix. Serve. How simple is that?
I found that if you put the yogurt in the bowl and stir in the honey before adding the peanut butter it seems to work better: you are lot having such a hard time getting all the tenacious stuff off the bottom of the bowl to have it well blended. I was using the little bags of pre-sliced apples that are treated with something to keep them from browning. And just dipping the apples, putting them on a plate with a generous glob of the dip.
Someone told me recently a good easy way to keep sliced fruit from browning. Things like bananas and apples, that exposed to air quickly discolor and look less than palatable. Dip them in club soda. It does not change the flavor like lemon juice or pineapple juice, but will keep them from turning brown before being eaten.
And had more people do a U-turn, come back for the recipe to know how to make the dip than I think were wanting the instructions for the chili-mac that was on the same card. The chili was good, but going by the recipe was a little spicy for my preference. Probably due to the addition of some salsa which had enough heat in it to linger on the tongue. And truthfully, if you have made chili a couple of times, you probably don't use a recipe anyway, right? This one had elbow pasta added to it, which I had not thought of doing. Several customers commented they were from the North, and that is common there - sometimes called 'Cincinatti Chili'.
Peanut Butter Dip
1 cup unflavored, fat free Greek yogurt
2 Tbs. honey
1/2 cup peanut butter
Mix. Serve. How simple is that?
I found that if you put the yogurt in the bowl and stir in the honey before adding the peanut butter it seems to work better: you are lot having such a hard time getting all the tenacious stuff off the bottom of the bowl to have it well blended. I was using the little bags of pre-sliced apples that are treated with something to keep them from browning. And just dipping the apples, putting them on a plate with a generous glob of the dip.
Someone told me recently a good easy way to keep sliced fruit from browning. Things like bananas and apples, that exposed to air quickly discolor and look less than palatable. Dip them in club soda. It does not change the flavor like lemon juice or pineapple juice, but will keep them from turning brown before being eaten.
And had more people do a U-turn, come back for the recipe to know how to make the dip than I think were wanting the instructions for the chili-mac that was on the same card. The chili was good, but going by the recipe was a little spicy for my preference. Probably due to the addition of some salsa which had enough heat in it to linger on the tongue. And truthfully, if you have made chili a couple of times, you probably don't use a recipe anyway, right? This one had elbow pasta added to it, which I had not thought of doing. Several customers commented they were from the North, and that is common there - sometimes called 'Cincinatti Chili'.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
another day of sub. teaching...
...that seemed like a good idea when I got home last night. This one is at a school fairly close to home, and I am hoping it will be a relatively placid experience. It is a newer school, and would draw students from a totally different socio-economic area than most of the ones I have been in since jumping into subbing in January. That is of course, no guarantee that it will not be a crazy day with a classroom run amuck. But I am pretty sure I have already had my worst day, so nearly certain that will not happen again.... stay tuned!
Monday, February 1, 2016
'reading' while driving...
... really means listening while driving, as I always have a talking book available in my car, especially when I plan to be on the road for several hours. The most recent one was a very interesting story about a woman who grew up in the southwest in the late 1800's and into the twentieth century. It was written as a 'true-life novel', by her granddaughter.
Lily's earliest years were spent on a ranch in west Texas, helping her dad in the family business. Her father trained carriage horses, and she worked with him, helping to break the horses and provide the training of paired animals the family raised and sold. As she reached adulthood and wanted employment outside the family, she was hired as a school teacher in the area, working in a small one room building, with students of varying ages., With a limited education (having only finished the eight grade herself) she was none-the-less a dedicated teacher to youngsters of severely limited resources.
As a young adult, wanting to see the world, she moved to Chicago, and worked as a domestic for some years, realizing that more education would be the only way she could improve her circumstances. And over time did eventually get a degree. Working as a housekeeper during the day and going to school in the evenings.
She got married, had two children, and lived a long, full life with her family relocating a number of times in Arizona and New Mexico, as jobs/work situations changed. Often employed as a teacher, and often raising livestock, when her husband would take work as a ranch manager for absentee landowners. The book, written after many hours of talking with her mother and other family members was a marvelous story. And being from the perspective of a female, quite unusual as a retelling of life and experiences in the southwest when those areas were becoming populated by settlers moving from back east. "Half-broke Horses": was well written, and a fascinating tale about American history from the view point of one who lived it.
I will occasionally check out a book or set of CDs that will not grab my attention and cause me to return it without being completely consumed. In recent years, coming to realize there is no 'test', and I will not be expected to give a report to prove I actually completed the assignment. Therefore if the book is not one that holds my interest after a reasonable amount of time, I am more than willing to return it to the library largely unread. With no worries about bringing home a poor grade due to failure to complete my work.
Lily's earliest years were spent on a ranch in west Texas, helping her dad in the family business. Her father trained carriage horses, and she worked with him, helping to break the horses and provide the training of paired animals the family raised and sold. As she reached adulthood and wanted employment outside the family, she was hired as a school teacher in the area, working in a small one room building, with students of varying ages., With a limited education (having only finished the eight grade herself) she was none-the-less a dedicated teacher to youngsters of severely limited resources.
As a young adult, wanting to see the world, she moved to Chicago, and worked as a domestic for some years, realizing that more education would be the only way she could improve her circumstances. And over time did eventually get a degree. Working as a housekeeper during the day and going to school in the evenings.
She got married, had two children, and lived a long, full life with her family relocating a number of times in Arizona and New Mexico, as jobs/work situations changed. Often employed as a teacher, and often raising livestock, when her husband would take work as a ranch manager for absentee landowners. The book, written after many hours of talking with her mother and other family members was a marvelous story. And being from the perspective of a female, quite unusual as a retelling of life and experiences in the southwest when those areas were becoming populated by settlers moving from back east. "Half-broke Horses": was well written, and a fascinating tale about American history from the view point of one who lived it.
I will occasionally check out a book or set of CDs that will not grab my attention and cause me to return it without being completely consumed. In recent years, coming to realize there is no 'test', and I will not be expected to give a report to prove I actually completed the assignment. Therefore if the book is not one that holds my interest after a reasonable amount of time, I am more than willing to return it to the library largely unread. With no worries about bringing home a poor grade due to failure to complete my work.
on the ride home...
...from the concert last night, I was listening to the radio and found the 'Car Talk' show. Those guys amuse themselves so well, they don't really need an audience! I know it was a replay, and expect that they will continue to be a source of entertainment and education for years to come. Thoroughly entertaining even if no one is listening: as in - does the tree falling in the forest make a sound if no on is there?
And a weather report telling me to expect rain this morning, and wet for the rest of the day. Which I took as good news, since I had planned to go to help tidy up/pull weeds at the Botanical Gardens this morning, as part of the once-a-month ground crew. When I got the email reminder last week, I'd made a note on my calendar, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm, but willing to devote an hour or so to the project. Then, with the prospect of a steady drizzle all day, optimistically sent an email to the organizer, hoping it would postponed for another day.
No such luck: And though it is completely overcast, dull and gray here this morning, there is no rain. I walked around the yard at my house yesterday, looking for signs of spring, and see lots of the bulbs, especially hyacinths, that are starting to peek up out of the ground, after lots of rain and a little sunshine. As well as lots of early spring weeds that were shouting for attention. I pulled a few, and hope to get out there to do some more before the undesirables bloom and have an opportunity spread seeds/reproduce. Demonstrating, I guess, the truth in the obscure saying I heard from my mother: 'It rains on the just and the unjust'....meaning, I suppose, that the weeds grow faster than the things we plant and desire to flourish?
And a weather report telling me to expect rain this morning, and wet for the rest of the day. Which I took as good news, since I had planned to go to help tidy up/pull weeds at the Botanical Gardens this morning, as part of the once-a-month ground crew. When I got the email reminder last week, I'd made a note on my calendar, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm, but willing to devote an hour or so to the project. Then, with the prospect of a steady drizzle all day, optimistically sent an email to the organizer, hoping it would postponed for another day.
No such luck: And though it is completely overcast, dull and gray here this morning, there is no rain. I walked around the yard at my house yesterday, looking for signs of spring, and see lots of the bulbs, especially hyacinths, that are starting to peek up out of the ground, after lots of rain and a little sunshine. As well as lots of early spring weeds that were shouting for attention. I pulled a few, and hope to get out there to do some more before the undesirables bloom and have an opportunity spread seeds/reproduce. Demonstrating, I guess, the truth in the obscure saying I heard from my mother: 'It rains on the just and the unjust'....meaning, I suppose, that the weeds grow faster than the things we plant and desire to flourish?
"Peter and the Wolf"...
...was the performance at the RiverCenter when I was volunteering on Sunday night. I was reminded that it was written to help schoolchildren better understand and appreciate concert music. Last night it was performed by members of the Columbus Symphony and a group of young students from the Columbus Ballet. The youngest children in the dancing troupe were cute little girls of elementary age, with quite a few little round bellies from girls who have yet to shed their baby fat. Wearing leotards and butterfly wings, ballet slippers, seriously prancing around on the stage in the proper order.
The director of the symphony explained to a fairly small audience before the performance started that the different instruments were 'playing the part' of each character, as that character stepped forth for an introduction. Many young children in the audience, some of who had taken the opportunity to attend the pre-show 'petting zoo' and become acquainted with the woodwinds, brass, percussion and other instruments. Then the show began, telling of young Peter, living with his crochety grandfather, and the animals: bird, cat, duck, and wolf creeping in from the forest. With the different instruments performing as various characters took part in dancing on stage. Of course, in a children's tale, everyone lives happily ever after, so the wolf was captured and taken to the zoo, rather than facing a bad end. It was not a long concert/event: over in less than forty five minutes from when the orchestra began, so a pretty short event. But hopefully giving families with young children an opportunity for a positive experience to classical music and introduction to the workings of symphony experience.
My knowledge of "Peter and the Wolf" was limited to Music 101, many many years ago, back when I probably listened to it on a cassette tape, so it was pretty vague. I definitely did not grow up in a home where this type music was present: the kind of stuff you hear in the middle of the day on public radio. But when the music started, I discovered that the tunes identifying the different characters to be quite recognizable. Realizing this is the the background music I hear when I make my annual walk through the Fantasy in Lights Show at Callaway Gardens. I think this music is played when you get to the part of the tour going through the snowflake forest, where strings of clear/white lights are hung by the hundreds, from wires stretched from tree to tree along the roadway. Brilliantly lighting that section of the woodlands as we pass through. So it was quite familiar, and a very pleasant surprise!
The director of the symphony explained to a fairly small audience before the performance started that the different instruments were 'playing the part' of each character, as that character stepped forth for an introduction. Many young children in the audience, some of who had taken the opportunity to attend the pre-show 'petting zoo' and become acquainted with the woodwinds, brass, percussion and other instruments. Then the show began, telling of young Peter, living with his crochety grandfather, and the animals: bird, cat, duck, and wolf creeping in from the forest. With the different instruments performing as various characters took part in dancing on stage. Of course, in a children's tale, everyone lives happily ever after, so the wolf was captured and taken to the zoo, rather than facing a bad end. It was not a long concert/event: over in less than forty five minutes from when the orchestra began, so a pretty short event. But hopefully giving families with young children an opportunity for a positive experience to classical music and introduction to the workings of symphony experience.
My knowledge of "Peter and the Wolf" was limited to Music 101, many many years ago, back when I probably listened to it on a cassette tape, so it was pretty vague. I definitely did not grow up in a home where this type music was present: the kind of stuff you hear in the middle of the day on public radio. But when the music started, I discovered that the tunes identifying the different characters to be quite recognizable. Realizing this is the the background music I hear when I make my annual walk through the Fantasy in Lights Show at Callaway Gardens. I think this music is played when you get to the part of the tour going through the snowflake forest, where strings of clear/white lights are hung by the hundreds, from wires stretched from tree to tree along the roadway. Brilliantly lighting that section of the woodlands as we pass through. So it was quite familiar, and a very pleasant surprise!
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