Bigger Not Better

Have been neglecting my blog this week as I have too many other writing projects.
Never thought standing up for my rights would involve so much writing. Endless letters, forms, memos, emails and reports. It's getting close to the dead line for management to make a decision,one way or the other.

A couple of news stories about drug company mergers this week. Have to go searching for the links as I have lost them. Merck-Schering and Roche-Genentech. To me this is not good news.I don't think bigger is better and the conspiracy theorist in me believes that these mergers are just a way to stifle competition and do nothing to promote better treatments. Look for layoffs too, as they cut costs to cover the debt needed to pay for these mergers.

I'm experimenting with energy boosting drinks to help me get through the work day.
In the early afternoon I drink one tin of a 100 calorie drink that contains 75mg of caffeine, guarine, and B vitamins. Now before you start to tut tut. I only drink this on work days and I always limit myself to one per day. I'm not a coffee drinker and I drink caffeine free tea in the evenings. To tell the truth, it works much better than the anti fatigue drugs I was taking and doesn't have the lousy side effects.Considering I use to drink 3 to 4 diet colas everyday that didn't work that great and contained that poison aspartame, this is not a big deal. I'm also not collapsing in the evening the way I use too. I'll update next week. Hoping this is a temporary measure.

Had grim news from the dentist. No matter what alternative he suggests to fix my teeth, they all involve unpleasantness and big wads of cash.

At least I did bake an excellent skillet apple pie. You peel and slice apples,I chose Empires, and mix them with some apple cider or apple juice. I used an organic juice only because it was the smallest container I could find at the supermarket. They only sell the regular stuff in humongous containers and I don't drink apple juice. You add a bit of lemon juice to stop the apples going brown. Next you saute the apples in some butter, keeping the juice aside and add then it to the pan after a couple of minutes. You then throw in some brown sugar and maple syrup . Let all that cook a couple more minutes, top it with an unbaked pie crust and bake it in the skillet till the crust is golden brown. Served warm you have this yummy sauce that you can spoon on to the crust when you serve it. A little whipped cream and that is one fantastic dessert. I justify eating it because I was told dieting in the winter leaves you more susceptible to colds and flu.

A man survives the Falls

Well, back to writing the work opus.

Half a Loaf

Busy tonight cooking. I decided I may as well take advantage of coming home early to get some food ready for the week. There should be enough to last till Friday, which I think will be a pizza or fish "n" chips night. Then I have a long weekend thanks to a civic holiday on Monday. I'll do another cooking marathon then. I hate coming home during the week when I'm tired , having no clue what to make for dinner. It's going to be a real hot humid week too . I'm sure to be a rag doll.
The meeting this morning went fine, better than I expected, and similar to what my horoscope said( see post below) . I'm getting a temporary accommodation until the Health Canada assessment is done. The expression "better half a loaf than none", is fitting to describe my feelings about it. It's a relief.
I was so tired from not sleeping last night that I left work after the meeting and came right home. Worry, stress ,and tingling feet , do not make for a good night's rest. Maybe that will improve now.

I get to start a bit later in the morning because my "trainer" won't be in till 8:30.She has to show me how to use a new data base. I could most likely figure it out on my own ,but she's trying to be nice, so I'll just go along with it.

That's it for tonight. Have to go check on my pasta sauce that is simmering away here.
I did get some good stamps from Pakistan, in the mail today, and a cool lightning post card from Oklahoma.
Can't wait for the Olympics and the U.S. elections to be over. I'm so sick of both stories highjacking the news.

Summer To Fall

I was a cooking maniac this past weekend. The only reason I stopped cooking Saturday night was because my legs couldn’t take it anymore. My Duragesic patch was to come off Sunday morning and I guess I didn't have enough medicine left in my patch to keep me going.

When I was younger you couldn’t get me in a kitchen. I remember my father telling my mother she needs to make me come in the kitchen with her so I can learn how to cook. My mother never made me; she said if I didn’t want to learn it would be a waste of time. I enjoyed watching her cook back in the day and she was and still is today the best cook I know.

I remember like it was yesterday when I married for the first time how my father came over to my house with two cook books and told me I was going to need them. The two cook books didn’t teach me how to cook, it was having a family to feed and a new found love of cooking. I was on the phone everyday with my Mom or my Dad asking them how to cook this or that. The first time I tried to cook pinto beans they were so hard you could throw one and break a window.


When the fall season comes around I like to cook and freeze some dishes because the seasoning is richer. By the time my legs gave up on me I had cooked pinto beans with ham hocks, navy beans with ham, chicken/sausage gumbo, chicken dumplings, chili, and spaghetti sauce. Since it is just my husband and I living at home I store my food in smaller containers, if I have a large gather I just pull out more than one container.

The best cooks are the ones who weren’t forced to cook at a young age. I never forced my girls to cook and each one of them knows how to cook like grandma. No box food for them if they don't know how to prepare something, they call me like I use to call my Mom. They have been asking me to make them a recipe book for the longest, this year they will finally get their wish. I've been working on a recipe book of all their favorites and more to give to them this Christmas.